Chapter 81 - 74: Pushing One’s Luck and Ruthlessly Freeloading

Chapter 81: Chapter 74: Pushing One’s Luck and Ruthlessly Freeloading

"Lu Chen? Oh, I remember now. He’s the Inner Sect Disciple I took in not long ago!"

Mentioning Lu Chen, a satisfied smile naturally appeared on Jing Gong’s face. After all, not only was Lu Chen’s talent extraordinary, but he had also handed over the Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique—a Cultivation Technique that could benefit the entire Sect—to him. Through Jing Gong’s hands, it was being vigorously promoted within the Sect. This had earned him quite a bit of prestige in front of the Sect Leader and the other Golden Core Guardians.

Furthermore, Jing Gong had been visiting the various peaks from time to time since then, under the guise of supervising the Cultivation progress of the Sect’s disciples.

Whenever he saw the miserable expressions on the disciples’ faces after practicing the Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique, Jing Gong would feel an inexplicable sense of joy. Yes, this was exactly right. This was what the Cyan Cloud Sect should look like! Lust was a deadly trap; what business did Cultivators have with romance? Focusing on Cultivation was the righteous path!

Inside the cave dwelling, Jing Gong looked at Red Duster Fairy and asked curiously, "I wonder, Fairy, why did you suddenly think of arranging a marriage for my disciple? Logically speaking, he’s just an entry-level disciple. Your Mandarin Duck Bureau shouldn’t be arranging his marriage this quickly."

Red Duster Fairy took a sip of the Spirit Tea Jing Gong had handed her and held back a laugh. "Well... a few Main Peak True Inheritance disciples came to me, saying they wanted this disciple, Lu Chen, to find a Dao Companion as soon as possible."

"A few Main Peak disciples came to you?"

Jing Gong was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly realized what was going on. Those brats from the Main Peak were playing such dirty tricks! They actually wanted Lu Chen to experience the torment of only being able to look but not touch. What an insidious little scheme!

However, remembering what he had sensed from Lu Chen back then, Jing Gong narrowed his eyes. It was true that the Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique would be broken if one lost their purity before reaching Great Success, but that brat Lu Chen... seemed to have already reached Great Success a long time ago. Thinking of this, Jing Gong suddenly found the situation quite amusing. Those brats from the Main Peak might just end up shooting themselves in the foot.

Just as Jing Gong was about to reply to Red Duster Fairy, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the cave dwelling.

"Disciple Lu Chen has come to pay respects to Master."

The two people inside the cave dwelling paused when they heard the voice outside. Then, the expression on Jing Gong’s face became even more amused as he wondered if it was truly such a coincidence.

"Come in."

Hearing the voice from inside, Lu Chen respectfully walked in. As soon as he entered the cave dwelling, he saw Hong Fu Nu drinking tea with Jing Gong. This left Lu Chen at a loss for words for a moment. Although he had heard of the Mandarin Duck Bureau, which specialized in arranging marriages for disciples within the Cyan Cloud Sect, he was entirely focused on Cultivation and had no interest in women. Therefore, he had not paid much attention to the people in the Mandarin Duck Bureau, and naturally didn’t recognize a famous figure like Red Duster Fairy.

Fortunately, Jing Gong seemed to guess this and took the initiative to speak. "Lu Chen, come here. This is Red Duster Master from the Sect’s Mandarin Duck Bureau. She is a Cultivator of the same generation as me."

Lu Chen nodded and immediately bowed respectfully to Red Duster Fairy. "Disciple Lu Chen pays respects to Senior Red Duster."

Red Duster Fairy smiled and nodded, then looked Lu Chen up and down. She had to admit that Lu Chen’s appearance and temperament were indeed extraordinary. Coupled with his calm demeanor, Red Duster Fairy had a very good first impression of him.

While Red Duster Fairy was examining him, Lu Chen was also secretly observing her. Of course, this observation was limited to not activating his Cyan Lotus Pupil. Lu Chen didn’t dare to use his Pupil Skill Divine Techniques recklessly on a Golden Core Cultivator; that would be extremely disrespectful.

However, even without using the Lotus Pupil, Lu Chen could still sense Red Duster Fairy’s restrained and profound aura. If the Spirit Fire Taoist beside her was a scorching fireball in Lu Chen’s eyes, then she was a blooming peach blossom. Besides her soft beauty, she also gave off an inexplicable sense of approachability.

Red Buddha observed him briefly and smiled. "You came at the perfect time. I was just talking to your master about you. We were saying that since you’ve reached thirty years of age, it’s about time you settled down. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

"Ah?!"

Lu Chen looked at the two of them in astonishment. He never expected to encounter such a situation in the game.

