Please be my partner.

Page 507

Seeing that Cai Die'er was about to turn and leave, Mellen suddenly asked, "If I were to go to a harsh and cold place, where the environment is far worse than here, would you be willing to come with me?"

"No need to rush to answer, you can think about it more..."

Cai Die'er stopped and turned around abruptly, her tone still gentle but unusually firm as she said, "Wherever Master is, Die'er will be there."

"Ah."

Mellen responded softly and said no more.

Cai Die'er bowed again, then turned and left.

At noon, in the Wind Chime Pavilion, in the private room on the top floor.

When Mellen pushed open the door and entered, the head steward immediately stood up with a smile to greet him: "As expected, heroes emerge from among the young. Young Master Mellen's arrival brings great honor to our Wind Chime Pavilion."

Mellen didn't speak, his eyes were slightly closed, then he suddenly opened them, and a surge of energy overflowed, filling the entire venue.

For a moment, although Mellen did not deliberately target the Grand Steward, the almost tangible pressure still made his hands and feet go weak and his heart filled with horror.

As Mellen slowly withdrew his spiritual aura, the Grand Steward muttered in disbelief, "The power of ghosts and gods?! This is... the might of a Martial Saint?!"

Chapter 639 Cooperation and Opportunities

In this world, if it is an ordinary martial artist, although they can also move at great heights, the power they display is ultimately within an acceptable range.

But the Martial Saint is different. With just a glance, the Martial Saint can hypnotize ordinary people, making them see fantasies of immortals and demons. Once the imagery unfolds, it can slightly affect the outside world and create strange phenomena in the heavens and earth.

Therefore, once a martial artist achieves the Martial Saint level, they are already at a significant disadvantage compared to those below them, becoming beings of a different level.

The power displayed by the Martial Saint is not much different from that of the legendary ghosts and gods, so some people also call the power of the Martial Saint the power of ghosts and gods.

After Mellen demonstrated his martial prowess, his standing in the eyes of the Grand Steward changed completely.

If before, the Grand Steward only thought that Mellen was a rare genius with the potential to become a Martial Saint, or even go very far among the Martial Saints, then now Mellen is already a powerful figure that cannot be ignored.

A martial saint is someone who deserves the utmost respect, not to mention his mere Grand Steward, even his master would have to treat him with the utmost courtesy.

Moreover, the talent that Mellen has shown is beyond terrifying; it's simply monstrous.

After Mei Lun restrained his aura as a Martial Saint, the Grand Steward not only showed no anger, but instead said apologetically in a humble tone: "Congratulations to Young Master Mei on becoming a Martial Saint. From now on, you will be able to roam freely and do as you please. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. I will prepare a small gift for you. I hope you will forgive me."

With a smile, Mellen said, "Ignorance is no excuse there."

After exchanging a few pleasantries in a harmonious atmosphere, Mellen got straight to the point: "There are two main reasons for inviting the Grand Steward to this meeting."

The head steward straightened up and said solemnly, "Young Master Mei, please speak."

Mellen smiled and said, "Well, I've thought it over when I get back. I can join the Wind Chime Pavilion."

"Really?!" The head steward exclaimed in surprise, "It is an honor for Fengling Pavilion to have Young Master Mei join us. Young Master Mei, rest assured, all the benefits we promised you will only be more, not less. Moreover, in the future, your status in Fengling Pavilion in Qingzhou Prefecture will be equal to mine, and you will be able to mobilize all the resources of Fengling Pavilion."

These words surprised Mellen. The treatment was secondary; the promise of a position equal to that of the Grand Steward, and the ability to mobilize the power of the Wind Chime Pavilion in Qingzhou Prefecture, was quite a heavy one.

However, after a moment's thought, Mellen understood the Grand Steward's plan. After all, an organization like the Wind Chime Pavilion, though seemingly loose, actually had an extremely tight internal structure. The Grand Steward could grant Mellen the authority to mobilize the entire Wind Chime Pavilion in Qingzhou Prefecture with a single sentence, and could also take it back with another.

