Lin Shu walked down the main street of Qingshan Town, carefully observing the pedestrians passing by.
“This Secret Realm Creator is truly impressive, being able to craft such a realistic secret realm.”
Along the way, Lin Shu witnessed quite a few amusing incidents.
A passerby, after buying a Fake Melon, rode a Quick Horse to the marketplace to argue with the Shopkeeper. The two quarreled until their faces turned red with rage. In the end, when the passerby could endure it no longer, he pulled out a knife and stabbed the Shopkeeper to death, leaving behind nothing but shattered melons scattered across the ground. When the Constable Lord heard of the matter, he hurriedly gave chase, and the two began to fight—blade against sword, a true display of the jianghu’s character. In the end, the passerby was no match for the Constable Lord, was arrested and interrogated, but a lost life could never be restored…
Tsk tsk! Look at that! How real it all seems!
Lin Shu couldn’t help but shake his head with admiration. This Secret Realm Creator was so meticulous, even the emotional hues of the NPCs were rendered with excessive realism—a testament to the power of programming code.
If their Qingluan Peak had produced this secret realm, it would most likely have been a completely different story…
For example, a Quick Horse, after buying a Fake Melon, would ride a passerby to the marketplace to argue with the Shopkeeper. Man and horse would bicker fiercely until, at last, the Fake Melon, unable to take it anymore, would bash itself to death. Then a prompt would pop up: “Does the Fake Melon’s death count as homicide or suicide? If it’s suicide, do the Quick Horse and Shopkeeper need to bear legal responsibility?”
Things would already be getting strange at this point, but Lin Shu was sure that while Qingluan Peak’s secret realms might not be logical, they were always thoroughly rigorous.
Take what might happen next: after the Fake Melon died, the passerby would ride off atop the Shopkeeper, leaving the Quick Horse bewildered. Then, after the Quick Horse reported the matter, the Constable Lord would arrive on the scene and chase down the passerby. They’d engage in a fierce battle—blade against sword, displaying the true flavor of the jianghu. In the end, the passerby would be bested by the Constable Lord, ready to plead for leniency, only to hear the Constable Lord say: “You have to pay for melons; if you don’t, that’s against the Law.” A successful legal lesson imparted, and disciples training in the secret realm would reap bountiful harvests—how delightful!
Thinking of this, Lin Shu couldn’t help but smile, then took another bite of his roasted lamb leg.
Why do I come up with such storylines?
Sure, their Qingluan Peak is a little eccentric, but they’re still quite proper.
Qingshan Town wasn’t large. The small courtyard where Lin Shu and the others were staying was near the outskirts, close to the town’s gate. In less than half a quarter-hour, Lin Shu arrived home.
Lu Zhiyun was practicing sword forms in the open space at the gate, her sleeves fluttering with the movement of her sword, like a startled swan in the mortal realm.
“Little Junior Sister!” Lin Shu waved the lamb leg as he called out.
Seeing Lin Shu return, Lu Zhiyun sheathed her sword and bounded over in three quick steps, face brimming with excitement. “Senior Brother!”
“What’s got you so happy? Did you come up with a new technique?” Lin Shu asked, ruffling Lu Zhiyun’s head.
“Mhm! I’ve figured out the second form now! But I’ve got even better news!” Lu Zhiyun clenched her fist.
She was sure that Lin Shu would beam with joy after hearing this news.
“What is it?” Lin Shu suddenly felt a bad premonition.
He’d seen his junior sister like this far too many times—usually from watching the other junior brothers and sisters on Qingluan Peak.
Whenever they wore that expression, that stance, the news was never good.
“They’ve already eaten the meal that Uncle Lin cooked!” Lu Zhiyun’s eyes sparkled as she whispered.
Just like when Granny Wang turned Pan Jinlian to her side and told Ximen Qing, “The woman you wanted has been won over!”
“What!” Lin Shu’s heart almost skipped a few beats.
How is this any different from giving someone a lethal dose? Don’t they know that for ordinary cultivators, without any protection, facing Little Uncle’s cooking is no different from seeking death?
“Don’t be happy just yet!” Lu Zhiyun soothed Lin Shu.
Happy, your grandpa! Lin Shu cursed in his heart. How could this be a happy thing?
“There’s something even more delightful coming…” Lu Zhiyun grinned.
???
“Are they still alive?” Lin Shu decided to brace himself for the worst.
“Of course they are!” Lu Zhiyun patted her not-so-large chest.
“Senior Brother, although you didn’t say so at first, on this training journey, those disciples from other sects have always looked down on us!”
“So, I figured, whether with sword techniques or cultivation methods, I should show them a thing or two—let them experience what it’s like to be defeated!”
