noffsinger Chapter 21 The Submission of Jimingtun
Chapter 21 The Submission of Jimingtun
Jimingtun.
In Zhao Laowu's courtyard.
Shen Gui sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, a bowl of cold tea in front of him, which he did not touch.
Zhao Laowu sat opposite him, his fingers still trembling slightly.
He had been awake for half an hour.
Shen Gui briefly recounted what happened last night.
How the old woman appeared, how she rode the wind, how she pierced the white wolf's head with a single palm strike, and how she carried the white wolf away.
Of course, he omitted the details of how his feigned unconsciousness was exposed, only saying that the old woman did not attack him for some reason, and left after taking the white wolf.
"Fellow Daoist Shen..." Zhao Laowu's voice was still trembling, "You said that old woman... was a high-level cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm?"
"Riding the wind, what else is that but practicing Qi?" Shen Gui asked calmly.
Zhao Laowu swallowed hard, his face as white as paper.
The highest level of cultivation he had ever seen in his life was his own ancestor's fourth level of the embryonic breathing stage. To him, the Qi Refining Realm was a legendary figure, an existence that stood in the sky looking down on all living beings.
"Why didn't she kill us?" Zhao Laowu asked, still shaken.
Shen Gui glanced at him and said indifferently, "Kill us? What do we have that's worth her killing? She's already got the white wolf in her hands. She probably wouldn't even bother to lift a finger to kill us small fry."
Zhao Laowu thought about it and agreed.
For a high-level cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm, killing two lowly cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm is as easy as waving a hand.
Remembering something, Zhao Laowu asked urgently, "Then...where is that child? Is the child still in the cave?"
Shen Gui picked up his teacup, took a sip of the cool tea, and said unhurriedly, "I brought him back. He has no cultivation, and the effects of the Bewitching Incense haven't worn off yet, so he'll probably need to sleep for a while."
Zhao Laowu's expression changed slightly, his lips trembled twice, and he hesitated to speak.
Shen Gui put down his teacup, looked at him, and asked directly, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, what do you plan to do with this child?"
Zhao Laowu was stunned.
The extremely conflicted expression reappeared on his face; his lips opened and closed repeatedly, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
Shen Gui didn't urge him, but just waited quietly.
After a long while, Zhao Laowu finally spoke with difficulty: "He... he is of the eldest son's bloodline, and in principle, he should be recognized as a member of the clan. But..."
"But once he returns, all those things you did back then might be exposed," Shen Gui finished his sentence for him. "And with the eldest branch having descendants, your position as the third branch will be precarious, right?"
Zhao Laowu's face flushed red, and he lowered his head, not daring to look Shen Gui in the eye.
Shen Gui looked at his appearance and sneered inwardly.
People want to be good, but they can't bear to let go of their selfish desires.
Even though he was the one who abandoned the child years ago, now that the child has been raised by a demon beast, he is still worried about whether the child will threaten his position in the family.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, from what I hear, you're simply worried that if this child stays in Jiming Village, he might threaten the rule of your third branch in the future." Shen Gui stood up, his tone calm. "In that case, why not hand this child over to me?"
Zhao Laowu suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Fellow Daoist Shen, you..."
"I'll take him away, saving you some trouble," Shen Gui said calmly. "You don't need to worry about him coming back to fight for the family fortune, nor do you need to worry about him seeking revenge after learning about what happened back then."
Zhao Laowu's eyes flickered, clearly he was calculating rapidly.
Entrusting the child to Shen Gui would indeed save them a lot of trouble.
This child was raised by wolves from a young age, so he is rough and uncouth, eating raw meat and drinking blood. If he were to stay in Jiming Village, who knows what the villagers would say about him? And if the eldest branch of the family found out, they would definitely ask him about what happened back then...
But he hesitated.
After all, it was their Zhao family bloodline, and he felt uneasy about giving it to an outsider.
