Chapter 348: The Master's Personal Arrival

Chapter 348: The Master's Personal Arrival

December 15, 2024

White Manor.

After returning home briefly, Jiang Ning carried some items and headed towards White Luo Yu's residence.

The two families were only about five hundred meters apart.

After walking a few steps, Jiang Ning arrived at the front gate of White Manor.

"Please inform them of my arrival," Jiang Ning said with a bow.

"Lord Jiang, there's no need for that. I'll lead you in myself!" one of them replied.

"Thank you!" Jiang Ning said.

As he entered the front courtyard of White Manor, after taking a few steps, the bodyguard he met on the way instructed a maid to inform White Luo Yu in advance.

A moment later.

In the backyard of White Manor.

"Brother Jiang!" Just as Jiang Ning stepped into the backyard, White Luo Yu walked towards him with a smile.

"Brother White!" Jiang Ning smiled in return.

"What's that?" White Luo Yu's gaze fell on the fish meat in Jiang Ning's hand, revealing a look of surprise.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning waved the fish meat in front of him.

"I caught a two-hundred-year-old fish demon in Luoshui Lake and brought it here for you to taste, Brother White."

"Two hundred years of cultivation, this is a rare treasure!" White Luo Yu's eyes lit up instantly.

Then, with a smile, he took the electric eel meat from Jiang Ning's hand and waved to call a maid.

"Go and prepare this for me!" White Luo Yu instructed.

"Yes, Master!" The maid bowed.

"Brother Jiang, please take a seat!" White Luo Yu gestured.

At this moment, in the pavilion in the backyard, two jugs of wine were already prepared.

White Luo Yu continued, "Please excuse the lack of proper dishes, Brother Jiang. I only have good wine to offer for now. As for the dishes, the chefs are working on them, and they'll be served soon."

Jiang Ning smiled, "Brother White, you're too kind! I should be the one apologizing for my abrupt visit!"

After saying this, Jiang Ning added, "Today, thank you, Brother White!"

"It's nothing!" White Luo Yu smiled wryly, "You and I are good friends. I'm just making an appearance, that's all! And in hindsight, I shouldn't have needed to make an appearance at all. If you had wanted, Brother Jiang, I think the Liu Family would have been plunged into bloodshed today. After the fact, giving the Liu Family a title would have made them a part of Dongling City's history."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning shook his head.

"The Liu Family is my eldest sister-in-law's family, and also my niece and nephew's paternal grandparents' home. Some things still need to be considered."

Hearing this, White Luo Yu burst into laughter, "Brother Jiang, you're indeed a man of integrity and loyalty, worthy of being my friend, White Luo Yu!"

As they spoke, the two of them took their seats.

"I raise a glass to you, Brother Jiang!" White Luo Yu said.

After a cup of wine, Jiang Ning refilled the glasses for both of them.

"This glass is for you, Brother White. I also want to thank you for taking care of my eldest sister-in-law's family these past few days."

After the second cup of wine, White Luo Yu finally spoke, "It's just a minor matter! Come find me if you have any matters in the future, and I'll do my best to help if I can."

"With those words, Brother White, I raise another glass to you!" Jiang Ning said.

Seeing this, White Luo Yu smiled wryly.

He didn't decline and drank it all in one go.

After the third cup of wine, White Luo Yu finally revealed a look of admiration, "Brother Jiang, I didn't expect you to have cultivation above sixty years."

Jiang Ning wasn't surprised that White Luo Yu knew about this.

The inner breath he had displayed in the Liu Family served two purposes: to intimidate the Liu Family and exert pressure on them.

On the other hand, it was also a display of his power to White Luo Yu.

He understood that friendships between people rarely had pure and unadulterated bonds, especially in the beginning, where they often originated from mutual interests.

Just as it was unlikely for a wealthy merchant to befriend a beggar.

In this world, over ninety percent of friendships formed after adulthood were between people of the same social status.

White Luo Yu's friendship with him wasn't as simple as liking him at first sight.

Therefore, he had chosen to display his total inner breath in the Liu Family.

Subsequently, Jiang Ning continued, "Having such cultivation is just a matter of good luck and coincidence! Recently, I found a two-hundred-year-old fish demon in Luoshui Lake."

Upon hearing this, White Luo Yu's expression suddenly changed, and he said thoughtfully, "Could it be the fish demon's companion, a Heavenly Material?"

