Chapter 85

(Thank you to the new patron, Fengxueyeguiren; thank you all for getting the new book to second place on the monthly ticket chart—there should be a third update today! Please look forward to it!)

"Even you think that this Chen Xun is worth cultivating, and even if he might offend Master Qingyang in the future, it doesn't matter?" Su Qingfeng picked up the delicate green porcelain teacup, sipping the delicate tea slowly, his voice calm as he asked Ge Yi.

"Ge Yi's abilities are shallow, and I can't see too far into the future," Ge Yi said. He had originally thought that after the Thirteenth Young Master returned to Canglan City, he would be furious over what happened at the grand ceremony. However, the Thirteenth Young Master had been calm these past two days, and Ge Yi knew that the Thirteenth Young Master's thoughts were beyond his comprehension. He could only speak his mind, believing that the Thirteenth Young Master would discern right from wrong.

"The Gui Xi tribe suffered a major setback at the hands of the Beishan clan. They blame you, Thirteenth Young Master, for not showing enough favoritism. If the Gui Xi tribe grows too powerful, Ge Yi believes it won't be beneficial for you..."

"Speaking of Master Qingyang, he still favors the Fourth Young Master more. The Gui Xi tribe can only send Lou Shiyi to Master Qingyang through the Fourth Young Master's connections. Perhaps you're overthinking it," Su Qingfeng said slowly, his eyes reflecting a faint green light as they fell on the delicate tea.

What could he do now?

The Su family's main line was divided into three orders, six commanderies, and nine branches. Beyond these nine branches, there were hundreds of collateral lines. Who knew how many people hoped to see a complete falling out between him and his brother?

Even if he was seething with anger, he could only suppress it and wait for his father to emerge from seclusion.

But he didn't even know if his father would ever emerge to see him again.

Su Qingfeng couldn't share these thoughts with Ge Yi, but the resentment in his heart was hard to dispel. He secretly channeled his inner power, gradually transferring the anger and resentment in his heart into the delicate tea. No one knew that this cup of tea had instantly become the most toxic poison in the world.

Ge Yi couldn't fathom the Thirteenth Young Master's thoughts and didn't dare say more. Matters at the highest levels of the Su family were not something a mere steward could comment on.

"How did Su Tang come to know that wild boy from the Black Python tribe, and why did it end up like this?" At this moment, a beautifully dressed concubine walked out from the inner chamber, her body swaying like a willow, her chest firm and her face charming, her eyes radiating a gentle light. She stood behind Su Qingfeng, her delicate hands resting on his shoulders, and asked softly.

"Su Tang was injured by a fierce beast during her cultivation in the Lake Marsh Wasteland. Her soul was severely damaged, and it took great effort from the Ancestor to restore her cultivation. She might have met Chen Xun then," Su Qingfeng said, having guessed the general situation.

"Have you heard that the Ancestor was furious about this? Will he take it out on that boy?"

"Although we have high hopes for Su Tang, her character is not yet stable, so we can't blame others," Su Qingfeng said indifferently, then after a moment's thought, he made a decision and instructed Ge Yi, "Forget it. If someone Su Tang values is killed in Canglan City, it will be embarrassing for everyone. If he's willing, give him the status of a guest scholar..."

"Guest scholar?" the concubine said in surprise, "Master, you really value this boy! Is this appropriate?"

"Even if the Su Clan's commanderies support a few more people, it's not a big deal. He's a good seedling. If the Disciple Academy doesn't keep him, and the Guest Scholar Academy doesn't either, and he ends up joining the Xuanhan Sect or another clan, it will be embarrassing for everyone," Su Qingfeng said with a wry smile.

The concubine thought that Qingfeng was still unwilling to let the Fourth Young Master have a good face, but she didn't know how the Fourth Young Master would feel about this.

Su Qingfeng continued to instruct Ge Yi:

"How significant is the alliance of the nine Beishan clans? Turn a blind eye to it. If there's nothing else, don't bother me anymore..."

