After entering the mountain gate, after a while, she saw several… small wooden huts standing in an open field in the distance.
Luo Qingci stared at the utterly ordinary little huts, stunned.
Aren’t direct disciples supposed to live well?
Shouldn’t it be a cave dwelling?
Why is it a small wooden hut?
This looked about the same as what menial disciples lived in…
“Senior Brother Yun… is this… our peak’s… cave dwelling?”
“Is there a problem?”
Yun Jinzhou turned to look at her.
There was a huge problem, okay!?
Who lived in a place like this as a direct disciple?
“Isn’t our cave dwelling… a bit… shabby?”
Luo Qingci said hesitantly.
“Junior Sister, you just don’t get it. The ancients said: ‘When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a man, it first stings his heart with suffering, starves his muscles and bones, fatigues his body, empties his person, and disrupts his actions. Thus, it stirs his heart and hardens his nature, supplementing what he lacks.'”
Luo Qingci’s lips twitched as she listened.
Looking at the faded, peeling wooden hut, with even a corner of the eaves missing a small piece, she really couldn’t connect “Heaven’s great responsibility” with this broken hut.
“But the peak master disciples on other peaks all have jade cave dwellings filled with spiritual energy, carved beams and painted rafters, surrounded by spirit herbs…”
she muttered quietly.
“Pfft, those are all flashy exteriors, nice to look at but useless. Lingyun Peak values returning to simplicity. A sword heart must be tempered in hardship. Living too comfortably makes it easy to slacken the Dao heart. Enough about that… I’ll take you to meet the senior brother and second senior brother.”
“Oh…”
Yun Jinzhou led Luo Qingci through the open space, past those few dilapidated wooden huts, and headed toward the rear mountain.
As she walked, Luo Qingci looked around, and the more she saw, the more absurd it felt.
Why is it so broken…
After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a small bamboo grove appeared ahead.
Deep within the grove, a pavilion was faintly visible, and someone stood inside.
The figure wore a moon-white robe with a light blue belt tied at the waist, holding a broom while sweeping fallen leaves.
He had an imposing bearing and an extraordinary demeanor.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, scattering onto him in dappled patches, giving him an indescribable… immortal aura.
Luo Qingci silently sighed to herself.
‘Finally, one who’s normal.’
“Senior Brother,” Yun Jinzhou hurried forward, “this is our new junior sister.”
The man’s gaze fell on Luo Qingci.
The corners of his mouth curved slightly into a warm smile.
“Junior Sister Luo,” he nodded slightly, his voice clear and pleasant, “I am Gu Changqing, the senior disciple of Lingyun Peak, at Peak Foundation Establishment. Junior Sister has had a long journey.”
Luo Qingci quickly bowed:
“Luo Qingci greets Senior Brother Gu.”
Gu Changqing gestured for her to rise, his tone gentle:
“Junior Sister need not be so formal. Lingyun Peak has few people and few rules. We all get along casually.”
His attitude was warm and polite, his demeanor measured.
When he spoke, he looked you in the eye—neither overly familiar nor distant.
Everything was just right.
Luo Qingci sighed inwardly again.
‘This is what a senior brother should be like.’
“Brother,” Yun Jinzhou rubbed his hands together beside him, grinning, “the master said I should familiarize the junior sister with the peak’s situation. Do you have any instructions?”
Gu Changqing thought for a moment, then took a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Luo Qingci:
“This is Lingyun Peak’s map and restriction array distribution. Keep it safe. There are a few places on the peak that the master uses for secluded cultivation—they’re sealed by restrictions, so don’t go there. You can wander freely anywhere else.”
Luo Qingci took the jade slip and thanked him, but in her mind, she was thinking about something else.
Yun Jinzhou, eighteen years old, Late Foundation Establishment.
Such talent was top-notch even among the inner disciples of Azure Cloud Sect, yet he willingly stayed on this impoverished Lingyun Peak, and he seemed quite happy about it.
Gu Changqing, Peak Foundation Establishment.
Exact age unknown…
Before Luo Qingci could think further, she heard heavy footsteps.
A person walked over from the other side of the bamboo grove.
Dressed in gray clothes, with a blank expression…
“Second Senior Brother,” Gu Changqing called out, “our new junior sister.”
The man walked up, sized Luo Qingci up for a while, stared expressionlessly for a moment, then nodded.
“Mm.”
Just one word.
Luo Qingci quickly bowed:
“Luo Qingci greets Second Senior Brother.”
“Chen Mo,” he said his name, then nodded again, turned, and left.
After taking two steps, he stopped, looked back at Luo Qingci, and pulled something out from his bosom, handing it to her.
