Linghu Chong

The instant Wang Jingyuan's sword tip touched his skin, it was blocked by an invisible force field and could not advance another inch. It did not even scrape a layer of skin.

Friendly fire was disabled outside duels. Lu Dayou was an NPC of the same faction as him; otherwise, he could have farmed him and made the monkey drop.

Seeing Wang Jingyuan suddenly attack, the little monkey that had been sitting on his shoulder and peacefully munching dried fruit immediately shrieked in terror. Wang Jingyuan promptly withdrew his sword.

Lu Dayou turned at the sound and looked at his little monkey. Seeing that its owner was completely unharmed, the monkey immediately realized Wang Jingyuan had played it.

It chattered as it stretched out its two little paws and kneaded Wang Jingyuan's hair. Before long, it had turned his hair into a bird's nest.

With a sharp reprimand, Lu Dayou called the little monkey back. He looked at Wang Jingyuan somewhat apologetically, only to find that Wang Jingyuan did not care in the slightest.

The head was the leader of the six yangs. Men of this era regarded their heads as especially important and would not let others touch them lightly, much less a beast. In Lu Dayou's eyes, Wang Jingyuan's temper was exceptionally good, and he could not help developing a bit of fondness for him.

"Beast King Hunter, if you ever see another monkey this clever, remember to catch one for me."

"Junior Disciple Brother, I've already told you, my surname isn't Shou, it's Lu. And besides... forget it. Since you like the little monkey so much, I'll lend it to you for a few days." Already feeling a little embarrassed, Lu Dayou saw that Wang Jingyuan genuinely liked the monkey and quickly made up his mind.

"You should've said so earlier." Wang Jingyuan slipped his hands beneath the monkey's armpits and grabbed it before it could react. "Come here, you."

"Chitter!" The little monkey cried angrily, waving its tiny paws to express its displeasure. It was hard to tell whether it was upset with Wang Jingyuan or its own owner.

But after Wang Jingyuan stuffed another handful of dried fruit into its paws, it fell silent. It lowered its eyes and quietly cracked the fruit, deaf to everything beyond its ears. Apparently, paying more worked on both people and monkeys.

Seeing Wang Jingyuan happily tease the little monkey, Lu Dayou did not say anything else and turned to leave.

The monkey's nimble little paws swiftly peeled the dried fruit and tossed it into its mouth. Then it looked at Wang Jingyuan expectantly.

"Little monkey, my dried fruit isn't free. You have to listen to my instructions."

"Chitter."

"Too quiet. I can't hear you!"

"Chitter!"

"Very good, full of spirit! First, I'll teach you to identify things. This packet is laxative powder, and this packet is lime..."

Inside Zhengqi Chongxiao Hall, Yue Lingshan walked in angrily, carrying her treasured sword upside down. Ning Zhongze watched her with helplessness and shook her head. She could not even be bothered to count how many times this had happened. She merely lifted the teapot and poured a cup of tea.

Yue Lingshan entered the hall, dropped herself onto a seat at the Eight Immortals table, and gulped down the tea. Then she took the teapot and poured herself another cup.

Only after drinking two cups of hot tea did she speak to Ning Zhongze in a spoiled tone. "Mother, Junior Disciple Brother, he..."

"What did your Junior Disciple Brother do?" Along with a stern male voice, Yue Buqun emerged from behind the hall.

Seeing her father arrive, Yue Lingshan shrank her neck and immediately stood up. "Nothing."

Seeing his daughter's expression, Yue Buqun knew she had once again had a minor spat with that "Junior Disciple Brother." Still, he was used to it by now.

After observing him for the past few days, Yue Buqun had found that this Immortal Elder was vastly different from the immortals he had imagined. He was simply far too... mischievous.

Even so, Yue Buqun could see that his daughter's heart was wholly fixed on him. Why would Yue Buqun not want an immortal son-in-law? But all he could do was let his daughter spend more time with him. Everything depended on fate; it could not be forced.

"Disciple Linghu Chong greets Master!" A shout came from outside Zhengqi Chongxiao Hall, interrupting Yue Buqun's thoughts.

Yue Buqun answered irritably, "Come in."

A young man with a long face, swordlike brows, and thin lips walked in. He was Linghu Chong, the Mount Hua Sect's chief disciple. Earlier, he had delayed important business by drinking and had been punished by Yue Buqun to face the wall and reflect at Siguo Cliff. Only now, with his "merits fulfilled," had he been allowed down the mountain.

Among all those on Huashan, he went to Siguo Cliff the most often. It had practically become his residence. With Yue Lingshan and Lu Dayou having looked after him before, the cliff was fully stocked with all daily necessities.

Linghu Chong had grown accustomed to living there. Over time, being sent to Siguo Cliff to reflect had become nothing more than changing residences for him.

"Master, Mistress, I heard our Mount Hua Sect has taken in a new disciple?" Linghu Chong was impatient by nature. Before he had even fully entered, he was already asking.

For some reason, upon hearing Linghu Chong's question, Yue Lingshan felt both flustered and embarrassed. But having only just begun to understand love, she could not even make sense of her own feelings, much less know why those emotions had arisen.

"Hmph! You spent so long at Siguo Cliff, yet your temperament still hasn't been tempered away." Yue Buqun intended to groom Linghu Chong as the next sect leader, so naturally he disliked seeing him act so frivolously.

Ning Zhongze, however, stepped in to smooth things over. "It is true. You can go see your Junior Disciple Brother later. Remember to get along with him amicably. Don't offend him."

Linghu Chong casually cupped his hands. "I've never been one to bully my Junior Disciple Brothers or Sisters."

"What your Mistress means is that you must be more careful when dealing with Jingyuan. If any conflict arises, you must yield first. Jingyuan's background is extraordinary, and he is very important to our entire Mount Hua Sect," Yue Buqun added from the side.

Ning Zhongze had already emphasized such words to the other disciples many times, so Yue Lingshan was not surprised. But Linghu Chong had only just descended from Siguo Cliff and was hearing this warning for the first time. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Mistress, aren't we children of the martial world supposed to refuse to bow to power and wealth?"

"Jingyuan is not...," Ning Zhongze explained.

"Rebellious disciple! Stop evading the matter. You only need to do as you're told," Yue Buqun snapped.

Restricted by Yue Buqun's authority, Linghu Chong could only agree vaguely. But what he truly thought, only he knew. And Linghu Chong was not the only one; most Mount Hua Sect disciples felt the same.

Elders these days never tried to understand what young people were thinking. All one could say was that old fossils did not understand the hearts of the young.

After paying his respects to Master and Mistress, Linghu Chong joked with Yue Lingshan for a while. But he did not notice that her expression was slightly forced. He only assumed that, with Master present, she was embarrassed to joke around with him.

Afterward, he left Zhengqi Chongxiao Hall, intending to take a look at this unusual Junior Disciple Brother.

After walking a few steps, he happened to see Lu Dayou.