Without much thought, Lu Chen answered directly, "This disciple’s heart is set solely on Cultivation. Before reaching Foundation Establishment, I have no thoughts of romance."

Looking at Lu Chen’s serious expression, they both knew he wasn’t lying. Red Duster Fairy didn’t seem too surprised by this. After all, cases like his, where one was entirely devoted to the Dao and had no interest in anything else, were actually quite common in the Cyan Cloud Sect.

So she smiled and waved her hand. "No matter, no matter. Since that’s the case, I won’t force the issue. However, you should keep the Five Peaks Discussion half a year from now in mind.

"After all, this Five Peaks Discussion takes place only once every five years. During this time, not only will many Golden Core Stage Protectors preach the Dao, but you disciples can also use the opportunity to get to know one another. Don’t forget about it."

Hearing this, Lu Chen’s expression turned a bit strange. A Five Peaks Discussion was supposed to be a normal event where Cultivators sat together to discuss the Dao. But coming from Red Duster Fairy’s mouth, it inexplicably gave Lu Chen the distinct impression of a Cyan Cloud Sect matchmaking event.

Although he didn’t want to go around socializing, it would be a good thing if he could listen to more Golden Core Stage Cultivators preach the Dao. He figured he would gain quite a lot from it. Thinking of this, Lu Chen immediately nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Senior. This disciple will keep it in mind."

"Alright, I’ve pretty much said everything I needed to say. You master and disciple can chat; I’ll be taking my leave."

"Farewell, Senior Red Duster."

After Red Duster Fairy left, Jing Gong looked at Lu Chen curiously.

"Out with it, what do you want from me? Knowing your personality, you wouldn’t come to me without a reason."

As he said this, Jing Gong was already prepared to be shaken down for Gold Coins by Lu Chen. After all, he wasn’t the first to do so. Back when Jing Gong was only at the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment stages, he had squeezed quite a few Gold Coins out of his own master. Now, the roles were simply reversed, and he was the one dropping Gold Coins.

"Answering Master, this disciple wishes to ask for a Pill Furnace so I can study the Alchemy Dao independently in my cave dwelling."

Looking at Lu Chen’s "innocent" face, the corner of Jing Gong’s eye twitched. Asking for a Pill Furnace right off the bat—this kid had quite the appetite. However, Jing Gong still thought highly of Lu Chen as a disciple. Mostly because this kid clearly understood that women were stumbling blocks on the path of Cultivation and had decisively rejected Red Duster Fairy’s matchmaking attempt.

Thinking of this, Jing Gong immediately opened his Storage Pouch. After browsing for a moment, he took out a cyan-colored Pill Furnace.

"This Cyan Patterned Pill Furnace is an item I used in my early years. Although it is only a First Realm Pill Furnace, it is of the Top Grade within the First Realm. It is just right for your current level. Take it."

"Thank you, Master."

Lu Chen accepted the Cyan Patterned Pill Furnace, which was only the size of a palm, and placed it into his own Storage Pouch.

Oddly enough, he didn’t hurry to leave. Instead, he continued to stare eagerly at Jing Gong. This made the corner of Jing Gong’s eye twitch uncontrollably. Wasn’t shaking him down once enough? You want to fleece me for Gold Coins a second time?

"What, is there something else you need?"

"Answering Master, this disciple wants to try concocting Nourishing Essence Pills today. Unfortunately, I have only been an entry-level disciple for a short time and lack sufficient Contribution Points to exchange for materials within the Sect. I wonder if Master..."

"Fine, fine. Take it, take it. The medicinal herbs in here will last you for a while. Use them sparingly; they aren’t cheap."

Lu Chen took the medicine bottle containing the herbs, yet he still didn’t excuse himself. He continued to stand firmly in place. This made Jing Gong completely lose his composure. This was too much! Shaking him down three times was really going too far!

"Are you kidding? What else could you possibly want?"

"Answering Master, this disciple has been wanting to practice a Divine Technique lately, but unfortunately..."

As Lu Chen excitedly stated his request, Jing Gong’s expression darkened, and invisible lines of frustration multiplied on his forehead. Finally, Jing Gong exploded.

"Get lost! You brat, go back and focus on your Cultivation! I have nothing left to give you!"

Forcefully kicked out by Jing Gong, Lu Chen looked back at the tightly shut doors of the cave dwelling and shook his head with some regret. What a pity. If he could have gotten his master to reimburse him for the cost of learning the Divine Technique as well, he wouldn’t have had to worry about his Cultivation expenses for quite some time.

However... he had still achieved the goal of this trip. Lu Chen looked at the Storage Pouch at his waist, his mood excellent. Although he felt a bit like a mooch, he had to admit... freeloading felt incredibly satisfying!

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