The Final Cast

"By the way, Senior Disciple Brother, we've been chatting for quite a while, but you still haven't said what you came here for!"

"What I came here for? What do you mean?"

Lin Yu froze when he heard that and glanced at the fishing rod in his hand. Though he said nothing, his meaning was clear: Wasn't accompanying Senior Disciple Brother fishing the reason he had come?

"Senior Disciple Brother, you came all the way from Yue Province. What brings you here?" Lu Bei reminded him.

"Oh, you mean that..."

Lin Yu furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. "Junior Disciple Brother Lu, I won't hide it from you. I came here on assignment. The Hall Master of the Discipline Hall ordered me to assess your character and moral conduct."

"And what happens if they're good? What if they're bad?"

"If they're good, you're recorded. If they're bad, we steer clear!"

Lin Yu answered honestly. "Uncle-Master Mo's remains have already been buried in the Lingxiao Sword Sect's Immortal Mausoleum. You're his only disciple. Though you were never officially registered, the Lingxiao Sword Sect won't leave you wandering outside alone... Huh, Junior Disciple Brother Lu, your aptitude is astonishing. Junior Sister Bai said you had only just opened your apertures when she returned to the mountain. Who would have thought you'd already reached Foundation Establishment?"

Halfway through his speech, Lin Yu realized that Bai Jin's intelligence was already outdated. He immediately clicked his tongue in amazement.

"That fast? I thought everyone progressed like that."

Lu Bei scratched his head. "Mainly because my old master left me a bottle of Peiyuan Pills. My cultivation only advanced so much after I took them."

"No wonder."

Lin Yu nodded and spoke frankly. "Around noon, I sensed things outside the Feather Transformation Sect. I discovered that Junior Disciple Brother was in the underground palace, using the formation to temper your foundation. I imagine that was something Uncle-Master Mo specially left for you."

"Senior Disciple Brother saw that?"

"I only took a glance. Don't blame me, Junior Disciple Brother. I wasn't planning to look at you at the time."

Lin Yu gave an awkward smile. The little fox guarding the gate had said Lu Bei wasn't home, so he had thought to find a place to fish while he waited. When he sensed spiritual energy fluctuating in the underground palace, he had casually glanced over.

Out of curiosity—there was pitifully little spiritual energy on Sanqing Peak, practically none at all when rounded off—and suddenly there was a location with dense spiritual energy fluctuations. He couldn't help taking a look.

"It's fine. It wasn't a secret anyway. Senior Disciple Brother is one of us. Look if you want."

Lu Bei rolled his eyes. He wanted to blame him, but he didn't have the ability to do so.

Still, Lin Yu had given him a timely warning. Cultivators had keen senses, and the Feather Transformation Sect had neither a formation to conceal it nor a magic treasure to protect it. To powerful cultivators, it was no different from being stark naked. He had to think of a solution soon.

He himself didn't care. The key was the little foxes, especially Hu Jiao. She was clearly about to transform. What if some lecherous ghost peeked at her while she was bathing?

"Junior Disciple Brother, don't worry. With Senior Disciple Brother here, aside from fishing, formations are what I'm best at. Once I finish this cast, I'll go back and set up a Mountain Protecting Great Array for the Feather Transformation Sect."

Lin Yu thumped his chest. "I wouldn't dare boast about anything else, but any cultivator whose cultivation is below mine will be blocked from sensing what's inside the formation. Within the formation, whether they live or die will be entirely in your hands. It'll be Offensive and Defensive Integrated. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"What if the person who comes has a higher cultivation than Senior Disciple Brother?"

"Junior Disciple Brother, why would you provoke someone like that?"

"That's true."

Lu Bei nodded. He had been overthinking it.

Lu Bei didn't know what level Lin Yu was, but when Lin Yu took out his fishing rod and folding stool, he had neither a simple spatial item like a Qiankun Bag nor an encrypted spatial item such as a ring or Jade Pendant. Clearly, he was at least level 60.

What did level 60 mean?

