Have You Eaten

Across Cangzhou, peaks rose one after another amid scenery of rare natural beauty. An ancient sect had stood here for thousands of years.

Two figures walked along the road toward the peak ahead.

One was a handsome young man with a straight, tall figure and an air of otherworldly grace.

Beside him was a man in his forties, dressed in fine robes, who regarded the young man with a calm expression and a smile.

“Tianyi, it has been years. I never expected you to have reached the sixth layer of Essence Condensation already. You truly amaze your Martial Uncle!” the middle-aged man said.

The young man was named Ye Tianyi. They were in the Cangyun Sect.

The sect had seven main peaks, each overseen by a Peak Master.

The two were climbing Qingyun Peak, one of the seven.

Ye Tianyi was a Direct Disciple of Qingyun Peak.

Hearing the praise, Ye Tianyi shook his head. “Martial Uncle Lin Po, you flatter me. My cultivation is nothing remarkable.”

“No need to be modest. Compared with you, my Direct Disciples are hardly worth looking at. I really envy your Master for taking you all in. Qingyun Peak has nothing to worry about for the next thousand years!”

Lin Po spoke with envy, without a trace of flattery.

Ye Tianyi asked, “Speaking of which, Martial Uncle, Master took in a disciple when he returned to the sect ten years ago. He said my youngest Junior Brother was so gifted that ordinary geniuses could not compare, someone Cangzhou might not produce once in a hundred years. Is he really as exceptional as Master said?”

“Who? Lu Changsheng?”

“Yes!”

At the mention of that name, Lin Po instinctively frowned, unsure how to answer.

He hesitated for a long while before finally speaking.

“I cannot really judge that. You should get to know him yourself. But there is one thing that is quite true.”

“What’s that?”

“Forget a century; Cangzhou wouldn’t produce a specimen like him even in five hundred years!”

Ye Tianyi looked curious. “It seems this Junior Brother of mine is quite extraordinary!”

“He certainly is extraordinary…”

“Is he at the sect now?” Ye Tianyi asked.

“He’s right over there.”

Lin Po paused and pointed to an old pine tree nearby.

A young man in white reclined at ease in a chair beneath it, gently waving a folding fan as he savored a cup of tea.

He looked thoroughly at ease.

Several figures stood before him, with sacks in front of them, full of white Spirit Stones gleaming in the sunlight.

“Senior Brother Changsheng, this month’s Spirit Stones from Cangyun City are here. Would you like to count them?”

One of them spoke with a fawning smile.

Lu Changsheng sipped his tea and said unhurriedly, “No need. I trust you to handle things.”

The men smiled at his words.

Lu Changsheng continued, “But there is something you need to see to.”

“What is it, Senior Brother?”

“A few shops seem to have found new backers. They have not handed over any Spirit Stones for two months. I will leave that to you.”

“They must have a death wish, daring to withhold Senior Brother’s Spirit Stones!”

“Bastards! I will burn their shops down tomorrow!”

One after another, they indignantly condemned the shopkeepers on Lu Changsheng’s behalf, looking for all the world like younger brothers defending an elder brother they respected.

Lu Changsheng waved a hand. “No need for that. I am softhearted and cannot bear the sight of blood. Just have them hand over the Spirit Stones within three days.”

“What if they do not pay?”

“If they do not hand them over, can’t you take them yourselves? Don’t you know what is valuable? Do I have to teach you that?” Lu Changsheng raised a brow.

The men understood at once. Of course! If someone would not give it to them, couldn’t they just rob them? If they could not even do that, what use was their cultivation?

Ye Tianyi and Lin Po heard every word.

Lin Po was used to it and found nothing strange, but Ye Tianyi’s expression darkened.

“Martial Uncle, is… is that really my Junior Brother?”

“Rest assured, he definitely is.”

“Rest assured…” Ye Tianyi’s mouth twitched. What had he just heard?

What happened to ‘exceptional talent’? What happened to ‘unseen in a century’?

Others cultivated day and night, forgetting food and sleep. Even the Eldest Senior Brother, held up as an example throughout Cangyun, did the same.

Yet his youngest Junior Brother lived as though he had retired: sleeping, strolling and drinking tea, ignoring books and techniques, giving no thought to cultivation and only occasionally finding time for it…

And that was not all. He was encouraging these inner disciples to do his dirty work, collecting Spirit Stones for him in Cangyun City!

Seeing his reaction, Lin Po comforted him. “Martial Nephew, you will get used to it.”

“Is this all he does every day?” Ye Tianyi asked, still holding on to a shred of hope.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Po answered seriously, “Of course, he does occasionally do other things.”

“Like what?”

“For instance, whenever the outer disciples receive their monthly Spirit Rice, he arrives right on time and carries off two sacks. When the inner disciples receive Spirit Pills, he comes early and leaves with a basketful. When the Direct Disciples receive Spirit Stones, he collects them on your Senior Brother’s behalf. And every fortnight, he is sure to visit the elders and say that your Senior Brother is at a critical point in his cultivation and needs Spirit Stones…”

Lin Po recounted how Lu Changsheng had kept this up for ten years without missing a single occasion.

Ye Tianyi’s face darkened, then flushed red. He could not help asking, “Does no one stop him? Does Senior Brother not do anything?”

“I have certainly never seen anyone stop him. Still, he is a Direct Disciple. Taking a couple of sacks of Spirit Rice is no great matter, and the outer elders would not risk slighting your Master over it. As for the pills, the sect can afford to supply the few he takes. And perhaps your Senior Brother really does need those Spirit Stones.”

Lin Po offered this as comfort.

Ye Tianyi’s eyelid twitched. He was upright and principled, and prided himself on the strict discipline of his lineage. Yet his own peak had produced such a… talent.

“Tianyi, do not take it to heart. Your Master is away and the others are busy cultivating, so they have neglected to discipline him. Now that you are back, you can teach him gradually,” Lin Po advised.

Ye Tianyi nodded, determined to discipline this Junior Brother properly.

Seeing this, Lin Po called out, “Changsheng!”

At his call, the men beneath the pine tree turned to look.

The others trembled at the sight of Lin Po, then hoisted their sacks and ran up the mountain.

Lu Changsheng remained composed. He slowly stood up with a smile.

“Martial Uncle Lin, what brings you to Qingyun Peak today? Are you here to see my Senior Brother?”

Lu Changsheng slowly walked over.

Ye Tianyi studied him closely, surprised.

Before him was a youth of seventeen or eighteen, handsome and dressed in white, with swordlike brows and eyes like stars. There was something indescribably ethereal and otherworldly about him.

He could hardly believe that someone so striking could be such a… talent.

“I just ran into your Second Senior Brother on my way back to the sect, so we chatted as we walked,” Lin Po said.

“Second Senior Brother?” Lu Changsheng raised a brow and looked at the young man beside Lin Po.

In fact, he and this Senior Brother had never met.

“Well? Hurry and greet your Second Senior Brother!”

At Lin Po’s prompting, Ye Tianyi stood with his hands behind his back, looking proud. He was quite angry and refused to look at Lu Changsheng, hoping to establish his authority and make it easier to discipline him later.

But Lu Changsheng just grinned and said slowly, “Second Senior Brother, have you eaten?”

Ye Tianyi froze. He opened his mouth, but for a long while could not say a word.

…