Chapter 17: All Bite, No Bark (2)
"You're mistaken, apprentice-brother."
Zhou Xuchuan momentarily made an annoyed look before quickly smiling bitterly while waving his hand in denial.
Luo Xiaoyue was one mature kid, but Zhou Xuchuan was just as eccentric as her, considering that he was supposed to be a child.
"How dare I ignore your words? Apprentice-sister Luo was just passing along a message from the instructor," Zhou Xuchuan tried to appeal that he had done nothing wrong.
"Is that true?" Li Jian asked back in suspicion, not forgetting to shake Zhou Xuchuan.
"Yes, really."
"...Hmph!"
Only then did Li Jian loosen his grip.
"You cocky bastard!"
Li Jian glared at him once before turning around. His steps still had traces of his anger.
"His voice is as loud as always."
Li Jian has disliked Zhou Xuchuan ever since he was admitted because of Luo Xiaoyue's interest in Zhou Xuchuan.
Luo Xiaoyue had gained fame for both her qualities and her striking beauty.
She set fire to the hearts of numerous boys upon joining the sect, and because of this, she received special training in restraint and endurance.
Li Jian was one of those boys. He didn't like Zhou Xuchuan for getting her attention. That was why he was quick to notice whenever Zhou Xuchuan talked to her and came to pick a fight with him.
Sometimes, those confrontations frustrated Zhou Xuchuan, but he was able to hold back since Li Jian never crossed the line.
Li Jian was also aspired to become one of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen like many other fourth-generation members of the sect. If he were to cause an accident in the Lotus Pavilion, it might be detrimental to him when he wanted to join the group later on.
Zhou Xuchuan couldn't be entirely sure, but perhaps this was the reason Li Jian had never directly caused him significant harm. He planned to give the latter a lesson if he crossed the line, but that never happened.
Aside from Li Jian, his relationship with the other members of the pavilion was neither good nor bad. He barely interacted with them.
At first, he had received gazes of contempt due to his actions during the examination. However, the contempt had gradually turned into indifference over the past year..
They might have raised concerns if he couldn't keep up when they trained in attack formations, but they didn't say anything because Zhou Xuchuan kept up decently.
The only one who blatantly expressed their hatred of him was Li Jian.
Aside from that, life in the Lotus Pavilion was smooth sailing. He spent his daily life without any accidents.
Most of his time was spent training martial arts, and after his daily training session, he made his plans regarding the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury through meditation.
There's not much time left.
There were two years left now. He had devised plans, and he just had to put them into practice.
When will it be?
The members of the Lotus Pavilion progressed faster than normal disciples, often being dispatched into the world before the normal age of fifteen.
Even if they lacked a bit of skill, they would be sent out with a guardian to gain experience.
This was the traditional education policy of the Lotus Pavilion, meaning it would certainly happen.
Zhou Xuchuan waited for that day patiently.
*
There's a saying that goes, "Look forward and it will feel slow, look back and it will feel fast."
Before he knew it, another year had passed.
"Huh, your internal qi is truly freakish as always," Ling Zhen, one of the five high elders, said in astonishment after diagnosing Zhou Xuchuan.
Zhou Xuchuan had turned twelve. The Plum Blossom Life Art allowed him to accumulate six years' worth of qi every year, and thanks to that, he had a total of fifty-one years' worth of internal qi.
There was not long left until he reached sixty, the first sexagenary magnitude. Even other disciples of the ten major organizations of the Orthodox Faction wouldn't be able to achieve such a feat.
"You have almost reached a full sexagenary magnitude of qi at only twelve. It's truly called a lucky encounter."
Hardly anyone took interest in Zhou Xuchuan within Mount Hua. Ling Zhen, the Pill Apothecary, was one of the few.
Two years ago, Ling Zhen supported Zhou Xuchuan's admission into the Lotus Pavilion, expressing a desire to observe him closely.
Observing didn't involve anything amazing. It was just regular checkups of Zhou Xuchuan's body.
Though, it's not the effect of the Water Spiritual Fruit, but the Plum Blossom Life Art.
Zhou Xuchuan smiled bitterly inwardly. Ling Zhen mistakenly thought the rapid increase in Zhou Xuchuan's internal qi was a result of the Water Spiritual Fruit.
That wasn't surprising since he didn't know the secret of the Plum Blossom Cultivation Art.
"I can't believe you and that weak boy shared such a good thing. You little punks. Shouldn't you put some aside for the elders of the sect first?" Lingzhen licked his lips in dissatisfaction.
"He's not a weak boy."
"Look at you, glaring now that I brought up your master!"
Ling Zhen raised his voice, clearly fed up with this little boy.
"You should stop teasing me. Is it that fun to tease a twelve-year-old kid?"
Zhou Xuchuan let out a frustrated sigh.
"Of course, it's fun. Hur hur hur!"
Ling Zhen visited regularly to diagnose him, which meant that Zhou Xuchuan interacted with him more often than anyone else. They had become quite close over the past two years, which was why they could exchange jokes like this.
"If you're done with the diagnosis, I'll get going."
"But I have news about your master."
"Elder Ling is the best elder in Mount Hua."
Zhou Xuchuan sat back down just as he was about to stand up. He obediently assumed a kneeling position and neatly placed his hands above his knees.
Ever since Liu Zhengmu was dispatched on a mission two years ago, he spent most of his time outside Mount Hua. He sometimes returned to Mount Hua but left again in less than a month on another mission.
