Long before discussing the with Lu Zhiyun, Lin Shu had already felt a force in his sea of consciousness calling out to him.
Was this a message from Master Dada?!
That wretched woman has sneaked back!
No—! She actually dared to come back?
After receiving the message, Lin Shu immediately left the tea room with his sword in hand.
He could instruct his junior sister later.
If he let that wretched woman escape now, who knew when he’d get another chance to catch her.
Lin Shu’s rage came entirely from that book, , written with him as the protagonist.
In the beginning, his master Jiang Cha only wrote the story to lazily earn some sect contribution points, but after serializing it for a while, she intended to end it.
Then the editorial department of sent her a notice, saying her serialized was about to surpass a million subscriptions, and they hoped she’d continue writing.
But who was Jiang Cha?
A good author who writes stories with care—she declared that when a story should end, it must end.
Only works that aren’t abandoned are good works!
Continue writing?
Impossible!
She would never waver for such petty profits!!!
Did they think surpassing a million subscriptions and earning countless Ling Stones could test her resolve?
Did they think the chance to become a Platinum Author in ‘s story section, to win the admiration of the world and be called “Jiang Cha Dada,” would sway her?
Did they think the pleas and emotional appeals of countless readers would make her give up her principles?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
With a cold laugh, Jiang Cha decisively changed her pen name to “Jiang Cha,” and kept writing.
That’ll do!
“Jiang Cha” has quit, so what business is it of “Jiang Cha”?
Thus, resumed serialization, stirring hearts and moving countless fans to tears—except for Lin Shu himself…
By the way, the current story had reached the point where “Lin Shu” had already learned the Broken Boundary Method and was preparing to shatter the void and save that Thirty-Thousand-Year-Old Female Cultivator who admired him…
Admire you, my foot!
Thirty-Thousand-Years-Old!!!
To put it in perspective, the signature building of the neighboring Cloud-Treading Immortal Sect, the Evergreen Jianmu, was only twenty-seven thousand years old—that was the oldest known thing in the cultivation world.
Every time Lin Shu saw the ongoing serialization of , he wished the author would just drop the story. If this went on, he wouldn’t even dare leave the sect.
Other people’s masters—teach cultivation techniques, pass down cultivation bases, bestow treasures…
Lin Shu’s master—trick her disciple, trick her disciple, trick her disciple…
In short, if she wasn’t tricking her disciple, she was on the way to tricking her disciple.
This sudden return—Lin Shu had to seize the opportunity.
Following the address in the message, Lin Shu hurried to the Tianque Sect’s entrance.
At the mountain gate, on a thousand-year-old locust tree, a beautiful figure in fiery red was half-reclined on a branch, bored, her long legs dangling idly.
Jiang Cha hummed a mountain song, eyes closed, waiting quietly for Lin Shu—like a butterfly, tired after playing outside.
Before long, she sensed the aura of her good disciple.
Flipping down from the tree, she was about to greet him, but when she caught sight of the three-foot sword in Lin Shu’s hand, her legs immediately went weak.
“Ahahaha, long time no see, Xiao Shu’er!”
Jiang Cha laughed awkwardly, trembling as she approached.
“See your dam! If I don’t take a leg off you, I won’t be able to vent my anger!”
Lin Shu made as if to raise his sword.
Jiang Cha, shocked, immediately dropped to her knees and clung to Lin Shu’s leg, wailing about her hardships all these years.
“Good disciple! Are you really going to be so heartless? Master had no other choice!”
Lin Shu sneered, silently watching Jiang Cha’s performance.
“All these years, you know how much trouble your junior brothers and sisters have caused. If I didn’t work hard, where would the money come from to fill Qingluan Peak’s holes?”
“Master, these years you’ve sent a total of nine hundred and eighty-two low-grade Ling Stones to Qingluan Peak. That’s not enough to cover even one day’s daily expenses…”
Lin Shu ruthlessly exposed her.
“Ah? Really? Then I’ll send another eighteen to make it an even number!”
Jiang Cha kept babbling, “Then… all those local specialties I sent back while traveling outside these years?”
“Heh! Why’d you send them to Shuiyun Peak? The moment they arrived, Little Uncle started cooking, and once she started, our entire Qingluan Peak suffered…”
Those specialties were safer to eat raw than after being ‘refined’ by Lin Yingxue.