"Indeed!" Jiang Ning nodded.

"So that's it!" White Luo Yu exclaimed, then nodded, "That explains it. Otherwise, in today's world, without heavenly treasures and rare items, how could a small demon with two hundred years of cultivation appear in a place like Luoshui Lake?"

As he spoke, White Luo Yu looked at Jiang Ning with envy.

"Brother Jiang is indeed blessed by fortune, with a deep and profound destiny. To discover such a treasure through coincidence is truly remarkable."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, it was quite lucky!"

"Brother Jiang, what kind of treasure did you find that allowed your cultivation to reach such an astonishing level?"

"Thunderfruit, a hundred-year-old Thunderfruit!" Jiang Ning said.

"It's such a treasure!!" White Luo Yu's eyes immediately showed deep envy.

He now understood why Jiang Ning's cultivation at his age could surpass his own.

"A hundred-year-old Thunderfruit once appeared at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion's auction. A hundred-and-fifty-year-old Thunderfruit was auctioned for five thousand gold ingots."

"Five thousand gold ingots?!!" Jiang Ning was taken aback.

"Yes!" White Luo Yu nodded, then smiled. "Do you find the price quite exaggerated?"

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded slightly. "It does seem a bit exaggerated. Five thousand gold ingots is five million silver ingots. Thunderfruit is actually that valuable?"

White Luo Yu said, "Such precious and rare items cannot be measured by value. You must understand, Daxia has established the dynasty for eight hundred years. How many noble families have accumulated wealth for dozens of generations? For them, wealth is almost like a number."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning also understood and nodded in agreement.

In his previous life, in a country that had been established for decades, the wealth of the rich was already beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

Ordinary people worked hard for three to five thousand a month.

Working generation after generation, all their descendants would never catch up to the interest of the rich.

Daxia, with the dynasty established for eight hundred years.

The wealth accumulated by those noble families must be unimaginable.

He instantly understood why Thunderfruit could be auctioned for such an exaggerated price.

For him, a hundred-year-old Thunderfruit could increase his cultivation by sixty years.

Sixty years is a jiazi.

A human life is only sixty years.

For people with ordinary talent, this is just a shortcut to reduce decades of accumulation.

But for people with unparalleled talent, it is like gaining sixty more years.

This is enough for a prodigy who could only achieve Fifth Rank to rapidly accumulate cultivation and aspire to Fourth Rank, or even Third Rank Master.

Let a prodigy who can achieve Master aspire to Grand Master, or even First Rank Grand Master.

At such an effect, five thousand gold ingots are expensive, but worth it.

After all, this is a world where martial dao is flourishing, and personal power belongs to oneself.

A single person can dominate the world for eight hundred years.

For a family to survive and thrive, it cannot do without martial powerhouses in the clan.

Without strong protectors, wealth is like a juicy piece of meat, and everyone wants a share.

At this moment, the dishes started to be served one by one.

White Luo Yu suddenly smiled mysteriously.

"Brother Jiang, a great figure will be coming soon."

"Great figure?" Jiang Ning's face showed curiosity. "What kind of person can be called a great figure by Brother White?"

White Luo Yu smiled mysteriously again. "You won't guess!"

Hearing this, Jiang Ning became even more curious.

Then, White Luo Yu spoke two words.

"Master!"

"Master?" A hint of contemplation flashed in Jiang Ning's eyes. "Master, could it be—"

"Brother Jiang guessed right!" White Luo Yu smiled. "It's the Department Head of Dongling City's Inspection Department."

"Brother White is right, that is truly a great figure!!" Jiang Ning deeply agreed.

After the establishment of the Inspection Department.

In a commandery, the highest authority is no longer the Commandery Governor, but the Department Head of the Commandery Inspectorate.

Because the Department Head of the Commandery Inspectorate not only has the power to act first and report later, but also stands at the pinnacle of the martial dao pyramid in the commandery.

Holding both power and authority.

Their status naturally surpasses that of the Commandery Governor.

In Jiang Ning's view, such an imbalanced institution could only exist in this world.

His intuition also told him that the establishment of the Inspection Department would not make Daxia better, but might make it worse.

Abuse of power is an inevitable situation.

Especially when there is no supervision, how could the personnel of the Inspection Department remain impartial?

At the front gate of White Manor.

A regular four-wheeled carriage slowly stopped.

A middle-aged man in a gray robe slowly got down from the carriage.

