vstars Chapter 177 Parting at the Cave
Chapter 177 Parting at the Cave
At first, Xiao Daojue had almost resigned himself to his fate.
Even if his current abilities are incredibly strange and powerful, he is still no match for someone who is only at the third level of Qi Refining.
Moreover, the two people who came to investigate were at the seventh level of Qi Refining.
But Xiao Daojue never imagined that the dead end he thought he had would be broken in such an absurd way.
When the two disciples from the Punishment Hall arrived, they only looked down on him when they saw his filthy appearance.
They even completely ignored the fact that he had successfully drawn qi into his body in just half a day.
They simply conducted a cursory inspection of the places that Senior Brother Wang and the mentally challenged youth had visited.
They casually recorded the "fact" that Senior Brother Wang had murdered the mentally challenged youth in the register.
As for extorting him?
That would be even more unrealistic.
The two wealthy disciples of the Punishment Hall had no interest in Xiao Daojue, a penniless novice who had just entered the Qi Refining stage.
Moreover, this is especially true for the talisman hall, which is extremely exploitative.
Compared to the cost of extorting Xiao Daojue, it was much easier to settle things hastily.
After dealing with Xiao Daojue's matter, the two of them leisurely went to the sect market and found a fine young lady from a bookstore, which they then recorded in the punishment hall's account.
Once he felt completely at ease, he leisurely returned to report.
……
Two flowers bloom, one branch each.
Lu Qingyun followed Xue Cheng to choose a location for their cave dwelling.
Seemingly still harboring wicked intentions, or perhaps to satisfy his unique fetish, Xue Cheng actually used his connections to secure two mid-grade first-level cave dwellings for Lu Qingyun and Chen Xiru.
This cave dwelling is right next to Xue Cheng's cave dwelling.
"See? I told you I wouldn't treat you badly, right, Junior Sister? You should remember my kindness. If it weren't for me, even if you have a mid-grade spiritual root, you would only be able to live in a simple low-grade cave with those early-stage cultivators."
Xue Cheng was beaming with pride. If it weren't for his influence, Lu Qingyun and Chen Xiru wouldn't have been able to stay here.
Of course, just as Lu Qingyun had expected, he didn't harbor any goodwill.
He just felt that perhaps Lu Qingyun's words were just a lie, and that he would wait until he thoroughly investigated whether Lu Qingyun and his uncle had any relationship.
It doesn't matter.
He would then directly make a move on Chen Xiru and kiss her.
Even if there is a real relationship, having Chen Xiru by his side would allow him to pursue her openly, so that even Lu Qingyun and his uncle wouldn't be able to find fault with it.
Having lived several lifetimes, Xue Cheng's thoughts were completely impossible to hide from Lu Qingyun.
"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother Xue."
Lu Qingyun nodded slightly; he wouldn't consider the thoughts of a dead person.
Since Xue Cheng was being so kind, how could he refuse?
Living next to Xue Cheng made things much easier.
Once one reaches the mid-stage of Qi Refining and refines a few batches of pills, Xue Cheng will naturally disappear without a trace.
Xue Cheng accepted Lu Qingyun's compliments with satisfaction, even though they weren't really compliments.
Demonstrating his abilities to Chen Xiru in front of Lu Qingyun would only excite Xue Cheng more.
Just a casual glance from Chen Xiru had stirred ripples of spring in his heart.
"So, welcoming junior brothers and sisters isn't a chore at all; it's a fantastic job!"
He was plotting how to win Chen Xiru's heart.
A young and delicate female cultivator emerged from Xue Cheng's cave.
"Senior brother, Junior Brother Ye has come to his senses. We've come to find you today. Please don't refuse us and help Senior Brother Ye and me."
"Ahem!"
Hearing those sweet words, Xue Cheng's heart fluttered, and he no longer cared about Lu Qingyun and Chen Xiru. Remembering that Chen Xiru was still there, he coughed awkwardly and apologized to Lu Qingyun and Chen Xiru:
"Junior brother, junior sister, that junior sister Pei is facing some important difficulties and really needs your help to get through them."
"She and her Daoist partner, Junior Brother Ye, are in dire need of spirit stones and have come to me several times already. As their senior brother, how could I possibly refuse them?"
"I've already sent the location of the lecture hall to your jade tokens, so I'm afraid I can't accompany you today. However, for anything that comes up later, junior sister and junior brother can come to me anytime."
After saying that, Xue Cheng waved his hand.
Smiling broadly, she returned to her cave with Junior Sister Pei.
"This Senior Brother Xue is truly absurd..."
Chen Xiru wasn't stupid; she could naturally see that Xue Cheng and that Junior Sister Pei's relationship was probably more than just helping each other.
However, she also had doubts in her heart: why did Pei's junior brother Ye not stop them at all, or even just watch them do this?
Lu Qingyun watched Xue Cheng leave, and he could see the shock that had struck Chen Xiru's values:
"Junior sister has just entered the path of immortality and has not yet grasped the true meaning of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth."
Lu Qingyun gazed into the distance and sighed.
"Once we embark on the path of cultivation, all worldly matters have long since left us. The worldly principles of propriety, integrity, and morality are meaningless to us cultivators."
"There are many cases in this world where fathers kill sons, sons murder fathers, disciples betray their masters, and masters kill their disciples. As long as one's conscience is clear and one's actions are beneficial to the Great Way, it is not uncommon for women to share a husband with others, let alone have thousands or even tens of thousands of male concubines."
"It seems that Junior Brother Ye, as Junior Sister Pei's Daoist partner, watched Senior Brother Xue make love right in front of him, but perhaps he was also enjoying it."
Lu Qingyun had seen many such people in his previous life; there were countless cultivators with such strange hobbies in both countries.
"certainly..."
Lu Qingyun changed the subject, his voice sharpening.
"This does not mean that Senior Brother Xue is a kind and righteous person. People can disguise themselves. When you meet Senior Brother Xue, Junior Sister must not reveal your physique."
"He and his uncle, the black-robed deacon of the Miscellaneous Service Peak, are not good people. The black-robed deacon, Sun Yang, has been planning to break through to the half-step Foundation Establishment stage for years."
"During his many years as the steward of the Miscellaneous Peak, he constantly used disciples with the metal element spiritual root as resources, forcing them to cultivate the technique 'Azure Wood Sword Transformation Technique.' Once they had cultivated their sword bones, the black-robed steward would immediately extract and refine them."
"How could such people be considered good?"
Chen Xiru bit her lip slightly. She sensed Lu Qingyun's concern and admonition, and guessed some of his intentions, but still subconsciously asked a trivial question:
"So, is that kind of person, Senior Brother?"
"What?"
Lu Qingyun raised an eyebrow. Chen Xiru's voice was very low, and if he hadn't been so perceptive, he almost wouldn't have heard it.
Chen Xiru blushed: "Is Senior Brother like Senior Brother Ye or Senior Brother Xue?"
Lu Qingyun's face remained calm, without the slightest ripple, and he chuckled lightly:
"What I pursue is only the Great Dao. If I cannot live forever and grasp the sun and moon, what is the meaning of everything in this world?"
"After all, otherwise, we are nothing more than ants in the eyes of others, arbitrarily treated as resources, and subject to the whims of others."
Chen Xiru nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.