Chapter 115 - 110: Reunion

The Retainers of the great families in the Yongning County Seat are generally divided into four ranks: Bronze Token, Silver Token, Gold Token, and Jade Token. The Jade Token is the most prestigious, only attainable by those in the Refining Internal Realm. Gold Token is next, requiring Martial Artists who have tempered their bones to the level of their ribs and spine in the Bone Forging Realm. The requirements for a Bronze Token are quite low; tempering the upper and lower limbs is sufficient. Generally speaking, those lining up now are mostly common Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists aiming to become Bronze Token Retainers. Therefore, when the elder mentioned that Jiang Shu could become a Gold Token Retainer, several Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists turned to look at Jiang Shu. In their eyes, there was a mix of confusion and envy. Yet Jiang Shu remained incredibly calm. Although Elder Chou hadn’t told him what was in the letter, he’d thought that presenting the letter would grant him a direct audience with the Zhao Family Head and a chance to view their Middle Grade Cultivation Techniques. It was highly unlikely he was just to become some Gold Token Retainer! Being a Gold Token Retainer merely offered a chance at Middle Grade Cultivation Techniques. It wasn’t guaranteed, nor would it be immediate! Throughout the journey, Zhang Ruo had shared a wealth of knowledge about the great families in the county seat. One crucial piece of information was about Retainers: they were always just Retainers. Only by truly becoming one of the family, "one of their own," could one access Middle Grade Cultivation Techniques. He couldn’t possibly join the Zhao Family just for a Middle Grade Cultivation Technique, marrying a Zhao Family woman and be tied down here for life. Elder Chou would never set him up like that! Moreover, with his own strength, he could become a Gold Token Retainer in any great family in the county seat! Why would he even need to present the letter? There must have been some mistake. Lifting his head, Jiang Shu, having composed himself, said with a neutral expression, "My master only asked this junior to deliver a letter this time and gave no other instructions. So, if Senior Zhao has no message for him, this junior must return to the Pingling County seat." The elder paused in his steps. His face filled with astonishment as he looked at Jiang Shu. He had imagined many possible responses from Jiang Shu, but never this—that Jiang Shu would simply turn and leave! If Jiang Shu left, he wouldn’t be able to complete the Fourth Master’s task. He wanted to speak, but the words to make him stay died in his throat. The young man’s words had barely faded when he moved with incredible speed, vanishing into the crowd without a trace. 「East City, County Seat.」 The streets were bustling with carts and pedestrians. Three days ago, Jiang Shu had left the South City, taken a long detour, and returned to the county seat. 「Today.」 At the tavern, he sat by the window, unhurried and composed. 「Half an hour later.」 A hint of light fragrance wafted over. Zhang Ruo, dressed in a yellow robe, sat down in front of him. After several days apart, Zhang Ruo no longer displayed the pettiness of her past; her every move was now graceful and poised. Clearly, she was being treated well within the Zhang Family. However, in her dealings with Jiang Shu, Zhang Ruo did not look down upon him despite her elevated status. On the contrary, she held him in even higher regard. In the Yongning County Seat, the status of women was often not as high as that of men of the same Realm. She had only just joined the main family. Naturally, the main family wouldn’t demand much from her yet. But if, after a few years, she still couldn’t reach the Refining Internal Realm, her family would undoubtedly use her in a marriage alliance to secure greater benefits. This was inevitable. So, from the first day she entered the Zhang Family, Zhang Ruo had been thinking about securing a strong external ally for herself. Her senior disciples, Li Qi and Zhao Zhen, were considered geniuses in the Qingfeng County seat. Among their peers, they were the most outstanding talents. Yet, here in the Yongning County Seat, within the Zhang Family, they were merely common Bronze Token Retainers. In the Zhang Family, they had no influence whatsoever. But Jiang Shu was a different story. Judging by the wariness the leader of the five in the cave had shown towards Jiang Shu, he was at least a powerhouse who had tempered his bones to the level of his ribs! If he joined the Zhang Family, he would start as a Gold Token Retainer! If he gained favor and made significant contributions, he might