Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 37 How about making a deal
Wearing fine iron armor, Jiang Xuan opened the door and tiptoed out.

At this time, the sky was gradually getting brighter, and the courtyard outside the house was filled with the chirping of insects. Although the friction sound of the armor was extremely difficult to hear due to Jiang Xuan's efforts to suppress it, it still attracted his attention.

"Little kid, what are you doing so early in the morning?" An old man's voice came from another room.

Jiang Xuan stood there in a daze, looking as if nothing had happened. He forced a smile, turned around, and said to the old man's room, "Old Sha, I have an urgent matter and need to leave the city. The rent has been paid. You..."

"Come in." A familiar voice sounded. Jiang Xuan sighed and walked towards Old Sha's room.

"Tell me, why are you going out of town?" Mr. Sha sipped the tea in his hand.

Jiang Xuan glanced at Sha Lao out of the corner of his eye and found that although the latter was still wearing the same tattered robe, after taking a bath in the inn, he showed a refined and kind temperament, which was completely different from yesterday.

Therefore, although he was very disappointed with his failed escape and was extremely reluctant to face Sha Lao's questions, Jiang Xuan was now even more curious about Sha Lao's true identity.

"Mr. Sha, I have a ring that was stolen by gangsters and sold to a traveling merchant. You must go find it as soon as possible." Although what Jiang Xuan said was true, he swapped the two most urgent things, hiding one of them and only putting the other on the table.

The ring was given to him by Jiang Yuan. At that time, he only said that Jiang Xuan would use it in the future and asked Jiang Xuan to keep it well. The specific origin and purpose of the ring were not mentioned.

Another thing is the batch of pills robbed by the fat man, which is also the real reason why Jiang Xuan is preparing to leave the city today.

Of course, the ring was more important to Jiang Xuan. However, Jiang Xuan had to weigh the pros and cons. Although the ring was very important to him, it was still uncertain whether he could find it in the short term.

But it was different for that batch of pills. Jiang Xuan had already gotten their more specific location from the fat man. If he went there now, he would most likely be able to bring them back.

This batch of pills is different from the ring. If Old Sha asks about the origin of the ring, Jiang Xuan can just tell him the truth and Old Sha won't say anything more.

Telling Elder Sha about that batch of pills? If it's as Fatty described, then quite a few of those pills are more valuable than Jin Qiang San Jin. It's hard to explain how an ordinary Heavenly Rank warrior could possess such a large number of pills of such quality.

"Oh? A traveling merchant, what kind of traveling merchant?" asked Mr. Sha.

"I don't know what he looks like, but they say he carries a wooden box on his back and has a childlike face." Jiang Xuan repeated what the fat man had said before.

"Tong Yan..." Mr. Sha paused for a moment and said, "This person should have left the city through the west gate. I wonder if he went to the Qixi Desert."

"Qixi Desert?" Old Sha mentioned his next destination again, which surprised Jiang Xuan.

Old Sha placed the teacup on the table, stood up and walked to the window, muttering, "Jiang Xuan, Jiang family."

Stroking his beard, Sha Lao continued, "Who is your relationship with Jiang Yuan from Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce?"

"It's my father," Jiang Xuan replied respectfully. "Since you're from a prominent family, which martial arts school did you enroll in?"

"I have not joined any martial arts school. Please keep this a secret for me, Mr. Sha." Jiang Xuan said to Mr. Sha with a fist salute.

In his opinion, even if Mr. Sha told others about this, it would not be a big deal. Long before he left Yingzhou City, he had already considered his future plans.

Jiang Xuan had already reached the Heavenly Rank. When he left Yingzhou City, he was only at the lower level, but now he was a mid-level Heavenly Rank warrior. Regardless of whether he chose to enter the Yingzhou Martial Arts School through selection or join a non-official school like Xiuxin Martial Arts School, his Heavenly Rank identity could not be hidden. So, this time, he decided not to hide his Heavenly Rank status.

In the eyes of Yingzhou residents, the Jiang family is the weakest of the three major families in the Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce. However, due to their status as outsiders, they are also the most talked about of the three major families in the Chamber of Commerce. To the extent that, among all the neighboring states of Qizhou, the Jiang family has become the most famous family in Yingzhou.

Many people in Qizhou know all this, let alone Mr. Sha who has been hanging around the streets of Qizhou for many years?

In Elder Sha's eyes, while the Jiang family was weaker than the other two members of the Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce, and certainly not comparable to the Wu and Gao families of Qizhou, it was nonetheless one of the major forces in the state. Thus, Jiang Xuan before him was a genuine young master. However, since meeting Jiang Xuan yesterday, Elder Sha had developed a distinct impression of him—at least, quite different from the other young masters of Qizhou City.

Qizhou's current generation of young geniuses boasts three, all hailing from two major families: the Wu and Gao. One of the Wu family members, the second son of the main branch, has reached the high-level Heavenly Rank. The other two, the eldest son of the main branch and the eldest daughter of a branch branch, have also reached the high-level Heavenly Rank. However, even the youngest of the three, the second son of the Wu family, is already over twenty years old.

Although Jiang Xuan's strength is only at the intermediate level of the Heavenly Rank, he is only about sixteen or seventeen years old. It can be said that his future is limitless!
Thinking of this, Mr. Sha couldn't help but think of something he had been thinking about for many years: accepting a disciple.

During his years in Qizhou City, Master Sha's biggest goal was to find a highly qualified apprentice. However, in the entire Yuan Kingdom, it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to reach the Earth Rank, and reaching the Heaven Rank was even more difficult.

To strengthen their protective forces, the major families in each state recruited large numbers of Heaven-level warriors, and even extremely talented Earth-level warriors. As a result, the major forces sifted through the large nets, and the qualifications of the remaining warriors could be imagined.

Knowing his advancing age, Master Sha lowered his standards. Finally, last year, a young man with good qualifications was willing to become his disciple. However, after learning about the prospective master's requirements, the matter naturally fell through.

Now, having encountered a young Heaven-level warrior who hadn't joined any martial arts school, he rekindled his hope of accepting him as a disciple. Perhaps, this time, Jiang Xuan could help him accomplish what he had longed for.

After gathering his thoughts, Sha Lao was afraid of missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he stopped hesitating and turned to Jiang Xuan and asked, "Would you like to be my disciple?"

Elder Sha's words were somewhat unexpected to Jiang Xuan, but after a moment's thought, he replied, "I have seen Elder Sha's strength. I'm afraid he is at least at the peak of the Heavenly Rank. But I already have a master. Please forgive me for not being able to accept you as my disciple."

Jiang Xuan's words hit Sha Lao like a heavy blow. However, considering his years of experience in accepting failed disciples, being rejected by such a talented young man wasn't entirely surprising. After a brief moment of adjustment, he asked, "Oh, who is your master?"

Jiang Xuan's master is his father Jiang Yuan, but because he cannot reveal his father's identity as a warrior, he naturally cannot tell the truth to Mr. Sha.

Jiang Xuan could only reply, "I cannot reveal my master's identity. Master Sha, please forgive me."

Being rejected twice in a row made Sha Lao feel a little embarrassed, but he pretended to be calm and once again put his face in front of Jiang Xuan: "Little kid, how about we make a deal?"

(End of this chapter)