Becoming a Sage Starts From Condensing the Essence of Time - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Arrogance and Prejudice, The Burly Coachman’s Saber

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The broken rainbow retracted the colorful clouds of the rain, and a faint clear wave entered the distance.

At the entrance of Yanchun Alley.

The luxurious carriage stopped quietly. The wheels no longer crushed the limestone. The setting sun pulled out a long and winding shadow that reflected on the ground and the wall.

Qin Qianqiu was in the carriage.

An Le was outside the carriage.

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Qin Qianqiu lifted the curtain and looked at the white-robed young man who walked out of the alley. Ever since he started paying attention to An Le, he naturally knew that the young man would come to Yanchun every day to buy a pot of old yellow wine, so he had been waiting here long ago.

His condescending gaze carried a hint of scrutiny. His powerful mental power spread and intertwined in and out of the car.

An invisible pressure fell on An Let s shoulder like a mountain, just like how Luo Qingchen wanted An Le to bow down in the carriage.

Qin Qianqiu’s status far exceeded Luo Qingchen’s, but his cultivation level was inferior.

Therefore, this oppression was nothing to An Le, who was fearless now. He was calm like a breeze.

The pressure came and went quickly.

Qin Qianqiu instantly retracted his mental power pressure, and a hint of admiration appeared on his face.

“As expected of Master An, who can obtain the Little Sacred Token. Against the pressure of a mountain, this unchanging spirit is indeed extraordinary.” Qin Qianqiu clapped his hands.

An Le shook his head. “You must be joking, benefactor. It’s just that your mental pressure is still a little lacking to call it a mountain.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Even the warm current from the setting sun could not dispel this coldness.

Qin Qianqiu narrowed his eyes in the carriage. “You know me?”

“I don’t know.” An Le shook his head. “But to be able to ride such a carriage in Lin’an Prefecture, your status is naturally noble.”

“My name is Qin Qianqiu. I’m hosting a banquet at the Drunken Dragon Pavilion. I wonder if Master An is willing to do me the honor?”

The coldness on Qin Qianqiu’s face dissipated, and he said with a smile.

When An Le heard Qin Qianqiu’s name, his expression did not change much.

Even though the other party was the benefactor of the Qin Residence who was Luo Qingchen’s backer and had a feud with the Lin Residence.

“I’m An Le. Greetings, Young Master Qin.” An Le raised his wine and bowed slightly with proper etiquette.

“It’s not that I don’t want to give you face, but I have a good friend at home who’s waiting for my pot of old wine. If Young Master Qin has something to say, you can tell me now. It’s good that you don’t have to spend money. The food and wine at the Drunken Dragon Pavilion are not cheap.”

Qin Qianqiu didn’t expect An Le to still reject him after he revealed his identity.

In the entire Lin’an, there were very few people who dared to reject his invitation.

As Prime Minister Qin’s favorite son, Qin Qianqiu was naturally flattered everywhere.

The young man’s simple and direct rejection indeed surprised him.

Qin Qianqiu felt a little upset, but he only smiled and said, “My Qin Residence does have an irreconcilable conflict with the Lin Residence, but it has nothing to do with you. You’ve just become an artist of the Lin Residence and are only painting for the Lin Residence. My Qin Residence has always been more tolerant of talents.’

“I’ve analyzed Master An’s ink bamboo in the Literary Department before.

You’re quite creative. I like the pride in paintings very much. In addition, Master An entered the Little Sacred Ranking with the Little Sacred Token because you have the ambition to charge into the Spring Quarter Examination this time and want to enter List A.”

“My Qin Residence can invite some Great Confucian teachers to guide Master An before the Spring Quarter Examination so that Master An can relax during the Spring Quarter Examination.”

“In addition, my Qin Residence can provide Master An with three ‘Flawless Demon Spirit Pills’ refined from 500 years of demon qi. They are rather precious and can accelerate the tempering of the body and quickly and flawlessly condense the Inner Core, allowing Master An to be more competitive in the Hall Examination.”

“This is something the current Lin Residence can’t give.”

“As for the other benefits, there are even more.” Qin Qianqiu said with a smile.

An Le held the old yellow wine and bathed in the warm sunset. He understood what Qin Qianqiu meant. He was offering conditions to poach him from the Lin Residence.

“I’m sorry, Young Master Qin. I promised to paint for the young masters of the Lin Residence. Now that I haven’t finished painting, there’s naturally no reason for me to leave. Moreover, the Lin Residence helped me a lot when I was insignificant. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring. Although I can’t be considered to have risen up now, it’ll be really ungrateful to turn around and leave.”

An Le expressed his intentions seriously.

On the long street, the cold wind wrapped in the setting sun blew against the young man with a straight back, adding a hint of solemnity and silence.

Qin Qianqiu’s expression turned cold. “Young Master An, are you not giving me any face?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to give it to you., but I do have an appointment at home.”

An Le smiled and cupped his fists. He raised the old yellow wine and stopped talking to Qin Qianqiu. With Green Mountain and Ink Pool Sword at his waist, he strolled towards Qingbo Street.

Qin Qianqiu lowered the curtain expressionlessly as he watched the young man in white leave.

However, he was not the only one in the carriage.

Opposite Qin Qianqiu, there was a slender man in blue clothes with dragonfish patterns on his sleeves. He sat upright in an unruly manner with a faint smile on his face. He was holding a wine pot and drinking wine. The spiritual energy in the wine was rich, so it was clearly extraordinary wine.

“It’s rare. In this huge Lin’an Prefecture, there’s actually someone who dares to not give Brother Qin face.”

The man grinned and teased.

