Chapter 59 - 57: The 1st Successor

Chapter 59: Chapter 57: The 1st Successor

Village Chief Chen was glowing with health, his whole person full of vigor. His every word revealed a confidence he had never possessed before.

Ever since Su Tan reached a cooperation agreement with the Xu Family, Village Chief Chen finally felt a sense of vindication. Now, whenever the Xu Family saw him—from their patriarch down to their servants—they treated him with the utmost respect. In the past, whenever he encountered anyone from the Xu Family, even a mere servant, he was the one bowing and scraping. If he ran into a direct bloodline member, he wouldn’t dare breathe a word of offense.

He now had face. On top of that, Su Tan had given him many of the resources sent by the Xu Family, bringing him wealth as well. Having both prestige and wealth was the ultimate source of a man’s confidence. His authority within Chen Family Village had soared. Even the neighboring villages, upon hearing that the Xu Family treated him with a degree of reverence, began looking up to him as a "big brother" figure. Before he knew it, Village Chief Chen had become a highly respected presence for miles around.

People who wanted to ask the Xu Family for favors but couldn’t get a foot in the door would come begging Village Chief Chen first. This recent period was the most glorious time of his entire life.

However, despite his newfound glory, he maintained one daily habit. That was delivering meals to Su Tan—personally, every single day.

He was acutely aware of why those people respected him so much and why the Chen Family had suddenly become wealthy. It was all because of Su Tan. If it weren’t for Su Tan, why would the Xu Family give a damn about him? Su Tan was not only his savior but also the key to the Chen Family’s prosperity.

How could he not take good care of him? In truth, he knew that Su Tan’s current status was worlds apart from before. With Su Tan’s present abilities, he didn’t need the Chen Family to deliver his meals at all. With a single word, the Xu Family would arrange everything perfectly. Yet, Su Tan insisted on having the Chen Family handle it. What immense trust was that?

Recently, he had heard that the Xu Family even prepared to send Miss Xu Jiu to take care of Su Tan’s daily needs. Because Su Tan had once praised Miss Nine’s exceptional cooking skills, the Xu Family likely thought they could use this opportunity to draw closer to him, but Su Tan rejected the offer. Miss Nine was great, but Su Tan didn’t like having a stranger suddenly move into his home, especially a woman; it was simply too inconvenient. With just him and the Little White Wolf, Su Tan could do whatever he pleased—change clothes whenever he wanted, take a bath whenever he wanted, and practice his Cultivation Technique whenever he wanted.

Men and women were different. Having Miss Nine around wouldn’t be good. Of course, Su Tan was a man; to say he had no needs regarding women would be a lie. But no matter how much he had those needs, he could hardly put on a live broadcast in front of the Little White Wolf. He had to show restraint.

What made a human human was the ability to restrain one’s desires. Sometimes, when a man remained unmoved, it wasn’t that he genuinely lacked interest, but rather that he had learned self-restraint. Whether or not someone could hold back depended entirely on their personal character.

Su Tan was not a casual person. He firmly believed that when it came to women, he should either have none or commit for a lifetime once he made a move. Rejecting Miss Nine was a perfectly normal thing to do.

"Su Tan, time to eat! You’re in for a treat today; we made a few extra dishes," Village Chief Chen called out with a beaming smile. He wasn’t fawning; it was the kind of grateful attitude shared between friends.

Su Tan quite liked the village chief’s demeanor. "Thank you for the trouble," he replied.

"It’s no trouble at all. Let me introduce today’s dishes. There’s mushroom chicken stew and a fish soup, both made personally by my wife. As for the rest, we hired someone specifically to cook them." Village Chief Chen looked a bit embarrassed. "It’s not that we’re being lazy; it’s just that we don’t know how to cook some of these exotic dishes."

Su Tan’s meals were certainly no longer as rough as they used to be. Now that their conditions had improved, Village Chief Chen would send someone to town specifically to buy groceries every day. Sometimes, he would even order expensive ingredients from afar that were said to be delicious. Su Tan was practically eating exotic delicacies.

And it was never just one dish. Every time, it took the village chief and several young men working together just to deliver it all.

"Alright, then I’ll make sure to taste them all properly!" Su Tan didn’t stand on ceremony.