Moreover, Wind Chime Pavilion is only good at intelligence gathering, making money, and cultivating beauties, at least on the surface. Even if Mellen has the power to mobilize the Wind Chime Pavilion's resources, it is mostly for intelligence support, at most with a little money and beauties to play with as he pleases.

For Fengling Pavilion, these are all benefits without cost, and are the treatment they already receive after becoming an outer steward. It's just that the title sounds better, but the actual difference is not significant.

Mellen thanked him politely, and the head steward, sensing the situation, asked, "And what about the second matter?"

Mellen said, "This second matter should not be difficult for the Wind Chime Pavilion. I have just mastered martial arts and want to test my skills across the world and meet the heroes of the land. I hope to use the Wind Chime Pavilion's intelligence capabilities to find me some suitable opponents."

The Grand Steward was somewhat surprised by Mellen's second matter, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.

A young hero who becomes a martial saint naturally wants to test his own strength and meet the heroes of the world.

Several thoughts flashed through his mind, and the chief steward asked, "I wonder if Young Master Mei is challenging us in his personal capacity, or as a disciple of the Wudang Sect?"

There's a lot to consider between these two things.

The former depicts young heroes roaming the martial world with abandon, while the latter portrays a disciple of Wudang displaying his brilliance.

For the Grand Steward, the latter is naturally better. This would not only increase Mellen's own fame, but also enhance his status in the Wudang faction, laying the foundation for future competition for the position of Mountain Lord.

Mellen calmly replied, "Naturally, I am a disciple of Wudang."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Steward smiled, for it meant that Mellen was not entirely without hope for the Wudang Sect's leader.

The head steward said, "Very well! I'll go back and mobilize the resources of Wind Chime Pavilion to help Young Master Mei gather intelligence. By the way, Young Master Mei, would you like Wind Chime Pavilion to do some publicity?"

Mellen laughed, "Publicity! Of course we need to publicize it! The bigger the buzz, the better!"

"Hahaha!" The head steward clapped his hands and laughed: "Young Master Mei is indeed a wonderful person. A true man should live a carefree life! If my master were to meet such a hero as Young Master Mei, he would surely be happy to make his acquaintance."

A thought struck Mellen, and he asked casually, "Your master? Who is he?"

The head steward smiled and glanced at Sister Hua and Cai Die'er. Sister Hua immediately understood that they were about to discuss some confidential matters, so she pulled Cai Die'er away.

But Cai Die'er only swayed slightly as she was pulled, without making any further moves, and instead looked at Melon.

This action made Sister Hua break out in a cold sweat, but the head steward, after a slight surprise, revealed a satisfied smile.

In the Grand Steward's view, if Cai Die'er were to obey his every command, it would inevitably arouse Mellon's resentment. On the contrary, her current practice of centering everything around Mellon would more easily increase her importance in Mellon's mind.

Seeing the three's behavior, Sister Hua finally realized what was happening and couldn't help but smile bitterly. However, there was nothing she could do about it. The Grand Steward had too much authority over her, which made her instinctively not have any thoughts of resistance.

Mellen smiled and nodded at Butterfly, saying, "Go and say goodbye to those you know. We'll be away from Emerald City for quite some time now."

Cai Die'er then performed a curtsy and said softly, "Yes, sir, I'll go say goodbye to my ladies."

After the two left, the head steward said, "With Young Master Mei's intelligence, he must have guessed something, right?"

Mellen nodded and said, "The Wind Chime Pavilion is spread throughout the three prefectures and seven counties of the Great Yu. There are indeed very few people who can do this. The most likely candidate is naturally someone from the government."

The chief steward rose, bowed slightly to the north, and said respectfully, "Young Master Mei guessed correctly. This Wind Chime Pavilion is actually an official property, mainly for collecting intelligence on the martial arts world of Great Yu and preventing other countries from infiltrating Great Yu."

