Chapter 30 - 14: A Sword Cultivator Values Promises Over Life and Death

Chapter 30: Chapter 14: A Sword Cultivator Values Promises Over Life and Death

"You bunch of losers! Why don’t you take a good look at yourselves? Your worthless gratitude isn’t worth a damn thing!"

"Trying to get something for nothing, just taking his secrets for free? You should take a look at yourselves and see if you’re even worthy."

"In this world, what secrets aren’t bought with Spirit Stones? If you’re broke, then get lost!"

This sudden outburst made everyone glare at the speaker, and even Jiang Xuan lifted his gaze to see who it was.

He then saw that he didn’t recognize the skinny, shouting youth at all; he’d never seen him before.

But when the youth’s eyes met his, all the hostility on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a humble, fawning expression.

But he reserved that fawning expression for Jiang Xuan alone. Facing the glares of the others, he couldn’t care less. Instead, he sneered, "What? You think I’m wrong? You don’t like what you hear? Heh, if I were you, I’d be on my knees begging Young Master Jiang Xuan for forgiveness right now... With his connection to Young Master Dong Hao, it might be hard for him to get you a lucrative position, but assigning you to the most back-breaking, exhausting work? All it would take is a single word!"

CRACK...

At these words, the expressions of those who had hoped to get something out of Jiang Xuan changed instantly.

"S-Sorry, Young Master Jiang! That’s not what we meant!"

Terrified, they stammered their apologies and scurried away with their tails between their legs.

Once they were gone, Jiang Xuan’s gaze fell upon the skinny youth before him.

"You did all this because you want me to introduce you to Dong Hao."

Hearing this, the youth shook his head repeatedly and said respectfully to Jiang Xuan, "No, I wish to follow you, Young Master Jiang."

’Follow me?’ The answer took Jiang Xuan by surprise for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "I’m just like you," he said calmly. "I’m from the Lower Classes, I have no resources, and my Talent is average. You won’t gain anything by following me."

These words only made the youth before him more humble. "You jest, Young Master. To have caught the eye of Young Master Dong Hao means you must be a capable man, Young Master Jiang Xuan."

He paused, his tone growing more earnest. "I dare not hope to receive anything from you, Young Master. I only ask to stay by your side and serve you. Young Master, you wish to cultivate in peace, but this world is full of idle people, and even more who lack awareness. It’s not so easy to find peace just because you want it."

"With a subordinate like me around, I can shield you from these troubles, allowing you to focus on your cultivation."

"And your daily chores, Young Master—fetching water, cleaning, running errands—all these miscellaneous tasks can be left to me. I won’t waste a single moment of your time."

Glancing at the water kettle to his side, and then listening to the youth’s words, Jiang Xuan had to admit that having a thoughtful subordinate would indeed save him a great deal of time on menial tasks.

And so, after a moment of consideration, Jiang Xuan decided not to send the youth away. But he also made it clear, "You can stay, if you wish. But I can’t guarantee I can give you what you’re looking for."

"Just being able to stay by your side is all I could wish for, Young Master."

And just like that, to avoid any further disturbances, Jiang Xuan took on his first follower: a youth named Cheng Xiu.

Afterward, without a single word of instruction from Jiang Xuan, Cheng Xiu picked up the water kettle, went to the stream to fill it with fresh water, then returned and swept the ground around Jiang Xuan’s seat until it was spotless.

When Jiang Xuan prepared to enter Meditation, Cheng Xiu, with great perception, sat down a short distance away. This created a respectful buffer so as not to disturb Jiang Xuan’s cultivation, while also perfectly positioning him to intercept any idlers who might come trying to curry favor.

However, after finishing all this, he hesitated for a moment before offering Jiang Xuan a piece of advice.

"Young Master, the next time Young Master Dong invites you over, it would be best if you didn’t return to the back rows... Young Master Dong thinks highly of you, so you must also take the initiative to properly maintain that relationship."

These words prompted Jiang Xuan to glance at Cheng Xiu, and he came to a realization.

In his eyes—or rather, in the eyes of all the disciples at the dojo—his status was not equal to Dong Hao’s.

He was the inferior, and Dong Hao was the one extending the invitation.

Even Dong Hao himself likely thought the same way.

And Jiang Xuan... was not surprised that this was how everyone saw it.

From the Lower Classes, with a Spirit Root Grade that wasn’t outstanding—by any rational measure, a person like him, both now and in the future, would be worlds apart from someone like Dong Hao.

This was compounded by the fact that this world didn’t believe in equality; on the contrary, its class divisions were stark and clear.

In the eyes of many, it was Jiang Xuan’s duty as the inferior party to maintain his relationship with Dong Hao.

However, that was how others saw it. As for Jiang Xuan, now that he possessed the attribute panel, he didn’t consider himself inferior to anyone.