Soon, elders from the sect arrived at the scene, only to find it deserted.
Lu Changsheng quietly observed from a distance. No one needed to inform them—members of the Ning family would naturally explain everything.
As expected, just as the elders arrived, the Ning family rushed over and recounted what had happened.
The elder nodded and immediately leapt toward the city outskirts.
Watching the group rush off, Lu Changsheng let out a breath of relief.
"That was way too intense. Those guys from Xuantian Sect were downright vicious—I nearly died back there. Just thinking about it gives me chills."
As he prepared to return to the sect, he found that the entire Cangyun City had been sealed off. No one was allowed to leave, and people were being investigated.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he simply found an inn and went to sleep.
"What's done is done. No point worrying about it now."
The next day, he slept until noon before leisurely waking.
The sect had already completed its investigation. He casually made his way toward Qingyun Peak.
Along the way, he greeted everyone he passed, as usual. Instead of heading directly to the summit, he went to the inner disciples' quarters.
He had promised the inner disciples of Qingyun Peak to help them with their cultivation questions.
"Senior Brother Changsheng!"
Seeing him arrive, the group greeted him warmly.
Lu Changsheng said:
"I've already asked your questions. Let's begin!"
He sat down and began patiently explaining one by one.
Whether it was swordsmanship, cultivation, talisman crafting, or alchemy—he had dabbled in all of them during his free time.
Since he had already walked the path, explaining things was easy—like reviewing old lessons.
He never grew tired of it.
"The strength of the youth is the strength of the sect. Developing the younger generation is the only sustainable path."
After all, there were some things he couldn't handle alone. A powerful sect was essential.
Even though he had beaten up the Sect Master a few days ago, he knew there was still an even stronger Ancestor in the sect.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Lu Changsheng finished answering all the disciples' questions.
He wasn't worried about exposing himself—after all, he carried with him his senior brother's cultivation insights. If anyone questioned him, he'd just blame it on his senior brother.
As night fell, Lu Changsheng supported his back and slowly made his way up Qingyun Peak.
His body was still suffering from the aftereffects of cultivation. Sitting all afternoon had strained his waist.
Upon arrival, he saw people gathered all around.
Only then did he remember—
"Ah, right. The Ning family is visiting the mountain today!"
He looked over and saw a young girl, Ning Yuxin, quietly seated, waiting without complaint.
"How could I forget this?" Lu Changsheng muttered.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Ning Yuchen was the first to greet him:
"Senior Brother Changsheng, how impressive! You show up just now!"
"Ahem, nonsense. I had something to do today!"
"I know you were busy. I get it—I really do."
He smiled innocently, glancing at Lu Changsheng's hand supporting his waist.
At that moment, Ning Yuxin also approached.
"Senior Brother Changsheng."
Though she didn't think highly of him, she remained polite.
"Junior Sister Ning, the senior brothers aren't here?" Lu Changsheng asked.
Ning Yuxin shook her head:
"We haven't seen Senior Brother. I believe Second Brother is in the pill room and didn't want to disturb him."
"I see." Lu Changsheng looked around and said,
"Senior Brother is a cultivation maniac. No telling when he'll be back. I'll find him tomorrow. You should rest first."
He casually pointed toward an empty room.
After all, there were only three of them living on Qingyun Peak. Plenty of space to spare.
Ning Yuxin nodded and excused herself without another word.
Ning Yuchen then asked:
"Senior Brother, where should I put these things?"
"What things?"
"The things Senior Brother likes!"
Lu Changsheng's eyes instantly lit up. He pointed directly to his own room.
"Bring them in!"
Seeing the several large boxes being carried in, his smile nearly reached his ears.
Once that was done, Ning Yuchen said:
"Senior Brother, I'll leave my sister in your care. I'll take my leave!"
"Junior Brother, you—"
Before Lu Changsheng could stop him, he had already disappeared with his entourage.
In such a hurry—who knows what was so urgent?
Lu Changsheng didn't bother worrying. Rubbing his hands in excitement, he walked into the room.
Upon seeing box after box of spirit stones, his eyes glazed over.
Five full chests, at least ten thousand spirit stones in total. He took out a cloth pouch and swept them all in.
Besides the spirit stones, one box contained swordsmanship manuals, and a brocade box housed a precious sword.
But he ignored all that—
"Just toss those in Senior Brother's room later."
As a personal disciple, he only received ten spirit stones a month.
Ten thousand would last him a century.
"The Ning family really lives up to its status as the richest—so damn wealthy!"
The more he looked, the more excited he became.
With these stones, he could cultivate again—saving himself countless troubles.
"If Senior Brother married into the Ning family, he'd have spirit stones for life!"
He mumbled to himself.
Just then, Lu Changsheng sensed a presence and stepped outside.
A rainbow light streaked across the sky.
Zhou Qingyu arrived, sword-riding.
"Senior Brother!"
Lu Changsheng called out.
Zhou Qingyu looked at him and sighed.
Clearly, he knew about last night's incident. He didn't scold him, only gave a reminder.
"Things aren't peaceful lately. Be careful when going out."
"Got it!" Lu Changsheng nodded.
At the same time, Ning Yuxin heard the commotion and came out. Her face lit up with a smile as she called out from afar:
"Senior Brother Qingyu!"
"Junior Sister Ning." Zhou Qingyu responded with a blank face and a nod.
"Did Senior Brother just return from cultivation?" she asked warmly.
"Mm."
Despite her enthusiasm, Zhou Qingyu remained indifferent. After a brief glance, he spoke:
"Since you've come so far to cultivate at Qingyun Peak, if you need anything, find Lu Changsheng. He'll take care of it."
"He…"
"Rest early."
Before she could finish, Zhou Qingyu had already turned and gone inside, leaving only Lu Changsheng and Ning Yuxin.
Lu Changsheng rubbed his forehead.
"Is Senior Brother really that clueless, or is this some reverse psychology?"
"She's the daughter of the richest family in Cangzhou. She could've chosen anywhere to cultivate, but came here clearly for him."
"And he won't even say a few more words."
Ning Yuxin was visibly disappointed, her expression turning complicated.
Lu Changsheng tried to explain:
"That's just how Senior Brother is. Obsessed with cultivation, devoted to swordsmanship. When I first joined the mountain, he basically raised me free-range. You'll get used to it."
"But he…"
"Junior Sister, this won't do. Do you even know how to win a man's heart?"
"Through his stomach?"
Lu Changsheng was stunned.
"We're cultivators—who cares about the stomach? Does he even eat properly?"
"Then what do I need to win?"
"Do you have to win something?"
Lu Changsheng sighed.
"You need to cater to his interests! He's obsessed with the sword—you should cultivate swordsmanship. Then you'll have common ground!"
Ning Yuxin's eyes lit up—it made sense.
Looking at Lu Changsheng again, she realized he didn't seem as frivolous as she had thought.
At least in this matter, he was sincere and gave sound advice.
But she quickly frowned:
"But swordsmanship is difficult. Even entry-level training takes immense time and effort. I…"
"That's only because you haven't found the right method. It's not that hard to begin."
"It's simple?"
"Not hard at all!"
"Then how do I start?"
"Just come to me!"
"Come to you?"
Ning Yuxin paused, hesitating.
"But… are you even capable?"
That one sentence—
Silenced the entire mountain.