In version 1.0, the players' level cap had only been 50. Across the Nine Bamboo Mountain range where Sanqing Peak stood, only three people were above level 20. The formation Lin Yu set up in Novice Village would be wildly overqualified—more than enough for a long while.

"Senior Disciple Brother, you came all this way, and I haven't even entertained you yet. You've already..."

"It's a trivial matter. Don't take it to heart, Junior Disciple Brother. If you really feel guilty, just accompany me fishing for the next few days." Lin Yu waved his hand and cut him off.

"Of course. I'll make sure Senior Disciple Brother enjoys himself."

Lu Bei nodded and stared silently into the deep pool. He figured there were still too few fish here. Senior Disciple Brother was such a good person—he couldn't let him come away empty-handed. Tomorrow, he would go down the mountain and buy fish wholesale, then dump several hundred pounds of big fish into the pool.

With that thought, Lu Bei suddenly spotted a business opportunity.

With a little work, the deep pool could have shelters built around it to block the wind and rain. It would become another experience room for earning players' pocket change.

How had he never thought of that before?

"Senior Disciple Brother, how long are you planning to stay at the Feather Transformation Sect? Give me an approximate time so I can make arrangements."

"It won't be many days."

Lin Yu thought about it and said, "I'm slow on foot, and it'll still take me some time to return to the sect. I should set off two days early."

Only two days?

You're setting off a month early!

Lu Bei knew Lin Yu would cast a few more lines along the way, but he didn't expose him. With complete confidence, he said, "Since that's the case, Senior Disciple Brother should spend more time on the assessment. It would be biased for me to speak for myself, so go ask the other peaks and see how everyone evaluates me."

"Of course."

Seeing how confident Lu Bei was in his own character, and that it didn't seem feigned, Lin Yu had a general idea and silently gave him a passing grade.

There were some things Lin Yu hadn't told Lu Bei. His trip down the mountain had been an assignment from the Hall Master of the Discipline Hall—in other words, his mother. Before leaving, the Hall Master had given him a few reminders, saying that Lu Bei was alone outside, lonely and helpless, isolated and unsupported, pitiful and without anyone to depend on. She had told him to bear that in mind when scoring him and not let one of their own suffer grievances outside.

Not long after he left the mountain gate, he unexpectedly ran into the Sect Master—in other words, his father—out for a stroll down the mountain. He, too, gave Lin Yu a few reminders. The Sect Master mentioned how crooked beams made crooked rafters, how if the father stole eggs the son would steal chickens, how if the father committed murder the son would set fires, and how each generation grew worse than the last. He told Lin Yu to bear that in mind when scoring Lu Bei and not bring such crooked ways back to the Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Lin Yu found it all rather speechless. He had heard some gossip about the grudges between the previous generation. Since his own parents were involved, he made no comment. Their heavily personal advice went in one ear and out the other.

As for how to judge him and what standards to use, Lin Yu had a measuring rod in his heart.

First, the first time he saw Lu Bei, Lu Bei had been stabilizing his foundation in the underground palace. That alone was enough to prove he was a diligent and good junior disciple brother.

Second, Lu Bei liked fishing.

What bad intentions could someone who liked fishing possibly have?

None at all.

Pass.

It absolutely had to be a pass. No mistake. No changing it.

"Senior Disciple Brother, the sun is almost down, and nothing's biting. Shall we head back?"

"That's true. The fish here aren't biting well. In my years of fishing, I know you can't possibly catch..."

Hisssss—

The fishing line sliced through the water. The rod in Lu Bei's hands sank, and he hurriedly stood and lifted it. "I got one! Senior Disciple Brother, I've hooked a fish!"

Lin Yu: "..."

He watched dark-faced as Lu Bei hauled the fish ashore with crude technique. The measuring rod in his heart suddenly tipped. He had given him a pass too hastily. He would have to weigh things again.

"Senior Disciple Brother, what were you saying just now? I was too busy landing the fish to hear you."

Lu Bei happily put the fish away. It looked to weigh about two pounds, just right for taking home and adding to a dish.

"Nothing."

