Chapter 930: Why Take Money From The Poor When You Can Fleece The Rich
On Black King's back, Luo Chen looked up at the sky. The wind stirred his sleeves, setting them flapping with a sharp snap. From above, eyes followed his every move—some curious, some wary, but most filled with awe. He remained calm as he slowly rose and stepped onto the magnificent flying boat. He looked over the young cultivators before settling on an elderly man with white hair and a wrinkled face.
"Elder Sang, it's been a while. How have you been?"
Sang Jiugong's wrinkled face tightened in a bitter smile; whatever the cause, it felt forced. He cupped his fist toward Luo Chen. "I wouldn't say good or bad... just a few setbacks along the way. Come, let's talk inside."
Luo Chen looked him over and felt that Sang Jiugong's aura was somewhat different from before. Still, since the old man had extended an invitation, he did not refuse. Anyone who wished to cultivate in peace in a new place needed connections. It was not about forming an actual alliance; it was simply having a wider network that made many things easier.
He followed the old man into a hall in the flying boat. After they left, the young Initiates from Divine Origin City finally relaxed.
"That's Devil Lord Azure Yang, right?"
"It has to be. I saw him once, a while back, but at the time, I didn't connect Azure Yang with the Devil Lord Azure Yang. Now that I see him again... Honestly, at a glance, I couldn't even tell he was a cultivator. But when I looked at him better, it felt as if I was staring into the abyss. It's hard to say this but it made me genuinely afraid. It's a strange fear... something I'm feeling in my very bones."
"Yes. My sect is a famous upper sect in the southwest, and we have many Adepts. But none of our mid-stage elders gives off this kind of pressure. I'd say maybe one late-stage senior can barely match him."
"People renowned among rogue cultivators are never weak. They might not have the most refined techniques, but they're way beyond us in combat experience. That's why we're here, after all. That gap won't close itself."
"I've heard he's also skilled in artifact creation. If we could invite him into the Xu family..."
"Haha, don't even think about it. Cultivators of the devil path like him have unclear backgrounds and too many enemies. A major family like yours couldn't handle that kind of drama."
"Speaking of which, I wonder why Elder Sang invited him aboard."
***
Luo Chen sat down casually. Sang Jiugong personally poured him a cup of tea before sitting beside him. He held the warm cup in his hand and took in the rising fragrance. It was clear that this was a fine tea. With such hospitality and humility, it would be self-deception to think this was mere small talk. And if that was the case, there was no need for him to keep up pretenses.
"Elder Sang, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Haha, your bluntness saves me the trouble of beating around the bush. I believe your term ended, and you are heading back to Hidden Dragon Mountain, right?"
"Mhm." Luo Chen nodded.
"I am as well," Sang Jiugong replied. "So what I'm asking is simple: I hope you'll travel back with me."
That's all? Luo Chen frowned and replied, "I'm used to traveling alone, and frankly, this boat will just slow me down."
Sang Jiugong chuckled. "And you're not worried about running into trouble on the way?"
"Uh..." For a moment, Luo Chen was at a loss for words. "Elder Sang, you must be joking. I'm an Adept, after all. Under normal circumstances, who would dare try to rob me? Even if someone did, I'm confident I could just leave them in the dust... well, unless they're at the late stage. And I don't think someone at the late stage of Golden Core would stoop to raiding. That would be far beneath them."
Sang Jiugong shook his head. "Azure Yang, don't think too highly of the Northern Sea cultivators. The very term 'raiding cultivators' originated here. Who says high-tier cultivators won't stoop to such things?"
Luo Chen blinked in surprise. "They do?"
Sang Jiugong lowered his voice. "Don't tell me you've never heard that Blood Hermit did exactly that back when he was a late-stage Adept."
This time, Luo Chen was genuinely taken aback. Indeed, he had never heard this particular piece of information. One of the Three Hermits had actually been a raiding cultivator! Isn't that a bit... unconventional?!
Seeing his reaction, Sang Jiugong relaxed and pressed on. "The sea routes are dangerous, especially with the Northern Sea in such turmoil right now. There are plenty of desperate cultivators willing to take risks. You can't afford to be careless. Why not travel back with us? It may be slower, but it'll be much safer."
