The Undying Immortal System-Chapter 425 – Life 110, Age 16, Martial Disciple 1
Although Kan might have chosen to live a life of seclusion, distancing himself from the day-to-day activities of the Su Clan, there was no way his sudden disappearance would go unnoticed. It was bound to raise questions, and his father, the head of the Liang Branch, would demand answers.
There were several ways I could deal with this. I could have Kan take care of it—either by talking to his father or just leaving a note—or I could send YuLong and Meng LuYao to take care of it, like they had in the Shi Clan. However, since Kan was a member of the Su Clan, I decided that this was something I needed to handle directly. After all, my goal wasn’t just to recruit Kan. It was to get my clan prepared for its invasion of the Central Continent.
So, after waiting for an opportune moment, I pulled Kan’s father out of my inner world and brought him to join us in my cramped inn room.
Suliang Zhen was a 200-year-old Martial Lord who had spent his entire life defending Chang’an from relentless hordes of demon beasts. Because of this, he didn’t react to his sudden teleportation with the shock and fear that JiuLi and Kan had displayed. Instead, he immediately wrapped himself in a protective layer of earth qi as he calmly assessed his surroundings.
When he saw Kan, the muscles around his eyes tensed, but they only lingered on him long enough to confirm that the boy wasn’t an illusion. This done, Suliang Zhen quickly moved on, scanning the room for any other potential threats.
Eventually, his eyes landed on me. When he saw me, calmly sitting on the room’s sole bed without a care in the world, he froze. Then, the shock and fear that had been absent upon his initial appearance suddenly asserted itself.
Less than a fraction of a second later, Suliang Zhen—the leader of the Su Clan’s Liang Branch, one of the most powerful men in Chang’an—dropped to his knees and kowtowed in supplication. “All honor to Ancestor Fang, source of strength and keeper of our line. By your light, we endure; by your shadow, we are protected.”
I wasn’t exactly comfortable with the quasi-religious reverence that my method of distributing karmic energy had engendered in people, but… well… it did have its uses. My purpose had just been to ensure that the Su Clan’s Bloodline energy flowed to me, not some usurper. However, if a little misplaced devotion helped ease my relations with Chang’an’s leadership, I wasn’t going to complain.
Hopefully, though, only Liang had seen fit to preserve knowledge of my true appearance. Otherwise, I might be forced to start relying on System-purchased disguises to hide my identity.
Before I could dwell on the thought, Suliang Zhen extended his spiritual senses as he tested the air around him. His gaze sharpened, then widened in disbelief. “Is… this the Nine River?”
I gave him a single shake of my head. “No, it isn’t. This is the Extreme Martial Continent. The place your ancestors would have referred to as the Central Continent. A place that holds far more dangers than you can possibly imagine.”
This caused Suliang Zhen to fall into silent contemplation. Not wanting to let him start developing any unhealthy ambitions, I chose to redirect the conversation.
“Chang’an’s next Tribulation is fast approaching—its fury far greater than any that came before. The people of Chang’an do not possess the strength needed to face this trial. Therefore, over the decades ahead, I will lead them here, to the Extreme Martial Continent, where they can temper themselves and gain the strength needed to survive the trials ahead.”
I motioned over to where Kan was now shaking from my abrupt change in demeanor. “I have chosen your son to assist me in establishing a foothold on this new continent. Once it is ready, we will be able to transfer people from Chang’an without arousing any suspicions. I trust that you have no objections to this plan.”
Suliang Zhen pressed his forehead to the inn’s worn wooden floor. “Of course not, Ancestor. It is his honor to be chosen.”
“Very good. Go back and help your people prepare. Expect us to begin recruiting additional Martial Disciples within the year.” Not waiting for Suliang Zhen to respond, I waved a hand, sending him back to Chang’an. Then, I looked over at Kan. “You should head back as well. Gather up anything you might need, and say your goodbyes. After we leave, it will be a while before you have a chance to return.”
With my initial team now assembled, it was time for me to make a few final preparations.
Our supposed origins in the Nine Rivers Domain would explain our lack of fluency in the local language, but relying on this excuse would only take us so far. If my teammates didn’t learn to speak Southern Yue, then I would have to act as translator during all their interactions with the locals. And, as I continued pulling more people from my inner world, this issue would only grow worse. This needed to be corrected now, before it became a liability.
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Reaching into my inner world, I pulled out a thumb-sized piece of jade that had been inscribed with a complex formation. “System, imbue this jade slip with all the knowledge one would need to speak the Southern Yue language with perfect fluency.”
Purchase confirmed. Cost 5 credits.
YuLong and the others wouldn’t actually be able to use this slip until after they started cultivating, so I would still have to play translator for now, but that was probably a good thing. I didn’t think anyone would study our backgrounds too closely, but having my teammates spend some time learning the local language would help sell the story that we were recent immigrants.
