“A hole has been smashed into the base of Elder Shannan’s Nanyun Peak. A total of 20 mu of spirit fields were destroyed, and over 40% of the spirit plants have been ruined…”
“Three small peaks served as the sect’s sites for refining medicine, forging weapons, and drawing talismans. Their formations have all been destroyed, and repairs are expected to take over 3 months…”
“At the same time, the pills stored in the three alchemy rooms were destroyed in the impact. In total…”
Lin Shu listened to Elder Xie’s statement and suddenly felt his scalp go numb. He gave a bitter smile and said, “Elder, just tell me. Roughly how much will the compensation be?”
Elder Xie raised his hand, gesturing with five fingers. “50 spirit stones.”
“That little?! You aren’t playing with me, are you?” Lin Shu asked in surprise.
‘Perhaps the sect is giving me a friendly discount for my contributions in compiling cultivation techniques.’
“Of course!” Elder Xie laughed. “That is after collateralizing Qingluan Peak. You still owe 50 spirit stones!”
“…”
‘Could you not finish your sentence in one breath?’
Seeing Lin Shu’s speechless expression, Elder Xie patted him on the shoulder and said, “There is no rush. The Tianque Sect still considers your contributions to the sect.”
Lin Shu raised an eyebrow and asked, “So there can be a reduction?”
“So the small change can be rounded off, waiving those 50 spirit stones.”
Thanks! It would have been better if you hadn’t waived it!
Lin Shu threw up his hands and said, “I have no money, only my life. If I use Qingluan Peak as collateral, my master will nag me to death when he gets back.”
“Haha! It is fine, it is fine. You still have a second option!” Elder Xie waved his hand and pulled out a letter.
Lin Shu had seen this letter before. His junior sister had brought it over a few days ago. The seal on the letter was stamped with a special official inscription formation from the Great Qian.
The formation inscription had not changed at all, indicating that no one had accepted this letter over the past few days.
“Elder, you are… taking advantage of someone in peril!” Lin Shu almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
“What are you saying! I am guiding a lost disciple onto the correct path,” Elder Xie said indignantly.
“Do you know how many young disciples in the cultivation world are forced to sell themselves as dual cultivation furnaces after falling into massive debt? Or how many disciples go astray and become evil cultivators, specializing in those shady dealings?”
“You are still young. As your martial uncle, I do not want to see you take the wrong path. We do not even need to look far; let us take a recent example.”
“A few years ago, the small sect next door could not make ends meet. As a result, the entire sect was forced to become a vassal of the Hehuan Sect, and they could only rely on selling themselves every day to repay their debts.”
Lin Shu looked shocked and asked, “Is that so? Then what was the price like?”
“The price was fairly reasonable. 500 spirit stones for 3 hours. The better-looking ones were a bit more expensive, costing — “
The topic came to an abrupt halt. Lin Shu looked at Elder Xie with a calm expression.
“Ahem! Of course, I only heard this from Junior Brother Chen Xin! I have never been there myself!” Elder Xie awkwardly sipped his tea.
‘I believe you!’
Elder Chen Xin had been grounded for how long now? Unless he could order takeout!
“In any case, just take this and go to Mist City. Repaying the debt will be much easier that way.” Elder Xie explained, “After you get there, help manage our Tianque Sect’s shops. Any extra profit can go toward paying off the compensation.”
“As I thought, it is Mist City,” Lin Shu sighed. “It wouldn’t happen to be that you want me to welcome Great State Preceptor Jiang, would it?”
Elder Xie nodded.
“But why me?”
“The Sect Master’s meaning is that you are quite close to Her Majesty. As the State Preceptor who assists Her Majesty, she should show you at least some degree of care.”
It was no secret that the Great Qian Empress, Feng Qingli, and Lin Shu were close — at least not among the Five Great Immortal Sects and the Imperial Court.
If not for the Empress’s special status making it difficult for her to move around frequently, she would probably have planned to build a residence directly at the Tianque Sect to live there permanently.
Fortunately, Lin Shu had been diligent and had not acted out of line over the years. Otherwise, he would have surely been impeached as a male favorite who led the country to ruin.
“The competitive pressure there has been very high lately. As you know, the Tianque Sect has only recently been promoted to a Super-rank immortal sect. We are being marginalized by other sects and even rogue cultivators…” Elder Xie frowned.
Lin Shu knew the situation there. Looking at the letter, he roughly understood the cause and effect. The Tianque Sect’s shops were being squeezed out, and their current business was dismal. Great State Preceptor Jiang’s visit was an opportunity. If she could be persuaded to promote the Tianque Sect, there might be a way to improve the situation.
“I understand! By the way, if I fail to pull it off, roughly how many years would I need to stay there to pay it all back?” Lin Shu asked curiously.