He looked at the front gate of White Luo Yu's manor.

Then he turned back to the driver and said, "Wait here for me!"

"Yes, Master!" The slightly hunched driver nodded repeatedly.

If an unaware person witnessed this scene, they would never guess that these seemingly ordinary two people were among the top figures in Dongling City.

"Jiang Ning, your inner breath is like a deep well, and you have cultivation above sixty years. This news is quite shocking!" Zhao Yulong's gaze fell on White Luo Yu's manor, and he muttered to himself.

Just now, upon receiving White Luo Yu's message, he immediately left his work and came here.

At this age, with such exaggerated cultivation, even with his extensive experience, he found it quite unbelievable.

After all, he knew that Jiang Ning didn't come from those top-tier forces but from an ordinary small county.

In Daxia, there are countless small counties like Luoshui County, scattered across the land.

These small counties have little to no resources to cultivate world-class martial prodigies.

On the path of martial arts, even with the highest talent, external assistance is indispensable.

The path of martial arts also has its limits, and many obstacles require the help of external objects.

As one of the few Masters in Dongling City, Zhao Yulong couldn't help but shake his head.

Then, he lifted his leg and walked towards the front gate of White Luo Yu's manor.

Moments later, in the backyard...

"Master, the fish meat is ready!" Two maids approached the pavilion, each carrying a tray.

White Luo Yu's face lit up with a smile.

"We'll soon taste the fish meat from a two-hundred-year-old fish demon."

Jiang Ning said, "Brother White, you won't be disappointed."

"With Brother Jiang's words, I'm even more excited!" White Luo Yu's face was filled with anticipation, and he continued, "According to the books, the Demon Race has an extremely strong physique. In ancient times, the meat of the demons was of great benefit to Body Tempering Dao cultivators."

"The higher the cultivation, the more obvious the benefits, and the more delicious the taste!"

"Two hundred years of cultivation, this should be quite something."

Just then, White Luo Yu suddenly turned towards the direction of the backyard archway.

"Brother Jiang, it seems the Department Head has arrived. Let's go and welcome him."

"Okay!" Jiang Ning nodded.

He had already sensed the arrival of someone with his perception.

Previously, he had only guessed that the visitor might be the Department Head of the Inspection Department, one of the few Masters in Dongling Prefecture.

Now, with White Luo Yu's confirmation, Jiang Ning's heart was filled with anticipation.

Master!

Aside from Lin Qingyi, Zhao Yulong, who was about to arrive, would be the first Master Jiang Ning would see with his own eyes.

The two of them stood up.

A maid hurriedly ran into the backyard.

"Master, Department Head Zhao has arrived!"

"I understand!" White Luo Yu nodded. "You may withdraw!"

The maid immediately stepped aside.

The two of them reached the backyard gate.

In just a moment, a middle-aged man wearing a gray robe and ordinary shoes appeared before them.

On his face, there were wrinkles typical of a middle-aged man.

"White Luo Yu greets the Department Head!" White Luo Yu clasped his hands.

Jiang Ning also clasped his hands and said, "Jiang Ning of Luoshui County greets the Department Head!"

Immediately, Jiang Ning felt a gaze fall upon him, examining him from head to toe.

"You two don't need to be so formal. Forget the formalities!" Zhao Yulong spoke.

The two of them raised their heads again.

Jiang Ning noticed the approving gaze in Zhao Yulong's eyes.

"Jiang Ning, you are truly remarkable!"

"Lord, you are flattering me!"

"This is not just flattery!" Zhao Yulong exclaimed, "In this world, there are very few who can earn my praise. You are one of them!"

He continued, "I never expected that in just a few days, I would meet two young prodigies worthy of my praise."

"Department Head, there's another person who also impressed you?" White Luo Yu was filled with curiosity.

Given his understanding of Zhao Yulong, Jiang Ning wasn't surprised that he would use the word "remarkable" to describe someone.

In his opinion, if Jiang Ning reached Zhao Yulong's age, he would undoubtedly surpass Zhao Yulong's current achievements.

In terms of talent, in Zhao Yulong's previous opinion, Jiang Ning would rank among the top.

Now, in Zhao Yulong's view, Jiang Ning would be at the very top.

Precisely because of this, Zhao Yulong had chosen to befriend Jiang Ning.

And in Zhao Yulong's words, a person like Jiang Ning was someone he had encountered only a few days ago.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end