“Your Qin Manor has quite a number of cultivators as distinguished mercenaries already, right?” Yi Xiao said with a smile.
“Six,” said Qin Yun. “With the one that just came, that would be seven.”
Yi Xiao nodded, “That’s already more than third-tier sects. That’s right, in terms of strength, just you alone are stronger than several second-tier sects.”
Typically, second-tier sects would avoid or escape if they encountered demon monarchs like the Black Demon King.
However, Qin Yun’s flying sword had sent the Black Demon King scampering!
If he were to encounter Black Demon King’s provocations again, Black Demon King would probably be instantly killed by the flying sword! But ever since the last encounter, Black Demon King was completely horrified. He no longer dared to make Qin Yun an enemy.
“I’ll go and take a look at the background of this cultivator.” Qin Yun got up.
“Go busy yourself.” Yi Xiao picked up a book beside her and flipped through it leisurely by the side of the lake.
Qin Yun headed for a hall meant for hosting guests, where a thin youth was already sitting there. The youth immediately stood up even when Qin Yun was still a great distance away.
“Young Master Qin.” When Qin Yun walked into the hall, the thin youth immediately greeted him politely.
Qin Yun sat in the seat of honor and looked at the youth that was standing in a restrained manner. He nodded and said, “Have a seat.”
Only then did the youth sit down before immediately saying, “My name is Chu Yuan, a local from the Chang Province of the Adjacent Sea County. I had been cultivating in Chang Province’s Solar Cave Conservatory. As I offended the Grass Magus Sect, the Solar Cave Conservatory expelled me… I could only wander the world and when I heard of Young Master Qin’s inspiring reputation, I came specially to pledge my allegiance. Please accept me.”
“Solar Cave Conservatory is a third-tier cultivation sect. It naturally doesn’t dare to offend the Grass Magus Sect.” Qin Yun nodded. “Indeed, the Grass Magus Sect does things in quite an overbearing manner. But tell me, how did you end up offending the Grass Magus Sect? Do not lie to me. If I were to find out any embellishments, you should know what sort of outcome awaits you if you deceive me.”
“Yes!” Chu Yuan nodded immediately. “How would I dare to deceive you, Young Master Qin? I will naturally be honest and speak no embellishments.”
“Go ahead and tell me.” Qin Yun nodded.
“I was dedicated to cultivation in Chang Province’s Solar Cave Conservatory. While traveling through the various provincial cities in the vicinity, I would mete out punishment when coming across injustice on the roads,” said Chu Yuan. “However, I never expected that I had broken the leg of a foppish son of the Grass Magus Sect’s Elder. The Grass Magus Sect sent people to deal with me and thankfully, I escaped quickly or I would have died! The Grass Magus Sect also sent people to fault the Solar Cave Conservatory. The Conservatory Master could not offend the Grass Magus Sect so he expelled me. Ever since then, I’m no longer a disciple of the Solar Cave Conservatory. I also know that the Conservatory Master had no other choice and that it’s a good outcome. I wouldn’t implicate it.”
Qin Yun nodded. “Meting out punishment? What did that foppish son do for you to mete out punishment?”
“He abducted commoner girls in broad daylight and pulled them straight into his carriage. When I discovered it, I saved that woman in a hotheaded action. I then taught him and his guards a lesson.” Chu Yuan said immediately. “Later on, I learned that he was Grass Magus Sect Elder’s Liu Zhen’s son. That Liu Zhen is a Man Magus and has unfathomable magus arts.”
“Got it.” Qin Yun nodded. “How’s your cultivation at present?”
“I cultivate one of the Qi Refinement Dharma formulations of the Solar Cave Conservatory, the ‘Extended Azure Art’. Cultivating it to the apex allows one the chance of reaching the Connate True Core realm but to date, the only person to step into the Connate False Core realm is the Conservatory Master himself. As for me, I’m currently at the eleventh stage of the Qi Refinement realm,” Chu Yuan elaborated. “I usually cultivate in two talisman arts. One of them is the Azure Flame Talisman Arts, the most famous talisman art of the Solar Cave Conservatory. The other is the ‘One Breath Capturing Art’. As for the other means I have, I mostly rely on some Dao talismans…”
Qin Yun nodded slightly.
Small sects were just like that. The best Dharma spells they had were typically a mere handful.
Chu Yuan waited nervously for Qin Yun’s reply. After all, he had offended the Grass Magus Sect and finding a backer was not easy. The Grass Magus Sect was rather infamous in the Jiang Prefecture! After all, it was the only magus sect in the Jiang Prefecture.
“From today forth, stay here in my Qin Manor. The yearly remuneration will temporarily be a thousand taels of silver,” said Qin Yun. “If you work diligently and honestly, I’ll have Dharma spells and treasures to bestow.”
“Yes, I will definitely do my best while working at Qin Manor. I’ll work hard for you, Young Master.” Chu Yuan was overjoyed.
The hiring of a servant typically cost eight to ten taels of silver a year.
