Cultivation: the Rise of a Live-In Son-In-Law

Chapter 536 - 534: Jiang Qingge’s Waiting Game and the Mysterious Powerful Cultivator in the Northern Territory

"That last strike by the mountain bandit chieftain seemed quite formidable. A typical Innate Realm cultivator likely wouldn’t be his match," Jiang Qingge remarked after a moment.

If Lu Ye hadn’t allowed her to lift her cultivation suppression in the end, Jiang Qingge felt that with her Innate Fifth Layer level, she probably wouldn’t have been able to take it on.

"That strike probably reached the Profound Tier Upper Grade. It’s not something an ordinary mountain bandit would have," Lu Ye said calmly. "There must be someone backing these bandits."

"Oh? Someone?" Hearing this, Jiang Qingge got a little nervous.

"What are you afraid of? Can whoever is backing them withstand a single blow from you?" Lu Ye said, coughing lightly.

"Whoever their backer is, if they actually show up, just give them a punch or a palm strike."

Jiang Qingge: "..."

"Should we deliberately leak the information to lure out the backer of this mountain fortress?" Jiang Qingge suggested after some thought.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Ye nodded. "We can wait here for a day or two. If the backer doesn’t show up, then he got lucky."

In every mountain fortress, there would always be some captives. The two of them went to the warehouse in this mountain fortress and found a few imprisoned people there.

They released these people down the mountain and told them to spread the news that the mountain bandits of Fine Sand Mountain had been wiped out. Lu Ye and Jiang Qingge then found a place in the mountains to wait patiently for any potential visitors.

When the news of Fine Sand Mountain’s destruction reached the small town Lu Ye and Jiang Qingge previously visited, it caused an uproar.

"No way, the Fine Sand Mountain bandits were really wiped out?! Wasn’t their chieftain an exceptionally powerful Innate Realm individual?"

"Wow, if this is true, it just goes to show that there’s always someone stronger out there. Ever since Elder Chen appeared in our Northern Territory, the number of experts has indeed increased significantly."

Many nodded when they heard Elder Chen mentioned.

Ever since such a peak expert appeared a few years ago, the cultivation trend in the Northern Territory has indeed been on the rise.

Curious souls, emboldened by the news, rushed to Fine Sand Mountain and immediately noticed the anomalies.

The usual mountain outposts were really gone. They reached the mountain fortress gate without encountering any obstruction.

This was something that was inconceivable in the past.

Now, the main hall of the mountain fortress was completely empty, and those mountain bandits who once roamed without fear were nowhere to be seen.

"It’s actually true; the bandits have all disappeared."

"Among those two, one truly had the capability to handle the mountain fortress leader. They didn’t even seem that old—truly impressive young heroes."

Nanmu City.

This city, about four hundred miles away from Fine Sand Mountain, was more prosperous than most, housing two Innate Clans and a Dao Sect clan.

At the moment, there was a sense of eagerness from these two Innate Clans.

Because it was no secret to them that Fine Sand Mountain was an extension of the Chen Family’s influence.

If it weren’t for the Chen Family’s support over the years, the chieftain of Fine Sand Mountain wouldn’t have ascended so quickly.

Now that an extension had been severed... could the Chen Family swallow their pride?

"Ever since that sly old Chen ascended to a Grandmaster level a few years back, he’s been unstoppable, covering the sky with one hand in Nanmu City. Ha, finally, someone dares to ruffle his feathers."

"I’m just curious if whoever dared to provoke them, if the Chen Family retaliates, can they withstand it?"

"If you ask me, the two sides have to go to war! The fiercer, the better. It’s best if the Chen Family is completely debilitated."

"Bro... you’re dreaming, huh? Rumor has it the ones who went up the mountain were two young individuals, looking like a Dao couple. They’ve already accomplished a great feat in wiping out the Fine Sand Mountain bandits, and you’re dreaming of them dragging the Chen Family into the mud?"

Debate was rampant in Nanmu City.

Meanwhile, within the Chen Family, the hall was filled with several figures, all with serious expressions.

"Now that the rumors are everywhere, what do you all think?" The patriarch of the Chen Family, a round-faced man who appeared harmless, but in reality, was also an Innate Realm cultivator, spoke first and then glanced at the seated members.

An elder from the Chen Family spoke, "Actually, this situation might be a blessing in disguise for our Chen Family. After all, being associated with mountain bandit strongholds is not particularly honorable. Until now, it was difficult to break away. With this incident, I think it’s a good opportunity."

Before, the Chen Family relied on this mountain fortress to conduct many tasks inconvenient for their own clan, reaping considerable benefits.

However, now that the Chen Family had truly produced their own Martial Arts Grandmaster, the elder felt separation was a good thing.

"One can’t say it like that. Because many know of the link between Fine Sand Mountain and us, and now that it’s been wiped out quietly, to some extent, it’s clearly disregarding our Chen Family," another elder with white mustaches said.

"We’ve just become a Dao Sect clan, not long after, and it’s precisely when we need to establish our prestige. By doing this, they’re essentially slapping our Chen Family’s face. My suggestion is that we cannot overlook this incident, lest people think we’re pushovers."

There were supporters for both viewpoints.

Some thought cutting ties was a good thing, while others believed that now that the Chen Family had become a newly minted Grandmaster Clan, they shouldn’t let the opportunity to establish their presence in the Northern Territory slip by.

The patriarch of the Chen Family fell into deep thought.

Ultimately, rationality prevailed. The patriarch of the Chen Family said, "The Third Elder has a point. We’ve become a Grandmaster Clan, one of the few in the Northern Territory, and we shouldn’t continue to get entangled with those underhanded forces."

"Even if we need such affiliations in the future, it must be done more discreetly, without drawing public criticism."

Since the patriarch had final say, those clan elders who supported boosting the Chen Family’s prestige, though wanting to say more, chose to remain silent in the end.

The Chen Family chose to stand down and keep quiet, much to many in Nanmu City’s surprise.

People thought that as the newly risen Grandmaster Clan of the moment, the Chen Family would opt to assert their power.

"Why has the Chen Family’s temper improved so much? They’re actually tolerating this."

"Maybe it’s because, lately, there’s been an increase in experts around the Northern Territory, so they want to lay low and avoid any trouble."

"Speaking of which, I have indeed come across quite a few seasoned experts recently... They’re quite striking just to look at!"