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Chapter 36: So This Is the Kind of Person Du Rong Is
🕑 Added 2025-03-03 11:32:11 +0000 UTCSee, this was exactly what he couldn't understand.
Du Rong thought to himself as he set the empty wine cup aside.
A young man who had emerged from a remote mountain village, no matter how fortuitous his encounters, no matter how he rose from obscurity to stand among the distinguished—should not have undergone such an immense transformation in such a short period. Even Pang Hemu, upon seeing him earlier, had reacted just like any other ordinary person, instinctively feeling inferior.
Yet this shop owner before him met his gaze head-on, his expression calm and unyielding. He spoke neither servilely nor arrogantly, as if he genuinely held no fear of the power Du Rong carried, as if he truly saw them as equals.
This peculiarity did not offend Du Rong; rather, he found it refreshing. He never believed that cultivators were inherently superior to ordinary people. However, the world often shackled people with invisible chains, and very few could maintain their dignity when faced with overwhelming power.
Du Rong turned his gaze to Chen Xiao, his voice resonating within the private room.
"Shopkeeper Chen, feel free to ask. If it is within my knowledge, I will answer."
Chen Xiao had no idea what was going through Du Rong’s mind. Even though he had done his best to imitate how people in this world conducted themselves, some things simply couldn't be learned through imitation alone. Besides, he wasn’t a professional actor. how could he possibly maintain a façade at all times?
Fortunately, even if his disguise were to be seen through, cultivators like Du Rong wouldn’t burn him at the stake. The cultivation world was filled with too many bizarre occurrences; there were beings even more enigmatic than him. This made people here far more accepting of the strange and unusual.
Chen Xiao’s voice was clear as he asked, "Is there a place where cultivators and ordinary people frequently interact?"
Du Rong was momentarily stunned. Confused, he asked, "...Could Shopkeeper Chen be more specific? I don’t quite understand."
Chen Xiao straightened up, carefully explaining, "I mean, is there a town that is the exact opposite of a county city? In a county city, ordinary people greatly outnumber cultivators, and the two groups barely intersect, each maintaining their own separate circles. What I’m looking for is a place where cultivators are the majority, but they don’t deliberately isolate themselves from ordinary people in daily life."
Du Rong understood now. He nodded.
"Shopkeeper Chen is asking if there are cities specifically for cultivators? Such places do exist."
Seeing Chen Xiao’s curiosity, he decided to elaborate. After all, this wasn’t a secret, ordinary folk simply had no access to such information, so it wasn’t widely known.
"In the Dai Kingdom, the vast majority of people are mortals without the ability to cultivate, which is why little is known about such matters. But in truth, cultivators are numerous. Not only do they have their own cities, but some sects even control entire vassal states."
Chen Xiao looked genuinely surprised.
He had assumed that cultivators in this world were akin to the legendary immortals of his previous life, few in number, secluded in deep mountains or remote islands, quietly cultivating without interfering in worldly affairs.
Who would have thought that reality was completely different?
Clearly, his understanding of this cultivation-based world was still far too shallow; he hadn't even scratched the surface of its core structure.
It wasn’t that Chen Xiao hadn’t tried to learn more, rather, it was a limitation imposed by society itself. Knowledge wasn’t freely available, and there were simply no avenues for him to acquire certain information.
For instance, he still didn’t even know whether this world existed on a single planet, whether it had oceans, or if there were other continents.
What he actually wanted to ask about was the towns located near cultivation sects.
Yet, instead of learning about minor sect-affiliated villages, Du Rong had directly informed him of an entire city where cultivators were the primary residents.
A city!
Chen Xiao couldn’t suppress the surge of curiosity and longing in his heart. He took a deep breath, his eyes shining.
"Where is this city? Is it far?"
Du Rong replied, "Extremely far. The journey is also incredibly treacherous. It’s so distant that an ordinary person could walk for an entire year and still not reach it. The dangers along the way are so great that even a cultivator like myself would be courting death by traveling on foot."
Chen Xiao’s expression fell.
"I see... No wonder I’ve never heard of such a place."
This sounded even more perilous than the legendary journey of Master Xuanzang to retrieve Buddhist scriptures from the West. At least Xuanzang had a chance of returning, his journey was one of nine deaths and one life.
But this path?
One could go, but never come back. It was certain death.
Before he could sink further into disappointment, Du Rong continued.
"To reach that city, one must pass through plains infested with ferocious beasts, dense forests teeming with danger, glaciers and snow-capped mountains of unbearable cold, as well as scorching deserts and barren wastelands. The journey is long and arduous. Even cultivators dislike taking the land route."
"So instead, we usually sail by sea and take a detour."
Chen Xiao stared at Du Rong, expressionless.
Taking such long pauses while speaking... How infuriating.
He never would have guessed that beneath Du Rong’s composed and serious exterior lurked such a mischievous streak.
Seeing Chen Xiao’s stiffened face, Du Rong chuckled.
It was merely a slight smile, but on his typically stern and rugged face, it immediately softened his sharp features. The cold, distant aura around him lessened, replaced with a hint of warmth.
The atmosphere in the room was relaxed, and Du Rong couldn’t help but recall his nephew.
He had left home as soon as he came of age, while his younger brother, lacking the talent for cultivation, had married and had children early.