As for hiring experts at the ninth level of the Qi Refinement realm as guards would typically cost a few hundred taels of silver a year.
As for hiring cultivators?
Just the silvers alone would exceed ten thousand taels of silver.
As for truly large clans, or important figures like the county governor, cultivators would be willing to pledge allegiance to them. They didn’t even request for high annual remunerations. Why? It was because these factions typically had Dharma spells and other manuals stored in them! Many itinerant cultivators wished to cultivate but had no outlet to do so. Therefore, a low remuneration was of little importance.
But the Qin family was different. With an Inspector Heavenly Ambassador like Qin Yun around, it was more powerful than typical second-tier cultivation sects!
By coming under it, that was equivalent to having a great backer! Furthermore, there were chances of obtaining Dharma spells, treasures in the future. Just like joining a sect, there would be cultivators willing to join it even without silver given.
“Ah Gui, bring Chu Yuan to my father,” instructed Qin Yun.
“Yes,” Ah Gui responded immediately.
Chu Yuan was beaming for he no longer needed to worry about his future. He retreated respectfully.
The reason why he had come to the Qin Manor was that he had heard that the Grass Magus Sect’s Grand Elder’s family clan, the Motai family, had previously offended the Qin family slightly. After Qin Yun became an Inspector Heavenly Ambassador, the Grass Magus Sect even officially sent ambassadors to make recompense. Large amounts of gifts were given! Clearly, no matter how powerful the Grass Magus Sect was, it did not wish to make an enemy out of Inspector Heavenly Ambassador Qin Yun. They would rather provide compensation.
His feud with an Elder’s son was nothing worth mentioning to the Qin Manor.
“There are seven cultivators now and I haven’t even made any deliberate recruitment.” Qin Yun shook his head. “In a few years, Qin Manor will probably have ten to twenty cultivators, a number more than the typical County Governor Manor would have.”
An Inspector Heavenly Ambassador’s family clan was naturally more attractive than a county governor.
And having more cultivators in Qin Manor was a good thing. The array formations within the family and the security would be enhanced. It could also let the cultivators deal with most of the things outside of Qin Manor!
******
Days passed one by one.
Qin Yun was also very surprised. A month had passed ever since Multiform Poison Codger’s assassination. Yet, there was no new trouble.
“It can’t be that the Zhongli family has given up, right?” Qin Yun thought to himself. “Did they only send Multiform Poison Codger?”
“Who cares.”
“I’ll focus on cultivating my Intrinsic Flying Sword. Tonight, it will likely be able to break through to the fifth-grade.” Qin Yun sat cross-legged on a bed as he watched the floating silver sword in front of him.
He took the Cosmic Bag from his waist and opened it.
Hu! Hu! Hu!
Large amounts of items flew out and formed a tiny pile in the room.
As Qin Yun circulated his Dharma formulations, the silver flying sword immediately began to extract the essence from the numerous treasures beneath it. The essence constantly fused into the Intrinsic Flying Sword as dots of light and just as he expected, after about thirty seconds of refinement, the silver flying sword began to vibrate intensely. It let out a sword hum and the refinement speed accelerated drastically. The treasures beneath it began to turn to dreg.
Moments later, the sword hums came to a rest as the sword stopped absorbing the treasures’ essences.
At that moment, it was light silver in color and its surface seemed to be covered by a layer of jade water. It felt like jade water was flowing across it and the original misty mirage it exuded seemed to disappear. It made the flying sword appear more substantial.
“How beautiful. The Intrinsic Flying Sword has finally reached the fifth-grade! With this, I can release the might of a third-grade Dharma treasure.” Qin Yun looked at the flying sword in front of him. There was a terrifying might accumulating within it subtly. As he sensed it, he nodded gently. “Even though I have reached the realm of having a sword intent domain, the flying sword’s enhancement has increased my strength by nearly twenty percent.”
The same moves had the same sword intent but the flying sword was much faster! Its strength was also more terrifying! That was the benefits of a Dharma treasure.
Furthermore, his Intrinsic Flying Sword was nurtured using his Misty Rain Sword Intent. Therefore, it had a greater synergy when producing strikes that contained Misty Rain Sword Intent.
And the higher his realm, the higher his strength. The Intrinsic Flying Sword had also a clear increase in strength. Consider a peerless sword immortal who had grasped the Sword Dao, a tree branch and a seventh or eighth-grade Dharma treasure flying sword would not differ much in strength in his hand. Due to an overtly weak Dharma treasure, it did not increase his strength much.
It was even possible that under the nourishment of Sword Dao, an ordinary weapon could gradually transform into a Dharma treasure.
Of course, Qin Yun was still a distance away from that level.
“Phew.” Qin Yun extended his hand as the three-inch-long flying sword landed in his palm. With a whoosh, the flying sword rapidly expanded to three feet.
He got off the bed while holding the flying sword and walked out into the yard.
In the dark night under the bright moon, Qin Yun held his fifth-grade Intrinsic Flying Sword and began using his Misty Rain Sword Arts.