Chapter 60: A Visitor at the Hall of Extraordinary Talents, Jiang Dao
At a table not far away,
sat a mysterious man dressed in black and wearing a bamboo hat. A saber rested in his arms. In one hand, he held a cup of hot tea, sipping it slowly and with care.
His eyes were half-closed, as though he were utterly indifferent to everything around him.
Only when he heard the words “Li Clan” did a faint ripple stir in his gaze.
Draining the hot tea in his cup in one swallow, the man in the bamboo hat rose abruptly to his feet.
“Waiter, the bill!”
he called in a hoarse voice.
“Right away, sir. Thank you for your patronage. Three copper coins,”
the waiter said respectfully as he hurried over at a trot.
Experienced and sharp-eyed as he was, his instincts told him that the man before him was no ordinary person.
The man in the bamboo hat pulled out a silver ingot from his robe and tossed it to the waiter.
“Keep the change. The rest is yours.”
The waiter’s eyes widened.
That single ingot was worth at least ten taels of silver, enough to cover his family’s expenses for an entire year. Today, he had truly met the God of Wealth.
Overjoyed, he bowed again and again in thanks.
“Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir.”
But by then, the man in the bamboo hat had already gone far away.
The direction in which he was headed was the county city.
.......
Half an hour later,
the man in the bamboo hat appeared within the county city. He casually stopped a local townsman and asked, “Brother, may I ask where the Li Clan’s Hall of Extraordinary Talents is located?”
The man had been about to flare up, but one glance at the stranger’s attire told him that this was clearly not someone to provoke. The words on the tip of his tongue were forced right back down his throat.
He pointed ahead and said, “Go straight along this road for two li, and you’ll reach it.”
The man in the bamboo hat nodded.
“Thank you.”
Not long afterward, he arrived at his destination. Raising the brim of his bamboo hat, he looked at the three striking characters on the plaque before the tall building—【Hall of Extraordinary Talents】—and stepped inside.
Inside the Hall of Extraordinary Talents, the place was quite deserted.
After all, people had some measure of self-awareness. Those of ordinary strength knew the Li Clan would not think much of them.
Hearing footsteps, the Li Clan steward—who had been idly lounging in a grand chair the entire day—stretched lazily.
“I have heard that your clan is recruiting the worthy and taking in men of talent. Jiang Dao is lacking in ability, but I am willing to give it a try.”
the man in the bamboo hat said in a hoarse voice.
The Li Clan steward shot up from the reclining chair in an instant.
.......
Qingfeng Valley, the Li Clan’s ancestral grounds.
“Grand Elder, a flying hawk message.”
A Li Clan courier respectfully presented a secret letter to the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder untied the letter and, the moment he read its contents clearly, his face changed.
Then he hurried at once toward the Family Head’s residence.
Inside the courtyard, Li Xingge was flipping through an ancient book. Seeing the Grand Elder arrive, he set the book in his hands aside.
“Family Head, a flying hawk message has come from the Hall of Extraordinary Talents. A strange man has arrived wishing to seek refuge with my Li Clan, but he specifically asked to see the Family Head by name.”
Li Xingge raised his brows, interest stirring in his eyes.
“Then bring him to Qingfeng Valley for a meeting.”
Li Xingge said with a cheerful smile.
“Yes.”
Half an hour later, the man in the bamboo hat appeared before Li Xingge.
He quietly sized Li Xingge up. Sure enough, just as the outside world said, he was unfathomable. A trace of reverence rose in his heart.
Jiang Dao cupped his fists and said, “This jianghu rogue cultivator Jiang Dao greets Family Head Li.”
Li Xingge returned the salute, then said with a smile, “With your strength, it would be easy for you to dominate one region. Why then would you think of seeking refuge with my Li Clan?”
The moment he first laid eyes on Jiang Dao, Li Xingge had already probed his strength. He was at the Early Qi-Blood Realm. Naturally, Li Xingge had to be cautious with a figure of that level seeking to join the Li Clan.
Jiang Dao gave a bitter smile.
