Cultivation Nerd

I observed the old man, who appeared to be in his fifties. Based on the Qi around him, it felt like he was in the upper stages of Qi Gathering, somewhere around the peak, no doubt. Song Song had sent me here for a reason, and I doubted it was to handle some displeased local politicians.

As I opened my mouth to speak, the governor interrupted me, "If you even try to order me around, I'm going to smash you over the head. There's no way some brat will ever order me around!"

At first glance, this guy sounded quite hot-headed. But I had been around reckless people before, and he did not have that fire in his words that was often hard to fake. No doubt, he was stuck at the peak of Qi Gathering, and at his age, there was little hope he would advance any further in his cultivation.

But that wasn't all. The old governor's calloused hands, rough skin around his arms, and everything else about his musculature and scars showed that he practiced fist or palm techniques. Also, becoming governor was a job for those who couldn't reach Foundation Establishment after half a century of their life.

Most Qi Gathering Cultivators were never able to reach Foundation Establishment. One would think that the Sect would run out of cities to give, but it was quite the opposite. Instead, they didn't have a lot of Qi Gathering Cultivators to fill the demand. Towns in the Blazing Sun Sect's territory often did not have a cultivator governor.

This clearly showed how much influence the Blazing Sun Sect had and how large their territory was. Also, Qi Gathering cultivators were rare to the broader population. There were times when, even in a city with tens of thousands of people, there would not be even one Qi Gathering Cultivator.

Anyway, the governor was understandably not pleased by being treated like nothing more than a convenient chess piece by Song Song. But despite that, nothing else suggested that the old governor was reckless.

But no matter how reasonable his anger might have been, I couldn't take it lying down because I was already dismissed by merely being a Body Tempering Cultivator. If I didn't show my backbone, everyone here would walk over me.

Nonetheless, I did not have the personal power to act arrogantly.

I made my threats clear first so none of my orders would be so easily dismissed in the future.

I would have apologized to him if the world worked on pure intentions and honesty. But apologizing, more often than not, would not help someone when dealing with cultivators, which was quite a sad thing in and of itself.

"You're threatening me, boy?" The governor stood up and slammed his fist on the table, causing the solid wood structure to crack, with cracks spreading all around it and the soup on the plates spilling onto the table, dripping to the ground. But despite all that, I kept staring at the old governor in the eyes.

If growing up with siblings who always argued had taught me anything, it was that insults should be followed by compliments to heal a broken ego. Then again, my brother never had the power to slap me to death. So, who could say...

"Me personally? I'm not threatening you; I'm just stating facts," I said, leaning back in the chair. "I'm nowhere near strong enough to be a deterrent to someone like you. But I know the perfect deterrent, and her name is Song Song. What do you think she would do if she even caught a hint of insubordination from you?"

There was no change in the old governor's scowling expression, but at least he was no longer screaming at me. It was pretty nerve-wracking when someone so overwhelmingly stronger screamed at me.

"I know I'm only a Body Tempering Cultivator and was the weakest in a group of twenty. You were expecting six Qi Gathering disciples, but instead, you got me," I thought my following words carefully and contemplated what should not be mentioned here.

I had yet to learn where this old governor's loyalties lay. "Though I know very little about Song Song's plans, she apparently planned to do the same with most other cities, adding only one defender in their midst. She undoubtedly left me here since the governor must be the strongest compared to the others from nearby towns, and despite me being weak, your power would balance that out somewhat."

The governor did not seem pleased, but at least he stopped yelling and stopped banging his fist on the table.

There was a small scratching sound coming from my wooden backpack, which I had forgotten to remove despite its size. So I removed it and put it beside me while Speedy popped his head out and looked at me.

"While inner disciples come over from the Sect and usually take over leadership, the Sect considers this as a way to teach them-"

"Usually, it is five or six inner disciples, and they're all Qi Gathering Cultivators," he pointed out.

I didn't get angry; instead, I just smiled, "Yeah, that number can even overthrow the governor. So it isn't like he has much of a choice when it comes to giving up his power."

He narrowed his eyes at that and looked like he would get angry again. But just like he had done to me, I interrupted him before he could speak.

"It would be foolish of me if I didn't listen to your advice, considering your many years of experience handling something like this," I said, offering a way for us to still end this on good terms.

I really did mean that. I was not arrogant enough to think I knew more about Beast Waves than a veteran.

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Even if I read more books, it could not hold a candle to his experience. Reading about how to shoot a gun did not make anyone a sniper.

The old governor did not look pleased with what I was doing. He sighed. But in the end, he was rational and nodded.

"Fine, you brat. But I will take you down if you are stupid or arrogant. If Song Song thinks anything is wrong with that, then I will have a word with her teacher," the old governor said, folding his arms and looking at me with an intense gaze.

"Thank you," I smiled and eased up. "Since we are in a meeting anyway, how about we discuss any other problems plaguing this place?"

"Everything is good, except for the annoying rivalry between the Lu and Hong Clans; the city's defenses are perfect," he reported, glancing at his food. The old governor snorted, seemingly having lost his appetite.