Zhou Xuchuan was dissatisfied with this, but he couldn't say anything. That was because Liu Zhengmu had been exempt from many duties because of his weak health. It was about time he repaid everything he owed.
"It's nothing significant, so you can stop staring holes into me."
Ling Zhen shared news about Liu Zhengmu with Zhou Xuchuan.
As he said, it wasn't anything significant. It was just about how he completed a mission somewhere.
Having somewhat befriended one of the five high elders, Zhou Xuchuan received news about Liu Zhengmu before he received any letter from him.
"That is enough. Thank you as always."
Zhou Xuchuan bowed deeply. His actions showed his great care toward his master.
Ling Zhen couldn't help but smile. The relationship between the master and the disciple was truly a great one.
"Oh, it's about time you start getting ready to leave as well," said Ling Zhen wrote something down on a piece of paper.
Zhou Xuchuan's eyes widened.
Finally!
Thump, thump, thump!
His heart raced violently. His breathing sped up a little, and he felt a rush of emotions.
Unaware of Zhou Xuchuan's reaction, Ling Zhen continued speaking, eyes fixed on the paper.
"You should have heard that the members of the Lotus Pavilion are sent out to the world earlier than other disciples, so…"
Ling Zhen kept on talking, but none of it entered Zhou Xuchuan's ears. Zhou Xuchuan calmed his agitated feelings as much as possible.
Finally, it's time.
With only a year left, he felt a mix of nervousness and unease, but those feelings would stop after today.
Setting out into the world. That was all he could think about instead.
*
The Lotus Pavilion didn't dispatch every member; only a select few were chosen. Selection was based primarily on age, with priority given to those who hadn't ventured out into the world before the age of fifteen.
After that, recommendations and martial prowess were considered. Recommendations were done by instructors or masters if they deemed that a disciple needed experience of the outside world. This was the second criterion after age.
Zhou Xuchuan had sent a letter to Liu Zhengmu beforehand, asking him for the recommendation. Liu Zhengmu seemed to be worried, but he ultimately accepted the request when his obedient disciple pleaded with him for the first time.
The competition to be selected for the dispatch wasn't that fierce. In the first place, Lotus Pavilion members typically left the sect at least once before the age of fifteen. There was no need to rush.
Also, those with prior experience were naturally placed at the back of the queue. There was no need to worry about competing with them.
With that, the members for the dispatch were decided.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Qiu Feng, who will be in charge of you starting today."
Sword Hero Fourteen, Qiu Feng. He was the leader and guardian of the Lotus Pavilion dispatch this time.
He was one of the most powerful cultivators among the third generation, and was a renowned Absolute Realm expert.
Not just prowess, his seniority was quite high as well. No one could call him a junior among the third generation.
He also happened to be Zhou Xuchuan's senior uncle.
"I'll check the members before we descend the mountain."
Qiu Feng called out to the little ducklings in front of him.
"Zhang Hong, Zhang Xuen, Zhou Xuchuan."
"Yes!" the three of them replied at once, their voices tense.
Qiu Feng smiled bitterly at their reactions, tapping their shoulders gently as he spoke in a soft tone.
"We're not going out to die or something. No need to be so tense. We're just descending the mountain."
The tense atmosphere eased a bit.
"Well, then. Let's go."
Qiu Feng led the way, with the three of them following him.
'Apprentice-brother Zhang Hong, Apprentice-sister Zhang Xuen.'
Zhou Xuchuan was at the very back, looking at the boy and girl in front of him. Both of them showed a mix of anticipation and nervousness.
Zhang Hong was fourteen, and was the oldest in the Lotus Pavilion both in age and seniority. Zhang Xuen was thirteen and studied under the same master as Zhang Hong.
Zhou Xuchuan was relieved to hear that he would be going with these two. He didn't have a bad relationship with them. It wasn't that they had a favorable opinion of him, but they didn't hate him either. Bluntly speaking, they were disinterested.
It was much better than annoying him with skirmishes.
As soon as it was decided that he would be going out this time, Luo Xiaoyue made a visit and bid him farewell sadly. She told him she wanted to join the mission this time but gave up on the notion because of Shen Yulian, who disliked Zhou Xuchuan.
"Senior Uncle. May I ask you something?" Zhou Xuchuan asked Qiu Feng.
"Ask away."
"Where are we headed?"
"We'll keep heading South, past Chongqing City until we reach Guizhou Province."
"Guizhou, you say?" Zhang Xuen asked, looking slightly nervous.
"Yes. It's the border area between the Orthodox Faction and the Evil Faction."
Guizhou had been a place of endless battles since the old times. This province was split into two halves, one half under the influence of the Orthodox Faction, and the other half under the Evil Faction.
Both sides fought each other endlessly in order to expand their influence. Even during a truce, there would be dozens of skirmishes.
It was an area of conflict. Also, in Guizhou, there were other battles aside from war, so large organizations like the major sects sent their disciples to gain experience.
"As I mentioned earlier, we're not going there to die, so don't worry. There's me, and Guizhou also houses many experts of the Orthodox Faction since it's a dangerous place. You don't have to worry about being injured or dying."
For a cultivator to enter the world, it meant gaining experience using the martial arts they had trained in against other people. While it may look like they were on an excursion, that definitely wasn't the case.
Chongqing!
Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen seemed uneasy about going to Guizhou, but Zhou Xuchuan wasn't.
Chongqing was more important to him than Guizhou.
That was the place where the objective he had been thinking about for the past few years lay.
The Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury!
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