Promoting Too Fast, Too Fast

Jing Pu wasn't shy about praising others. He was a pretty straightforward person, and he said whatever was on his mind.

Besides, it wasn't as if he was saying anything unpleasant. Why hide it? People ought to learn to acknowledge others' good qualities. That way, they could make more friends.

While Jing Pu was writing two pieces of calligraphy for the shop, the proprietress had been overjoyed with the characters he'd written for her. So he'd gone ahead and written a piece for Ling Ju too. He felt the words "Elegant Virtue and Leisurely Grace" suited her perfectly. He just didn't know whether she'd like them.

Coming back to her senses, Ling Ju immediately gazed at Jing Pu with flushed cheeks and nodded again and again.

"Of course I like it... Your calligraphy, senior..."

Seeing that Ling Ju liked it, Jing Pu smiled, rolled up the finished piece, and handed it to her.

"Then let's head back."

With that, Jing Pu turned and called goodbye to the proprietress, who was beaming as she held her two newly acquired pieces of calligraphy, then headed out of the shop.

As Ling Ju hurried to catch up, the well-traveled proprietress took one look at her expression and shot her an encouraging glance.

That only made Ling Ju's already-flushed cheeks turn even rosier.

Half an hour later, when Jing Pu returned to his courtyard, he let out a small sigh of relief. Thankfully, Lie Chun and Ling Jing hadn't come up with any more nonsense.

The two of them had been diligently tamping down the ground for him. Though they'd been very curious about the tribulation thunderclouds earlier, they hadn't gone to investigate.

The following month was rather peaceful. Or rather than peaceful, it was more like the kind of life Jing Pu had always wanted.

Over the course of that month, Jing Pu had truly enjoyed the pleasures of life.

He planned out his courtyard, planted flowers and grass, dug a pond and raised a few fish, and even built a pair of swings with Ling Ju, along with a few other fun things.

Whenever he had free time, Jing Pu would teach Ling Ju a little about the Tea Dao, and she was always diligent in her studies.

Of course, most importantly, during that month Jing Pu taught Lie Chun and Ling Jing swordsmanship and saber techniques.

At first, Jing Pu hadn't expected the two of them to keep practicing. He'd thought that after following him for a day, they'd realize these mundane techniques were completely useless and give up.

But to Jing Pu's surprise, the moment they saw the opening moves of the sword and saber techniques, they were already enthralled.

But... honestly, these two were just too stupid!

They'd been at it for a whole month, and they still hadn't figured out the opening moves!

Jing Pu couldn't understand it. Was this really that hard?!

Wasn't it as easy as having hands?!

The key was, the two of them were very earnest about it. They called him "senior" this and "senior" that every day, and were so affectionate that Jing Pu couldn't bring himself to refuse to teach them.

Aside from that one headache, Jing Pu was very satisfied with how the month had gone.

At dawn, Jing Pu was busy in the back courtyard. Starting today, most of the vegetables were ready to be harvested.

He planned to pick some of them that morning, so that by noon he could make himself a long-awaited feast.

He hadn't gone hungry these past few days; whenever he wanted something, he could simply buy it in Qinghe Town. But no matter how skilled the cooks were, food they made just didn't have the same flavor as food he made himself.

At the same time, a massive golden flying vessel swept across the skies above the Blazing Dynasty. Bathed in the dawn light, it gleamed like gold, and six enormous golden wyrms formed an imposing procession before it.

At the bow of the vessel stood a young girl dressed in a black python robe. She gazed at the distant mountains—the direction of the Divine Sword Sect.

The girl had silver hair and red eyes. Her beauty and figure were both peerless, rivaling even Ling Ju's, but there was something almost otherworldly about her.

Her name was Yun Qiyao, the eldest princess of the current Demon Emperor of the Northern Province.

As Yun Qiyao gazed silently into the distance, an aged voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Miss, do you think that immortal can lift the curse?"

Listening to the voice, Yun Qiyao kept her eyes on the distance and raised her delicate brows slightly.

"He can't lift it, but perhaps he can suppress it. I've heard that Ling Ju, a woman with a pride that reaches the heavens, was willing to become that immortal's servant—bringing him tea and water—after knowing him for just one day. That immortal's strength must be beyond imagination."

The old man behind Yun Qiyao replied impassively.

"No matter how strong he is, he's still human. The Human Race and the Demon Race may be allies, but they've had their share of open and covert struggles. They only formed an alliance because of the Devil Race."

"And since that immortal is a supreme expert, he must have experienced the battle at Divine Zhou Mountain between the Human Race and the Demon Race thousands of years ago. He may hate the Demon Race more than most."

Hearing the old man's words, Yun Qiyao's lips curled into a lovely smile.

"It's not as though we'd ask him for help without offering anything in return. We'll show him our sincerity too. How will we know unless we try?"

As she spoke, Yun Qiyao revealed a pair of slightly pointed little canine teeth and smiled slyly.

"Besides, even if it doesn't work out, at least I'll get to see Ling Ju bringing tea and water and serving someone. That alone will make it worthwhile."

The old man behind Yun Qiyao nodded slightly and said nothing more.

As Jing Pu bent over, working in the fields, Ling Ju's sweet voice came from the entrance to the back courtyard.

Jing Pu turned around and saw Ling Ju and the others standing at the entrance, looking at him.

A month ago, Jing Pu had told the three of them that they could come straight in every morning without knocking. Otherwise, he'd have to trot all the way to the front courtyard to let them in. What a hassle.

Seeing that they'd arrived, Jing Pu turned back to inspect the plants in the courtyard.

"Wait a moment."

Lie Chun and Ling Jing nodded. They felt the rich Spiritual Power in the back courtyard and looked thoroughly content.

Ling Ju, meanwhile, trotted off in another direction. The little rabbit she'd rescued a month ago was being kept at Jing Pu's place as a companion for the Dragon Horse. Every day after arriving, Ling Ju would go check on it.

After looking over all the vegetables in the courtyard, Jing Pu tidied up and walked over to Lie Chun and Ling Jing. Seeing them, he asked with a helpless expression.

"Are you two still going to practice those opening moves today?"

Hearing Jing Pu's question, Lie Chun and Ling Jing shook their heads, looking a little embarrassed.

"Senior, the Myriad Sect Grand Ceremony is just over a month away. We've advanced too quickly lately, and our Dao Hearts are a little unsteady. We're going to meditate in seclusion for a while during the coming month and stabilize them."

As mentioned before, cultivation breakthroughs could happen in one of two ways: one could break through while meditating in seclusion, or one could advance directly after grasping an opportunity.

Naturally, the latter was better. But Lie Chun and Ling Jing were special cases. Over the past month, the two of them had advanced far too quickly—far, far too quickly...