Chapter 92: You Are Sai Diaochan, Lord of the Color Gates

Duan Wenxuan returned to his residence with a mass of harvested faith power. He promptly instructed Steele to gather certain items for experimentation.

Laid out on the desk were six copies of Duan Wenxuan’s adapted “Holy Word,” along with two long swords and four saint statuette pendants. With great enthusiasm, Duan Wenxuan pinched off a small portion of the faith power and directly infused it into one of the Holy Word books.

The pages turned spontaneously without any breeze, finally stopping at the section containing saints’ teachings. Strikingly, the text on the page disappeared entirely. Only as Duan Wenxuan focused his gaze did the words gradually reappear, one by one.

After conducting this experiment, Duan Wenxuan discovered that the book’s ability was healing. The more devout the user, the more text would reveal itself on the now-blank pages, and the effectiveness of the healing increased accordingly after fervent prayer.

Impressive! Duan Wenxuan felt he had struck upon something significant.

Now fully confident and unreserved, Duan Wenxuan generously distributed the remaining faith power across the other items. In the end, four of the Holy Word books became ‘Healing Scrolls,’ while two remained focused on Universal Church doctrines, granting them the ability to unleash fire and thunder.

The two long swords possessed the ability of extreme sharpness, incredibly cutting like butter when Duan Wenxuan tested them against a table with effortless ease. The four sculptures were intriguing; they granted the ‘repulsion’ ability. After devoutly reciting phrases from the sacred texts, repulsion would take effect. It created an invisible barrier, effectively protecting oneself.

With twelve items now ready, Duan Wenxuan estimated that if he further divided the faith power, the resulting objects might lack significant value and usefulness. Even currently, these items did not fully utilize their potential abilities.

It was due to insufficient faith power; at present, only some local farmers from the manor came for prayers, and many likely attended primarily for the bread distributed after mass.

These items proved quite useful, so Duan Wenxuan planned to extensively promote the Universal Church across Westphalia once the selection of license holders settled down. This way, more people from Westphalia would come here to pray.

The twelve items were just right for now. Duan Wenxuan summoned Steele and instructed him to distribute these objects among the twelve Apostles within the manor.

Although these devout Apostles practiced knightly physical training techniques, this world was perilous, teeming with monsters. Their current abilities were simply insufficient. Duan Wenxuan had been considering finding some mutants to fuse with them, but it was a time-consuming task. Moreover, the mutants needed to appear non-creepy at first glance, aligning with the Universal Church’s luminous and sacred image, making the endeavor even more challenging.

Now, however, things looked promising. With faith power directly supporting their presence, it would help give those twelve young men a more respectable appearance.

With matters here temporarily settled, Duan Wenxuan turned his attention to “The Tramps” next.

In just a couple of days, he would embark on a new world, so promptly addressing these issues allowed him to focus fully on handling his concerns there.

Duan Wenxuan hadn’t visited “The Tramps” frequently lately, but each trip yielded some gains. Life at the modest Tongfu Inn seemed ordinary yet not quite. Perhaps due to the concentration of second-generation heroes and officials, many martial artists often frequented the place.

Having plucked valuable resources from Tongfu Inn multiple times, Duan Wenxuan relied heavily on this as his sole wuxia world source for inner strength cultivation.

Upon arriving, Duan Wenxuan once again started by visiting Tongfu Inn.

Having not seen Duan Wenxuan for quite some time, Li Dazui, being the straightforward person he was, immediately greeted him with “Shixiong” as his mother had taught him. He then eagerly offered to prepare a special meal for Duan Wenxuan.

Although wages at the inn were modest, they included room and board. Storekeeper Tong never skimped on providing good meals. Li Dazui loved taking small advantages, knowing these dishes could be expensed from the common account, so he didn’t hesitate to go all out.

As Li Dazui prepared to leave, Duan Wenxuan slipped a piece of silver into his hand, saying, “Consider this my treat; any change left is yours.” Initially reluctant, Li Dazui accepted after Duan Wenxuan insisted firmly. Embarrassed yet delighted, Li Dazui rushed off to buy ingredients.

