This chapter has been brought to you by me, WanderingGummiOfDoom, and warlord212.
Chapter Two Hundred and Forty Two – Bao Yi
“When did Nan Sheng Village become this prosperous?” Lei Peng looked around, full of curiosity.
It was not just him. The other people were also looking around with curiosity. The news that Clear Sky Sect was opening a market at Nan Sheng Village had passed through Little Mountain Jie already. The intentions of Clear Sky Sect was clear in everyone’s minds. However, the situation was stronger than the people, and resistance would be ineffective.
Large numbers of xiuzhe flooded Nan Sheng Village, causing Nan Sheng Village to become the most prosperous area of Little Mountain Jie. This was of great help to Lei Peng and his procession. From every angle, their procession was not too eye-catching.
The leader was Xie Shan. Xie Shan had past experience as a leader, and he was skilled in creating relationships with people. Gongsun Cha had appointed him as the leader of the troop for this mission.
After seeing the many wonders of Boss and Head, and after multiple bloody battles, Xie Shan’s mentality had changed greatly. The little thoughts that he had before had faded. He was clear that even if he was the leader, he could not reach the present level of success. Lei Peng and the others were willing to follow Zuo Mo not because they had been conquered by Zuo Mo’s dominating aura, but because they found that their present lives were better than before.
For the great majority of people, this was enough.
The procession was fifteen people. The person with the highest cultivation was Xie Shan, ningmai third stratum. The person with the lowest cultivation was Nian Lu, ningmai second stratum. At a glance, this group did not show any signs of power.
But Xie Shan was full of confidence in the mission this time.
All fifteen people were old-timers of the camp, and were very good at teamwork, but what made him so confident was that all fifteen people, including him, had comprehended “essence!”
Xie Shan had led many xiuzhe before, and had never encountered such a strong group. No, he had never even heard of one. There wouldn’t be so many xiuzhe that had comprehended “essence” in Clear Sky Sect’s disciples.
Fifteen xiuzhe that had comprehended “essence,” this was definitely a terrifying amount of power!
He felt strangely excited every time he thought that he was leading such a group.
Before the appearance of the sword formation, there had only been five xiuzhe in the camp that had comprehended sword essence. Up until now, there had been thirty people that had gone into the sword formation, and nine that had comprehended “essence!” Of the nine, eight had comprehended sword essence, and Lei Peng, who practiced a sabre scripture, comprehended a sabre essence. The one with the most unique situation was Zong Ru. Zong Ru had recovered from his previous wounds, and naturally comprehended fist essence. He was the only person of the group who had comprehended “essence” without going through the sword formation.
This was another reason why these people were willing to follow Zuo Mo. Nothing could be more persuasive to these people than the increase in strength. Why did they join big sects? It was to increase their strength, and breakthrough at an earlier time. Due to personality issues, most of these people had negative experiences with other sects. They were very clear of the scheming and plotting that occurred inside the bigger sects.
In the camp, as long as you put your best in to train, and were not afraid of death when you fought, you would receive a corresponding reward. With spells, talismans, the sword formation, and formations, everyone’s strength was flying ahead.
These fifteen xiuzhe who had comprehended “essence” were the elite fighters of the camp. Xie Shan believed that as long as they did not encounter a jindan, their safety was guaranteed.
Xie Shan did not worry about the problem of safety at all. What he was thinking about was if he could finish the mission more beautifully.
But before that, he planned on visiting a familiar acquaintance of his.
This old acquaintance of his was called Bao Yi who was a black market business man that could buy anything. Before, he could always get some ling grains, and was famed in the profession.
“Boss Bao,” Xie Shan cheerfully gave a greeting. To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, he had come alone.
Bao Yi was both thin and tall like a stick of bamboo. When he saw Xie Shan, his eyes instantly lit up as he said in a warm voice, “Head Xie, what wind blew you here? Come in, please sit! Please sit!”
———
He had made a few transactions with Xie Shan before. The two of them were quite familiar with each other. He knew that Xie Shan had about one hundred people under his command. Customers like this were primary targets of attention. However, it had been quite a long time since Xie Shan had come. He had actually feeling that it was a pity since he had assumed that XIe Shan had been killed. He hadn’t expected the other man to still be alive. For him, this was a good matter.
