Eastward Prospect Mountain, the Lu Household

"Hongdou, come on, let's go take a look over there!"

"OK!"

The conversation about Lu Yang just now seemed to have never happened.

The three continued strolling along the main street of Eastward Prospect Town, enjoying the unique liveliness of Mountain-Viewing Town before New Year's Eve.

The red lanterns lining the streets and the bustling sounds of people lessened the winter chill somewhat. Lu Hongdou, clutching the grass turtle in one hand and being led by her second brother with the other, took small, pattering steps on the bluestone slabs, a smile playing on her lips once more.

Just then, the winter wind suddenly changed direction.

The westerly wind, which had been flowing slowly along the street, suddenly turned around and became a heavy, downward-pressing wave of air.

The two young men from the Lu Household frowned simultaneously, their relaxed expressions vanishing instantly.

They stopped almost instinctively, pulled Lu Hongdou, who was looking around, behind them, and scanned their surroundings with serious eyes.

Ordinary people on the street continued to hawk their wares, and no one noticed anything amiss.

Lu Hongdou had not yet begun her cultivation and was completely unaware of this.

She looked up, puzzled, at her two older brothers whose expressions had suddenly changed, and tugged at her second brother's sleeve. "Second brother, third brother, what's wrong?"

The second brother took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Something's not right... Hongdou, let's go back."

Although Lu Hongdou is young, she is very clever.

Seeing the serious expressions on her two older brothers' faces, she didn't ask any more questions, obediently nodded, and hugged the grass turtle tightly to her chest. "Okay."

Just as the three were about to turn around, a tiny black dot appeared at the edge of the distant, cloudless blue sky.

The black dot grew rapidly at an incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, it became clear that it was the shape of a ship.

As the black spot grew larger, the east wind howled in, causing the red lanterns all over the street to sway violently.

The ordinary people in the town finally realized that something was wrong.

People stopped in their tracks and looked up at the sky in bewilderment.

Soon, exclamations erupted one after another.

"What is that?!"

"Mom, look! There's a huge thing flying in the sky!"

"That's... a ship? How can a ship fly in the sky?"

"A ship flying in the sky, that must be a ship of immortals! Immortals are passing by our Eastward Prospect Town!"

"Is this immortal powerful? Is he as powerful as the immortals on Eastward Prospect Mountain?"

The ordinary people were filled with both awe and excitement.

To them, whether it was the immortals on Eastward Prospect Mountain or the immortals on this flying ship, they were all immortals.

They're both equally impressive.

Some ordinary people even knelt down on the spot, put their hands together, and murmured prayers.

However, the faces of the three members of the Lu Household had turned as pale as paper.

The second son of the Lu Household pulled Lu Hongdou into his arms, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

His whole body was cold, but he didn't dare to even breathe.

After regaining his senses, Lu Laosan immediately looked away, lowered his head slightly, as if trying to see the beauty in the soil at his feet.

His voice was hoarse and trembling uncontrollably as he hissed, "Second Brother, lower your head! Hongdou, don't look up at the sky! Don't let the important figures up there think we're being disrespectful!"

Lu Hongdou was held tightly by her second brother. Feeling the fear emanating from her two older brothers, a look of fear also appeared on her chubby little face.

She obediently buried her face in her second brother's shoulder, closed her eyes tightly, and her little hand holding the grass turtle trembled slightly.

The second son of the Lu Household gently patted her back and whispered comfortingly, "Don't be afraid, Hongdou. These important people have nothing to do with us. Let's just pretend we didn't see them and wait until they leave."

Lu Hongdou bit her lip hard, not daring to speak, and only nodded slightly.

The spaceship was getting closer and closer.

The massive ship slowly swept across the sky above Eastward Prospect Town, casting a huge shadow over the entire town.

The main street, which had been bathed in sunshine just moments before, suddenly went dark.

The shadow stretched from one end of the street to the other, then slowly receded.

When the sun came out again, the streets had been quiet for quite some time.

Only after the flying boat had completely left the town's airspace did the second and third sons of the Lu Household dare to exhale the stale air they had been holding in for so long.

Their tense bodies relaxed, and they felt a little weak all over.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing lingering fear in each other's eyes.

The second son of the Lu Household grinned, his voice still carrying lingering fear. "I wonder which important person this is... I've never seen such a large flying boat before."

The third son of the Lu Household glanced at him expressionlessly, his tone cold yet tinged with apprehension. "Seeing them might not be a good thing. Luckily, they weren't some Evil Cultivator. If Evil Cultivator, our Eastward Prospect Town would probably be gone by now."

The second son of the Lu Household patted his shoulder with a cheerful smile, his usual carefree grin returning. "Don't worry~ If there really is Evil Cultivator of this level, the entire Qin Province will be in turmoil. The Golden Rainbow Sword Sect will be the first to lose sleep and will definitely come to deal with it. It's not our place to worry about it."

He then looked at Lu Hongdou and smiled, "Alright, let's continue shopping."

Lu Hongdou blinked her big, tear-filled eyes, and seeing her two older brothers laughing, she also stopped crying and smiled, "Okay, okay!"

Just as the three of them breathed a sigh of relief, several mortals suddenly cried out in surprise from afar.

"Look! That flying boat seems to be Eastward Prospect Mountain!"

"Huh? It really is! Could it be... a friend of the immortal from Eastward Prospect Mountain has come to visit?"

"In all my years, this is the first time I've ever had a friend of the Immortal of Eastward Prospect Mountain come to visit me."

