Torsten Hewson
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v2c92.2: Master Rou part 2.
🕑 Added 2022-01-25 02:32:40 +0000 UTCLet's talk. Let’s talk?! Really, that was the best I could come up with?
I kept my face as calm as I could. There was a gross feeling in the back of my throat. It felt a little bit like I was gonna barf. I really wasn’t cut out for acting stern, and I may have overdone it. Mostly because I had no real clue what I was doing.
I had rehearsed the conversation in my head while working on the demolished shop. I’d have to watch where I stepped next time. What was I thinking? Next time? I couldn’t stop my mind from racing through it all again. What I wanted, what I planned on doing…and all that went out the window as the Sect Elders approached.
For all that I could probably punch my way out of a fight if push came to shove, that was one thing I wasn’t prepared to do. I had to politick! With men who had been doing it for longer than I’d been alive—even if I stacked my age and Rou’s age on top of each other. Forty wasn’t exactly old for a cultivator.
I tugged at my Qi a bit. It was bubbling like when Meimei had talked to me nearly a year ago after I had sent that Blaze Bear packing.
The three Elders who came to meet me led the way, walking in front of me. The one on the left was obviously Xiulan’s father. He had the prettiest eyes I'd ever seen on a dude. It's kind of a stereotype that girls get their looks from their moms, and I’d thought that too to be honest. But, well, Xiulan’s dad was pretty. He was still obviously masculine, with his topknot hair and small beard, but he definitely looked like Lanlan.This wasn’t how I wanted to meet the man, frowning at him and being led into the Dueling Peaks.
The other guy, Guo Daxian the Elder… well he looked like a biker. He had his arms all tatted up, with dark hair and eyes, and a bandana holding his hair back. He looked different than most people I’d seen in the Azure Hills, kinda like the guy who I had handed the hammer to earlier. Something about the frame and the eye shape..
The third guy looked stereotypical in comparison. Elder Gang had hard eyes, long beard, fine robes.
The Shrouded Mountains Guy, Yingwen, was behind all of us, walking in my shadow.
“We shall convene in the Grand Hall, if it pleases you Master Rou.” Xiulan’s dad, Cai Xi Kong said, turning back to ask me politely. The question startled me, seeing those eyes on somebody else. “Is there any refreshment in particular you would prefer?”
“I’m fine with anything.” I said simply. He nodded at my statement, going quiet. He seemed to realize I didn’t want to talk too much.
“Cleaning up the town… you tasked our disciples with this?” Elder Gang asked lightly.
“They were aimless without you, and their hands were idle. I set them a task. It's really rather rude not to clean up after yourself.” I replied.
I was a bit surprised when Gang nodded. “A wise precaution, Master Rou.” He said, before we lapsed into silence again.
I did feel some of my tension fade as we got closer and closer to the mountain. Fear was replaced by awe at the sight of the Dueling Peaks.
“It’s quite a sight.” I couldn’t help but pause for a moment and say to the Elders. The guys leading stutter stepped, before smiles broke out on their faces.
The Dueling Peaks were stunning. I imagined this must be what people felt when they saw the Colosseum or the Pyramids of Giza. I’d never been, but even the pictures contained a bit of their grandeur. Ancient constructs of stone that made you question how men could ever possibly build something this vast. Sure, they were cultivators… but it was still impressive. I hadn’t really been in the right state of mind as I left Raging Waterfall Gorge to appreciate any of the thingsI had passed by. Maybe I should take Mei on a tour sometime.
A mountain reached into the sky that looked like it had been split in two by a sword, with the largest stadium I had ever seen cradled between the two peaks. The colorful pennants and flags that criss-crossed the gap added to the appeal.
It was beautiful, even if it did look a bit like something out of a video game.
The entrance to the inner complex was an absolutely massive gate, which was already open. Statues flanked us on either side on the path leading to the gates, some of them had been broken long ago, weathered and ruined.
Then we were beneath the mountain. There were wide, vaulted ceilings and ancient looking murals covering the entire place. Light crystals burned in the walls, throwing everything into sharp relief under the orange light.