“Why is it so empty here?” As Xie Shan walked in, he looked around and asked in puzzlement.
Bao Yi’s face instantly wrinkled. “Oh, there’s nothing to do. Now that Clear Sky Sect has come to directly trade, the business of us little people have become harder.”
“Oh, isn’t the Clear Sky Sect doing large business?”
Bao Yi explained, “Clear Sky Sect only does transactions with big factions, but it isn’t possible for anyone to do business with small groups. Without jade disks, it is impossible to buy ling grains.”
“With Boss Bao’s skill, getting a few jade disks should be easy.” Now, Xie Shan was really puzzled. Bao Yi’s network was extremely complex and broad. He had ties with people from all levels of society. It should not be hard for him to get a few jade disks.
Bao Yi grimaced, “When a person is unlucky, they will even choke on water. The Chief, Elder of Clear Sky Sect Outer Hall, He Xiang, and I had a little conflict in the past.”
Xie Shan finally understood. He acted to frown. “So it’s like that. Then this won’t be easy to do.”
“Yes, exactly.” Bao Yi’s face was mournful as he sighed. “I had come to Nan Sheng to see if there were any good opportunities. It’s a coincidence that Boss Xie is also here. After two more days, I’m leaving.”
He managed to rouse his spirits. “Does Boss Xie want to buy something? I have a bit left, not too much, but the quality isn’t bad. If Boss Xie is interested, I can give a price and you can take the lot.”
———
Xie Shan’s mouth continued to talk as his mind whirled furiously. If Boss wanted to build a city, then he wanted to do something big. He was not ignorant. He knew that it was not so easy to build a city. This Bao Yi might be a bit black-hearted but he was an expert at business who also had hate towards Clear Sky Sect.
It was the first time Xie Shan had been given an important task. Naturally, he wanted to perform well. If he could accomplish a great service, Boss probably would not refuse him if he went and asked for a thread of Golden Crow Fire.
The mission this time was to find xiuzhe that knew how to build a city, but if he could find some more talents, wouldn’t his service be greater?
He had been a leader for a period of time, and naturally understood more as to how to think of problems from the perspective of a leader.
———
Seeing Xie Shan did not seem to be interested in his wares, Bao Yi’s heart became even more bitter. This recent while, the matter of He Xiang and he having previously had a conflict had somehow passed around. His business had instantly dropped and no one came to his doors. How could he not know what had gone on in the shadows?
“If this place does not want to keep ye, there naturally are places that can keep ye! Old Bao, there’s nothing to be said about your abilities. We’ve made more than one transaction before, and we know each other very well. What about it, do you have any interest in helping this brother?” Xie Shan smiled cheerfully as he looked at Bao Yi.
Bao Yi gazed with slight shock at Xie Shan. Xie Shan had spoken so plainly that he knew what it meant. But it was that bluntness that shocked him. Xie Shan might have one hundred people, but in Little Mountain Jie, that was only a little faction. Right now, his tone was so grand, had Xie Shan struck it rich?
He was very familiar with Xie Shan and knew that Xie Shan was not an arrogant and irrational person.
As he thought inside, Bao Yi asked in return, “Does Boss Xie not care about worsening your relationship with Clear Sky Sect?”
Xie Shan chuckled. “Old Bao, don’t probe. I dare to say this because I have some certainly.”
Bao Yi’s expression became slightly wary. “If this little brother goes, what will I do?”
“Of course it is to do your old occupation, business.” Xie Shan thought for a beat before saying, “However, I don’t dare to promise you. It depends on what Boss is going to say.”
Boss! Bao Yi was shocked. There was someone else behind Xie Shan! It definitely would not be a weak power if it had managed to take in Xie Shan. He examined Xie Shan, and saw the confidence that naturally spilled out when Xie Shan mentioned his boss. Also, this power did not seem to be very afraid of Clear Sky Sect. This puzzled him. He could not think of any power in Little Mountain Jie that was not afraid of Clear Sky Sect.
Xie Shan was a clever person. Seeing Bao Yi, he knew what the other was thinking, and roared with laughter, using his words to enlighten Bao Yi. “Why is Boss Bao wavering? I cannot think of any situation that is worse than the present one!”
