Above Cangzhou, peaks rose and fell, revealing a landscape of spiritual beauty and natural elegance. An ancient Sect had stood here for thousands of years.
Two figures walked along the road, heading toward the mountain peak ahead.
One was a handsome, upright young man with an ethereal aura about him.
Beside him was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in fine silks and brocades. He looked at the young man with a calm expression, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
“Tianyi, it has been many years. I never expected you to have already reached the sixth layer of Essence Condensation. It truly astonishes this Martial Uncle!” the middle-aged man spoke.
The young man was named Ye Tianyi, and the place he was in was called the Cangyun Sect.
This Sect had seven main peaks, each presided over by a Peak Master.
The two were currently ascending one of the seven peaks, Qingyun Peak.
Ye Tianyi was a Direct Disciple of Qingyun Peak.
Hearing the praise, Ye Tianyi shook his head and said, “Martial Uncle Lin Po, you flatter me too much. My cultivation realm is nothing remarkable!”
“No need for modesty. My own Direct Disciples are simply an eyesore compared to you. I truly envy your Master for taking on disciples like you. Qingyun Peak will have no worries for a thousand years!”
Lin Po spoke, his tone carrying genuine envy rather than mere flattery.
Hearing this, Ye Tianyi could not help but ask, “By the way, Martial Uncle, when Master returned to the Sect ten years ago, he took on a disciple. He said this Junior Brother of mine was exceptionally talented and intelligent, far beyond ordinary geniuses-the kind that would not appear in all of Cangzhou even in a hundred years. Is he really as astonishing as Master claimed?”
“Who? Lu Changsheng?”
“Yes!”
At the mention of this name, Lin Po subconsciously furrowed his brow, momentarily unsure of how to answer.
After pondering for a long while, he finally spoke.
“I cannot easily judge this. It is better for you to see for yourself. However, one thing is certainly true!”
“What is that?”
“Forget one hundred years; Cangzhou would not produce such a person even in five hundred years!”
Hearing these words, Ye Tianyi revealed a look of curiosity. “It seems this Junior Brother of mine is no ordinary person!”
“He truly is far from ordinary…”
“Is he currently in the Sect?” Ye Tianyi inquired.
“He is right over there!”
Lin Po paused for a moment, then pointed not far away, to the base of an old pine tree.
Reclining on a lounge chair was a youth dressed in white. He lay there leisurely, gently waving a folding fan while holding a cup of clear tea, savoring it carefully.
He looked exceptionally comfortable.
Several figures stood before him, each with a burlap sack placed at their feet. The sacks gleamed brightly in the sunlight, filled with dazzling white Spirit Stones.
“Senior Brother Changsheng, this month’s share of Spirit Stones from Cangyun City has been delivered. Would you like to count them?”
Someone spoke, a fawning smile plastered across his face.
Lu Changsheng took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, “No need to look. I trust how you handle matters!”
Hearing this, smiles bloomed on their faces.
Lu Changsheng continued, “However, there is one matter you need to pay extra attention to!”
“What is it?”
“A few shops seem to have found new backing. They have not handed over their Spirit Stones for two months now. I am leaving this matter to you!”
“They must be tired of living, daring to owe Senior Brother’s Spirit Stones!”
“Bastards! I will go burn down their shops tomorrow!”
One by one, they voiced their righteous indignation, denouncing the shops on Lu Changsheng’s behalf, appearing exactly like respectful subordinates defending their elder brother.
Lu Changsheng waved his hand and said, “There is no need to go that far. I am soft-hearted and cannot bear the sight of bloodshed. Just have them hand over the Spirit Stones within Three Heavens!”
“What if they refuse to hand them over?”
“If they refuse, cannot you take them yourselves? Do you not know what is valuable? Do I need to teach you that?” Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow.
Everyone suddenly understood. Right, if others refused to give, could they not just snatch it? If they could not even manage that, what was the point of all their cultivation?
However, these words clearly fell into the ears of Ye Tianyi and Lin Po.
Lin Po was already accustomed to this and found it unremarkable, but dark lines formed across Ye Tianyi’s forehead.
“Martial Uncle, is he truly that Junior Brother of mine?”
