Chapter 36 Afu, the lives of all living beings hang on your shoulders.
Zhuang Jinfu lowered his voice and said, "She's still sleeping." Wang Lifu glanced at Ling Shu, who was fast asleep in her arms, and couldn't bear it either. He said, "Settle her in first. I have something to tell you."
Zhuang Jinfu nodded, carried Lingshu towards the Jinlu Palace, and Wang Lifu, wanting to see how the room she had arranged for Lingshu was, followed along.
Inside the Golden Thread Hall, in the very center stood a golden peacock incense burner, from which wisps of smoke drifted, exuding a rich and fragrant aroma. Wang Lifu asked Hai Gu, "You're burning such strong incense for her?" Hai Gu replied, "Miss Ling likes it, why are you asking so many questions?" Wang Lifu, with a stern face, said displeased, "From now on, she's not allowed to burn such strong incense. Too much incense is bad for her health."
Hai Gu rolled her eyes: "Now you know how to care about girls? Where were you before? I wonder who was shouting for violence all day long." Hai Gu imitated her, righteous and awe-inspiring yet like a clown: "I cannot let a great demon be born by my hand. I cannot betray the Shangqing Realm."
Wang Lifu: "..."
Hai Gu slapped her forehead with her palm and scolded, "You'd actually lay a hand on your own daughter! What are you pretending to be so righteous for? Wen Ji only has this one bloodline. If anything happens to Miss Ling, you'll be the first one I take action against." Wang Lifu's head was knocked back by the slap, but she didn't dare to fight back. She steadied herself and regained her dignified demeanor, saying only, "She's just an unruly person. She'll cause trouble sooner or later."
“Then you have fulfilled your responsibilities as a mother!” Hai Gu said.
"She doesn't listen to me."
Just as they finished speaking, Zhuang Jinfu came out of the hall, quietly closed the door, and walked over to ask, "What is it?"
Wang Lifu felt displeased upon seeing Zhuang Jinfu: "How did you discipline her? She's only nineteen, and she ran down the mountain to marry some savage. How can you be a master?!" Before Zhuang Jinfu could speak, Hai Gu retorted: "You know that Miss Ling is unruly, yet you still come to reprimand the Immortal Venerable?"
Wang Lifu said, "She got married at such a young age, which means her elders didn't teach her well. And since she ignores me, naturally whoever is raising her should teach her."
Seeing their posture, Zhuang Jinfu guessed that they would start arguing and it would go on forever, so he said to Haigu, "Haigu, please go and make some food. Lingshu will need to eat after she wakes up." Haigu naturally felt that eating was an important matter and that she couldn't let her young lady go hungry, so she went to do so.
The remaining two were Wang Lifu and Zhuang Jinfu, a master and disciple who had only met once in a long time. In fact, Zhuang Jinfu could have stopped calling her "Master," but he still remembered the kindness she had shown him in the past and treated her with some courtesy.
"What's up?"
Wang Lifu said earnestly, "I hope you recognize your responsibilities."
Zhuang Jinfu remained calm and said, "I know."
"You must never be involved in love in this life. You need to know how painful it is to never be able to reciprocate love. She is so young, she cannot bear it."
"Um."
"If you are ruthless and your Dao heart is damaged, when natural disasters strike, the calamities faced by the countless beings in the Shangqing Realm will be immeasurable."
“Ah Fu, the lives of all living beings hang on your shoulders. You should weigh the weight of each one carefully.”
"Um."
"Since you understand, why escalate things to this extent?"
"It was my fault."
"Explain to me first what's with her red wedding dress?!"
Ling Shu was asleep when a shiver woke her up. Opening her eyes, she saw a green gauze curtain and a brocade quilt embroidered with persimmon patterns. She smelled the familiar, rich scent of spices, though it was much fainter than usual. Feeling hungry, Ling Shu patted her stomach, threw off the covers, and got out of bed. Her clothes had already been changed. Just as she was about to go out to find something to eat, she heard two people talking at the door.
Zhuang Jinfu said, "It's my fault." Then came a warm, angry voice. Ling Shu wanted to see who had disrespected her master, so she pushed open the door and saw Wang Lifu. Her anger flared, "You dog! Get out!"
Wang Lifu: "..."
Ling Shu entered the house, grabbed a chair, and went straight for Wang Lifu. Wang Lifu stood still and smashed the chair. Ling Shu walked straight towards Zhuang Jinfu, casually pulled out the plum blossom hairpin from Zhuang Jinfu's waist, and brandished his sword: "You dog, get out of here! Don't you dare curse my master!"
Zhuang Jinfu stared blankly at the empty scabbard.
No one can pluck the plum blossom's whiskers without her permission as its master, unless... the sword spirit approves.
incredible.
Ling Shu chased after Wang Lifu with her sword, slashing at him. As Wang Lifu ran, he protested, "I'm here to discuss serious matters!"
"What important business could you possibly have!" The sharp blade was aimed at Wang Lifu's back, and with a downward slash, a lock of hair was severed. When it tried to strike again, the sword stopped moving, then the blade was shaken, flew out of his hand, and returned to its sheath.
Wang Lifu, having been rescued, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm here to ask you, are you willing to join the Council of Elders?"
Ling Shu was completely baffled. Was she trying to make amends? Ling Shu put her hands on her hips and looked her up and down, saying, "Trying to control me through the Elders' Council? You dog, you're definitely up to no good."
Wang Lifu: "Stop calling me a dog! I'm your mother!"