Bao Yi thought, that was right, what could be worse than his present situation? Since the other already knew he was on bad terms with Clear Sky Sect yet still dared to hire him, then he had to have some form of support. He had some savings but everyone knew how that he and Clear Sky Sect were on bad terms. They probably had already started scheming against him.
Clear Sky Sect might restrict fighting in Nan Sheng Village, but if he was robbed, it was very likely that Clear Sky Sect had been acting against him up in the shadows.
After thinking it through, he did not hesitate any longer. “Since Boss Xie holds Bao Yi in such esteem, I’m not one to not recognize what is good for me. From now on, please take good care of me!”
“Ha ha! That’s fine, fine!” Xie Shan’s mood instantly rose.
Bao Yi smiled. “We didn’t come here this time for the ling grains, right?”
The word “we” instantly tightened the distance between the two people. Xie Shan was very satisfied that Bao Yi had entered his role so quickly. He raised a thumb up at Bao Yi. “Old Bao is so smart. Boss heard that many xiuzhe were gathering in Nan Sheng Village, and told me to come to see if we can hire some talents.”
He decided to reveal some information to Bao Yi. He had come to see Bao Yi originally to find some information, but out of consideration for safety, he had not directly said that he was looking into the xiuzhe of the village.
Bao Yi said in a deep voice, “What kind of talent does our boss want to hire? This little brother has stayed for a while at Nan Sheng Village and might know something.”
Xie Shan’s eye lit up. “Anyone that has one skill.”
Bao Yi had a general understanding. This boss that he had never met before had an extremely strong base, and his ambitions were not small. These days, in Little Mountain Jie, the days of any kind of xiuzhe other than combat xiu were extremely difficult.
Since he had decided to enter the other’s group, Bao Yi decided he needed to perform well.
In any organization, in order to be recognized, the simplest method was to let the boss see your abilities, and understand your value!
“Do we have enough manpower?” he asked.
“Enough.” Xie Shan was full of confidence.
“If it is like that … …” Bao Yi’s heart rose, and he said hatefully, “then we shall do something big!”
Translator Ramblings: The mystery female is not Xiao Guo or any other female previously seen in the story. Xiao Guo is not so talented that she could become more powerful than Zuo Mo is at present. She’s not a genius like Wei Sheng and she cannot advance so rapidly that she could break through the yao blockade herself.
Not much Zuo Mo, but he is the focus of everything. Xie Shan really wants to get a good position in Lil’Miss Zuo Mo’s army. Also, fifteen people that comprehended essence. In the Wu Kong Sword Sect disciples, there were only the three weirdo monsters. So Zuo Mo is now commanding Wu Kong Sword Sect * 5 but he has no jindan so Wu Kong Sword Sect will win in a face off.
Thanks for the chapter!
Why do I get the feeling that they are going to construct a kingdom rather than a city….
It’s more like building a sect here, we got mc has sect leader and his two brothers has elders controlling the disciple. They train them well and the disciples fight for the sect in exchanges ^^
Which brings the question: What are they going to do about the hundreds of Xiuzhe under them once they leave the jie…
You’re thinking too far ahead. Zuo Mo hasn’t even gotten out yet. There’s still a jindan and a huge sect in his way.
It should be obvious what they are doing, whether here or outside the jie. They are building an army, the only one that’ll be able to stand up to the invasion. Forget hundreds, it’ll be thousands, then millions.
Thanks for the chapter
Thx 4d ch
Thanks! Shame that we didn’t see ZM
Sending him was the right decision 🙂
I just hope that he takes the new hires and leaves before the local government takes an active interest in their little group. Not because they couldn’t escape regardless, but because it would be too much hassle too soon.
I’m really looking forward to what will happen after they break out of this jie. I think the people following him will want to keep following him, but I don’t think he’ll want them to, so I’m really looking forward to finding what he’ll decide. I just hope that his forces aren’t wiped out, thus taking the decision from him.
I’m curious why many think he wouldn’t want them? There is WAR, if anything he’ll want to hoard anything that keeps his little life a little longer. Why give up a group of people who started to remotely resemble a proper army and some even comprehending essence/sword essence just to dump them?
Even if he does want to travel alone for a bit he should just have Lil’ Miss take the army and have some fun so when he does require their services he can make use of it.
