Personal Teaching

The journey was uneventful, and the harvest was still no spiritual medicine, only demonic beasts, all of which were made into jerky for body tempering.

Back in Maple Forest Village, I delivered the goods and collected my wages. This time, I received a total of 140 lower-grade spirit stones, which was much more than before.

After the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) parted ways, Chen Lu went to the Wang family's territory, intending to continue practicing the "Sharp Metal Sword Finger".

"Yo~ Alu, you're back. How's it going at the escort agency?"

Under a large tree in the clan's territory, among a group of old men sitting there, one of them greeted Chen Lu loudly.

"It's good! I don't have to be at the mercy of others, and I earn more money. I'm much better off than your son!" Chen Lu said with a smile.

He pretended not to hear what the old man was muttering.

"Senior, I wonder if Wang Shengning and her husband are in the clan's territory? If they are, please ask her to take me in."

Chen Lugong asked the middle-aged man at the entrance of the clan's territory, and with a flick of his wrist, handed him three low-grade spirit stones.

The middle-aged gatekeeper's eyes lit up with joy for a moment, then he quickly composed himself and accepted the spirit stones.

"Okay, I'll go take a look. You sit here for a bit and I'll be right back."

"Thank you for your hard work, senior!"

The middle-aged man mounted his horse and galloped deep into the clan's territory.

Guarding the gate of the royal family estate was a safe and easy job, since no one dared to cause trouble there.

Although the salary is not high, only thirty lower spirit coins a month, thanks to the clan rules, they can collect a lot of hard-earned money from non-clan members.

To avoid trouble, none of the non-clan members were stingy with those few spirit stones, since those who came to the clan's territory were people who had important business to attend to.

A moment later, the middle-aged gatekeeper returned on horseback. After dismounting, he wiped away non-existent sweat and said...

"Wang Shengning's husband is out and not home. She said she would come over as soon as she settled the children."

"Thank you, senior."

Chen Lu quickly thanked him, glanced around, and stepped aside to block the view of the old man and woman under the tree. He then handed over a few more spirit stones.

"Senior, has anything happened in your family recently?"

Chen Lu asked about the reform of the escort agency, to see how the family's business associates reacted after twenty days.

"Hmm, lately, I'm not quite sure." The middle-aged man accepted the spirit stone, but his face showed that he couldn't remember.

Chen Lu was somewhat helpless, so he had no choice but to hand over three more lower-grade spirit stones.

Those who can get such good jobs must have a certain amount of influence in the family, and indirectly, they will also know a lot of inside information.

"Looking at it now, the business people in the family are very satisfied, saying that the money they paid for the escort missions is half of what it used to be."

The family says the main credit goes to you, Chen Lu, and to further promote you, they'll give you some other rewards, which you might receive this time.

Chen Lu frowned slightly; his family seemed somewhat eager for him to become famous.

But the more this is the case, the more composed he must be, and not let himself be swept away by a few favors.

"Has the family said when they will extend the reforms to the outside world?"

"Many people have asked why the elders haven't expressed any opinions, but I've heard that they feel the risks are too great and don't want to implement it."

The clan chief set a one-year observation period; if no problems arose within that year, the program would be rolled out nationwide. The elders had no objections and all agreed.

Having heard what he wanted to know, Chen Lu stopped asking questions, thanked him respectfully, and waited quietly.

A short while later, Wang Shengning came alone. Compared to the last time they met, her clothes had changed slightly.

The loose style has become much more fitted, and with its unique charm, it actually made Chen Lu's heart flutter slightly.

Just as he was about to say something, an old woman came running up from not far away.

She glanced at Chen Lu, her expression full of disdain.

"Let's go, what are we waiting for?"

"Yes."

Chen Lu responded and silently followed behind the old woman with Wang Shenglin.

The journey was very quiet; the two didn't even exchange glances, for fear that she might cause some trouble.

Before leaving, Wang Shengning glanced at Chen Lu again with lingering reluctance, as if she had something to say.

But an old woman grabbed his arm and abruptly pulled him back.

Their relationship had long since ended; not speaking and having no communication was the best option.

When we arrived at the library, the door was not open this time.

He could sense that the two spirit cats were right behind the door, just waiting for him to open it before they pounced.

To Chen Lu's dismay, the two spirit cats deliberately released their scent, clearly not wanting him to enter.

"It's just two strips of dried meat, is it really that big of a deal...?"

Chen Lu sighed, reached into his storage bag, and took out two pieces of dried venison. This was freshly slaughtered venison from the part with the richest spiritual energy and the best taste.

squeak~

The door opened a crack, and two fluffy little heads peeked out.

Meow~

The two civets glanced at the jerky in Chen Lu's hand, stuck out their tongues in disdain, but their eyes were glued to it, unable to look away.

Chen Lu placed the dried meat at his feet, and almost in the blink of an eye, the dried meat disappeared.

The civet cat that remained in place finally opened the door completely, and then disappeared without a trace.

"Hopefully these two rules will stop them from holding a grudge."

Just as Chen Lu finished speaking, Elder Chuanjing's voice came down from the third floor.

"They were so bored that they thought you were interesting, so they wanted to play with you. They weren't really holding a grudge."

"Senior, before—"

"Alright, come on up, there's something I need to tell you."

"Yes, senior."

Chen Lu climbed up to the third floor. The east side was the training room, and the west side was the meditation room.

The elder who transmitted the scriptures sat cross-legged by the window, his eyes closed and his mind focused, as if he were resting quietly.

"Although your suggestion has only been implemented for half a month, the effect is something everyone can foresee."

The family members who benefited from the new regulations praised you highly.

As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind," meaning that the security escort agency will probably want to get rid of you as soon as possible.

If I continue practicing "Sharp Metal Sword Finger" at the normal pace, I probably won't be able to succeed as scheduled.

Two fists can't fight four hands. The family is worried that if you are attacked, it will be difficult for you to escape unscathed with your current strength.

Therefore, I intend to personally teach you swordsmanship until you grasp the essence of swordsmanship.

"You taught me swordsmanship?!"

Chen Lu was somewhat taken aback, not expecting that it was the Elder of Transmission who was personally instructing him.

This is the strongest cultivator in the family. In his early years, he roamed the Crimson Bamboo Immortal City with a long sword and was extremely famous.

Later, for some reason, he returned to the royal family's territory and never went out again, but no one dared to challenge his strength.

But the fact that he could learn from him was truly unbelievable to him.

"What, you're not happy about it?"

The Elder opened his eyes, shooting out two chilling beams of light that made Chen Lu feel as if his entire body had been seen through.

He quickly bowed and said respectfully, "It is an honor for this junior to learn from a senior like you."

"That's good. How many days are you planning to study at the Sutra Repository this time?"

"Seven days. I need to set aside some time for my cultivation."

The elder who transmitted the scriptures stood up, reached to his waist, and tossed over a wooden longsword.

Chen Lu took it and subconsciously examined it.

He couldn't tell what kind of wood it was, but it was dark blue-black and had a metallic feel when tapped.

One side of the handle is decorated with a weight-increasing array, while the other side is decorated with a spirit-blocking array.

He had just grasped it when he felt a sharp pain in his palm.

Immediately afterwards, his spiritual energy stagnated, and he had to exert a great deal of effort to barely move a fraction of an inch.

Before Chen Lu could react, the long sword in his hand suddenly sank, slamming him to the ground.

He scrambled to his feet, struggling to lift the sword, but it felt like a boulder.

After a short while, the weight gradually decreased, remaining within the range that Chen Lu could just swing it around in.

Only then did the elder reveal the secret.