Chapter 342: The Departure of Ming Dong
Separating from the crowd, Jian Chen finally managed to get away from the multitude and return to the very first inn he had rested in.
Within the tavern, countless of men were chatting while eating their meals. The topics in every single group revolved around the number one ranker in the Gathering of the Mercenaries, Jian Chen.
“Who would have thought that Jian Chen would seize the first place spot? I’ve heard he only has a strength around the First or Second Cycle Earth Saint Master level. For him to beat Zhar, a Sixth Cycle Earth Saint Master with a Radiant Saint Force, it’s almost inconceivable.” A middle aged man with a refined look and a well educated manner spoke. With a single look, the man could be taken to be a scholar.
“That’s right, I didn’t expect to see Jian Chen defeat Zhar, it cost me 3000 purple coins! If I had known earlier, then I would have bet on Jian Chen.” Another doughty looking man poured a cup of wine into his mouth with an indignant face from the memory of him losing 3000 purple coins.
“Haha, young man, you’ve only lost 3000 purple coins, so what? Compared to those who have gambled away millions of purple coins, your loss is nothing but a drop in the ocean.” The scholar laughed.
The four other mercenaries sitting at the table had one of the men give a long sigh, “Ai, a Heaven Tier Battle Skill. Even if I were to live out my entire life now, I would not be able to find one myself. For Jian Chen to be able to obtain one so easily, I am envious of him.”
“Big brother, we were just born in the wrong time. Otherwise, we would have been able to participate in the Gathering of the Mercenaries as well.”
“You wish! Do you think first place is that easy to obtain? Did you not see those that were far stronger than us participate and be eliminated before they could enter the top ten? Even if we were participants, it would be a miracle for us to enter the top hundred.”
“That’s right, we aren’t all that strong, so it’s best not to think about these things. The Tian Yuan Continent is quite large and has no shortage of geniuses. Each one has been specially trained since young, so their strength should be strong enough to become an Earth Saint Master at a young age. Furthermore, they have access to the most profound battle skills and cultivation methods. Did you not see that Ming Dong? He was already able to use an Advanced Heaven Tier Battle Skill at his young age and yet he was still only third place. I’m sure that first place Jian Chen is strong enough to even fight against Heaven Saint Masters.”
……
From the chatter of everyone around, the majority of the people were envious and full of admiration for Jian Chen.
But then, a sharp eyed fellow had noticed Jian Chen walking in before crying out in surprise, “Everyone, look! Isn’t that the winner of the competition, Jian Chen?”
Upon hearing his voice, everyone immediately stopped eating and swung their heads to look at where the man had pointed. Each one looked on in shock at the white robed Jian Chen. Within the previously loud inn, no one dared to make a sound.
Jian Chen ignored all the gazes on him, since he had no interest in any one of them. With that, Jian Chen left for the upper levels of the inn.
The moment Jian Chen disappeared, everyone in the inn immediately exploded with chatter.
“Jian Chen’s in this inn? Do you think he’s renting a room here?”
“Jian Chen looks even younger than I thought. With one look, I could tell he is from a large family with a strong potential. Not only is he young and promising, but he is quite handsome too.”
“At such a young age, Jian Chen was able to defeat the Sixth Cycle Earth Saint Master Zhar, his potential is truly unlimited.”
“The Heaven Tier Battle Skill and Cultivation Method Jian Chen won from the Gathering of the Mercenaries surely has to be on him right now, how envious.”
“Pay attention to what you say so you don’t get in trouble for it. Do you not have a filter on what words you speak out loud?”
A few of the inn residents continued to talk among each other, even the busy waitresses hurriedly spoke to each other, “Hurry up and report to the shopkeeper! The King of Mercenaries, Jian Chen is in our inn, this is a great event!”
……
Arriving at the second floor of the inn, Jian Chen immediately walked to where Qin Xiao’s room was. They had already prepared a private room where all sorts of exotic delicacies were prepared for him to congratulate him on his win.
Seated at the dinner table already was Dugu Feng, Tianmu Ling, Qin Ji, Yun Zheng, Senior An, Ming Dong, Qin Xiao, Qin Jue, and several others. Aside from them, the Grand Elder of the Tianqin clan could be seen waiting with a smile.
Among all the people Jian Chen was familiar with, all of them except Huang Luan had gathered here.
At the dinner table, everyone congratulated Jian Chen on his win; even the Grand Elder of the Tianqin clan had changed his attitude toward Jian Chen to a more respectable status. Even Qin Ji and Tianmu Ling were given respect from him.
That was also because the three outsiders of the Tianqin clan, Dugu Feng, Qin Ji, and Tianmu Ling were all from three different factions with even more strength than what the Tianqin clan could afford to provoke. Qin Ji especially had a very extraordinary identity..