“Rest assured, he definitely is!”
“Rest assured…” Ye Tianyi’s mouth twitched. Just what had he heard?
What happened to exceptional talent, rarely seen in a century?
Others cultivated day and night, forgetting to eat and sleep. Even the Eldest Senior Brother, the benchmark of Cangyun, was like that.
Yet this Junior Brother seemed to be living in retirement. Sleeping, strolling, drinking tea, ignoring ancient scriptures and magical arts, giving no thought to the grand pursuit of cultivation…
As if that were not enough, he was also inciting this group of inner disciples to act as his thugs, going to Cangyun City to collect Spirit Stones for him?
Seeing his reaction, Lin Po consoled him, “Martial Nephew, you will slowly get used to it!”
“Does he only engage in these kinds of shady deeds on a normal day?” Ye Tianyi asked, still clinging to a sliver of hope.
Lin Po pondered for a moment before answering seriously, “Of course not. He occasionally does other things as well!”
“What things?”
“For example, whenever Spirit Rice is distributed to the outer disciples every month, he is always punctual, carrying away two burlap sacks. When Spirit Pills are distributed to the inner disciples, he also arrives early, leaving with a full basket on his back. When Spirit Stones are distributed to the Direct Disciples, he goes to collect them on behalf of your Eldest Senior Brother. And every half a month, he definitely goes to an Elder and claims that his Eldest Senior Brother has reached a critical juncture in his cultivation and requires more Spirit Stones…”
Lin Po recounted Lu Changsheng’s decade-long, unchanging routine, an event he had never once missed.
Hearing all this, Ye Tianyi’s entire face flushed red with dark anger. He could not help but ask, “Has no one tried to stop him? Does Eldest Senior Brother not intervene?”
“Indeed, I have never seen anyone intervene. However, as a Direct Disciple, carrying off two sacks of Spirit Rice is nothing major. The outer Sect Elders do not dare brush aside your Master’s face. And as for Pills and such, the Sect can certainly afford to supply his little share. As for the Spirit Stones, perhaps your Eldest Senior Brother truly needs them, who knows?”
Lin Po offered comfort.
But Ye Tianyi’s eyelids twitched violently. He was an upright person, harboring a strong sense of righteousness, and prided himself on the Sect’s strict discipline. Yet, his own peak had produced such a… talent…
“Tianyi, do not take it to heart. Your Master is away, and the others are busy with cultivation. He has lacked proper discipline, which is why he is like this. Now that you have returned, you can slowly teach him the proper path!” Lin Po advised.
Ye Tianyi nodded, determined to properly discipline this Junior Brother.
Seeing this, Lin Po immediately called out, “Changsheng!”
Hearing the call, the people under the pine tree all turned their heads.
The others, upon spotting Lin Po, trembled in fright. They hastily hoisted their burlap sacks and scrambled up the mountain.
Lu Changsheng, however, remained unperturbed. He slowly stood up, a smile hanging on his face.
“Martial Uncle Lin, what brings you to Qingyun Peak today? Do you need something from my Eldest Senior Brother?”
Lu Changsheng spoke as he slowly walked toward them.
Ye Tianyi scrutinized Lu Changsheng carefully, but found himself surprised.
What he saw was a youth of seventeen or eighteen. His appearance was handsome, dressed in pristine white, his eyebrows like sword blades and his eyes like bright stars-indescribably ethereal and transcendent.
Yet he truly could not imagine that such a stunning figure would turn out to be such a… talent.
Lin Po looked on and said, “I simply ran into your Second Senior Brother on my way back to the Sect and chatted with him along the way!”
“Second Senior Brother?” Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow, looking at the young man beside Lin Po.
Come to think of it, he and this Senior Brother had never met before.
“Hurry up and greet your Second Senior Brother!”
Lin Po spoke. Ye Tianyi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding a proud aura. He was truly quite angered and deliberately avoided looking at Lu Changsheng, intending to establish his authority to make future discipline easier.
Yet Lu Changsheng simply grinned and slowly said, “Second Senior Brother, have you eaten?”
In an instant, Ye Tianyi froze. He opened his mouth, but for a long time, he could not utter a single word.