Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 23: Reunion with Chu Wu

Chapter 23: Reunion with Chu Wu

The three of them quickly set off for the capital city. The distance was not considered too far, so it took them nearly a month to arrive.

Now, the trio stood before the fortress gates. What lay before their eyes was an immensely majestic fortress towering between sky and earth. It could be said that this was the most splendid fortress Jun Wu Xiao had ever seen.

"This fortress is truly vast, it seems that the kingdom Chu Wu lives in is also quite extraordinary." Jun Wu Xiao thought.

As they entered the fortress gates, Yue Guang asked him:

"Do you know where your friend might be?"

Jun Wu Xiao paused for a moment, then remembered that he only knew Chu Wu would be waiting for him in the capital. As for the exact location, he had no idea.

After thinking it over, he replied:

"I don’t know, but we can ask the people around here. After all, he is a general, so perhaps someone will know how to find his house."

Dao San Qian, who was also curious, hadn’t had much chance to talk during the past month of travel, so he didn’t know who Jun Wu Xiao’s friend was. He asked:

"You said your friend is a general? What is his name?"

"Ah, his name is Chu Wu. You are also a resident of this kingdom, so have you ever heard of him?" Jun Wu Xiao asked.

Dao San Qian was quite surprised and responded:

"Who wouldn’t know? Chu Wu’s reputation spreads far and wide, and it’s a good reputation, not infamy."

Jun Wu Xiao was also surprised. Initially, he thought that being a general, Chu Wu would be somewhat known, but he hadn’t expected his friend to be so famous.

"He is that famous? It seems he has really put in a lot of effort over the years. Well, that’s even better; it should make it easier for us to find his house." Jun Wu Xiao said.

He then randomly approached a passerby and asked:

"Brother, may I stop you for a moment? Could you tell me where General Chu Wu resides?"

The middle-aged man, suddenly called upon, turned to look. Seeing a man in tattered clothes who looked no different from a beggar, he became a bit standoffish.

His reaction was not unusual, eleven years earlier, after Chu Wu returned, he had spoken with the emperor. The emperor agreed with Jun Wu Xiao’s idea and began to act, but the current situation meant they could only start with simple tasks, waiting until the world was united to continue with the rest. The first task he wanted to accomplish was to ensure that there were no beggars left within the capital.

What did he do? Since Jun Wu Xiao’s idea about punishment was on hold due to focus on the war, the emperor opted for a warning instead.

What kind of warning? Simply put, within the first year, he warned all beggars living in the capital that any found there after a year would be exterminated.

Initially, people were skeptical because they didn’t believe the emperor would actually follow through, but they were wrong. A year later, the emperor indeed purged the entire capital. Since then, no one dared to beg anymore.

Why didn’t the emperor do the same in other fortresses? Simply because there was a lack of manpower. Currently, with the effort to unify the world, most manpower is focused on the battlefield.

Dao San Qian, seeing the man’s reluctance to engage, came to Jun Wu Xiao’s side and said:

"He thinks you are a beggar and he is trying to leave."

Jun Wu Xiao’s face darkened at this, he hadn’t expected the man to try and leave because of his appearance. He immediately said:

"Brother, please do not misunderstand. I am not a beggar, nor do I want anything from you. Chu Wu previously told me to meet him, but I forgot to ask where he lives."

The middle-aged man frowned initially, skeptical, but then he recalled something. Typically, Chu Wu would be on the battlefield, but in recent months he had been in the capital, and outside his residence hung a sign that only invited guests were welcome.

"Are you certain you are a guest invited by General Chu Wu?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"Yes, I am." Jun Wu Xiao replied without hesitation.

Seeing that he didn’t look like he was lying, the middle-aged man gave directions.

"Thank you." Jun Wu Xiao said, and he departed with his companions.

After some searching, they finally found Chu Wu’s residence. As they were about to enter, the gatekeeper stopped them.

"Didn’t you see the sign? If you’re not a guest invited by the general, you cannot enter." a guard said.

It was not wrong for them to be suspicious, after all, a person dressed like a beggar actually knew their general, it was truly unbelievable.

The three of them paused, and Jun Wu Xiao asked the guard:

"Is General Chu Wu here right now?"

"Yes." the guard replied.

"Good, then I won’t trouble everyone further. I’ll call him out myself." Jun Wu Xiao declared.

The guard frowned, puzzled at how this shabbily dressed man planned to summon the general. As they contemplated this, they heard Jun Wu Xiao shout:

"Chu Wu, I have arrived!"

The guards were taken aback but they quickly said:

"Do you realize you are disturbing the general?"

"Don’t worry, he will be out in a moment." Jun Wu Xiao assured.

Thanks to his greatly enhanced body, Jun Wu Xiao’s voice could carry much farther than before if he wished.

Chu Wu, who was in the midst of his cultivation, was startled by the call. Yet, he soon broke into a smile and said:

"So you’ve finally arrived."

He immediately went outside and upon seeing him, the guards respectfully greeted him:

"We pay respect to the general."

Chu Wu nodded and then turned to the man before him. Despite his extremely tattered clothes, looking even worse than a beggar, Chu Wu recognized his friend.

Seeing Chu Wu, Jun Wu Xiao smiled and said:

"Finally, we meet. You’ve aged quite a bit, haven’t you?"

Chu Wu puckered his lips and retorted:

"So what if I’ve aged? At least I look better than you, who now appear utterly destitute. Even a beggar might look better than you."

Jun Wu Xiao’s expression darkened further. He didn’t care what others said, but it troubled him that all his friends thought he looked like a beggar. Not giving up, he replied:

"So what? That’s easy to change. Just a bath and a change of clothes and I’ll look thousand times better than you."

"If it’s easy to change, what’s the difference? What if you’re more handsome than me? The fact that you look worse than a beggar right now is the truth, don’t deny it." Chu Wu saw that Jun Wu Xiao seemed unconvinced so he continued.

The guards stood dumbfounded, unable to believe that their usually intelligent and dignified general was arguing with another man who looked extremely childish.