YM778.TV Chapter 50 - 50 Passing on the Torch i
When Wang Ba arrived at Nanhu Village, he discovered that it had undergone significant changes.
Perhaps to accommodate these new laborers, within just a few days a dozen new rows of houses had suddenly appeared next to Nanhu Village.
However, unlike the constant arrivals and departures of Sect Disciples in the previous days, Wang Ba observed that the number of Qi Refining disciples had noticeably decreased.
There were no traces of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they were most likely not present anymore.
In contrast to the quietness of the West Garden market, Nanhu Village was bustling with excitement.
There were people everywhere, it was as crowded as a worldly market.
After observing for a while, Wang Ba discreetly deactivated his disguise.
Firstly, being immersed in the crowd, he, a mere laborer, was not conspicuous and didn’t need to worry about being noticed.
Secondly, deceiving so many people at once, even though not many of them were Qi Refining disciples, depleted his Power of the Yin God greatly.
In between, he saw individuals dressed in the robes of the Deacon, calling out and leading away some laborers. It seemed that they were assigning jobs.
The new laborers seemed curious about life in the sect. Their gazes, filled with longing for the life within the sect, were almost impossible to mask.
The sense of urgency brought on by the impending battle didn’t seem to affect here at all.
After watching for a while, Wang Ba carefully located the entrance to the tunnel drawn on the map provided by Gou Mu.
The tunnel entrance was located in an old well in the backyard of an abandoned house.
This place was relatively remote and there were few passersby in the area.
He was relieved that this deserted house, perhaps too shabby, seemed to have no occupants.
However, he was troubled by the presence of a few sect disciples.
Not daring to linger and draw the attention of the sect disciples, Wang Ba walked away and managed to stop a laborer dressed woman, slipping her a couple of eggs.
These precious chicken eggs were not worth much, but in these circumstances, they were indeed a godsend.
Initially, the laboring woman clutched her chest in caution, but seeing the eggs, she didn’t hold back and promptly stowed them away.
“Hey, sister, let me ask you something. Why does it seem that the Lu Family, who moved here not long ago, isn’t here anymore?”
Wang Ba didn’t ask directly, he first beat around the bush.
Upon arriving in the village, he had initially planned to visit an old friend, but had unexpectedly found the Lu’s house deserted.
When the laboring woman heard this, she tightened her facial expression, first glanced past Wang Ba and then whispered in a low, hurried voice:
“Why are you asking this? It’s not good to inquire about it!”
“That Lu Family offended someone!”
“They were chased out of the village a few days ago.”
“Chased out of the village?” Wang Ba couldn’t help but frown: “Then, where did they go? Did they leave the sect?”
“No!
The laboring woman looked slightly disgusted:
“They wouldn’t dare leave the sect! 1 heard someone at the top granted the Lu family permission to leave the sect, but they refused. Right now, they’re squatting in a manor outside, over there to the west of the market…”
“Nobody else knows about these things, I’m only telling you because you seem pleasant!”
“Thank you very much!”
Wang Ba immediately offered another two eggs with a smile. The laboring woman was overjoyed and stowed them away, her front bulging with six large lumps.
Wang Ba glanced at them and then casually said, “By the way, 1 haven’t been here for quite some time. Why are there so many immortals here?”
This question prompted the laboring woman to pour out her grievances:
“Hey, isn’t it because of the missing laborers that caused a stir? Initially, most of the immortals had already left. However, the sudden disappearance of the laborers led the top to dispatch a few more immortals over here. You see, though the location here is remote, we have an excellent view. The entire village can be seen at a glance.”
“However, 1 estimate that these immortals will leave in a few days.”
Curious, Wang Ba asked: “Why?”
“You don’t know? There’s going to be a war! By then, who will have the time to manage us.”
The laboring woman replied matter-of-factly.
She then expressed her regret, “It’s a shame. We women are not particularly strong. If I were a man, 1 would certainly seize this opportunity to follow the immortals into battle. Then, perhaps I could come across a Spiritual Root!”
Upon hearing this, Wang Ba chuckled.
He had no plans to go.
After bidding farewell to the laboring woman, for a time, Wang Ba couldn’t think of a way to bypass the sect disciples surrounding the entrance to the tunnel. The only choice was to suppress his impatience and leave Nanhu Village.
After a thought, he detoured to the manor where the Lu Family was staying.
Although he had some speculations about the misery of the Lu Family, when he saw Shopkeeper Lu on the sickbed, reduced to skin and bones, and barely able to speak, he was at a loss for words.
“How could it come to this!”
After staying a while, Wang Ba left a few spirit stones as a sign of his goodwill, then left the Lu residence.
Standing at the entrance, looking at the fallen state of the courtyard, he couldn’t help but sigh.
It was beyond his understanding, why Shopkeeper Lu, fully aware of the unpredictable currents within the sect and the numerous disciples within the sect who harbored ill intentions towards the Lu Family, still chose to linger here and not leave.
If they left the sect, with the Lu family’s former resources, becoming incredibly wealthy wouldn’t be a difficult task.
Why withstand such mistreatment here.
The indifference of the sect also left Wang Ba speechless.
No matter how you see it, the Lu family is the family of Lu Yuansheng, who used to be a prominent disciple of the outer sect. Now they’re in such dire straits, and the sect hasn’t shown any reaction. Don’t they worry about the sect disciples becoming disheartened and disloyal?
