Who Let Him Cultivate?!

It was obvious that the Third Elder had a high opinion of Daoist Buyu, probably because the Third Elder admired whatever he himself lacked.

After saying goodbye to the Third Elder, Lu Yang made his way to Junzi Peak.

Junzi Peak was the territory of the Fourth Elder, a place of serene beauty that enjoyed perennial summer-like weather. Pavilion and streams could be seen everywhere, with verdant, upright bamboo all around. It was clearly an ideal locale for literati to linger and compose poetry. Lu Yang wouldn’t even be surprised if the bamboo suddenly recited scholarly wisdom.

Having seen all kinds of peculiar things in the Seek Dao Sect, Lu Yang’s psychological fortitude had grown to an impressive degree.

Lu Yang saw black and white pandas frolicking about in the mountain. There were Senior Brothers drinking and having fun, calligraphy brush in hand, splashing ink into paintings. No sooner had they finished painting than they immersed themselves into their creations, joined by the painted characters and reveling inside the painting with absolute delight.

A panda even nudged Lu Yang, almost causing him to topple over. It wanted to play with Lu Yang, who was swamped with things to do. He had a tough time wiggling out of the panda’s playfulness which only let him go after he promised it treats. Before Lu Yang departed, the panda gifted him a half-eaten bamboo stalk.

“Hello, Senior Brother. Do you know where the Fourth Elder is?” Lu Yang asked, holding the half-eaten bamboo stalk and standing in front of the painting. The Brother who painted had an exceptionally high level of expertise, capable of creating realistic-looking ink characters, which was utterly terrifying.

Upon hearing Lu Yang’s call, the Paintbrush-wielding Senior Brother extended half of his body from the painting, “Who are you?”

“My name is Lu Yang.”

Once he heard Lu Yang’s name, the painting Senior Brother exclaimed. “Oh, I know you. You’re the new guy, Lu Yang, Yun Zhi’s disciple.”

“…actually, Eldest Senior Sister stood in on behalf of my master to recruit me. I am Daoist Buyu’s disciple.” Lu Yang corrected his Senior Brother’s mistake.

“My name is Ji Hongwen. I started in the Seek Dao Sect in the same period as Eldest Senior Sister, and I am the top disciple of the Fourth Elder.” This Senior Brother didn’t put on airs and didn’t look down on Lu Yang because of his low cultivation level.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Ji.” Lu Yang was surprised as he didn’t expect Ji Hongwen was also of the same cohort as the Eldest Senior Sister.

He only knew that Dai Bufan belonged to the same group as the Eldest Senior Sister, he was the oldest among all the disciples, his cultivation level wasn’t far from that of the Elders, and he handled matters in a way that reassured the Grand Elder. He had high prestige among disciples, and now Lu Yang was unexpectedly meeting another one.

Following this logic, it wouldn’t be surprising if Senior Brother Ji’s cultivation level was also quite high.

People who would be considered bigwigs in the outside world were commonplace in the Seek Dao Sect.

“Do you want to meet the Grandmaster? Follow me. He’s probably teaching his students.” Ji Hongwen floated out from the painting entirely, made a hooking gesture with his finger and another person materialized from the painting.

Only then did Lu Yang notice that the painting didn’t just contain Ji Hongwen, but also an incredibly beautiful woman.

The woman looked as if she had walked straight out from a picturesque southern shire, her cheecks ruling a faint blush. She possessed an innate grace, her smile blooming like a flower, her eyes brimming with emotion. Her appearance was stunningly exquisite, and she was donned in daringly revealing clothes – even pure-hearted young men like Lu Yang couldn’t help feeling their faces burn.

“Haha, do you find her attractive? I painted her myself. Would you like one as well? She can even keep you company at night.” Ji Hongwen joked which Lu Yang quickly refused with shaking his head.

He needed to preserve his vital energies.

The incredibly beautiful woman lovingly gazed at Ji Hongwen, her arm entwined with his.

What Lu Yang did not know was that more people aimed at learning this trick from Ji Hongwen than those who aspired to learn the Third Elder’s “Shocking Heaven Six Forms”.

Under Ji Hongwen’s lead, Lu Yang arrived at a private school hidden in the depths of the bamboo forest. Inside the private school, the Fourth Elder, serving as a teacher, a hopeless Man Gu, and several other students were attentively emersed in their lessons.