A mighty urge to just go exploring down the corridors came over me. I had been a bit of a history buff, or at least I liked reading about it. I loved the tales of ancient heroes and spent hours looking at the monuments the ancient people had built. This place felt like a living museum. Except with no barriers or velvet rope preventing you from getting as close as you’d like… it was tempting.
But would I ever be able to? I couldn’t exactly go tourist mode in a place like this anymore. All of a sudden I was somebody. A somebody who was being escorted to meet the most powerful people in the province.
That thought brought me crashing back down to earth. I fiddled with my Qi again, trying to stop the annoying, bubbling, and irritated feeling that it produced.
We eventually arrived at a large set of double doors. Glowing runes on them flared, as they opened of their own accord.
The doors opened to a massive room. Ancient banners hung on the walls. A large stone table dominated the room, long and rectangular. And there sat the Elders on stone… well they almost looked like thrones, all of them faced towards the door as I entered. Twenty people staring directly at me.
I looked over them and their placid expressions. A couple of them even looked away as I met their eyes. It was a bit weird having so many older men and women be well… intimidated by me.
I was kind of upset with everybody in this room, the Elders. They either didn’t notice the fight last night or were too consumed with whatever they were doing in here to care.
They all stood up as we entered.
There was an obvious spot free at the very end of the table. I took a breath to calm myself and walked towards it as Xiulan’s dad, Biker-dude and Elder Gang went to their own seats. Soon, everybody was standing around the table.
Biker-dude took the lead. “We, the Elders of the Azure Hills, pay our respects to Master Rou.” he intoned, bowing lower than I had been expecting him to.
“We pay our respects to Master Rou.” The rest of the room chorused, bowing as one.
I kind of didn’t know what to do here, so I just raised my hands and inclined my head.
“I wish that we could have met under better circumstances.” I said, trying to put on a friendly smile. I think it failed spectacularly, as the corners of my lips twitched.
With the pleasantries done, we all sat down on the ancient and uncomfortable-looking chairs. There were five dark lines in a strange design on each of them.
To my surprise, mine lit up. The dark lines thrummed. Green, red, a dull brown orange, gold, and blue, converging on a spot above the backrest’s head. It looked... well it looked like it had a bunch of LEDs in it. The rest of the chairs, where the Elders were sitting, lit up too. Although every other one of theirs only had one colour each. Xiulan’s dad's chair lit up green.
They had frigging gamer chairs. The thought was absurd, but that's what it looked like.
The room was uncomfortably silent after that. Biker-dude was staring, wide-eyed at me.
I took a breath, putting it out of my mind, trying to compose myself. I nearly tugged at my Qi again, but instead I pushed it away.
The silence stretched on, I felt my mouth go dry as they all stared at me expectedly until finally I cleared my throat.
“I hope that none of your Disciples are in too much trouble for helping out Tigu’er? I know they all took a big risk doing that.” I asked. I wouldn’t say that all the cultivators in the streets were good people quite yet… but they had helped me out quite a bit. I wouldn’t forget it.
“No, Master Rou, they are not.” one of the Elders declared, bowing. “They showed honour and virtue in interfering on her behalf.”
There were several more nods from the long table. They looked a bit too rapid to me.
‘Well… that was easy.’
I nodded and everybody lapsed into silence again. They were waiting for me to take charge, apparently, so I turned to Yingwen signaling for him to start speaking.
“We, the Disciples of the Shrouded Mountain, have surrendered ourselves to Lord Rou’s care due to… extenuating circumstances…”
I stayed mostly quiet as Yingwen explained the situation, or at least the story that the Shrouded Mountain Sect wanted to go with. The drunken brawl was started by the Shrouded Mountain Sect disciples. That much… well, that much I could agree on, even if I didn’t like it.
I saw Xiulan’s dad looking kind of annoyed too at the story. Yingwen was speaking like a politician, carefully considering his words so that it almost sounded like it wasn’t his fault.
For some reason, I had expected a bunch of shouting, “You Dares?!” and spitting blood, but they all just ended up listening quietly to Yingwen’s statement, digesting and considering his words.
They looked thoughtful once Yingwen fell silent. And… well, a bit more like people than I expected, instead of featureless automatons. They muttered to each other. Some appeared pleased, while others didn’t particularly seem to like the direction.
