62: Chapter 62 Jin Hong's Touching Moments

General Manager Zhang Qingfeng left Xuanwu Fortress that very day.

His path to becoming a Martial Saint had become completely clear; all that was needed now was to find a place for secluded cultivation, and he would naturally be able to cross that threshold and truly achieve the status of a Martial Saint.

However, before leaving, the old Daoist insisted that those few words from Lu Cheng constituted a true debt of mentorship, and he insisted on performing the kowtow ceremony—three kneeling and nine bows—to acknowledge Lu Cheng as his master.

Lu Cheng had to exert every ounce of effort, using all sorts of persuasion, before he finally managed to refuse the old man.

"Daoist Zhang, it is true that one who possesses the knowledge is the master, but the apprenticeship is unnecessary." Lu Cheng rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

Seeing that Lu Cheng's attitude was firm, General Manager Zhang Qingfeng finally gave up. However, he stubbornly straightened his Daoist robes and said with extreme solemnity, "Since the senior is unwilling to accept me as a disciple, I shall not press the matter further. But the debt of receiving your teachings is as heavy as Mount Tai; from now on, I shall treat the senior with the respect of a disciple!"

Seeing that he had taken a step back, Lu Cheng couldn't be bothered to argue further about the matter and waved his hand, letting him do as he pleased.

However, what Lu Cheng found most overwhelming was General Manager Zhang Qingfeng's direct disciple, Ruan Ning.

When she learned that her master's path to becoming a Martial Saint had been secured simply because Lu Cheng had offered a few casual pointers, her gaze toward Lu Cheng changed completely.

When they left, Ruan Ning followed behind General Manager Zhang Qingfeng, looking back every few steps.

Her gaze held not only admiration but also some complex emotions; it felt as though her eyes were almost sticking to him.

Lu Cheng rubbed his nose and pretended not to notice.

...

Three days later.

Xuanwu Fortress, Director's office.

"Thud!" A dull impact sound echoed as something slammed onto the desk in front of Director Jin Hong.

Director Jin Hong was startled, nearly tearing open his bandages.

"Good heavens, Brother Lu, what are you doing?"

Director Jin Hong grumbled, then turned his gaze to the desktop.

On the desk sat a bulging woven fertilizer bag.

The opening was tied loosely, with chaotic Origin Qi faintly seeping out, and it emitted a faint smell of blood.

Director Jin Hong looked at Lu Cheng with some confusion and pried open the mouth of the bag.

The rope was untied, and the mouth of the bag was folded back.

In an instant, a dense wave of Origin Qi was released throughout the office.

Revealed inside the fertilizer bag were densely packed Origin Cores of various colors and sizes.

The surfaces of these Origin Cores shimmered with a lustrous glow, illuminating most of the office in a kaleidoscope of colors; they were clearly not ordinary items.

Even the lowest grade ones were produced by C-rank desolate beasts, and there were even a dozen or so B-rank Origin Cores mixed in.

Director Jin Hong was completely dumbfounded.

"You... you leveled the forbidden zone?" Director Jin Hong looked up at Lu Cheng in surprise.

Besides, who the hell uses a fertilizer bag to carry Origin Cores?

Lu Cheng sat down on the nearby sofa and chuckled.

"What are you thinking? The forbidden zone isn't that simple. I was just bored these past few days, so I casually cleared out the desolate beasts within a five-hundred-mile radius of Xuanwu Fortress."

Speaking of this, the smile on Lu Cheng's face faded, and he said seriously, "Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to General Manager Zhang Qingfeng's place to look at those daoist canons. Once I leave, if any high-level desolate beast appears, you won't be able to handle it."

Lu Cheng pointed to the fertilizer bag on the table: "So, I went out for a spin beforehand and killed all those guys that posed even a slight threat. At least for the next two or three months, there won't be any decent beast tides outside Xuanwu Fortress."

After hearing Lu Cheng's words, Director Jin Hong stood there stunned, at a loss for words for a moment.

His rugged face visibly softened.

"You guy..." Director Jin Hong felt inexplicably moved.

In the battle of Dongzhou, ten elite B-rank martial artists had died in action.

Even though Xuanwu Fortress still had quite a few B-rank martial artists, if a quasi-A-rank beast tide like the one led by the Jade-Armored Golden Dragon King were to come, Xuanwu Fortress would indeed be under great pressure.

Although Lu Cheng spoke lightly of it, this favor was as heavy as Mount Tai.

"Alright! This favor, Brother Jin has noted it down!"

Director Jin Hong grinned widely and made a move to pull the bag of Origin Cores into his embrace.

Lu Cheng watched his actions and was slightly stunned.

"Wait, Brother Jin, what are you doing?"

Director Jin Hong looked up as if it were obvious: "Accepting them, aren't these for me?"

Lu Cheng rolled his eyes.

"Who told you this bag of Origin Cores was for you?"

"Huh?" Director Jin Hong's movements froze. "If they aren't for me, why did you put them on my desk?"

"I'm asking you to help me exchange all these Origin Cores for money." Lu Cheng looked at him speechlessly.

"Ah!" Director Jin Hong didn't pull his hand back. "I thought that since you'd become a Martial Saint, you'd view money as dirt!"

"Even experts have to eat; even Martial Saints have to live." Lu Cheng shrugged, acting as if it were a matter of course.

Director Jin Hong calculated in his heart.

"I can help you go through the official procurement channels. Although the price isn't as high as the private black market, the advantage is the large demand, and they can take it all. According to the current purchase price, there is at least several hundred million here."

Lu Cheng raised an eyebrow and readily agreed.

"Alright, considering how well we know each other, I'll give you a bit of a service fee. A five percent commission, no more than that!"

Director Jin Hong's eye twitched, and he looked at him speechlessly: "Look at you, such a money-grubber. As the dignified Director of Xuanwu, do I lack this little commission? I was just joking with you!"

He leaned back in his chair and said with a teasing expression: "Actually, if you just join that Sacred Pavilion the old Daoist mentioned, wouldn't you be able to mobilize the resources of the entire Great Xia Federation? By then, money would just be a number to you!"

Lu Cheng smiled noncommittally and didn't respond.

Joining the Sacred Pavilion would indeed grant him supreme privileges and endless wealth, but there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Before figuring things out, he wouldn't agree easily.

"I'll leave the matter of the Origin Cores to you."

Lu Cheng stood up and waved his hand at Director Jin Hong: "I'm going back to pack my luggage and will set off tomorrow morning."

"Alright, take care on the road." Director Jin Hong shouted from behind.