A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Sword-Forging Servant and Ascending to Immorta

The three walked out of the main hall.

The disciple next to Zhang Qian was sweating as he watched Chen Baichuan's retreating figure.

He finally realized how troublesome the consequences would have been if he had actually gone over to provoke them.

The others also remained silent.

Only when the buzzing sound of the flying boat starting up could be heard outside did Zhang Qian release his junior brother.

"Think more before you act in the future."

"Senior brother is right."

The disciple immediately lowered his head.

Zhang Qian walked to the palace gate.

The airship had already taken off, and Zhou Lingxuan and Lei Yang stood at the stern, their clothes billowing in the air currents above.

Chen Baichuan personally propelled the flying boat, making it even faster than it had been on the way there. A few breaths later, the flying boat had left the area above the office.

Zhang Qian stood on the stone steps, motionless for a long time.

The first time he went to cause trouble for Zhou Lingxuan was because of Liu Yanran's past with this old man.

At that time, Zhou Lingxuan was old and frail, and could not even withstand the pressure from a Body Tempering stage disciple.

In Zhang Qian's view, crushing an old outer sect servant wouldn't be more troublesome than stepping on an insect. It was only because the sect was experiencing the Heavenly Sword phenomenon and the elders were all watching that Zhou Lingxuan escaped unscathed.

Later, Zhou Lingxuan went to the abandoned hall.

Zhang Qian originally thought the old man wouldn't live much longer.

In a place like the abandoned hall, the underground fire and poison alone are enough to kill a mortal several times over.

Unfortunately, things started to spiral out of control from that point on.

The men he sent to probe him never returned.

Later, Qin Zhaoyun stepped in to protect the abandoned hall.

Even though he had been inactive for many years, that former number two on the sword ranking list was not someone Zhang Qian was willing to provoke directly.

They finally waited for Qin Zhaoyun to leave the sect, but the people they sent to deliver the poison were all wiped out by the elder of the Weapon Hall.

Now, Zhou Lingxuan has become the official manager.

If all of these are coincidences, then it's too much of a coincidence.

Why should Qin Zhaoyun take care of an old servant who is nearing the end of his life and has no cultivation?

And why should Chen Baichuan of Qitang personally step forward, even at the risk of offending the administrative office, to vouch for him?

And the boy who was following Zhou Lingxuan earlier.

That strange sword, imbued with the aura of thunder, could cause Zhang Qian's sword to react even from a distance of several dozen feet.

That was no ordinary magical artifact.

A useless person.

An abandoned hall.

Why does everything start acting strangely when it gets close to Zhou Lingxuan?

"Senior brother, are we still handing over our supplies?"

A person behind him whispered a reminder.

Zhang Qian looked away.

"pay."

He stepped into the main hall, took two steps, and then stopped.

"No one is allowed to tell anyone what they saw today."

The junior disciples exchanged glances.

"Yes."

"Especially the matter of Zhou Lingxuan."

Zhang Qian added a sentence.

The disciple who had just been about to make a move couldn't help but speak up:

"Senior brother, aren't you being too cautious? The position of steward of the abandoned hall is indeed a title, but so many people die in the abandoned hall every year. If he has an accident while handling poison, the sect may not even investigate."

Zhang Qian turned around and slapped him.

Snapped!

The disciple was spun around halfway after being slapped, covering his face and not daring to make a sound.

"You're still thinking of using poison?"

Zhang Qian's tone was barely concealing his anger.

"Chen Baichuan personally brought him here, and you turn around and have someone die in the abandoned hall. Do you think everyone in the Weaponry Hall is brainless, or that the Enforcement Hall can't find anything?"

"I just..."

"From today onwards, no one is allowed to go to the abandoned hall without my order."

Zhang Qian pointed at those people.

"If anyone acts on their own again, I'll cripple them first."

The disciples quickly agreed.

Zhang Qian stopped scolding him and turned to the counter where supplies were handed over.

But that feeling of irritability just wouldn't go away.