“Such a mess.”
“Hmph. If it wasn’t the Shrouded Mountain Sect…”
“It’s quite the stretch…”
I could make out the voices, the snippets of nearly silent muttering, when one of the Elders, Biker Dude at the end, cleared his throat.
“What about your Young Master?” Biker asked after Yingwen finished.
Yingwen looked directly at him. “It is a matter between the Shrouded Mountain Sect and Lord Rou.” He said bluntly. “Though…. I believe that Lord Rou would have the utmost gratitude of our Sect.”
At this he turned and bowed to me.
“Why?” one of the women asked. Her face half hidden by a veil, a wide-brimmed hat on the table in front of her. “Why would the Shrouded Mountain Sect be willing to accept these terms? Why would they be willing to forgive all of this?”
The other Elders all nodded in agreement at the skepticism.
Yingwen looked at me and I sighed. Guess we weren’t going to get out of this without me pulling out the scroll.
As I took the scroll out, I finally knew why all those Young Masters liked saying “You dare oppose my sect?!”. It was really, really nice to have a get out of jail for free card.
I still felt kind of shitty for using it though. Especially after saying to Lu Ri that I was fine and could handle everything for myself, I’d ended up leaning on the reputation of a place I hated.
This all would have been infinitely harder without a piece of paper from a powerful sect. I knew it was lucky as hell I had it and I knew relying on it too much was a bad idea but for today it was what I needed to do.
I slapped my metaphorical dick on the table, opening the piece of parchment.
“Because nobody wants this to escalate.” I said.
There were exhales of shock. Several people recoiled. One guy’s mouth actually started leaking blood… which was concerning. I didn’t know that people actually did that. I thought it was just an expression.
Finally, Biker Guy, who I guess was the leader, spoke.
“I see. This explains much. But Master Rou… whatever do you need us for?” he asked.
“It’s your home. Some of your students were hurt. It would be irresponsible to leave you in the dark… and I would ask your opinion on the matter of reparations.”
“Reparations?” Elder Gang asked. He suddenly looked eager, leaning forward like he was about to get an early christmas present. A kind of greedy gleam shone in his eyes that I instantly disliked.
Well, if they thought I was going to squeeze the Shrouded Mountain for resources, he was about to be disappointed.
I didn’t exactly know what to ask for. So I asked for the things I thought made sense.
“To pay for the rebuilding of the town. Reparations to the two who died. As for the rest… I’ve had my justice.” My stomach twisted as I remembered, and leveled my gaze at the Elders.
The guy who ordered it was dead as a doornail. Honestly, I probably could have asked for more. Squeezed the Shrouded Mountain Sect. Would it be seen as a weakness that I hadn’t? I didn’t know, I’m not sure I cared to even if it did. All I knew was that I wanted nothing to do with the Shrouded Mountain Sect. They had apparently missed a Demonic Cultivator in their midst—
I paused. Had they missed him, or was he allowed to do what he did? Yingwen seemed pretty shocked about it, so at least the rank and file thought it was bad news… but the Elders…?
Maybe I would need to ask Lu Ri for a favour after all.
I shook my head. That was for the future. For today I had a simpler goal. The people who had been hurt… I’d help them. They were my people now. If I had to go out and do cultivator things to help, I'd do it.
I wasn’t going to risk them by relying on people who probably didn’t like me for something like that. If they poisoned it or something... Meimei was good, but her area of expertise was mortal poisons, not the bioweapons cultivators could make.
I wanted them gone. Yesterday. Maybe I could go around acting big and taking things… but I had less than zero intent to start that fight. Some people may have needed to die, but at the same time an eye for an eye made the whole world blind. The cycle of vengeance stopped here. If anybody took issue with it, I’d fight back… but I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Or the very earth would rise up and go to war.
I looked up at the Elders again, who were waiting for me to finish. “I was wondering what the… Esteemed Elders of the Azure Hills think would be right for such an… event,” I said, hoping they’d at least have some ideas.
Everybody paused
The cultivators started discussing things amongst themselves in low voices.
I bit back a sigh. This was gonna probably take hours. Dealing with cultivators was so damn stressful.
