Chapter 101: So-called High Intelligence
Within the illusion formation, on a clear area on the Zhuang River’s bank, the dried up Xiao Chen lay on the ground. It was unknown whether he was dead or alive. Xiao Bai’s body had already recovered to its usual appearance. After it went berserk, it would be extremely weak and dispirited.
However, it did not rest immediately when it looked at Xiao Chen’s condition. Instead, it rushed out of the illusion formation. Four hours later, it returned covered in blood. It was clutching a medicinal fruit with light flowing around it in its paws.
If Xiao Chen were not unconscious, he would immediately recognize this fruit in its paws to be the Red Core Pomelo. This was an important ingredient for refining top quality healing Medicinal Pills.
The Red Core Pomelo grew in the deep areas of Savage Forest. There must have been strong Spirit Beasts guarding it. Xiao Bai dragged its frail body over and picked the herb. It was unknown how much damage it sustained.
Xiao Bai looked for the porcelain bowl that Xiao Chen normally drank from, and carefully broke the Red Core Pomelo apart. The Red Core Pomelo turned into a gratifying medicinal liquid. Xiao Bai lifted the bowl up and poured the medicinal liquid into Xiao Chen mouth. Finally, it poured a little on the arrow wound on Xiao Chen’s chest.
After completing all this, Xiao Bai’s tensed mood finally relaxed. Its extremely exhausted body immediately became a beam of white light and flew into the Spirit Blood Jade.
The medicinal strength of the Red Core Pomelo infused into Xiao Chen’s body. This method of direct consumption was considered taboo to ordinary cultivators.
This was because the unprocessed medicinal fruit contained an extremely tyrannical medicinal strength. If used directly and one was not careful, their blood and Qi will churn, causing their body to explode and die.
Most alchemists would refine this Red Core Pomelo into at least ten Essence Returning Pills and separate out the medicinal strength. Only by doing this would it be suitable for cultivators to use.
Xiao Chen’s current situation was special. His body was now like a building that still had a thousand things to be done before completion. The blood and Qi in his body were very spa.r.s.e; he would be able to handle this, even if he consumed another Red Core Pomelo.
…
Within White Water City, people saw the Jiang Clan’s First Elder coming out of Savage Forest. He was then followed by Duanmu Qing, Chu Chaoyun, and Hua Yunfei; they were all in sorry states.
Especially Hua Yunfei, he looked very pale and he was very weak. It was obvious that he suffered from serious injuries. The entire White Water City instantly became chaotic.
This Xiao Chen was actually able to cause so many to return in low spirits following a defeat. Where did this saint come from? He was actually able to injure the successors of the three powers of Dongming Province.
Particularly Hua Yunfei, he was just 17 years old and had awakened his Mutated Martial Spirit at birth. After he made his debut, he had never been defeated by someone of the same generation. Even those of the older generation had to be wary of him.
Only death remained when the blood river pa.s.sed. This was a saying about Hua Yunfei in the Dongming Province. This was a saying that everyone knew. There were already many people who considered him to the top expert of the younger generation and had given him that t.i.tle in their hearts.
Even many of the people in power thought that, after the Thunder Emperor, he was likely to become the Tianwu Continent’s proud son of heaven, the first in the past thousand years.
However, no one expected that Hua Yunfei would be defeated by a Superior Grade Martial Disciple in this insignificant White Water City. No one dared to believe it when the news spread.
After a short period of time, the rumors of Xiao Chen were spoken about constantly. Some said that he was a successor of a hidden n.o.ble clan; some said that he was the last disciple of an unknown sect. There were even ridiculous rumors that he was a cultivator sent by the Great Jin Nation.
White Water City, Jiang Clan, Great Hall:
Jiang Mingxun smacked his palm on the table violently, “Jiang Yunze! Are you doing your job properly? You are already a Martial Grand Master, yet you are unable to deal with a Superior Martial Disciple. Have you no shame?!”