We know it is war, or there is a major war coming but Zuo Mo isn’t going to stay on the front lines. Travel in this world is hard. People travel for months to go from one jie to the next. Zuo Mo wants to leave this area so there is no use for these people (he thinks at this point.) Also, people are not free. You have to feed them, arm them, and also pay them in some form. That is all jingshi.
Ge never wanted to be a leader. All ge ever wanted was to live a long, peaceful life with lots of jingshi. Sometimes he’ll also add in wanting to know his past, but long, peaceful life with lots of jingshi is pretty much always number 1. He doesn’t really have an interest in running an organization and has only done so up to now because 1) his sect required him to or 2) he felt it was necessary to protect his little life. If he no longer feels its needed, then he may well abandon them. Though, like I said, its hard to say for certain.
Thanks for the chapter
It seems Zuo Mo will achieve a lot that other can only have some ambition for … starting with a small group, building a city, looking for talented people … the next step will be his own sect or his own jie xD Of couse out of neccesity as he needs some resources ~
It’s good that the author dumps us into a group of normal people so we can actually comprehend how really ‘abnormal’ those three disciples of Wu Kong Sword Sect were. Like, the sect didn’t even have that strict an inner disciple threshold for people to pass, yet they get Zuo Mo and Wei Sheng soon after the other, and then Luo Li gets the monster sickness and joins their ranks… three super disciples, Wu Kong so damn lucky…
Thanks for the new chapter! I personally think the mystery woman is the crane sending later that messaged Zuo Mo to keep from being bored. If she is, I doubt she recognizes him now though I’m not sure if she ever saw his face.
thanks for the chapter!
Meatbun delivery~
Thank you for the chapter ( ●w●)
it seems like Xie Shan is being a teacher’s pet too~ what happened to the illusionist assassin?
oh and how come you tag it as Zuo Mo? Zuo Mo didn’t appear on this chapter.. maybe you should make a “side character” tag~ since there’s probably no more Xie Shan’s PoV after this
XD
Xie Shan still gets his POV. Tagging it Zuo Mo was a reflex … … oops.
Recruiting for talents. If you have talent, then zuo mo have use for you.
Thanks for the chapter!
The most obvious guess on the identity of the female xiu, if she is someone that appeared before (And not someone from Zuo mo’s mysterious past) is that she is the girl with the cranes from the beginning. That assumes that she was somehow caught in this yao business and end up alone, of course.
It would generally explain how she became attached to zuo mo (since she could recognize his presence from the whole crane interaction thing).
Crane girl would definitely be #1 on the list and aceptable. She would have the lowest requirement of extraordinary circumstances and literary conveniences leading to this point.
1) Is/was powerful even if she doesn’t have the strongest cultivation base.
2) Zuo Mo has different face now but crane girl never met zombie face and recognizes him through other means.
3) Zuo Mo interacted with the other possible suspects more (girl in his sect, his master, sword girl) and presumably would have a better chance of determining their identity if it was one of them.
thanks for the chapter.
Two people trying to preform very well who are fairly good at what they do anyway…. usually ends up shocking there superiors. The surprise is usually unpleasant but a good flexible boss will find a way to benefit from the unexpected.
Lets see how Zou Mo handles this little surprise.
it is an interesting connection, that the sword cultivation sect with 4 jindans had only 3 disciples that have comprehended sword essence, and thats just because they were monsters. Then again they even more monsterous cause they comprehended it before ningami(misspelled to lazy to scroll up), while these people only comprehending it now.
You’re following warlord. He always does spells ningmai the same way you do. It might be a habit from typing because I also make type it “ningami” a lot as well.
I don’t want to lessen anything that Wei Sheng has done and what he will do. What happens in the future and past has shown that he is an exceptional person who worked very hard. However, I’m never going to let go of the fact the major reason he entered zhuji was because Zuo Mo took care of the Fire Dragon Grass for him. The elders of Wu Kong Sword Sect were not very good at teaching their disciples or taking care of them.
In Zou Mo’s case that is a serious understatement.
It’s already been mentioned in the story before that the sect has a monstrous founder, then years of ineptitude then the monstrous generation of four jindan. Having the immediate next generation also be powerful was a stroke of luck. Or divine intervention.