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Two thousand Li north, a certain Lord Magistrate paused while doing his paperwork.
He felt oddly peaceful. Like some kindred spirit had finally grasped his woes.
He smiled and took a sip of his tea.
====================================
The conversation was subdued, as they retired to discuss things over some tea. Master Rou was seated at a table, with the Shrouded Mountain Sect Disciple on his knee, making the man tea like he was a servant. Every Elder in the room was having trouble concentrating. They kept sneaking glances at Master Rou.
The Elders thought they had been prepared to meet a powerful Master. Yet Rou Jin had caught them off guard from the moment he had appeared .. First was his appearance.
Master Rou’s simple clothes were covered in dust. His face was spotted with freckles. He had a tanned brown skin one saw on laborers.
All things that showcased a lack of mastery to cultivators. A lack of control and ability. A life of proper cultivation should have prevented them. Body refinement would have excised the imperfections.
Jade-like skin and a body free of defects were what was desirable.
Yet his appearance belied the feeling that silenced all who gazed upon him.
He sat in the stone chair like it was a throne, greeted by the Dueling Peaks. None of the Elders had even known the chairs to ignite in such a way, forming a five colored halo of light above the man’s chair. Like the mountain itself was welcoming the Emperor, not a dirty laborer off the streets. It would likely lead to years long discussions on the true nature of this ancient arena, and many hours spent pouring over the old manuals just to see what it all meant.
And then the power stopped. Vanishing into thin air like it never existed. Master Rou had displayed a mastery of Qi control those in the Azure Hills had only ever read about.
All of a sudden, it was a mere mortal sitting at the head of the table.
“What a monster.” Elder Shu muttered.
None of the gathered Elders cared to disagree with him.
“Yes…. yes, he is a monster.” Elder Daxian said. He was the most distracted of them all. Tapping his fingers against his leg, and thinking deeply on the matter. “He gives us much face by even consulting us.”
“We could see how hard we can bleed those bastards for this. The man is strong. The resources we could ask for would be but a drop in the bucket for the Shrouded Mountain. Would he even care for their pitiful value?” Elder Gang asked.
“You’re a fool for wanting to press the Shrouded Mountain.” Elder Xinling snarled, a voice of caution. “He has restrained himself. We should also restrain ourselves. The Cloudy Sword Sect is said to value etiquette and temperance. If we reach beyond our grasp, his mood may turn.”
Xi Kong sighed, and looked towards the ceiling. He loathed politicking. His instinct as a father wanted to demand a vast price for those bastards harming his daughter…. but by all accounts the powerful Expert had already taken her under his wing once more. There was more to be found for Xiulan there than petty revenge against the Shrouded Mountain Sect. What reparations could he demand that were not already given by this man?
“Elder Cai. Rou Tigu was under your roof. Did you know about any of this?” Daxian asked, after shaking his head.
Xi Kong shook his head. “My daughter was healed by a powerful expert after slaying Sun Ken. She told us he was impressed with her abilities, and so gifted her training. After that, she returned to him… and he trusted her enough to send his disciples to stay with us at our sect.”
The other movers and shakers of the Azure Hills considered his statement.
“He remained quiet for a reason, then.” Daxian concluded.
“But why the Azure Hills? Most cultivators of power say they feel uncomfortable in this land, yet he doesn’t seem perturbed at all.”
They lapsed into silence.
“A minimum, then. Exercise caution… and make sure those mortals get their repayment.”
“Director Huizong will be happy, at least.” Elder Gang muttered.
“Are we in agreement?” Daxian asked. There was a pause, as the Elders considered the question.
“What else could we be, save for in agreement?” Elder Gang muttered.
The Elders rose as one, and approached the man. He looked up from his tea, and raised his eyebrow.
“We, the Elders of the Azure Hills, have finished our discussions, Master Rou. We shall create for you a document to pursue at your leisure.”
The man raised an eyebrow, but nodded his head.
“Already? Well that’s good. We’ll wait for news from the Shrouded Mountain Sect Disciples… and with luck, this will all end without any issue.”
He said the words with calm optimism.
“Yes. we would request Zhou Yingwen, so we may make sure the details of this tale are accurate. No harm shall come to him, you have our words.” Daxian said.