The next issue I needed to address was our clothing. I was dressed in the rags of an orphan, JiuLi looked like a poor laborer, YuLong and Kan were wrapped in the silks of nobles, and Meng LuYao was still wearing the uniform of a Blue Wind Pavilion attendant.
Before going any further, we needed to get this sorted out.
I could have easily scrounged up a few suitable outfits from the shops scattered throughout Chang’an, but the styles popular in Iron Spear City differed from those in my inner world. The Shi Clan’s tailor could have taken care of this for us, but I decided to turn the problem into something useful—a small team-building exercise.
From what I knew of Iron Spear City, I doubted anyone was paying close attention to this place. But if we wanted to do this properly while not leaving behind any potential weaknesses, I needed to make one quick purchase first.
“System, create a temporary reset point. The next time I die, bring me back to this moment.”
Purchase confirmed. Cost 1 credit.
Then, I reached into my inner world and brought everyone out all at once—Kan, JiuLi, and YuHua included. The tiny room became a crush of limbs and shoulders, the air thick with startled motion. YuLong and Meng LuYao took this in stride, but the others twisted and jerked, fighting to escape the crush.
I clapped my hands sharply, cutting through the noise and drawing everyone’s attention. “Alright, everyone. These are your new teammates. We need to spend some time getting to know each other, so let’s go shopping.”
Following my lead, our group didn’t make any effort to stay inconspicuous as we walked through the streets of Iron Spear City. The Saint’s rules protected us from cultivators, and with YuLong’s and Kan’s martial abilities, no local thugs would pose any threat. The only real risk was running into Returnees, but if that happened, I could always just pull everyone back into my inner world.
We made our way to the market that I had scouted earlier. Our goal was simple: everyone needed to purchase new clothes that wouldn’t draw any undue attention. We needed to appear like down-on-their-luck adventurers—not poor beggars and not wealthy, fat sheep.
That said, for this one trip, I didn’t worry about such mundane concerns. I handed everyone a large handful of gold and told them to use it on whatever they thought might be useful. I could, of course, pull anything we needed out of my inner world, but that would be incredibly suspicious. After all, how many poor Martial Disciples were walking around with storage bags? It made a lot more sense to have everyone carry around a bag of supplies with them, instead.
After reaching the market, the three girls split off to shop on their own. They might not have been able to speak the language of the Heroes Domain, but the merchants were more than fluent in the language of gold, so I doubted they would have any problems.
Meanwhile YuLong, Kan, and I searched for a haberdashery that sold secondhand robes. As we walked, I counted more than a dozen sets of eyes tracking our movements. No one was willing to attack us in the middle of the market, but once we stepped beyond its bounds, any number of local gangs were sure to make their move.
I wasn’t the only one to notice these watchers, of course, but Kan and YuLong both followed my lead and did their best to ignore them.
Several hours later, just as dusk was settling over the city, we regrouped at the market’s entrance.
YuLong had traded in the robes of a cultivator for the shirt and trousers of a farmer, even going so far as to use a hemp cord as his belt. This might have worked, but the sleeves of his shirt had been ripped away to expose arms that could uproot a tree.
Kan had dressed himself like a poor wanderer. He had a saber tied to his hip with a bit of frayed rope, and his shirt was covered in small patches. It was a convincing act, but the straightness of his back and the measured way he walked made it clear that he had never truly known hardship.
JiuLi, meanwhile, had chosen simple robes of undyed hemp that hung loosely around her frame. This should have made her look like a poor peasant girl, but somehow, it did the opposite. Her skin, pale from long days spent behind a loom, carried the luster of polished jade—a striking contrast to the curtain of raven-black hair that fell freely down her back.
Meng LuYao had dressed in robes of muted green and brown, blending in perfectly with the dusty crowds around us. I knew for a fact that LuYao was a rather attractive woman who was capable of catching the eye of nearly any man on the continent. But somehow, she managed what the others couldn’t. She looked ordinary. If she’d been carrying a basket of vegetables, no one would have given her a second glance.
Finally, there was YuHua. She wouldn’t be joining us on our journey, so she hadn’t bothered to play the part of a commoner. Her robes were a swirl of bright pinks and purples, vibrant enough to draw every eye in the market. Her hair had been wrapped up into a tight bun that was held in place by a carved wooden pin set with bits of jade. She looked exactly like what she was—a little princess.
As for myself, I opted for simple, faded brown robes that were reinforced with leather patches at the elbows and shoulders. However, unlike them, I wasn’t wearing this new outfit since, if I had been, it would only end up being lost.
Once everyone was ready, I swept them all up and sent them to the cabin on the Plane of Wood, where I had already dropped off their belongings.
What did the locals think about this sight?
I didn’t care. I pulled out a poison pill, popped it into my mouth, and disappeared back in time.
You have died. Calculating…
You died as a Martial Disciple 1 — 0 credits awarded.
Total Credits: 59,741
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Chapter 425 – Life 110, Age 16, Martial Disciple 1
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