This is getting better and better ^^
Thanks for the translation!
The author makes a lifelike character in just a few sentences that he can then keep and expand or let that be it.
Its a impressive skill.
Reminds me of a painter who does a sketch with just a few lines then it looks like the person hes drawing, the speed and ease of it makes it look effortless.
Don’t forget to thank the translator too. He’s actually capable to bring out the author’s writing style into his translation. That’s also an impressive skill.
Probably spend more time complimenting average translators in hope of motivating them usually don’t do it once they are good enough.
Bit like how you compliment a ameateur but once someone is good enough its kinda obvious and then you dont really compliment them until they reach the genius level.
Likely bit unfair but that’s how i do it.
Still this novel has a very mature charm to it definitely must be harder to translate then the more simple black&white fighting novels so ill try to find time in the future to give a compliment once i see something impressive.
“Lei Peng and the others were (not) willing to follow Zuo Mo because they had been conquered by Zuo Mo’s dominating aura, but because they found that their present lives were better than before.”
“Lei Peng and the others were willing to follow Zuo Mo (not) because they had been conquered by Zuo Mo’s dominating aura, but because they found that their present lives were better than before.”
The word not should be after Zuo Mo.
thanks! Changed it.
XD if only they knew what he took away from that formation! Seriously the had a monster who could make more monsters. A general who drives the the soilders. Maybe the lesson here is people’s strengths aren’t “face” value. Also any leader who claims the title should know this and try cultviate the potential. MC wins in this face 😉
Much thanks.
Lei Peng and the others were not willing to follow Zuo Mo because they had been conquered by Zuo Mo’s dominating aura, but because they found that their present lives were better than before.
i was quite confuse about this paragraph…
maybe some grammar error in here… but yeah…
the whole sentence didnt connect
It means that lei ping and the others follow zuo mo due to the opportunity to live a better life. But yeah I think it would have been better phrased as “Lei Ping and the others were willing to follow Zuo Mo not because they had been conquered by Zuo Mo’s dominating aura, but because they found that their present lives were better than before.”
Thanks for the chapter!
At the same time that I want that the plot progress a bit more fast, I like this kind of chapters.
World of Cultivation is really well wrote, Does this author has any others novels been translate atm?
Five Way Heaven is being translated at moonbunnycafe and it is a semi-sequel as it takes places tens of thousands of years after this story. Fang Xiang’s other stories aren’t being currently translated. I think there are teasers but no ongoing translations.
I see, thanks!
“The mystery female is not Xiao Guo or any other female previously seen in the story. Xiao Guo is not so talented that she could become more powerful than Zuo Mo is at present. She’s not a genius like Wei Sheng and she cannot advance so rapidly that she could break through the yao blockade herself.”
Damn don’t spoil us !
No, it’s not spoiling you. Just an application of knowledge already in the story as well as power rankings.
i start to miss that flying crane…
their last communication ended without answer…
after zou mo said give him some time to answer the puzzle…
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter. Anyone else think that Xie shouldn’t have revealed any information about zuo mo? Also, according to the translator ramblings, the mystery female can’t be the person that was reported to have caused a huge damage to the yao forces right?
99% chance mystery female is exactly the one that wrecked the yao forces. She was mentioned by the yao but the first time that she actually appeared was when she was pulled out of the river. Translater ramblings meant it is not any femlae met intimately before such as the girls form his sect, the crane girl, or sword girl. Not complete convinced of that unless translator is reading ahead but there’s no clues right now to guess so no skin off my back.
Double posted by the WordPress app, wonder why.
Thanks for the chapter, who needs jindan when one has formation and jingshi!
Ge will make big, strong formation with jingshi! Ge smash puny jindan with formation! Ge strongest!
Thanks for the chapter WYHCWE, WanderingGummiOfDoom, and warlord212!
Thank you so much!! 😘😘😘
Reward for knowing how to forge. One golden crow fire.
Reward for bootlicking, recruiting a bunch of skilled labor to build a city, killing countless enemies, and risking your life every day. One golden crow fire.
Reward for casually asking the boss about it. One golden crow fire.
The moment you realize you way, way, way overachieved. Priceless.
