Chapter 10: Senior Brother Must Have His Reasons!

Beside the campfire, Lin Shu was brewing tea while chatting with Wu Qinglong, who was tending to the roasting meat. Lu Zhiyun was in charge of the seasoning.

“Impressive, junior brother! Qingluan Peak actually has rabbits this big?”

Lin Shu gazed in awe at the plump rabbit roasting on the spit, sizzling and dripping with fat.

Wu Qinglong flipped the rabbit.

“Snagged it from Elder Pei’s backyard next door. Where would you find wild spirit beasts in a backwater like Qingluan Peak?”

“Senior brother, we’ve even expanded the intake this year. Isn’t the sect going to grant us some land or at least a subsidy?”

Lin Shu replied gloomily, “It’s just little Lu anyway. The higher-ups refused, saying it’s normal for us to have little land since Qingluan Peak has so few people.”

Within the Heavenly Gate Sect, there were a total of eighteen main peaks, and territory was allotted based on the number of disciples.

Back then, Lin Shu’s master hadn’t accepted many disciples, so all they could choose was Qingluan Peak.

But Qingluan Peak wasn’t the smallest.

That title went to the neighboring Shuiyun Peak.

After all, as the youngest junior sister among the older generation of the sect, Lin Lingxue had never taken on a disciple, so she was the only one living on all of Shuiyun Peak.

Every now and then, Lin Shu would visit her.

How to describe that feeling? It was like visiting an empty-nester old… oh, no! Visiting an empty-nest fairy.

“Hey! Senior brother, I’ve got an idea!”

Wu Qinglong smacked his head as if he’d just had an epiphany.

“What idea?”

Lin Shu took a sip of tea and asked.

“You should marry little martial aunt, then Shuiyun Peak would merge with our Qingluan Peak!”

Lin Shu nearly spat his tea out onto Wu Qinglong’s face.

“Pah! If you want to seize power and be this senior brother, just say so!” Lin Shu snapped.

Even after being tempered since childhood by Lin Lingxue’s wicked ways and training up his [Poison Resistance], he could still fall for her tricks.

Without at least [Poison Resistance +100000], who’d dare marry Lin Lingxue?

Was he tired of living?

Wu Qinglong just chuckled.

Before long, the huge, fat rabbit was cooked, and Lu Zhiyun had finished preparing the seasonings.

Lin Shu pulled out a rough wooden sword from his storage pouch and started slicing the rabbit meat.

Lu Zhiyun stared at the wooden sword, deep in thought.

If it had been before, she wouldn’t have noticed anything, just taken it as an ordinary wooden sword.

But now, having drawn qi into her body, she could sense the flow of spiritual energy.

The wooden sword looked like a naturally fallen vine, but the vine’s tendrils slithered like tiny snakes, razor-sharp.

This wooden sword was extraordinary!

“Senior brother, this sword…”

Lu Zhiyun began.

Lin Shu had just finished slicing a rabbit leg.

“Oh? You mean this? There’s a story behind it.”

Lu Zhiyun sat up straight, ready to listen to the tale of an evil cultivator—such things were crucial evidence and must be remembered!

She imagined: Maybe Lin Shu stole it from some mighty immortal or the true disciple of a supreme sect.

Or perhaps he’d carved it from a thousand-year-old spiritual tree after slaughtering spirit beasts.

Or maybe he’d mastered some wicked art, refining wood-type spirit plants into weapons.

“This wooden sword—tsk—goes back ten years!”

Lin Shu said.

It’s been around that long?

Lu Zhiyun recalled that Lin Shu was only about twenty; ten years ago, he’d have been around ten.

Was he already planning to become an evil cultivator at such a young age?

A true natural-born demon!

“At the time, I was young and ignorant, wandered into little martial aunt’s kitchen, and saw this vine burning in the stove.”

“Then, I thought, if this vine can burn so long without breaking, cracking, or charring, it must be a peerless divine weapon!”

“So I just pulled it out and asked martial aunt if I could have it.”

“She said it was an ingredient for soup, but since it kept making the pot explode, she’d just thrown it in the fire as kindling!”

Lu Zhiyun was stunned for a moment before realizing the story was already over.

How bizarre!

She pressed on, “And after you got it? Did you refine it with some special technique?”

Lin Shu waved his hand.

“What’s there to refine? It’s a pure, natural vine. Martial aunt said she found it already shaped like a sword. Don’t you think that’s cool?”

A naturally sword-shaped vine—refining it would just ruin it!

Lu Zhiyun looked into Lin Shu’s sincere eyes, pure as a youth, and didn’t know what to say.

How could anyone be this idle?!

Lin Shu handed out the rabbit meat to Lu Zhiyun and Wu Qinglong, only then recalling something.

“Speaking of which, you drew qi into your body quite smoothly. Next, you can visit the Book Repository.”

Sensing the ever-flowing spiritual energy within all things was also a sign of having drawn qi into one’s body.

“Little junior sister is truly a prodigy!”