While others might not notice the changes in Duan Wenxuan, Bai Zhan Tang subtly gripped his arm mid-conversation and smiled, “Wenxuan, you’ve been keeping well lately.” His words carried deeper meaning.

Duan Wenxuan’s gait was now light and graceful, his breathing steady and unhurried, exuding an indescribable aura of distant nobility. With vast experience reading people, Bai Zhan Tang recognized instantly that Duan Wenxuan’s martial skills had significantly advanced, accompanied by a transformed demeanor - clearly no longer resembling an ordinary individual.

“Don’t worry, I’ll leave right after lunch,” Duan Wenxuan reassured, patting Bai Zhan Tang’s arm with a smile.

Bai Zhan Tang understood the unspoken concern; the young man feared causing trouble for the inn. After all, their group sought seclusion, aiming for a peaceful life.

Bai Zhan Tang sensed the unspoken message and quickly flashed a flattering smile. “Wenxuan, you didn’t need to invite us for lunch since you’re already here. We should be treating you.”

Duan Wenxuan enjoyed the atmosphere of this place but remained somewhat detached as he observed from afar. His choices were starkly different from Bai Zhan Tang’s group; while he appreciated the laid-back ambiance, he couldn’t fully let go of his ambition for a quiet life.

The meal was lively and enjoyable, with Duan Wenxuan treating it like a mini-vacation.

However, during midday, a commotion arose at the inn. A lavishly adorned woman chased her maid out of their room, even striking her along the way. Amidst the chaos, Duan Wenxuan learned that the woman was named Sai Diaochan, and the delicate, charming maid went by Xiao Cui. Their fortunes had dramatically shifted over the years: just a few years ago, their roles were reversed. The woman was then called Xiao Cui, and the maid, Sai Diaochan, with the former serving as the latter’s personal attendant.

Back then, their business had gone bankrupt, leading both mistress and servant to be sold into servitude. Ironically, the once-servant, now known as Sai Diaochan, caught the buyer’s eye and became first a concubine, later elevated to the status of the main wife. Consequently, the original ‘Miss’ transformed into the maid’s ‘servant,’ complete with a switch in names.

Upon hearing this backstory, Duan Wenxuan suddenly suggested, “How about this? Since you don’t seem to favor her, why not sell her to me? She can then stay by my side from now on.”

The Tongfu Inn patrons looked at Duan Wenxuan with surprise. The maid was indeed charming and possessed a natural allure, especially catching the attention of Bai Zhan Tang and the other men, who immediately began entertaining impure thoughts.

Dressed in coarse linen clothes, the maid noticed Duan Wenxuan’s youthful age, striking appearance, and commanding presence - far superior to their previous master. Overjoyed, she rushed forward, sobbing, “Your humble servant wholeheartedly agrees. If only our benefactor rescues me, I shall never forget such immense kindness.”

As she finished speaking, she fervently bowed, knocking her head against the floor.

The woman, though decently attractive with a round face, paled in comparison to the maid. However, it was rumored that she excelled in dancing, with graceful movements, which had caught the eye of the wealthy gentleman who initially chose her.

Naturally, the woman was unwilling and started to raise her voice menacingly. Duan Wenxuan’s expression instantly turned stern; his eyes seemed deep and ominous, as if they could drown her within their depths. The woman shuddered, suddenly overwhelmed by fear.

“Speak, will you sell or not?”

Instinctively, with panic in her voice, the woman blurted out, “One hundred taels, one hundred taels and she’s yours.” Duan Wenxuan promptly tossed her the money and demanded the contract papers on the spot.

Duan Wenxuan cared little for such documents and swiftly tore them up.

With that, the matter concluded. Later in the afternoon, Duan Wenxuan left Tongfu Inn with the woman, now renamed back to Sai Diaochan. This time, during the arrival of the chosen ones, he chose to abandon Qi Xia Town.

