Chapter 271 - 173: Lu Changyuan, Look at the Person You Brought Up

Chapter 271: Chapter 173: Lu Changyuan, Look at the Person You Brought Up

"So that’s why you just blasted him off the stage?"

Qiu Yuehan hummed in agreement, taking a Spirit Fruit from the table and placing it between her lips. "It’s a little strange. If I’d really used my full strength, I could have defeated or even killed him... but there was no need."

Su Youwan walked in.

"There are always people like that with incredible luck. No need to pay them any mind. Master used to say that a lucky person’s luck will run out one day."

Qiu Yuehan glanced at the Silver-haired Maiden. "Where have you been?"

"Finding some Spirit Fruits for Miss Qiu."

With that, Su Youwan produced several fruits from who knows where and placed them on the table.

She looked just like a servant girl fetching fruit for the lady of the house.

Qiu Yuehan glanced at Lu Changyuan. "Is this the person you’ve brought up? She’s just like you used to be—so infuriating!"

Lu Changyuan thought, ’But I’m not the one who brought Su Youwan up.’

Su Youwan looked at Lu Changyuan. "Young Master Lu, someone is outside looking for you."

"Who?"

"Li Qingcao."

’Li Qingcao is looking for me?’

Lu Changyuan found it a little baffling, but he still went out the door.

Just before leaving, he glanced back suspiciously at Qiu Yuehan and Su Youwan. Seeing nothing unusual about either of them, he finally went to meet Li Qingcao, who was waiting in the distance.

Su Youwan closed the door properly, then sat down in front of Qiu Yuehan, holding Mei Zhaozhao.

The Moon Fairy sneered, "Done with the act?"

"Youwan has never put on an act."

"Putting on that submissive look in front of him, banking on the fact that he’s too soft-hearted and embarrassed to refuse you? Now that he’s gone, you’re feeling bold?"

Su Youwan handed the fox to Qiu Yuehan. "After the Celestial Dao Grand Competition is over, I’m taking her to the Demon Race."

Qiu Yuehan toyed with her hair. "Did you learn how to fool people from him? That trick won’t work on me. I may be willing to indulge him, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to indulge you."

"Youwan thinks Miss Qiu has misunderstood." Su Youwan removed her blindfold. "I have told Miss Qiu before that my feelings are inside Young Master Lu’s body. Therefore, only when I am by Young Master Lu’s side does Youwan feel like a true mortal with a full range of emotions. If Young Master Lu is far away, Youwan doesn’t have many emotions left."

Qiu Yuehan looked at Su Youwan suspiciously.

For the moment, she couldn’t find any holes in Su Youwan’s words.

Forget it.

The air fell silent for a time.

Su Youwan pointed to the Red Fox. "Does Miss Qiu plan to take this fox home as well?"

Qiu Yuehan’s gaze suddenly turned cold. "What’s it to you?"

"Miss Xia won’t agree."

"And you think she’ll agree to you?"

"She will. Youwan will persuade Miss Xia herself." Su Youwan said softly, "No matter how you look at it, Youwan should be third. This fox shouldn’t come before Youwan."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside, Lu Changyuan met with Li Qingcao.

After a night of recovery, Li Qingcao was more or less back to normal. He was standing awkwardly under a tree, and when he saw Lu Changyuan arrive, he opened his mouth several times but couldn’t get a word out.

Last night, Li Dashu had come to see Li Qingcao. While checking on his disciple’s well-being, he casually asked where Li Qingcao’s final sword move had come from.

As it turned out, Li Qingcao said he’d had an epiphany after seeing that flash of sword light in the sky during the Dream Demon’s rampage.

Li Qingcao didn’t know, but Li Dashu certainly did.

Hearing that Li Qingcao had gained some insight, a glint appeared in Li Dashu’s eyes, and he immediately told Li Qingcao the origin of that sword move.

That was why Li Qingcao had come looking for Lu Changyuan today.

In his sword exchange with Xue Nichang the day before, although he had replicated the form, he had never grasped its essence and was unable to fill it with inner intent.

He was so anxious he was about to tear his hair out. If he didn’t know where that sword move came from or who had used it, that would be one thing. But now that he knew, how could he possibly sit still?

But now that he was actually here, he found he didn’t know how to start.

’Should I keep calling him Brother Lu and just ask, "Brother Lu, please teach me?"’

’That seems... a bit rude, doesn’t it?’

Lu Changyuan smiled. "Just keep calling me Brother Lu. Weren’t you going to treat me to a drink? Let’s go."

Li Qingcao stammered out a few "oh"s, then finally said, "This way, Brother Lu. Let me tell you, the wine from my sect is truly one of a kind."

And so, the two of them headed toward the winery.

"You’re taking this well, Brother Li. You didn’t even make the top three in the Celestial Dao Grand Competition on your own home turf, yet you can still be so optimistic."

