novelraw Chapter 537: Only Waiting for Tomorrow
Chapter 537: Only Waiting for Tomorrow
"Achoo!"
Zheng Lang sneezed unexpectedly. He rubbed his nose and wrapped his cloak more tightly around himself.
Clearly, summer had already begun, and the wind had become warm, yet he always felt a chill lingering that he couldn’t shake off. To feel more comfortable, he had to wear a thick coat and snugly drape a cloak over himself.
Luckily, his frame was naturally slim, so even wearing thicker clothes didn’t make him look particularly odd.
"Are we almost there?" Zheng Lang leaned inside the carriage, peering through the embroidered curtain to ask.
A man riding a horse closely followed on one side and promptly replied, "Sect Leader, we are about thirty miles from the Celestial Sword Sect. We’ll definitely arrive before nightfall."
"Hmm, very good." He nodded in satisfaction and picked up the teapot beside him, taking a sip of hot tea that comforted his heart.
After guarding his secrets for so many years, enduring mockery and misunderstanding, all the patience and waiting became worthwhile after meeting that young gentleman!
Back then, he carefully chose to learn Paperman and Paper Horse Skill, and time proved he made the right choice. Although he never managed to create paper figures as formidable as the young gentleman’s, the ones crafted by the young gentleman were extremely useful.
He drove away Old Li, who coveted magic and packed up gold and silver to escape in the dead of night on a speedy paper crane, risking being caught by a demon beast.
Who knows how long and how far he flew; in any case, as the sky barely began to brighten, Zheng Lang found himself arriving at a town he had never heard of in his life.
He cautiously inquired from others and realized how terrifying the Paperman and Paper Horse Skill actually was—a seemingly simple paper crane had carried him thousands of miles overnight to the depths of Central Province!
Zheng Lang felt both excited and nervous because only after gathering all kinds of news did he understand that the world outside was far more fascinating than he had ever known.
Central Province was teeming with talents; cultivators, though rare, were not unreachable, with various sects from different traditions scattered across the region. Some villages even housed one or two cultivators favored by Immortals.
He worried that the Paperman and Paper Horse Skill he learned so late in life wasn’t enough, and upon hearing about some being favored by immortals, surrounded by believers, enjoying endless wealth and happiness with all the time needed to cultivate, he truly felt envious.
So, Zheng Lang went into hiding and observed carefully. He found out that those so-called "cultivators" were no more than that, and some even deceived people for money by exploiting the reputation of cultivators.
In contrast, he possessed real skills!
Alongside his lifelong fascination with cultivation, Zheng Lang understood the psychology of believers very well, exploiting it by using the exquisite paper figures made by the young gentleman to kill demon beasts, thereby creating the Ling Shen Sect, gaining believers, and quickly becoming a celebrated Sect Leader.
Zheng Lang finally achieved his wish, living in a luxury mansion he’d never imagined, being respected by wealthy merchants as a dignitary, and hearing believers call him "Immortal" constantly, making him feel like he was floating and increasingly believing that every life decision he made was correct!
If he hadn’t persisted in his cultivation efforts, he would never have risked climbing the mountain and encountering cultivators;
If he hadn’t steadfastly guarded his secret, he wouldn’t have waited for the young gentleman nor had the opportunity to learn the Paperman and Paper Horse Skill;
If he hadn’t decided to escape Old Li, who knew his secret, he wouldn’t have reached Central Province and had no chance of becoming a sect leader known as "Immortal"!
However, despite his noble lifestyle, the skill he acquired in Paperman and Paper Horse remained difficult to enhance. To this day, he could only barely make a paper horse or paper ox, which was at most enough to awe common folk, but ineffective in fierce combat.
"If only the Immortal Ascension Conference had the Elixir of Immortality, that would be great..." The carriage bumped along, and the increasingly aged Zheng Lang, weary in spirit, thought about the rumors he had heard before dozing off, longing for the immortal elixir that might rejuvenate him to full strength and stamina, pondering over acquiring a spirit elixir by any means necessary.
