Outside Dongling City, by the Si River.
"Cao Rong, why are you letting me go?" A burly man with a thick beard and a rough face asked, his expression filled with confusion.
Cao Rong replied, "I've heard that although you, Tian Buyi, have a name that means 'unrighteous,' you are very righteous and keep your promises!"
Hearing Cao Rong's praise, the bearded man immediately puffed up with pride. "Of course! I, the River Dragon, have always been about righteousness in the martial world. I never go back on my word."
"Good!" Cao Rong said. "Then today, I'll spare your life, and you owe me a favor. Is that fair?"
Tian Buyi nodded. "Very fair!"
Cao Rong continued, "I want you to do something for me in exchange for this favor!"
"No problem!" Tian Buyi thumped his chest heavily. "You spared my life, so you've saved me! As long as it's something I can do, I'll risk my life to accomplish it."
Cao Rong nodded. "I want you to kill someone!"
"Who?" Tian Buyi asked.
"See for yourself!" A rolled-up piece of white paper slipped out of Cao Rong's sleeve, and he tossed it to the bearded man in front of him.
Tian Buyi quickly caught the rolled paper and opened it.
After a few moments, he finished reading.
He then nodded. "Simple. Just a young brat who hasn't even entered the ranks of martial arts. I could kill him with a single thrown stone!"
Cao Rong said, "Do this well, and we'll be even. After this, we'll have no further connection."
Tian Buyi grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "I understand. You, Lord Cao, have a bright official career and naturally don't want to be associated with a bandit like me."
He thumped his chest again. "Don't worry, Lord Cao! I'll handle this matter cleanly, and after this, I'll never contact you again."
Cao Rong added, "Remember! Don't make it too obvious! Cause some trouble along the way, then flee to Luoshui County to finish the job."
Tian Buyi laughed. "Understood! Lord Cao, you can rest assured. I've done this kind of thing a few times before! A mere brat since Lord Cao is using me, it means you don't want the Cao family to be connected to this matter!"
With that, Tian Buyi leaped into the surging river.
Splash
With the sound of water, Tian Buyi's figure disappeared into the waves, vanishing into the turbulent Si River.
Cao Rong stood quietly by the riverbank, watching the spot where Tian Buyi had disappeared, his eyes filled with contemplation.
"Jiang Ning! You've gained Shen Congyun's favor, and my Cao family has a grudge against you!"
"In that case, I can't let you live!"
"I don't want to gamble on your future or your kindness!"
"I hope you're reincarnated into a better life!"
With that, Cao Rong turned and left.
Tian Buyi, the River Dragon.
An eighth-rank expert!
In Cao Rong's eyes, this was more than enough to nip Jiang Ning in the bud.
Moreover, by using Tian Buyi, as long as he did the job cleanly, no one would suspect Cao Rong's involvement.
This way, even if Shen Congyun returned in the future, he wouldn't be able to blame Cao Rong.
Anyone favored by Shen Congyun, regardless of the reason, was not someone Cao Rong wanted to gamble on.
Besides, even if something went wrong in the future, it would be years from now.
By then, even if he had to face Shen Congyun, he wouldn't be afraid!
Three days later.
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Mastery 551/1000)
After completing a round of fist techniques.
"Phew"
Jiang Ning exhaled softly.
Then he walked over and picked up a large bowl.
Gulp, gulp
As his throat moved, a bowl of sweet, cool well water entered his stomach.
The heat in his body dissipated somewhat.
He then sensed the surging qi and blood within him and thought to himself.
"I should reach perfect qi and blood in a day or two!"
"At the earliest today, at the latest tomorrow..."
Just then.
"Senior Brother Jiang!" A voice suddenly came from the entrance, startling him.
Jiang Ning turned around and saw Cheng Ran standing there.
He immediately smiled. "Long time no see, Senior Brother Cheng."
Cheng Ran shook his head. "Don't call me senior brother. From now on, I should be calling you senior brother."
"What do you mean?" Jiang Ning looked puzzled.
Cheng Ran smiled bitterly. "How long are you going to keep this from me? Master Wang has already officially taken you as his true disciple. From now on, we, the nominal disciples, have to call you senior brother."
"Mastery of fist techniques is difficult!!"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning immediately understood.
A few days ago, Wang Jin had told him that he would delay announcing his acceptance as a true disciple to the other martial hall disciples.
The purpose was to prevent Jiang Ning from attracting too much attention, as standing out too much could invite unnecessary trouble.
At the time, Jiang Ning had agreed.
For him, he had long passed the age of showing off.
Right now, he just wanted to focus on martial training and steadily build up his strength.
He had no desire to engage in unnecessary displays of prowess.
Cheng Ran's expression now indicated that he had already learned about Wang Jin taking Jiang Ning as a true disciple.
Then, Jiang Ning asked, "How did Senior Brother Cheng find out?"
