Chương 72: Heh! This Cheap Master Who Shields Her Own—This Su Likes Her Indeed!

This Cheap Master Who Shields Her Own—This Su Likes Her Indeed!

"Yes." Li Shanyun saluted and answered. Hearing this, Su Zhe, though somewhat unwilling in his heart, was terribly afraid of offending this killing deity.

"Disciple Su Zhe greets Senior Yushen!" Su Zhe appeared exceedingly respectful. Swish! Su Zhe felt his vision blur. He was already being held in Yushen's hand. To speak of it was almost laughable. Yushen stood no more than four chi and two in height, yet she lifted Su Zhe, a burly man of over six chi, high above her head, as lightly as though raising a feather.

"Senior, Senior… this disciple fears heights…" Su Zhe's face went pale, and he hastily spoke. He could sense strands of aura, countless times more precise than nei jin, coursing through his meridians, bones, and acupoints.

"Not bad… not bad…" Yushen's eyes grew brighter and brighter. She murmured to herself, her expression becoming ever more animated. Bang! Su Zhe fell to the ground. A great pit was smashed into the earth.

"Only this temperament of his—somewhat too fearful of death."

"To be this old mother's disciple is a little shameful." Yushen knit her brows, faintly regretful, then said to Li Shanyun,"Among the many true disciples, thou art most familiar with the hidden stores of the human body, and thou hast studied the martial body most deeply. How didst thou still misjudge his condition?" Li Shanyun froze. Misjudge?

"Martial Uncle, this disciple does not understand. What mean you by these words?" Li Shanyun's face was blank with bewilderment.

"According to thee, this child possesses exceedingly high talent in the artisan dao, superior first-grade root bones, cultivation… below Third Rank… and the Flood Dragon Method only at Small Accomplishment…"

"Thou wert wrong. This lad!" Yushen looked deeply at Su Zhe, then said with a smile,"This lad's root bones are of lower 'one-in-ten-thousand' grade, his cultivation is also at the high stage of Third Rank, and the Flood Dragon Method…"

"Has, moreover, already entered Great Accomplishment!" Once these words were spoken, Li Shanyun's gentle, jade-like countenance instantly lost its color in shock, and she cried out sharply,"What!"

"This! How can it be?"

"I departed for no more than two months… At that time, it was impossible that I saw wrongly…" Li Shanyun was dazed and dispirited. She quickly stepped forward and began feeling Su Zhe all over. She commenced a bone examination. Su Zhe had expected Li Shanyun's astonishment. After all, in a mere month and a half, Su Zhe's strength had risen far too swiftly.

Borrowing the embezzled silver of the treasury office, he had taken the gang's ruined weapons, refined treasures, and reshaped his body; his root bones had improved at great speed. He had also cultivated Urging Fire Severing Metal, purifying his nei jin. The Smelting-Casting Hammer had undone one layer of its seal and risen to the level of a Fourth-Rank treasure weapon. After Su Zhe equipped it, his root bones had already gone from "one-in-a-thousand" to the level of "one-in-ten-thousand."

[Name: Su Zhe] [Cultivation: Third-Rank High-Stage Nei Jin Realm] [Cultivation Methods: Three Spirits Perfection, Three Spirits Martial Fire, Flood Dragon Method Great Accomplishment, Sickle-Shadow Mantis Killing Art Middle Accomplishment.] [Root Bones: Middle "One-in-a-Thousand" (innate root bones), Lower "One-in-Ten-Thousand" (root bones after equipment)] Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"This disciple has, of late, gained a slight understanding of the martial dao and made a little progress."

"Compared with Miss Shanyun, I am yet inferior; still less dare I speak of Senior Yushen."

"This disciple dares not be arrogant." After Li Shanyun finished examining his bones, Su Zhe smiled modestly, saluted, and spoke. Li Shanyun stood there in a daze, shaken and unsettled. Only after a long while did her mind return, and she sighed with feeling,"Root bones transformed—such marvels as these. No wonder, no wonder…

nine thousand nine hundred years ago, in that resplendent great age, when proud sons of Heaven and monstrous geniuses arose one after another, the final fruit was yet plucked by the Great Ancestor of Da Qian." Nine thousand nine hundred years? This Da Qian Martial Dynasty was truly ancient indeed. In order to understand this world, Su Zhe had once read no small number of unofficial histories. He had known only that the Da Qian Martial Dynasty possessed several thousand years of history.

Never had he thought it was nearly ten thousand years. Ten thousand years of spring and autumn, tides rising and falling. So long a span. Thinking thus… It seemed not strange that this world should possess powers somewhat beyond the level of martial dao.

"Inner disciples are divided into pivotal disciples and common disciples. One-in-a-thousand is already the bearing of a pivotal disciple."

"And one-in-ten-thousand possesses the bearing of the true disciple sequence."

"Hahaha… Li Shanyun, thou hast truly brought this Martial Uncle a great gift!" Yushen clapped her hands and laughed, crying that it was deeply satisfying. Within the genius rankings of Zhu Jian Shanzhuang (Sword-Forging Mountain Manor), the so-called "one-in-ten-thousand" did not mean that not one could be found among ten thousand martial artists. Rather, it meant that among ten thousand first-grade root-bone geniuses, it would still be hard to produce a single "one-in-ten-thousand" genius.