"Please don’t tease me, Brother Lu. It was just one competition. As long as I’m alive, my swordsmanship can continue to improve. Sooner or later, I’ll surpass my former self."

That was the way of cultivation, after all.

The most important thing was to stay alive.

Lu Changyuan chuckled. He had told the Little Fairy before that he truly admired Li Qingcao.

Li Qingcao sighed. "Besides, Brother Lu, look at the top six. How many of them could I have possibly handled? That Bai Lu... I won’t even mention Miss Qiu. Even that Wang Yi would have been incredibly tough to deal with."

"What about Wang Dayun?"

"I can’t see through that guy at all, Brother Lu." Li Qingcao gave a bitter smile. "He’s quite famous in the Cultivation Realm. Originally, he was just the son of an ordinary farmer, but ever since the Master of the Great Xia Dragon-Seeking Pavilion led him onto the Immortal Path, he’s been completely unstoppable. His enemies often die in mysterious ways. The guy is seriously strange; probably only Miss Qiu could beat him."

Lu Changyuan’s brow furrowed. "The Great Xia Dragon-Seeking Pavilion? This Wang Dayun, he’s from the Great Xia?"

"That’s right."

"The Great Xia still exists? Is the Royal Family still of the same lineage?"

Li Qingcao nodded. "Indeed they are. Not only that, but the Great Xia has been at war often these years. Among the Mortal Dynasties, its territory is considered extremely large."

Considering when the Great Xia was founded, its reign had been quite long, much longer than the Great Wei’s.

They arrived at the winery, and their conversation paused. Li Qingcao came out from the winery with two gourds. "Brother Lu, have a taste. This is my sect’s newest creation. It’s called ’Grass-Top Flight.’"

"And where did that name come from?"

"They say that after you drink it, you feel like you’re flying through the sky, treading on grass."

’Flying by riding on grass?’

’Why does your Qingcao Sword Sect always have so many of these gimmicks?!’

Lu Changyuan pulled the stopper and took a drink. It truly had a unique sensation.

If he didn’t use Magical Power to stabilize his consciousness, he would feel a dizzying sensation, as if his own head were smacking into his nose.

It was rather amazing.

"Oh, right, Brother Lu, there’s something I wanted to ask your guidance on."

Lu Changyuan said, "You can’t use that sword move for now. When you truly understand what it is you want, you will be able to enter the Fifth Realm, and then you will be able to use it."

Li Qingcao froze.

He hadn’t even asked his question yet.

"Is that really how it is? But after all, I did steal your sword move, Brother Lu."

"It was originally your sect’s sword move. If you’ve learned it, you’ve learned it."

Lu Changyuan looked at Li Qingcao with great interest. "Brother Li, think carefully about what it is you truly want to cultivate. Don’t walk down the wrong path."

Li Qingcao was a little lost.

"Is it wrong that I want to cultivate a free and unrestrained sword?"

Lu Changyuan patted his shoulder.

"It’s not wrong, Brother Li. You think my sword is beautiful, but back then, did you find the sword move itself beautiful, or the other things it brought with it? Between the sword move at the Upper Jade Capital and the one a few days ago, what exactly was it that you found so beautiful?"

Li Qingcao stood frozen in place. It seemed he had thought of something, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.

"A beautiful sword move isn’t just about immense power," Lu Changyuan’s voice grew more and more distant.

By the time Li Qingcao came back to his senses, Lu Changyuan seemed to have already walked far away.

Li Qingcao shouted, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Lu! How can I ever repay you?!"

The sun was about to set.

Facing the sunset, Lu Changyuan shook the gourd in his hand, his shadow stretching longer and longer behind him. He never looked back.

Li Qingcao then understood.

In exchange for a gourd of wine, he had received the grace of being shown the Path.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Young Master Brother, I... I think I heard something?"

Bai Wei put down the thing in her hand and looked at Xue Yanluo.

After the encounter with the whale on Blood Demon Island, Xue Yanluo had immediately taken Bai Wei away from the Blood Demon Palace. The two of them found a quiet place not far from the Blood Demon Palace and settled down.

"What sound?"

Bai Wei shook her head. "I can’t hear it clearly, but it’s like... it’s telling me to go in this direction."

’The one born with blood-bitterness heard a voice?’

Xue Yanluo frowned. There should be no precedent for this among those born with blood-bitterness in the past.

A person born with blood-bitterness was destined to live an extremely miserable life. Not only did they face the possibility of sudden death at any moment, but they could also never enter the Immortal Ascension Path to defy the heavens and change their fate.

But Bai Wei was a little different.

Because Xue Yanluo used Bai Wei’s blood daily to suppress the backlash from his own Yin-Yang Dao, Bai Wei’s blood-bitterness constitution hadn’t fully manifested. This had led to the past year with Xue Yanluo being the easiest year of her life.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

Bai Wei shook her head. "No. I just feel like there’s something very good in that direction. Young Master Brother, let’s go take a look."