Luo Chen hesitated for a moment before looking at him. "Elder Sang, we're not that close. You're not doing this purely out of concern for me, are you?"
That question cut straight through the old man's pretense. Sang Jiugong's expression stiffened. He tried to explain himself, but under Luo Chen's steady gaze, he finally let out a sigh. "Fine, fine... I'm injured. Guarding this entire ship on my own is a bit beyond my ability right now. I need stronger support."
"Injured?" Luo Chen looked him over and immediately understood why his aura had seemed a little weird earlier.
Sang Jiugong no longer hid it. "I took on the task of escorting these young prodigies from Divine Origin City to the first line for training. It should have been easy, but those kids got overconfident and joined forces to take down a Demon King. To be fair, they did have the strength to do that, since it was an early-stage one, but they caused too big of a commotion and dragged it out too long, and that drew in stronger enemies. To avoid casualties, I had no choice but to step in and fight several Demon Kings myself. I managed to kill them all, but I didn't come away unscathed.
"The return trip to Dragon Abyss Immortal City will take anywhere from three to eight days. It's not far, but still, it's a couple days on the open sea. If we run into trouble along the way and there are casualties... I'll be held accountable by the forces behind them, and I'd very much like to avoid that. That's why I've come to you."
He laid it all out calmly. Whether every detail was true or not, the story was now complete. Luo Chen listened in silence, giving nothing away.
Seeing that he remained unmoved, Sang Jiugong pressed further. "You once forced Huangfu Song to back down. Your strength must be on par with a late-stage Adept. With you along, we'll be safe. Besides, this route isn't particularly dangerous. It's not even certain we'll run into trouble. Azure Yang... just consider it a favor. I'll owe you one."
First came the praise, then the assurance that the danger was limited, and finally a promise of future favor. The man had bowed his head enough. Luo Chen looked at him with a half-smile. A favor from an Adept was not something casual. Then a thought struck him, and he began to grasp Sang Jiugong's intention. Sometimes, owing someone a favor was not a bad thing. What was friendship if not mutual exchange? When there was no direct overlap of interests, choosing to incur a small loss first and owe someone a favor meant establishing a connection. This request for an escort was clearly a small matter. The favor owed would only be minor, easy enough to repay in the future. It was nowhere near the level of repaying a life debt. But it was a good starting point. Sang Jiugong was clearly using this request for protection as a pretext to befriend him.
Once he understood, he scoffed inwardly. The old man had just said he wouldn't beat around the bush, but instead, he'd beat around the whole forest. Still, for Luo Chen, doing this was a net benefit, so there was no reason to refuse. Under Sang Jiugong's expectant gaze, Luo Chen slowly nodded. "In that case, let's travel together."
With that, Sang Jiugong finally relaxed and broke into a bright smile. Luo Chen then sent out a divine consciousness transmission. Upon hearing the message, Black King grumbled to himself before shrinking and flying onto the flying boat. He found a room for himself and curled up inside.
Sang Jiugong gave a few instructions to his people, and the flying boat set off once more. He then returned to the hall and began discussing cultivation insights with Luo Chen.
In the cultivation world, exchanges of cultivation insights were far more than casual conversation. Such things mostly took place among sect and family cultivators. They exchanged ideas not only through discussion, but also through regular small contests, grand competitions, and even contests between different forces to test what they had gained in cultivation. By comparison, exchanges among rogue cultivators were far less common.
Luo Chen had been in the Society for five or six years, yet he had only occasionally exchanged insights with the Angler, and even then it was mostly the latter asking about Physique Refinement. This time, Luo Chen had not expected much from speaking with Elder Sang, given the old man was a stage below him. Yet to his surprise, Elder Sang's long years of cultivation actually did offer some precious insights.
***
"The Dao of spirit planting seems full of rules and the bar seems to be very high for new botanists, but in truth, it's not that complicated. To become a good spirit botanist, you need three things. First, a plant with potential. Second, a good environment. Third, your own skills. The principle is simple. Even the best botanist can't grow a divine tree if all he has is a bunch of weeds and a pot of gravel.