Lin Yu replied blandly, "This Silver-Striped Back is only palm-sized, still a fry. Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life. Release it later."

"Fine. Once Senior Disciple Brother catches a big fish, we'll have a proper feast tonight."

Lu Bei sat down and continued fishing. Seeing that Lin Yu always seemed to roll back to his last cast, he couldn't help saying, "Senior Disciple Brother, it's getting late. I still have several little foxes at home crying for food and waiting for me to start cooking."

"Speaking of that, why are you keeping fox demons, Junior Disciple Brother? Don't you know that's against the law?" Lin Yu frowned.

"I'm not keeping them. I'm taking them in."

Lu Bei answered honestly. "These little foxes live with me on Sanqing Peak. We can consider ourselves neighbors. I saw that they were lonely and helpless, and I couldn't bear to leave them, so I took them in."

"But they already possess Spiritual Intelligence. Once they transform, I'm afraid they'll..."

"I fed them Qi Ling Pills. I want them to transform."

Lu Bei said guiltily, "Rather than giving someone a fish, teach them how to fish. Keeping them fed is not as good as letting them support themselves. Since it's inconvenient to travel in and out of Nine Bamboo Mountain, I plan to open a shop and look after the disciples of the surrounding peaks whose cultivation isn't high. Once they transform, they'll be able to help."

As he spoke, Lu Bei briefly introduced his commercial blueprint.

"Junior Disciple Brother, you..."

Lin Yu's brows furrowed tightly. "No one does business like that. You're opening a shop on Sanqing Peak, where there isn't even a passerby. I'm afraid you'll lose money!"

"Senior Disciple Brother, you're worrying too much. Lu Bei has a decent number of friends. If I really open a shop, friends from every peak will surely come to support me. At worst, I'll lose a little. I won't lose too much."

Lu Bei smiled faintly and said, seemingly offhandedly, "Besides, whether I make money doesn't matter. As long as I can help everyone, that's enough."

The sun sank in the west. He was draped in the final smear of golden-red afterglow, and his faint smile brimmed with fierce conviction. His pure, kind nature struck straight at his true heart, dazzling Lin Yu until he could barely keep his eyes open.

Lin Yu regarded him with solemn respect. He felt ashamed of his own inferiority before Lu Bei's selfless spirit. His vision blurred, and he saw a scene from his youth in which Bai Jin had pressed him to the ground and rubbed him into the dirt.

Look at other people, then look at yourself. Then think of your parents' high hopes...

Compared to others, I'm a disgrace!

Inspired by Lu Bei's spiritual realm, Lin Yu's heart surged like a grand formation, and his blood boiled until his face flushed. He secretly resolved that he could no longer waste his life. Being surpassed by his junior sister was one thing, but he absolutely couldn't be surpassed by his junior brother.

He made up his mind. After finishing this cast, he would cultivate hard and not touch a rod again for ten years...

Forget it. Ten years was too long. Seize the day—one day would do. After finishing this cast, he wouldn't touch a fishing rod again before sunrise tomorrow.

A true man kept his word. If he said he wouldn't touch it, then he wouldn't.

Lin Yu felt resolute. He raised his hand and cast again. He hadn't made his decision earlier, so those casts didn't count. This was the real final cast.

"Junior Disciple Brother, this really is the final cast!"

"Let's make it a round number and cast one more time."

"Don't rush me, Junior Disciple Brother. I have a rule: after three casts, I have to reward myself with another one."

"Reward's over. One punishment cast!"

"Still no fish. I'm ashamed of myself. Another punishment cast..."

"..."

Night fell, and then it brightened again.

At dawn, Lu Bei stood covered in dew, gazing eagerly at the dozen or so large fish he had caught. The novice protection period really is incredible.

Then he looked at Lin Yu, who had caught nothing beside him, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

So there actually weren't many fish in the deep pool. The buff on an empty-handed fisherman was simply too powerful.

Lin Yu was mortified. He gave an embarrassed smile. "Junior Disciple Brother, this pond is no good. The local fish have poor morals and are bullying me because I'm an outsider."