"Yes, Master," Ge Yi said respectfully. When Zuo Chonggu, Gu Hu, and Zong Tu entered Canglan City, Ge Yi knew the news. The Fourth Young Master wanted to strike, so they had to support here.

As for Qingyangzi taking Lou Shiyi as a disciple, it might be ten or eight years before Lou Shiyi completes his cultivation and emerges. By then, whether the old patriarch has broken through to the peak of the Rebirth Realm or is trapped in a dead cave, is unknown. Why think so far ahead?

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"Guest scholar?"

Chen Xun, along with Zuo Chonggu, Gu Hu, and Zong Tu, brought rich gifts to visit Ge Yi's residence early in the morning. When Ge Yi said he could recommend him to become a guest scholar at the Sujia Commandery, Chen Xun was stunned, finding it hard to believe.

He knew that after being expelled from the Canglan Academy, as a wandering cultivator, it would be extremely difficult to establish himself in Canglan City. But he never expected to have the opportunity to become a guest scholar at the Sujia Commandery.

Zong Tu, Gu Hu, and Zuo Chonggu were also shocked.

The guest scholars of the three orders and six commanderies mainly came from two sources:

One was the graduates of the academy who, before returning to their tribes or clans or advancing to the position of steward, needed to serve the Su family for ten years as guest scholars.

The second source was the wandering cultivators who flocked to Canglan to seek cultivation opportunities and resources.

These wandering cultivators were either extremely powerful cultivators who needed a place to stay, temporarily joining the Su family, including those at the Rebirth Realm and above; or they were representatives of powerful clans, maintaining connections with the Su family.

However, among the thousands of wandering cultivators who flooded into Canglan City, only three to five hundred could become guest scholars in the various commanderies, and their status in Canglan City was no less than that of the core disciples of the commanderies.

"Thirteenth Young Master values you highly. It's a pity you couldn't enter the academy this time. I hope you can first enter the Guest Scholar Academy, where you can have some support," Ge Yi said calmly. He couldn't see through whether Thirteenth Young Master valued Chen Xun personally or was doing it for Su Tang's sake, but he didn't want to reveal the reason, "As a junior guest scholar, you won't receive much salary, but you'll have more freedom. As long as you show up at the Guest Scholar Academy once a month, you'll be fine."

"Thank you, Master Ge, for speaking well of me to Thirteenth Young Master," Chen Xun said gratefully.

Perhaps Su Qingfeng wanted to use him to counter Su Quan, or perhaps it was Su Tang's influence, but Chen Xun believed that Ge Yi must have spoken well of him behind the scenes.

Regardless, with the status of a guest scholar, he now had a protective charm in Canglan City and was officially part of Thirteenth Young Master's faction.

With the status of a guest scholar, he would receive a fixed salary each month and, by completing tasks assigned by the Guest Scholar Academy, could earn rewards such as cultivation techniques, magical armor, and magical weapons.

This was the main way to obtain cultivation resources in Canglan City, aside from entering the Canglan Academy.

Zong Tu was naturally excited, and Gu Hu and others were genuinely happy for Chen Xun.

Zuo Chonggu felt fortunate that Su Qingfeng had so decisively placed a pawn on Chen Xun to counter Su Quan.

If he hadn't heard Zuo Qiu's advice yesterday, the Zuo Ji tribe would have been in a difficult position today.

Zuo Chonggu, feeling fortunate, also politely congratulated Chen Xun: "I hope you will take good care of us in the future..."

Whether Ge Yi's recommendation of Chen Xun as a guest scholar at the Sujia Commandery was due to Su Qingfeng's instructions or directly related to Heavenly Maiden Su Tang, it meant that Chen Xun now had a foothold in Canglan City.

As a guest scholar, the nine tribes could use him to exchange for cultivation resources from the Su family, at a much fairer price than trading with other forces in Canglan City.

Regarding the alliance of the nine tribes, Ge Yi could only represent Thirteenth Young Master and say that the Sujia Commandery was aware of the matter and would not take any further action.

Zuo Chonggu, Gu Hu, and others only wanted the Sujia Commandery's tacit approval and were not yet in a position to receive more promises.