"The person in charge of the Wind Chime Pavilion now is the fourth brother of the current emperor... Prince Jing."

"Prince Jing?" Mellen asked. "Gongsun Zeyuan?"

The head steward hurriedly said, "Young Master Mei, please do not address the Prince by his given name."

Mellen readily changed his address, saying, "So you are Prince Jing. My apologies for my rudeness."

Prince Jing, Gongsun Zeyuan, was the fourth son in the current generation of the Emperor and the younger brother of the Emperor of Dayu. Since the current Emperor of Dayu ascended the throne, his other brothers and sisters had become idle people with empty titles, while only Prince Jing still held some real power.

To Mellen's surprise, the emperor was willing to entrust such an important organization as the Wind Chime Pavilion to his fourth brother, Prince Jing.

The head steward said, "In three months it will be the Fourth Master's birthday. He will be holding a grand banquet in the capital. I wonder if Young Master Mei will be interested..."

Mellen nodded and smiled, "Such a sight to behold, I naturally want to see it for myself."

Perfect timing! Mellen also wanted to see just how authentic the royal relatives who ruled the Great Yu were.

The head steward was overjoyed and said repeatedly, "If Fourth Master knew that Young Master Mei would be coming, he would be very happy too."

The two discussed some more details before the Grand Steward took his leave to prepare intelligence for Mellen.

On the return journey in the carriage, after a moment's thought, Mellen asked Cai Die'er beside him, "Die'er, do you want to learn martial arts?"

Cai Die'er was stunned for a moment, and hesitated before saying, "Master, Die'er is too old and has passed the age for martial arts practice."

Mellen waved his hand and said, "There's no such thing as a fixed time for learning martial arts. With your master around, it's impossible to master it overnight, but I guarantee you'll make rapid progress. Now, let me ask you, do you want to learn martial arts?"

Cai Die'er replied decisively, "Yes!"

Mellen laughed, "So straightforward? Even with my help, learning martial arts still requires a lot of hard work. You really want to?"

Cai Die'er smiled and said, "If Master wants me to think about it, then of course I will."

Mellen said, "You don't need to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Cai Die'er hugged her. This bold gesture clearly made Cai Die'er blush, but she didn't let go and just stared at Mellen.

"You!" Mellen smiled and tapped Cai Die'er's forehead.

Mellen's idea didn't come out suddenly; it was an experiment he had wanted to do for a long time. Of course, his "a thousand miles a day" was not an exaggeration. With the concept of "Wu Dang" in mind, he could help Cai Die'er regulate her dragon and tiger, harmonize yin and yang, and naturally make her martial arts cultivation twice as effective.

Although this method is only useful in the first step of martial arts, it is sufficient for Cai Die'er.

Having made up his mind, Mellen did not intend to return to the mansion, but instead instructed the coachman to head out of the city.

Half an hour later, in Xiaojiang Village.

Mellen knocked on the door of the village chief of Xiaojiang Village, the same old man who had enlightened him when he first arrived in this world.

A moment later, a woman opened the door. It was Ah Da's wife. She didn't recognize Mei Lun at first, but was instead overwhelmed by the demeanor of Mei Lun and Cai Die'er, and murmured, unable to speak.

Mellen smiled and said, "I've come to pay my respects to the village chief."

The woman seemed to wake from a dream and immediately stumbled back, her voice distorted as she called out to the old man.

After the old man came out, his dim, yellowed eyes looked him over carefully before recognizing Mellen. He said, "You are... the stranger from that night?"

Mellen nodded with a smile and said, "I said before that there would be a generous reward, so I have come today."

Just then, Ah Da, who had received the news, rushed over and was quite surprised to see Mellen, because Mellen was completely different from a few days ago.