"Fellow Daoist Shen, that child... is, after all, a member of the Zhao family," Zhao Laowu said with difficulty. "If I were to hand him over to you, this..."
Shen Gui looked at him and sneered, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, those are easy words for you. When you abandoned this child in the mountains to feed the wolves, did you ever think of him as a member of the Zhao family? Now that I'm cleaning up your mess, you're talking to me about blood ties?"
Zhao Laowu's face turned bright red, and he opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
Shen Gui waved his hand, his tone softening slightly: "Fine, I won't make things difficult for you. You're just afraid he'll threaten you in the future. I'll take him away, change his name, and have him have nothing to do with Jimingtun from now on. As for his background, I'll say he was an abandoned baby raised by a demon beast, and I won't mention a single word about you."
Zhao Laowu remained silent for a long time, then finally seemed to have made up his mind and bowed deeply: "Then... then I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Shen."
Shen Gui looked at him but didn't reply.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Zhao Laowu straightened up, then remembered something else, and an unnatural expression appeared on his face. He stammered, "Fellow Daoist Shen, you just said that my ancestor was poisoned to death by that white wolf... So, if any more demonic beasts attack in the future, I..."
Shen Gui glanced at him, his tone indifferent: "You expect me to guard Jimingtun for you?"
Zhao Laowu hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no! It's just... as you can see, my whip technique is really not up to par. If any more demonic beasts or cultivators attack, I'm afraid I won't even have the power to fight back."
Shen Gui chuckled: "You really should practice your whip technique. Your ancestor has passed away, so from now on, Jiming Village will depend on you."
Zhao Laowu's face fell. He rubbed his hands together and stammered, "Fellow Daoist Shen, if there is any danger in the future, can I...can I still ask you for help?"
Shen Gui did not answer directly.
He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, I came to Jiming Village this time on your behalf to exorcise the demon beast. Logically speaking, this is a transaction between us. I did your work for you for two spirit stones. Now the demon beast has been eliminated, although it was killed by that old woman. But it's gone. We're even now."
Zhao Laowu nodded repeatedly.
"But I didn't get anything from this trip." Shen Gui put down his teacup, his tone indifferent. "The white wolf was taken away by that old woman, and you don't need to pay the spirit stone deposit anymore. This time, out of consideration for your sincerity, I risked my life to accompany you in chasing after him for half the night. I've done more than enough."
Zhao Laowu's face flushed red and then turned pale as he understood the unspoken meaning in Shen Gui's words.
This is about negotiating terms.
Seeing that he seemed to understand but not quite, Shen Gui simply stated clearly: "Fellow Daoist Zhao, you don't need to worry. If you intend to seek my protection in the long term, you will still be the village chief of Jimingtun. You only need to offer some spirit rice or spirit chickens as tribute every year, just like you did in Wotugou."
He paused, then added, "It's better than losing most of your breeding stock every time you encounter a monster, right?"
Zhao Laowu fell silent.
He quickly did some mental calculations.
Although Jimingtun is not large, its spirit chickens are quite famous around Tingfeng Pavilion, and a considerable number of spirit chickens are sold every year.
If one pays tribute annually, although a portion of the offerings must be given up, in return one receives the protection of a sword cultivator at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
The ancestor is no longer here, and with my limited skills, I wouldn't even dare to face an injured white wolf head-on.
If another monster attacks, or if someone with ulterior motives targets Jimingtun, what will he use to defend himself?
Offering some sacred rice and chickens every year to buy peace and safety is a worthwhile investment.
Moreover, Shen Gui has quite a reputation in Tingfeng Pavilion Market, and his book "The Secret Manual of Wheel Cultivation" is selling like hotcakes.
Getting on the good side of this powerful force can only benefit Jimingtun.
Zhao Laowu gritted his teeth, stood up, straightened his clothes, bowed deeply to Shen Gui, and said solemnly:
"Master Shen, Zhao Laowu is willing to lead Jimingtun to submit to you. We will offer you tribute every year without fail. We hope you will protect Jimingtun in the future."
