Chapter 478 - 447: For 300 Years: Look to the Father, Respect the Son

Chapter 478: Chapter 447: For 300 Years: Look to the Father, Respect the Son

Chen Che racked his brain but couldn’t figure out why Zhao Yunchen had invited him to join the alliance.

However, how could an old fox like him just hand over benefits for free? Especially when the price was three pieces of Meteorite Iron.

He definitely had some kind of plan that Chen Che didn’t know about.

’The Hong Alliance is of questionable value to me now.’

After all, a platform for Golden Core cultivators was a rare thing.

Take an item on the level of Meteorite Iron, for example. One wouldn’t even dream of seeing it at an auction in Faqian City for another hundred years. But he could trade for it with other Golden Core cultivators using his own resources.

If he didn’t have Jinyun Valley, as a Loose Cultivator, he would have definitely tried to join the Hong Alliance.

But now, there was no need. The title ’Valley Master Chen’ was a guarantee in itself.

So, he had refused without hesitation.

No matter how Zhao Yunchen schemed, he wouldn’t take the bait.

With these thoughts in mind, Chen Che summoned Hu Yao and ordered him to pass down the news that the warrant for Zhao Shifeng’s arrest was canceled.

"Yes!"

Hu Yao wasn’t surprised. After all, Chen Che had personally escorted them out of the valley, and they hadn’t shown the slightest dissatisfaction upon leaving. The two parties must have reached some private agreement.

"However, we still need to provide an explanation to the public. Say that the Alliance Leader of the Hong Alliance personally brought Zhao Shifeng to serve tea and apologize, and also presented a generous gift. After friendly negotiations, Jinyun Valley agreed to cancel the warrant."

"With this, the matter is officially closed. However, transfer Zhao Shifeng’s entire bounty onto Gongyang Shuo’s head."

Chen Che said slowly.

Reversing a decision like canceling a warrant couldn’t be done arbitrarily without a good reason; otherwise, it would damage Jinyun Valley’s prestige.

Otherwise, people would think that Jinyun Valley was afraid of the Hong Alliance’s power.

But with the public apology as a pretext, it would instead enhance his authority.

"I understand..."

As Hu Yao turned to leave, he seemed to remember something and added, "When I came, Zhao Yunchen and his son hadn’t left. They’re still wandering around the Market."

"Don’t worry about them. The Market is a place of business; they can stay or go as they please. Are we supposed to kick them out just for looking around?"

Chen Che slowly rose to his feet. "Go on and handle it. I’m going to the back mountain..."

With this piece of Meteorite Iron, creating the gourd’s outer shell could soon be put on the agenda.

At the very least, although it was just one piece, it was worth more than ten other types of materials.

...

"If you have something to say, don’t hold it in."

After leaving Jinyun Valley and circling the Market a few times, Zhao Yunchen glanced at Zhao Shifeng, who was following behind him, and spoke lightly.

Zhao Shifeng’s face was grim. With great reluctance, he said, "Father, I don’t understand why you had to sacrifice your dignity to go and apologize. Our Hong Alliance isn’t necessarily weaker than Jinyun Valley, and your status is no less than that of Valley Master Chen."

"You paid such a high price to pull him into the alliance, and he actually refused! He’s clearly looking down on our Hong Alliance! As for the warrant, do you think I’m afraid of it?"

In his eyes, his father was the leader of an alliance, a towering figure. Although he couldn’t compare to the great lords of the Primordial Sect, the Star-Picking Sect, or Mist Rain Tower, in the past, many Golden Core cultivators would show him some respect just at the mention of his name.

But now, he had personally witnessed his own father, bowing and scraping, practically fawning as he apologized to someone else.

"If the Hong Alliance was truly no weaker than them, then when Lu Wanli was killed, hundreds of our Golden Core cultivators would have already descended upon Jinyun Valley. Even the Primordial Sect would have to bow its head and give an explanation in the face of such a force. How could he possibly have the gall to issue a warrant for your arrest?"

Zhao Yunchen gave a bitter smile.

"How can you not see even this much?"

"..."

Zhao Shifeng was momentarily stunned.

"Shifeng."

Zhao Yunchen looked deeply at his son and sighed. "I, your father, may seem impressive as the leader of an alliance, able to call upon friends and allies. But in truth, none of those people can be relied upon when it truly matters."

"I am already over seven hundred years old. I suffered a severe injury in my youth, and now I’m just an empty shell. I probably won’t live for another twenty years, and I have no hope of reaching Nascent Soul Formation. But the one I worry about most is you..."

"You’ve grown up under my protection, your personality is overly headstrong, and you’ve been ruined by the flattery of those sycophantic friends of yours. You’ve never learned when to advance and when to retreat. Once I’m gone, there will be no one left to clean up your messes."

