Chapter 46 - 40: Origin of the Mountain and Sea Bureau

Chapter 46: Chapter 40: Origin of the Mountain and Sea Bureau

Luocheng, East City District, Ping’an Noodle Shop

"HISS..."

Lu Chen woke up from his coma, feeling intense pain all over his body.

"You’re awake? Have something to eat first."

Lu Chen turned his head and saw Uncle Tian bringing a bowl of noodle soup to the bedside. Feeling the hunger radiating from his stomach, Lu Chen took the noodle soup and asked, "Uncle Tian, how long have I been out?"

"Three days. Fortunately, your Cultivation foundation is solid enough and you have a strong constitution. You’ll recover in ten days to half a month. It’s nothing serious."

"What about that person from the Mountain and Sea Bureau?"

Uncle Tian sat on a nearby chair and smiled. "You mean Bai Ling? That girl has a lot on her plate. Who knows where she ran off to now. Rest assured, I’ve already taught her a lesson on your behalf, and she deeply realizes her mistake. She won’t be so reckless in the future. Here, this is her apology gift to you. Whether you accept it or not is up to you."

As he spoke, Yu Tianqi placed a wooden box by Lu Chen’s bed.

With some curiosity, Lu Chen opened the wooden box. The next second, a sharp Sword Intent scattered out, making Lu Chen subconsciously close his eyes. When the Sword Intent dissipated, an ancient, unadorned black longsword caught Lu Chen’s eyes. As a Sword Cultivator, the moment Lu Chen saw this sword, he was inexplicably drawn to it and couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Seeing this, Yu Tianqi began to explain the sword’s origins.

"The Ink Flood Dragon Sword, one of the twelve unique Dragon-slaying Swords of the Mountain and Sea Bureau. If that girl Bai Ling hadn’t gone too far this time, and coupled with the fact that the Hundred Families hold some power within the Mountain and Sea Bureau, it wouldn’t be so easy for you to get your hands on this sword. After all, it doesn’t just represent a weapon; it is also a symbol of status and power within the Mountain and Sea Bureau. Besides, the successive masters of the Ink Flood Dragon Sword have used it to slay countless Evil Demons, achieving illustrious battle merits. Who knows how many people covet this sword."

"Then... can I accept it?" Lu Chen wasn’t blinded by greed, but calmly asked Yu Tianqi.

"Hmm... that depends on you. After all, even though Elder Bai said it was an apology gift and told you not to overthink it, you and I both know that once you take this sword, even if you don’t mean anything by it, outsiders will still see you as having hopped on the Mountain and Sea Bureau’s pirate ship. And while the Mountain and Sea Bureau’s style of doing things is a bit overbearing, they treat their own people quite well. It all depends on what you think."

Hearing this, Lu Chen pondered for a moment and didn’t rush to make a decision. Instead, he planned to gather more information. After all, he had never heard of the Mountain and Sea Bureau before, nor did he understand why someone like Bai Ling would suddenly seek him out. He needed to know more before he could make a sound judgment.

"Uncle Tian, can you tell me about the Mountain and Sea Bureau?"

"Sure, you are indeed qualified to know some things now. After all, not just anyone in the Qi Cultivation Stage can injure a top-tier Foundation Establishment Stage Body Cultivator like Bai Ling. It’s only because you aren’t in the Mountain and Sea Bureau, otherwise you’d know just what an astonishing feat you’ve pulled off. Many brats in the Bureau are incredibly curious about you. They all want to know exactly what kind of ruthless person could actually make a tough nut like Bai Ling hit a wall—and doing so in a Foundation Establishment Stage versus Qi Cultivation Stage scenario, no less. They’re just watching the show, eager for more drama."

"I-Is that so..." Lu Chen scratched his cheek, not really feeling like he had done anything special.

"It’s fine, you don’t need to worry about these things right now. For now, just calmly focus on your studies and focus on your Cultivation. After all, the saying ’All below Foundation Establishment are mere ants’ isn’t just empty talk. Having witnessed that girl Bai Ling’s methods, you should understand just how massive the gap between the Qi Cultivation Stage and the Foundation Establishment Stage really is, right?"

Lu Chen nodded. He understood it all too well now. On that day, he had exhausted all his methods in a premeditated strike against an unprepared opponent, yet he had only barely managed to injure her. And what about Bai Ling? A mere subconscious punch from her had left him bedridden for three days. The gap between them could truly be described as heaven and earth. While this was undoubtedly because Bai Ling was no ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, Lu Chen also believed he wasn’t just an ordinary Qi Cultivation Cultivator either. Facing such a miserable defeat inevitably left him feeling somewhat frustrated.

Yu Tianqi seemed to notice the knot in Lu Chen’s heart and smiled as he rubbed his head. "Alright, alright. It’s not embarrassing for a Qi Cultivation Cultivator to lose against Foundation Establishment. What’s truly embarrassing is losing against someone in the same Foundation Establishment Stage. Didn’t you want to know about the Mountain and Sea Bureau? I’ll explain it to you in detail right now."

Hearing this, Lu Chen immediately listened intently.