What if the girl is actually the Mo General they are speaking about.
———–
Ch210:
-“Miss, we’ve found signs of mo activity.”
-“To be able to go through the Blood Jie cracks , it can only be mo under brigadier.”
-” You’ve missed a possibility. For example, a true mo brigadier that has sealed their own power.”
Ch231:
-“We’ve just received a message from Jin daren. They were attacked by an unknown force. Seven dead, sixteen wounded, Jin Daren was also lightly wounded.”
-“who did it?”
-“A female, origins unknown.”
-“A jindan?”
-“The situation is not clear.”
-“Have we found the moon mo brigadier?”
-“No, the other is very careful, and did not leave behind many traces,”
Ch240:
-Seeing the female xiu’s face that was full of scabies, Zuo Mo was suddenly filled with empathy. He remembered his past zombie face.
-Zuo Mo pretended to cast a spell. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the female xiu’s movement, and his pupils sudden expanded. The other had also raised a hand. A light flashed at her fingertip, the air in the surroundings suddenly became sticky!
————
First the Yao who did fight the girl can’t determine if she is a Jindan.
I mean they almost fought her to death so she is clearly not a ningmai, but since they are unclear of her status, I think it means she didn’t use sword essence.
So they probably judging her status by her appearance (a human woman).
And when she was going to exchange blow with Zuo Mo, she seemed to use a technique that was more the style of the thousands lead hand (in description) or dyanna ( that is inspired of Mo) than sword technique.
Second, Mu Xi says the Mo could be a powerful one who have sealed himself to pass trough the Blood Jie crack and Zuo Mo said her body full of calluses make him remember his zombie face ( who was sealed/ modified).
The Yao said the Mo hide himself very well and they can’t track him.
So what if she changed her body and sealed her power to investigate the stars in daytime.
Third that could be a reason she can’t speak and that the is following Zuo Mo.
Not because he saved her life but because he is also the one she was looking for.
Fourth: She is extremely unsightly and if I imagine a Mo try to change his appearance as a human I can’t imagine it being beautiful.
Thanks for the chapter!
Hoooh…. I wonder how Wu Kong Sword Sect will feel about this. When they find out their abandoned disciple is capable of helping tons of people comprehend sword essence, can manufacture golden crow fire, is skilled with defensive and offensive formations, can create ling gather mats, can add formations to a human body that will make it so they can gather ling power super fast, and so much more. Hohoho!
I hope their insides turn green with regret. Except Zuo Mo’s master. She clearly wasn’t willing to leave him behind.
Still they will said… we are GOD DAMNIT Sword xiuzhe… not formation or production xiuzhe…
we TALK with SWORD not FORMATIOn…
hahahahaha
Except, y’know, he can help their sect members comprehend sword essence. Which makes him an invaluable asset to a sect that focuses on the sword.
Besides that, everyone needs/wants to be able to gather ling energy in almost all circumstances, and the ling formations will greatly help that. So that too is useful to a sword xiu.
The ling gathering mats can be used to take the place of ling grains, which would heavily lower costs for the Wu Kong Sword Sect as well (as we know they were poor as heck so they probably would love a way to let them permanently cut down costs).
Earlier, they needed money and funding, the golden crow fire thing that Zuo Mo made in the past made them go kind of nuts over it. It was a great opportunity for wealth, so now that he can make actual golden crow fire rather than a pill that gives you a tiny chance for golden crow fire, that’s something the sect could use. All sects need jingshi/money and stuff too.
Right there are four things that would be very useful for a sword sect. The sword essence is wonderful for them, the ling formations are greatly beneficial to any xiuzhe, the ling gathering mats are a permanent cost down and extremely useful as well for cultivating/training up any xiuzhe including sword xius, and the golden crow fire is an invaluable money-making asset for the sect.
They tossed all that away with Zuo Mo.
I can’t wait till their intestines turn green from regret.
i dont think so…
if they really focus on money oriented… they wont let him go…
because they know hee is so shameless and greedy…
that they force him into sword formation…
i just hope he can consider build a sect… he just need to be the man in dark… and let other do the jobs…
and if he follow his master… i believe if he was tasked as human resources… it is even better…
Hum thanks for the chapters too. 😉
xiexie ni ^^