Zhou Lingxuan's change in status appears to be nothing more than the addition of a plaque.

This sign, however, turned all those previous methods into trouble.

If a servant dies, the administration office only needs to register it.

If the manager dies, the Enforcement Hall must send someone to investigate, and all personnel, materials, and tasks involved in the hall will be investigated as well.

If someone secretly plots to harm someone, the crime could implicate the mountain where the instigator is located.

Moreover, Chen Baichuan vouched for this in front of everyone in the administrative office today.

This relationship is already out in the open.

If Zhou Lingxuan were to get into trouble in a short period of time, Chen Baichuan would be the first to be proven wrong.

Zhang Qian wasn't foolish enough to offend the Elder of the Weapon Hall head-on for the sake of an old handyman.

He personally signed the list of supplies handed over, but the tip of his pen cut a long gash in the paper.

The disciple in charge glanced at it but dared not offer any advice.

Zhang Qian threw the pen back onto the table.

"Get another one."

After completing the handover of supplies, the group returned to Dijian Peak.

Zhang Qian remained silent the entire way.

The junior disciples who followed him dared not mention the abandoned hall again.

After returning to his courtyard, Zhang Qian waved for everyone else to leave, leaving only two trusted confidants who were usually in charge of handling matters.

The courtyard gate closed.

Zhang Qian threw the storage bag containing the supplies onto the table and paced back and forth several times.

An old handyman, who should have died long ago.

Not only is he alive now, but he has also secured an official position within the sect.

Zhang Qian felt something was wrong the more he thought about it.

"Qin Zhaoyun protecting him can perhaps be explained by the friendship between the stewards of the abandoned hall."

Where is Chen Baichuan?

"The Weapon Hall and the Abandoned Hall did have dealings, but when has Chen Baichuan ever cared about the life or death of a mere servant?"

He stopped beside the table and tapped the surface twice with his knuckles.

Neither of the two trusted confidants in the courtyard responded.

They had followed Zhang Qian for many years and rarely saw him so agitated over someone.

After a moment, one of them tried to speak:

"Senior brother, why don't we send someone to investigate Zhou Lingxuan's experiences over the past hundred years?"

"I've checked."

Zhang Qian interrupted him coldly.

"He entered the sect at the age of ten, with inferior spiritual roots, and worked as a menial servant in the outer sect for ninety years. He had no master, no family, and apart from having some acquaintance with Liu Yanran, his resume was so clean that there was not a single problem."

"Could it be the Holy Maiden Liu...?"

"Don't mention her."

Zhang Qian slammed his palm on the table.

The desktop sank in by half an inch.

The confidant immediately shut up.

Liu Yanran's status is now completely different. Even if the two had been involved in the past, Zhang Qian wouldn't dare to bring the matter to her attention.

The courtyard fell silent again.

Another trusted confidant stood by the door, looking down and thinking for a long time, before suddenly taking a few steps forward.

"Senior brother, you don't need to hold a grudge."

Zhang Qian glanced at him.

"Do you have a solution?"

"Just because we can't touch Zhou Lingxuan doesn't mean no one can."

"continue."

The man did not answer immediately. Instead, he walked to the gate, tightened the bolt, and listened carefully to the sounds outside.

Only after confirming that no one was approaching did he return to Zhang Qian's side.

"Zhou Lingxuan was able to become the steward of the abandoned hall because of Chen Baichuan. Once Chen Baichuan stops protecting him, this stewardship will just be an empty title."

Zhang Qian frowned.

"Chen Baichuan even dared to threaten the administrative office today for his sake. Do you expect him to back down voluntarily?"

"Of course we can't do it."

The man leaned down and lowered his voice to a minimum.

"But there is someone on the Sword Peak who can do it."

Zhang Qian stopped tapping his fingers on the table.

The trusted aide took half a step closer.

"Senior brother, why are you so upset?"

"Although Chen Baichuan holds a high position and wields great power in the Weaponry Hall, there is a powerful figure on this Earth Sword Peak who hates him to the bone..."