Lu Bei Always Keeps His Word and Values His Reputation

Nine Bamboo Mountain had nine peaks, each home to a cultivation sect. In order, they were the True Essence Sword Sect on Great Tuo Peak, Qingguang Monastery on Two Worthies Peak, the Feather Transformation Sect on Sanqing Peak, the Emei Sect on Four Scenery Peak, the Shuiyue Sect on Five Heng Peak, the Dingwang Sect on Six Yang Peak, the Piaoxiang Sect on Seven Plate Peak, the Hanyue Sect on Eight Goose Peak, and the Feixue Sect on Nine Pine Peak.

The sects were not ranked by strength. Everyone was equally weak, with no one standing out.

No, that wasn't right. Sanqing Peak was the weakest. At least, that was how the other eight peaks saw it.

All anyone knew was that Sanqing Peak had an old Daoist named Mo Buxiu, who had established a Feather Transformation Sect there. No one knew how profound his cultivation was. Considering Sanqing Peak's scarce spiritual energy, no ambitious cultivator would choose this place to establish a sect. Thus, Mo Buxiu was classified as the sort who was merely muddling along.

As it happened, Mo Buxiu was the kind of person who couldn't sit still. He spent years traveling far and wide and never bothered managing the dilapidated Feather Transformation Sect. Over time, his image as a Daoist who was merely muddling along became set in stone.

Who could have imagined that while the master was content to muddle along, the disciple absolutely refused to? The new sect leader had inherited his mantle, and Sanqing Peak had risen to its feet.

Huang Guan was deeply troubled by Lu Bei extorting Ding Lei. In his view, Ding Lei was one of their own and had to be protected. But Lu Bei was no pushover either. His background was formidable, so they had to cater to him.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, he could only bring in the eloquent Sect Leader Zhao of the Piaoxiang Sect and ask Lu Bei, for the sake of the Nine Bamboo lineage's shared bonds, to be magnanimous and let Ding Lei off this once.

As for just how eloquent Zhao Shiran was...

Judging from her graceful bearing, and the exquisite beauty of her delicate brows and forehead that even her gauze veil could barely conceal, she should indeed have been extraordinarily eloquent.

It was worth mentioning that on Nine Bamboo Mountain, the highest cultivation belonged to Yang Fuliu, the mistress of Qingguang Monastery on Two Worthies Peak, and Du Jinglan, the sect leader of the Hanyue Sect on Eight Goose Peak. They had both established their Foundations many years ago, one before the other. The former loved peace and quiet, while the latter was a fitness fanatic. Neither liked to manage affairs, which was why Huang Guan, thanks to his good relations with others, had been elected Alliance Leader.

It wasn't a bad thing. Although all nine peaks had cultivation sects, their strength was mediocre across the board. Without the Huangji Sect intimidating all sides and forbidding private fighting between sects, the Spirit Bamboo industry would have been snatched away long ago.

By "snatched away," this meant by other third-rate sects. As for second-rate sects like the Lingxiao Sword Sect, Nine Bamboo Mountain would practically throw itself at them, and they still wouldn't be interested.

So Huang Guan's extensive connections and mild temper truly made him the only choice for Alliance Leader.

Knock, knock, knock!

The sound of knocking rang out. Zhu Bo, who had been strolling around the front courtyard, looked around and found that he was the only idle person there. He shrugged, stepped forward, and removed the crossbar from the main gate.

He saw an old man and a young woman.

Zhu Bo barely paid attention to what the old man looked like. The young female cultivator had an elegant bearing, and Zhu Bo took two extra glances before sighing inwardly, What a pity.

It was truly regrettable that I hadn't met this girl at Yunshui Tower.

"This old Daoist is Huang Guan of the True Essence Sword Sect on Great Tuo Peak. This is Sect Leader Zhao of the Piaoxiang Sect on Seven Plate Peak. We apologize for disturbing you."

Huang Guan raised his hands in a salute and asked, "Might I ask if this is Sect Leader Lu of the Feather Transformation Sect?"

"No. Brother Lu is in the backyard teaching a fox to write. My surname is Zhu, and I come from Dasheng Pass." Zhu Bo returned the salute.

"So you're the esteemed guest from Sanqing Peak..."

Huang Guan smiled and stroked his beard, probing, "This old Daoist knows a few people in Dasheng Pass as well. May I ask which young master of the Zhu Household you are?"

"My father died young, and I was raised under my eldest uncle's care. If you must ask which household, then I suppose you could say the household of the Dongqi Commandery Governor."

"..." x2

"We've disturbed you."

Zhao Shiran gave a slight salute, nodded at Huang Guan, and turned to leave with graceful steps.

There was no deeper meaning to it. She simply didn't want to wade into these muddy waters. Before coming, Huang Guan hadn't told her the situation was so complicated.

Huang Guan was already regretting that Ding Lei had misrepresented the situation. Seeing Zhao Shiran flee so quickly, he couldn't leave with her. He could only brace himself and say, "Sect Leader Zhao is accustomed to peace and quiet. She came here specially to pay a visit, and naturally should return after the visit."

"She certainly is quite perky."

Zhu Bo nodded in deep agreement, then suddenly came to his senses. He coughed lightly into his fist. "That's right. She's a very quiet person."

Huang Guan secretly groaned at the trouble. Birds of a feather flock together. Though he hadn't seen Lu Bei himself, judging from the conduct of his friend, the man himself probably wasn't any better.

"Brother Bo, who's outside?"

