socalfunplaces Page 5
Page 5
After a moment's thought, Li Qingan decided to let things take their course.
If they ask, I'll answer; if they don't ask, I won't.
Anyway, apart from Cangsong being in some danger, the others in Qingyun Sect are not in any danger.
Dao Xuan was wholeheartedly devoted to the Qingyun Sect, so naturally he wouldn't allow his own genius to get into trouble.
As for Cangsong, if they really meet, he also has information about Wan Jianyi from the ancestral hall. Given Cangsong's level of admiration for Wan Jianyi, he won't be in danger if he reveals it.
With that thought in mind, Li Qingan put aside his own thoughts.
Having already made his plans, he decided to visit the library on the back of Dazhu Peak to look at the remaining books and build up his knowledge base first.
Upon reaching the fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm, one possesses the foundation of all laws and can begin cultivating other extraordinary books, Daoist techniques, and one's own magical treasures.
Although Li Qing'an is only at the third level of the Jade Purity Realm, judging from his current cultivation speed, he feels that he will be able to break through soon.
We're just one step away from the legendary sword flight.
Thinking of this, Li Qing'an, who had just finished his cultivation and was filled with the feeling of becoming stronger, felt a surge of excitement.
Soaring through the sky is a dream everyone has.
Today's cultivation session left Li Qing'an feeling quite energetic. Although he was operating the Taiji Xuanqing Dao at full speed, his numerous inspirations had no stage to be realized.
It's like your mind has an idea, but your body says no, no, your body can't keep up with your mind's ideas.
Chapter 5 Lu Xueqi of Xiaozhu Peak
Xiaozhu Peak, Moon-Viewing Terrace
A slender girl, dressed simply, with bright yet stubborn eyes, sat on the stage, swinging her legs and staring blankly at the full moon in the sky.
Bathed in the pure white moonlight, it appeared ethereal and otherworldly.
"Xueqi, have you finished your cultivation?" Shuiyue, the head of Xiaozhu Peak, stepped out of the bamboo forest and came to her side, looking at Lu Xueqi's aloof back.
Upon hearing the sound, Lu Xueqi stopped her swaying feet, came to her senses, and quickly stood up to bow to Shuiyue.
"Master, I have finished today's homework."
"It's so late, you've done several times more homework today! You should rest more and stay in touch with your senior sisters more often."
"Your senior sister Wenmin and the others are also very worried about you, Xueqi, who cultivates to the point of exhaustion." Shuiyue never imagined that she would have to urge her disciple to rest.
Shuiyue could only lament the impermanence of life!
She had also heard Su Ru tell her about Li Qing'an's lazy behavior, while Lu Xueqi, who entered the sect at the same time as him, was quite different.
Lu Xueqi nodded but didn't reply; her expression only became brighter.
After going up the mountain, although she had no shortage of food and clothing, and even had her master and senior sisters who doted on her, she inevitably felt a little uncomfortable living with Li Qing'an for several years.
Thinking of this, Lu Xueqi was curious about how Li Qingan was doing on Dazhu Peak, whether his cultivation was going smoothly, and whether his injuries had fully healed.
She still remembers when they lived together a few years ago.
Li Qing'an would occasionally talk to her about his longing for cultivation.
Shuiyue, unaware of Lu Xueqi's thoughts, spoke again.
“Your quiet and aloof nature is extremely suitable for cultivation, completely different from Li Qing’an who came up the mountain with you.”
Looking at Lu Xueqi, who was not good at speaking and only knew how to cultivate, Shuiyue couldn't help but sigh at the huge difference in their personalities. One of them became familiar with people in just a few days on Dazhu Peak, while the other was still not very familiar with her senior sisters even after a year on Xiaozhu Peak.
Lu Xueqi was unaware of her master's meaning, but upon hearing news about Li Qing'an, she perked up and listened attentively.
Perhaps she didn't notice Lu Xueqi's actions, or perhaps she simply chose not to see them, Shuiyue continued.
"Li Qing'an achieved the first level of the Jade Purity Realm in half a year after he went up the mountain, but then he gave up half a year of cultivation. He spent his days reading leisure books and sleeping in. No matter how much your Uncle Su Ru tried to persuade him, it was no use."
Knowing Li Qingan's obsession with cultivation, Lu Xueqi was initially happy for him when she heard that he had broken through to the first level of the Jade Purity Realm in half a year: "He has finally taken the first step in cultivation."
Although his talent is not as great as mine, he is already far superior to the average person.
But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, she was startled again. She found it hard to believe that Li Qing'an, who was so opinionated and had the talent, would stoop so low as to give up cultivation.
For reasons unknown, Lu Xueqi still spoke up to defend him.
"He must have his own ideas."
Although Shuiyue knew that the two had a very good relationship and had relied on each other before going up the mountain, she still couldn't help but feel angry when she heard her closed-door disciple arguing with her for the sake of someone, and a man at that.
He was even more annoyed by Li Qing'an's lack of ambition and snorted.
"You actually believe in this kid."
When Lu Xueqi saw Shuiyue's displeased expression, she first subconsciously lowered her head, but then felt that she hadn't said anything wrong, so she raised her head and looked into Shuiyue's eyes.
Undeterred!
