The main thing is, giving out these favors doesn’t hurt a bit—it only takes a little effort.
"By the way, I saw Zhu Bei a few days ago, and he looked pretty pumped. Do you know what’s going on?"
Lu Chang’sheng suddenly asked.
Niu Xi’s expression soured. Now that Zhu Bei was in favor, Zhu Er was already thinking of making him move out of the housing block for a while.
"Not sure which nerve Zhu Bei hit this ti—he didn’t put all his hope into his own assessnt, but instead used his current status to make friends with a bunch of fellow cultivators. Supposedly, he found himself a promising talent."
"The clan is pretty pleased with what he’s been doing—looks like they’re planning to lend him the housing for now."
"So that’s how it is."
Lu Chang’sheng didn’t really give it much thought.
He’d already decided to cut ties with the Zhu family for good. No matter what happens next, it’s none of his business.
"Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Niu, do you happen to know the specifics of the White Cloud Cave Mansion’s examination?" Lu Chang’sheng asked.
He’d asked a few familiar cultivators about it earlier that morning, but compared to Niu Xi—who’d actually participated in the cave mansion’s assessnt—he obviously was missing so info.
"The requirents for the White Cloud Cave Mansion are pretty high." Niu Xi hadn’t thought much of it, just assud Lu Chang’sheng wanted to know more, maybe to go next ti or a ti after.
White Cloud Cave Mansion cares about skill, so age isn’t really much of a limiting factor. As long as your skill ets the standard, they’ll take you in.
After a while, the two finished up their long chat.
Niu Xi said, "If you want to see the world, co with when the new year starts."
Lu Chang’sheng naturally agreed.
He just wanted to get a general sense of the examination process—having soone familiar lead you would save a lot of hassle.
After splitting from Niu Xi, Lu Chang’sheng and the other two headed to the market to buy so cold-weather gear. Luckily, they were early—by afternoon, prices for these items started skyrocketing, making the three of them feel pretty lucky.
When they got back to Little Cold Valley’s market, they felt even luckier.
Turns out, plenty of cultivators in Little Cold Valley hadn’t managed to buy warm clothing. But given that many of them had lived here for years, having so stashed away wasn’t strange.
It was just rough for the handful of newcors.
On the street he lived on, there were more than a dozen loose cultivators from other regions. They’d been a bit slow to react and hadn’t managed to buy warm clothes, settling for so thinner garnts.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, did you manage to get any warm clothes?"
Just as Lu Chang’sheng returned, he saw a female cultivator standing at his door, asking.
"I got so, but not much—just enough for my family," Lu Chang’sheng didn’t hide it, since they’d have to wear the clothes out in public anyway.
"Any chance you could spare a bit?" The female cultivator’s eyes lit up, her expression instantly turning a little coquettish.
"Sorry." Lu Chang’sheng was the first to step into the courtyard, with Chang’an and Ziyou following behind, heads down.
No matter what, this woman was a real cultivator, and the two of them would have to go out later—it wouldn’t do to make a scene in front of people.
"What an unromantic man," the female cultivator tried to toss her hair, but when Lu Chang’sheng walked inside, her face went stiff.
Of course, she didn’t dare take it too far.
Lu Chang’sheng might only be at the first Qi Cultivation level, but if he fought her to the death, who knows who’d win.
Just then, a bright, cheerful voice rang out.
Lu Chang’sheng turned to see a burly man walk out of a courtyard diagonally across. Massive, with thick eyebrows and big eyes—"rough" didn’t even begin to describe him.
"Cold Spirit Wind’s just on the chilly side. If your body’s good, you can tough it out. Fellow Daoist Lu’s got so warm clothes—maybe he could spare Fellow Daoist Gu one piece!"
Yikes.
As he finished speaking, Lu Chang’sheng’s courtyard gate swung closed.
The man’s face turned hot, like he’d been slapped hard, but with a pretty girl nearby, he recovered fast.
"That guy really doesn’t have any sense of decency."
"Fellow Daoist, do you have any extra warm clothes?" the female cultivator with the surna Gu asked, pitifully.