Cheng Ran replied, "Don't worry about how I found out. Just stop calling me senior brother. I can't bear it anymore."
"Then... how about I call you Brother Cheng?" Jiang Ning suggested.
Cheng Ran hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "That... that works!"
He then let out a sigh of relief.
To be honest, being called "senior brother" by Jiang Ning for over a month and then suddenly being called "junior brother" was something he couldn't quite accept.
Now that Jiang Ning addressed him this way, he felt much less pressure.
Then, Cheng Ran said, "Master Wang has just announced that he has officially taken you as his true disciple. From now on, all of us nominal disciples have to address you as a senior brother!"
He then sighed. "It's unbelievable. You've only been here for such a short time, yet you've surpassed me and become Master Wang's true disciple."
"No wonder Deputy Tower Master Shen took a liking to you at first sight and even intervened to save you from the Cao family."
Faced with Cheng Ran's sigh, Jiang Ning could only smile.
At this moment, Cheng Ran's gaze fell on the stone table in the courtyard.
"This blade... Senior Brother Jiang has had it for a while. It seems you became Master Wang's true disciple long before this, right?"
"And it's only now that he's told us."
Jiang Ning nodded, not denying it. "Brother Cheng is quite observant. It's exactly as you said."
Hearing this, Cheng Ran smiled even more bitterly. "The gap between people is huge! Meeting Senior Brother Jiang has made me understand what a true genius is. It also suddenly made me feel like all my hard training seems meaningless."
"With Senior Brother Jiang's talent, I could never catch up in my lifetime."
"And not only is Senior Brother Jiang talented, but he's also so diligent and hardworking!"
As he spoke, Cheng Ran couldn't help but feel dejected.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning smiled and patted Cheng Ran's shoulder.
"Brother Cheng, you shouldn't focus on comparing yourself to others. In this world, there will always be someone better. Who can truly surpass everyone?"
Cheng Ran said, "The Martial Sage can!"
Jiang Ning smiled noncommittally and didn't refute this statement.
Then he said, "The most important thing is to focus on yourself. Use yourself as the benchmark. As long as you keep surpassing yourself and breaking your limits, one day you might achieve unexpected results!"
"Moreover, Brother Cheng, with your wide network of information, you must have noticed that the world is becoming more chaotic!"
"In times of chaos, strength is the most important thing!"
"Wealth is just an external possession!"
Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Cheng Ran seemed to be in a daze.
After a long while, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Jiang Ning.
"Senior Brother Jiang's words have truly struck a chord with me!"
"Senior Brother Jiang is right! Using myself as the benchmark and continuously surpassing myself is the right path."
"I once heard a grandmaster say something similar."
"That grandmaster said that back in the day, he used himself as the benchmark, continuously surpassing himself and breaking his limits."
"When he looked back, he realized that all the talented geniuses who had competed with him had been left far behind."
Jiang Ning smiled. "That's the truth! As long as you keep surpassing yourself and making progress, you'll eventually achieve something."
Cheng Ran said, "And Senior Brother Jiang is right. The world is indeed becoming more chaotic!"
"Not long ago, there was another rebellion in Baishan County. After it was suppressed, the Black Wind Army, which had been active in Baishan County, is now said to have moved into our Dongling County."
"In such times, strength is indeed necessary."
After saying this, Cheng Ran bowed to Jiang Ning again.
As he bent down, a piece of white paper slipped out of his sleeve and fluttered to Jiang Ning's feet.
Jiang Ning bent down to pick it up. "Brother Cheng, here you go!"
At that moment, his eyes inadvertently scanned the paper.
"This is..."
He was momentarily stunned, then quickly read through it.
Then he looked at Cheng Ran. "Brother Cheng, is this for me?"
Cheng Ran smiled bitterly as he took the paperback.
"Originally, it was for you, Senior Brother Jiang. I convinced my father to agree to this investment an investment in you, in exchange for a favor from you, as an apology for putting you in danger earlier."
"But looking at it now, it's unnecessary!"
"Since Senior Brother Jiang has already gained Deputy Tower Master Shen's favor, my meager resources probably aren't worth your attention."
With that, rip
Cheng Ran tore the paper into pieces.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning opened his mouth, about to speak.
But then he sighed inwardly and thought to himself.
"Forget it!"
"Shen Congyun has helped me so much and told me to find Lin Qingyi after my qi and blood reach perfection."
"This is probably Shen Congyun's investment in me. Since I've accepted his help, it's not appropriate to accept Cheng Ran's investment as well."
"Besides, I don't know if Cheng Ran is sincere or just pretending!"
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning remained silent.
After tearing up the paper, Cheng Ran stuffed the pieces into his pocket.
Then he said, "Senior Brother Jiang, would you like to go to the front yard and greet the other junior disciples? They all want to meet you!"
Jiang Ning nodded. "Sure!"
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 320+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader