Soon, a Sect Elder arrived at the scene, but found the area completely empty.
Lu Changsheng watched quietly from a distance. He did not need to step forward; the Ning family would naturally inform the Elder of what had transpired.
Sure enough, just as the Sect cultivators gathered, the Ning family hurried over and recounted everything that had just occurred.
The Cangyun Elder nodded and leaped into the air, chasing toward the outskirts of the city.
Watching them give chase, Lu Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. This sort of excitement was simply too much. Those Profound Heaven Sect cultivators were vicious and menacing; he had almost lost his life. Just thinking about it sent lingering chills down his spine.
Just as he prepared to return to the Sect, he discovered that the entirety of Cangyun City had been sealed. No one was allowed to leave, and strict interrogations were underway.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he simply found a tavern and went straight to sleep.
The matter was out of his hands anyway, so there was no need for him to worry further.
The next day, he slept until noon before slowly getting out of bed.
The Sect had finished its interrogations. He leisurely walked toward Qingyun Peak.
Along the way, he habitually greeted everyone he met. Instead of returning directly to the summit, he headed to the gathering place for inner disciples.
He had previously promised the Qingyun Peak inner disciples that he would help clarify the difficulties they encountered in their cultivation.
“Senior Brother Changsheng!”
Everyone greeted him warmly the moment they saw him.
Lu Changsheng said, “I have already asked about your problems on your behalf. Let us begin!”
With that, he took a seat and began answering their questions one by one.
Whether it was the Sword Dao, standard cultivation, talisman crafting, or alchemy, he had dabbled in all of them during his ample free time.
These were all paths he had already walked himself anyway. Answering their questions was effortless, serving as little more than a casual review.
He did not find it bothersome in the slightest.
After all, if the younger generation was strong, the Sect would be strong. Nurturing the Sect’s junior disciples was a reliable path for the future.
There were simply some calamities he could not fend off alone; ultimately, a powerful Sect was necessary to lean on.
Even though he had beaten up the Sect Leader a few days ago, he was well aware that the Sect still housed a much more powerful Ancestor.
It was not until the afternoon that Lu Changsheng finally finished answering all their questions.
He was not afraid of anyone discovering any flaws in his knowledge. After all, he carried his Eldest Senior Brother’s cultivation insights with him. If anyone pressed the issue, he would just toss the blame onto his Eldest Senior Brother.
As the night slowly descended, Lu Changsheng trudged up Qingyun Peak, a hand massaging his lower back.
The lingering side effects from his recent cultivation breakthrough had not completely faded, and sitting cross-legged for an entire afternoon had been rather taxing on his waist.
When he finally arrived, he saw people standing all around the courtyard. Only then did he remember that the Ning family was arriving on the mountain today.
Sweeping his gaze over, he saw a young girl sitting nearby. It was Ning Yuxin, waiting quietly without any sign of impatience.
“How could I have forgotten about this matter!”
Lu Changsheng muttered aloud.
The crowd immediately turned to look at him.
Ning Yuxin turned her head. Ning Yuchen was the first to rush over and greet him, saying, “Senior Brother Changsheng, how impressive! Only coming back now!”
“Cough, what nonsense are you sprouting? I had proper matters to attend to today!”
“I know you had proper matters. I understand, I understand perfectly!”
Ning Yuchen glanced at Lu Changsheng’s hand resting on his lower back, a thoroughly innocent smile plastering his face.
Although she looked down on him, she still maintained proper Sect etiquette.
“Junior Sister Ning, right? Are my Senior Brothers not around?” Lu Changsheng asked.
Ning Yuxin shook her head. “I have not seen Eldest Senior Brother. Second Senior Brother appears to be concocting pills in the alchemy room, so I did not dare disturb him.”
“I see!” Lu Changsheng swept his gaze around before saying, “Eldest Senior Brother is a cultivation fanatic; there is no telling when he will return. I will go look for him tomorrow. You should all rest for now!”
Although Lu Changsheng said he was making arrangements, he simply pointed a casual finger at an empty side room.
After all, with only three martial brothers occupying Qingyun Peak, they had plenty of vacant space.
Ning Yuxin nodded and excused herself without another word.
Ning Yuchen then asked, “Senior Brother, where should we put these things?”
“What things?”
“The things Eldest Senior Brother likes, of course!”
At those words, Lu Changsheng’s eyes instantly lit up. He raised his hand and pointed straight toward his own room, instructing the servants to carry the goods inside.
Staring at the massive, brimming chests, his grin practically split his face from ear to ear.
Once the task was complete, Ning Yuchen cupped his fists. “Senior Brother, I will leave my sister in your care, then. I shall take my leave first!”
“Junior Brother, you…”
Before Lu Changsheng could even raise a hand to stop him, the boy had already disappeared with his attendants, leaving no trace behind.
He fled in such a frantic rush, as if chased by a fire, leaving Lu Changsheng to wonder what urgent matter could possibly brook no delay.
Lu Changsheng shrugged it off. Rubbing his hands together gleefully, he walked straight into his room.
The moment he laid eyes on chest after chest of Spirit Stones, his vision glued itself to them. There were five large chests in total, holding a full ten thousand Spirit Stones! A storage bag appeared in his hand, and he smoothly swept all the Spirit Stones into his own pockets.
Aside from the Spirit Stones, there was another chest stuffed full of Sword Dao scriptures, along with an ornate brocade box containing a precious sword.
However, he completely ignored these items. He could just find some free time later to toss them into his Eldest Senior Brother’s room.
As a Direct Disciple, his monthly stipend was a mere ten Spirit Stones. Ten thousand Spirit Stones was a fortune that would take him a hundred years to save up!
“The Ning family truly lives up to being the wealthiest clan in the region. So rich!”
The more Lu Changsheng thought about it, the more excited he became. With this many Spirit Stones, he could cultivate freely once more, saving himself endless trouble.
“If Eldest Senior Brother were to marry into the Ning family, wouldn’t he have endless Spirit Stones to spend for the rest of his life?”
He kept muttering happily to himself.
Just then, Lu Changsheng sensed a familiar aura approaching and stepped outside to check.
A brilliant streak of light tore across the sky as Zhou Qingyu descended via Sword Riding.
“Eldest Senior Brother!”
Lu Changsheng called out in greeting.
Zhou Qingyu glanced at him and could not help but let out a weary sigh.
He clearly knew about the commotion from the previous night, though he did not voice any blame. He merely offered a word of caution.
“Things have been restless lately. Be much more careful when you leave the Sect from now on!”
“Understood!”
Lu Changsheng nodded agreeably.
At that moment, Ning Yuxin heard the commotion and emerged from her room. A bright smile immediately bloomed on her face as she offered a warm greeting from afar. The source of this chapter is novelping . com.
“Senior Brother Qingyu!”
“Junior Sister Ning.” Zhou Qingyu gave an expressionless nod.
Ning Yuxin said, “Has Senior Brother just returned from outside cultivation?”
“En.”
Faced with the young girl’s eager and heartfelt greeting, Zhou Qingyu remained entirely unmoved. He swept a brief glance over her before speaking in a flat tone.
“Junior Sister Ning has traveled a great distance to cultivate in our Profound Heaven Sect. If you require anything, feel free to ask Changsheng. He will arrange everything properly for you.”
“Him…?”
“Rest early.”
Before Ning Yuxin could even finish her sentence, Zhou Qingyu had already turned and vanished into his room, leaving only Lu Changsheng and Ning Yuxin standing in the courtyard.
Lu Changsheng massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He could not tell if his Eldest Senior Brother was truly that dense or simply playing hard to get.
This was the daughter of the wealthiest family in Cangzhou-where could she not go to cultivate? Why did she insist on coming here?
To put it bluntly, she was entirely here for Zhou Qingyu’s sake. Yet the man was not even willing to speak a few extra words to her!
Ning Yuxin felt a deep sense of loss, her face painted with a complicated expression.
Seeing this, Lu Changsheng consoled her, “Eldest Senior Brother is just like that. He is a cultivation fanatic completely intoxicated by the Sword Dao. During my first two years on the mountain, he basically let me run wild and fend for myself. You will gradually get used to it!”
“But he…”
“Junior Sister, sigh, your approach is completely wrong. Do you know how you are supposed to capture a man?”
“Capture his stomach?”
Lu Changsheng stared blankly. “We are cultivators! What is there to capture about his stomach? Does he even look like he has the time to eat?”
“Then what should I capture?”
“Do you absolutely have to capture something?”
Lu Changsheng rubbed his temples in exasperation.
Ning Yuxin furrowed her brows. “Then what should I do?”
“You cater to his interests, of course!” Lu Changsheng advised earnestly. “He is intoxicated by the Sword Dao, so you should cultivate the Sword Dao. That way, won’t the two of you have a common topic to discuss?”
Hearing this, Ning Yuxin’s eyes lit up. That actually sounded extremely reasonable!
When she looked at Lu Changsheng again, she found that this person was not quite the frivolous, immoral playboy she had imagined. At the very least, his guidance on this matter was remarkably perceptive.
However, as she thought about the realities of it, Ning Yuxin bit her lip in dismay. “But the Sword Dao is incredibly difficult to practice. Just reaching the Novice stage alone requires a massive investment of time and energy. I…”
“That is just because you have not found the proper guidance. Actually, reaching the Novice stage is not that difficult!”
“It is simple?”
“Not difficult in the slightest!”
“Then what must I do?”
“Just come to me for a cultivation plan!”
“Come to you?”
Ning Yuxin stared blankly, asking in a rather timid voice, “But… are you even up to it?”
That single question caused the entire mountain peak to plunge into dead silence!