Chapter 358 - 235: Mission Reward and Guidance (Part 2)

Chapter 358: Chapter 235: Mission Reward and Guidance (Part 2)

Zhang Wenji was truly grateful. Yu Fei had far exceeded the requirements of the task he had posted, making the originally planned reward of the Cyan Immortal Jade seem a little inadequate. That was why he had added to it.

Although pleased, Yu Fei still refused. "Mr. Zhang, I’ll gladly accept the Cyan Immortal Jade. But this Seven-Colored Illusion Iron wasn’t part of the reward. I can’t accept it in good conscience. Please, take it back!"

Zhang Wenji hurriedly waved his hands in dismissal. "No, that won’t do. You even helped me find the mole. This is a meager gesture in comparison. You absolutely cannot refuse..."

In the end, Yu Fei couldn’t win the argument and accepted the Seven-Colored Illusion Iron, mainly because it was something he would need for his cultivation in the future.

"Mr. Zhang, what will you do about Ma Pei?"

Speaking of the matter at hand, a look of reluctance appeared in Zhang Wenji’s eyes before he sighed and spoke.

"Mr. Ma has been a retainer of the Zhang Family for a long time. I never imagined he would betray us. He took money from the Kong Family and made a mistake, but I don’t want to be too ruthless."

"The Kong Family?" Yu Fei asked, his curiosity piqued.

"The ancestors of both the Kong Family and my Zhang Family were core powers within the Bright Jade Alliance. Both our families once had Martial Saints, and both slowly fell from prominence after those ancestors passed away.

It’s just that my father was only a Grandmaster, and he passed away long ago. The Kong Family also lost their Martial Saint, but their current Patriarch is an accomplished Grandmaster. He manages a metal-smelting company in the Golden Jade Gang Realm, and their power is not to be underestimated..."

"Later, I plan to take the Four Treasures of Jade Refining and Ma Pei to the Kong Family to offer an apology. Life hasn’t been easy for Ma Pei. I will personally present the Four Treasures, asking the Kong Family not to make things difficult for an old man, and to spare my family’s lives in the process.

They are just inanimate objects. If the Kong Family needed them, they only had to ask. I, Zhang Wenji, have benefited from the Kong Family’s patronage over the years; I would have presented the items to them directly."

Yu Fei simply smiled, saying nothing. ’I didn’t realize this Zhang Wenji was so ruthless,’ he thought. With this move, how could the Kong Family possibly accept the Four Treasures of Jade Refining without losing face? They wouldn’t dare to harm the Zhang Family in the slightest.

Yu Fei guessed this was most likely the work of subordinates from the Kong Family. If their Patriarch had truly wanted the items, he could have simply offered something in trade. Zhang Wenji wouldn’t have dared to refuse, and the matter certainly wouldn’t have been handled so crudely.

Zhang Wenji’s move effectively framed the narrative of the incident. Now, if anything were to happen to the Zhang Family in the near future, everyone would immediately suspect the Kong Family. To avoid suspicion, they would now be forced to protect Zhang Wenji.

As for Ma Pei, he probably wouldn’t have the face to show himself anymore. After being supported by the Zhang Family for so many years, he had betrayed his benefactor for a small gain. His reputation was utterly destroyed; the man was finished.

Zhang Yuan had already become a Celestial Pride Martial Artist. As soon as her placement matches were over, a bright future awaited her. This might even give them a chance to rejoin the core of the Bright Jade Alliance one day.

At such a critical juncture, other powers would be even less likely to move against the Zhang Family. ’This Zhang Wenji... his personal strength might be garbage, but he sure knows how to get things done.’

The system for nurturing Celestial Pride talents has always been a fundamental principle shared by the seven great powers. This was a line no one was allowed to cross. Even the Bright Jade Alliance, despite having multiple Martial Saints, wouldn’t dare to act so openly and recklessly.

After a bit more small talk, Yu Fei finally revealed the true purpose of his visit.

"Mr. Zhang, I’d like to enter the Golden Jade Gang Realm to gain some experience. Do you know of any way in?"

"The Golden Jade Gang Realm?"

Zhang Wenji suddenly understood. ’So this is the real reason he came,’ he thought.

Why would a Celestial Pride prodigy like him go out of his way for the Zhang Family over a small task? Zhang Wenji’s mind raced.

The Golden Jade Gang Realm had two primary outputs. The first was its vast reserves of metal ore and jade veins, which produced large quantities of low and mid-tier materials with wide-ranging applications.

The second was the Gang Tie Race and the Jade Spirit Race. Slaying members of these two races yielded mid to high-tier materials of significant value. The Bright Jade Alliance even had specialized Gold Farming Groups for this purpose.

With Yu Fei’s status, entering through official channels would certainly mean being monitored. If he only needed a small amount, the Bright Jade Alliance would probably grant him the favor.

Unless... Yu Fei required a large quantity. But he wouldn’t be able to take it out, would he? ’Could he consume it all on the spot?’

