Chapter 103 - 102: Closeness and Distance, the Origin of the Blood Wolf

Chapter 103: Chapter 102: Closeness and Distance, the Origin of the Blood Wolf

Dong Xing beamed, "Of course, of course..."

As they walked into the courtyard, Xu Li stared at the three massive wild boars, utterly astonished.

’The Lord Steward likes raising pigs?’

The two of them arrived in the living room.

"Greetings, Lord Steward." "Greetings, Steward Li."

Dong Xing and Xu Li both bowed in salute.

Li Changsheng glanced at Elder Dong with some surprise, then rose and walked over to them. He made a gesture to help them up and said, "There’s no need for such formalities."

"Thank you, My Lord."

The two then straightened up.

Just then, Dong Xing suddenly flipped his hand over to produce a jade vial and said with a smile, "This is a congratulatory gift your subordinate has prepared for you, My Lord."

?

Li Changsheng frowned at him.

But Dong Xing’s face remained wreathed in smiles, and his outstretched hand did not lower.

"You really shouldn’t have..."

Li Changsheng shook his head and accepted the jade vial.

He was very familiar with this kind of jade vial; Steward Ma had once given him one just like it.

At that moment, Xu Li, who had been about to take out his own gift, was dumbfounded.

He had prepared a gift of fifty Spirit Stones, which should have been perfectly appropriate.

But Dong Xing’s gift was a vial of Top-grade Spirit Fusion Pills. How could he possibly present his own now!

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Li gritted his teeth, took out the pills he had received from Steward Ma, and presented them with a bow.

"Congratulations, My Lord. This is the gift your subordinate has prepared for you."

When Dong Xing saw the jade vial, his face bloomed into a wide smile.

Li Changsheng looked at the vial and refused outright, shaking his head. "This is far too valuable. Please, take it back." After a pause, he added, "There’s no need to be so formal with me. At the end of the day, I’m just like you."

"Just a humble Qi Cultivation Junior Cultivator!"

Xu Li wanted to take back the pills, but when he saw the close relationship between Dong Xing and Li Changsheng, his heart soured.

He pushed the jade vial forward again.

"This is just a small token of your subordinate’s sincerity. I implore you not to refuse, My Lord."

’What a shameless Cultivator!’ Now, even the way Dong Xing looked at him changed.

Li Changsheng frowned at him.

It was impossible to read anything from that grim, indigo face of his.

Not wanting to discourage his subordinate, Li Changsheng had no choice but to accept it, adding a warning, "Don’t do this again next time!"

"Yes... yes..." Xu Li nodded repeatedly.

Only then did Li Changsheng smile. "Quick, sit down and have some tea." As he spoke, he took out a new cup, poured some tea, and brought it to Xu Li.

Xu Li quickly stood up to receive it. "Thank you, My Lord."

"From now on, we’re all on the same side. No need to be so formal," Li Changsheng said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder.

Xu Li’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes..."

Afterwards, the three of them began to chat, talking back and forth.

Before long, another shout came from outside the door, and Dong Xing once again volunteered to greet the visitor.

A short while later, Dong Xing led in a young man in his twenties with a stiff, purplish-red face.

The young man strode to Li Changsheng’s desk, flipped his hand over to produce a bag of Spirit Stones, and placed it on the table. He cracked a stiff smile. "Congratulations, My Lord."

Li Changsheng’s hand paused. He set down his teacup, picked up the Spirit Stones from the table, and pushed them back into the young man’s hands with a smile. "What’s with the formality? Quick, have a seat."

A hint of delight appeared in the young man’s eyes. He put away the Spirit Stones and turned to sit down.

Xu Li watched him with a strange look in his eyes.

Just as Li Changsheng was about to find an excuse to end the conversation, a rough voice called from outside the door.

"Junior Brother, I’ve come to see you!"

A smile touched Li Changsheng’s eyes at the words, and he walked out quickly.

The others followed him out.

"Senior Brother Tan, what brings you here?"

Li Changsheng called out with a cupped-fist salute before he had even gotten close.

Then he opened the door and welcomed him inside.

Tan Hu laughed. "Junior Brother, you’ve been promoted to Inner Sect Disciple. How could I, as your Senior Brother, not come to congratulate you?"

"Thank you, Senior Brother. You must stay for lunch. I’ll cook for you," Li Changsheng said with a smile.

"Haha, excellent! In that case, I’ll have to sample the master chef’s skills."

Hearing this, Tan Hu was even more delighted. This was a clear gesture of goodwill, so he immediately accepted.

Li Changsheng turned to the young man and asked gently, "Junior Brother, do you have other things to attend to?"

"Ah? Oh, no..."

