On the deck of the ship, Di Yuan—the ship’s owner and the eldest grandson of the main family of the Post House, one of the Upper Nine Professions of Jiangyin Prefecture—was completely stunned by that solemn roar of "Divine Soul." His mind went blank.
’No.’
’What the hell?’
’Ancestral Master?!’
’Is it really appropriate for such a loaded word to appear in a tiny, remote county town like this?’
He covered his ears and couldn’t help but take two steps back.
Then, his expression changed drastically as he looked to the side at the Flying Immortal Temple Master. The man’s Daoist Robe billowed, his face was solemn, and he was glaring viciously at Huang the Seventh Young Master and his group, looking as if he were about to unleash a resounding slap at any moment.
The Post House was in the business of maritime shipping, escort services, and the like, a trade that demanded one’s eyes and ears be open to everything. Having been raised in such an environment, Di Yuan was naturally skilled at reading people and situations.
Even though Huang the Seventh was an Overseas Dragon clashing with a Local Bully from the county, Di Yuan was content to just watch the show, with no intention of meddling.
His elders had always said you never know which will come first: tomorrow or an accident.
If you go around causing trouble all day, what will you do when you finally kick an iron plate?
When transporting goods or escorting a shipment, if you run into trouble, your first thought shouldn’t be to solve it with your fists. If you can smooth things over, smooth them over. If you can use your reputation, use your reputation. As long as the job gets done, how it gets done doesn’t matter.
Traveling all over the world by ship all day long, even as a young master from a great clan, made Di Yuan completely different from someone like Huang the Seventh Young Master—a spoiled heir from a Medicine Shop family, coddled by his grandfather, with no filter on his mouth.
In any case, if he could solve a problem with words, he would never resort to his fists.
’See? Now he’s in for it.’
Duan Chenzhou, that ’Extraordinary Talent’ from the Celestial Blade School, had vanished without a trace for decades.
Whether or not this young man was his disciple remained to be seen.
But just look at Jiangyin Prefecture and the Flying Immortal Temple!
That name...
It’s certainly not an obscure one.
Jiangyin Prefecture was home to millions, backed by the vast, eight-thousand-li East Canghai. A true hub connected in all directions, it was the Great Xuan Far East Water Control Mansion, a place where countless hidden masters lay in wait.
The most prominent among them could be categorized into three groups.
First were the various Daoist Schools, founded by those who had established a Qi Gate Foundation, reached the level of a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster, and thus earned a foothold and a reputation in the Prefecture City, allowing them to open halls and take on disciples.
Second were the "Thirty-Six Grand Lineages," which managed the Hundred Trades and Livelihoods. They were deeply rooted, with each family having a history of at least a hundred years.
And finally...
...there were the true ’Schools’! These were founded by Sect Leaders who possessed a Secret Inheritance and were powerhouses even among Qi Cultivation Grandmasters. They personally presided over their domains, founding sects on the many islands outside the prefecture!
Daoist Schools, Grand Lineages, and Schools—each layer was distinct!
The Flying Immortal Temple was an ’Outer Dao Power,’ yet by relying on its unique Divine Soul Technique and various Exotic Skills and Techniques, it had intricate connections with Daoist Schools, Grand Lineages, and even the Schools.
Although its foundation couldn’t compare to the Grand Lineages and Schools that had operated for a hundred years,
the ’Flying Immortal Temple Master’s’ reputation certainly carried weight!
Moreover, he had made a fortune selling the Divine Soul Technique, which he used to fund his own parallel progress in the Human Immortal Martial Dao and Dao Skill cultivation. An ordinary Qi Cultivation Grandmaster was likely no match for him.
The old masters and Dragon Heads of the Grand Lineages might weigh the pros and cons and decide to ignore him, refusing to give him an easy way out.
But for the direct sons and grandsons of these Grand Lineages and great clans...
...upon meeting him, they had to wait on him with the utmost respect.
Otherwise, if the old fossils at home found out they had been recklessly causing trouble outside and offended a truly powerful old-timer,
wouldn’t they be forced to kneel in the Ancestral Hall, stripped of their outer clothes, and be brutally whipped with thorny branches?
Those whips were infused with Gang Qi! No matter how perfectly you had trained your Flesh, Bone, Skin, and Membrane, you wouldn’t be able to withstand it!
"Huang the Seventh is in a tough spot now."
Di Yuan watched silently, quietly taking several more steps back.
At the same time, he looked at Ji Xiu, his eyes shining with a strange light:
’Duan Chenzhou; Qin Zhuo, the Great Robe Inheritor of the Celestial Blade Sect; Ye Ningzhi of the Embroidery Lineage, disciple of Ye Luan, the "Jiangyin Prefecture Official" and one of the "Two Swords of Jiangshui"; and Fan Nansong, the Flying Immortal Temple Master...’
’Connecting with any one of these people is enough to get a foot in the door of the prefecture’s inner circle.’
’But connecting with four of them...’
’How could he still be considered just a Local Bully?’
’After this is over, I’ll have someone investigate his background. If I can build a relationship with a character like this—one who has immense influence in the county and connections in the prefecture...’
’...then even if Huang the Seventh is the precious direct grandson of the Medicine Shop, with the power of the Wind and Cloud Association that his old man specially roped in for him...’
’...I might just be able to enter the Earth Dragon Cave on behalf of ’Mr. Xu,’ find the Earth Treasure ’Jade Marrow Cold Lotus,’ and use the opportunity to win his favor and ask for his True Inheritance.’
Di Yuan thought to himself.
Everyone present had their own schemes.
But as for who was the most bewildered at this moment...
...others might not know.
But Ji Xiu, who had been watching the scene with a cold gaze, was now looking on as the situation changed in the blink of an eye.
He couldn’t help but be a little dazed.
He had been standing on the docks, leaning on his blade, with a very simple thought in mind.
He just wanted to use his Master Duan Chenzhou’s name, like borrowing a tiger’s skin, to intimidate these ’Overseas Dragons’ from the Prefecture City.
Weren’t the Instructors of the Three Great Halls in the county, and even Lord Zhao the County Magistrate, incredibly wary every time they heard his Master Duan Chenzhou’s name?
That proved Master Duan’s reputation in Jiangyin Prefecture was once huge!
And regardless of whether it was a good reputation or a bad one...
...as long as these people had heard of him, and then suddenly heard that not only had he not fallen from grace after losing his arm, but had instead vanished for over a dozen years only to re-emerge as a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster...
...at the very least, they would have to hesitate for fear of collateral damage, right?!