Then it must be a requirement of his Cultivation Technique, one that needed mid to high-tier metal and jade materials.

In an instant, Zhang Wenji deduced Yu Fei’s true needs, and he was more than happy to help make it happen.

The profits from the Golden Jade Gang Realm belonged to the Bright Jade Alliance, not the Zhang Family. If he could facilitate this, Yu Fei would owe him a favor. Then, if his Yu’er ever faced difficulties in the future, she could ask Yu Fei for a helping hand.

With this in mind, Zhang Wenji considered for a moment before responding.

"It’s doable, but it’ll take a few days to make the arrangements. Are you in a hurry, my young friend?"

"Not particularly. As long as I can make a trip sometime this holiday, it’s fine."

Zhang Wenji immediately agreed. "In that case, my young friend, please wait. I’ll have an answer for you in three to five days, or a week at the absolute latest!"

Yu Fei was overjoyed to hear this. "Then I must thank you, Mr. Zhang!"

Zhang Wenji was an old fox, and he was clearly trying to curry favor with him. Yu Fei decided to go with the flow. At the very least, he didn’t find the man disagreeable.

Zhang Wenji’s greatest virtues were that he was self-aware and not a fool.

Then he heard Zhang Wenji continue, "Since that’s settled, why don’t you stay and enjoy the sights around Songfeng for a few days, my young friend? I’ll have Yu’er act as your guide. You’re both around the same age, so you should have plenty to talk about."

"That won’t be necessary, Mr. Zhang. If it’s all the same, could you just prepare a quiet room for me? I’ll spend the next few days cultivating.

Besides, Zhang Yuan has her placement matches after the start of spring next year. She should focus on her cultivation. There are countless masters in this world; if you don’t advance, you fall behind. Even becoming a Celestial Pride Martial Artist is just getting a good head start. You still have to work hard!"

These words gave Zhang Wenji a jolt. Ever since Zhang Yuan had displayed her extraordinary talent for cultivation, he had grown complacent, feeling that the Zhang Family finally had a chance to return to its peak.

He had forgotten the fundamental truth of the martial path: talent isn’t everything.

Yu Fei, standing before him, was the leader of the Celestial Pride Class, his talent undeniably top-tier. Yet even someone like him never stopped training for a moment. In contrast, they had been far too lax about Yu’er’s cultivation.

Zhang Wenji said solemnly, "You’ve taught me a valuable lesson. It’s always those like me, who have achieved little on the martial path, who lose sight of its pure essence. In that case, might I be so bold as to ask you to guide Yu’er for a few days?"

Yu Fei didn’t particularly mind. Zhang Yuan had a sweet and innocent personality; it was clear Zhang Wenji had protected her well. He wasn’t opposed to spending time with her.

"Mr. Zhang, I wouldn’t presume to call it teaching. I only enrolled a year ahead of her. How about this: we can exchange cultivation insights every afternoon."

A smile immediately bloomed on Zhang Wenji’s face, one he couldn’t conceal.

"Then I must thank you, my young friend!"

Although the Zhang Family ran its own dojo and taught many apprentices, the quality of their students wasn’t very high. They were mostly practitioners who had failed to get into a Martial Arts University but were still determined to follow the martial path.

Although Zhang Wenji’s own skills were lacking, he was in the Gang Qi Realm, so he could get by. But he had no good way to guide Zhang Yuan’s education. His own daughter, despite having trained for just over a year, already had a deeper understanding of their basic Cultivation Technique than he did.

He was naturally overjoyed that a figure of Yu Fei’s caliber was willing to guide Zhang Yuan.

Early the next morning, Zhang Wenji departed with the Four Treasures of Jade Refining and Ma Pei. After the incident was exposed, no one knew what Zhang Wenji had said to him, but the old man’s spirit was completely crushed; he now did whatever Zhang Wenji told him without question.

Many people at the Zhang Family’s dojo were also dismissed. It was said that Zhang Wenji gave them a generous severance in merit points, saying they should part on good terms.

This time, he hadn’t brought the cultivation resources he’d exchanged his merits for. He could only perform basic training, focusing on comprehending his Swordsmanship and refining the purple qi that came with the dawn each day.

The Yang Fire within him was the foundation of his Cultivation Technique. Since its last advancement, his internal vision revealed it was now over a foot long, its color having deepened from orange to blue. The next stage required nurturing the Yang Fire until it reached nine feet and nine inches, at which point it could evolve.

That would be the moment his Melt Gold Jade Body Skill could reach major completion.

Every afternoon, Yu Fei would spend two hours guiding Zhang Yuan’s martial arts. It seemed all of the girl’s ’Orange’ grade talent had been focused on cultivation, as her mastery of martial techniques was rather weak.

She had already reached the third realm of Qi Blood, yet she had only mastered a single Swordsmanship technique to the initial stage. With her current skill set, she would probably only achieve a B-rank in her placement matches.