The Fourth Elder was explaining the meaning of ancient texts. “…Looking southwest across the pool, the Draco constellation’s twisted snake-like pattern is clearly visible, turning on and off. The bank alternates like dog teeth, its source is unknown… Now, Man Gu, you translate the meaning of ‘The bank alternates like dog teeth, its source is unknown’.”

Man Gu, head bowed, thought hard, and then replied with certainty, “Two dogs are fighting by the bank, and no one knows why.”

The Fourth Elder silently closed the ancient book, rolled his sleeves up and took out a ruler.

As he was about to hit the back of Man Gu’s hand with it, he remembered the sage’s teachings – to educate without discrimination and teach according to each student’s ability.

He saw Man Gu’s diligent efforts in learning which made him realize that Man Gu was a good kid, this translation error should be an anomaly. If I ask him a simpler question that he can answer correctly, I wouldn’t have to hit him and it would save face.

“What does the saying ‘Kings, generals, and ministers, is there anyone among you with pedigree?’ mean?”

According to historical records, around ten thousand years ago when the Great Yu dynasty was fragmenting, the nobles of the Great Yu dynasty stepped forward, waving their banner high, intent on reunifying the fragmented territories and restoring the rule of the Great Yu dynasty.

People believed strongly in the concept of bloodline, considering the bloodline of the Great Yu dynasty as inherently noble. This ideology of the nobles captured the hearts of many.

However, the ancestors of Emperor Xia, who had suffered greatly under the nobles, knew of their deep-rooted corruption. They lived decadent lives, oblivious to the hardships of the common people and the difficulties of cultivation. They were wrongfully lavished with heaven-sent treasures from a young age, causing their cultivation levels to increase drastically. Even if such people were to establish a new Great Yu dynasty, it would soon decay.

The wise ancestors of Emperor Xia stood up and yelled, “Kings, generals, and ministers, is there anyone among you with pedigree?”, which went down in history as a famous quote and passed down through generations.

Even Man Gu, who hails from the Barbarian tribe, was familiar with this quote, deeply admiring the courage of the ancestors of Emperor Xia.

“This quote means, ‘Emperors, generals, ministers, do any of you have the guts?”‘

Roaring laughter filled the room.

No longer hesitant, the Fourth Elder picked up the ruler and began hitting Man Gu’s hands, making him grimace in pain.

Man Gu was utterly perplexed. Hadn’t the ancestors of Emperor Xia defied the nobles and ministers to their faces? Didn’t that require a great deal of courage?

So, the quote didn’t mean this?

Lu Yang, who was standing at the doorway and eavesdropping, silently paid his respects to Man Gu for three seconds.

Seeing this scene, Ji Hongwen couldn’t help chuckling, “I have no idea what goes on in the head of our Junior Brother Man Gu. He is a member of the Ancient Barbarian Tribe but instead of learning the excellent techniques of the Third Elder, he chose to become a disciple of the Fourth Elder. This whole year, he’s been punished many times.”

“But I found that after he returned from this assignment, he seems to have become sharper. Do you know why?”

Lu Yang shook his head. He had no idea.

“By the way, did I imagine it, or is there some kind of pattern to the way the Fourth Elder hits hands? To distract from Ji Hongwen’s suspicious gaze, Lu Yang hurriedly changed the topic.

Ji Hongwen looked at Lu Yang with slight surprise, “You’re not wrong. Actually, this is a method to stimulate the bloodline, but it’s quite painful and few can endure it. The Grandmaster is using this method to activate Junior Brother Man Gu’s Ancient Barbarian Tribe bloodline. But remember, don’t tell Man Gu anything about this.”

Lu Yang nodded.

“Once the Grandmaster finishes teaching, you can talk to him.”

With that, Ji Hongwen, hand in hand with the astonishingly beautiful woman, departed.

Class time always seemed to drag on endlessly. After the Fourth Elder lectured for about fifteen minutes, it felt like several hours had passed to Lu Yang.

Finally, the Fourth Elder finished teaching, and came across the ever- inquisitive Lu Yang.

“You want to know who the irreverent, troublesome, and ill-intended Old Nine is?”

Lu Yang:

Thank you, I think I already know what kind of person my master is.