Daqian Martial Saint

White Stone City was neither too far from nor too close to Weishui County City; it was still a journey of several days.

The Daqian Dynasty was no longer at its zenith, showing signs of imminent collapse, but order was still largely maintained under the jurisdiction of the County City. The official roads were free of bandits.

Chen Ping’an hurried along the official road, making for Weishui County City. For this trip, he had brought the elites of the White Stone Town Pacification Bureau, and traveling at full speed, their pace was naturally swift.

"We’ll rest here tonight!"

Chen Ping’an, leading the group on horseback, pointed to a faintly visible inn in the distance.

"Yes." The men answered in unison.

After a full day of rapid travel, they were weary from the journey. Although their Qi Blood was strong, they still needed some rest.

A group of more than ten riders kicked up a great cloud of dust.

"Whoa~"

The riders all pulled on their reins, and with the sound of horses neighing, they stopped in front of the inn.

"Sirs, welcome sirs! Are you stopping for a quick meal or staying the night?" A servant rushed out to greet them, his face full of enthusiasm.

The men dismounted one after another. One of them stepped forward and said, "Staying the night! Use your best fodder and take good care of the horses."

"Right away, sirs! This way, please!" the servant said with a bow and a smile.

There were quite a few horses, too many for the servant to handle alone. He called three more people from inside the inn to help him lead the horses to the trough.

Chen Ping’an glanced at the men but said nothing. Surrounded by his subordinates, he walked into the inn.

The inn was quite spacious. On the first floor, many guests were eating. The patrons of an inn on an official road were typically traveling merchants and worldly men who roamed far and wide.

Chen Ping’an swept his gaze across the room and saw men who were bare-chested, devouring meat and guzzling wine from large bowls. Others were boisterous, straddling their benches and tilting their heads back to drink. Still others were chatting and laughing loudly.

These men all had weapons on their person or close at hand—long sabers, longswords, or long spears.

When Chen Ping’an and his men entered the inn, all eyes fell upon them. Almost instantly, the temperature inside the inn seemed to drop by several degrees. A brief silence even fell over the room.

One middle-aged man’s expression hardened, and his hands moved unconsciously to the weapon at his side. The patrons who had been boisterous moments before quickly composed themselves.

The men Chen Ping’an had brought this time were the elites of the Garrison Commandant’s Office, and every one of them exuded an incredibly potent Qi Blood. A single glance was enough to know they were not to be trifled with.

Seeing such a formidable group, how could anyone in the inn dare to provoke them? When you’re out in the world, the most important thing is to be discerning.

They knew very well who they could afford to offend and who they couldn’t.

’These are all elite experts! Which young master is he?’

Someone in the inn furtively sized up Chen Ping’an. Seeing his handsome features and youthful appearance, this was their secret guess.

A few of the men from the Garrison Commandant’s Office scanned the room and found an empty table.

"My lord, please have a seat."

One of the men said to Chen Ping’an, respectfully wiping down a long bench.

Chen Ping’an nodded slightly and sat down with a composed air.

The inn was crowded, with most tables occupied. Chen Ping’an’s group had over ten people. With four people to a table, they would need at least three tables. Now that Chen Ping’an had taken a seat, his men naturally had to sit at the surrounding tables to protect him.

Of the two adjacent tables, one was occupied by three tough-looking men with fierce, fleshy faces. The other was taken by two men, one with bare arms, the other with his chest exposed.

"Friends, could you do us a favor and make some room?"

"Gentlemen, could you make some space for us?"

Two of Chen Ping’an’s subordinates went to the tables on the left and right to begin a "friendly negotiation."

The two men glanced at Chen Ping’an’s group, and without a single word of protest, they simply picked up their dishes, stood up, and moved to the last remaining empty table.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly with the three men on the other side.

The three men glanced up at the one who had spoken, showing no intention of leaving.

"Friends, we’re all one party. If you could just squeeze over a bit, we’ll be able to sit together."

"Sorry. First come, first served. It’s not convenient," one of the three said coldly.

Among the men Chen Ping’an had brought, one named Niu Li saw the three men’s reaction, and his temper flared.

"What did you say!?"

"I said, first come, first served. We’re not moving!" The man was also a stubborn sort and didn’t yield an inch.

Niu Li’s anger boiled over. He strode forward and slammed his hand on the table. "Are you moving or not!?"

The flesh on the three men’s faces trembled as they shot to their feet. A cold sneer appeared on Niu Li’s face. He wasn’t intimidated in the slightest and looked ready to start a fight.

At that moment, Chen Ping’an’s voice rang out.

"Niu Li!"

"My lord." The cold sneer on Niu Li’s face vanished instantly. He turned around to face Chen Ping’an respectfully. "What are your orders?"

"If they don’t want to move, don’t force them! Find another place to sit!" Chen Ping’an said, his expression displeased.

"Yes, my lord," Niu Li replied deferentially.

Without another word, he walked away without even glancing at the three men and approached a different table to negotiate. The people at that table weren’t nearly as stubborn as the three men. Seeing Niu Li approach, they immediately moved to squeeze in with another table.

Chen Ping’an looked toward the three men and raised his cup slightly, a gesture of apology.

"Hmph." The three men snorted coldly. Although they were still annoyed, they sat back down.

To be honest, if it weren’t for the fact that Chen Ping’an had so many men, their tempers would have led them to start a fight right then and there!

Chen Ping’an paid them no mind.

’Calmly speaking, those three were just a bit hot-tempered; they didn’t actually do anything wrong. If something this minor made me angry, then my practice of the Martial Dao would be for nothing!’

’The path of the Martial Dao is one of cultivating the mind and tempering one’s character! You don’t use your power to bully others, but you also don’t fear the powerful and influential!’

Honestly, a thought suddenly occurred to Chen Ping’an. Their behavior just now was just like a villain’s, right before they get their faces slapped by the protagonist.

The protagonist and his party are eating, and the villain demands they give up their seats. The protagonist refuses, and the villain gets furious. Then, after one disagreement, a huge fight breaks out.

In the end, the villain gets utterly humiliated! All to highlight the protagonist’s moment of glory!

"People, honestly..." Chen Ping’an shook his head with a smile.

Chen Ping’an and all his men were now seated. Matters like ordering food were handled by his subordinates, so he didn’t need to worry about it.

"Bring out your best food and wine! And be quick about it!"

"Right away, sirs," a servant answered, quickly getting busy.

Before long, plates of food were continuously brought to their tables. As Chen Ping’an sat there, he felt a subtle stirring in his state of mind.

"On the path of Cultivation, one must always maintain a sense of reverence, hold fast to one’s original heart, and remember this at all times, never forgetting!"

"For ordinary people, prosperity is for cultivating power, and adversity is for cultivating the mind. For a Martial Artist, prosperity is for cultivating the mind, and adversity is for cultivating power. My own Cultivation should be just like this!"