Harboring these doubts and complex emotions, Wang Ba hadn’t gone far before he was suddenly called out by a voice.
“Junior Brother Wang, hold up.”
Junior Brother Wang?
A shiver ran through Wang Ba’s heart as he immediately thought of the other person’s identity.
Quickly turning around, he respectfully saluted, “Sen…Senior Brother Zhao!”
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No need to be so formal!”
Zhao Feng, with a magic sword on his back, strode over. Upon reaching Wang Ba, he suddenly showed a different expression:
“Stage IX thus far?”
“It seems your concealed Spiritual Root, even if it’s not upper grade, is at least middle to top range!”
As he spoke, he subtly supported Wang Ba’s arm, his discreet Mana shifted slightly. A hint of a smile appeared on his stern face.
Wang Ba faintly felt as if something foreign had entered his body, but upon trying to feel it more closely, it was gone, causing his heart to jolt.
He quickly showed an embarrassed expression, “Senior Brother Zhao, you overpraise. If I could reach the level of a lower grade Spiritual Root, I would be immensely grateful.”
“No need to be modest, reaching Stage IX within a year is excellent.”
Zhao Feng shook his head slightly, then solemnly continued. “You have been to see the Lu family, haven’t you?”
Even though Wang Ba was unsure of what Zhao meant, he knew he couldn’t hide it from him. He promptly nodded, hesitatingly saying:
“The Lu family, appears to be not doing well.”
A rare anger flashed across Zhao Feng’s stern face:
“I am aware!”
“Senior Brother Lu was an extraordinary talent! Who would have thought his family members would have no clue how to advance or retreat. 1 pulled a lot of strings to ask the Elder from the External Affairs Room grant them leave from the sect, yet they refused!”
At those words, Wang Ba suddenly understood.
The woman who was doing chores had indeed mentioned it earlier, that the superiors had granted the Lu family permission to leave the sect – it turned out, it was Zhao Feng who had been pulling strings all along.
It looks like, though Lu Yuansheng had made many enemies while alive, he also had loyal supporters such as Zhao Feng who, even after Lu Yuansheng’s death, was still willing to help his family out of old sentiment.
Frankly, Wang Ba felt quite envious of a person like Lu Yuansheng.
While he was alive, he must have been this heroic, free-spirited character, with incredible personal charm. Shame about the adverse side.
“So…the meaning of Senior Brother Zhao is…”
Wang Ba, unsure of Zhao Feng’s intentions, asked cautiously.
“Four of the top ten disciples from the outer sect would like nothing more than to completely exterminate the Lu family. I’ve tried my best, but can barely protect them.”
Zhao Feng’s stern face showed no signs of extra emotion. “But that’s not important. The sect is about to go to war with ‘Fu State’. Mostly, the outer sect’s top ten disciples will be dispatched. The Lu family should be safe for now.”
“However, 1 have a lingering suspicion that Senior Brother Lu’s death is a little odd, possibly related to certain people within the sect. I’ve looked into the outer sect and the menial workers…”
Wang Ba shrank his head, he had nothing to do with this matter. His relationship with Shopkeeper Lu is minor and he had no intention to get involved in this mess.
However, Zhao’s words did resolve one of his concerns. Apparently, the Five Great Sects of Chen State were about to go on an expedition against the neighboring ‘Fu State’. No wonder it took the joint effort of the Five Great Sects.
However, for some reason, he had an odd feeling about this, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.
Zhao Feng seemed to have also noticed this and shook his head, saying, “Never mind, it does not concern you. Your most important task at hand is to cultivate the tenth stage of the Strong Body Sutra and enter the outer sect as soon as possible.”
After some thought, he suddenly said, “The jade pendant I gave you, are you still wearing it?”
Wang Ba promptly nodded, taking out the rustic jade pendant from his waist.
Zhao Feng took the jade pendant and his hand suddenly formed a sword-like gesture.
The magic sword behind him immediately responded, and in an instant, its brilliance flickered and was then absorbed into the jade pendant.
After doing all this, Zhao Feng seemed somewhat exhausted and handed the jade pendant back to Wang Ba.
When Wang Ba took the jade pendant, he noticed a sword Qi roaming on it. Just by looking at it for a short while, his eyes started to prickle from the intense chill.
“Senior Brother Zhao, this…
“There’s a sword Qi inside the jade pendant that I’ve instilled. Although it’s not as strong as my full strike, it does possess 30 to 40% of my power and can serve as a protective charm. Ordinarily anyone below Qi Refining Stage VII shouldn’t be able to hurt you, though it only has power for one strike. All it needs is your thoughts to propel it.”
Zhao Feng’s stern face remained impassive as he said, “Consider it a token of welcome from me to you.”
“This…this is really too valuable…”
Wang Ba was deeply moved.
Earlier today at the West Garden market, a piece of Armor Talisman that can rival Qi Refining Stage 111 sold for 3 Spirit Stones, and Zhao Feng’s sword Qi could probably bring in dozens of Spirit Stones.
The key point is that you can’t just buy them anywhere.
If put on the market, someone would definitely be willing to pay even 100 Spirit Stones.
This favor, was simply too big!
So big that Wang Ba, instead of being overjoyed, was wary.
However, before he could refuse, Zhao Feng had already turned around. He left with only one sentence and disappeared silently.
“Don’t overthink it. In the past, Senior Brother Lu also treated me the same way.”
Upon hearing these words, Wang Ba stood there in shock..