Elder Xie did a quick calculation. “Based on the current situation, it is estimated you could pay it off in 537 years. However, the interest in between…”
“Stop, stop, stop! Say no more! I will take this job!” Lin Shu gave a bitter smile.
Hearing this, Elder Xie finally let out a sigh of relief.
In truth, this task had been intended for Lin Shu from the very beginning; it had to be him. After all, besides this letter, there was another one Lin Shu did not know about, which explicitly stated that Lin Shu was required to go.
Although no one knew why Great State Preceptor Jiang suddenly wanted to see Lin Shu, there was some sort of inexplicable implication behind it. Currently, the upper management of the Tianque Sect had already started placing bets. Some felt that the Great State Preceptor was planning to make a move first and thus specifically arranged this meeting; others felt that Her Majesty must have far-reaching plans and would definitely have other arrangements to prevent the State Preceptor from succeeding.
The betting odds had already reached three to one.
If Lin Shu had refused at the start, the Sect Master would have had to find a special way to send him to Mist City. But somehow, Lin Shu had actually caused such a mess, which provided the perfect excuse.
“Speaking of which, Nephew, why did you go to the forbidden area in the middle of the night and cause such a huge commotion?” Elder Xie asked.
Lin Shu thought for a moment. He certainly could not speak about the matter regarding the Immortal, so…
“After I finished practicing my cultivation, my Martial Uncle brought some home-cooked food over to visit…”
Elder Xie immediately understood.
—
After Elder Xie left, Lin Shu went to Lu Zhiyun’s small courtyard.
At this moment, Lu Zhiyun was practicing her sword techniques under the guidance of the Immortal, though her expression was clearly somewhat unnatural.
“Stop acting. You only picked up your sword once I was almost at the door,” Lin Shu called out.
Lu Zhiyun’s neck shrunk back, and she almost dropped her sword. She turned around with an awkward smile. “Senior Brother… I…”
Before she could finish, the Sanqing Immortal stepped to the side and stood in front of Lu Zhiyun.
“That’s enough! Why are you making things difficult for a child? If you have a problem, aim it at me!”
“Immortal!” Lu Zhiyun said, moved.
The Immortal had said she would take the fall for whatever happened, and it was actually true!
Lin Shu nodded. “That works too! Junior Sister, you go out for a bit. I need to have a chat with the Immortal.”
“Senior Brother… actually, it was me…” Lu Zhiyun was loyal, after all.
“Xiao Lu!” the Sanqing Immortal urged. “Hurry and go!”
“Immortal!” Lu Zhiyun reached out her hand with teary eyes as she backed toward the door.
‘Are they acting out some tragic life-and-death parting?’ Lin Shu looked at the two of them wordlessly.
A moment later, Lu Zhiyun ran off without looking back. Only Lin Shu and the Sanqing Immortal remained in the large courtyard.
The Sanqing Immortal closed her eyes and scanned the surroundings with her divine sense. After finding that Lu Zhiyun had left, she looked directly at Lin Shu.
In a few quick steps, she walked up to Lin Shu and fell to her knees with a *thud*, hugging Lin Shu’s thigh.
“Great Immortal! I really did not do it on purpose! I did not know you were inside, waaaah — “
Lin Shu did not react.
“You know how it is. I lost my parents at a young age and struggled to survive during the Primeval Era. Now I cannot even find my clones, and my sense of security is shattered. I cannot sleep for nights on end…”
Lin Shu still did not react.
‘Damn it! I acted so well!’
Did she have to resort to that final move? Sorry, Xiao Lu!
“Actually… actually, it went like this. Xiao Lu saw that my immortal soul was incomplete and that I was wasting away day by day. She suggested taking me to dig up graves. I refused repeatedly, but I could not withstand her…”
Lu Zhiyun was Lin Shu’s most beloved junior sister. The Sanqing Immortal decided to make use of this fragile sisterhood.
“Enough, enough! Stop acting!” Lin Shu said, feeling embarrassed.
He had intended to be angry, but the Immortal’s routine for begging for mercy was far too practiced. Moreover… their positions were a bit strange. When the Immortal hugged his thigh, a mysterious softness kept rubbing against his knee…
“Stand up and talk.” Lin Shu pulled the Sanqing Immortal up. “Pack your bags. Prepare to go on a long trip with me. Remember to tell my junior sister.”
“Ah? Okay! No problem!” The Sanqing Immortal immediately nodded.
After Lin Shu left, Lu Zhiyun found an opportunity to return. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw the Sanqing Immortal standing with her hands behind her back, looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, oozing an aura of high status.
“Immortal! Where is my senior brother?” Lu Zhiyun asked.
“Hmph! Everything has been settled! You can rest easy now!” the Sanqing Immortal said pompously.
“As expected of the Immortal!” Lu Zhiyun said with admiration. “So, what did my senior brother say?”
The Sanqing Immortal gave a wicked smile. “I have already forgiven him for hiding in that coffin to scare us!”