“I dare not deceive Family Head Li. Jiang has offended the wrong people and has been fleeing from place to place. Along the way, I heard of Family Head Li’s great name, so I came here to seek refuge, hoping to receive Family Head Li’s protection.”
After hearing Jiang Dao’s explanation, the doubts in Li Xingge’s heart were resolved.
So he had enemies. That did make things troublesome.
Then again, if Jiang Dao had no enemies, why would a dignified Qi-Blood Realm cultivator come to seek refuge with the Li Clan?
“And how did you become enemies with them? And just how strong is this enemy of yours?”
Li Xingge pressed further.
These matters had to be made clear. If Jiang Dao’s enemy was too powerful, then Li Xingge could only say he was sorry.
Jiang Dao recalled, “Half a month ago, Jiang fought over a spirit herb in Qu County and killed several people. I did not realize that one of them was the son of the Yang family’s Family Head, a major local clan. Because of that, I offended the Yang family. The Yang family has two Qi-Blood Realm cultivators, one at Minor Accomplishment and one at the Early stage. At present, I am fleeing from pursuit by the Yang family’s Old Ancestor, who is at Minor Accomplishment in the Qi-Blood Realm.”
“The Yang family of Qu County?”
Li Xingge murmured softly. He did not have much impression of the Yang family.
Seeing that Li Xingge seemed somewhat troubled, Jiang Dao assumed Li Xingge feared offending the Yang family and did not wish to take him in.
So Jiang Dao sighed.
“If Family Head Li finds this difficult, then Jiang will leave the Li Clan at once.”
With those words, he turned to go.
In truth, with his strength, even if he sought refuge with one of the great prefectural clans, he would still be granted a place.
But the great prefectural clans were filled with experts. If he went there, he would merely be another ornament added to brocade.
This Li Clan, however, had only just risen to prominence, and its Family Head was a famous youthful prodigy—an Early Minor Accomplishment in the Qi-Blood Realm cultivator at only seventeen. His future potential was enormous. If Jiang Dao sought refuge now, he might well earn the Li Clan’s heavy regard.
Still, if the Li Clan would not accept him, then with no road left open to him, his only option would be to seek refuge with one of those prefectural great clans.
“Wait.”
Li Xingge stopped him.
Li Xingge would not lightly let a Qi-Blood Realm cultivator who had delivered himself to his doorstep slip away.
A Yang family with only a Minor Accomplishment in the Qi-Blood Realm expert sitting over it was still something Li Xingge could afford to offend.
Of course, the premise was that Jiang Dao had spoken the truth.
Jiang Dao turned back and looked at Li Xingge.
Li Xingge then said slowly, “If what you have said is true, then my Li Clan would naturally be very willing to accept you. But please give my Li Clan one or two days to verify what you have said. During that time, your safety will be guaranteed by my Li Clan.”
Li Xingge naturally would not believe Jiang Dao’s words on one side alone. He first had to determine the true situation of the Yang family before deciding whether to accept Jiang Dao or not.
Jiang Dao first froze, then quickly came to his senses.
“Then Jiang first thanks Family Head Li.”
If Li Xingge had immediately declared his willingness to accept him without a second thought, Jiang Dao might actually have hesitated.
But now that Li Xingge had shown such caution and care, Jiang Dao felt entirely reassured.
The cautious and prudent were the ones who walked the farthest.
.........
Two days later,
Li Xingge looked at the secret letter in his hand and said to Jiang Dao with a smile, “Welcome to the Li Clan. From this day on, we are one family.”
Everything Jiang Dao had said in the letter had proven true.
Hearing that, the heart Jiang Dao had been hanging onto all this time finally settled.
He cupped his fists and bowed deeply to Li Xingge.
“Jiang Dao greets the Family Head. From this day on, this life of mine belongs to the Li Clan.”
Li Xingge helped Jiang Dao to his feet.
The two men looked at each other and burst into hearty laughter.
With Jiang Dao’s addition, the Li Clan now had no fewer than four Qi-Blood Realm cultivators guarding it.
At its most flourishing in the past, the Li Clan had possessed only two Qi-Blood Realm cultivators at once.