Shen Gui waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down: "No need for formalities, sit down and let's talk."
"From now on, the standard for spirit chickens or spirit rice will be the same as that for Wotugou every year. I will send someone to talk to you about it later," Shen Gui said. "If we encounter any monster attacks or foreign enemies, you can send someone to Daling Village to report the news, and I will handle it myself."
Zhao Laowu took the jade slip, carefully put it away, and nodded repeatedly.
The two then discussed some details about the vassalage, such as when to pay tribute, how to send messages, and how to seek help in case of danger.
Although Zhao Laowu was timid and fearful, he had been a clan cultivator for many years, so he was quite capable of handling these matters.
After we finished discussing business, it was already completely dark.
Shen Gui stood up, dusted off his robes, and said calmly, "I'm taking that child with me."
Zhao Laowu hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Shen, what do you plan to do with him?"
"I said, I changed my name and surname, and from now on I have nothing to do with Jimingtun." Shen Gui said calmly, "His name is Zhao Yunluo?"
Zhao Laowu nodded: "The eldest brother of the eldest branch named him Zhao Yunluo."
Shen Gui pondered for a moment: "From today onwards, his name is Lu Yunluo. As for his background... I'll say he was an abandoned baby found in the mountains and raised by a demon beast, and has nothing to do with Jimingtun."
Shen Gui casually came up with a surname.
Zhao Laowu opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just nodded and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Shen."
Shen Gui looked at him and sneered, "You don't need to thank me. I don't want to bother with your petty affairs, nor can I be bothered with them. But Fellow Daoist Zhao, you are, after all, the leader of a village. You should practice your whip technique properly, so that next time you encounter real danger, you won't even be able to run properly."
Zhao Laowu blushed and lowered his head in shame.
Shen Gui said no more and turned to walk into the woodshed.
The boy was still lying on the haystack, breathing steadily, fast asleep.
The effects of the old woman's intoxicating incense hadn't worn off yet; he'd probably be asleep until tomorrow morning.
Shen Gui picked him up along with the tattered cloth. The boy was heavier than he had imagined, with strong bones and firm muscles.
The boy unconsciously snuggled closer to Shen Gui, making mumbled sounds as if he were calling for "Mother".
Shen Gui's heart softened.
This child probably doesn't know that the white wolf who raised him is dead.
"Let's go." Shen Gui carried the boy out of the woodshed and headed towards the courtyard gate.
Zhao Laowu followed behind, seeing him all the way to the village entrance, hesitant to speak.
Shen Gui stopped and looked back at him, his tone calm but with a hint of warning: "Fellow Daoist Zhao, only you and I know about this child. If a third person finds out about his background, I will hold you responsible."
Zhao Laowu trembled and nodded repeatedly, "Fellow Daoist Shen, rest assured, I, Zhao Laowu, swear to heaven that I will not divulge a single word of this matter!"
Shen Gui said no more, picked up the boy, and turned to walk into the night.
Moonlight spilled onto the bluestone path, casting a long shadow.
Zhao Laowu stood at the village entrance, watching Shen Gui's receding figure, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
He looked down at his rough rattan whip, then at the fine iron longsword at Shen Gui's waist, and remembered Shen Gui's words earlier, "Practice your whip technique well," and his face flushed.
"Yes... With the ancestor gone, Jiming Village will have to rely on itself from now on."
Zhao Laowu gripped the rattan whip tightly, took a deep breath, and turned to walk back into the village.
Night was falling.
Shen Gui carried the boy and walked back to Daling Village at a leisurely pace.
The boy slept soundly in his arms, his breathing steady, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were having a bad dream.
Shen Gui glanced down at him and said softly, "From now on, your name is Lu Yunluo. You are my second disciple, Shen Gui. As for your past... let it be the past."