Martial Saint with Passives

Jiang Che looked at him, then at Shu Yaxin behind him, who had a complicated expression and didn’t dare meet his gaze. After a moment of thought, he said, "Dinner isn’t necessary, but I’ll accept the gift."

He took the gift box and added, "If there’s nothing else, I need to go cultivate."

Mu Jun nodded quickly. "You’re busy, you’re busy! We won’t disturb you any longer!"

Jiang Che then closed the door.

Mu Jun finally let out a long sigh of relief.

’At least I managed to give him the gift. Our relationship shouldn’t be too strained now.’

Shu Yaxin, standing beside him, was confused. She muttered in a low voice, "Brother Jun, he’s powerful now, I get it, but you don’t have to be so subservient, do you?"

Hearing this, Mu Jun sighed. ’This woman is unbelievably stupid,’ he thought.

He lowered his voice, his tone more serious than ever before. "What do you know? Chief Disciple—do you have any idea what that means? As long as he doesn’t die prematurely, he’s a guaranteed future Elder, or even a Courtyard Dean! And think about it. Someone who once went through Dissipating Energy, whose foundation was damaged, still managed to break through to the Refining Organ Realm this quickly. What does that imply? It means he’s holding trump cards we can’t even begin to imagine! With someone like that, all you can do is pray he doesn’t hold a grudge. And you want to put on airs? Are you insane?!"

After hearing this, Shu Yaxin’s face turned pale. A complicated mix of emotions churned within her, and she didn’t dare say another word.

Not long after Mu Jun and Shu Yaxin had left, there was another knock on the door.

Jiang Che opened the door to see Yun Weiwei.

She stood at the entrance, looking a bit awkward and ill at ease. She said in a low voice, "Chief... Chief Jiang."

"Senior Sister Yun, you should just call me Junior Brother Jiang." Compared to his coldness toward Mu Jun, Jiang Che’s attitude toward Yun Weiwei was clearly much better.

Yun Weiwei breathed a sigh of relief. She took a Jade Bottle from her Storage Bag and handed it over. "Congratulations. This is a bottle of Elixir Pills I obtained during a previous training mission. Consider it my gift to congratulate you on becoming Chief Disciple."

She paused, and her expression darkened. "By the way, about Senior Sister Lin... my condolences."

The mention of Lin Bihe made her recall that terrifying moment in the You Family’s Alchemy Room, a memory that still made her heart pound with fear.

Jiang Che accepted the Elixir Pills, thanked her, and then said, "There’s nothing to be done. The dead are gone. Besides, annihilating the You Family was an inherently dangerous task."

Yun Weiwei nodded, a trace of lingering fear mixed with relief on her face. "You’re right. I’ve come to understand it now. Sometimes, it’s just too foolish to risk your life for some Cultivation Resources."

Jiang Che didn’t know how to respond.

’The reason I don’t go seeking out risks...’

’One, is because I have the Skill Proficiency Panel for steady improvement.’

’And two...’

’With my many life-saving trump cards, the risks I’ve taken are actually far from small—in fact, they might be greater than anyone else’s. I just can’t tell anyone about it.’

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Yun Weiwei took her leave.

...

「Yin’s Cloth Shop.」

Yin Rong, Mrs. Yin, and Yin Yingying, the family of three, were sitting in the backyard pavilion, drinking tea and chatting idly.

"Speaking of which, Jiang Che left Ling’er in our care a while back and rushed off in such a hurry. I hope he hasn’t run into any danger," Mrs. Yin said worriedly.

Yin Rong also frowned. "Yes, and he was removed from his position as Mining District Steward before that. I can’t shake the feeling he’s offended someone important. Sigh, I hope nothing bad has happened to him."

Just as the family was worrying, their steward, Uncle Wang, burst in like a gust of wind, his face alight with irrepressible joy and excitement.

"Master! Master! Tributor Jiang, Tributor Jiang he..."

"What happened to Tributor Jiang?!" Yin Rong shot to his feet, asking urgently, "Don’t rush, speak slowly!"

Uncle Wang caught his breath and said excitedly, "Tributor Jiang... he’s broken through to the Refining Organ Realm and be-become the Chief Disciple of Cangyun Sect’s Yunhai Courtyard!"

"What?!"

Yin Rong, Mrs. Yin, and Yin Yingying were so shocked by the news that they froze on the spot!

After a moment, Yin Yingying was the first to react, jumping to her feet excitedly. "I knew it! I knew Jiang Che could do it!"

Yin Rong was also so excited his face flushed red, and he began pacing back and forth.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and said decisively to Uncle Wang, "Uncle Wang! Immediately! Prepare another lavish gift! No! Increase his share in our cloth shop by another twenty percent! Our Yin’s Cloth Shop is about to take off with him! And right, get people to bang gongs and beat drums and announce to the whole city that Chief Jiang Che is our Yin Family’s Tributor! Set off firecrackers! Let everyone know!"

...

「Jiang Che’s Residence.」

Ever since the news spread that he had broken through to the Refining Organ Realm and become the Chief Disciple, his home had not known a moment of peace.

Every day, all sorts of people came to visit and present congratulatory gifts.

There were Inner Courtyard Disciples he didn’t know and Stewards from other courtyards.

Even a few Elders whose faces he didn’t recognize came to offer their congratulations with smiles.

For a time, his small courtyard was as crowded as a marketplace.

Jiang Che didn’t refuse any of it.

He was well aware that he needed the fame right now. He needed enough people to know him and value him.

That way, when Vice Sect Leader Xie Songnian returned, he would have to be more wary about trying to make a move against him.

After seeing another visiting Elder off, Jiang Che looked at the various gifts that were nearly piled into a small mountain in his room and felt a sense of unreality.

His sister, Jiang Ling, however, seemed overjoyed. She was holding a ledger and cheerfully taking inventory of all the gifts.

"Brother, look, this is a thirty-year-old Spirit Ginseng from Elder Wang, and this is a Primordial Marrow Pill from Senior Brother Li of Liufeng Courtyard..."

Jiang Che looked at his sister and smiled. "Make sure you record everything carefully. When the opportunity arises, these are all favors we’ll have to repay."