The monstrous master nodded. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with this Rou Jin.” he said, rising from his seat and bowing slightly. The elders scrambled to emulate him, but no one else spoke a word.
They simply nodded their heads. All except Cai Xi Kong.
“Forgive me, Master Rou, but…. Why here? Why the Azure Hills?” He asked carefully.
The man seemed surprised at the question. He considered it and responded.
“Because it's relatively peaceful and quiet here. I… didn’t want to be bothered,” the man stated. “It may no longer be possible. I’ll figure out some way that you can contact me, if there's an emergency.. But I would appreciate it if you respected the boundaries of my home.”
As the words finished, an inkling of his power came back. The ground under their feet seemed to writhe with displeasure at the mere thought of them visiting.
“Of course, Master Rou. We would not dream of trespassing.” Daxian said immediately. Xi Kong saw some of the Elders wince slightly. They had likely been imagining sending their students to negotiate with him… but breaching a Master’s privacy with such petty concerns was just not done.
Rou Jin nodded. The feeling of being judged faded.
“We’ll keep in touch then, and make sure this all goes smoothly,” he declared. “If you’ll excuse me… I have a house to finish.”
The lights in the room darkened as he left, leaving the Elders of the Azure Hills to contemplate the words and deeds of this peerless master..
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I didn’t make it far before the shakes started. I staggered to a door. It glowed briefly, then opened automatically.
I stepped in, and the door closed behind me. It was another beautiful stone room, carved with reliefs and richly adorned.
I managed to keep from hyperventilating until it shut with a click.
I had no fucking clue what I had just done. Had it gone well? Had I done poorly? I could only guess.
Fuck me, I hated being the guy in charge.
I slumped against the wall. My hands shook for a moment. I had come in, said my piece, and everybody had just agreed to it. No arguments. No nothing. Just “Yes, sir.”
I felt like I was gonna hurl. There was no way everything was that easy, was it? Was this how things were supposed to go? I had no idea.
I ran my hand through my hair. Meimei was getting lessons from Lady Wu… maybe I could ask the Lord Magistrate for some help with this whole high society and negotiations thing. He seemed pretty good at it…
Slowly I stopped jittering. I took deep calming breaths. It had turned out fine. Everything would work out.
One at a time. All I had was a hope and a prayer. But with luck…. Well, with luck, I wouldn’t be dragged any further into this mess than I already was.
Just because I didn’t hide, didn’t mean I wanted to deal with people or…kill anyone. I wanted my charming, slow, pastoral life, damn it. Go away, Xianxia!
Ugh. and I had to meet with the Azure Jade Trading company too…
Was it bad that I was just as nervous about that as stepping into a room full of cultivators? The Elders had been… well, less extra than I had been expecting, but that was a good thing. They were people, not characters. They almost seemed reasonable.
Or maybe they were just shitting their pants too hard.
Man, how did people act so grim and serious for so long?!
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And so it is complete! It was a pain in the ass, but I think I'm happy with it.
Also.... when I complain, i'm normally just complaining to complain. It wasn't anything too serious, though it might have come off that way.
That Said, instead of this monday... I'm going to be taking friday off just to give myself some breathing room on the book stuff I have to do. So we have wednesday's chapter this week still, but on friday I'll be off. I'll make a separate post about this.
Comments
Jan Alexander
Jin: Go away, Xianxia! That cracked me up.
Trevor
I love this story. Nearly spit out my drink at: I slapped my metaphorical dick on the table, opening the piece of parchment. And can totally imagine The Lord Magistrate freaking out: maybe I could ask the Lord Magistrate for some help with this whole high society and negotiations thing. He seemed pretty good at it…
Christopher Schenkel
So if I had to guess this would be mastery of the different types of qi. The author specifically states that Lanlan's dad has green above him which would correspond to the wood qi which their sect is known for. Jin has five appear above him which would correspond to the Chinese element system: fire, air, metal, wood, and water.
John Brady Anderson
It is types of Qi they have, with green being wood as shown by Xiulan’s dad. Jin has the full cycle
Overclocked
Can anyone guess what the colors on the chairs mean? Is each color a level of cultivation maybe? What does that make Jin?