Seeing Lu Xueqi, who was already showing signs of rebellion, Shuiyue's aloof temperament vanished, and she laughed in anger.
"Enough, enough, why should I argue with you about this?"
After saying that, Shuiyue turned to leave. Lu Xueqi simply bowed respectfully and said nothing.
As she was about to leave, Shuiyue said one last thing, "Oh, and remember what I just told you: communicate more with your senior sister."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xueqi, who had been feeling somewhat dejected as she watched Shuiyue's departing figure, immediately felt her dejection vanish and respectfully replied.
"Disciple, obey."
Beneath the Moon-Viewing Terrace, a gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, and the chill it brought seemed to vanish.
.......
The following day, at 9:00 AM, at Dazhu Peak, in Li Qing'an's courtyard.
Li Qing'an was lying on a recliner in the shade of the bamboo grove by the courtyard, holding a book on divination he had taken from the library. A cup of steaming tea sat on the stone tea table beside him.
He was lounging around in the recliner, not relaxing at all.
Glancing at the sky, Li Qing'an put down the book in his hand and decided to go to the kitchen to prepare a meal.
There was no other way; all the cooks had been dragged away and severely beaten by the master's wife, leaving him as the only one who could cook.
This could be considered a blessing in disguise, even though Li Qing'an's skills over his two lifetimes were quite good.
But if you're going to be lazy, you have to act like it! He went to all that trouble to teach Song Daren and the others how to cook, just so he could be lazy.
Surely no one actually enjoys cooking! Or enjoys the smell of cooking oil on their clothes afterward.
.....
At noon, in the kitchen
As Li Qing'an was serving dishes, he saw several people with bruised and swollen faces walk in through the door, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.
"Thank you for your hard work, senior brothers. I made a lot of delicious food."
"Junior brother, you should come here less often. Your other senior brothers and I have suffered because of you and Lao Liu." Song Daren and the others sat in their seats with long faces, feeling utterly exhausted.
"Senior brother, I'm a victim too!" Du Bishu disagreed and quickly pointed to the swollen wound on his face to refute.
"Junior brother, you don't know, today my master's wife really went all out against me!"
"It's all because you were scolded by your teacher's wife and you're still being lazy and listless," Wu Dayi said, looking at Du Bishu.
Li Qingan came over with the dishes and teased them.
"I thought he was having a gambling spree and his teacher's wife was trying to help him quit."
At this moment, Song Daren suddenly remembered something, spoke up seriously, and even stopped calling him "Junior Brother".
"By the way, Du Bishu, my junior brother said yesterday that you showed him your collection of books?"
Du Bishu broke out in a cold sweat instantly, stammering as he retorted, "Oh, really! I only gave you legitimate books."
“I didn’t say that what you gave me wasn’t a proper book!” Song Daren said, noticing the flaw in Du Bishu’s words.
By this time, the others had also gained a basic understanding of the situation through conversation.
This was the first time they had ever learned that Du Bishu and Liu Beiwen had a collection of books, and most importantly, they showed them to their junior brother.
"Sixth Brother, are you even human? Junior Brother is only 16 years old!" Lu Daxin, who always valued rules, scolded.
“Junior Brother is at the age where he should be cultivating. If you show him this kind of book, won’t you be hindering his cultivation?”
As Lü Daxin spoke, he became increasingly anxious. Besides Song Daren, he was the one who paid the most attention to Li Qing'an's cultivation. Li Qing'an's aptitude was not good, which resulted in him not making any progress after breaking through to the fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm.
However, he had a strong desire to promote Dazhu Peak, so he naturally cared a great deal about Li Qing'an, who had good aptitude.
Du Bishu, having nothing to say, had no choice but to accept his defeat.
"My senior brothers and the others didn't spend much time with Li Qing'an and didn't know his true colors. This junior brother was joking and chatting with me, yet he could have his cultivation disrupted by a book on Liu Bei. Du Bishu starved to death, and all his collected books were burned."
Du Bishu watched as the crowd surrounded him and berated him, but dared not refute them. He could only think to himself.
Seeing that his anger had not subsided, Li Qing'an felt a warmth in his heart for the sake of his senior brothers who had harshly criticized Du Bishu.
He then decided not to pursue Du Bishu any further and began to persuade him:
"Senior brother, it's alright. I didn't see anything. Besides, I'm already so old. Can't I control myself?"
Seeing this, Song Daren relented, "Alright, junior brother, I forgive you. I'll let you off this time. If you teach junior brother this kind of improper thing again, I'll report it to Master directly."
A moment later, Du Bishu, who had finally escaped from the encirclement, breathed a sigh of relief.
"You still know how to say something to me?" Du Bishu looked at the leisurely Li Qing'an.
Li Qingan shrugged and didn't say anything more, because Tian Buyi had already arrived at the door.
Everyone stood up and saluted.
After everyone was seated, Su Ru and Tian Ling'er were still nowhere to be seen.
In this situation, Su Ru would most likely have gone back to her parents' home.
Unsure of his own thoughts, Song Daren suppressed the rising joy within him and asked:
"Master, where are Mistress and Ling'er?"
"Your master's wife and the others were called back by that Shuiyue, who said it was about your junior brother!" Tian Buyi glanced at Li Qingan and replied.
"I," Li Qing'an, was confused, pointing to himself with a puzzled expression.