The smiles on the faces of the three members of the Lu Household froze the moment they heard those words.

A buzzing sound went through my mind, and my brain went completely blank.

They mechanically turned around and looked towards the direction of Eastward Prospect Mountain.

Then they saw the incredibly huge flying ship slowly coming to a stop directly above Eastward Prospect Mountain.

The flowing spiritual patterns on the bottom of the boat shimmered faintly in the sunlight, casting a vast shadow over the entire Eastward Prospect Mountain.

The faces of the second and third sons of the Lu Household turned deathly pale in an instant.

They only felt their mouths were dry and their bodies were cold.

The second son of the Lu Household opened his mouth, but something seemed to be blocking his throat. "... They've come to our Lu Household? What do they want?"

Uncontrollable terror flashed in the eyes of the third son of the Lu Household, who shook his head repeatedly. "How is this possible? How could our Lu Household possibly know such a person? Absolutely impossible!"

Lu Hongdou's big eyes were filled with fear, and tears streamed down her face as she cried out in a sob, "Second brother, third brother! Will Father, Mother, and Grandpa be in danger?"

The second son of the Lu Household took a deep breath, suppressing the fear on his face.

He shoved Lu Hongdou into his third brother's arms, his expression grave, and said, "Third brother, you watch over Hongdou, I'm going back to check on her!"

Lu Hongdou immediately struggled and cried out, "No! I want to go back with you!"

The third son of the Lu Household bit his lip, held down Hongdou who was struggling in his arms, and looked up at his second brother. "My Light Body Technique is better than yours, I'll go."

The second son of the Lu Household glared at him impatiently. "What use is your Light Body Technique against such an important person?! Stop talking nonsense! I'm going back. If I'm not back by dark..."

He paused, took a deep breath, and said seriously, "You just take Hongdou and run away, whatever you do, don't go back!"

The third son of the Lu Household stood there, holding Lu Hongdou, who was crying incessantly.

The winter wind tousled the stray hairs on his forehead, but he was completely oblivious.

He gave the second son of the Lu Household a deep look, then nodded silently.

Eastward Prospect Mountain.

The Lu Household's several residences are scattered on the mountainside and in the valleys, located in the area with the highest concentration of Spiritual Qi energy in the entire Eastward Prospect Mountain.

Compared to the Lin Household, the Lu Household is smaller.

There are only five houses in total, built along the mountainside and nestled among the forest in a staggered manner.

Four of them are the residences of the four branches of the Lu Household. They have blue tiles and white walls, and although the courtyards are not very large, they are kept very clean.

The other, slightly larger house was the residence of the Lu Household's great-grandfather and several clan elders. The ancestral tablets were enshrined in the main hall, and an incense stick was burned every morning and evening.

The houses are connected by several gravel paths, and some common wild grass grows by the roadside, lying drooping on the ground after being hit by the winter frost.

Besides these houses, there are also several acres of spirit fields nearby. It is currently the dead of winter, and the spirit fields are left fallow, with a thin layer of white frost covering the ridges.

Apart from that, there were no spiritual fruits, no Spirit Plants, and no magnificent, golden pavilions...

This is the most authentic picture of a small Lineage in the Qi Refining Realm.

The meager amount of spirit rice produced from those spirit fields was far from enough to support the cultivation needs of the entire Lineage.

The cultivators of the Lu Household also need to do other jobs to make a living: dangerous but high-paying jobs, such as hunting demons in the mountains or climbing cliffs to collect herbs; and safe but low-paying jobs, such as working as shop assistants in nearby markets.

As the year draws to a close, even a small Lineage like the Lu Household will make some preparations.

On the one hand, it allows the cultivators at home to catch their breath amidst their busy and stressful cultivation; on the other hand, it allows the various sects to gather together, calculate the year's income and expenditure, and make plans for the coming year.

At this moment, in the main hall of the Lu Household, the fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the firewood was crackling in the furnace.

Grandfather Lu Sheng and three clan elders sat around an old square table made of spirit wood. On the table lay an account book with its pages yellowed and the edges worn rough.

Lu Sheng is the most senior member of the Lu Household, and his cultivation has reached the Peak Qi Refining Realm.

He had white hair and beard, and his face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes were still quite bright.

Lu Sheng lowered his head and looked through the ledger from beginning to end, comparing and calculating line by line with his fingers, before slowly speaking.

"The eldest son's family has saved up twelve Low-Grade Spirit Stones this year."

"The second son's family, fifteen pieces."

"The third brother's family..." He paused, then sighed softly, "Because Yue'er encountered Bandit Cultivator outside and was seriously injured. Buying medicine used up the savings of the three clans, and this year not only did we have no surplus, but we also spent a lot of money. It's a miracle that everyone is alright."

The firelight flickered on his aged face, making his wrinkles appear even deeper.

He paused for a moment, then continued reading, "The fourth brother's family has saved up six Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

He closed the ledger, gently patted the cover with his palm, looked up and glanced at the three elders present, and slowly said, "Overall, this year has been alright. Not as good as last year, but there haven't been any major setbacks either. Being able to get through the year peacefully is already quite good."

Everyone nodded, a look of relief appearing on their faces.

For small Qi Refinement Lineage like theirs, struggling to survive, the four words "peace and safety" are the greatest blessing.

Just then, Lu Shu, an elder of the Lu Lineage, suddenly frowned and spoke up, "Zimu went to Green Creek Market to pick up Xiao'er several days ago, and he hasn't returned yet. Could something have happened to him?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the elders present became more solemn.