As a result, his nephew was around the same age as Chen Xiao.
Every time Du Rong returned home, the boy would cling to him, constantly pestering him with questions about cultivators and their world.
Looking at Chen Xiao now, despite the mysteries that shrouded him, at his core, he was still just a young man.
Unconsciously, Du Rong’s posture eased, his attitude subtly shifting.
But when Chen Xiao noticed the faint trace of kindness in Du Rong’s gaze, he suddenly felt powerless.
He had wanted to build harmony, yes, but not to be treated like a junior!
Relaxing too much during a conversation, it was no wonder he wasn’t being taken seriously. If this were a more formal setting, the other party’s attitude would surely be different.
Chen Xiao gritted his teeth in silence. Fine, let them treat him like a junior. After all, elders were generally more tolerant toward the younger generation. At the very least, this kind of perception worked in his favor as an employer, bringing benefits rather than disadvantages.
With that in mind, he simply lifted his youthful face, full of vigor and brimming with energy without needing to feign anything, and said to Du Rong, “Master Du, can I call you Uncle Rong?”
Du Rong replied, “If you don’t mind, young master, it would be my honor.”
Chen Xiao responded politely, “Not at all. You completely deserve it, Uncle Rong. And there's no need to call me ‘young master’ every time, just call me Xiao Han.”
Even as relaxed as Du Rong was, he still held firm to his principles. His expression turned slightly serious as he said, “Without rules, there can be no order.”
Chen Xiao didn’t insist and instead returned to his earlier question. “Then, Uncle Rong, could you tell me how sea routes work? Where does one go to board a ship?”
Du Rong explained, “Regions where cultivators live are filled with spiritual energy and often swarming with dangerous beasts, making them inaccessible to ordinary people. Coastal areas, however, are different. The ocean is vast, and fierce beasts rarely approach the shores, making travel by ship relatively safe. There is an inland river dock near the capital, where one can board a boat to reach the outer port. From there, fleets depart for the cultivator city every ten days, and one can purchase a ticket to board.”
Chen Xiao’s eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, “How much do the tickets cost?”
Du Rong shook his head. “Young master, there's no need to ask, you won’t be able to buy one.”
Chen Xiao frowned. “Why not?”
Du Rong explained, “These fleets only carry cultivators and practitioners; they do not sell tickets to ordinary people.”
He thought this news might disappoint Chen Xiao again, but to his surprise, there was no trace of frustration on his face. Instead, Chen Xiao simply nodded and said, “I see.”
He had already gathered all the information he needed. Although Du Rong mentioned that the fleet wouldn’t sell tickets to ordinary people, Chen Xiao was confident this was a problem that could be solved.
He wasn’t merely curious, his next step was to head to that city. While continuing to develop and promote his residential techniques in the capital was an option, it would just be repeating what he had done in the county. He had already done business with wealthy merchants, only to find himself blocked from the gates of the aristocratic families.
Since he had to start from scratch either way, why not go directly to a cultivator city? Such places often provided more opportunities for ordinary people to interact with cultivators, and they tended to be more receptive to new concepts like his residential techniques, which bore similarities to cultivation arts.
In a city with many cultivators, the barrier between them and ordinary people might be thinner—easier to break through.
Ultimately, Chen Xiao’s goal was to learn a method to protect himself. He wouldn’t find what he was looking for if he stayed confined to mortal cities. One way or another, he had to reach that city.
For now, as he soaked in the bath, he no longer asked about cultivators. Instead, he inquired about Du Rong’s past experiences and the places he had been.
In his younger years, Du Rong had ventured out with a team to train in beast territories. Such areas often contained valuable resources, including spiritual plants and medicinal creatures.
Whenever they found something valuable, they would find a way to trade it for cultivation resources, be it pills, weapons, or equipment. They would use these to improve themselves before venturing into even more dangerous territories to acquire more materials, repeating the cycle over and over.
Through this relentless grind, Du Rong had climbed from a low-ranking cultivator to a high-level one. Truth be told, his natural talent wasn’t great. Though he had a rare dual spiritual root, both were weak. His cultivation efficiency was abysmal, not even achieving half the results for double the effort, but rather a mere quarter of the usual effectiveness.
During his academy years, he had felt deeply discouraged. Lacking talent, he considered quitting and returning home to find a job. However, his parents and younger brother supported him unwaveringly, so he persisted and stayed in the academy until adulthood.
After leaving the academy, his family had planned to pool money to get him into the city’s security force. But instead of accepting their help, he left behind a letter and set off on his own, determined not to burden them further.
Over the years, he had done well for himself, not only honing his skills and advancing his cultivation but also bringing wealth and prosperity to his family. In fact, compared to others with similar talent who had joined the security force or noble families, his cultivation level far surpassed theirs.
However, a life spent dancing on the edge of a blade could never be smooth forever.
Not long ago, during a mission, he had suffered a severe injury. His supply of pills was exhausted, and his weapons and gear had been heavily damaged in battle. Though he was fortunate enough to survive, he spent all his savings on recovery.
Du Rong had never been the type to ask his family for money. Even when he was broke, he preferred to find his own way. After recovering, he needed funds to buy new equipment, so when a wealthy merchant sought a high-level cultivator as a bodyguard, he accepted the offer and ended up working for Chen Xiao.