Two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Luo Qingci blinked, taking them:
“Thank you, Second Senior Brother.”
Chen Mo nodded again and left.
His steps were steady, each footstep hitting the ground with a dull thud, like someone beating a drum.
Gu Changqing watched Chen Mo’s retreating figure and smiled:
“Second Senior Brother doesn’t talk much, but he’s a solid guy.”
Luo Qingci looked down at the spirit stones in her hand.
They were cold and icy.
Gu Changqing spoke in a casual tone:
“By the way, Junior Sister, do you have any plans tonight?”
Luo Qingci shook her head.
“Perfect then,” Gu Changqing set down his teacup, his warm, jade-like smile unchanged, “Tonight, Jinzhou and I have some business at Purple Cloud Peak. Would Junior Sister like to come along?”
“Purple Cloud Peak?”
Luo Qingci thought for a moment,
“Isn’t that a branch peak of Danxia Peak? What for?”
Yun Jinzhou chuckled beside her:
“Stealing melons.”
Luo Qingci:
“…What?”
“There’s a patch of spirit melons planted in the rear mountain of Purple Cloud Peak. That fat old man from Danxia Peak… Elder Wu planted them. They’re sweet, crisp, and full of spiritual energy. He treasures them like gold and guards them every day, but every night at midnight, he goes to meditate for about half an hour. We take that window to pick a few.”
Yun Jinzhou said this without a hint of guilt.
Luo Qingci turned to look at Gu Changqing.
‘Is this appropriate?’
Gu Changqing noticed Luo Qingci’s gaze and smiled slightly:
“It’s not what Junior Sister thinks.”
‘I knew it…’
“Can what a sword cultivator does be called stealing? Elder Wu is our elder. Spirit melons like these, if left in the ground unpicked, go to waste. Elder Wu can’t eat them all by himself. We’re helping him share the burden—this is helping others.”
Luo Qingci was silent for a long time.
She stared at this upstanding, righteous senior brother in front of her and felt like she’d come to the wrong place…
“Alright… I’ll go.”
That night, at midnight.
Three figures slipped up Purple Cloud Peak’s rear mountain under cover of night.
Luo Qingci crouched on the ridge of the field, watching Yun Jinzhou darting around the melon patch, picking melons at an astonishing speed.
Gu Changqing stood at the edge of the field, holding a cloth sack, directing Yun Jinzhou’s operation.
“That one, the big one on the left,” Gu Changqing said.
“On it!”
Yun Jinzhou yanked it off and tossed it into the sack.
“There’s another one on the right, hidden under the leaves.”
“Got it!”
Watching this scene, Luo Qingci’s lips twitched.
Soon, the sack was full.
Just as the trio was about to pull back, a furious roar rang out from the distance.
“Which blasted, heaven-cursed bastard is stealing my melons again!”
Yun Jinzhou’s face changed:
“Damn, Elder Wu came back early today!”
Gu Changqing remained unfazed, even smiling:
“Run.”
One word, and he was already three zhang away.
Yun Jinzhou hugged the sack and followed behind.
Luo Qingci ran at the back.
As she ran, she glanced back.
Elder Wu stood at the edge of the melon field, his beard bristling with rage.
He raised a carrying pole in his hand, pointing in their direction and cursing loudly.
But he didn’t chase after them—probably used to it by now.
After all, judging by the look of things, this probably wasn’t the first time.
After crossing three mountains, Luo Qingci was panting.
She looked at the spirit melon in her hand and suddenly didn’t know what to say.
“Senior Brother,” she asked, “do you do this often?”
Gu Changqing held up three fingers.
“Once every three days?”
“Not quite. Three times a month,” Gu Changqing corrected.
“Everything in moderation. Excess is as bad as deficiency. Stealing melons is the same—can’t push Elder Wu too far.”
‘Alright…’
Luo Qingci imitated his technique, gave the melon a light tap, and it split open with a crisp sound.
She took a bite.
Mm… it really was good.
She couldn’t help but take another bite.
The three sat under a big tree.
Above them, the sky was full of stars.
In the distance, the undulating silhouette of Cangwu Mountain Range stretched out.
The night wind blew through the mountains, carrying the fragrance of grass and the scent of earth.
“Senior Brother Yun…”
“Hm?”
“Can we really get stronger like this?”
“Honing physical stamina, reaction time, and observation skills—how is that not training?”
Yun Jinzhou said.
“Oh, and when you’re done, don’t throw away the rind. Keep it.”
“Uh… why?”
“Stir-fry it for the next meal,” Yun Jinzhou said.
“It’ll save some spirit stones for buying food.”