It was not that she had no one-in-ten-thousand geniuses under her command. But an easy-shaping body such as Su Zhe's, which could continually improve its own root bones, was truly rare. Li Shanyun smiled and said,"Many thanks for Martial Uncle's praise." Li Shanyun's beautiful eyes curved faintly, like the bright waning moon. She knew that this Martial Uncle Yushen, though violent of temper, was by nature exceedingly forthright.

Having rendered such a great merit, the reward she obtained would certainly not be small. Having spoken, Li Shanyun gave Su Zhe a push and said,"Su Zhe, why dost thou not take her as thy master?" Su Zhe showed hesitation.

"What art thou thinking? Martial Uncle Yushen's nature indeed delights in killing and battle, yet she is exceedingly protective of her own."

"Once thou enterest Yushen Mountain Manor (Jade Body Mountain Manor), thou art Martial Uncle's child. To outsiders she is an asura; to those within, she is compassionate. Thou mayest be said to have picked up a great bargain." Li Shanyun's mind was clever. With but a glance, she saw what Su Zhe was thinking within, and hastily explained. Protective of her own… An asura to outsiders, compassionate to those within? Su Zhe let out a breath. This temperament was good! He liked it.

"Disciple Su Zhe greets Honored Master!" His knot of concern loosened by Li Shanyun, how could Su Zhe still have the slightest hesitation? If he did not tightly embrace so thick a thigh, then Su Zhe would truly be as stupid as a pig.

"Good! Good! Dear disciple!"

"Today, master and disciple have met as though old friends at first sight. This master knows not what greeting gift to bestow upon thee."

"How about this… dear disciple, speak. What thing dost thou like?"

"If thy master has it, I shall give it to thee; if thy master has it not, then I shall snatch it and give it to thee!" Yushen stood faintly on tiptoe and, with effort, patted Su Zhe on the shoulder. A pleased look appeared between Su Zhe's brows. This… This Su shall not stand on ceremony.

"Master, to speak frankly, this disciple has few interests on ordinary days."

"It is merely that I am especially attentive to yellow and white things."

"This disciple has here a list…"

"They are also materials this disciple requires for cultivating the artisan dao. By this disciple's own strength, they are truly difficult to gather. Master, might we perhaps borrow the power of Zhu Jian Shanzhuang?" Su Zhe climbed straight up the pole offered him and drew a slip of paper from his bosom. In this martial dao world, when a martial artist took a master, there was no rule that one must follow a single master from beginning to end.

Even Sun Tiexin would have eagerly wished for Su Zhe to enter Zhu Jian Shanzhuang. Thus, Su Zhe had long prepared for this day. Yushen's eyes narrowed faintly as she took Su Zhe's slip of paper. Curious in her heart, Li Shanyun also leaned her head over to look.

Upon that slip of paper were written, clear and distinct in black ink upon white paper— Twenty taels of refined gold, two thousand jin of meteoric iron, two hundred taels of treasure silver, three thousand jin of treasure copper, four thousand jin of treasure tin, one complete corpse of a Fourth-Rank demonic beast… Good fellow—all of them were precious materials! Li Shanyun and Yushen fell silent. Somewhat embarrassed, Su Zhe scratched the back of his head and said,"Is it very difficult?

If it is very difficult, then let it be." Yushen shook her head and said,"It is not especially difficult. Only, this old mother did not expect that thou, lad, had actually prepared it long ago… This list is so detailed; I fear thou didst not plan it for merely a day or two." Su Zhe was awkward. He understood his own aptitude. Through the Creation Immortal Cauldron, Su Zhe knew it perfectly.

Thus, when Li Shanyun told Su Zhe of Yushen's intent to take a disciple, Su Zhe was confident he could enter beneath Yushen's door. For this reason, Su Zhe had long since prepared the list for the sixth immortal aperture. Only, Su Zhe's original plan had been to ask his newly appointed master how he might gather these materials within Zhu Jian Shanzhuang. The result was that this newly appointed master of his was far too generous, intending to give him a "greeting gift."

Shameless Su Zhe thus carried the thought of plucking wool until there was nothing left. Li Shanyun recalled how she had bought a Third-Rank peak mortal weapon from Su Zhe's hands for forty taels of pure gold, and she too laughed softly,"This fellow loves wealth as his life. Even when eating, he counts the grains of rice, for fear that eating one more grain would make him lose."

"Martial Uncle, in the days to come, I fear you shall bleed greatly!" Yushen stuffed the slip of paper into Li Shanyun's hands and waved her hand, saying,"No matter. Wait here for the Black Riders, then send men outside Lu County to mobilize these resources and deliver them here with all haste. Aside from this, lead the remaining Black Riders and send troops toward Yandang Mountain." After giving Li Shanyun her instructions, Yushen looked at Su Zhe with great interest.

"Su Zhe, that Blood-Refined Wild God from earlier has fled toward Yandang Mountain. This old mother intends to go there and beat him until his spirit and soul are utterly extinguished. I hear your Blacksmith Gang has also been trapped upon Yandang Mountain."

"Art thou willing to accompany thy master to Yandang Mountain, exterminate the evil cult, and uphold the martial dao?" Su Zhe took one step back, flicked his long sleeves, clasped both fists, bent at the waist, and bowed in salute.

"This disciple is willing to go!"

"On behalf of the common folk of Lu County and the martial artists of the Blacksmith Gang, this disciple thanks Master for her great grace!" Su Zhe's voice was sincere, his expression earnest. This caused Yushen to be faintly moved. This lad, though fearful of death, yet has feeling and loyalty in his heart, and righteousness in his breast. Not bad! He suits this old mother's appetite. This disciple—she had not taken him wrongly!