The Reason for His Rejection

When Xu Qinghou spotted the half-zhang-long Fuluo Eel, surprise flashed across his face, and he could not help asking:

"Eldest Miss Su really gave it to you?"

The other retainers' eyes practically turned green. A Fuluo Eel of this size weighed over a hundred catties at the very least!

Under the Su Household's exchange rates, it could be traded for more than ten catties of spirit rice, the equivalent of six months' guaranteed income!

Zhou Ning put on a solemn expression. "How could Eldest Miss Su dirty her Storage Bag with such a filthy thing? I was merely taking a burden off her hands."

Hearing that, the other retainers felt sour. Why hadn't such good fortune fallen into their laps?

After offering a round of praise against their consciences, everyone gradually dispersed. As expected, this would stir up some discussion among the retainers.

"Lucky you!" Xu Qinghou said, with a barely perceptible hint of sourness.

Zhou Ning was amused. He clearly remembered their first meeting in Yongyang Commandery: Xu Qinghou had thought highly of himself and had not considered the other prospective cultivators his equals.

Only after spending many days together on the road had their relationship eased considerably, but that scholar's aloof pride had never left him.

He gave it no further thought and turned his attention to the Fuluo Eel.

After the creature's death, the scales covering its body, once as hard as iron, had begun to dissolve.

When it was alive, an ordinary iron rod would have struggled to break through its defenses. Zhou Ning had only been able to kill it by relying on a fishing spear reinforced with spiritual power.

The Fuluo Eel before him had been separated from its head. Scarlet blood seeped from the charred cut, thick as mercury, falling in droplets that held together.

He still remembered the first time he had hunted a Fuluo Eel. The sight of its strange blood had left him clicking his tongue in wonder. Since the creature fed on spirit fish, it stood to reason that it should itself be a spiritual material.

He had made a point of asking about the Fuluo Eel's value. If it had been worth a great deal, he might have sold it privately rather than going through the Su Household.

Only later did he learn that Fuluo Eel meat was bitter and its blood stank. It was unpopular in the cultivation world and truly had nothing to recommend it.

It was only because the Su Household wanted to eradicate this pest that it had established a special rule allowing the eels to be exchanged for spirit rice.

"Chai Dingchun used Qi and Blood Pills, Body Tempering Paste, Jade Gold Powder..." Smelling the Fuluo Eel's overpowering, nose-stinging stench of blood, he wondered, Could this blood help me open my meridians?

Zhou Ning restrained the impulse. He was still on the job; it would not be too late to try once he returned to his courtyard that evening.

Xu Qinghou rowed his little boat absentmindedly. He had been closest to Zhou Ning earlier and had heard the entire conversation between the two.

He thought to himself, It must have been Zhou Ning's flattering words that struck a chord with the eldest miss, so she rewarded him!

When it comes to pretty words, who can compare with me? Xu Qinghou could not help feeling proud. He had passed the imperial examination to become a scholar at fifteen; in terms of talent, he ranked among the best in all of Cuiwei Lake!

Three years ago, when Xu Qinghou left the gates of the Azure Mystic Sect, he had sworn: Don't bully a poor youth!

Three years later, he had tasted the hardships of cultivation and decided to set aside his pride for the time being and make some compromises for the sake of living. He had not given up; he had merely changed it to "Don't bully a poor young man."

Before he had rowed far, another streak of spiritual light drifted through the sky. Compared with Su Yunjin's vermilion flying boat, however, it was more than a grade inferior: it was merely a green lotus-leaf Law Artifact.

A young woman of average build stood atop it. She had freckles, thin lips, and ordinary looks.

Her name was Su Wen, a member of a collateral branch of the Su Household. She was usually responsible for keeping an eye on the retainers and preventing anyone from poaching spirit fish.

Acting out of character, Xu Qinghou took the initiative to greet her. "So it is Steward Su gracing us with her presence!"

Su Wen ignored him.

Zhou Ning was nearby as well. Knowing the woman had a strange temperament, he simply kept his mouth shut.

He concentrated on using the Spirit Eye Technique, trying to see whether he could kill another Fuluo Eel.

Su Wen circled lazily overhead, absorbed in admiring her face in a mirror and dabbing on powder from time to time.

On her way here, she had happened to run into Su Yunjin, who had lectured her, telling her not to concern herself with her looks but to improve her cultivation and contribute to the Lineage.

The thought made Su Wen furious!

She was twenty-six this year and still stuck at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Yet that brat Su Yunjin was only in her early twenties and had already reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, cultivating at a speed comparable to someone with an Earth Spirit Root!

All of this stemmed from a slip of her great-grandfather's tongue decades ago, which had caused their branch to be relegated to collateral status.

Otherwise, she, Su Wen, would surely have been able to devote herself entirely to cultivation and enjoy the Lineage's finest resources.

The Crimson Scale Boat, the Spirit Condensation Pills, the Red Candle Ring... they should all have been hers!

