Soon, Lu Changsheng arrived in Cangyun City.
The streets were bustling, with crowds of people coming and going. Vendors called out their wares, children occasionally ran past in playful frolic, young women picked through rouge and powder at stalls, women gossiped, and old men boasted.
Everywhere was filled with the lively atmosphere of daily life.
Lu Changsheng wasn't in a hurry. He walked along, taking in the scenery along the way.
A month ago, the Ning family had already sent word that Ning Yuxin would be coming to Qingyun Peak to cultivate for a while.
Zhou Qingyu was single-minded in his pursuit of the Dao and had no interest in such matters, always leaving them to Lu Changsheng to handle.
But he saw through it all, softly humming to himself.
"These days, even the wealthiest man's daughter worries about marriage!"
"They say it's for cultivation, but isn't it just to let the two develop some feelings?"
"But speaking of which, does senior brother not like women, given how indifferent he is?"
As he spoke, he walked to a tavern.
This place was called Drunken Immortal Tavern, famous for miles around, but today, the Ning family had booked it out.
"Immortal Master Changsheng, you've arrived!"
Inside the tavern, the manager came to greet him.
The place was filled with guards, all from the Ning family.
Lu Changsheng followed the manager upstairs to a private room.
As he opened the door, he saw several maids standing at the back, and a young man of sixteen or seventeen sitting there.
Seeing Lu Changsheng, the young man stood up and said, "You must be Senior Brother Changsheng!"
"And you are?"
"I am Ning Yuchen, Ning Yuxin's younger brother. I came with my sister, and it was I who corresponded with you earlier!"
"So it was you!"
Lu Changsheng wasn't formal, walked in, and the two sat down.
They had exchanged letters a few times before, so they were somewhat familiar.
Ning Yuchen had an elegant demeanor and a gentle temperament, suggesting a strict family upbringing, not a spoiled brat.
As they sat down, Lu Changsheng said, "Junior Brother Ning, no need to be so polite. You could have gone straight to Qingyun Peak. Why go out of your way to meet me here?"
Ning Yuchen smiled, sizing up Lu Changsheng.
Looking at his appearance and demeanor, if not for having heard of his reputation, one might think he was the rumored Little Sword Immortal Zhou Qingyu.
"We're the ones imposing, so we should treat you to apologize!" Ning Yuchen said.
Lu Changsheng glanced around but said nothing, while Ning Yuchen accompanied him.
Soon, dishes were served one after another.
Seeing this, Lu Changsheng said, "Junior Brother Ning, just speak your mind. We're all family now, no need to beat around the bush!"
Hearing this, Ning Yuchen leaned in.
"Senior Brother Changsheng, I've heard you're the one who knows Senior Brother Qingyu best, so I wanted to ask you something!"
At these words, Lu Changsheng glanced at the person beside him, already guessing the gist.
There was a marriage agreement, and the Ning family was keen on matchmaking.
After all, his senior brother was a rare young talent in Cangzhou, almost reaching Golden Elixir at a young age. Who wouldn't covet him?
Other sects had geniuses too, but only he had cultivated sword intent to the sixth level.
Without modesty, Zhou Qingyu was almost a figure the younger generation in Cangzhou looked up to, undefeated since his debut.
In Lu Changsheng's view, in terms of excellence, senior brother was second only to himself.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Junior Brother, ask whatever you want, I understand!"
Ning Yuchen showed a hint of joy and asked, "What does senior brother like?"
"Spirit stones!" Lu Changsheng answered, his words firm and without hesitation.
"Spirit stones?" Ning Yuchen was taken aback.
Lu Changsheng confirmed, "That's right, spirit stones, lots and lots of spirit stones!"
Ning Yuchen was a bit dazed, feeling it was unexpected. As the Little Sword Immortal of Cangyun, shouldn't he like precious swords?
Lu Changsheng explained, "Such little secrets, others surely don't know. Of course, if it's a famous sword or sword technique, that would do too!"
"I see!"
Ning Yuchen thought seriously for a moment, and it seemed reasonable. Cultivators needed a vast amount of spiritual energy for cultivation.
If the environment didn't provide enough, they had to rely on spirit stones, so liking spirit stones wasn't wrong.
Immediately, he looked at Lu Changsheng and said, "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother!"
"You're welcome!" Lu Changsheng said, glancing at the sky. "Since there's nothing else, I'll be off. I'm mostly on the mountain, just come directly."
"It's still early, where are you going, Senior Brother?"
"Drunken Moon Pavilion!"
"A high-class brothel?"
"Yes!"
Lu Changsheng made no attempt to hide it, having already arranged to meet the Flower Queen of Drunken Moon Pavilion.
He didn't care much about his reputation anyway.
For a moment, Ning Yuchen was tempted to say something, but Lu Changsheng had already left.
As he disappeared from sight, Ning Yuchen felt a bit regretful.
Meanwhile, in the tavern, a young woman watched Lu Changsheng's departing figure with a frown.
The young woman, seventeen or eighteen, was graceful and elegant.
She was Ning Yuxin.
She had heard the previous conversation clearly and couldn't help but speak.
"What kind of immortal mountain is Qingyun Peak, and how could a genius like Senior Brother Qingyu have such a junior brother?"
Upon arriving in Cangyun City, they had inquired about Lu Changsheng and heard some things.
But just hearing made people shake their heads; what if they got to know him better?
An old servant beside her said, "Miss, you came for Young Master Qingyu. Lu Changsheng doesn't really matter!"
Ning Yuxin found this reasonable and said no more, beginning to prepare for the journey to Qingyun Peak the next day.
***
Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng had arrived at a bustling area.
Everywhere he looked, there were beautiful women, music filled the air, and people hurried by. This was Drunken Moon Pavilion!
Before he could enter, someone had already come to greet him.
"Immortal Master Changsheng, Miss Muyue has been waiting for you!"
"Alright!"
Lu Changsheng responded, following the person inside.
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Passing through pavilions and terraces, he arrived at a loft.
From afar, Lu Changsheng saw a woman leaning on the railing, her eyes gentle, smiling at him like flowing water.
"Mr. Lu, it's been a while. Have you forgotten me?"
The woman was Su Muyue, teasing Lu Changsheng as she looked at him.
Lu Changsheng walked over and replied, "It's unavoidable. I've been so engrossed in cultivation lately, hoping to ascend soon and see the Great Dao!"
He said this as he slowly sat down.
Su Muyue laughed, "Mr. Lu, are you joking with me? Someone as carefree as you wouldn't be so absorbed in cultivation!"
"You know me well. It's just that I haven't had money to come by lately!"
"Hehe!"
Su Muyue chuckled, sitting across from him.
"This time, I'm here to ask on behalf of my senior brother if any secret realms have appeared recently?"
"You really don't come unless there's something!" Su Muyue shook her head. "But your senior brother has been entering secret realms quite frequently!"
"Who doesn't know he's a cultivation fanatic? Training is essential!"
Lu Changsheng was helpless. A few years ago, he had passed by here by chance, got dragged in, and unexpectedly met this Flower Queen.
Later, he found out she wasn't simple, though he didn't know her purpose.
Yet they got along well, and she had helped him find many secret realms.
After all, he needed a lot of spiritual energy, which the outside world couldn't provide, and spirit stones weren't easy to earn, so he had to keep diving into secret realms.
The two chatted amiably, but soon noise erupted outside.
Several figures disregarded the obstruction and headed straight for this place, disrupting the atmosphere.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan