Chapter 137 - 135: White-clothed Marquis with Dual Pupils
「In a private room in a restaurant across from the Celestial Fragrance Building.」
A middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in white robes embroidered with a golden python pattern, watched Chen Yuan’s retreating figure enter the Celestial Fragrance Building, a hint of fascination on his face.
This man was clean-shaven, with a handsome and masculine face that naturally exuded an air of nobility. Moreover, he possessed Heavy Pupils, which gave him an even more extraordinary aura.
"To fight one against six, simultaneously clashing with two prodigies from the Hidden Dragon Rankings—one of them even at the Condensing Truth Realm—and still manage to kill one... Whose disciple is this young man? To be so fierce and brave?"
A middle-aged scholar in Confucian robes beside him had never seen Chen Yuan before, but after a quick mental review of the figures on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, he already had information on him.
"This young man is Chen Jiutian, an Inspector under the command of Zhenwu Hall. He is currently ranked forty-ninth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. Upon first joining Zhenwu Hall, he gained the favor of Military Advisor Liu Suifeng and the Lady of the Grand Commander, Yun Zhaolan. He is considered the number one of Zhenwu Hall’s younger generation."
The middle-aged man in white revealed a hint of surprise. "He’s actually from Zhenwu Hall? That watchdog Chao Hongtu has such an outstanding young man under his command? Tsk, such talent is truly wasted under that old dog Chao Hongtu."
The middle-aged scholar smiled. "Zhenwu Hall is one of the Seven Alliances of the World, after all. It still has some foundation. Back when they fought against the Court, didn’t they also produce an astonishingly brilliant figure like the ’Breaking Army Divine General,’ Xie Wenyan?
This Chen Jiutian is indeed quite impressive. Although he’s currently ranked forty-ninth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, his rank will surely skyrocket by more than ten places after this Elixir Forging Conference.
Marquis, has your heart been moved to cherish talent? Are you thinking of recruiting him?"
The middle-aged man in white narrowed his eyes and said faintly, "He only just joined Zhenwu Hall, so he probably has no loyalty to speak of. We can indeed try to recruit him.
Besides, what good things can that old dog Chao Hongtu give him? What I can offer is far more than what Chao Hongtu ever could!"
With that, the middle-aged man in white waved his hand and led the middle-aged scholar and two young guards downstairs.
At this moment, inside the Celestial Fragrance Building, Chen Yuan had ordered a table full of dishes and was feasting heartily in his private room.
It was worth mentioning that the private room he was in was the very same one Zuo Feiyu and his group had occupied earlier.
The dishes at the Celestial Fragrance Building were rather exquisite and tasted good, but after eating, Chen Yuan felt they were all flash and no substance.
’Using these rare Spiritual Medicines in cooking is just a gimmick. The medicinal effects of some Spiritual Medicines actually dissipate partially when heated. It would be better to just eat them raw.’
Just then, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open.
Chen Yuan frowned slightly and looked at the people walking in.
The middle-aged man in white sat down across from Chen Yuan in a bold and imposing manner, smiling as he said, "I am Zhao Wuji. Has Young Friend Chen heard of my name before?"
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. Of course he had heard of him.
To be precise, most people in the Jianghu knew of this Marquis from the Royal Family.
The White-clothed Marquis, Zhao Wuji, was of the Great Xia Royal Family. His ancestor should have been the Crown Prince, but his father, the Emperor, died young.
At that time, Great Xia was in turmoil, with the Three Provinces in rebellion. Zhao Wuji’s ancestor was less than ten years old, so the Royal Family and the Courtiers jointly chose the previous emperor’s younger brother to ascend the throne.
And so, Zhao Wuji’s ancestor went from being the Crown Prince to a Prince.
When Zhao Wuji’s ancestor grew up, he was naturally unwilling to have his throne taken by another, so he secretly began to win over Courtiers and generals to build up his power.
However, Zhao Wuji’s ancestor was of average ability, and his plot was exposed when it was only halfway complete.
The Emperor at the time, considering that his nephew was merely misguided, did not have him killed. Instead, he was placed under house arrest until his death, and his descendants were demoted from the rank of Prince to that of a lesser Prince.
When it came to Zhao Wuji’s grandfather’s generation, they were just as restless, secretly slandering the Emperor and stockpiling weapons and armor.
By that time, the blood ties between the Emperor and Zhao Wuji’s lineage had grown thin. This time, the Emperor directly executed Zhao Wuji’s grandfather and further demoted his line from the rank of Prince to Marquis.
Although the Princes of the Great Xia Royal Family could govern a region, they had no fixed fiefdoms. When they died, the land was reclaimed, leaving only an empty title.
Therefore, for any inheritance in the Direct Lineage, the lowest rank was Prince.
The remaining titles of Duke and Marquis were granted to various ministers. For Zhao Wuji’s line to be demoted to Marquis was nothing short of a humiliation.
And so, Zhao Wuji’s lineage became the only one in all of Great Xia to hold the rank of Marquis while being part of the Royal Family.
Zhao Wuji’s ancestors had always been at odds with the Royal Family, but when it came to Zhao Wuji himself, he took the initiative to distance himself from the Great Xia Royal Family, instead immersing himself in the Jianghu.
He sold off his ancestral properties, recruited Jianghu experts as Honored Guest Elders, sponsored many Jianghu Forces, and befriended numerous Jianghu Heroes, earning quite a reputation for himself in the Jianghu.
Because of his naturally born Heavy Pupils and his preference for white clothes, he was also known as the White-clothed Marquis with Dual Pupils.
In the original story, the Nine Swords Alliance had received funding from the White-clothed Marquis, Zhao Wuji. Zuo Tianyuan was also on good terms with him, and in the future, the Nine Swords Alliance would help this White-clothed Marquis resolve many of his troubles.
However, in the original story, Zhao Wuji first befriended Zuo Feiyu before getting to know Zuo Tianyuan and deciding the Nine Swords Alliance was worth investing in.
But now, because of Chen Yuan, Zuo Feiyu was just an ordinary young Martial Artist in Zhao Wuji’s eyes, not even worth mentioning.
Among the six who had besieged Chen Yuan earlier, he was at the very bottom, his performance far inferior to that of Shangguan Yun and Yao Tiancheng.
The one who was a true prodigy, the one worth recruiting, was Chen Yuan, who could kill Zhu Chengzong while fighting one against six.
"The name of the White-clothed Marquis is known by all in the Jianghu. Might I ask why the Marquis has come to find me?"
Chen Yuan smiled and cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute.
Zhao Wuji smiled faintly. He moved through the Jianghu with the status of a member of the Great Xia Royal Family, and his reputation was considerable. If not known by literally everyone, at least ninety percent of Jianghu People had heard his name.
"Young Friend Chen, I won’t beat around the bush. I saw that entire fight just now. For someone so young, your combat prowess is astonishing. Your rank of Hidden Dragon 49 is far from your limit."
"It’s just that Zhenwu Hall is too small. Chao Hongtu is content to rule his little corner, and the former Chaotic Martial Celestial King is now nothing more than a watchdog."
"Moreover, Zhenwu Hall trains too many Martial Artists. It’s not like other Sects that can concentrate their resources on cultivating a few elite prodigies."
"The resources you can obtain in Zhenwu Hall are likely limited. How about you follow me instead?"
"You know my reputation. I have never been stingy in cultivating the talented people under my command."
"As long as you follow me, I will not treat you unfairly when it comes to resources like Cultivation Techniques and Elixirs."
"I come from the Great Xia Royal Family. I can even procure some of the Secret Techniques from within the Royal Family for you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan gently shook his head and said, "Thank you for your generous offer, Marquis, but I am indebted to Military Advisor Liu Suifeng of Zhenwu Hall for his recognition of my talent. If I were to betray Zhenwu Hall now and join you, I would be letting Military Advisor Liu down."