“I just didn’t want her to get bored living alone! It was a good chance for our Qingluan Peak to bond!”
Jiang Cha pressed on, “And all these years outside, I’ve been promoting our Tianque Sect…”
“You’ve got some nerve to mention that!!!”
Lin Shu roared, almost swinging his sword.
“When did I ever have a Thirty-Thousand-Year-Old Female Cultivator admiring me?”
“Wai—wait!”
Jiang Cha interrupted, and Lin Shu paused.
“Correction, you must’ve read last year’s version. By now, you and that female cultivator are already married!”
Lin Shu only wished his sword was faster, and his strikes more ruthless.
With this distraction from Master Dada, his mood had vanished.
“Why did you come back this time?”
Jiang Cha produced a gilded envelope from her sleeve, stamped with three seals.
Lin Shu could feel the surging spiritual energy from them.
These were the Great Qian imperial seals—only super-grade immortal sects could possess them.
“It says here: this time, they’re organizing a new disciple training and exchange event, and each sect must send a Core Disciple to form a team and participate.”
“And they want us, Tianque Sect, to send a leader to protect and lead the team.”
After listening, Lin Shu understood.
Wasn’t this just a primary school field trip?
But what did this have to do with them?
Did they really dare to entrust this task to Jiang Cha, the disaster of Qingluan Peak?
Weren’t they afraid she’d corrupt the kids?
“Actually, originally, it wouldn’t have been our turn.”
“But when the Sect Master went to the meeting, the other side was so arrogant. They said Tianque Sect had only just advanced to super-grade immortal sect and couldn’t possibly have any promising disciples. They’re planning to send their True Inheritor Disciple to show us the heritage of a super-grade sect.”
“So the Sect Master wants to send a powerful new disciple to teach them a lesson—to show them our Tianque Sect has a bright future?”
Lin Shu said excitedly.
“No! The Sect Master plans to have someone from our Qingluan Peak lead the team. He believes we can successfully mislead their disciples, so that their sect has no future at all!”
Jiang Cha said with excitement.
What a vicious, ruthless scheme to cut off their descendants!
Lin Shu shuddered.
Qingluan Peak’s infamous reputation was only growing stronger.
“Well then, best of luck to you, Master!”
Lin Shu cupped his hands.
Who else but the number one menace of Qingluan Peak could be tasked with corrupting other sects’ disciples?
“What do you mean, good luck to me? Aren’t you taking this on?”
Jiang Cha shot back.
Lin Shu sensed danger and quickly checked the envelope in his hand—the seal was already broken, and the three super-grade immortal sect stamps had dimmed.
That meant he had accepted the mission!
“The Sect Master old man wanted to trick me into accepting the mission personally, but luckily I’m clever—I only used a clone, and never opened it!”
That’s right! Today, Jiang Cha wasn’t even her real body—just a clone.
With a bright smile, she said, “Good disciple, I knew you were responsible and would help Master!”
“As a reward, Master promises to let you have eighteen children in the next edition of —may your life be filled with happiness!”
With that, Jiang Cha turned and leaped away, vanishing without a trace, leaving Lin Shu clutching the envelope, dazed and alone at the mountain gate.
***
Back in the tea room, Lu Zhiyun was jotting notes in a little book.
When she saw Lin Shu enter, looking gloomy, she quickly put away the book and sat upright.
Not bad! She even knows how to take notes!
Lin Shu was very pleased; more than half his frustration at being tricked by his master had vanished.
“Senior brother, tea!”
Lu Zhiyun sensibly poured him tea and handed it over obediently.
“Mm… Thank you, junior sister!”
Lin Shu took a sip of tea, then suddenly thought of something.
The mission was three months away, and though Tianque Sect’s team leader had been decided as Lin Shu, the disciples for the training hadn’t been picked yet.
He glanced at Lu Zhiyun, pondering.
Half an hour to draw in spiritual energy… willing to eat shit—no, meals made by Little Uncle… so careful and meticulous.
Lin Shu had already made up his mind.
Since it was a training event, why not let junior sister participate? He could take the chance to guide her as well.
“Junior sister, start cultivating seriously tomorrow. In three months, you’ll be traveling far with me!”
Lu Zhiyun’s eyes grew sharp, as if facing a formidable foe.
It’s here!
The first mission given by the demonic cultivator!