Jiang Yunze, who was below, said in a somewhat unconvinced tone, “Even the successors of the three powers were injured by him. I managed to injure him severely with one arrow.”
When Jiang Mingxun heard this, he was extremely infuriated. His complexion turned ashen as he scolded him in anger, “Still trying to give excuses! The map was almost obtained by them as a result and you still want me to praise you for that?!”
Jiang Yunze knew he said the wrong things as he quickly lowered his head and said, “Clan Head, I know what to do. I will rush back quickly. If I don’t capture that brat, I’ll never return.”
Jiang Mingxun had a dark look on his face as he smiled coldly, “If you cannot capture him, you may kill him. If the map lands in the hands of the three powers, you can forget about keeping your First Elder position.”
Jiang Yunze’s back was covered in cold sweat. After he got up and took his leave, he scolded Xiao Chen mentally several times, If I manage to get my hands on you, I’ll let you experience a life worst than death.
Not long after Jiang Yunze left, a Jiang Clan disciple rushed in and said to Jiang Mingxun, “Reporting to Clan Head. Someone submitted a copy of the map to the ancient remnants to the stronghold the clan set up in the east of the city, claiming the reward of 1000 gold taels.”
Jiang Mingxun was filled with joy when he heard this, Could it be another cultivator managed to kill him? He urged in a hurry, “Quick, show it to me.”
Before that Jiang Clan disciple managed to hand the map to Jiang Mingxun, another Jiang Clan disciple rushed in and said in a loud voice, “Reporting to Clan Head. Someone submitted a copy of the map to the ancient remnants to the stronghold the clan set up in the west of the city, claiming the reward of 1000 gold taels.”
A seed of doubt was planted in Jiang Mingxun’s heart, Why was there two copies of the map? Could one of them be fake?
“Reporting to Clan Head. Someone submitted a copy of the map to the ancient remnants to the stronghold that the clan set up in the north of the city, claiming the reward of 1000 gold taels.”
“Reporting to Clan Head…”
…
Just as Jiang Mingxun’s suspicions grew, a throng of people rushed in, reporting that someone summited the map and claimed the rewards. Adding the earlier two people, there were ten copies of the map in total, causing them to lose 10,000 gold taels.
10,000 gold taels was a significant sum of money. The Jiang Clan only received an income of 1,000,000 gold taels per year. This was one percent of their annual income of the entire clan. Anyone would feel a heartache at such a loss.
Jiang Mingxun suppressed the anger in his heart and checked the ten copies of the map. He discovered they were all fakes. Furthermore, these ten copies were almost identical to each other. It was clear that this was done by a single person.
Jiang Mingxun smiled coldly to himself. In the past hundred years, no one in White Water City had ever dared to mock the Jiang Clan. This reward was set by himself, so of course, he knew about the loopholes.
However, he did not expect someone to take advantage of the loophole. In the past hundred years, the Jiang Clan has become the strongest power in White Water City. He dared to issue a bounty because he was confident.
However, he did not expect that someone would actually dare to take advantage of this loophole. He said in a cold voice, “Find out who did this within three days. I will destroy his entire clan. Does he think that our Jiang Clan is easy to bully?”
The people left the moment they received the order. At this time, a cultivator beside him said in a soft voice, “Clan Head, there seem to be two words hidden on the map.”
When Jiang Mingxun heard this, had an apprehensive expression on his face. He casually picked up a map and looked at it carefully. The route drawn on the map, amidst the mountain and river, indistinctly formed strokes, strokes that made up Chinese characters.
[TL note: You probably noticed by now that Chinese characters are written by using a series of strokes merged together to form a pictogram.]
After a long time, Jiang Mingxun muttered out the two words, “These words seem to be… ‘Stupid’… ‘c.u.n.t’…”
“Bang!”
Jiang Mingxun clenched his fist tightly, and he pounded furiously on the table on which the map laid. The wooden table exploded with a loud sound, turning into countless splinters.
