Chapter 18: But You Have Underlings!

As the sky brightened, a knocking sound rang out. Wu Song had returned.

“Where’s Ximen the Fatty?” Jiang Taixuan asked.

“That Ximen dog scoundrel went back to sleep. He was up all night yesterday,” Wu Song said coldly.

Regarding Ximen Qing, even if he didn’t take action, Wu Song had no kind words for him.

“Go call Li Guang. We need to discuss something,” Jiang Taixuan said.

Wu Song nodded and was just about to go when Li Guang appeared with a swish, excitedly saying, “Field Master, is there another mission?”

“No mission. Right now, there’s something important,” Jiang Taixuan said seriously.

“No mission? Then what could be so important?” Li Guang frowned slightly, somewhat displeased, but then he looked at Jiang Taixuan in surprise. “Field Master, you reached the peak of the eighth stage? Fantastic. Once you reach the Innate Realm early, we can connect to the Celestial Network.”

“The Celestial Network? What on earth is that?” Jiang Taixuan remembered that when the Divine Devil Dojo was first activated, it tried to connect to the Celestial Network, but the connection failed because his cultivation was insufficient.

“I don’t know. I only know it’s something very mysterious and extremely important for the development of the Divine Devil Dojo. You can only connect once you reach the Innate Realm, but if the Field Master doesn’t connect, we can’t either,” Li Guang said helplessly.

“We’ll talk about that after I break through to the Innate Realm. Right now, we should discuss something very important, such as Ximen the Fatty,” Jiang Taixuan said gravely.

“That Ximen dog scoundrel? What importance does he have?” Wu Song sneered.

Li Guang also wore a look of contempt. If not for the Field Master’s sake, he wouldn’t even pay attention to such trash.

“Ximen the Fatty has a mutated Ancient Mystic Tortoise bloodline. You can tell, right?” Jiang Taixuan asked.

The two Gods and Demons nodded; their judgment wasn’t bad. “A mutated Mystic Tortoise bloodline is passable, but still only average, not particularly rare.”

Jiang Taixuan curled his lip. They really talked without feeling any hardship. “Average is fine. After all, this isn’t the Divine Realm.”

“Field Master, what exactly are you trying to say?” Wu Song asked, frowning.

“I want to awaken his bloodline. You should have a way, right?” Jiang Taixuan said with a light laugh. The System stipulated he couldn’t demand goods from the Gods and Demons, but getting them to do something should be okay, right?

As for bloodline awakening and evolution, evolution he couldn’t manage, but awakening might not require System items; other methods might also work.

“You want me to awaken that Ximen dog scoundrel’s bloodline? Field Master, I can agree to other things from you, but not this!” Wu Song became angry.

Ximen Qing, recognizing Ximen Qing as an ancestor was one thing, but he also dared to call his elder brother a dwarf. This matter absolutely could not be let go.

“Hey, Wu Song, you need to have a broader perspective,” Jiang Taixuan sighed lightly. “Think about it. We’re in such a remote place. Who would come looking for us for no reason? We need to know how to promote ourselves, to bring people in from outside.”

“You are Gods and Demons, full of style. I am the Field Master; my style isn’t low either. If I go out to promote and recruit people, wouldn’t that be lowering my status? You wouldn’t agree either, right?”

Hearing Jiang Taixuan’s words, Wu Song’s expression softened a little, but he still didn’t agree.

Li Guang nodded in agreement. “Correct. The Field Master and us absolutely cannot do such face-losing work. We still need a runner.”

“Then we don’t have to choose that Ximen dog scoundrel. We can choose someone else,” Wu Song still held some grudge.

“Wu Song, think about it. The mutated Mystic Tortoise bloodline, though average, is a top-grade bloodline in this world. That’s a living advertisement board.”

“Moreover, if Ximen Qing works for us, doesn’t that mean he’ll be working under you? That way, you can bully him, whip him, beat him up, torment him as you please. What a wonderful thing that would be.”

Jiang Taixuan painted the future for Wu Song. Thinking about it, it did sound pretty exciting.

Wu Song pondered. That’s right. Back then, killing Ximen Qing with one slash was really letting him off too easy. He should have taken him as a subordinate, bullied him fiercely, tormented him fiercely, made him suffer terribly, worse than death.

Seeing Wu Song’s gradually brightening face, Jiang Taixuan smiled slightly. “Now, Wu Song, first go drag Ximen the Fatty over to cook.”

“Ximen Qing didn’t sleep all night yesterday, hanging signs the whole time. Isn’t this a bit too harsh?” Li Guang felt a bit of pity. Wasn’t this too cruel? Even if he had no great merit, he had put in hard work.

“Sleep my foot! The Field Master is hungry, and he dares to sleep?” Wu Song immediately became enraged. This was a great excuse for torment.

“Li Guang, tell me, how can we quickly awaken Ximen the Fatty’s bloodline?” Jiang Taixuan looked at Li Guang, eyes full of expectation.

“Quickly? If the Field Master takes out God-Demon Evolution Fluid or bloodline series awakening items, it can be instantly awakened,” Li Guang said thoughtfully.

“What about a slower way?” Jiang Taixuan’s face twitched. If he had those things, he would have used them on himself long ago. Why would he give them to Ximen the Fatty?

“Violent beating!” Li Guang said leisurely.

Jiang Taixuan’s eyes lit up. He clapped his hands. “Li Guang, I realize you’re not truly sympathetic towards him either. Well then, I believe Wu Song will be very happy.”

