Chapter 7

Upon hearing Gu Yunyang's words, Yunxiao instantly flew into a rage, "Immortal Venerable Gu, everything must be based on evidence first. Where is there any lingering resentment on my part? Don't make baseless accusations!"

It was indeed a case of Immortal Venerable Gu wronging Sect Master Yun. Shi Anxu then spoke up for him, saying, "Immortal Venerable Gu, Sect Master Yun was merely seeing off guests at the sect gate. Junior Brother Mu and I both saw it."

Mu Qingzhou also softly hummed in agreement.

After realizing he had misunderstood Yunxiao, Gu Yunyang's face darkened, and he offered a dry apology, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood Sect Leader Yun."

Yunxiao didn't say whether he accepted or not, he just waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and go."

Gu Yunyang didn't waste any words. He summoned a flying boat and boarded it with his disciples. "Sect Master Yun, I'll listen to you. Let's go."

Yunxiao was eager for them to leave, so he nodded and had two disciples escort them out of Xuan Yuan Sect's territory.

——

Two days later, Shi Anxu returned to Qinnian Peak and used the Cleansing Technique to clean the spirit dwelling again before letting Mu Qingzhou go in to rest.

Having already broken through to the Golden Core stage, and no longer bound by the matter of reinforcing the barrier, he had no desire to cultivate at all. After confirming that Mu Qingzhou had nothing to do with him, he turned around as if to leave.

However, Mu Qingzhou did not want Shi Anxu to waste his time like this, going out without even the ability to protect himself.

He grabbed Shi Anxu's hand as Shi Anxu turned around, but didn't know how to speak.

Shi Anxu looked at Mu Qingzhou in confusion, "Junior brother, do you want your senior brother to cultivate with you?"

Without a doubt, the moment Shi Anxu asked the question, Mu Qingzhou was thinking about it; he wanted to cultivate with his senior brother.

But it shouldn't be like this. He clearly didn't want his senior brother to neglect his cultivation, so what came out of his mouth was, "No need, I just don't want my senior brother to neglect his cultivation."

Shi Anxu's expression suddenly turned serious. "Junior brother, listen to me. I have absolutely no talent in cultivation. No matter how hard I try, this is all I'll ever achieve. I hope you can cultivate diligently and become my pride in the future. The resources on the peak are simply not enough for two people to cultivate. Rather than giving them to me, it's better to use them on someone who is truly capable. Do you understand my good intentions?"

Mu Qingzhou knew what his senior brother was thinking, but he always felt that his senior brother shouldn't be like this.

Seeing that Mu Qingzhou did not answer him, Shi Anxu earnestly advised, "Junior brother, look, we are brothers, and brothers are one. I will not leave you. You can protect your senior brother, at least until you find your Daoist partner."

Mu Qingzhou didn't know why he felt a strange sensation when he heard the word "Daoist partner," and his body immediately acted before his mind, saying, "I won't find another girl to be my Daoist partner."

Upon hearing Mu Qingzhou's reply, Shi Anxu chuckled softly, "Haha, Junior Brother, you can only say that now. When you meet a girl you like, you won't say it like that anymore."

Mu Qingzhou didn't understand why Shi Anxu was laughing so happily, but he emphasized again, "I will not find other girls to be my Daoist partner."

Shi Anxu nodded perfunctorily, "I know, our aloof junior brother won't be looking for a Daoist partner. If there's nothing else, senior brother has to go and do something important to earn resources."

Distracted by the matter of Mu Qingzhou's cultivation partner, Mu Qingzhou didn't continue to mention Shi Anxu's need to avoid neglecting his cultivation. Instead, he asked, "Senior Brother, do you have any good ideas?"

Shi Anxu put her index finger to her lips. "It's a secret. I won't tell you yet. I'll tell you when I'm sure it's feasible. Focus on your cultivation."

Mu Qingzhou nodded without speaking, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate on his cultivation.

Shi Anxu also quietly left the Lingju and headed towards the library.

When Shi Anxu last came to the library, he turned it upside down and didn't tidy it up.

Now, going back in only reveals a mess, nothing like the clean and tidy place it was when it first opened.

He could only resign himself to his fate and flip through the earthly cultivation techniques and classic texts one by one, then categorize and organize them on the bookshelf.

After tidying up for a while, Shi Anxu finally managed to organize the books on the ground.

He made a note of it. Most of the exercises he had just compiled were basic exercises, which were perfect for a paid subscription.

In addition, there are many top-tier cultivation techniques, which are also suitable for cultivators who have purchased monthly or annual cards.

The library left behind by their master was a great help to them, making it possible to implement the money-making model he had envisioned.

He didn't tell Mu Qingzhou beforehand because he didn't want him to be disappointed. Although he wasn't sure if Mu Qingzhou would be happy, and his face was basically expressionless, he simply didn't want to disappoint Mu Qingzhou.

Now that the plan is confirmed to be feasible, there is no need to hide it from Mu Qingzhou. He will go and discuss with Mu Qingzhou the location for reading the cultivation technique after Mu Qingzhou finishes his cultivation.

The library is not suitable for reading; it's not impossible that some unscrupulous people might steal the cultivation techniques.

Thinking of this, Shi Anxu prepared to go and see if Mu Qingzhou had finished his cultivation, but as soon as he turned around, he bumped into a hard chest.

Shi Anxu then realized that Mu Qingzhou was already taller than him. Just a few days ago, he had said that Mu Qingzhou was shorter than him. It was quite a slap in the face.

Mu Qingzhou was unaware that Shi Anxu was still thinking about these things. He was worried about whether Shi Anxu was alright, so he pulled Shi Anxu out of his arms to check if he was injured, and he used a little too much force in the process.

"Senior brother, did you bump into anything?"