"Why was the Northern Sea so eager to launch Frontier Wars early on? Because there were plenty of unexplored high-tier spirit lands in the deep seas occupied by demonic beasts. Those lands are cultivation paradises, but beyond that, they are also botanical paradises. Human cultivators have never harvested these spirit plants. Demonic beasts have long lifespans and can afford to wait. Some even guard certain plants and harvest their fruits as they mature. This means many such plants grow for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. So once a Frontier War succeeds, the gains from spirit plants alone can make up a huge share of the profit.
"Actually, you probably don't know this, but Heaven Splitter from Devil's Snare once obtained a precious fifth-tier herb from an island during a Frontier War. He offered it to the Primordial Devil Sect, and one of their grand elders was so pleased that he personally helped Heaven Splitter go from Golden Core to Nascent Soul. That kind of opportunity... that's the sort of fortune cultivators like us dream of."
Sang Jiugong was a spirit botanist. He could not bear to take his skill into the grave, so before his lifespan ran out, he wanted to leave behind a legacy. Thus, in recent years, he had begun taking disciples and establishing a sect. His sect was not in Hidden Dragon Mountain but on an ordinary third-tier island within the Society's territory. Strictly speaking, he was no longer a rogue cultivator, but no one cared much about that. After all, among the seven Sages of the Society, three had sects or families.
As Luo Chen listened, memories related to spirit plants began to resurface. He was no stranger to this path—back in the Luo Tian Sect, Yuan Dongsheng had served under him as a spirit botanist, and he had even nurtured spirit trees and flowers outside Luo Chen's Tianlan cave residence. The man was long gone, but what he did remained vivid in Luo Chen's mind. And since they were discussing this topic, he also took the opportunity to ask about the herbs he cared about. As expected of a botanist who had once nurtured fourth-tier herbs, the old man answered his questions one by one. Even when a subject fell outside his expertise, he still offered reasoned guesses and suggestions.
Near the end of the discussion, Sang Jiugong sighed and said, "It's not that I'm greedy for profit and brought these prodigies here just to take risks for gain. The truth is, these people have strong backgrounds and deep pockets. Building ties with them benefits my Earth Mulberry Sect as well."
Luo Chen was puzzled. "But they are not from the Society. Why not build ties with the rogue cultivators of the Society instead?"
Sang Jiugong scoffed. "Rogue cultivators? They are not worth trusting. There is a saying that those with property have lasting resolve; those without it do not. And if they don't have it, there is no evil they will not do. You surely understand what that means."
Luo Chen fell silent. How could he not understand this principle? Rogue cultivators wandered all around. Whether they were good or evil people at the core was a different discussion, but they could turn from saints to devils and then back to saints in the blink of an eye. They could be gentlemen with some, and raiding cultivators with others. How could such people be easily trusted? By contrast, cultivators with established holdings were restrained by the sects or families behind them. They could not act without limit. Even if they committed a wrongdoing, they still had to face the consequences. In Sang Jiugong's place, Luo Chen would rather befriend sect cultivators as well. However, that raised another question.
"Elder Sang, you seem to regard me rather differently!"
"Hahahahaha! Others may not know you, but I know a little. That Surging Lake of yours surely hasn't been sitting idle all these years, has it?"
Luo Chen raised a brow, then smiled knowingly. He looked outside and sighed. "In that case, these cultivators from Divine Origin City really are a treasure."
"They're the future of their respective forces. Given enough time, so long as they don't die, they'll each come to command a domain of their own. Building ties with them would benefit not only us but also those who come after us." Sang Jiugong pointed outside. "Azure Yang, any interest in lowering yourself and meeting a few of them?"
"Me?" Luo Chen hesitated.
Sang Jiugong nodded. "Yes. With your reputation, these young masters feel more than awe toward you. They're curious. If you take the initiative to befriend them, they'll be more than happy."
This time, Luo Chen was genuinely interested. It was not because of connections through their juniors but because he remembered what Sang Jiugong had said: "These people have strong backgrounds and deep pockets." In other words, they were rich. His original plan had been to build up the reputation of Azure Yang and make money from the rogue cultivators of the society. But rogue cultivators were mostly poor. So why take money from the poor when he could fleece the rich?
