Chapter 322: Each of them has a trick to advance
The Cabin.
It turned out that Luo Shiyin was already waiting at the cabin.
When she heard that everyone was seriously injured, she became restless.
Seeing that everyone had finally returned, she rushed over, grabbed Long Aotian's hand, and tears of worry started falling:
"Young Master! Young Master, how are you, Young Master?"
Long Aotian smiled reassuringly:
"I'm fine."
"That's good."
Then she quickly threw herself into Lu Chengwen's arms:
"How about you? Are you okay? Do you know how worried I was about you... all of you? Do you know how much my heart ached for you... all of you? Do you know just how..."
Long Aotian felt a sense of emptiness:
"Hey, hey, hey, you… when did you and Lu Chengwen get so close?"
Hun Tiangang said:
"Luo girl, take good care of them."
"Yes, Master."
Long Aotian said contentedly:
"Hehe, little girl, now you're calling him Master along with me."
Luo Shiyin said:
"Xue Ning, how are you?"
Hua Xue Ning smiled and said:
"I'm fine now. Sister Meishao is more seriously injured. Her constitution... you know how it is. Even small injuries can become serious. But it's okay; we each took half a Great Heaven Pill. It should be fine."
"Oh, that's good."
Luo Shiyin picked up a bowl of soup and brought it to Long Aotian:
"Young Master, this is a mushroom soup that I specially made for you. Please drink it while it's hot."
Long Aotian held the soup and said gratefully:
"Shiyin, thanks to you."
"No need to thank me, Young Master. This mixed mushroom soup can dispel dampness, detoxify, and strengthen the body. Please drink it quickly."
"Hmm." Long Aotian glanced triumphantly at Lu Chengwen and drank the soup with satisfaction.
Luo Shiyin then brought out another bowl of soup:
"Mr. Lu, this is a soup made with ganoderma, deer antler, ginseng, and fairy grass. Please drink it quickly."
"Wow, so extravagant?"
"This is a remote and poor place; there's not much available."
Lu Chengwen held the soup and began drinking, while Long Aotian suddenly lost his appetite.
"Shiyin..."
"Young Master."
"Why does his soup have ginseng, deer antler, ganoderma, and fairy grass, but mine is just wild mushrooms?"
"Because I wanted to nourish the Young Master."
"You nourish..."
Hun Tiangang interrupted:
"Alright, alright, both of you come over here! Uh… Luo girl, put those barrels of wine in the cellar; handle the roast chicken as well. Then go take care of the two girls."
Qixing Peak.
Hun Tiangang stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing at the setting sun over the mountains, appearing solemn and deep in thought.
Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian stood behind him, not daring to speak.
"Pan Meifeng is my junior sister."
He spoke calmly:
"My master, known as the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, was a peerless expert who inherited ancient martial powers. My junior sister Meifeng was his only daughter."
"There were three disciples in our sect. I was the senior disciple; the second disciple was known as Disha (Earth Fiend); the junior sister was called Meifeng. I learned the power of the Divine Ape; the second disciple learned the power of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger; the junior sister inherited our master's powers of the Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird."
"The three of us grew up training together, later roamed the martial world together, and shared deep bonds."
"My junior sister and I were in love, but later I found out that my junior brother, Disha, also liked my junior sister."
Lu Chengwen thought to himself:
What a cliché plot.
Hun Tiangang sighed:
"Before our master passed away, he spoke of a great change in the world and instructed me to seek a way to save it. I don't know what exactly has happened to the world, but I firmly believe that our master was never wrong about major matters."
"The second disciple believed that our master was delusional. But I am convinced that, in great matters, our master was never mistaken!"
Long Aotian thought:
Then why are you always so muddled?
Hun Tiangang said:
"Thus, I bid farewell to my junior sister and embarked on a journey through the martial world, searching for a way to save the world. Along the way, I passed through the Manli Hair Salon, the Haixia Dance Hall, the Neon Sisters Hotel, and the Alice Massage Club… sigh, it was truly a treacherous and perilous journey!"
Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian exchanged glances:
Were you saving the world, or exploring it?
Are you trying to create your own world?
"My junior sister found me, saying she wanted to be with me forever. Then my junior brother found me, demanding a duel to decide who would inherit our master's sect and who would marry my junior sister."
"I defeated my junior brother, but I lost my love."
Long Aotian leaned closer to Lu Chengwen:
"Can you understand what he's saying?"
Lu Chengwen shook his head.
Long Aotian said:
"Master, since you won, how could you have lost your love?"
Hun Tiangang completely ignored the question:
"From then on, the three of us went our separate ways, scattered across the world… la la la, la la la, la la la la… sigh, I am old now."
Hun Tiangang turned around:
"Therefore! Remember this! The task of saving the world and bringing fortune to all living beings has now been entrusted to the two of you!"
Long Aotian looked at Hun Tiangang:
"That's way too casual, isn't it?"
Hun Tiangang said passionately:
"You must never repeat my mistakes! Fellow disciples must never fall out with each other over a woman! Do you understand?"
Lu Chengwen nodded:
"Understood. That won't happen. Senior Brother isn't that kind of person."
"Yes." Long Aotian said:
"I'm never petty, and neither is Junior Brother."
Hun Tiangang said:
"Today, I want you both to swear a solemn oath! If anyone ever turns against the other because of a woman, as long as I am alive, I will show no mercy! I will cripple him and bury him with my barrels of wine in the cellar for ten thousand years!"
