The two enjoyed the cool breeze and the bright moon, chatting pleasantly.
However, someone soon barged into the courtyard, shattering the serene peace.
“Young Master, Miss Muyue has other engagements today. Please return another day!” a voice urged from outside, trying to block the intruder.
The man looked up, his gaze landing on the two sitting in the pavilion.
He let out a cold sneer. “So the ‘engagements’ you spoke of consist of keeping this pretty boy company?”
“Young Master, do not speak such nonsense!”
The guard tried to dissuade him, his heart tightening. He knew exactly who Lu Changsheng was.
The newcomer was a young man in his early twenties. He had an ordinary face but a burly, sturdy build. His eyes were filled with arrogance, and he looked upon his surroundings with utter disdain.
“I am only doing this for your own good. I am worried your top courtesan will be deceived by this pretty boy. Don’t you know that characters like him are nothing but smooth talkers?”
“Young Master, you should leave. This is someone you cannot afford to offend!”
The guard advised earnestly, truly wishing to save the man from himself. He knew full well what kind of existence Lu Changsheng was.
The young man laughed loudly. “I am Shi Feng, a Direct Disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect. He is merely a pretty boy; what makes him so untouchable?”
“He…”
Before the guard could finish, Shi Feng pushed past the obstruction and marched forward.
The Profound Heaven Sect was one of the three great sects of Cangzhou, equal in status to the Cangyun Sect. Even on this territory, he feared nothing.
Lu Changsheng merely glanced at him, remaining completely unmoved as he leisurely sipped his wine.
Su Muyue, however, felt a pang of surprise. It was only natural for a young cultivator to be hot-blooded and impulsive.
Yet, even after being insulted to his face, he showed no reaction whatsoever. He was far too calm.
Su Muyue asked, “He speaks of you in such a manner, and you are not angered?”
Lu Changsheng replied, “Jealousy is a common human trait. It is an undeniable fact that I am handsomer than him, so why should I be angry? I cannot possibly forbid others from feeling envious, can I?”
Su Muyue was momentarily stunned.
By then, Shi Feng had reached the pavilion and stood before their table. He cast a glance at Su Muyue, unable to conceal the flash of awe and admiration in his eyes.
“Young Master, I have no leisure to entertain today. Young Master Lu arrived first, so I must ask for your forgiveness,” Su Muyue spoke with polite courtesy.
Shi Feng countered, “Then make him leave. If he refuses, I will throw him out!”
Su Muyue looked at him, finding the man before her to be exceedingly overbearing.
“Young man, do not be so arrogant. It will do you no good,” Lu Changsheng spoke in an old-fashioned, worldly tone, having paid no real attention to the intruder from the very beginning.
“Bang!”
Shi Feng slammed his palm heavily onto the table, splashing wine everywhere. His aura erupted, revealing a cultivation at the sixth layer of Spirit Accumulation.
Su Muyue showed no fear. Instead, she grew curious about how Lu Changsheng would respond.
After all, despite knowing him for so long, she had never seen him engage in combat.
Lu Changsheng said, “Are you slamming the table to intimidate me?”
“What does slamming a table amount to?” Shi Feng sneered, a mocking glint flashing in his eyes. “What if I flip it? What can you possibly do to me?”
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With a swift motion, Shi Feng raised his hand and flipped the table completely over.
The sharp clatter of shattering bowls and dishes echoed through the air.
Shi Feng looked at him provocatively, his eyes brimming with pride. “I know you are Lu Changsheng. But so what?”
Lu Changsheng stood up at that moment, his movements calm and unhurried.
“You know who I am?”
“What of it?”
“Then do you know what a local tyrant means?”
“Hmm?”
Shi Feng raised an eyebrow, failing to catch his meaning. “What? Are you going to call your Senior Brother to back you up?”
“To deal with a minor character like you, why would I ever need my Senior Brother to step in?”
“Heh!”
Shi Feng sneered, about to mock him further, when several streaks of radiant light sliced through the sky.
Figures were riding swords, descending rapidly from above.
“Senior Brother Changsheng!”
Several individuals bowed respectfully toward Lu Changsheng.
Though they were significantly older than Lu Changsheng, they were only inner disciples and still had to address him honorably as Senior Brother.
Shi Feng blinked, looking at them with growing confusion.
Su Muyue also watched the scene with curiosity, only to see Lu Changsheng suddenly raise his arm and point directly at Shi Feng.
“He flipped my table, threatened me, and even openly insulted our Cangyun Sect!”
“What!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the expressions of the arriving disciples darkened instantly.