At the thought, Su Wen gritted her teeth. "Su Yunjin, you stole my life!"

Though her cultivation, talent, and status were all inferior, Su Wen felt that her looks alone were not far behind Su Yunjin's, and that she could change her fate through a marriage alliance in the future.

At that thought, she could not help reaching up to caress her face, while glancing at the Su Household's retainers below.

"Hmph, a bunch of stinking beggar Rogue Cultivators!"

Still, even useless people had a reason to exist. Out of the blue, she asked, "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Her slightly shrill voice drifted into Zhou Ning's ears.

He raised his head and looked at Su Wen's face, which could not have been more ordinary. The corner of his eye could not help twitching.

She was his female superior, after all, so Zhou Ning said against his conscience, "Naturally, you are beautiful."

The other retainers in the nearby waters also offered a few flattering words. After all, there was nothing wrong with saying something nice.

No one was blind enough to jump out and make cutting remarks.

Here's my chance! This was exactly what Xu Qinghou had been waiting for.

If he did not suck up now, when would he?

Xu Qinghou cleared his throat and called up in admiration, "Miss Su's beauty is like a lotus emerging from clear water. In my view, the powder on your face is as needless as adding feet to a snake in a painting. With a face like a flower and the moon, a beauty capable of captivating all living beings, why would you need such mundane things to adorn yourself?"

After saying his piece, he drew a deep breath and suppressed his uneasy conscience.

Zhou Ning listened in a daze. He turned to stare at him in disbelief. "Kid, are you really that hungry?"

The surrounding retainers cursed inwardly. Damn it, you really know how to kiss ass!

Xu Qinghou acted as though no one else were present. Su Wen was in charge of all the retainers; if she let even a little grease slip through her fingers, it would be enough for the retainers to fill their pots and bowls to overflowing.

At the same time, having taken this step, he felt wonderfully refreshed. The whole world had changed; the sky was vast, and the birds were free to fly!

Su Wen found his words far too blatant. Never in her life had anyone praised her beauty so extravagantly, and for a moment, she felt something she could not name.

Because it seemed she really was... very beautiful.

Her confidence swelling, Su Wen looked down at Xu Qinghou in his blue robe and thought:

This man is quite handsome... what a pity his cultivation is too low and his aptitude too poor. He could never be worthy of me.

Su Wen snorted. "Smooth talker! Don't think that just because you praised me, you, a toad, can dream of eating swan meat!"

With that, Su Wen took her mirror and floated away haughtily.

"Ahem!" Zhou Ning could not hold it in and burst out laughing.

The other retainers clutched their bellies and roared with laughter, their faces full of mockery. "Haha, Scholar Xu, you won't be eating that soft rice!"

Xu Qinghou's face burned with embarrassment. He wished he could throw himself into the lake and feed himself to the Fuluo Eels on the spot.

Along with his embarrassment came a deep sense of defeat.

Alas, back when he had set out in search of immortality, even the beautiful granddaughter of a prince had not caught his eye. Now, three years later, he had actually...

I am no match for Zhou Ning...

He was unwilling to admit it.

Zhou Ning slacked off a while longer. As the sky darkened, the Spirit Eye Technique gradually wore off, making it difficult to see the silhouettes of fish in the water.

He announced that he was done for the day and rowed his little boat ashore.

Xu Qinghou trailed behind him and watched Zhou Ning carry the big fish into his courtyard, looking full of high spirits.

He hesitated for a moment, then called out, "Zhou Ning."

Zhou Ning stopped in the middle of kicking the door open and asked, "What is it?"

Xu Qinghou looked around, made sure no one was there, and finally stated his purpose. "Why were your words able to make Eldest Miss Su happy, while mine had the opposite effect?"

There was no shame in humbly seeking advice, though in his past studies, those he had consulted had mostly been renowned scholars and teachers.

Hearing this, Zhou Ning prepared to impart the essence of the "Dao of sucking up." "Of course it's because you used the wrong..."

Midway through, he suddenly realized it would damage his image.

So he said with righteous indignation, "Am I the sort to fawn and flatter? Scholar Xu, do not discuss such things with me again!"

Xu Qinghou was stunned. Could this man be any more of a pretender?

Zhou Ning did not continue talking nonsense with him. He was eager to get back and study the Meridian Opening Instruction!

Then he heard Xu Qinghou say, "The letter Eldest Miss Su gave you today came from the Azure Mystic Sect, didn't it?"

Without waiting for Zhou Ning's reply, Xu Qinghou said gravely, "You have a middle-grade spirit root, yet you were rejected by the Azure Mystic Sect. Do you know why?"

The smile vanished from Zhou Ning's face as he looked at Xu Qinghou.

Although Xu Qinghou's behavior today had been utterly disgraceful, Zhou Ning would not look down on him for it.

Xu Qinghou had become a scholar at fifteen and taken the provincial examination the following year, missing the rank of provincial graduate by only two places.

A talent like that was by no means a fool.

Zhou Ning said, "Come inside. Let's talk."