Lu Chengwen said, "We've already made an oath before."
"Then make it again!"
Long Aotian laughed heartily, "This is simple. Master, don't worry. We brothers will never fight over a woman!"
"Good! Then you go first and swear!"
Long Aotian was stunned but raised his hand. "I swear, I will never compete with Junior Brother Chengwen over a woman. If I do... I'm not a man."
Lu Chengwen added, "Senior Brother, watch me! I, Lu Chengwen, hereby swear to the heavens: If Senior Brother pursues my girlfriend and my girlfriend willingly goes with him, I will not stop them! If I feel unhappy, jealous, pick a fight, or take revenge... may lightning strike me, and may I die without a complete corpse!"
Long Aotian was taken aback. "That harsh?"
"You already said yours; hurry up."
"Oh. I, Long Aotian, swear: If Junior Brother pursues the women around me and they willingly follow him, I will not stop them either! If I feel unhappy, jealous, pick a fight, or take revenge... may lightning strike me, and may I die without a complete corpse!"
Lu Chengwen continued, "If Senior Brother pursues Xu Xuejiao and succeeds, she'll be his. I won't interfere!"
Long Aotian wasn't one to back down: "If Junior Brother pursues Zhuge Xiaohua and succeeds, she'll be his. I won't stop him!"
"If Senior Brother goes after Leng Qingqiu and gets her, I'll have no hard feelings!"
"If Junior Brother pursues Qi Meishao and wins her heart, I'll have no complaints!"
"If Senior Brother courts Chen Mengyun and wins, I'll give them my blessings. If I even so much as obstruct or interfere, I'll be a bastard!"
"If Junior Brother courts Luo Shiyin and wins, I'll give them my blessings too. If I even so much as obstruct or interfere, I'll be a turtle!"
"Senior Brother!"
"Junior Brother!"
"Senior Brother, you're magnanimous!"
"Junior Brother, you're bold!"
"We're brothers for life!"
"We're buddies forever!"
Huntian Gang was moved. "Good! Now that we've resolved the issue of women, next, I'll solve your promotion issue!"
"I've observed you both, and your situations are... peculiar."
Huntian Gang said, "Aotian, I'll help you break through first!"
Lu Chengwen stood up and said, "Master, this time, please help Senior Brother advance! I willingly step aside!"
Long Aotian was surprised.
Lu Chengwen!?
Could he really be this considerate!?
Damn, he really means what he says! What he promised before, he's actually doing today!
Long Aotian, overwhelmed with emotion, grabbed Lu Chengwen's hand, not knowing what to say. "Junior Brother... nothing more needs to be said! I thought this promotion would require eating... But not anymore!"
Long Aotian wiped away tears. "To break through without having to eat crap—I thank you!"
"Senior Brother, you're too kind! I wish you a meteoric rise! May you surpass that bucktooth soon!"
"Junior Brother, don't worry! I won't need three years. With Master's help and my own talent, within a year or so, I'll storm the Bai Family and use their leader's head as a chamber pot!"
"Great! I won't hold you up. Senior Brother, go for it!"
Long Aotian watched Lu Chengwen's departing figure.
"Junior Brother, you really leave me puzzled sometimes."
"I say you're loyal, but sometimes you're so cunning that I want to smack you."
"But when I say you're deceitful... you can also be so... honorable!"
Huntian Gang watched Lu Chengwen's retreating figure. "Why is he so happy?"
Long Aotian knelt on the ground and turned to Huntian Gang. "Master, I didn't expect you'd help me break through first this time. Your disciple is forever grateful!"
"Ah, I've always favored you. You know that."
"Huh?"
"Don't tell Chengwen about this. Haven't you noticed? I always help you break through first."
"True..."
Huntian Gang glanced again at Lu Chengwen's back. "But... I have a feeling... Chengwen might have already figured out his own way to advance. Strange."
Lu Chengwen jogged back to the cabin. "Shiyin! Shiyin!"
Luo Shiyin stepped out, her face flushing as soon as she saw him. "Chengwen... Brother, what's wrong?"
"Come, come, let's level up together!"
"Ah, you're so annoying! Here... in the mountains..."
"Isn't the mountain our home turf? Didn't we used to do it in the mountains all the time?"
"Ah, you're so annoying. Don't talk about it! I... I'm not leveling up with you!"
"Haven't you felt stronger lately?"
Luo Shiyin blushed, nodding. "Actually, I'm close to mid-level in the Upper Four Gates, just a step away. But for some reason, I can't get through."
Lu Chengwen said, "Follow me, and I promise you'll reach the peak!"
Luo Shiyin fidgeted. "Well... if it's for leveling up, then... I can bear a little hardship..."
"Yes, yes, for leveling up."
"I'm not doing this for pleasure, you know. I'm not that kind of woman."
"I understand."
"I'm only doing this to help you level up."
"Got it."
"Honestly, I'm not that interested in this kind of thing."
"I believe you."
"If it weren't for helping you level up, I absolutely wouldn't agree..."
Lu Chengwen lost his patience. "Why so much nonsense? Hurry up! What's with the blanket?"
Luo Shiyin blushed even harder. "To spread on the ground... so it's more comfortable..."
Lu Chengwen gave her a thumbs-up. "Professional!"