Who Let Him Cultivate？

Chapter 52: Who Are You Calling a Good Guy!

The air in the cramped tavern was thick with the smell of cheap grain wine and roasted meat. Amidst the clatter of wooden cups, a single voice rose above the din, expertly calibrated to draw the ear of every patron in the room.

“Have you heard the news?” Lu Yang’s voice cut through the ambient chatter. He leaned against the scarred wooden table, his eyes wide with manufactured excitement, the very picture of a traveler bursting with juicy gossip. “Our county has birthed a true paragon of justice. A hero by the name of Qin Yuanhao! They say his noble deeds are so profound that even the exalted masters of the Five Great Immortal Sects weep with admiration!”

A few patrons scoffed, slamming their cups down. “Really? How come I’ve never heard of this saint in Yanjiang County?”

“That name sounds familiar,” a grizzled mercenary muttered, scratching his beard. “But I could have sworn he was a scoundrel.”

“Quiet down, all of you!” another patron barked, leaning in. “Let the young brother speak. What’s the deal with this Qin Yuanhao?”

Lu Yang paused, letting the suspense hang in the air for a perfect, agonizing second. “This hero, Qin Yuanhao, is no ordinary martial artist. He boasts a cultivation level at the Foundation Establishment stage! He is fiercely loyal, chivalrous to a fault, and possesses a network of friends so vast that anyone who crosses his path proudly calls him ‘Big Brother.'”

A collective gasp rippled through the tavern. The patrons’ eyes practically glowed in the dim light.

Foundation Establishment!

Usually, the wildest rumors in the mortal Jianghu revolved around first-rate martial arts masters and their thrilling, blood-soaked escapades. It was an open secret that the absolute pinnacle of mortal martial arts equated to merely the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refining. To hear a rumor about a walking, breathing Foundation Establishment expert was like hearing a myth come to life. This was premium gossip—the kind of story a man could milk for free drinks for a month.

“Let me tell you of a specific day,” Lu Yang continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Qin Yuanhao and a sworn brother attended a grand underground auction. His friend laid eyes on a peerless treasure but fell short on funds, asking to borrow several thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones. Do you know what Qin Yuanhao did? He laughed! A hearty, booming laugh! He slapped his friend on the back and said, ‘Between brothers, talking about money is vulgar. Here are eight thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones. Take them, and dare not speak of repayment!’ His friend wept on the spot.”

“Eight thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones?!”

A young man at a neighboring table—Meng Jingzhou—leaped to his feet, his face a mask of theatrical, exaggerated shock. He played the role of the astounded bystander with the flair of a seasoned stage actor. “Heavens above! Spirit Stones are the hard currency of the Cultivation world! Eight thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones is enough to buy a sprawling mansion in the center of the county and hire a stunningly beautiful maid to serve you for the rest of your natural life!”

Thanks to Meng Jingzhou’s perfectly timed economic breakdown, the sheer weight of the wealth crashed down upon the ignorant patrons.

Eight thousand Spirit Stones, given away on a whim! What staggering generosity!

“Tragically,” Lu Yang sighed, shaking his head with a mournful grimace. “After his friend won the bid, they were targeted by a vile demonic cultivator. Caught off guard by a cowardly ambush, the friend fought like a cornered beast to protect the treasure. He resisted with everything he had, but alas… he was slain, and the demonic cultivator managed to seize the treasure. Qin Yuanhao roared in grief and gave chase, but the villain had already vanished into the night.”

Lu Yang stopped speaking and tapped his throat with two fingers.

The tavern patrons weren’t fools. A dozen hands shot into the air, hollering at the barkeep to bring the young storyteller a drink. Lu Yang graciously accepted a cup of harsh grain wine, took a slow, deliberate sip to clear his throat, and resumed his tale.

“On his deathbed, the friend grasped Qin Yuanhao’s hands, entrusting his beloved wife and daughter to his care. Weeping tears of blood, Qin Yuanhao swore an oath to the heavens that he would protect them.” Lu Yang leaned in closer. “Now, you must understand, this mother and daughter were peerless beauties. The widow possessed a grace that could topple empires, her youth perfectly preserved. The daughter was a vibrant, playful flower just coming into bloom. Faced with these two exquisite women living under his roof, do you know what Qin Yuanhao did? Nothing. He remained as immovable as a mountain.”

“With no one else to rely on, the grieving women believed Qin Yuanhao was a man worthy of their lifelong devotion. They approached him in the dead of night, offering themselves to him. But Qin Yuanhao turned his back! He declared, with absolute righteousness, that he practiced a supreme virginity-preserving martial art and could never break his vow of purity!”

“He kept his word,” Lu Yang concluded, his voice ringing with finality. “He provided for them without ever overstepping the bounds of propriety, until he finally found a wealthy, honorable man to marry them off to, securing their future forever.”

