The Good Life Was Getting More and More Convicting

After the half-month visit home was over, Zhu Yan returned to Wei Manor, hauling two whole carts of gifts of all sizes.

She had gone to her parents' home empty-handed and returned to her husband's home laden with gifts.

This woman was a lucky charm for her husband!

Perhaps because he had hidden away private savings and felt guilty, Wei Mao unusually skipped overtime at the military camp and stayed home to accompany Zhu Yan.

There was no need for bashfulness between an old married couple. After downing two cups of wine, Zhu Yan raised a hand, pushed him down, took off his trousers, and got the deed done.

Afterward, Zhu Yan nestled in Wei Mao's arms, tracing little circles with her fingertip. "Where's Lu Bei? Why haven't I seen him? Is he still at the military camp?"

"No. He went out to have fun with Young Master Kui. Don't worry about him; he'll be back around midnight." For the sake of marital harmony, Wei Mao chose to tell the truth.

When it came to self-discipline, he rather admired Lu Bei. Though he had made a good-for-nothing friend, he never lingered in places of pleasure. He returned every night at midnight without fail, then reported to the Alchemy Room early the next morning, rain or shine.

"Young Master Kui?"

Confusion appeared on Zhu Yan's face. For a moment, she couldn't remember who that was.

She thought hard, but still couldn't recall him.

"Your distant relative. His elder brother, Zhu Bo, gave you a thousand silver notes for cosmetics when I came to Dasheng Pass to take up my post."

"Oh, him—the one with the thousand silver notes."

Zhu Yan suddenly understood, then her expression changed sharply. "What happened? How did Lu Bei come to know him?"

"They met in the Alchemy Room. A few days ago, Young Master Kui went looking for you to claim kinship and happened to run into him. Since they were relatives, they gradually became familiar with each other." For the sake of marital harmony, Wei Mao chose to conceal part of the truth.

"What?!"

Zhu Yan's expression changed dramatically. "These past few days, you didn't take Lu Bei to the military camp, and he still went to the Alchemy Room to report as usual?"

"He stayed at the military camp for three days. He found it dull and complained to me nonstop, so I couldn't stand it anymore and sent him back to the Alchemy Room." For the sake of marital harmony, Wei Mao chose a well-intentioned lie.

"It's over, it's over! There aren't many good people surnamed Zhu. Lu Bei is going to learn bad habits! How am I supposed to explain this to Senior Sister Bai?"

Zhu Yan cried that all was lost, punching Wei Mao in the chest again and again with a mournful expression. "It's all your fault, every bit of it! How could you feel at ease leaving him out there alone? What if someone tricked him?"

Him? Getting tricked?

It would be a blessing from heaven if he stopped tricking others!

You probably don't know how many silver notes your husband has earned by following him for the past few days you were away.

"Madam, you're underestimating that boy. He's no good person. By becoming friends with Young Master Kui, perhaps he can even be influenced by good company!" Unable to bear it any longer—for the sake of his conscience, mainly—Wei Mao exposed the truth.

"Stop spouting nonsense. You're clearly narrow-minded and can't stand Lu Bei's pure and guileless nature after just coming out of the mountains, so you deliberately found someone surnamed Zhu to lead him astray."

"Madam, you're also surnamed—"

"Still making excuses."

Zhu Yan flew into a rage, shoved him backward with the back of her hand, and climbed straight on top of him.

The next day, as Lu Bei was leaving, he was stopped by Zhu Yan, who was glowing with health. She brought him news related to the Lingxiao Sword Sect and Bai Jin.

"Senior Sister Bai has been confined and forbidden to leave the Lingxiao Sword Sect without permission for three years?"

Bai Jin being restricted from traveling was unexpected yet reasonable. Lu Bei wasn't particularly surprised, but wasn't three years a little too long? And why did the number three seem so ominous, as if foretelling: Don't bully a young man for being poor; three years from now, I'll climb the mountain and take my senior sister back.

"She's confined, yes, but three years isn't certain."

Zhu Yan said, "Senior Sister Bai had someone pass a message to me. She said her master would handle the Sect Master. At most, she'll regain her freedom in three months. She told you to cultivate diligently and not waste your time slacking off."

"I understand."

Lu Bei nodded with a frown, but the moment he turned around, Zhu Yan stopped him again.

"Don't rush off. I haven't finished!"

Zhu Yan glanced around before lowering her voice. "Senior Sister Bai told you to be careful. If any strangers approach you in the near future, there's a very good chance they'll be from the Lingxiao Sword Sect. Remember to treat them politely and leave them with a good impression."

"How so?"

"After Uncle-Master Mo passed away, the Sect Master wept bitterly, and then..." Zhu Yan began sharing the latest gossip she had acquired.