Li Changsheng nodded. "Then I won’t keep you. If you have matters to attend to, you should go." He paused, then added, "After all, we’re heading to the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land in a few days, so it’s best to prepare."

The young man was taken aback for a moment, then nodded seriously and cupped his hands. "I do indeed have some things to take care of, so I’ll take my leave." With that, he turned and hurried out.

Li Changsheng paid him no mind, continuing to chat and laugh with Tan Hu as they stepped into the wooden house.

「In the courtyard.」

Xu Li, looking hesitant, walked over to where Dong Xing was crouching not far from Big Flower. He cupped his hands and asked, "Senior Brother Dong, do you think I should leave or stay for the meal?"

Dong Xing glanced at him and chuckled. "Leave? You have something to do?"

"Ah? No, I’m free, completely free..."

Dong Xing said lazily, "If you’re free, then stay and sample the Lord Steward’s cooking."

A flash of joy appeared in Xu Li’s eyes. He immediately squatted down next to Dong Xing and joined him in watching the pigs.

「Inside the house.」

Li Changsheng had just finished pouring tea for Tan Hu when he noticed a jade box on the table.

"What’s this?"

Tan Hu grinned. "Open it and see, Junior Brother."

Li Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then gently opened the jade box.

A fist-sized, iron-black fruit came into view.

Instantly, Li Changsheng’s expression changed dramatically. His hand began to tremble uncontrollably. "This is..."

The moment the fruit appeared, his body suddenly grew agitated, like a beast that had been starved for a long time. The fruit before him seemed to have transformed into the most supreme delicacy, drawing him in, making him want to devour it in a single bite.

Seeing the shock in his eyes, Tan Hu felt a swell of pride. ’With a Spirit Vein Fruit this precious, I’m certain to earn a great favor!’

He then said mysteriously, "Junior Brother, this Spirit Vein Fruit of mine is no ordinary Spirit Vein Fruit!"

Li Changsheng forced himself to suppress the agitation in his body and snapped the jade box shut with a CLICK. In that instant, the feeling of prolonged hunger vanished.

"Hm?"

Li Changsheng suppressed his shock and looked at Tan Hu. "Senior Brother, what is this?"

The smile on Tan Hu’s face widened as he explained, "I found this fruit when..."

He spoke for A Cup of Tea’s Time.

Tan Hu finished with a sigh. "At the time, I had no idea that Blood Wolf was such a strange demonic beast! Unfortunately, by the time I went back, I couldn’t find any trace of it."

"Normally, a Spirit Vein Fruit’s plant should dissolve to ash after the fruit is picked, but this symbiotic kind is unusual."

"The moment the beast becomes a demon, the plant absorbs the unique traits contained within its bloodline. Thus, a single Spirit Vein Fruit plant comes to possess two traits, and what’s more, they are naturally complementary!"

At this point, Tan Hu couldn’t hide the look of regret on his face. "With two naturally complementary traits, if you could just find a matching Magic, the power it could unleash would be no less than a minor Divine Technique cultivated by a Dao Foundation Great Cultivator."

"Ha..."

Li Changsheng’s mind was in turmoil, but he just echoed, "That is a shame."

The more Tan Hu described it, the more familiar it sounded.

The Blood Wolf!

Wasn’t it on that night three years ago that a wolf carrying a strange plant on its back had tried to devour Xiaohua, only to be killed by him instead?

He had touched that strange plant, which had caused him to develop an elemental Spirit Vein, along with a blood-attribute trait.

All of this was telling him one thing.

The maimed wolf he had slain back then was the very same strange demonic beast Tan Hu was talking about. And the fruit’s ability to provoke such a strong reaction in him... it all made sense now.

Thinking of this, Li Changsheng looked at Tan Hu with a slightly odd expression.

’A child? A Treasure-Bringing Child!’

Li Changsheng discreetly slipped the jade box into his storage pouch and immediately began to chat enthusiastically with Tan Hu.

’I’m making a friend of this Senior Brother! And no one is going to stop me!’

The more the two talked, the more they felt a mutual affinity. If the Cultivation Realm didn’t frown upon sworn brotherhoods, Li Changsheng would have truly wanted to become good brothers with this Treasure-Bringing... this good Senior Brother.

「Until the afternoon.」

Li Changsheng reluctantly saw this knowledgeable and good Senior Brother out of the small courtyard.

Just then, Xu Li, his face wreathed in smiles, bid him farewell.

Li Changsheng naturally put on a show of reluctance to see him go. Once Xu Li was far enough away, he turned and went back inside.

「Inside the wooden house.」

Li Changsheng plopped down into the grand master’s chair and looked at Dong Xing, who was sitting in a side chair. He said irritably, "They’re gone. You can drop the act."