However, it was still better than nothing. I just had to keep the old guy talking and not thinking about anything too significant.

"Do you think this rivalry is bad enough that it will influence the defenses of the city?" I carefully inquired, trying to read the old governor's expression and discover whether he had any deep connections with either clan.

"Probably not," he stated, showing no favoritism to either side.

Probably?—That did not sound promising.

No matter what, I would never allow some arrogant young master to put my life on the line.

But thoughts and actions were different, and I had yet to decide what kind of image I wanted these people to see me as.

In this case, following what my heart desired was not an option. What I really wanted was to lock myself in a library and read all day long.

Well, when in Rome...

"Since we are already here, do you think you can arrange a meeting with both of the Clan Leaders of these Lu and Hong Clans?" I asked.

"Yes, I am sure they would be willing to meet with our new leader," the old governor said, clenching his jaw muscles.

Despite how I had threatened him, he clearly did not respect me enough as a leader. But I did not need him to respect me; I just needed him to fear the consequences of not following my orders. It wasn't like I planned to rule this place for the rest of my life; just a few months was enough.

The old governor snapped his fingers, and immediately the door I came in through opened, and the guy who had escorted me here hurried in.

He went close to the governor and bowed, "How can I help you, Lord Governor?"

"Go and notify the Hong and Lu Clans that we have a guest in our city and that they should come and meet him," the old governor said.

"Yes, Lord Governor, I shall do so immediately," the guy raised his head. Then he rushed out in a fast-walking style and closed the door behind him.

The governor leaned back in his chair, his calloused hand scratching the scar on his face as he stared me in the eyes. "So, how did an outer disciple like you end up here? You guys are usually more expendable and sent toward towns without cultivators."

"It's a long story," I said, glancing at the delicious-looking food and wondering if it was poisoned.

Probably very low, and now he was even less likely to poison me, especially since he seemed to know Song Song quite well.

"Well, we have all the time in the world. Trust me, those trashy Clan Leaders will take an unnecessarily long time to prepare. They're like women," the old governor snorted.

"We met during the last part of the acceptance exam."

"Were you a participant?"

"No, just helping as an obstacle for the newcomers," I shook my head. "How about you? How did someone like you know about Song Song?"

"Who doesn't know about the crazy girl," he stated, looking toward one of the windows with a melancholic gaze. "Actually, her teacher and I used to work together when we were younger. Though she was always kind, she helped everyone. Even had a bad habit of giving people candy; it unnerved many since they thought the treats were poisoned."

He chuckled and seemed happy recalling the past. But his face soon turned into a frown, and he said, "I will never understand how Xing Ju ended up with a disciple like Song Song. Why would she take someone like that in? I know Xing Ju; she would never compromise her morals just to get a talented disciple."

Well, it seemed like there was some history there, and with nothing better to do, I asked him, "Really?"

By my calculations, Song Song's teacher and this guy should not have been in an era when her teacher was the same age as him. Because they were Core Formation Cultivators, they had a lifespan of about half a millennia.

So when this guy was young, Song Song's teacher should still have been old. At least a couple of centuries old or more. Whatever he was saying made little sense.

"Was the cultivation world different back then?" I asked, leaning back in the chair and getting ready to listen.

"No, not that much. Though the youngsters were more respectable, and we never threatened our elders," the old governor gave me a pointed glare, but his glare relaxed soon after that, and he continued. "However, there used to be another clan the size of the Blazing Sun Sect. In comparison, it was a younger clan than the Blazing Sun Sect. But it fell sooner; often, the old outlived the young regarding these things."

"Huh? What was the name of the destroyed Sect?" I inquired, now curious how a Sect like the Blazing Sun Sect got destroyed.

"Purple Cloud Sect," he answered. "They were quite vicious in their takeover, and their growth was fast. Many assumed that it would grow even larger than the Blazing Sun Sect. But unfortunately for them, a quick growth like that is bound to leave behind some unsolved grudges."

"Was that what got them destroyed? Some revenge plot?" I inquired, now quite curious about how a Sect that size went under.

"Part of it. But they destroyed the Clan of some young man who at the time was unnamed. It wasn't like they hadn't done this many times before, but they messed with the wrong guy this time. As his cultivation skyrocketed within less than a decade, that helpless young man whose cultivation was crushed ended up becoming a peak Nascent Soul Cultivator and destroyed the Purple Cloud Sect," the old governor chuckled, rubbing his chin. "Some say that the guy went into hiding and became an immortal; some say he was already an immortal when he attacked and had likely assassinated the Purple Cloud Immortal, and that was why he didn't appear in the battle. Though by now, most believe the young hero died of his injuries after the battle."

That was quite an interesting story, and it had a chilling similarity to something I had come to somewhat understand. How this avenger's tale went mirrored Hu Jin's in many ways.

Could it be that he was another Heaven's Favorite before Hu Jin?

Suddenly, the doors to the room opened, breaking my contemplative thoughts.

"Lord Governor, the Lu and Hong Clan Leaders are here," declared a servant, and two men walked in.

Well, it was about time I began acting like a cultivator...

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