Bai Jin returned to the Lingxiao Sword Sect carrying the little box. When Sect Master Lin Buyan saw his Junior Disciple Brother lying in eternal rest, he couldn't believe it at first. After confirming it again and again, he cried until his mouth hung open. With a grand wave of his hand, he declared that the man was dead and there was no point continuing to hold his crimes against him. Thus, Mo Buxiu's past offenses would no longer be pursued.

Lin Buyan allowed the little box to be moved into the Lingxiao Sword Sect's graveyard so that Mo Buxiu could return to his ancestral lineage. But when Bai Jin mentioned that Mo Buxiu had a disciple wandering outside, Lin Buyan immediately imposed a three-year confinement and didn't say a word about bringing Lu Bei back to the sect.

"That's understandable."

Lu Bei nodded. From Lin Buyan's perspective, his Junior Disciple Brother, with whom he had been entangled in grudges for years, had died suddenly. Not only had the Sect Master Brother let bygones be bygones regarding his crimes, he had also allowed his remains to be moved into the mass graveyard in the Back mountain. Wouldn't that send his reputation soaring?

The man was dead, after all.

But what was strange was that the moment his Junior Disciple Brother died, his own wife's beloved disciple received the news...

What did that mean?

Simple. It meant he had forgiven her, of course.

As for how to deal with his Junior Disciple Brother's disciple, out of sight, out of mind. Let him do whatever he wanted—just don't bother Laozi.

"Her master has already made arrangements. A disciple from the sect will come looking for you and assess your character. Put on a good show; perhaps you'll even have a chance to return to the Lingxiao Sword Sect." Zhu Yan reminded him.

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Lu Bei nodded, turned around, then turned around again. After confirming that Zhu Yan had finished speaking, he hurried toward the Experience Room.

When he had first met Bai Jin, Lu Bei had been filled with anticipation for the Lingxiao Sword Sect. Lacking a sense of security, he had wanted to find a big tree to shelter beneath. But from the time he reached Dasheng Pass until now, that anticipation had steadily dwindled, nowhere near as intense as before.

After digging into the reason, he had found a way to farm experience and confirmed that he could accept missions. At present, he could completely support himself, making the Lingxiao Sword Sect suddenly seem rather useless.

To be honest, if Lu Bei were asked to leave the Alchemy Room at Dasheng Pass now, he would be a little reluctant.

"By my calculations, construction at Sanqing Peak should be finished by now. And there's that den of little foxes—I need to go back as soon as possible." In the Alchemy Room, Lu Bei fired up seven furnaces at once. Qi Ling Pills rolled out in mass production like dumplings dropping into a pot, and his experience climbed rapidly along with them.

Bai Jin's confinement was, in a sense, a good thing for Lu Bei.

He was free.

Bai Jin had known him the longest and understood him best, knowing him inside and out. Before, whenever he leveled up, Lu Bei had hesitated. He could display astonishing aptitude, but not too astonishingly so. Now that he had nothing to worry about, he could finally cut loose.

Ten days later, Lu Bei frantically farmed his experience to 500,000 and found two skill books in the studies of Wei Mao and Zhu Bo respectively.

Xiujing Array Breaking Technique Lv6 (10/10000)

Eight-Arm Fist Lv5 (10/12000)

As its name suggested, the Xiujing Array Breaking Technique sought the Xiu and Jing gates within a formation, taking the auspicious meaning of traveling far to seek wealth. It couldn't be considered a high-level formation-breaking method, but in Zhu Bo's study, it was the best of the best—the finest formation-breaking skill Lu Bei could get his hands on.

Eight-Arm Fist was a military boxing style. Unlike the Array Slaying Saber Technique, which emphasized coordination with one's comrades, this style had few combined-strike techniques. Its movements were broad and forceful, and its punches were exceptionally fierce.

Bai Jin had once taught Lu Bei a boxing style that emphasized yielding force and technique, with lasting aftereffects. Lu Bei hadn't practiced it. He had his reasons for choosing Eight-Arm Fist.

Military saber techniques plus boxing techniques—if anything happened one day, he could at least borrow the identity of a Dasheng Pass soldier and muddle through for a while.

After all, he was growing closer and closer to the Zhu brothers, especially Zhu Bo, who had said he would take him underground soon to show him the ropes.

What sort of ropes, Zhu Bo didn't explain. He merely gave him a look that said it all.

Lu Bei understood instantly. His good life was getting more and more convicting. Some things had to be guarded against, and he needed to make preparations in advance.

Sure enough, Zhu Bo didn't keep Lu Bei waiting long. On this day, he summoned him in secret and said that someone was forming a team to go underground, and Zhu Bo intended to join in.