Lu Bei poked his head out and walked over. He examined Huang Guan with confusion and asked in a low voice, "Strange. I had a feeling that romance would come knocking today. How did it turn out to be an old man knocking on the door?"

"He's here for you."

Zhu Bo gave Lu Bei a meaningful look, then leisurely continued strolling around the front courtyard.

Lu Bei understood at once. After introducing himself and Huang Guan, he brought up Ding Lei of the Goose-No-Faction and immediately beat his chest and stamped his feet. "Old Alliance Leader Huang, you don't know how outrageous that Ding fellow was! In the dead of night, he led more than a hundred people in an assault on Sanqing Peak. If I hadn't known a few martial arts techniques and barely managed to protect myself, I might already have died with regrets, leaving not even a complete corpse behind!"

"Sect Leader Lu, you're overthinking it. Sect Master Ding had no such intention. I asked him about it. It was simply a misunderstanding between the two of you. He—"

"Don't say another word. I can hear it clearly now. Old Alliance Leader Huang, you're protecting your kin instead of upholding justice. You've come to take sides. Please go back and tell Ding Lei that Lu Bei always keeps his word and values his reputation. Not a single coin of what he owes me can be missing!"

Lu Bei gave a cold snort. "Someone, see our guest out!"

No one answered. Lu Bei snorted again, slammed the main gate shut, dropped the crossbar into place, and went back to teaching the little fox demon how to recognize characters.

"Well? Did you figure anything out?" Zhu Bo came over.

"A little troublesome." Lu Bei frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Brother Bo, you know me. I'm famous for respecting the old and cherishing the young. If it were some young man, I could be a little rough. If he so much as raised an eyebrow, I might not be able to stop this fist of mine. But when an old man comes to my door politely, I can't exactly beat him up!"

Lu Bei shook his head repeatedly. "There's no helping it. I can only play the villain to the end and put a little more pressure on that Ding fellow, make him sell everything he has to seek out the sect leaders of other peaks. Once there are more people, it'll be easier for me to take them all in one pot."

"It seems we have no other choice."

Huang Guan hadn't even made it through the gate before leaving Sanqing Peak after courting humiliation. He couldn't be bothered to see Ding Lei and had a disciple deliver the message that they should seek someone more capable. The Nine Bamboo lineage shared bonds of kinship, so they should stop making things difficult for his old bones.

The Emei Sect was enveloped in gloom. Some disciples began complaining in private, though they didn't name anyone, merely saying that a certain fellow surnamed Ding lacked the ability to handle the situation. With his position as sect leader hanging by a thread, Ding Lei didn't hesitate. He traveled through the mountains overnight, visiting the other peaks one after another.

Yang Fuliu of Two Worthies Peak had become so quiet that she wanted even more quiet, and said she would consider it for three months. Zhao Shiran of Seven Plate Peak claimed to be ill and avoided meeting him. Excluding Great Tuo Peak and Sanqing Peak, Ding Lei promised all sorts of benefits and profits, bringing in the sect leaders of the remaining four peaks to lend him their presence.

Three of them had been lured here by Ding Lei's offers of profit. Du Jinglan of the Hanyue Sect was the sole exception. He was a weightlifting enthusiast who had transcended vulgar tastes, and after hearing that Lu Bei possessed considerable strength, he had come specially to exchange pointers through martial arts.

Ding Lei knew how to make things happen, too. He directly arranged a grand spectacle, setting up a tournament platform at the Emei Sect. He sent a letter to Sanqing Peak, stating that they were all cultivators, and that schemes and trickery were merely unorthodox paths. Lu Bei wanted to seize the Emei Sect's assets, so tomorrow at noon, they would let strength do the talking.

"As expected of Sect Master Ding. He set up a Hongmen Feast so quickly. Efficient. I knew I hadn't misjudged him." Lu Bei was busy rubbing the fox when he received the letter, and immediately became delighted.

Zhu Bo chuckled along with him. Half the money had already entered his pocket. Whether he could stuff the other half in there as well would depend on what Lu Bei did next.

The next day, noon.

Lu Bei went alone to the meeting, carrying only a single saber. He arrived at the Goose-No-Faction by a familiar route, only to see fluttering banners and a sea of people.

That was of course impossible. The Emei Sect wasn't some great and powerful sect. Setting up a platform in the martial arena had taken up more than half the space, and once the spectators exceeded two hundred, the rest could only lie on the rooftops.

Lu Bei swept his gaze around. The spectators wore all kinds of clothing. It seemed Ding Lei hadn't managed to invite the sect leaders of other sects and had instead spread the news, drawing over some disciples eager to watch the spectacle.

That was good. More witnesses would make it convenient for him to collect his debts later.

"Sect Leader Lu, forgive me for not welcoming you sooner."

Ding Lei cupped his hands and smiled with victory in his grasp. "Allow me to introduce you. These few are—"

"There's no need to waste time. After I finish fighting, I still have to go home and cook. Prepare five geese. I'm taking them with me later."

Lu Bei leaped onto the platform and swept his gaze over the three men and four women behind Ding Lei. His eyes settled on the plump female cultivator. "Judging by your broad-minded bearing, you must be Du Jinglan of the Hanyue Sect, famed for your expansive chest and open mind. I hear that Sect Master Du has the highest martial strength on Nine Bamboo Mountain, so let's start with you!"

"..." xN

The martial arena instantly fell silent. Everyone subconsciously looked toward Pang Miaosong, the sect leader of the Shuiyue Sect. Once they did, they found that Lu Bei hadn't been wrong. She really was quite broad-minded.

Huh? How strange. How had no one noticed this before?