Being close to Tongfu Inn, Duan Wenxuan aimed to minimize disruptions to this small world, allowing its inhabitants to continue their slightly chaotic yet peaceful lives undisturbed.

He hired a carriage, stepping inside, where…

Sai Diaochan had changed her attire once more, now appearing even more enchantingly beautiful.

“Give me some background,” Duan Wenxuan said while sipping his tea.

Sai Diaochan began recounting her story. Originally from humble origins, she wouldn’t have adopted a name like Sai Diaochan, hinting at its stage-name connotations.

She only knew that as a child, her parents sold her to a woman who renamed her Sai Diaochan. The woman, living alone after her husband’s death, taught her various skills such as needlework, reading and writing, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Being intelligent, Sai Diaochan excelled in these lessons. She understood her adoptive mother’s intention - to sell her for a high price when she grew older, securing funds for her own retirement.

However, fate is unpredictable. Before the adoptive mother could sell her, she suddenly fell ill and passed away. Fortunately, Sai Diaochan inherited some of her adoptive mother’s wealth.

With her beauty and intelligence, Sai Diaochan later sold her adoptive mother’s house and ventured into business herself, surprisingly making a profit despite the challenges faced by women during those times.

As her circumstances improved further, she thought to find someone for companionship and purchased Xiao Cui, just as the girl’s parents were about to sell her into a brothel. Sai Diaochan often beat and scolded Xiao Cui, but aside from that, she provided well for her: ensuring good food, clothing, and education in various arts like music, calligraphy, painting, and chess. She even hired specialists to teach Xiao Cui dancing and singing. Unlike her adoptive mother, Sai Diaochan never considered selling Xiao Cui for profit; instead, she planned to carefully seek out a suitable family once their situation stabilized, so Xiao Cui could become a respected matriarch.

However, fate had other plans. When Sai Diaochan invested all her savings to open a restaurant directly across from Tongfu Inn, a series of unfortunate coincidences led to its utter failure, leaving her heavily indebted.

Without influential figures like the Robber Sage or the daughter of a renowned hero nearby, nor connections akin to Proprietor Tong’s, they found themselves utterly helpless. Forced by circumstance, both women were compelled to put their fingerprints on a document, effectively selling themselves into slavery to repay the debt.

Duan Wenxuan knew what happened next—their roles reversed, with Sai Diaochan becoming subordinate to her former maid. Xiao Cui, harboring resentment over past mistreatment, sought to return every indignity Sai Diaochan had inflicted upon her. Yet, she seemed to forget that despite Sai Diaochan’s faults, the kindness shown towards her far outweighed any perceived wrongs.

People tend to be this way—more adept at remembering grudges than acts of goodwill.

As Sai Diaochan recounted her story, Duan Wenxuan observed the paper figurine cradled in his arms remaining motionless, confirming that she was not lying.

The moment Sai Diaochan finished speaking, Duan Wenxuan seized her arm. Startled at first, she quickly relaxed and flashed him a gentle, ingratiating smile. When she had been sold off, her previous master—an unattractive, overweight man of considerable age—had merely wanted her as a concubine. Naturally, Sai Diaochan would be even more willing to serve someone like Duan Wenxuan.

Duan Wenxuan briefly examined Sai Diaochan’s physique, gauging her natural abilities. Her talent was quite decent, certainly better than most people’s.

He swiftly returned to his seat, leaving Sai Diaochan slightly disappointed.

However, Duan Wenxuan looked straight at her and calmly said, “From this day forward, remember your identity—you are Sai Diaochan, leader of the Colorful Gate, one of the Eight Great Gates of the jianghu. The entertainers who charm patrons in pleasure districts and perform on stage through song and dance—all belong to the Colorful Gate. Although your status within the gate is lowly, you must never forget the words of your predecessors: ‘Who says armor belongs only to men? Women too can wield the sword.’”

In Sai Diaochan’s hand lay a token with a mysterious emblem, quietly placed there by Duan Wenxuan.