Chapter 40: For Money
\n\u201cOld monk, impressive inner strength. Now face this blade!\u201d
\nAfter being pushed back, Knife King spun mid-air as a gray aura flowed from his arm onto his blade.
\nThe welcoming monk’s face paled. He’d seen this power before – during Cold Mountain Temple’s great upheaval, when the prodigy monk Jie Ming defeated all martial monks using this very force before defecting. True to form, even at full strength, the welcoming monk couldn’t block the second strike.
\nThe blade sliced through his defenses, carving a crimson line across his chest. Knife King followed with a flying kick that sent the wounded monk crashing down.
\n\u201cMaster Uncle!\u201d
\nEnraged martial monks swarmed forward, brandishing training staffs that whistled through the air.
\n\u201cHa! Perfect timing!\u201d
\nKnife King advanced instead of retreating. The same gray energy shredded through decades of martial training like paper, rendering both internal and external skills useless.
\nWithin moments, only Knife King stood victorious amidst fallen monks.
\nJianghu spectators drew sharp breaths. They’d heard tales of Knife King’s power, but witnessing it firsthand revealed an entirely different realm of strength – that ominous gray energy being his true weapon.
\n\u201cPathetic.\u201d
\nSheathing his blade, Knife King gazed contemptuously at his defeated foes.
\n\u201cMartial arts are obsolete. Immortal cultivation is the only true path.\u201d
\nFame moved mountains. Before challenging seven great clans, Knife King had been nobody. Now his name echoed across the land, inspiring countless youths. Let those Foundation Establishment cultivators keep their secrets – ordinary people only saw his invincibility. Where fame led, fortune followed.
\n\u201cDo… do immortal cultivation methods truly exist?\u201d
\nThe question burst from the crowd – common Jianghu folk without Foundation Establishment potential or lucky inheritances. Rumors weren’t proof, but here stood living evidence.
\n\u201cNaturally.\u201d
\nKnife King didn’t glance back at Cold Mountain Temple’s defeated. His purpose here was served.
\n\u201cI’ll stay three days at Suzhou’s Longan Inn. Any dissatisfied monks may challenge me. Knife King avoids no battle.\u201d With that, he descended the mountain.
\nCold Mountain Temple’s main hall.
\nSilence reigned amidst external chaos. An old monk tapped his wooden fish, detached from worldly affairs. Across from him, Jie Nian knelt until finally declaring:
\n\u201cMaster, I must leave.\u201d
\nThree heavy kowtows followed, forehead striking stone.
\n\u201cThis disciple cannot stay.\u201d
\nThe wooden fish kept its rhythm. Dong… dong… dong…
\nAs Jie Nian reached the doorway, the old monk’s voice followed:
\n\u201cReturn when you find peace. You’ll always be Jie Ming – my disciple.\u201d
\nThe old monk was the current abbot of Cold Mountain Temple, the master of Jie Nian and Jie Ming.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nJie Nian bowed and went down the mountain.
\nSuzhou.
\nLongan Inn had been bustling these past two days. Since Knife King stayed there, countless truth-seekers swarmed to treat it as holy ground. Many wished to become his disciples and learn immortal methods. This was genuine cultivation validated by Cold Mountain Temple\u2014who wouldn\u2019t crave it?
\n\u201cSenior Knife King, I\u2019ve revered immortal gates since youth. Meeting you today thrills me. Please accept me as your disciple.\u201d A white-robed scholar with servants bowed below the inn where Knife King resided.
\nAnother disciple-seeker?
\nKnife King peered through the window. After defeating Cold Mountain Temple\u2019s monks yesterday, people kept coming. But how could Knife King, after his grand performance, take disciples lightly?
\nThe scholar seemed aware of prior rejections. After speaking, he clapped. Attendants brought a cart with three chests. A man slashed the ropes. Chests clanged open, revealing piles of official silver.
\n\u201cA modest gift, unworthy of your regard.\u201d
\nKnife King\u2019s breath hitched at the silver. Why challenge Cold Mountain Temple? For fame. Fame brought wealth\u2014his plan all along. Yet he never imagined nobles would offer such sums, nearly dazzling him.
\n\u201cTo show sincerity, our Luoshui Wang Family adds thirty thousand gold taels after this ceremony!\u201d
\nCough!!
\nKnife King, pretending aloofness, choked on his tea at \u201cthirty thousand gold taels.\u201d He hacked violently, grateful no one saw his embarrassment.
\n\u201cSuch sincerity cannot be ignored. Young Master Wang, come upstairs.\u201d
\nRegaining composure, Knife King deepened his voice invitingly.
\n\u201cTruly, money moves even ghosts. Not even Knife King resists gold\u2019s lure.\u201d Jianghu bystanders below sighed. They weren\u2019t nobles or talents\u2014why else would they lack inheritance\u2019s touch?
\nIgnoring the crowd\u2019s bitterness, Young Master Wang entered and bowed.
\n\u201cWang Tianfang pays respects to Senior Knife King.\u201d
\nKnife King opened his eyes. \u201cHmm.\u201d
\nHe\u2019d toiled to build this lofty image\u2014renaming himself Knife King, challenging sects for fame. All led here.
\n\u201cYour immortal aspirations are clear. But what will you sacrifice?\u201d
\n\u201cBeyond the silver and gold, Luoshui Wang Family offers another hundred thousand taels!\u201d
\nYoung Master Wang acted not for himself. The world shifted\u2014those in power felt it keenly, especially capital-connected families. His mission: secure a cultivation method, ensuring Wang Family wouldn\u2019t lag in the coming upheaval.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 40: For Money \u201cOld monk, impressive inner strength. Now face this blade!\u201d After being pushed back, Knife King spun mid-air as a gray aura flowed from his arm onto his blade. The welcoming monk’s face paled. He’d seen this power before – during Cold Mountain Temple’s great upheaval, when the prodigy monk Jie Ming defeated all martial monks using this very force before\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1419","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1419\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}