even reach the Refining Internal Realm within a few years! If a Refining Internal Realm powerhouse were on her side, she probably wouldn’t be rushed into a marriage alliance so quickly, Zhang Ruo mused. Therefore, upon receiving the letter Jiang Shu had sent, she had come immediately. "Brother Shang, I was beginning to think you’d forgotten all about your little sister now that you’re in the county seat!" Zhang Ruo said, her bright eyes twinkling as her lips curved into a pretty smile in the sunlight. "Have you run into some trouble that I can help with?" "Yes." The tavern’s dishes were excellent. Jiang Shu picked up a piece of tender, First Rank mutated fish meat with his chopsticks. Organizing his thoughts, he asked, "Can an outside Martial Artist obtain a great family’s Middle Grade Cultivation Technique without joining them?" These past few days, he had indeed been reflecting on what the issue might be. The problem was, he had far too little information. He didn’t know the history between Zhao Yuanchang and his master, Elder Chou. He didn’t know what Elder Chou had written in the letter. His only option now was to ask Zhang Ruo about the difficulty of obtaining a Middle Grade Cultivation Technique. "Brother Shang, you really are forgetful," Zhang Ruo scoffed playfully. "Didn’t Little Sister explain this clearly on our journey? It’s impossible to obtain one without joining a great family. Any Middle Grade Cultivation Technique is a treasured possession of a great family, not something they’d show to outsiders easily." "Yes, not shown easily, but there might still be a chance. What if the outside Martial Artist is in the Refining Internal Realm?" Jiang Shu interjected. Zhang Ruo looked at Jiang Shu repeatedly, trying to understand why he would ask such a thing. Could it be that a Refining Internal Realm powerhouse was backing Jiang Shu? But if so, why would he still be concerned about obtaining a Middle Grade Cultivation Technique? She couldn’t figure it out, simply couldn’t. Zhang Ruo frowned in thought but didn’t keep Jiang Shu waiting long. She began to explain, "I actually know a bit about this. When I was little, an outside Refining Internal Realm powerhouse visited the Zhang Family. It was a big event, and we juniors secretly discussed it for ages." "I only heard from others that our Zhang Family invited that Refining Internal Realm powerhouse to ascend the Storage Technique Tower, presumably to look at our Middle Grade Cultivation Techniques." "This is actually understandable. Any powerhouse who reaches the Refining Internal Realm would already possess Middle Grade Cultivation Techniques. So, techniques that great families might restrict from ordinary Martial Artists are often things these powerhouses already have." "The great families are often willing to share their Middle Grade Cultivation Techniques in exchange for certain benefits, or simply as a favor." "After all, Middle Grade Martial Arts also have different tiers. Take our Zhang Family, for example; we have three Middle Grade Martial Arts. The highest-tier one is only accessible to the family’s powerhouses, geniuses, and direct descendants who have made great contributions." "The mid-tier one can be learned by direct descendants and children born of concubines—anyone of Zhang Family blood." "These two tiers are never shared with outsiders, no matter the benefits offered. They are our foundation, our roots." "Then there’s the lowest-tier Middle Grade Martial Art, the kind that Gold Token Retainers can learn. This type can only help temper one Zang Organ. Even if one masters it, they’d be among the weakest in the Refining Internal Realm." "Of course, for us Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists, even the worst Middle Grade Cultivation Technique is still Middle Grade. The chance to become a Refining Internal Realm Martial Artist, even the weakest kind, is something countless people dream of." Zhang Ruo said, her voice filled with envy. Jiang Shu’s confusion gradually cleared, and understanding dawned on him. The opportunity Elder Chou had given him must be one of these lowest-tier Middle Grade Cultivation Techniques, the kind a great family might offer as a simple favor. But for some reason, Zhao Yuanchang wasn’t planning to honor it. If Elder Chou had come with him, things would surely have gone smoothly. But he was alone now, a mere Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist. Even large shops sometimes bullied their customers, let alone a great family. Perhaps Elder Chou and Zhao Yuanchang had shared some camaraderie in the past. But Elder Chou had stayed in Pingling County for over a decade, never stepping out. More than ten years... Could that friendship still hold the same weight?