As he finished, Zhao Yunchen shook his head repeatedly.

Zhao Shifeng was stunned. He had never seen his father appear so old and weary. For a moment, it felt as if the sky was falling.

"The Hong Alliance is a platform. In its early years, I established the rule that each member would be independent. While this made the Hong Alliance seem vast, it also hindered its development and made it this loose."

"I wanted to bring Valley Master Chen into the alliance and use his reputation to keep the Hong Alliance alive. That way, even after I’m gone, you could enjoy some of the benefits of my legacy. Unfortunately, he looks down on it!"

"But fortunately, he did cancel the warrant against you. At least you won’t be in his sights anymore."

Zhao Yunchen let out a long sigh.

The moment he learned that Zhao Shifeng had been put on the wanted list for trespassing in Jinyun Valley, he almost felt like his own world was collapsing. This Valley Master was not yet thirty, yet he already had the power to kill Lu Wanli. In the future, his chances of reaching Nascent Soul Formation were at least seventy percent.

Even if he couldn’t advance, he would become a figure on par with True Master Chixia.

How could the Cave Mansion of such an existence be trespassed upon so lightly?

Especially when he was missing and all the higher-ups of Jinyun Valley were searching for him... This act was no different from the mortal equivalent of desecrating an ancestral grave or kicking over a widow’s bowl. If they had run into you on the road, they would have killed you without a second thought.

However, being the old fox that he was, he calculated his options and figured he could turn a bad situation into a good one. That was why he had personally come to apologize at the first opportunity.

"Father, I..."

But Zhao Yunchen had already said calmly, "After I am gone, if you want to live out your life in peace, either go to Faqian City or come settle in Jinyun Valley. Valley Master Chen’s reputation is excellent."

"If you are unwilling to do either, then find an uninhabited land and start your own family line."

"Yes."

Zhao Shifeng nodded slightly.

"Sigh."

Zhao Yunchen sighed slowly.

There’s a saying among mortals: Thirty years ago, people respected the son because of the father; thirty years later, people respect the father because of the son.

For cultivators, the cycle is three hundred years. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t live to see that day.

...

Arriving at the back mountain, Chen Che handed the Meteorite Iron to Yu Qian.

Yu Qian was astonished to see the Meteorite Iron, but when he learned it was a gift from Zhao Yunchen, he felt it made sense.

After all, as the leader of the Hong Alliance, he was, to a certain extent, in a position similar to Chen Che at the auction house, able to get advance notice of certain things.

However, when he heard that Chen Che had rejected the invitation to become Vice Alliance Leader, he found it rather regrettable.

"It seems the Hong Alliance is about to fall apart."

Yu Qian slowly shook his head and sighed.

"For the past few decades, the Hong Alliance has existed in name only. The members have been using it less and less to trade materials amongst themselves. After Lu Wanli took over, there were faint signs of a revival, but with his death, you’ve completely severed the alliance’s lifeline."

"Zhao Yunchen probably wanted to use your name to keep the Hong Alliance going. After all, since you killed Lu Wanli, your strength and reputation are more than sufficient. No one would object if you were to take his place."

He was also a member of the Hong Alliance.

Over the years, he had personally witnessed the Hong Alliance’s steady decline.

But then again, the organization had been too loose from the very beginning, with no cohesion whatsoever.

Chen Che nodded slightly.

With this explanation, he immediately understood the other man’s actions.

However, he had Jinyun Valley. Why would he have any interest in managing a loose organization?

"Still, this Meteorite Iron is truly a fine thing. Now, we’re only missing one or two materials. In ten to fifteen days at most, we can put reforging the gourd on the agenda."

Yu Qian said with a smile.

...

As time went by, life gradually became more tranquil.

The aftershocks from the great battle at Faqian City had finally died down.

The great battle where eleven Golden Core cultivators had fallen was no longer the subject of idle chatter among their peers. Instead, the talk was of Huang Shiwo, who, after entering the territory of Mist Rain Tower, was intercepted by several Golden Core cultivators and forced to abandon his pursuit of the Six-tusked White Elephant.

Gongyang Shuo, who was on the wanted list, was still nowhere to be found. It was said that someone had spotted him in the territory of Mist Rain Tower, and this news was at least seventy percent reliable.

Apparently, the Evil Cultivator was indeed somewhat afraid of Jinyun Valley’s warrant, even fleeing the jurisdiction of the Primordial Sect.

After all, his track record still carried considerable deterrent force.

In other news, there was still no word of the masters of the Primordial Sect and the Star-Picking Sect emerging from their seclusion.