Shi Anxu hadn't felt much pain initially, but now that Mu Qingzhou was pinching him, it really hurt.

"Let go of me first. Senior brother didn't get hurt from the impact, but you pinched him."

Mu Qingzhou immediately let go, "Sorry, I didn't control my strength and squeezed you too hard."

Shi Anxu gave Mu Qingzhou a reassuring look, indicating that he was alright.

"It just so happens that I was on my way to talk to my junior brother about something."

"Is it about acquiring resources?"

Shi Anxu nodded, pointed to the bookshelf, and said to Mu Qingzhou, "I've learned that cultivation techniques are incredibly rare in the cultivation world, so I'm thinking of using the techniques left by my master to acquire resources..."

Shi Anxu told Mu Qingzhou all his thoughts and asked Mu Qingzhou what he thought.

Mu Qingzhou considered the possibility of Shi Anxu's method in his mind and said, "I think it's feasible. The only two drawbacks are how to ensure that the cultivation technique is not stolen, or the problem of the buyer reading too much of it."

"I came to you precisely to discuss this matter and ensure that the cultivation technique is not stolen. My idea is to build a special reading and cultivation area. The cultivation technique will be given to the buyer through us, and the buyer can read it in the special reading area. You can then set up an array in the reading area that only people can pass through, which will prevent the cultivation technique from being stolen."

"It's certainly a good idea, but how can we guarantee that buyers won't read too much?"

"That's easy. I discovered that the cultivation techniques in the library are detachable. We can simply remove the corresponding number."

"Yes, but that means you'll need to organize them carefully, senior brother, to avoid mixing up the techniques."

Shi Anxu patted Mu Qingzhou on the shoulder, "You don't need to worry about these things, your senior brother will take care of them. But setting up the formation will be left to you. This kind of formation should be a piece of cake for you, junior brother, right?"

"Hmm." Mu Qingzhou replied, then changed the subject, "However, I hope you will set up the first formation yourself, Senior Brother."

Shi Anxu quickly waved his hand in refusal, "I can't do it, I don't know any formations."

But Mu Qingzhou's attitude was firm: "I can teach you if you don't know, but you must set up the first formation yourself."

With Mu Qingzhou's attitude so resolute, Shi Anxu had no choice but to compromise, since Mu Qingzhou was his adopted son.

"Alright, alright, I'll learn from you, senior brother. Is that alright now? Can we start our resource-gathering plan?"

"Can."

Shi Anxu thought for a moment. The first thing to do now was to set up a dedicated reading area for cultivation techniques, which would require the efforts of both of them. There was no rush to categorize and break down the techniques; he had already organized the categories, and he could work on the breakdown himself later.

"Besides needing your help with the formation, there's also the construction of the reading area. We already have limited resources, so we definitely don't have the money to hire a professional architect from the sect to build it. It's also unrealistic for you to build it alone, so we still need your help."

Aside from wanting Shi Anxu to set up the first formation himself, Mu Qingzhou had no other objections. He would do whatever his senior brother asked him to do. As for his insistence on having his senior brother set up the first formation, it was also to let his senior brother learn more in this way. Now that his senior brother wanted his help, he had no reason to refuse.

"Okay, senior brother, come find me if you need anything."

Shi Anxu originally thought that Mu Qingzhou would take the opportunity to make him learn something else, but he didn't expect him to agree so readily this time.

"Yes, your senior brother told you beforehand not to go on and on without stopping. I know you have inexhaustible energy, but it's not good to keep going like this."

Mu Qingzhou gave a soft "hmm," her eyelids slightly lowered, making it impossible to see the expression in her eyes.

Shi Anxu was naturally happy to have arranged such an important matter. In addition, the problem of the Qin Nian Peak barrier was also solved, which made Shi Anxu want to cook a feast to celebrate.

"Junior brother, go ahead and do whatever you need to do. I'm all done here. Also, I'll cook a nice meal tonight to celebrate. Let's meet in the courtyard tonight."

"good."

After replying, Mu Qingzhou turned and left the library.

Shi Anxu pondered what to make for dinner. During his years in the cultivation world, he had become enamored with peach blossom pastries, a local delicacy. He had to make some of those, and also…

Just as Shi Anxu finished thinking, he prepared to go and get the ingredients. However, just as he reached the entrance of the library, Jiang Linyu's message arrived in front of him.

He received the message, read its contents, and then hurriedly headed towards Yunxi Peak.

When Shi Anxu arrived, Jiang Linyu was leisurely drinking tea in his own hall. He walked over and sat down opposite Jiang Linyu.

Jiang Linyu straightened his sleeves and poured Shi Anxu a cup of tea, handing it to him. "Have a cup of tea first, and see how my cooking is."

Shi Anxu took the tea, sipped it, and his eyes lit up. "Good tea. It's slightly bitter at first, but sweet in the aftertaste. The person who brewed it is also a master."

Jiang Linyu then poured Shi Anxu another cup, saying, "Senior Brother Jiang is too kind. Please drink more if you like."

"Okay." Shi Anxu took a small sip and asked, "Has the organizer already sent the prizes?"

“Yes, I’ll go get the Fuyuan Grass for Senior Brother Shi,” Jiang Linyu replied.

Shi Anxu nodded. "Thank you."

A moment later, Jiang Linyu came over with a delicate little box and handed it to Shi Anxu, saying, "This is the Fuyuan Grass."

Shi Anxu held the small box in his hand, his fingertips gently stroking the box.

As expected of a box that can preserve divine herbs, the feel of it is different. It seems that there are wisps of spiritual energy flowing into the body through the fingertips. Just holding it is very comfortable.

At this moment, Jiang Linyu looked troubled and said, "Senior Brother Shi, I suddenly thought of some bad news. Do you want to hear it?"