Free Web NovelChapter 47: Chapter 45: Elder Xue Du
「The next day.」
Weii Fei came to his door.
He brought his Appointment Certificate and found Wei Tu to complain.
After looking at Weii Fei’s Appointment Certificate, Wei Tu felt that Weii Fei had it even worse than him. He had only received the position of Head Coach.
The position of Head Coach required him to teach the unit’s soldiers martial arts and drills every three days. Not only was it troublesome and exhausting, but its status among the unit’s Military Officers was also considered low.
"I’m just waiting for Fourth Brother to get a promotion and pull me up with him now."
"I just hope he hasn’t forgotten what he said when we became sworn brothers."
Weii Fei laughed self-deprecatingly.
Compared to Wei Tu’s open-mindedness, he couldn’t quite get over being suppressed by Hex Prefecture.
After all, his family wasn’t short on money.
With his prospects dashed, the position of Head Coach was clearly not enough to significantly improve his status.
"Fourth Brother is a man of his word. He shouldn’t forget about us brothers."
Wei Tu offered comfort.
He knew that Fu Zhizhou was the key to the alliance among the four sworn brothers of their Yee Society. If Fu Zhizhou went back on his word, their pact would, over time, become nothing more than a joke in their minds.
"Let’s wait a year or two and see."
"Time reveals a person’s true heart."
Weii Fei shook off his dejection and smiled.
Compared to Fu Zhizhou, Weii Fei clearly trusted Wei Tu more, as they were from the same county.
...
「Two days later.」
Wei Tu and Weii Fei took up their new posts, serving as Capital Army Envoy and Head Coach in the County Yamen’s Xiang Army.
Everything in the Xiang Army went smoothly. Neither of them was ostracized by their colleagues or targeted by the soldiers under their command.
This wasn’t because of good morale in the army, but because military discipline was lax. For every roll call, less than half of the officers and soldiers showed up; sometimes not even a third were present.
’The world is about to fall into chaos.’
Seeing this, Wei Tu was reminded of what his father, Wei Bao, had told him about Baiyang County when he returned to Changming Town three years ago.
Seventy percent of the grain in the Charitable Granary had been embezzled by Baiyang County’s officials. The remaining thirty percent was mostly old and rotten, not fresh grain from the previous year.
It was a glimpse of the bigger picture.
If a popular uprising were to occur in Qingshan County, Wei Tu didn’t believe for a second that this Xiang Army could stop a Rebel Army siege.
A popular uprising in Qingshan County.
All it lacked was a single natural disaster.
’This has nothing to do with me.’
’The deep-rooted corruption in Zheng Country’s provinces isn’t something I can change alone. If I act rashly, I might just be handing my "list of crimes" directly to Hex Prefecture...’
Wei Tu shook his head and began to turn a blind eye to the "lax military discipline" of the Qingshan County Xiang Army.
He was well-versed in history and knew the fates of those officials from his past life who had been determined to enact reforms.
...
「Five days after taking his post in the Xiang Army.」
Wei Tu finally met the Elder from Wuyun Tower that Fu Zhizhou had mentioned in his letter more than ten days prior.
"You must be Martial Artist Wei?" In a small alley, an elderly man in his sixties blocked Wei Tu’s path, asking with a cheerful smile.
His hair and beard were completely white, and his temples bulged slightly. He looked old, but his every move was vigorous and strong.
"And you are, sir?" Although Wei Tu had a guess as to the man’s origins, he couldn’t be certain.
’If there were such an extraordinary person in the County Town, he wouldn’t be unknown.’
"Xue Du, an Elder of Wuyun Tower!" The old man smiled faintly, not hiding his identity as he stated his name.
"I have come to Qingshan County Town this time to invite Martial Artist Wei to join our Wuyun Tower."
"If Martial Artist Wei agrees, Wuyun Tower is willing to cultivate you with all our resources..."
"I can personally guarantee that if Martial Artist Wei joins Wuyun Tower, you will have a chance to become an Innate Martial Master before the age of fifty."
"An Innate Martial Master lives for two hundred years."
Xue Du laid out Wuyun Tower’s offer, word by word.
As his voice fell,
Wei Tu’s heart was instantly stirred.