He was indeed hungry. The food was delicious, and it greatly stimulated his appetite. However, Su Tan didn’t wolf down the food like a reincarnated starving ghost; he still cared about his image when he ate. Well... even if he wanted to devour everything like a whirlwind, he couldn’t pull it off. Because he couldn’t see, picking up food wasn’t very convenient. He could only eat slowly.

After eating and drinking to his heart’s content, he said, "I’m full!"

"As long as you’re full," Village Chief Chen said. Seeing that Su Tan had finished, he prepared to clear the table and leave. Unless something was the matter, he wouldn’t disturb Su Tan, knowing he disliked being interrupted.

"Hold on a moment, Village Chief. I have a matter to discuss with you," Su Tan spoke up.

"Oh? Please, go ahead!" Village Chief Chen paused in surprise. Su Tan had something to discuss with him? He wondered what he could possibly help Su Tan with. At most, he just delivered meals. He was genuinely puzzled.

Su Tan paused for a moment before asking, "I’d like Qi to practice cultivation with me. Would that be alright?"

Hearing this, Village Chief Chen stared at Su Tan in astonishment. "Cul... cultivation... with you?"

As he recovered his senses, his astonishment turned into pleasant surprise. To actually be able to practice cultivation alongside Su Tan—Qi’s future would be limitless! This was wonderful!

"Is it alright?" Su Tan asked again.

"Yes, of course it is!" Village Chief Chen nodded excitedly.

He didn’t know Su Tan’s true background and had never seen him cultivate. He even assumed that Su Tan was still a complete novice in cultivation, especially since Su Tan had previously been amazed by his Profound Ice Spirit Force. He figured that the Xu Family was teaching Su Tan cultivation, and Su Tan had thought of Qi, wanting the boy to receive the Xu Family’s teachings alongside him. Village Chief Chen was deeply moved; Su Tan was truly a righteous and loyal person! Even when it came to something as important as cultivation, he still thought of the Chen Family!

In Village Chief Chen’s mind, the Xu Family was a behemoth in the vicinity of White Cloud City, an undisputed major cultivation clan. How many commoners dreamed of receiving the Xu Family’s teachings? It was something countless people yearned for but could never attain! For Qi to follow Su Tan and receive the Xu Family’s instruction was a massive stroke of luck. He agreed on the spot.

"I must make it clear beforehand that cultivation is an extremely painful process that can push a person to the brink of a breakdown," Su Tan warned. "During his training, if Qi can’t persevere and ends up being punished, you can’t let your heart ache for him!"

"What are you saying? What in life isn’t hard work?" Village Chief Chen patted his chest and guaranteed. "Plowing fields and farming is hard work, let alone cultivation, which goes against the heavens! Being able to access high-level cultivation is something countless people dream of. Don’t worry—if that brat misbehaves and doesn’t train properly, even if you don’t beat him, I will!"

"With your word on it, I’m relieved. Send Qi over later," Su Tan smiled.

Hard work? Su Tan’s Cultivation Technique was far more than just hard work... Even the Little White Wolf couldn’t handle it, so who knew how Qi would fare? Thinking about it, it was actually quite cruel!

However, this was Su Tan’s gift to the Chen Family. It all depended on whether Qi could seize the opportunity; if he couldn’t, Su Tan couldn’t be blamed.

Besides, Su Tan wasn’t teaching him for nothing. He needed Energy Points.

Based on the Little White Wolf’s condition, whenever a living creature successfully practiced his Cultivation Technique, he would receive Energy Points in return. Su Tan was currently in desperate need of massive amounts of Energy Points. He wanted to spread his Cultivation Method Manual. However, he wouldn’t do it blindly. Su Tan would only teach it to familiar people he deemed reliable. If it meant teaching the technique to risky strangers, he would rather not have those Energy Points at all.

Heaven knew what kind of underhanded methods those big shots would use if the Body Refinement Chapter of the Ten Thousand Dao Furnace was spread to the outside world! After all, it was a Cultivation Technique capable of evolving ordinary creatures into the Dominator Body! Imparting it required the utmost caution.

Aside from the Little White Wolf, Chen Xiaoqi was currently the best candidate and Su Tan’s designated first inheritor. As for Village Chief Chen? He was simply too old and no longer suitable!