WonderBread459
I think Lu Ri will make one more track out to the azure hills before before Gramps shows up at the farm. If there is going to be an epilogue scene it’ll very likely be Lu Ri reporting in to the CSS then an interlude of Gramps receiving the letter. Until we see either of those scenes it’ll be hard to tell when Gramps will seek out Jin.
Moonspike
He was basically just acknowledging that Jin doesn't want to draw attention to himself. They are deciding how much to push the shrouded mountain and daxian said hey obviously has a reason to be low key maybe we shouldn't draw more attention to him.
Sebastian Osterbrink
I guess we will have an epilogue for book 2 in which grandpa will receive the letter. At what point he will visit ? Later in book 3?
Carl Mason
Near as I can figure, that was just one of those obvious/ominous things people say in stories. He is recognizing that Jin didn't make a spectacle of himself and that he has built a minor sect and doesn't want to draw attention. He is also undoubtedly speculating as to the reason why.
Anonymous
Jin didn’t make a big deal of his presence and sent his disciples with Xiulan without going himself. And the whole fact that he’s in the Azure Hills at all instead of at the Cloudy Sword Sect. I don’t think any of these Elders would be so circumspect if they had Jin’s power or the level of relationship they assume he has with the Cloudy Sword Sect.
John Brady Anderson
after discussing Xiulan finding him then sending his disciples to stay with their sect it is said of Jin ““He remained quiet for a reason, then.” Daxian concluded”. Can anyone give their views on what Daxian the Elder meant by this? I think I am missing something.
Fortunis
True but that wasn't my point. Also remember his grand pappy cultivation guru is killin demons. It'll be interesting to see what happens when he comes to visit lol.
SuperiorFreak
I don’t think its a matter of strength. He just doesn’t want to be dragged into the cultivator petty struggles. His ability to live carefree and happy depends on no one taking an interest in him. Now that the cat is out of the bag, he is doing his best to try and keep the Sects from dragging him back into the cultivator life.
Fortunis
I find it interesting that Jin still has no idea exactly how powerful hes become. It'll be eye opening when he has to go all out to defend somthing he loves.
Master Rou Part 2 Electric Boogaloo?
Paul Boros
It makes sense if you consider that Jin cannot perceive himself as others do and that his perception of the local... hierarchy is very much a West vs East POV. East, in this context is essentially "Might Makes Right" and all other considerations are ignored. West, at least as Jin is perceiving it, is "Individual Accountability" and he is fundamentally unwilling to make decisions for others for fear of catastrophic consequences to the people for which he decides. I'd be nervous too.
Kyle Rudy
His cozy retirement has never been at greater risk, with the exception of times of great urgency, when the only thing to do was punch. We've never seen him on precarious ground before.
TheTiredOne
Hmm, Jin seemed overly nervous here. Feels weird to me considering what he has already been through both physically and mentally.
Robert Holderness
The bits of history that interested me most were the bits that are closest to adventure stories - Alexander the Great is pretty heroic, the escape from Persia by Xenophon, Julius Ceasar and the pirates
Qrystof
When is his grandpa gonna show up at the farm? I'm wildly curious about how that heart to heart is going to go.
Daniel Gesualdi
I want the magistrate to have a break down at jin for asking for advice. The mask slips just a little when a wave is shade-Froude will come.
Different Nick
Two civilians were killed during battle.
LBNoSc
Two minor comments: How does one equate 'history buff' with 'reading about ancient heroes'? Not any kind of History that I know of (possibly knowledge of mythology and/or ancient literature). Secondly, on the part of 'Reparations...' there is a mention about 'the two who died', but wasnt there one that was crippled?
S10NN4CH
Thanks for the chapter, get some rest!!!
Juli Freixi
Thanks a lot for the chapter Casualfarmer
Xodarap4
I just realized this after a reread but when Jin was inside the Peaks he was so nervous he kept Tianlan Shans power inside himself till he relaxed enough to release it and while afterwards he had a panic attack I'm wondering if he might have been suffering a rebound in his cultivation by trying to hold the earth longer than needed.
