Du Youqian considered himself a complex person.
Of course, in reality, every individual is complex.
The kind of person pure as crystal only exists in fairy tales and Japanese anime.
Someone like him had lived for over two hundred years across three reincarnations. He had been a low-level corporate drone working a 996 schedule, stood proudly in the imperial court wielding immense power, roamed the Jianghu as an unrivaled master, and secluded himself from the world for decades of arduous cultivation.
His personality was, naturally, incomparably complex.
Trying to summarize it in a few sentences was rather unrealistic.
However, it was never wrong to call him a man of his word.
Under normal circumstances, he would not break his promises.
Unless the benefits were simply too great.
For example, in his life before last, when he was the Prime Minister of the Wu Kingdom, he once promised some political enemies during a period of political strife that if they obediently surrendered and gave up their vested interests, he would let bygones be bygones.
But later, after the struggle had subsided, he still found all sorts of excuses to uproot them all, confiscating their properties and exterminating their clans.
Because those people were not resigned to their failure. After he died, they would have made a comeback and overturned the fruits of his reforms.
'For the well-being of hundreds of millions of common people, what's the big deal about breaking a promise or two?'
Of course, this sort of thing wouldn't sound good to later generations. When he got the chance, he would definitely find the Wu Kingdom's Immortal Master Tributors and have them revise the history books.
「As for the present.」
Since Du Youqian had promised to pass on some of his Alchemy skills, he naturally wouldn't hold anything back.
This Alchemy knowledge was something he had figured out himself based on his Alchemy Inheritance. There were no patent barriers or intellectual property disputes.
Moreover, in the process of figuring out this knowledge, he had already reaped the greatest reward: a deeper understanding of Alchemy and a more solid foundation.
As for this Alchemy knowledge itself, including the formulas he had developed, it might be a priceless treasure to Mortals.
But to a Cultivator, it was nothing more than trash that could be casually tossed aside.
Indeed, the principles contained within this Alchemy knowledge—such as the interactions between medicinal ingredients, the sovereign-minister-assistant-guide hierarchy, the activation of medicinal properties, and fire control—were actually quite advanced.
But ultimately, it was used for refining Mortal medicines that didn't even have a Grade.
At the absolute most, it could only produce Tier One Middle Grade Elixirs.
For a Cultivator…
It was utterly worthless.
Seeing Du Youqian so cooperatively and generously sharing such precious knowledge without reservation—and even forging a batch of Divine Soldier-quality weapons and Armor for the generals—the Governor of Three States, Yang Wenwan, naturally placed even greater importance on him, rewarding him with increasing frequency.
Seeing that Du Youqian was single-mindedly focused on the Dao and had no interest in women—not even touching the beauties gifted to him—and that he also wanted no money or power, completely scorning gifts of silver and official titles, Yang Wenwan simply rewarded his family instead.
Du Youqian's mother and sister were both granted noble titles.
Du Youqian's brother and father were each gifted a dozen beautiful maids, ostensibly to help the Qiu Family expand its lineage.
The entire Qiu Family was deeply grateful to Yang Wenwan and was now tied firmly to his chariot.
One could only say that Yang Wenwan's methods for winning people over were truly brilliant.
Du Youqian returned the favor and began to teach the knowledge of weapon forging to the craftsmen of the Governor's Mansion.
Soon, under Du Youqian's guidance, craftsmen with outstanding Comprehension managed to forge weapons that were close to the Divine Weapon Level.
At this point, Du Youqian had fulfilled his promises.
~~~~~~~~~~
Before he knew it, six years had passed since Du Youqian was recruited by Yang Wenwan.
In these six years, people on the periphery of the Governor's Mansion thought he was just an ordinary advisor, getting by in the mansion on the coattails of Old Qiu's influence.
He hadn't managed to secure even a minor official post; after six years, he was still a minor advisor with no name or real authority.
Only Yang Wenwan's trusted confidants knew how favored Du Youqian truly was.
With a single word from Du Youqian, Yang Wenwan would offer up his favorite concubines and beloved daughter, and would hand over any official position below Governor.