’This Zhao Wuji is quite ambitious. He appears magnanimous but is inwardly suspicious. He is indeed generous to his subordinates, but that generosity is predicated on your usefulness to him.’
’Once you are no longer useful to him, he will decisively cast you aside, or even dispose of you.’
’And on the surface, he seems to have given up on the Great Xia Royal Family, even wanting no association with them, proactively entering the Jianghu to keep a respectful distance.’
’But in reality, his hatred for the Great Xia Royal Family has never diminished, and his secret ambitions are immense.’
’Following Zhao Wuji, there’s a high probability you wouldn’t even know how you died in the end.’
Seeing Chen Yuan reject him so decisively, Zhao Wuji frowned slightly, a strange light flashing in his Heavy Pupils.
’My reputation is known throughout the Jianghu. Everyone knows I’m generous to my subordinates and the talented individuals I favor. How could he just reject me so decisively?’
"Young Friend Chen, you should think this through carefully. A debt of gratitude can be repaid in many ways, but if you choose the wrong path for your future, there will be no second chances."
Zhao Wuji tapped his fingers on the table, staring intently at Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Once the stone is placed, there are no regrets. I, for one, dislike people who are indecisive and vacillate."
"What nerve!"
A guard behind Zhao Wuji suddenly stepped forward, pointed at Chen Yuan, and said coldly, "The Marquis is humbling himself to recruit you; he’s giving you face! Who do you think you are, daring to show him such disrespect?"
This guard was so agitated partly because he was jealous of Chen Yuan.
He came from a background as a Loose Cultivator and had once been a prominent figure in his home province.
But back when Zhao Wuji recruited him, he had merely sent a trusted advisor to deliver the message, and he had immediately bowed his head in submission and pledged his allegiance.
Now, Zhao Wuji had come personally to recruit Chen Yuan, even making all sorts of promises, yet Chen Yuan still refused. This made his own past actions seem somewhat cheap.
"Mo Fan! Shut up!"
Zhao Wuji snapped, then turned to Chen Yuan with a smile. "My subordinate doesn’t know the rules. I hope Young Friend Chen isn’t offended.
To each their own. Since Young Friend Chen is unwilling to walk the same path as me, then let’s just forget it."
With that, Zhao Wuji waved his hand and left with his attendants.
But Chen Yuan could sense that his refusal had still displeased the White-clothed Marquis.
Outside the Celestial Fragrance Building, Zhao Wuji’s trusted advisor gently shook his head. "I wonder what great favor Liu Suifeng did for that Chen Jiutian to make him so unwilling to abandon Zhenwu Hall and join the Marquis."
"He didn’t refuse me because of his debt to Liu Suifeng. He refused because he doesn’t believe in my prospects at all!"
Zhao Wuji pointed to his own eyes and gave a strange smile. "You all know about my Heavy Pupils. They can see things that ordinary people cannot.
Don’t be fooled by how Chen Jiutian went on about his loyalty to Zhenwu Hall and how much he values Liu Suifeng’s recognition of his talent. I could see that his feelings for Zhenwu Hall are not deep.
He is unwilling to join me purely because he feels there’s no future in following me, so he just made up an excuse to refuse.
It’s rather strange. I’d say my reputation is quite good, and the world doesn’t know what my plans are. Why was he so resistant?"
Zhao Wuji’s guard, Mo Fan, quickly said, "That fellow is just a short-sighted fool, Marquis. You needn’t lower yourself to his level. A day will come when he regrets this!"
"I wouldn’t go so far as to lower myself to his level. The world is vast, and heroes and prodigies are as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river. We’re not lacking for one more."
Zhao Wuji waved his hand magnanimously and said, "The Elixir Forging Conference is about to begin. Business is more important. Go and make the necessary arrangements."