In the end, Lu Shui left everything in the hall except the Heaven and Earth Array Patterns.
Third Elder watched Lu Shui leave the hall, then gave a soft sigh.
"He's just too ordinary. Forget making a name for himself throughout the Cultivation World—he can't even manage to look the part."
Third Elder sat in silence for a long while before sighing again.
"Someone come."
Soon, an old man appeared in the hall. He was the one Lu Shui had seen on the Scripture Repository Fourth Floor.
As soon as he appeared, the old man said respectfully in a low voice:
"Third Elder."
"Prepare some things and wait inside Wind Frost River. Starting the day after Lu Shui enters, send one item down the river each day. Just make it look like he got lucky and found them.
"Choose the items so they gradually increase in value," Third Elder said.
Old Man Withered Tree nodded.
"I understand. One from the late Second Tier, one from the Third Tier, one that can grow, and one that's unique. Give him something to look forward to, to encourage him to cultivate."
Third Elder nodded, reasonably satisfied with Old Man Withered Tree's plan.
"Better if he has to suffer a little to get them. It'd be even better if he starts thinking he's the Destined Protagonist. Either way, there are only two possible outcomes: he becomes more arrogant, or he learns to endure.
"Learning to endure would be a good thing. If he becomes arrogant..."
Third Elder let out a sigh.
"He can't get much more arrogant anyway."
Old Man Withered Tree nodded, but raised a question:
"What if young master falls on the first day?"
Third Elder felt as if something had lodged in his throat.
Then he rose and vanished with a single step.
Old Man Withered Tree: "..."
Lu Shui had left the hall to see his parents, of course. His going into Wind Frost River wasn't exactly good news.
They'd be worried sick.
He'd gone in during his previous life, too, and his mother had been frantic.
So, to keep her from worrying, he'd been carried out that very day.
It couldn't be helped. In his previous life, he'd been far too weak in the early stages.
Lu Shui soon arrived at his parents' residence, but when he got there, he found it unusually quiet.
Normally, he could hear his parents chatting from a distance.
Lu Shui glanced toward the edge of the courtyard and spotted the maid.
"Are my parents inside?" Lu Shui asked.
When Qi Xi saw that it was young master, she immediately nodded respectfully.
"Yes, young master."
"Did something happen in there?" Lu Shui continued.
Qi Xi didn't hide it from him.
"It seems clan leader was attacked. I heard Madam say it was 'the father paying for the son's debts.'"
Lu Shui: "..."
He had a pretty good idea what had happened. He decided it was best to get to Wind Frost River as soon as possible.
He needed to lie low for a while.
But as soon as Lu Shui turned around, his father's ominous voice came from behind him.
"Lu Shui, where are you going?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Shui sped away.
"Third Elder told me to go to Wind Frost River. I can't keep Third Elder waiting."
"Dad, there's no need to see me off. I'll be back soon. Just take good care of Mom."
Before long, Lu Shui had disappeared from sight.
He had used nearly all his cultivation.
Watching Lu Shui vanish, Lu Gu's expression remained grim. He still hadn't fully recovered.
"Does our son think you're even scarier than Wind Frost River?" Dongfang Liyin stood to one side, smiling faintly.
Lu Gu looked at Dongfang Liyin.
"Don't you think the real issue is that he's going to Wind Frost River?"
Hearing that, Dongfang Liyin froze, then prepared to chase after him.
But the moment she started running, Lu Gu pulled her back.
"You can't go out right now. I'll go take a look."
Dongfang Liyin's eyes shifted slightly. Wasn't this just forcing their son to go into Wind Frost River?
Lu Shui raced into Wind Frost River as fast as he could, nearly getting caught. At his age, he didn't want to get beaten.
Wind Frost River was inside a cave in the Back Mountain, not far away. That was why Lu Shui had managed to get there before his father.
The cave had no name—or rather, it was named after Wind Frost River. Inside ran a river that never stopped flowing. Its waters were bitterly cold, and that was Wind Frost River.
Not long after entering the cave, Lu Shui felt a bone-chilling cold. He didn't bother resisting it and kept walking.
Soon, he saw the Glowing River. It nearly filled the entire passage, leaving only narrow paths on either side for people to walk along.
Lu Shui walked along the edge. He remembered there was a Fishing Platform up ahead, where people were sent to reflect on their misdeeds.
Soon, Lu Shui spotted the Fishing Platform. What surprised him, though, was that Zhen Wu and Zhen Ling were there too.
The Mu Family.
At Mu Xue's residence, the name Mu Yayue had once hung outside. It had since been taken down, but Mu Xue's name hadn't replaced it.
"Miss, are you really not going to write it?" Ding Liang asked Mu Xue.
The name plaque outside the courtyard had to be written by the courtyard's owner.
The plaque that had once belonged to Mu Xue had been written by her when she was little.
But Mu Xue had destroyed it herself. If she didn't write a new one, there was no way to hang her name outside.
Everyone was anxious, but no one dared to pressure Mu Xue.
Mu Xue looked at the brush and ink before her.
"Let them write it themselves."
She didn't care—or perhaps she cared too much. Either way, she didn't want to write it herself right now.
Since Miss had said so, Ding Liang had no choice.
As for having someone else write it?
No one dared.
At least she'd tried her best to persuade her. Fortunately, Miss hadn't had her engagement broken off; otherwise, she'd be so miserable.
"By the way, why hasn't Yalin come by today? Go ask her," Mu Xue said softly.
"All right. I'll go ask her now." Ding Liang then left.
Only then did Mu Xue look at the book on the table.
"The Nine Revolutions Undying True Scripture? Did Lu Shui pick it up somewhere?"
She remembered that the Lu Family didn't have this technique, unless it had gone missing before she married into the family.
On second thought, that was possible.
After all, the technique was with Lu Shui.
She then stopped paying attention to the Undying True Scripture. It was of no use to her.
"Three years left. Although the engagement was unexpectedly broken off, Lu Shui may still be seriously injured by that demonic cultivator.
"I need to find that demonic cultivator before he gets hurt, then take his place."
"He still needs to be taught a lesson, just not too harshly."
"I don't know when Mom's injury will flare up. I hope it hasn't happened yet."
Mu Xue sighed.
"But I'm stuck in the Mu Family, so it's hard to go out and gather information. It seems it's time to find a cultivation sect and bring it under my control, so they can gather intelligence for me.
"But which sect would be suitable? The strongest at gathering intelligence is the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, but once the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Pavilion Master realizes I'm planning to harm him, he'll probably hide himself.
"It would take too long to find him."
After thinking it over, Mu Xue found a new target.
"The Hidden Heaven Sect has a strong organization too. It's worth considering. But the Hidden Heaven Sect seems to be close to the Lu Family. I don't know if this would affect them.
"Mm, it shouldn't be much of a problem if I keep it under control. But I'll have to put it off until after Heavenly Pool River opens.
"If the Lu Family plans to find another bride, they'll have to come break off the engagement first. When they do, I'll make them abandon the idea."
She already knew about the Lu Family's matchmaking at Heavenly Pool River.
But because she'd lost all her cultivation, she couldn't attend this time, while Lu Shui, who hadn't been meant to go, would be attending instead.
Mu Xue could only hope that the future wouldn't stray too far from its course. If it did, it would have to wait until after she married into the Lu Family.
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