Martial Saint with Passives

「Several days later.」

Jiang Che received a transfer order from the Internal Affairs Hall at his home.

He opened it and saw the words written clearly upon it:

"Black Stone Mining Area Steward."

It was even stamped with the seal of the Internal Affairs Hall.

Jiang Che was stunned.

’Why was I transferred to a Mining Area?’

Besides, a post in the Mining Area was, by all accounts, a lucrative one.

It was highly unlikely for an ordinary disciple like him, with no background, to get it.

What’s more, he had even paid a bribe of one hundred taels of gold for an undesirable patrol position that offered no perks and that no one was fighting over.

He did it just to be safe, so they wouldn’t assign him any other "better" positions.

’So what’s going on now?’

’Could it be that there were no openings for the Sect gate patrol, and I just happened to luck into an opening at the Mining Area?’

After thinking it over and over, the only conclusion he could reach was that he had gotten lucky.

Although this wasn’t what he had originally planned.

But on second thought, the position of Mining District Steward offered generous pay and plenty of perks. It was indeed a good job, so he decided he might as well make the best of it.

He quickly put his doubts to the back of his mind.

Seeing that there was still some time before he had to report for duty, he began to make some preparations.

...

When word of the transfer order reached Xie Xingwen, he was in the middle of savoring his tea.

"What?!" Xie Xingwen violently slammed the precious Cyan Jade Tea Cup in his hand onto the ground.

Instantly, shards of the teacup flew everywhere, and tea splattered across the floor.

His handsome face twisted in an instant, and a furious flame ignited in his eyes.

"Wait, Zhao Kui was sent to patrol? The Mining District Steward is Jiang Che? What the hell happened? What is the Internal Affairs Hall Elder doing? No, I have to go find him!"

"Young Master, wait! Once a Steward’s transfer order is issued, it cannot be changed. Forcing a change will likely cause trouble!"

A middle-aged, scholar-like man standing beside him, dressed in a long gray robe, with a gaunt face but exceptionally sharp eyes, immediately spoke up to stop him.

This person was named Mr. Wu. He was a Steward arranged by Xie Songnian to be by Xie Xingwen’s side, possessed an Early Stage of Refining Organ Realm cultivation, and was always known to be resourceful and cunning.

"Then what should we do? How about this, we just send someone to kill that brat? I was about to send someone to kill him before, anyway!" Xie Xingwen said, raising an eyebrow.

"No! That is absolutely out of the question!" Mr. Wu said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Xie Xingwen’s eyes widened, his voice tinged with anger.

"Young Master, please calm down and listen to my analysis," Mr. Wu said slowly. "Jiang Che was just appointed by the Sect. If he’s killed on his way to his post, it’s tantamount to slapping the Sect in the face! It will inevitably alarm the higher-ups and lead to a thorough investigation! When the time comes, if they follow the trail of clues, it could easily lead back to us. We’d be implicated, and the potential losses would far outweigh any gain!"

Seeing Xie Xingwen’s expression soften slightly, though his anger hadn’t fully dissipated, he continued his calm analysis. "The Mining Area is a vital source of our income; we can’t afford any mistakes there. Jiang Che’s appointment is a nuisance, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. From top to bottom, most of the people in the Mining Area are our men! What waves can a new Steward like him make? He’s a complete newcomer with no background whatsoever. We just need to give secret orders to our people to sabotage things. Then, when production at the Mining Area falters, accidents increase, and losses mount... by the time of the end-of-year Sect assessment, he, Jiang Che, as the Chief Steward, will bear the full responsibility. The Sect will inevitably hold him accountable and replace him! At that point, we can maneuver to have Zhao Kui legitimately take his place. Once Jiang Che is demoted to an ordinary disciple or transferred elsewhere in disgrace, he’ll be a powerless nobody. Making him disappear without a trace then? Wouldn’t that be as easy as flipping a hand?"

After listening, the anger in Xie Xingwen’s eyes slowly subsided.

He slowly sat back down in his chair and sneered, "Good! We’ll do as you say, Mr. Wu! Let him go. Let him have his moment of glory for a few days! His death will come the day he’s stripped of his Steward position!"

...

As Jiang Che was about to return to his room, he happened to run into Yun Weiwei, who was just about to leave.

Yun Weiwei caught sight of him and couldn’t help but pause.

She looked him up and down, a flicker of astonishment crossing her cool, aloof eyes.

"You... you’ve broken through to the Bone Forging Realm?"

"A lucky breakthrough," Jiang Che admitted with a nod.

Yun Weiwei’s eyes shifted slightly as she thought to herself, ’It seems he finally took some of my words to heart after all.’

In her opinion, the reason Jiang Che had broken through so quickly was most likely due to the benefits he received while serving as Tang Qiaoqiao’s guard.

She gave a slight nod and said no more.

At that moment, Mu Jun, Shu Yaxin, and Yan Hanpeng were returning from outside.

Shu Yaxin was affectionately holding Mu Jun’s arm, while Yan Hanpeng trailed a Half-Step behind them like a little follower.

Hearing the news of Jiang Che’s breakthrough, the three of them had varied expressions.

A flash of surprise crossed Mu Jun’s face, immediately replaced by the practiced, perfectly warm smile typical of Noble Family Members, as he quickly stepped forward:

"Junior Brother Jiang! Congratulations! To break through to the Bone Forging Realm so quickly, your future is truly limitless!"

He was well aware of the principle that more friends mean more paths, and a young Bone Forging Realm expert, in particular, was worth investing in.

Shu Yaxin merely gave Jiang Che a polite nod.

Now that she was with Mu Jun, her standards had risen; an ordinary Bone Forging Realm master was no longer someone she paid much mind to.

An unconcealable flash of jealousy flitted across the depths of Yan Hanpeng’s eyes, and he thought to himself:

’On what grounds? I’ve been willing to serve Mu Jun hand and foot, acting as his lackey just to get my hands on some Cultivation Resources, and in the end, I haven’t even touched the threshold of Bone Forging. Yet this kid, who’s been quiet all this time, managed to break through first?’

However, his honest, round face quickly broke into an even more enthusiastic smile. "Junior Brother Jiang, that’s amazing! You’re really bringing honor to us neighbors!"

When Yun Weiwei saw them approaching, she just gave a faint nod, then turned and left without another moment’s delay.

She had long since seen through their character and felt there was no need to associate with them, much less bother with pleasantries.