“To think such a man exists!” Meng Jingzhou cried out, slamming his fist against his chest. “Wealthy, yet indifferent to gold! Surrounded by temptation, yet unmoved by lust! A true paragon!”

The tavern erupted into a chorus of reverent murmurs.

“What a saint. Qin Yuanhao is a true hero.”

“Damn it all, I wish I knew him! I’d borrow a few Spirit Stones myself!”

“Who says heroes always fall for the honey trap? Qin Yuanhao walked right through it!”

In the shadowy corner of the tavern, Man Gu sat quietly, sipping his tea. The towering, scholarly youth watched Lu Yang play the charismatic lead while Meng Jingzhou flawlessly executed the role of the hype-man.

Such profound synergy, Man Gu thought, genuine awe in his eyes. No script. No preparation. Just pure, unadulterated fabrication flowing from their lips like a river.

He sighed softly. When would he ever possess such terrifying talent?

***

Tavern patrons were simple creatures. They loved nothing more than to boast about things others didn’t know.

However, they had also consumed a copious amount of cheap alcohol while listening to Lu Yang. As they stumbled out into the streets to spread the tale, the finer details began to blur. But a storyteller could never admit they forgot the ending—that would mean losing face.

So, they improvised.

Every drunk forgot a different detail, and every drunk invented a different embellishment. Like a wildfire fueled by cheap liquor, the rumors surrounding Qin Yuanhao mutated into something entirely unrecognizable.

…

“Hey, have you heard about the great philanthropist, Qin Yuanhao?”

“You mean the guy who secretly discovered a massive Spirit Stone mine, became the richest cultivator in the county overnight, and hands out interest-free loans?”

“Yeah, that’s him! But I heard he doesn’t care for women because he prefers the company of men.”

“Right, right! I heard he practices a supreme virginity-preserving technique, so he only surrounds himself with pure young boys!”

“Are you idiots deaf? That’s not how the technique works! I heard Qin Yuanhao stumbled upon a legendary Immortal Artifact—the Merit Ledger! He bound it with his blood. Now, the more good deeds he does, the more merit he earns. He can trade that merit to the heavens for spiritual treasures, Immortal Artifacts, and even raw cultivation power!”

“Fools, all of you! My cousin’s neighbor said he is the destined Lord of the Nine Netherworlds! He controls life, death, and karmic merit! He’s only pretending to be weak right now to gather his strength. Once the time is right, he’ll soar into the Ninth Heaven and become an immortal patriarch!”

“That explains why he endured the humiliation of joining the Demon Sect! He’s infiltrating their highest ranks to slaughter them all from the inside! He’s going to use the entire Demon Sect as a sacrifice for his Merit Ledger!”

“Using the entire Demon Sect as a stepping stone… What terrifying ambition!”

***

Meanwhile, at the regular assembly of the Demon Sect’s Yanjiang Branch.

The demonic cultivators stood respectfully in two neat rows. At the head of the gloomy hall, the branch leader lounged in a massive chair carved from a single, flawless block of crimson agate. The armrests were sculpted into snarling dragon and tiger heads, a brutal symbol of his absolute authority.

It was a magnificent chair. Qin Yuanhao had gifted it to him just last month.

Currently, Qin Yuanhao was standing in the ranks, and he looked like he was about to suffer a catastrophic aneurysm.

His forehead was practically black with suppressed rage. A violent twitch seized the corner of his mouth every few seconds, baring teeth that looked more beast than man.

His fellow cultists noticed his murderous aura, but none of them cared. In the Demon Sect, everyone’s cultivation and status in this room were roughly equal. Even if Qin Yuanhao threw a tantrum, he couldn’t kill them all. Besides, the core philosophy of the demonic path was simple: If it’s not happening to me, it’s hilarious.

And it was no wonder Qin Yuanhao was on the verge of a psychotic break. Before the meeting had even officially started, he had been approached by four different colleagues.

“Hey, Old Qin. Can I borrow a few thousand Spirit Stones? You don’t mind if I never pay it back, right? I mean, since you own that secret mine and all.”

“Brother Qin, you wouldn’t happen to know any widowed mother-daughter pairs, would you? Hook a brother up.”

“Man, I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have dragged you to the brothel last week. It must have been absolute torture for a pure, virgin soul like yours.”

“Big Brother Qin! I don’t care about your Immortal Artifact Merit Ledger. I just want to follow you! I believe in your righteous heart!”

And the final nail in the coffin, delivered with a sneer from a rival cultist: “Generous with wealth, indifferent to women… Qin Yuanhao, you’re a walking embarrassment to the demonic path. Tell me the truth, are you a spy sent by the righteous sects?”

Qin Yuanhao’s fists trembled so violently his knuckles popped. He swore to the dark heavens that he would find whoever started these rumors, chop them into a thousand bloody pieces, and feed them to wild dogs!

He was a villain! A proper, bloodthirsty, irredeemable villain! How the hell did he become a saintly philanthropist overnight?!

Who the hell were they calling a good guy?!