Li Guang’s expression changed slightly. It seemed he had set up Ximen Qing.

Before long, Ximen the Fatty was dragged over, screaming like a slaughtered pig the whole way. He wanted to curse loudly but didn’t dare, because Wu Song had literally kicked him awake; it was definitely not a polite invitation.

Ximen Qing, with dark circles under his eyes, looked pitifully at Jiang Taixuan. “Brother Xuan…”

“Good boy, cook first. After we’re full, I’ll help you awaken your bloodline and make you a Martial Artist,” Jiang Taixuan said with a beaming smile.

“Thank you, Brother Xuan.” Upon hearing he could become a Martial Artist, Ximen Qing immediately perked up. He stopped complaining about anything and started cooking at once.

After eating, Jiang Taixuan looked satisfied. Foundation Building Demonic Beast meat really tasted better and had more energy.

“Brother Xuan, I’m full. Hurry up and make me a Martial Artist,” Ximen the Fatty said after gnawing a bone clean, letting out a burp, his face full of expectation.

“Full?” Jiang Taixuan looked at him with a smiling face, confirming.

“Full,” Ximen the Fatty nodded repeatedly.

“You’re sure you’re full?”

“I’m sure. Brother Xuan, hurry and make me a Martial Artist. I can’t wait any longer,” Ximen the Fatty said urgently. He was very eager.

Jiang Taixuan smiled and nodded. He looked at Wu Song and Li Guang. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a cold expression. “Drag him out and beat him up. Beat him until he smokes!”

“Yes, Field Master,” Wu Song sneered, grabbed Ximen Qing, and ruthlessly dragged him away. Li Guang sneered and followed.

“Brother Xuan, Brother Xuan…” Ximen the Fatty screamed in terror. This was killing the donkey after grinding the grain!

He had helped a lot, done a lot of work. Not letting him become a Martial Artist was one thing, but now they were going to beat him up too?

After seeing off Ximen the Fatty, Jiang Taixuan went to the Herb Field. The fragrance of the Herb Field was getting stronger and stronger. The herbs in the field were growing well; it wouldn’t be long before they matured.

“Soon. With this batch of herbs, I should be able to improve my strength faster. As for Clear Moon Academy, handing over one or two plants to be symbolic is enough,” Jiang Taixuan thought, stroking his chin.

It wasn’t that he had no conscience, but this barren Herb Field was doing well if it grew a few low-grade herbs each month. Now the growth was good, and the quality had improved. Continuing to hand some over was already repaying kindness.

If he handed everything over, he wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow; the next moment, this Herb Field would be taken back by Clear Moon Academy, without any discussion.

“Brother Xuan, Brother Xuan, I’m here.”

Wang Mingming’s voice came from the distance, his expression incredibly excited.

“Business is here.” Jiang Taixuan walked toward the Divine Devil Dojo with a smile. With a turn of Faraway Yet Close, he arrived at the Dojo entrance in the blink of an eye and welcomed Wang Mingming inside.

“Brother Xuan, is the Divine Martial Bloodline still available?” Wang Mingming asked excitedly.

“Go look for yourself,” Jiang Taixuan said indifferently. It updated daily. Yesterday it was Divine Martial Bloodline; today it definitely wasn’t.

“Divine Martial Body! Today it’s actually Divine Martial Body!” Wang Mingming exclaimed excitedly.

In this world, there were countless physical constitutions, no worse than bloodlines. And the Divine Martial Body was not the least bit inferior to the Divine Martial Bloodline.

“Wang Mingming, do your best. You will definitely succeed,” Jiang Taixuan encouraged.

“Yeah,” Wang Mingming nodded emphatically, then eagerly threw Gold Coins into the machine. “I will definitely get the Divine Martial Body!”

“Ding. Thank you for your participation.”

“…”

Jiang Taixuan looked up at the sky. Watching someone jump into a pit was quite enjoyable, but watching continuously became a bit embarrassing.

Feeling the constant increase in his coins was still quite satisfying.

“Ding. Thank you for your participation.”

“Ding…”

“Brother Xuan, I’m out of money.” In the blink of an eye, Wang Mingming looked tearful and resentful.

“You only brought five hundred Gold Coins?” Jiang Taixuan’s face darkened. Didn’t this guy say his family was very rich? Why only bring five hundred Gold Coins?

Isn’t your family supposed to be a top-tier clan? Didn’t you say few in the entire Clear Moon City could compare to your family’s wealth?

Wang Mingming looked awkward and said helplessly, “My dad doesn’t believe me. He won’t give me money.”

“You’re that old and still asking your parents for money,” Jiang Taixuan said disdainfully.

Wang Mingming was deeply ashamed. He was just a teenager, still a student. What ways did he have to earn money? The rewards he just got from the assessment were all sold to pay debts, and the few remaining good items were confiscated.

Looking at the ashamed Wang Mingming, Jiang Taixuan’s eyes shifted. “Don’t you have a lot of underlings in Clear Moon City?”

Wang Mingming’s eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh, suddenly enlightened. “Right! Brother Xuan, I forgot all about it until you mentioned it. I can collect protection money!”

“I…”

“Brother Xuan, enough said. I’ll go first, next time,” Wang Mingming hurriedly left, not giving him a chance to speak.

“I meant, you promote for me! I was going to lend you some Gold Coins! Dammit!”

Jiang Taixuan’s face turned dark. When did I ever teach you to collect protection money? Where did you get the idea that I meant that?