The man swallowed, so hesitation flashing in his eyes.
"I don’t have any extra, either."
The female cultivator cursed him inwardly but kept her composure. She saw the hesitation in his eyes and knew she’d pretty much succeeded.
Sure enough, over the next few days, Lu Chang’sheng saw that female cultivator co and go from the man’s house more than once. The man, who’d had bronze skin, now looked practically flushed from head to toe.
Lu Chang’sheng didn’t care, but he did warn Ziyou and Chang’an to stay away from the Gu-surnad female cultivator—avoid her whenever possible.
"Won like that are trouble. Best not to get mixed up with her."
Lu Chang’sheng remarked.
Chang’an was fine, but it was mostly his younger son, Ziyou, who was the concern—after years of training at ho, he was still a bit childish.
So, Lu Chang’sheng made a ntal note: once the Nangua business was settled, he’d pay more attention to Ziyou.
Ti flew by; year-end ca, and winter was in full force. Cold winds bit into the air. Even with Lu Chang’sheng’s strong physique, he felt the chill sink in, as if it could reach his organs.
"This cold really is sothing else."
He circulated his Magical Power, condensing an orange-red fla in his palm—the Palm Fire Technique, used for alchemy.
To refine pills, you can’t use mundane fire—it has to be Spirit Fire.
The Palm Fire Technique is a kind of Spirit Fire.
The stronger the Spirit Fire, the higher quality pills you can refine. Rumor has it great Nascent Soul cultivators once mastered Samadhi True Fla, allowing them to craft top-level pills coveted by Spirit Realm cultivators.
Sadly, it attracted Evil Cultivators; Samadhi True Fla thods have been lost for years.
With Lu Chang’sheng’s not-yet-mastered Palm Fire Technique, alchemy was out of the question. But there’s a substitute—talisman paper.
"Palm Fire Talisman" is pretty common on the market; talisman paper’s cheap, so you can use it instead of Palm Fire Technique.
This is why alchemy is such a costly venture—materials and talisman paper are both ongoing expenses.
Whereas with talisman paper, you buy the tools up front and only need relatively cheap materials—so you can just focus on making talisman paper.
The fla burned for a while, and still he barely felt any heat.
Plus, that wind seed able to suppress any heat-generating magic.
In other words, even if you wrapped soone up in Fire Magic, they wouldn’t feel hot—only the pain from being burned.
"Really strange wind."
Lu Chang’sheng went back inside and pulled out a thick pile of clothes to give to Ziyou.
As for Chang’an, he pretty much lived at the shop in Platinum Immortal City and only ca ho twice a month to drop off alchemy materials.
As he was thinking about it, Chang’an knocked and ca in.
"Father, I’m back."
"Good—the clothes are on your bed, go grab them and put them on."
The colder the wind, the more it affects stronger cultivators. Ordinary folks who haven’t cultivated just feel a little colder than usual—it’s nothing like what cultivators go through.
Chang’an was no different.
He was the weakest of the three—currently at the peak True Qi Realm. It was making Lu Chang’sheng a little worried.
"You have your duties, but don’t forget to cultivate."
"I know."
Chang’an replied.
Lu Chang’sheng just shook his head—his eldest clearly didn’t care about it, or maybe had his own plans.
Kids grow up; they think for themselves.
Lu Chang’sheng suddenly felt he should stop interfering with his kids’ decisions so much.
He was about to close the courtyard gate when he heard so hushed conversation outside.
A few cultivators walked by; judging by their faces, they were neighbors. As they saw Lu Chang’sheng by the open door, they greeted him.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, you’re here for the excitent too?"
"Excitent?" Lu Chang’sheng was puzzled.
Just then, he noticed there was arguing coming from the diagonal courtyard.
"What’s going on over there?"
"Hehehe, that Gu-surnad lady, nobody’s seen her since last night. We’re guessing she took off," one of them said with a chuckle.
Worried those inside would overhear, he casually tossed out a Sound Insulation Spell.
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