Qin Qianqiu’s expression was indifferent. “He’s just a brat from the countryside who hasn’t seen the world. The Lin family gave him some small benefits and made him loyal. He doesn’t even understand the principle of a good bird choosing a tree to nest in. Perhaps he’s a little proud and talented, but in Lin’an, where there are rich and powerful people everywhere, it’s difficult for a country boy to have a future.”

Qin Qianqiu poured himself a glass of wine and drank it. His words were filled with arrogance and prejudice, and he looked down on them.

Luo Qingchen walked out of Qingzhou, but the family behind him was the number one family in Qingzhou. Qin Qianqiu naturally gave him face, but what was An Le?

“You think you can soar into the sky after obtaining the Little Sacred Token? Ridiculous.”

“Since ancient times, how many people with Little Sacred Tokens have died before they could even walk halfway?”

Qin Qianqiu shook his head.

“Brother Wang, you’re ranked 18th on the Little Sacred Ranking. If this child wants to advance on the Little Sacred Ranking, he’s destined to challenge you.

What do you think of him?”

The man drinking smiled. “His Body Tempering and Spirit Refinement are both at the second realm. Although his back is very straight and his pride is soaring, if we really fight, how many strikes can that pride… withstand?”

“He shouldn’t dare to challenge me for the time being.”

“I hope he comes. Unfortunately, he’s too weak now. If he comes to challenge me before breaking through the fourth realm of Body Tempering and reaching the Mystic Intent Realm, his chances of winning are almost nonexistent. He won’t be so stupid.’

The man was Wang Qinhe, who was ranked 18th on the Little Sacred Ranking. The Wang family’s old master was the Duke of Great Zhao and was also a noble in Lin’an. Prime Minister Qin’s first wife was the legitimate daughter of Duke Wang, so the Wang family and the Qin family were considered to be on the same side.

“Brother Wang, once your Spirit Refinement enters the Primordial Spirit of the Fourth Realm, you’re confident that you can enter a few more places on the Little Sacred Ranking.” Qin Qianqiu chuckled.

Wang Qinhe nodded and said, “Of course, I can’t underestimate the enemy either. It’s said that this child has only been enlightened for a few days and has already reached the second realm in both paths of cultivation. His talent is not inferior to Luo Qingchen back then.”

“Perhaps after the Imperial Examination, he will have the right to challenge me. If I can get rid of such a threat, I should get rid of it as soon as possible.”

“The young man now has Hua Jiebing as his guardian and the Little Sacred Token of the Sacred Mountain. If we want to touch him, ordinary methods naturally won’t work.”

“Just now, my Dragon Spine Saber sensed demon qi. That kid has something related to the demons on him. I can use this to make a fuss.

As soon as Wang Qinhe finished speaking, Qin Qianqiu’s lips curled up. “Does this kid have demon qi? I don’t know, I have to investigate carefully.”

“As for his talent, according to the investigation, he really completed the feat of breaking through two realms in a few days. His talent is extraordinary and is a small threat. However, this threat might not exist after today… It would have been fine if he didn’t refuse earlier.’

“But since he rejected me, he will know that it’s not that easy to reject my invitation.”

“Now that Hua Jiebing isn’t in Lin’an, if he really encounters danger, it won’t be easy to quickly protect him. As for the Sixth Mountain Lord… This child refused to become the Sixth Mountain Lord’s Mountain Guardian. With Mountain Lord’s temperament, he must be angry. Naturally, he won’t take action.”

“Of course, we have to give the Sacred Mountain face,” Wang Qinhe reminded. “I understand the rules.” Qin Qianqiu smiled noncommittally.

Wang Qinhe and Qin Qianqiu finished their wine and said, “Then let’s watch a good show and let me see what trump cards my future opponent has.”

On the long street, the wheels of the carriage that had been parked for a long time finally began to spin again.

It crushed the flat limestone and slowly walked forward.

After rejecting Qin Qianqiu, An Le didn’t mind.

The Lin Residence and the Qin Residence were destined to stand on opposite sides. Just as he had said, Madam Hua of the Lin Residence had taught him the Dao. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring. An Le naturally could not turn against them.

If that was the case, the so-called pride of an ink bamboo gentleman was a joke.

To curry favor with the powerful and fight for fame and benefits, what kind of gentleman was he?

The setting sun was like blood, and the mountain was as before.

When the last trace of afterglow was covered by Green Mountain, the world suddenly darkened. The cold wind of the spring night blew gently on the mortal world, bringing a harsh test to the new flowers and young grass.

An Le followed Yanchun to Dingya Alley and bought half a kilogram of beef. He passed through the alley, which had a special charm on a rainy day, and stepped into Qingbo Street.

Above his head, the moon was hooked and the stars were like rain.

The young man was dressed in white and had a bamboo sword and an ink sword at his waist. He held yellow wine and beef in his hand and stopped in his tracks, looking straight ahead.

At the entrance of Qingbo Street, which was two to three miles away from Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley.

The cold moonlight and the stars in the sky reflected a carriage that An Le was quite familiar with.

On the shaft of the carriage, a burly coachman wearing a bamboo hat and holding a long saber was quietly looking at the white-robed young man who was as handsome as jade under the moonlight and starlight.

The two of them looked at each other.

It was just like when the young man was covered in blood and walked out of

Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley with his head. It was as if time had

intertwined and time had stacked.

The horse pulling the carriage neighed uneasily and stepped on the limestone.

The burly coachman, who was wearing a bamboo hat and bathed in starlight, slowly stood up. He stood at the shaft of the carriage and raised his saber to salute the martial world. His expression was solemn, respectful, and solemn.

“Mr. Luo’s coachman, Zhu Shan of Qingzhou, begs you to die..”