Ktoffel Genshin
Thanks for the chapter! Excellently done. I especially like the inner conflict of Jin and the kinship with Lord Magistrate.
Demian Buckle
Thank you for the Chapter.
I think he gave it to him in case he needed to contact him in the future.
xanartik
Did Lu Ri actually give him the seal or did it just pop out of his grandfather's letter with the sword?
Hoobs2
“maybe I could ask the Lord Magistrate for some help with this whole high society and negotiations thing.” This would be hilarious ngl
Delta
Honesty not a fan of this chapter, I didn’t like.l the shifting perspectives in this chapter. Mad it feel messy.
Aiden King
I love the idea of Jin getting lessons from the Lord Magistrate.
John Brady Anderson
Waiting to see if they catch on that Xiulan’s righteousness (defending others, repaying debts) is what impressed him, not her being relatively strong for the area.
Josh
Pretty sure that’s Jin having a borderline panic attack. His Qi has always reacted strongly to his emotions. Normally we have Meiling here to tell us he smells upset.
Dion Crump
From what I understand (some of it speculation)so far Jin is one with his land, an earth spirit for Azure Hills. Many moons ago a person she trusted hurt her, made a huge ritual that drained her, and Azure Hill, of power. Through is work in Fa Rem Jin has slowly helped the land heal, he has brought in people and showed them how to love the land and she is growing in power again. When he needed to travel she stretched herself out pushing at old painful wounds to make sure he is protected in the way he makes sure she is cared for.
MrrC
Interesting that the bubbling of Qi - the sickly power feeling came back. I wonder what is triggering it. Then there is the way the chairs and doors light up for Jin..... I'm loving the mystery of this chapter
Rallaster
Excellent storytelling. This whole scene was captured brilliantly in the cluelessness of Jin not really grasping how much more powerful he is than they are and the influence that comes with it. While they recognize his power as a great expert, but have a hard time reconciling that with his appearance and mannerisms.
Luke Preston
This was hilarious thank you so much just imagining him having lessons with the magistrate
Heidao
Poor Jin, he's REEEEEE'ing on the inside, but so is everyone else The balls on elder Gang in still seeing a chance to ride on the scary coat tails of Jin's influence, and you can feel the disappointment everyone had when Jin shut down any thoughts of them sending their disciples to his place to get the Xiulan treatment. Now Jin has what he feared, everyone's attention, they fear his might but can see the value in what he could offer if they butter him up right like the Verdant Blade had through Xiulan.
Some person
Not the only one!
Eric Manwill
Awww, he has something he can commiserate with the Magistrate over.
BZD
Excellent chapter. I like the automatic doors for Jin.
Imspinnennetz
I do not think Jin knows about the women.
J03MAN
I would like jin to demand reparations for the women abused by the demonic cultivator.
Bat
Man. Could cut the tension in that room with a knife. I felt tense just reading it.
Kyfe
I want to know what's in this room he stumbled into, and see if anyone noticed and/or their reaction to him casually opening a door that possibly hadn't been opened in millenia.
Kyfe
That drawing depicting him panicking on the inside while remaining stoic on the outside is just too perfect, lol.
Eric Hicks
very enjoyable chapter, and the bit with the magistrate was inspired.
Matt DiMeo
I’m sure she’d consider that a secret, but it’s fun to imagine.
Chad Hagner
Aaaawe poor magistrate!!!! 😆
Nicholas Grey
Oh my god, PLEASE let him ask the Magistrate for lessons!! You gotta! And then get Tsuu to illustrate it!
Jacob
Gina be funny when the magistrate all feeling a bit more calm and relaxed has his stomach attack him when he finds out jin wants a meeting and then the flip flop of him just asking for lessons
Undead Writer
Oh! That would be hilarious! I so see that! XD!
Undead Writer
Thanks for the chapter! Your the best!
Josh
I'm looking forward to more of the magistrate. One of my favorite characters.
Gabriel F
I thought so too. Jin Qi is the key to the whole montain, probably it's has created as a fortress and center of power for the imperial. The key is the Land and Jin Qi is as much as the Land as it is his.