Mellen nodded to Ah Da, and walked into the courtyard as if they were old friends, saying, "Since you're here, let's hear about my reward."

In the pavilion of the small courtyard, Mellen and the old man sat facing each other. Cai Die'er stood beside Mellen with her head bowed. A'da stood beside the old man as before, but this time he looked quite nervous and helpless, and kept secretly glancing at Cai Die'er, as if he thought no one could notice.

The old man looked disappointed and gave his cane a heavy thud before Ah Da finally looked away.

Mellen didn't take it to heart and said, "Thank you for your help last time, village chief. This is just a small gift, nothing more."

As he spoke, Mellen took out a gold ingot and placed it on the small table.

The golden light immediately blinded the old man and Ah Da.

The value of one or two taels of gold varied across dynasties. In the present-day Great Yu, even if the village chief and his family worked from dawn till dusk every day without eating or drinking, they might not be able to save that much in a year.

The old man looked at Mellen, wanting to refuse, since in his opinion, what he had said that night was just common sense and not worth such thanks.

But looking at the golden light, the old man couldn't open his mouth.

Ah Da was quick-witted and grabbed the gold ingot in his hand, while thanking Mellen.

Seeing this, the old man could only sigh softly in the end.

Mellen smiled slightly and said, "Besides that, I have another suggestion. You can see if you are willing to accept it."

Ah Da nodded and bowed, saying, "We accept it! We accept everything you say!"

He was afraid that Mellen would change his mind and want to take the gold ingot back.

Mellen waved his hand and said, "Your family is connected to me by fate. I intend to take one of your three children as my disciple. What do you think?"

Ah Da's face lit up with ecstasy, but before he could speak, Mellen added, "I need to make it clear that I'm going to a very far place, and I might not be back for several years, or even more than a decade. If you become my disciple, you will naturally have to come with me."

“This…” Ah Da’s expression froze, revealing a look of hesitation.

Ah Da's wife looked terrified, holding her youngest son in her arms and shaking her head repeatedly at Ah Da, as if she was afraid that if she let go, her precious son would be kidnapped.

With a calm expression, Mellen said, "I just feel a connection with your family, and I didn't mean to force you in any way. If you don't want to, just pretend I didn't say anything."

After saying that, Mellen was about to leave.

The old man opened his mouth, but after glancing at his grandson, he ultimately said nothing more.

Just as Mellen was about to reach the gate of the courtyard...

With a creak, one of the doors was pushed open, and the old man's youngest daughter, Ah Da's younger sister, the little girl who had served tea to Mellen that day, stepped out with one foot and looked at Mellen with excited eyes.

Xiao Ya naturally overheard the conversation outside while inside the house. When she heard Mellen say that he would choose one of the three children to take as his disciple, she keenly sensed that this was an opportunity for her, an opportunity for her to escape from being married to a stranger and to see a wider world!

So when he saw that Mellen was about to leave, he impulsively pushed the door open and tried to leave.

But when the little girl stepped out the door and faced the gazes of her father, brother, and sister-in-law, she hesitated and backed down.

Just then, the woman suddenly released her son and shouted at the little girl, "What are you doing out here! What are you doing out here!! Go back! Go back!!"

While shouting, they tried to push the little girl back into the house.

In fact, they all realized that Mellen was no ordinary person, and that if they could become his disciple, their future achievements would be unimaginable.

However, in the woman's eyes, this opportunity belonged to her son and could only belong to her son. She was reluctant to let her beloved son leave home for more than ten years, but she was also unwilling to give this opportunity to someone else.

What's more, she's raising this money-losing girl for over a decade, and she's about to get married. She's already negotiated the dowry with someone else. If Xiaoya leaves now, everything will be for nothing.

At that moment, perhaps spurred on by the woman, the little girl finally broke free from her restraints and mustered her courage to shout, "I...I'm willing...Sir, I'm willing to go with you!"

A slight smile appeared on the corner of Mellen's mouth.