The ten people kneeling below were so frightened they were trembling. They had never seen Jiang Mingxun lose his temper like that before. Even when the First Elder was here earlier, his expression was not as frightening.
Jiang Mingxun’s aged face was bloated red like pig’s liver as he said agitatedly, “Bunch of tras.h.!.+ Scram! If you accept these kind of maps again in future, you can depart from the Jiang Clan.”
“d.a.m.n it!”
This person claiming the rewards with fake maps was looking down on the Jiang Clan. His appet.i.te was really big, eating 10,000 gold taels in one go.
Furthermore, he wrote the words ‘stupid c.u.n.t’ so openly on the map. He was clearly doing this on purpose; how disgusting could he be, to do such an infuriating thing?
Never mind if you used a fake map and claimed the reward, just do it quietly. Yet you still wrote the words ‘stupid c.u.n.t’ on the map. Isn’t this equivalent to slapping me on my face!
Worst of all, I, Jiang Mingxun, read out the words ‘stupid c.u.n.t’ like a fool. Enough is enough! Jiang Mingxun felt a fire burn in his heart; he was not able to calm down. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
He shouted lividly and sent out punches and kicks at the tables and chairs around him. This continued until everything within sight was smashed until he felt better.
However, when he thought about it, these things were quite valuable as well. When added together, they were worth at least 10,000 gold taels. All this was money gone, just like that. The fire in his heart lit up once again.
…
Within a Lavish Room in Liushang pavilion:
When Liushang Pavilion turned into a pile of rubble, many people thought that it would require at least three months before Liushang Pavilion could open for business again.
It was unknown how Jin Dabao managed to do it, but Liushang Pavilion was miraculously rebuilt within three days. Furthermore, it was even taller and even more lavish than it was before. Business was now even better than it had been.
A waiter brought banknotes worth 10,000 gold taels and handed it to Fatty Jin. There was a look of wors.h.i.+p on his face as he said, “Young Master, as you expected, that group of people does not know what the map looked like. To think we could actually exchange that for money.”
Fatty Jin laughed loudly as he received the banknotes. The fat on his face wobbled as he smiled brightly, “No wonder the son is so stupid; the father is a stupid c.u.n.t, himself. The money that was used the rebuild Liushang Pavilion has all been earned back, and some more.”
Fatty Jin carefully put away the banknotes and then said to the waiter, “Go look for people to bring the maps to the center of White Water City to sell. Say that it is the map that was leaked from the Jiang Residence. Sell each copy for 1,000 silver taels. Those cultivators who think they are strong will definitely buy it.
The waiter said hesitantly, “Are we selling this without making any changes to it? That’s not too good; maybe we should change the words?”
The fatty muttered to himself, “Indeed, it is not too right. If we sell this just like that with no change, it would not show the genius of this fatty.”
“How about this…” The eyes of the fatty brightened as he carrying on smiling, “Add a ‘big’ in front of the ‘stupid c.u.n.t’. Make sure you write it in a poetic manner. I don’t have to teach you how to do that right?”
The waiter almost vomited blood. This kind of change is like having no change at all. The key is the words ‘stupid c.u.n.t’. That is why I suggested making changes. To think you actually just add a ‘big’ in front of it. Isn’t this even more infuriating?
Finally, the waiter could no longer handle it. He asked, “Young Master, don"t you always say when you do business, you cheat neither the old nor young? Isn’t that what you are doing now?”
Fatty Jin smiled and scolded him. He used the gold folding fan in his hand to rap on the head of the waiter violently, “‘Cheating neither the old nor young’ is referring to normal people. Are people who would buy the words ‘stupid c.u.n.t’ normal people?”
Fatty Jin sighed heavily as he opened the folding fan and fanned himself. He said with regret in his voice, “My intelligence is too high. It is indeed a detriment. Seems like no one in this world understands me. How lonely…”
Before the fatty could finish speaking, the waiter quickly ran out. He felt his insides churning. If he continued to stay here, he would vomit out the lunch that he just ate.