LenoraeKB
Oh god the aside to the lord magistrate had me laughing so hard I had to put my phone down
Obran
Wonder if Lanlan will tel her farther that Rou is younger than she is. Wonder how much that will freak him out.
mindsystem
Chun Ki went there in spirit/dream, not physically. He's too friendly to hide from the disciples and Jin (even if he wasn't supposed to be there), and he most certainly would have moved to protect Tigu if he had been around.
Imspinnennetz
Jin's cultivation is involved with the cycle of growth and harvest. This involves all the 5 elements in the process.
Hellmo
Thanks for the chapter. So the gaming chairs. "Green, red, a dull brown orange, gold, and blue" What do they mean? Thought it would be cultivation level but some masters were only getting one colour. Maybe it's not the Qi level but affinity? Since Xiulan's dad has green meaning the wood part? Does this mean Jin has affinity to 5 Qi's ? Woah. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water ? Is this correct?
Npad11111
Jin is starting to sound like King from one punch man. Lol.
Derik Botha
I can imagine it now, all the young cultivators coming back more powerful and explaining to their elders that they'd been farming.
Len
Daxian knows... big little sister has her connected ones, jin and xuilan(The healing gold scar formed today) due to the symbiotic nature of jins cultivation, he IS the "Master" of the dueling peaks complex All doors will open to him(Those that are not broken that is)
Enochi
Hmm. I wonder if he will extended invitations for some of the younger generation to visit. I doubt he would deny Tigu the chance for some of her friends to visit at least.
Bonifacio Mario Peña Jr.
.... He never noticed that he was powering the room. The elders surely did. *Goes for humble farmer look. Fails because the mountain flexes* "I wanted peace and quiet. This place was chill." *ROOM THAT DOESN'T NORMALLY GLOW GOES FULL LED NEON NIGHTMARE* O RLY!??? Is that what you're calling this???? *Pulls out scroll of AUTHORITAHHH* "(HOLY SHIT DID THAT GUY JUST SPIT BLOOD?)" *LIGHTS GO OUT WHEN HE LEAVES* 😎 So much flexing 😎 So much unwritten subtext.
Caithdean SValerient
Kudos!!
Otter Pops
Where is Chun Ki?
shaun
Can we get some chapters where he goes to the magistrate and begs for guidance. That would be funny
Xegzy
hes the lord of the mountain
Imspinnennetz
Lord Magistrate will teach the bureaucratic art of "Keep the cultivators off my lawn"
mindsystem
Is it just me or is the door opening automatically at the end something that's not normally supposed to happen? After all, the Elders pov mentions not knowing about the chair halo, so it could be that what requires a specific ritual from the mortal boy just happens for Jin. Thanks for the chapter, looking forward to what comes next, as well as the edited Volume One.
wearMoniker
Jin: “Mold me.” Lord Magistrate: “…”
Imspinnennetz
Gramps is probably going to be too busy spoiling his grandkids when he shows up.
Aaron V.
Now I'm just wondering when Gramps will crash the party.
taukid
That cut to the LORD MAGISTRATE was great. He's finally has some peace and quiet. For now.
op3880
I’d guess probably because cultivators don’t tend to train their physical strength, often just depending on cultivator steroids, so their bodies don’t develop more muscle though I would imagine they’re probably really toned tho
Ronin_Ryker
"They were people, not characters. They almost seemed reasonable. Or maybe they were just shitting their pants too hard." I fucking cackled at this, good job CasualFarmer! You're doing great!
Alex McGregor
Oh Gods both sides of things are hilarious for multiple reasons lol
Gavriel
Is the downside of being linked with the land a matter of trusting the land not to screw you over, coupled with your strength being dependent on the land itself? Could it be that Jin is getting stronger because he is literally one with the land in some way? And the land is recovering?
Gavriel
So why doesn't Jin have a "perfect body", for that matter, didn't Gramps look ordinary?
Sean Ulrich
No one likes politics. Not even politicians
Gavriel
😆
Will mILLER
Yes
Imspinnennetz
"Two thousand Li north, a certain Lord Magistrate paused while doing his paperwork. He felt oddly peaceful." Poor Magistrate does not know what is going to hit him.
Freon
Thanks for the chapter~
REPOsPuNKy
woot