At that moment, he finally understood why Fu Zhizhou had repeatedly warned him not to accept Wuyun Tower’s offer for the sake of personal gain.
The reason was simple: the terms Wuyun Tower proposed were simply too generous.
An Innate Martial Master lives for two hundred years.
By joining Wuyun Tower, one had the chance to add a lifetime to their years.
Who could resist such an offer?
Especially for someone like Wei Tu.
His "Late Bloomer" Destiny Chart would become all the more effective the longer his lifespan was.
’Once I become an Innate Martial Master, I might even have a chance to pursue the Immortal Dao that may exist in this world.’
"I am already an official appointed by the Court. Since I have joined the Government Office, as for Wuyun Tower... please allow me to refuse..."
After a pause of several breaths, Wei Tu finally suppressed the desire in his heart. He took a deep breath and spoke.
"But this is the chance to become an Innate Martial Master!" Xue Du frowned and pressed him again.
’To have achieved this much after only three years of training... I really don’t want to let a promising martial arts talent like Wei Tu go.’
"Thank you for your high regard, Elder Xue, but I am not passionate about Martial Arts. It is merely a tool for me to pursue fame and fortune."
Wei Tu shook his head, refusing once more.
Hearing this,
Xue Du could only give up. He sighed, casually tossed a Token to Wei Tu, and said, "If you change your mind, Martial Artist Wei, you can take this Token to Tonghu Mountain. One of our sect’s Guiding Envoys is there."
With that, Xue Du flicked his great robe, pushed off the alley wall with his foot, and, like a cloud-soaring crane, leaped up to the two-zhang-high eaves. After a few steps, he vanished without a trace.
’Qinggong?’ Seeing this, Wei Tu’s eyebrows rose slightly, and he instantly had a better assessment of Xue Du’s strength.
Although External Martial Masters were often stronger in terms of raw power than Inner Cultivation Martial Masters, in certain aspects, they were far inferior.
Take the Qinggong Xue Du had just demonstrated, for example.
While Wei Tu could also use momentum to leap onto a two-zhang-high eave, his movements would be nowhere near as graceful or effortless as Xue Du’s.
’Moreover, from what I could tell, Xue Du isn’t just an Inner Cultivation Martial Master; he has also practiced some External Pile Training...’
’But there must be some untruths in what he said. He’s so old himself and hasn’t even reached the Innate Realm... how could he let us Disciples who join later reach the Innate Martial Master realm so easily?’
’Besides, the Government Office already has its eyes on Wuyun Tower. Right now, Wuyun Tower is no safe haven...’
Wei Tu shook his head, pushing the matter of Wuyun Tower to the back of his mind.
However, as he was leaving, Wei Tu thought for a moment and hid the Token Xue Du had just thrown him under a large Ailanthus tree in the alley.
「The next day.」
Weii Fei told Wei Tu that Xue Du from Wuyun Tower had also approached him, but he had flatly refused.
Weii Fei’s reasons for refusing Wuyun Tower were the same as Wei Tu’s. Aside from their agreement back at the Government Office, there was another point: they both saw that Wuyun Tower was a sinking ship.
Boarding it now
was no different from seeking death.
No matter how great a Martial Arts Sect Wuyun Tower was, it couldn’t compare to the Zheng Country Court. This was a consensus between the two of them, and indeed among all Martial Artists.
Otherwise, why would Wuyun Tower bother recruiting Martial Scholars like them? Wouldn’t it be better to establish its own "Court" and cultivate its own members?
The very act of recruiting Martial Scholars proved that Wuyun Tower was inferior to the Zheng Country Court and could only resort to this lesser strategy.
After refusing Wuyun Tower’s invitation,
Wei Tu’s life returned to a day-by-day calm.
Until—
the provincial Military Examination for the current year concluded, and the list of successful candidates was sent to the Qingshan County Yamen.
"Fu Zhizhou actually passed this year’s provincial exam, ranking ninth..."
After Wei Tu and Weii Fei finished reading the list, their happiness was tinged with a new worry.
Originally,
Fu Zhizhou’s background was already better than the other three sworn brothers.
Now that he had passed the provincial exam and become a Martial Scholar, his status had leaped far ahead of theirs. He would be appointed as an Eighth-Grade Military Officer...
Whether he would still remember their old pact and be willing to honor it was difficult to predict.