Wu Qinglong mumbled through a mouthful of rabbit.

“So fast at drawing qi—definitely a genius!”

“Me? A genius?”

Lu Zhiyun pointed at herself.

She hadn’t even known there was a speed element to drawing qi into the body.

Wasn’t it just about achieving it, not how fast you did it?

Has the cultivation world become so competitive that even pre-schoolers are competing now?

“Of course! You don’t know—you actually did it in a… ouch!”

Before Wu Qinglong could finish, Lin Shu kicked him in the leg.

“Senior brother, you…”

Wu Qinglong looked over at Lin Shu, but the latter just shook his head slightly.

At that moment, Lin Shu narrowed his eyes, glancing at a faint, glowing panel projection.

[Do nothing and let things develop! Root Bone +10000]

[Explain the truth and praise her highly! Spiritual Energy +1000]

[Kick your junior brother, then immediately grab your little junior sister’s sleeve to wipe the oil from your mouth, saying, “Little junior sister’s aptitude is passable—she only took a day to draw qi into her body!” Random Attribute +1]

This time, Lin Shu was puzzled.

What consequences would option one or two bring?

At most, just telling little junior sister the truth, letting her know she’s a cultivation genius—how could that have such a heavy price?

Option three had the smallest price, and Lin Shu usually picked it.

But why lie?

Little junior sister drew qi in less than an hour, yet he had to say it took her a day?

And this [Wipe your mouth with her sleeve]—wasn’t that a bit much?

Though his mind was full of questions, Lin Shu’s body moved faster than his brain. Having already kicked his junior brother, he decided to follow through.

Before Wu Qinglong or Lu Zhiyun could react, Lin Shu sat down beside Lu Zhiyun, grabbed her sleeve, and wiped his mouth.

“Senior brother, you—!”

Lu Zhiyun was startled by Lin Shu’s move, her mind blank.

“Little junior sister, your aptitude is passable—only took you a day to draw qi into your body!”

After wiping away the oil, Lin Shu looked at Lu Zhiyun’s once-white sleeve, now stained with reddish-brown grease, and was flooded with guilt!

Sorry, sorry, little junior sister!

Blame the system!

If it were anyone else, Lu Zhiyun’s instincts as a constable would have her arrest him on the spot.

But the man before her was the evil cultivator she was investigating.

What did that line mean, and why act so shamelessly?

Lu Zhiyun pondered.

Since entering the secret realm, she’d lost consciousness after eating, and hadn’t asked about the time upon leaving.

So it had actually been a whole day?

She’d thought the time of day hadn’t changed much since she’d entered, only an hour at most.

“Aptitude is passable”—was he telling her she’d earned his initial approval?

And telling her the time was a subtle reminder: “Your senior brothers waited a whole day for you, and you don’t even know to thank them?”

The rules of evil cultivators are endless!

Lu Zhiyun thought, if not for her constable experience and quick thinking, she might not have picked up on this subtext.

She instantly responded with a countermeasure!

“I have to thank my senior brothers for nurturing me. Without you, there would be no Lu Zhiyun today.”

Lu Zhiyun understood: if she focused on the ruined sleeve, everything would be lost.

The priority was to acknowledge her seniors’ guidance and support!

Meanwhile, Wu Qinglong, having just been kicked, wanted to ask a question, but after hearing the conversation, he fell silent.

Senior brother must have been worried I’d reveal the truth to little junior sister, afraid it’d make her arrogant and hinder her future cultivation!

I was too rash!

A genius like little junior sister is the future of Qingluan Peak.

If she became conceited and lost her spiritual focus, that would be a grave error!

Thankfully, senior brother kicked me.

As for why he wiped his mouth with her sleeve—

Don’t ask!

Senior brother must have his reasons!

Having done all that, Lin Shu pursed his lips, not knowing how to respond.

How to put it?

The moment he completed the option, the reward arrived.

[Image +1]

What does that mean? What image?

Seeing Lin Shu frozen in place, for the first time, the system gave a note.

[Note: Oil on your mouth really hurts your image! Please keep clean at all times!]

***

At night, Lu Zhiyun was in the backyard washing clothes.

She had only drawn qi into her body and hadn’t learned the Clean Clothes Spell.

So it really took me a whole day to draw qi into my body?

Lu Zhiyun wasn’t sure if that was fast or slow, but suspected it was actually quite fast.

As a constable, the most important skill was reading people and catching subtle expressions.

Lu Zhiyun had noticed Wu Qinglong’s urge to speak but his silence.

She didn’t ask.

Even after drawing qi, her cultivation was still shallow and she couldn’t do much.

“Ah! Why won’t the oil come out of this sleeve!”

As she grumbled, Lu Zhiyun heard the caw of a crow from the roof.

On the eaves, a pitch-black crow stood bathed in moonlight, its wings making a faint fluttering sound.

Lu Zhiyun recognized it!

This was the Grand Preceptor’s spirit pet!

It seemed—there was new information!

Lu Zhiyun put down the clothes in her hands and led the crow straight into her room.