One time, an envoy from the Jin Kingdom was passing through, and the Governor's Mansion held a banquet to entertain them.
Du Youqian didn't want to stand out, so he sat in an inconspicuous corner during the banquet.
But as fate would have it, a noble envoy from the Jin Kingdom spotted him. The envoy's eyes lit up, finding Du Youqian exceptionally handsome and possessing an otherworldly air, and demanded that Du Youqian dance for their entertainment.
Du Youqian wasn't particularly angry at the time.
'It's like a dog barking madly at a person. If the person is in a normal state of mind and not troubled by other things, they usually won't get angry. What's the point of arguing with a dog?'
'If one did get angry, it would surely be displaced anger from some other matter.'
Du Youqian didn't take it to heart, but Yang Wenwan did.
Afterward, the envoy party never reached the Han Kingdom Capital City alive; they were robbed and killed by mountain bandits on the road.
Aside from the envoy who had demanded Du Youqian dance, the bodies of all the other envoys were found.
As for the envoy who had offended Du Youqian, his body was missing. Only his tongue remained, which had been carefully preserved with chemicals, made into a shoe brush, and presented to Du Youqian on an exquisite porcelain dish, specifically for him to brush his shoes with.
Not many people knew about this, but every one of them was Yang Wenwan's confidant, and they all understood Du Youqian's importance in the Governor's eyes.
It should be known that Yang Wenwan had taken a huge political risk with this act. If even the slightest whisper of it got out, he could have been charged with a crime and imprisoned.
But no one was jealous.
The medical arts Du Youqian taught had saved countless soldiers and also improved the Martial Arts aptitude of many. They were all beneficiaries.
The forging techniques Du Youqian taught had raised the Governor's Mansion's standard of crafting weapons and Armor by several levels, allowing them to leverage their superior weaponry on the battlefield to reduce losses.
Considering Du Youqian's contributions, this special treatment was not the least bit excessive.
On this day, heavy snow blocked the roads, blanketing the land in white for miles around.
Du Youqian had someone prepare a table of food and wine and bring it to the small pavilion in the courtyard, where he sat, warming wine and admiring the snow.
He was now in charge of teaching, so he rarely did any hands-on work himself. Most of his time was spent practicing his Martial Arts and contemplating the knowledge of Alchemy and Artifact Refining.
Although his Alchemy was still at Tier Two Middle Grade, he could break through to Tier Two Upper Grade, or even Tier Two Peak, at any moment.
His Artifact Refining Art had also made great strides and was currently at Tier One Peak.
As soon as he obtained a Tier Two Inheritance, he would be able to break through immediately.
Watching the goose-feather snow drift down, the wine bubbled and steamed on the small stove.
Du Youqian's memories were stirred, and he slowly recited:
Green scum on newly brewed wine,A small stove of red clay.
Evening falls, the sky threatens snow,Won't you join me for a cup?
"A fine poem! Worthy brother, you usually hide your talents so well. I never expected you to have such poetic genius." Yang Wenwan approached, clapping, with the ever-present Mr. Si by his side and no other guards.
With his Martial Arts as an Innate Grandmaster, if someone could assassinate him, no amount of extra guards would be of any use.
"Big brother, you praise me too much," Du Youqian said with a smile. "If you are not busy, why not sit and have a drink with me?"
Yang Wenwan laughed heartily. "I would love to have a long talk with you, worthy brother, admiring the snow and drinking wine, but unfortunately, official duties are pressing, and I can only stop by for a moment. My little daughter, Yuanyuan, is extremely fond of poetry. Could you perhaps find some time to give her some guidance?"
The look in Du Youqian's eyes turned strange.
'I treat you as a brother, and you want to be my father-in-law?'
'What a wicked, wicked heart.'
"Haha," Yang Wenwan knew Du Youqian had no interest in women and was even less willing to marry and start a family, so he could only state his true purpose. "Worthy brother, prepare yourself over the next two days. In two days' time, I will take you to the place I promised."
Du Youqian's eyes lit up.