Chapter 95: 2 Tasks, Arrangements

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: 2 Tasks, Arrangements

"Where did you get this? Why is there so much?" Lu Ming’s eyebrows immediately shot up. Such a thick stack—ten thousand taels...

"This afternoon, I..." Lu Yuan gave a brief explanation.

Lu Ming looked at Lu Yuan with a highly complex expression. This boy was truly too unpredictable. The speed at which his strength was growing was somewhat astonishing; he could already defeat a Peak Eighth-Grade Martial Artist. Ever since his epiphany, his son had truly become a peerless genius. He even knew Weapon-Forging...

"You..."

"Why are you two coming back together so late?" Wei Huiling walked out of the room. The moonlight wasn’t bright, but one could still tell her expression was dark.

"I had a mission tonight. Dad and I were together, and neither of us had to make a move," Lu Yuan stepped forward and explained with a smile.

"Right, neither of us fought. We just got delayed for some time," Lu Ming smiled, quickly stuffing the silver notes into his robe.

"What are you hiding?" Wei Huiling had sharp eyes and spotted it at once.

"Just a little money I gave him out of filial piety," Lu Yuan said. He pulled out a few more bills and handed them to Wei Huiling for daily living expenses. "I earned all of this. Mom, now that our family has money, we can live a bit more freely and be more generous."

"Where did you earn this again?" Wei Huiling asked doubtfully. Another few hundred or a few thousand taels? If she didn’t know her son worked at the Demon Suppression Bureau, she would have suspected he had genuinely turned into a bandit.

"Don’t worry about where it came from; just spend it with peace of mind," Lu Yuan said, gently pushing Wei Huiling by the shoulders back into the house.

"This child..." Wei Huiling gripped the silver notes tightly. She wondered how she could possibly have peace of mind.

[The tree longs for stillness, yet the wind continues to blow; a son yearns to care for his parents, but time waits for no one. In your future of glorious splendor, your parents should be by your side.]

[Quest 1 Issued: Buy a Spirit Pill capable of extending lifespan by thirty years for your mother, Wei Huiling, and have her consume it. Completion Reward: 2,000 Experience Points.]

[Quest 2 Issued: Help your father, Lu Ming, break through to the Sixth Grade. Completion Reward: 20 points of Root Bone and 10,000 Experience Points.]

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered. His mother, Wei Huiling, was only in the Ninth Grade, practically a commoner, so the Spirit Pill required to extend her life by thirty years wasn’t overly expensive—only three or four thousand taels of silver. But helping his father, Lu Ming, break through to the Sixth Grade would be very, very difficult, perhaps even arduous. The system’s introduction stated that he had spent fifteen years breaking through, which put things into perspective. His father’s talent was about the same as his own before he obtained the system.

The key issue was that the reward didn’t match the effort: only 20 points of Root Bone and 10,000 Experience Points. However, if this were twenty-five years from now, his father would have likely been at the Seventh Grade Peak for a long time. With years of accumulation, he would probably just be a hair’s breadth away from a breakthrough, making it much easier to help him.

Yet...

"What’s wrong?" Lu Ming astutely noticed the shift in Lu Yuan’s mood.

"Mom, Dad, there’s something I want to discuss with you," Lu Yuan said. Looking at the two of them, his expression suddenly turned solemn.

"What is it?" Wei Huiling asked.

"I want Dad to join the Demon Suppression Bureau as well," Lu Yuan replied.

Wei Huiling’s expression shifted slightly, her feelings complicated. Joining the Demon Suppression Bureau obviously offered better prospects, but it was also far more dangerous. Her son had already joined; if her husband went too...

Lu Ming’s eyebrows couldn’t help but twitch. In his youth, he had also considered joining the Demon Suppression Bureau, but his qualifications were slightly lacking, and he hadn’t wanted to be a bottom-tier grunt. Later, when he broke through to the Seventh Grade, he had another opportunity, but he gave it up out of consideration for his wife and child. By now, he had grown accustomed to his job investigating cases at the Government Office.

"Dad has been at the Seventh Grade for over a decade, yet he’s still in the Middle Tier. Besides money and Pill resources, the most important issue is Cultivation Techniques. Our Lu family’s Cultivation Techniques cannot support Dad in making a further breakthrough," Lu Yuan explained his reasoning.

There was a shortcut from the Seventh Grade to the Sixth Grade, which was practicing a powerful Cultivation Technique. A powerful Cultivation Technique could easily break through cultivation bottlenecks.