After the meal when everyone had left, Jian Chen and Ming Dong both returned to Jian Chen’s room where Ming Dong spoke, “In two days, uncle Tian and I will go bring my father and mother here so I will be gone for some time.”
“That is no problem, be at ease. In three days, I will be leaving to enter the holy land for half a year.” Jian Chen laughed as he waved his hand in a casual manner.
Sitting by Jian Chen’s side, Ming Dong asked, “Jian Chen, I’ve known you for quite some time, but I don’t know where your family is, did you wish for me to bring some news to them?”
Jian Chen’s expression immediately grew conflicted. Some thoughts hidden away in his brain were brought out by this question.
“I’ve left my home for a good amount of time by now, but I don’t know whether or not my mother is faring well. There is also my elder brother Changyang Hu and second sister Changyang Mingyue who have both cared for me always. Changyang Mingyue surely must have married by now, what a shame that I wasn’t able to attend the ceremony.” Jian Chen thought dejectedly. At this thought, he had suddenly realized just how much he desired to return home and see his family once more, it had been far too long since he had left his home.
Seeing the dejected Jian Chen, Ming Dong had an indescribable look in his eye. From Jian Chen’s expression, he could see that something was weighing down on him.
Placing a hand on Jian Chen’s shoulder, Ming Dong spoke lightly, “Jian Chen, what’s wrong? If there’s any trouble, go ahead and tell me. I, Ming Dong, will definitely find a way to help you. If I can’t, then I will definitely ask uncle Tian to.”
Ming Dong’s words had shaken Jian Chen awake from his thoughts. Shaking his head, Jian Chen replied, “No, there’s nothing, I’m just remembering some old memories, that’s all.” Jian Chen needed power to deal with the Hua Yun Sect. Although he knew that asking Ming Dong and uncle Tian for help would easily resolve the matter, and probably touch upon the crisis Gesun Kingdom was currently facing as well, , Jian Chen did not wish to go about this route.
The Hua Yun Sect had forced him to run away from his home when he was only fifteen years old. To Jian Chen, this had carved an unforgettable amount of hatred for them into him. Jian Chen desired to finish this affair with his own power. He did not want any outside power to help him with his revenge.
With a mental sigh, Jian Chen took the Heaven’s Stolen Fortune out from his Space Ring and said, “Ming Dong, your house isn’t that far away from the Gesun Kingdom, so I hope that during your return trip, you could hand this over to Changyang Ba of the Changyang clan in Lore City.”
Originally, Jian Chen planned on giving the Advanced Heaven Tier Battle Skill Nine Cloud Movement to Ming Dong to give to the Changyang clan, but after some thought, he decided to instead give them the Heaven’s Stolen Fortune. This was because a Heaven Tier Battle Skill was far too precious. He was afraid that if news were to spread that an Advanced Heaven Tier Battle Skill was at the Changyang clan, there would be trouble.
While the Changyang clan was not weak, they weren’t strong enough to protect two Heaven Tier Battle Skills, especially since one of them was an Advanced Heaven Tier Battle Skill. So, Jian Chen finally decided to let Ming Dong bring the Heaven’s Stolen Fortune back with him because of the special characteristic of the battle skill: when activated, no person would be able to tell that it was a Heaven Tier Battle Skill. This was a battle skill that directly increased one’s strength; it was hard to tell that it was anything special, as it could conceal itself very well, unlike other Heaven Tier Battle Skills, which would display astounding power as soon as they were activated.
Ming Dong took the Heaven’s Stolen Fortune with a serious look as he spoke, “Don’t worry, Jian Chen. I’ll definitely bring this back to Changyang Ba of the Changyang clan.”
“Remember, you must keep that this is a Heaven Tier Battle Skill a secret!”
……
Ming Dong’s departure was sudden, by the second day, he had left Mercenary City with a respectful farewell.
At the same time, Qin Xiao, Qin Jue and the other Tianqin clansmen followed the Grand Elder out of Mercenary City. Although they didn’t wait for Tian Zhou, the Grand Elder had concluded that Tian Zhou must have met an unexpected situation, and with only a sad sigh, he said no more about the manner. He knew that gathering tokens within the isolated space was the goal, and even if he found out that Tian Zhou had been killed by someone, he would not be able to find them.
Even Dugu Feng had said farewell to Jian Chen as he took the Ruler Armament along with some other elders out of Mercenary City, leaving only Jian Chen behind.
Because Jian Chen would be residing within the holy land for half the year, he had already dispatched Senior An and Yun Zheng on a mission for the Flame Mercenaries. They were to go to the Gesun Kingdom and ensure that the Changyang clan would be given assistance. Although the distance from here to the Gesun Kingdom was quite large, this would not be a problem for the two.