Shi Feng frowned. Feeling their glaring eyes, he forced himself to stay composed. “What of it? Do you actually dare to strike me?”
“Slap!”
Before he could even finish his sentence, a young disciple lunged forward and delivered a fierce backhand across his face.
The crisp sound of the slap resonated through the courtyard. Shi Feng was left utterly dazed as his cheek rapidly swelled, forming bright red finger marks.
“I am a Direct Disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect! You-“
“Bang!”
Before he could finish his threat, the very table he had flipped was hoisted up by someone and smashed violently against his body, emitting a heavy thud.
Immediately after, the group of disciples swarmed forward. Their previously gentle and polite demeanors vanished, replaced by fierce and menacing expressions.
Shi Feng shrieked in pain. He immediately tried to circulate his spiritual power to resist, but he was pinned ruthlessly to the ground.
Only then did he realize that every single one of these inner disciples possessed a cultivation at the sixth or seventh layer of Spirit Accumulation.
Facing a coordinated group beatdown, he stood absolutely no chance.
Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng leisurely strolled to the side, watching them get pummeled with a wide smile plastered across his face.
No one understood the inner workings of this place better than he did.
Cangyun City sat directly at the foot of the Cangyun Sect. Every month, the sect dispatched Elders and disciples to rotate on guard duty, monitoring every ripple of activity within the city at all times.
The moment Shi Feng flipped the table, the patrolling Elder had already detected the commotion.
Under normal circumstances, they would not interfere in minor altercations between young cultivators. However, everything changed when Lu Changsheng was involved.
Who did not know that he was Zhou Qingyu’s beloved Junior Brother? Even if one did not care to show face to Lu Changsheng, they still had to show face to Zhou Qingyu.
Furthermore, though Lu Changsheng rarely tended to his proper duties, his character was highly regarded among the disciples.
He treated them well and was quite considerate. Whenever they encountered bottlenecks or confusion in their cultivation, they would ask him, and he would seek guidance from his Senior Brother to help them resolve their issues.
Shi Feng had relied on his status, fully intending to provoke Lu Changsheng into a duel. In his mind, as long as no one died, a small clash between disciples would not cause a major incident.
Yet, he never expected that his opponent would completely disregard the rules of martial decorum, choosing instead to summon a crowd for a gang beatdown.
By instantly branding Shi Feng with the crime of insulting the Cangyun Sect, Lu Changsheng allowed the disciples to unleash a merciless torrent of blows upon him.
“Lu Changsheng! You…” Shi Feng roared in fury.
Lu Changsheng commanded, “Gag his mouth and keep hitting him! It is time to display the glorious martial spirit of our Cangyun Sect!”
Hearing this, the disciples promptly complied.
To the side, Su Muyue stood in a daze. She had been incredibly curious as to how he would handle the confrontation.
Yet, never in her wildest dreams did she anticipate such an outcome.
When faced with a blatant provocation, he had remained entirely indifferent, appearing as though he lacked any backbone whatsoever. Then, without a shred of chivalry, he simply called for reinforcements to overwhelm his opponent.
Was this truly the glorious spirit of the Cangyun Sect?
Naturally, Lu Changsheng did not lose any sleep over the beating; as long as the man was kept alive, nothing else mattered.
Instead, his gaze subtly drifted toward the far distance.
When Shi Feng first arrived, Lu Changsheng had habitually extended his Divine Sense to sweep the surrounding environment, only to discover that several figures were covertly monitoring the area from the shadows.
Furthermore, there was more than one, and all of them were powerful experts who had already attained Core Formation.
According to the iron laws of the Cangyun Sect, any Core Formation expert entering their territory was strictly required to report their presence. Failure to do so would result in them being classified as hostile entities.
The Cangyun Sect would then strike to eliminate them, showing no regard for their survival.
During this recent period, no outside expert had submitted any such report.
With these thoughts in mind, Lu Changsheng retracted his gaze. Seeing that the beating was sufficient, he signaled the disciples to toss the battered men out.
He then bade farewell to Su Muyue and departed from the courtyard.
However, the moment he left her sight, his figure vanished into thin air. Within the span of a single breath, he had already materialized near the hidden Core Formation masters!
‘One at the fourth layer of Core Formation, and two at the third layer… What exactly are they plotting?’
Lu Changsheng watched from a distance, quietly observing their every move.
He would absolutely never allow anyone to threaten the well-being of his sect. He harbored deep, affectionate bonds toward his home.
In this perilous cultivation world where danger lurked around every corner, if his sect were to fall, where could he possibly find another place to freeload? Who would be left to shield him from the storms?