"But the Demon Suppression Bureau has powerful Cultivation Techniques that can allow Dad’s strength to advance by leaps and bounds, bringing him to the next level faster," Lu Yuan added.

"I need to take care of your mother, and I’m already used to the Government Office," Lu Ming shook his head.

"Who needs your care?" Wei Huiling looked up and shot back. "Do whatever you want. Don’t make it sound like I’m dragging you down."

"Mom, from now on, you also need to cut down on household chores and resume the Martial Dao," Lu Yuan said, shifting his target. Cultivation required time and energy; it couldn’t be wasted on spinning yarn and weaving cloth anymore.

"What’s the point of me cultivating?" Wei Huiling shook her head. "I’m already like this. I’ll never break through to the Seventh Grade in this lifetime." She was nearly forty years old and lacked the drive and ambition of her youth. Moreover, the Ninth Grade and Eighth Grade were merely for strengthening the body; only reaching the Seventh Grade offered true life-extending benefits.

"You can. As long as you work hard, it’s possible. I will help you," Lu Yuan said, looking at them both earnestly. "You’ve seen it yourselves. My Cultivation base and strength are advancing by leaps and bounds. In the future, they will improve at an even faster rate—one beyond your imagination. The Seventh Grade, Sixth Grade... even the Fourth Grade and Third Grade won’t be a problem. Third Grade experts can live for a thousand years. I don’t want to be the only one left when that time comes..."

There was another point. The people and enemies he would encounter in the future would only grow stronger. If the gap between them grew too large, it would bring increasing trouble. Most importantly, on a psychological level, their relationship would inevitably change.

"Look at that confidence. You actually dare to aim for the Third Grade..." Wei Huiling teased. The Third Grade—those were Martial Artists in the Longevity Realm. They were the upper echelon of the Dynasty, standing as top-tier existences wherever they went. With a lifespan of over a thousand years, a single thought from them could stir the winds and clouds, and their anger could shake the heavens and earth, much like gods. It wasn’t something ordinary Martial Artists could even imagine or hope for.

"If he maintains this momentum, perhaps it really is possible," Lu Ming murmured, his gaze distant. He thought of Lu Yuan’s transformation over such a short period. Initially, he thought it was a coincidence—a true stroke of heaven-sent luck leading to an epiphany. Later, he suspected it was due to a treasure or a Cultivation Technique, certain that his son had encountered some fortuitous opportunity. He had also noticed that Lu Yuan’s Root Bone was changing. It could have been that he received a legacy or had been chosen by some supreme expert.

The night before last, he had finally figured it out. It was a Weapon-Forging Sect. A Weapon-Forging Sect that could casually give away an Upper Grade Profound Weapon. Weapon-Forging Sects were wealthy and possessed abundant resources, allowing them to collect many Cultivation Techniques and various Secret Techniques.

"What are you dreaming about? If he can reach the Sixth Grade... or Fifth Grade in the future, I’ll happily thank the heavens and lose my mind with joy. As for the Third Grade, putting him on a pedestal to worship wouldn’t even cover it," Wei Huiling hurriedly interrupted his reverie. It was too fantastical! The Lu family and the Wei family had never produced an expert of that caliber.

"If I were in the Fifth Grade, I wouldn’t even be worthy of Siyao," Lu Yuan said, glancing at Wei Huiling.

"Siyao? What does she have to do with this? Isn’t she unable to practice martial arts?" Wei Huiling was stunned by the remark.

"She’s only temporarily unable. It doesn’t mean she won’t be able to in the future," Lu Yuan shook his head.

"That entire family is full of monsters. Do you really think Siyao won’t be able to practice martial arts in the future?" Lu Ming glanced at his foolish wife. She truly had no eye for the situation, nor the intelligence to see it. Had she not noticed that the two families had interacted less and less over the past few years? If it weren’t for the fact that the two children were engaged, they probably would have parted ways long ago.

"Siyao will be at least at the Third Grade in the future, so I must also reach at least the Third Grade," Lu Yuan said, giving them a convincing reason. Naturally, ever since he obtained the system, his goal had always been to surpass the First Grade, becoming unrivaled in the world and immortal.

Lu Ming had a sudden realization. No wonder this boy was cultivating so diligently.

Wei Huiling understood as well. They really couldn’t afford to drag him down.

"Alright, Mom will listen to you!"