With ample energy, physical strength, and lifespan, he could certainly create exquisite paper figures like the young gentleman, leading a formidable army of paper figures to turn the Ling Shen Sect into a true dominion!
Lin Mansion.
Lin Shuo stood before the dressing mirror, stretching his arms while being attended by his wife, who was helping him select an outfit for tomorrow.
"Originally, the plan was to propose forming the Cultivator Alliance during the celebration, with all the sects and family leaders present, allowing our family to take the lead and smoothly assume the role of Alliance Leader. But it was all disrupted by your precious son! Now the Celestial Sword Sect has seized the opportunity; what do you think?" Lin Madam remained indignant when she recalled the incident.
Tianzuo indeed managed to become the Young Patriarch, but compared to Wan Mingchuan, the esteemed Lin Family seemed like nothing more than impoverished nobility. What’s the meaning even if he inherited those trifles?
A promising child was thrown into disarray—all because of that troublemaker!
Tianyou even lost an arm, dashing his hopes of Foundation Establishment, left despondent after being sent back to his mother’s family. Destined to be nothing more than a slightly stronger Qi Refining Stage Cultivator than ordinary humans, with a finite lifespan extinguished and a death with no continuation.
Both bright and promising sons were in despair; how could she not hate?
Yet what could she do as a woman? Other than relying on Lin Shuo, she couldn’t even vent her rage for her sons, finding no one to hold accountable, and could only suppress her anger and feign obedience.
She hoped to incite Lin Shuo further to oppose Wan Mingchuan, so when they fought to mutual destruction, her beloved son could swoop in—a truly delightful outcome!
Sure enough, after years of marriage, Lin Madam could always precisely target her husband’s sore points.
"Madam, don’t worry." Lin Shuo’s expression was gloomy as he snorted coldly, "The Celestial Sword Sect surely made use of our preparations for fun and profit, while our Lin Mansion laid the groundwork and pushed for the formation of the Cultivator Alliance. As soon as our family encountered some delays, they immediately organized the Immortal Ascension Conference.
However, becoming an Alliance Leader is no simple task. Besides abundant wealth, the key is reputation! If Ouyang Qing had succeeded in breaking through the Golden Core Realm back then, no one could have surpassed him, but wasn’t he defeated?
Moreover, he went mad with only a few years left to live, eliminating our greatest obstacle.
That fool Fang Shouye, once again made a bad move! Although he was a Sect Leader, he was constantly suppressed by Ouyang Qing. Once the opportunity arose, he naturally sought a comeback, hehe...
Madam doesn’t know; I have a spy in the Celestial Sword Sect who personally saw Ouyang Qing being confined in a rundown courtyard, struggling even for daily meals, not to mention he’s still gravely injured after his failed attempt to advance.
I’ve spread the news, stirring the pot slightly, and Fang Shouye, for mistreating a senior sect elder, lost credibility, and thus is unfit to lead the human cultivators in their grand mission as Alliance Leader."
She fastened the buttons on the clothes, looked around in the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction, casually inquiring further, "What’s the use in only having spies in the Celestial Sword Sect?
There are four or five sects and families capable of rivaling ours. They could exploit your move against Fang Shouye and benefit, leaving you at a disadvantage."
Lin Shuo was equally pleased with his newly tailored black and gold-thread outfit, which accentuated his majestic and regal presence.
He chuckled triumphantly, speaking softly, "How does madam know I don’t have spies elsewhere? Ever since the idea of forming the Cultivator Alliance came about, I have been laying plans step by step. Tomorrow marks the perfect opportunity to reap the rewards!"
That is power!
How could I, Lin Shuo, let it fall into anyone else’s hands?
The taste of power is too appealing; just look at the submissive wife to understand. No matter how dissatisfied she may be or how much she grieves for her younger son, she has to rely on the power of the patriarch of the Lin family and obediently follow suit.
Given the situation, as my influence grows with me seated as Alliance Leader, commanding more cultivators, isn’t eternal glory and renown just around the corner?