Ch. 47 - Recruiting Pingsheng

“Hand over all your healing pills,” Ren Pingsheng said, his Desolate Meridian aura pressing heavily on the group as he eyed them coldly. “A descendant of Grand Emperor Tun Ri, and this is how you carry yourself?” Xu Zimo replied calmly, smiling. “A noble bloodline reduced to this… pretty pathetic, don’t you think?” Ren Pingsheng snorted. Spiritforce surged around him, forming a massive energy hand that reached toward Xu Zimo and the others. “You touch us and you're finished, we're disciples of the True Martial Sacred Ground!” Little Gui shouted. “My father is an inner court elder!” Ren Pingsheng frowned. If they were just ordinary sect disciples, he wouldn’t care, killing one or two wouldn’t matter. The True Martial Sacred Ground had thousands of disciples, and no one could protect all of them. But if this kid really was the son of an inner court elder… that was a different story. If he killed the elder’s son, the sect might ignore it, but the father certainly wouldn’t. Inner court elders were all Paragon Meridian Realm experts, some with extraordinary talent even reached the Imperial Meridian Realm. Ren Pingsheng couldn’t afford to cross someone like that. Though he carried the prestigious title of being Grand Emperor Tun Ri’s descendant, the painful truth was, he hadn’t inherited any of his ancestor’s power. He was all name, no substance. ... Ren Pingsheng gave them a long look, then turned to leave. “Hey, how about we make a deal?” Xu Zimo called out. “I’m not interested in your True Martial Sacred Ground,” Ren Pingsheng replied indifferently. “No, no. I’m talking about something else, what if I said I could help you obtain your ancestor’s legacy?” Xu Zimo said with a grin. Ren Pingsheng froze. His heart suddenly pounded as he stared intently at Xu Zimo. “What do you know?” he asked, breath quickening. “Here’s the deal,” Xu Zimo said directly. “I heal your injuries. I help you get your inheritance. In return, you serve me. Fight for me. Sound good?” “Absolutely not,” Ren Pingsheng’s face changed. Serving someone meant giving up his freedom, and that was not his style. “Think it through,” Xu Zimo said patiently. “In your current state, with all those people coveting the Grand Emperor Tun Ri’s legacy, you’ll never have peace. You’ll spend the rest of your life running.” “But join me, become one of my war generals, and I’ll show you what lies beyond the sky.” "What lies beyond the sky…?" Ren Pingsheng murmured, stunned by the words. Xu Zimo took a healing pill from his spatial ring and tossed it over. “If you’re in, take this to recover. Then make a Heavenly Oath.” Ren Pingsheng stood in silence for a long moment, his eyes gradually lighting up. Then he said, “I’ll join your force, but you have to help me kill that hypocrite Yue Buli.” “I don’t take revenge on behalf of others,” Xu Zimo said with a shake of his head. “Isn’t it more satisfying to kill your enemies with your own hands?” “But there’s a huge gap between me and him,” Ren Pingsheng replied thoughtfully. “He’s in the Paragon Meridian Realm. Who knows how long it’ll take me to catch up? I can’t wait that long.” “There’s no need to doubt yourself,” Xu Zimo said. “Once you inherit your ancestor’s legacy, your path to greatness will begin.” In his past life, Ren Pingsheng had become a legendary lone warrior across the entire Primordial Heartlands, a true force to be reckoned with. He just hadn’t awakened his potential yet. “Let’s hope you’re not lying to me,” Ren Pingsheng said as he raised his head and made his vow to the heavens. “Heavenly Dao as my witness, today I, Ren Pingsheng, swear this oath: If Xu Zimo helps me obtain the Grand Emperor Tun Ri’s legacy, I will serve him loyally for life. I will follow him in battle to the ends of the sky, until death claims me.” As soon as the words left his mouth, the sky changed, winds rose, clouds surged, covering the burning sun. Then everything returned to normal. This wasn’t an ordinary oath. It was carved onto the Heavenly Dao using his true life essence. If broken, divine retribution would follow. And not just anyone could make such an oath, you had to have opened the fourth meridian gate and successfully awakened your fate. Vastsky had sworn a similar oath before. “Now will you tell me where my ancestor’s legacy is?” Ren Pingsheng asked. “Return to your clan’s ancestral shrine,” Xu Zimo said. “There’s a statue of the Grand Emperor Tun Ri there. Move the statue, and beneath it, you’ll find a hidden stone block. The key is your flute.” “Insert the flute to unlock the hidden mechanism, and all will be revealed.” “The legacy is in our ancestral shrine?!” Ren Pingsheng was stunned. No one in the Ren family had ever known. If they had found it earlier, the Ren family might never have declined the way it did. Xu Zimo didn’t explain further. “Go check it out. If I wasn’t lying, and you gain the legacy, come find me at the True Martial Sacred Ground.” Ren Pingsheng nodded, bowed deeply, and then rose into the air and left. Watching him fly away, Xu Zimo smiled faintly. Ren Pingsheng, the man who walks calmly through wind and rain, in Xu Zimo’s past life, this name had shaken the entire Primordial Heartlands. In truth, Xu Zimo was just pushing things along. Even without his help, Ren Pingsheng would eventually stumble upon the legacy by chance. And when he did, he’d embark on that lonely yet glorious journey to fame. “Senior Brother, how do you know all this?” Little Gui asked, still baffled. “Read more, do more, ask less,” Xu Zimo replied without looking back. Little Gui nodded quickly. He knew he had overstepped, some things were better left unasked. ... Ten-Mile Town, this was the location of Xu Zimo’s current mission. It lay at the eastern edge of the Western Region, under the jurisdiction of Three Moon City, and within the territory of the Green Wood Empire. Crimson maple trees swayed gently at the town gates. Their dark red leaves blanketed the ground, drifting into the distance like silent vows and dreams. By afternoon, the group arrived in Ten Mile Town. Their horses, exhausted from a full day’s run, neighed and panted heavily. A cold wind began to blow, birds flew low across the gray skies, and before anyone noticed, rain began to fall. It started as sparse drops but soon turned into a fine mist as night fell. “Senior Brother, let’s visit Master Hu’s manor first,” Little Gui suggested. Master Hu was the one who had posted the mission. Xu Zimo nodded. They had just taken a few steps when another group entered the town from the gates ahead.