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After the discussion, Zuo Chonggu, Gu Hu, and Zong Tu left first. Ge Yi, being a steward of the Guest Scholar Academy, kept Chen Xun to discuss some matters.

"The Guest Scholar Academy has always been under the command of Thirteenth Young Master, but the situation may become more complex in the future," Ge Yi explained some matters of the Sujia Commandery's Guest Scholar Academy to Chen Xun, "You might not know, but Lou Li from the Gui Xi tribe is also a guest scholar at the Sujia Commandery..."

Lou Li was half a step away from the mid-stage of the Rebirth Realm, and his status was far beyond that of an ordinary guest scholar.

After the incident with Lou Shiyi, Lou Li and the others from the Gui Xi tribe aligned themselves with the Fourth Young Master, Su Quan, which affected Thirteenth Young Master Su Qingfeng's control over the Guest Scholar Academy.

Moreover, making Chen Xun a guest scholar at the Sujia Commandery would only make Su Quan more uncomfortable. It would be best for Chen Xun to avoid this place as much as possible, as he couldn't afford to provoke them.

Ge Yi continued, "Although the Guest Scholar Academy occasionally assigns tasks, your main focus should be on cultivation. If you have any issues in the city, you can come to me..."

"I will rely on your care, Master Ge," Chen Xun said, hoping Ge Yi would say this.

He was grateful just to have the status of a guest scholar and a foothold in Canglan City. He had no intention of getting caught in the conflict between Su Qingfeng and Su Quan; he wasn't that foolish.

As Chen Xun spoke, he took out a small black nanmu box from his chest and placed it on the table.

"What is this?" Ge Yi asked, displeased.

"Please don't misunderstand, Master Ge," Chen Xun hurriedly said, "This Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill is of little use to me. I want to exchange it for some cultivation resources, but I don't have the means and fear being cheated. If Master Ge knows someone who needs this Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill..."

When the Gui Xi tribe sent three Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills, Chen Xun noticed that Ge Yi was extremely interested. He guessed that Ge Yi might have a relative who was stuck at the peak of the sixth level and couldn't break through.

Ge Yi had already been very helpful to him, and he would need Ge Yi's continued support. No matter how valuable the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill was, he had to give it away.

Although he had already exchanged one Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill for a thousand low-grade spirit pills with the Heishan tribe yesterday, taking out another one now was somewhat risky.

However, the Heishan tribe would likely keep the secret, and even if it was exposed, Chen Xun could say that the extra Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill was secretly given to him by Su Tang. Ge Yi probably wouldn't think much of it.

As a direct disciple of the Su family's patriarch, Su Tang giving away a couple of Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills was not a big deal, but it was crucial that no one knew she had helped him refine nearly forty of them.

Ge Yi indeed had a talented nephew who had been stuck at the peak of the sixth level for two years. If he couldn't break through, he would miss the best age for cultivation.

The academy's inner court only refined about a hundred Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills each year. After the purple-robed disciples received one each, only thirty to fifty were left for the commanderies.

Although Ge Yi was a steward of the Sujia Commandery's Guest Scholar Academy, obtaining a Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill was extremely difficult.

Ge Yi couldn't accept the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill from Chen Xun without feeling guilty, but when Chen Xun said he wanted to exchange it for other cultivation resources, he thought it would be fair. He then took the Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill.

Ge Yi's liking for Chen Xun grew. He thought he hadn't misjudged this person.

Ge Yi, trusted by Su Qingfeng, had little chance of breaking through to the Rebirth Realm in his lifetime. But thinking that Chen Xun was a person of deep loyalty and righteousness, and that if he achieved something, the Ge family would have a reliable support in Canglan City, he decided to fully cultivate him.

Ge Yi originally planned to send a retainer to accompany Chen Xun to the Guest Scholar Academy to complete the procedures.

Instead, he invited Chen Xun to stay for a meal at his residence and, in the afternoon, personally took Chen Xun to the Guest Scholar Academy to find the responsible steward and complete the registration process.