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nTwo weeks passed since the start of the ceasefire talks of two Northern Kingdoms.

nThe Wu Family and their associates moved out from the capital, the innkeeper sending them off with a more believable “come back again” this time, as their stay went far more smoothly than the previous one, and returned to the ship that traveled the coastal line to the North at a moderate pace with comfort.

nAs they passed a certain coastal town in Gugong Kingdom, Kwon Qianhong joined them as well, his eyes widening at the sight of the giant ship, when Cao Xiang’s crew transported him aboard. The first face that came into his view as he arrived on the side deck was of an older gentleman.

n“Greetings, I will be working with you all from now on, and following Boss in whatever he needs me to do.

nMy name is Kwon Qianhong, but you all can call me Qian if that is more comfortable for you. Looking forward to working with you”, the newcomer deeply bowed with a fist and hand salute toward Butler Bang and people behind him.

n“Hmm, good, good, finally a Junior… or Senior?”, a voice resounded from ahead, first full of confidence and slightly excited, and then turning a bit reluctant.

nAs Kwon Qianhong raised his slightly confused gaze, a muscular man with a few blue spots on his face that were slightly swelled entered his view.

n“Hohoho, now you suspect everyone is a hidden master of Martial Arts? Don’t worry, this young man here is your Junior… at least in strength for sure”, Butler Bang first made a light laugh, seeing Nie Guanting now doubt first impressions, and then turned to Kwon Qianhong with a smile full of appreciation for the sensible and humble introduction, “Ah, pardon my manners. Welcome, Mister Kwon, I am the Head Butler of the Wu Household, and will be supervising you for a bit before Young Master decides where your talents would be put to good use”

n“Hmm, don’t worry lad, as long as you follow this Senior of yours, you will be in good hands”, Nie Guanting made a bright grin as he heard Butler Bang’s words, and pointed at himself with a thumb, a confident grin appearing on his face.

n“…I look forward to your guidance Seniors”, Qian bowed again with a hint of being overwhelmed by first impressions.

n—

nWu Long lightly raised his eyebrow as he looked at Nie Guanting.

n“I thought I said to go easy?”, he lightly asked, turning his gaze to the old butler who made a wry smile.

n“My apologies, Young Master. I followed that instruction… But he just wouldn’t stop challenging me, saying that the previous fight I used a trick, or that he was not prepared… and this old man was starting to slightly lose breath… so…”, Butler Bang spoke with a slightly troubled tone.

n“Hahaha, not that I am blaming you, I was just surprised since you are a perfectionist and I rarely, or rather almost never, saw you deviate from my instructions. But I get it, after all, he has the Marvelous Resilience Framework, a physique that grants heightened physical stamina”, Wu Long nodded with understanding of what happened.

n“Boss, isn’t that one of those legendary Special Physiques?”, Kwon Qianhong asked with widening eyes, his gaze turning to Nie Guanting becoming filled with even more amazement.

n“Not exactly, it is more of a deviation, and also of a small scale and effect. It would be very noticeable among common mortals, and a bit less but still palpable among Mortal Cultivators, but loses more and more ground the higher the level of people around. That said, coupled with a good Body Tempering Technique, it could potentially still have its benefits”, Wu Long traced his chin as he looked at the muscular man.

n“You are at this point still a pure Body Tempering Cultivator. Do you wish to continue on this path?”, he asked next.

n“Mm, that depends on what will make me strong… I have trained in Body Tempering since I believed that would make me strong, but then…”, Nie Guanting traced his chin as well, not answering with a certain response, as he turned to Wu Long and Butler Bang who were both more lean-looking but managed to overwhelm him all the same.

n“Good response. The flexibility of mind is a good thing, but you have also been training in an inferior Body Tempering Technique, so comparing it with Butler Bang’s combat is not exactly fair, not to mention that he is higher in Realm than you. I know a lot of pure Body Tempering Cultivators who have attained incredible heights. Your weapon should be a heavy one right?”, Wu Long nodded with appreciation as this man’s vision was not as narrow as it initially might look.

nHe was not proficient in politics or mind games, and was quite straightforward, but at the same time had a clear understanding that just being purely physically strong did not make him truly strong.

nNie Guanting nodded to Wu Long’s question and took out a thick and very wide giant ruler, its length a bit higher than his own, Kwon Qianhong slightly jumping up at the moment the heavy blunt tip made contact with the deck floor with a heavy *THUD!*.

n“Mm, good enough then. I will teach you Body Tempering Technique only if you manage to gain initial mastery over a fighting style I will give you within a month. If you cannot do that, you would have to gain strength in Spiritual Cultivation alongside Body Tempering”, Wu Long nodded, causing Butler Bang to make a slightly surprised look as this was the first time that his Young Master issued someone a challenge to do something in order to teach them a certain way.

n“Got it, will do”, Nie Guanting’s eyes shined with determination as his face revealed a wide grin of excitement.

n“You, on the other hand…”, Wu Long’s gaze then turned to Kwon Qianhong, as the latter gulped.

n“I’m… not that good at fighting to be honest…”, the young man gulped as he knew he was far outmatched by both subordinates of Wu Long he saw.

n“Heh, that won’t do. You will have to learn that then. It’s fine if it is not your strongest point, but being completely left behind in terms of combat power is out of question”, Wu Long chuckled, and then added with a grin, “Or I’ll cut your salary”

n“This Kwon Qianhong will do my best, Boss!”

n—

n“Are we going home?”, Cao Xiang asked as he joined his beauties.

n“Hahah, no, not yet. Did you forget? While we have eliminated the Master behind it, there is still the main Sect of Lust Cultivators”, he chuckled, as Shen Min nodded with strong approval of those words.

n“Then… our next destination..”, Cao Mei widened her eyes, revealing a light excitement.

n“Mm, we’re going to the Island Kingdom of Lihai”, Wu Long nodded confirming her guess.

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