“Uh, that’s not necessary, actually. A little harmony goes a long way!” Lin Shu replied with a wry smile.
Here we go again!
Lu Zhiyun was certain that Lin Shu’s current demeanor was just an act—deep down, he must be just as delighted, only unable to show it outwardly.
As an evil cultivator, isn’t it perfectly natural to give Orthodox Disciples a stern warning?
This time, Lu Zhiyun had done a great job!
Maybe she’d misjudged Mayor Shi when it came to the “Chang Gui” incident, but in teaching those disciples a lesson, she’d done outstandingly!
Isn’t that worth some praise!!!
“I just showed them my daily cultivation methods, and they all wanted to try them with me!”
“Uncle Lin’s cooking really does help with enlightenment!”
Yes! After eating it for so long, Lu Zhiyun was convinced—after a meal, she could reach the very edge of life and death, yet just wouldn’t die…
It was truly a very safe form of Food Cultivation!
“So they agreed?” Lin Shu was skeptical. Who’d be dumb enough to stuff clearly poisonous food into their stomach?
“At first, they hesitated—especially after Ye Qing did the taste test first…” Lu Zhiyun reported. “But afterward, I said, ‘Senior Brother also cultivates this way,’ and then they all believed…”
Great, great, here we go again with “under Senior Brother’s guidance”!
Lin Shu nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Now he just wanted to hurry and see if the other disciples were still alive.
As their protector, when there’s no danger, he, Lin Shu, is the greatest hazard, isn’t he?
“Hurry! Take me in to see!” Lin Shu stammered.
Seeing Lin Shu so worked up he could barely speak, Lu Zhiyun felt a secret sense of pride.
See? She, Lu Zhiyun, did a great job!
For an evil cultivator, this was the effect she wanted—safe, legal, and able to complete the task in an unexpected way!
Led by Lu Zhiyun, Lin Shu pushed open the door.
Years later, whenever he faced those core disciples who had become pillars of the super-grade immortal sects, Senior Brother Lin of Tianque Sect would always recall that distant afternoon when his junior sister led him into the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, three disciples from different super-grade immortal sects were each hiding in a corner.
Ye Qing, from Treading Cloud Immortal Sect, was staring intently at a large water jar, completely focused.
“What’s he doing?” Lin Shu asked.
“Ye Qing said that after eating, he felt as if he’d lived his whole life in an instant—he saw his endless years as a cultivator…” Lu Zhiyun explained, thinking it over.
“Are you sure that’s not his life flashing before his eyes?” Lin Shu was speechless. “Then what’s going on now?”
“Later, he said that since he experienced his whole life in a daze, he began to question whether his current self was real or not, whether he could break out of that timeline, transcend time itself…”
“And then he had an epiphany—he realized that time always flows, and no one can step into the same river twice.”
So that’s it. Such a philosophical question?
Lin Shu felt a bit inferior. Usually, when he ate Little Uncle’s food, he just triggered all sorts of strange debuffs—he never thought someone could gain such insights.
Thinking this, he couldn’t help but look at Ye Qing with newfound admiration. Ye Qing was gazing at his reflection in the water jar, utterly entranced, as if the world contained only himself and the image in the water.
Truly, heroes emerge from the young!
Next, there should be a rainstorm, then a torrential downpour; the jar overflows, Ye Qing comprehends the duality of yin and yang, plays a game of wits with his water-borne self, and finally attains enlightenment…
The very next second, under Lin Shu’s astonished gaze, Ye Qing plunged his head into the water jar and began gulping down huge mouthfuls.
“Hey!” Lin Shu hurried over to stop him, but Lu Zhiyun grabbed him back.
“Senior Brother, Ye Qing is predicting his own actions!”
“Predicting himself?” Lin Shu was baffled.
“Ye Qing said, if he observes himself using the ‘Reverse Flow Technique,’ he can see his every move in the future. But what he wanted to know was whether he could break his next second’s future. So he thought of this method.”
“For example, if a moment ago he intended to punch himself, but by predicting that, he changes his mind and drinks water instead, that breaks the future!”
Watching Ye Qing, already halfway into the water jar, Lin Shu shook his head. Well, it was still more normal than what people from Qingluan Peak might do.
He was about to walk over and help Ye Qing snap out of it when a slender figure blocked his path—it was Tong Yao.
She wore simple orange clothes, looking elegant and poised, but her expression was unusually solemn, not the usual cheerful smile.
“Junior Sister Tong! Good afternoon!” Lin Shu greeted her politely.
In response, Tong Yao bowed and opened her small mouth.
“Haa—”