Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)

“All of you are here to apply for the position of gatekeeper?” Murong You eyed the group suspiciously.

I did mention wanting to hire a gatekeeper, but I haven’t even posted the job listing yet. How are there already applicants?

Did one of my disciples leak the news?

And aren’t there too many people applying for a gatekeeper position?

“You have quite the number of people...”

“We’re competing for the position. Just pick whoever you like!” Huo Huashen said hastily.

“I’ll choose you then.” Murong You pointed at Huo Huashen.

He could see through their cultivation levels at a glance. Huo Huashen is at the Level Three Qi Training Stage, while the rest are at Level Two. Naturally, I’d choose Huo Huashen.

“One spirit stone a month. Does that work for you?”

“Yes, yes.”

After leaving Murong You’s room, Huo Huashen calmed down and suddenly realized that Lu Yang didn’t even know who he was. To Lu Yang, I’m just an ordinary Divine Transfiguration cultivator, not a member of the Nine-Netherworlds Creed.

But if I drop the act now and arouse Lu Yang’s suspicion, all my brothers and I will be done for.

Huo Huashen decided not to worry about the Ghost Assassin Alliance Leader anymore. Since Lu Yang is here, he must have killed that man, or even if he hasn’t, it’ll be just a matter of time.

Lu Yang is currently at the Void Refinement Stage, with his cultivation realm constantly fluctuating. His cultivation has probably dropped to a low level at the moment, which is why he didn’t see through our cultivation levels.

If he sees through us and asks why an almighty Divine Transfiguration cultivator like myself is working as a gatekeeper here, how am I supposed to respond? If I answer poorly, it’s easy for him to suspect I have ulterior motives.

Huo Huashen’s mind worked quickly, and he soon came up with an explanation.

I’ll say that I admire Young Hero Lu’s reputation, but since Young Hero Lu’s cultivation at the Void Refinement Stage is unstable, I’m afraid he may encounter trouble, so I’ve come to shield him from some of it.

If Lu Yang doesn’t ask, I’ll take the initiative to reveal the reason before leaving. Huo Huashen made up his mind.

“Big Boss, why don’t we take over as gatekeepers for you?” His underlings were deeply moved that Huo Huashen dared to step forward even before Lu Yang.

Big Boss is an almighty Divine Transfiguration cultivator. How could he work as a gatekeeper? It’ll be too humiliating to speak of. How will he maintain his standing in the creed afterward?

“You’re not taking my place; all of you are going to be gatekeepers,” Huo Huashen stated.

“Ah? All of us?”

“I’m the gatekeeper out in the open, while all of you are the gatekeepers hidden in the shadows. You have to protect the martial arts school secretly.”

Huo Huashen figured that when Lu Yang eventually discovered his true cultivation level, he could mention his underlings as well.

~~~

“Fellow Daoist Lu, something feels different about the new gatekeeper,” Xue Shilou remarked, eyeing Huo Huashen suspiciously. And there are those Nascent Soul cultivators who keep circling the martial arts school.

“Maybe they recognized me and volunteered to be my guardians.” Lu Yang smiled. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about them.”

“I see.” Xue Shilou sighed inwardly. So this is the disparity in our reputations—people are willing to serve as Lu Yang’s guardians.

If I reach the Void Refinement Stage, I’ll probably have enemies lining up at my door.

~~~

“So this is Muxue City; I’m finally here.”

A man in a conical bamboo hat led a horse into Muxue City and stretched lazily.

The man was clad in a crimson robe, especially conspicuous amidst the snow-covered lands of the Extreme North. Everyone who passed by would turn their heads for a second look.

Now that he was in the city, he removed his hat.

The pedestrians who had been ambling along suddenly stopped and stared at the man, their faces filled with disbelief.

“It’s Meng Jingzhou!”

“So many people recognize me?” Meng Jingzhou’s heart swelled with delight. I didn’t expect my fame to reach even the Extreme North. And it’s not just my name; they even know what I look like.

The Extreme North is a good place for me. The perpetual harsh cold can effectively suppress my restless hot blood within me.

Then he spotted the missing person notices plastered haphazardly on the walls.

Meng Jingzhou

Bounty: 1 billion spirit stones

“Lu Yang, f*ck you!”

I don’t need to guess which bastard came up with this. There’s no one else but Lu Yang. That grandson Lu Yang must have anticipated that his identity in Muxue City might be exposed, so he disguised himself as me to protect himself.

“Meng the Billion is here!” someone yelled, and the citizens of Muxue City erupted in excitement.

“Where, where?”

Windows flew open with a bang as countless people craned their necks to look at the streets, searching for Meng Jingzhou. Even if they couldn’t capture him, it would be nice to see this young, talented hero with their own eyes. But of course, capturing him and claiming the reward from the Dao-Seeking Sect would be even better.

Meng Jingzhou naturally didn’t dare to linger. He grabbed the old horse and took to his heels.

His cultivation realm was fluctuating at the Golden Core Stage. Evading mortals wasn’t a problem, but it wasn’t just mortals looking for him now; waves of cultivators were also giving chase. One billion spirit stones was a sum that could tempt even Fusion cultivators.

“The one leading the horse is Meng Jingzhou!”

Meng Jingzhou hurriedly asked the old horse to get away.

“The one holding the conical bamboo hat is Meng Jingzhou!”

Meng Jingzhou hurriedly tossed the hat aside.

“The one in red is Meng Jingzhou!”

Meng Jingzhou hurriedly removed his red robes.

“The one who is male is Meng Jingzhou!”

Meng Jingzhou hurriedly...

“Hey, that’s not right! Which bastard just shouted that?!” Meng Jingzhou suddenly realized something was off and flew into a rage.

Soon, he spotted Lu Yang blending into the crowd, pretending to be an ordinary civilian.

Before Meng Jingzhou could vent his anger, a large group of cultivators surrounded him. Without hesitation, he skillfully donned a mask to change his appearance and ducked into the crowd.

“Where did he go?”

“How did he disappear?”

Meng Jingzhou melted into the crowd and randomly pointed in a direction. “I think he went that way!”

The crowd immediately swarmed in that direction. Before long, the street was nearly empty; only Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou remained.

“Bastard, did you post those missing person notices?!” Meng Jingzhou ground his teeth. No one can handle arriving in Muxue City to a welcome worth a billion spirit stones.

Lu Yang hooked his arm around Meng Jingzhou’s neck and explained with an apologetic grin. “I’m far away in the Extreme North, unable to return home, so the only way I could reminisce about the sect was by drawing a few portraits of my good brother.”

Meng Jingzhou knocked Lu Yang’s shoulder and replied in exasperation, “Get lost.”

“By the way, why are you here?”

Meng Jingzhou rolled his eyes. “Because of you, duh.”

“Me?” Lu Yang was baffled. What does this have to do with me?

“I was back home in the imperial city, living the good life. But then you came to the Extreme North for training. Big Senior Sister sent a letter to my old ancestor, saying it wasn’t good for me to stay cooped up in the sect all day and that it was detrimental to my cultivation at the Void Refinement Stage. She suggested that I come to the Extreme North too and train alongside you.”

“Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean I came to the Extreme North for training? Watch your words. I came here to temper myself in the mundane world, not to temper myself through battles.”