"The Mountain and Sea Bureau’s predecessor was the Nine Provinces Demon Suppression Bureau, and when it was first established, its purpose was to imprison the Evil Demons who committed crimes within the borders of the Nine Provinces. But gradually, the members of the Demon Suppression Bureau discovered that while some Demon Fiends indeed threatened the safety of the people, other Demon Fiends weren’t inherently bad and could be utilized by the Bureau. Therefore, after a millennium of exploration, they developed a comprehensive method for utilizing Demon Fiends. Over the next thousand years, the earliest batches of Demon Fiends integrated into the Demon Suppression Bureau gradually became a true part of it.

"By that point, the words ’Demon Suppression,’ which were detrimental to unity, could no longer be used. After all, by then, many Demon Fiends within the Bureau had turned over a new leaf and thoroughly integrated into its ranks. From then on, the Demon Suppression Bureau was officially renamed the Mountain and Sea Bureau, and those Demon Fiends recognized by the Bureau were subsequently called Mountain and Sea Beasts. Evolving to the present day, Mountain and Sea Beasts have become an undeniable power in the Nine Provinces; the Shangfu Bird by Bai Ling’s side is one of them.

"Because of their unique nature, Mountain and Sea Beasts also have the right to choose their own partners within the Bureau. Therefore, to enter the Mountain and Sea Bureau, the first step is to gain the approval of a Mountain and Sea Beast. This is also why the Bureau doesn’t have many members, yet every single one is an elite. After all, gaining a Mountain and Sea Beast’s approval requires genuine skill. Within the Mountain and Sea Bureau, Mountain and Sea Walker is the lowest Level, followed by Scripture Master, Grand Scripture Master, Guardian, and finally the Four Directions Domain Master.

"Aside from its formidable Power, the Mountain and Sea Bureau is also rife with factions, with the Four Great Dao Schools being the most prominent. After all, not only do they provide the Bureau with a massive amount of talent every year, but once these individuals mature, they also give back to their respective Daoist Schools. This increasingly consolidates the power of the Four Great Dao Schools and the Immortal Sects behind them within the Nine Provinces. The Qing Province Mountain and Sea Bureau, where Bai Ling is stationed, is backed by the Qinghe Daoist School, and the largest Immortal Sect within the Qinghe Daoist School is the Shangqing Daoist Palace, which has occupied Changqing Mountain for ages.

"If Immortal Sects are considered places isolated from the world, then the Four Great Dao Schools are the gateways into the world, and the Mountain and Sea Bureau acts as the bridge between the two. They never meddle in the secular affairs of Mortals; they only handle supernatural matters. Only the most outstanding talents who stand out from the Daoist Schools and Immortal Sects qualify to enter the Bureau. Do you understand now why the Mountain and Sea Bureau is so mysterious?

"Although you are currently a student of the Dao Class with half a foot in the Cultivation Realm, as long as you haven’t entered a Daoist School or reached a Cultivation Level above Foundation Establishment, you aren’t considered a true cultivator. Naturally, you wouldn’t come into contact with the level of the Mountain and Sea Bureau."

Hearing this, Lu Chen finally understood where Bai Ling’s overbearing arrogance came from. Daoist Schools, Immortal Sects, the Mountain and Sea Bureau... To become a Mountain and Sea Walker, Bai Ling must have stepped over the heads of countless peers to stand out. With an experience like that, it was no wonder she was so arrogant that she looked down on ordinary people.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen glanced at his bandaged chest and made his decision. "Uncle Tian, I’ll accept this sword."

Hearing this, Yu Tianqi’s smile grew even brighter.

"Good! Only kids make choices; adults take it all!

"I was originally worried you’d care too much about your pride and refuse the gift because you didn’t want to get involved with those old fogeys, but you didn’t disappoint me. Who made the rule that you have to swallow the sugar-coated bullet whole? You should be like I was back in the day—eat the sugar coating, and fire the bullet right back to viciously slap those old fogeys in the face!

"So what if it’s the Mountain and Sea Bureau? So what if it’s the Four Great Dao Schools?

"Back in my day, forget the Four Great Dao Schools—I’ve even barged into the Nine Great Immortal Sects! And what could they do to me in the end? They still had to obediently let me walk out!

"Respect is earned by yourself, not given by others as charity.

"Use the Mountain and Sea Bureau’s sword to slap the Mountain and Sea Bureau’s face! I can’t wait to see the ugly expressions on those old fogeys’ faces. HAHAHA!

"Trying to buy off someone I favor with a broken sword? In their dreams!

"I’m not blowing hot air, your Uncle Tian back in the day was..."

Over the next hour, Lu Chen listened to a legendary tale titled "The Great Sage Tianqi Braves the Mountain and Sea Bureau and Causes Havoc in the Nine Immortal Sects."

As for how much truth there was to this story... Lu Chen remained noncommittal. After all, when you hear the words "I’m not blowing hot air," it usually means whatever you hear next is highly likely to be blowing hot air.

...

PS: The second update will be uploaded before ten o’clock. Pang Hu just got home from work, so let me grab a bite to eat first.