"I don't acknowledge it."
Zhuang Jinfu walked over and said, "Shanji is dead, and the position of elder of the Danmai sect is vacant. If we don't fill the vacancy, the aristocratic families will definitely send their own people in. You are born with a thousand-year-old demon core, which is the best heaven-level inner core in the world. Although you are not qualified enough, you are qualified enough."
When Zhuang Jinfu spoke, Ling Shu was willing to consider it, since entering the Elders' Council was the only way to formally enter the arena of power that they were dealing with. Just as she was about to agree, Zhuang Jinfu added, "However, the Elders' Council isn't something you can just enter at will. You have to go through the Tongxuan Secret Realm and obtain the seal of the Realm Master to formally enter the Elders' Council."
“Go ahead,” Ling Shu said casually.
Zhuang Jinfu said seriously, "This matter is not to be taken lightly. The Tongxuan Secret Realm is a secret realm formed by heaven and earth. It is not bound by the rules of the Shangqing Realm and is a chaotic field. Since ancient times, cultivators have entered the Tongxuan Secret Realm for rare treasures, but few have come out. No one without the cultivation of the late Nascent Soul stage should venture in recklessly."
Ling Shu spread his hands and said, "Isn't that pointless? I'm only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, each level is divided into early, middle, and late stages. I still have eight more floors to climb. When will I ever reach them?"
Wang Lifu smiled easily and said, "Just let the Immortal Venerable accompany you."
Zhuang Jinfu knew she was waiting for her here and wanted to pull her into the game.
When Ling Shu looked at her with her bright eyes, she softened and said after a while, "Okay."
"You're actually willing to join the game?!" Wang Lifu exclaimed in surprise.
“But I don’t want to go,” Ling Shu said. She didn’t want to trouble her anymore.
Wang Lifu said helplessly, "Fine." Zhuang Jinfu remained silent.
The following day was Wang Lifu's birthday celebration, which had been postponed for several days.
When Zhuang Jinfu went out, she didn't call Ling Shu. But the moment she stepped out of the palace gate, Ling Shu, dressed up, ran up from behind and said sweetly, "Master, I'm going too."
"You should not show your face."
"I'm going."
Zhuang Jinfu assumed that Ling Shu went because she was worried about her mother, but in reality, Ling Shu wanted to meet the person behind the scenes. She rarely had the opportunity to meet such a person, and only in such a grand setting could she have the chance to see them. The enemy was in the dark while she was in the light, and she wanted to see what kind of person killed her.
The Huoyun Palace was bustling with activity. A red carpet covered the area in front of the palace. Attendants at the palace gates noted down the gifts and announced the names of the gift-givers. When it was Zhuang Jinfu's turn, she handed over the gift box with her delicate hands. The attendant opened it, noted down the name, and announced: "Immortal Venerable Qingxi presents—a painting of 'Two Cranes by a Pine Stream' by Quanqi!"
Ling Shu was stunned. How could it be a painting? Do they use cold iron for painting? Could it be paint? Ling Shu couldn't figure it out, so she followed Zhuang Jinfu inside.
The Immortal Venerable held a high position and sat facing east, while Ling Shu, taking advantage of the situation, sat behind her.
As soon as Ling Shu sat down, she felt several gazes fall on her. There was a plate of shrimp dumplings on the table next to her. Ling Shu saw it at a glance, smacked her lips, and couldn't help but lick her lips.
Then a plate of shrimp dumplings was placed in front of her. The sleeve of that hand was embroidered with white plum blossoms, the stitches were fine and dense, the silk thread was lustrous, and the material was of good quality. Following the hand, one could see a calm and clear face: "I don't like it, you can eat it."
Ling Shu smiled and said, "Thank you, Master." The girl next to her, with her sharp eyes, said familiarly, "You like it? You can have mine too!"
Ling Shu chewed and chewed. What? Shouldn't the normal procedure be to roll her eyes at her and then mock her for being a demon?
"I heard you killed Shanji," a pretty female cultivator leaned closer and whispered, "Well done! This kind of heartless elder who exploits his disciples, makes them work illegally, and sells their spiritual roots to evil cultivators at high prices should have died long ago!"
"You are simply the pride of the Shangqing sect!"
Ling Shu chuckled twice, surprised by the effect.
As they spoke, they heard a servant announce: "Li Xinzhi, Vice Chairman of the Elders' Council, presents—a pot of red coral from the Kunlun Sea!" The surname Li is rare; people with the surname Li are usually from the prestigious Li family.
At the entrance, a woman dressed in a dark green dress was helped in. She coughed lightly a few times while clutching her chest. She was thin and moved with the fragility of a willow in the wind. Li Chang followed beside her, supporting her, and they arrived at a seat one seat below her.
Li Xinzhi sat down slowly. The attendant beside her took out a medicine bottle and poured out a handful of small black pills. Li Chang poured water, and Li Xinzhi tilted her head back and swallowed them in one gulp. The attendant patted her back, and after she calmed down, she turned her head and gently gestured to Zhuang Jinfu, then looked at Ling Shu and said, "This must be the Immortal Venerable's new disciple? What a beautiful young lady."
Ling Shu couldn't laugh at all, and Zhuang Jin replied, "Yes."
Li Xinzhi smiled and patted Li Chang's head, saying, "If only my daughter were half as pretty as Miss Ling."
Li Chang pouted and said, "Mother! How can you belittle your own daughter and praise someone else in front of outsiders? Can't you just say one good thing about me?"
Li Xinzhi chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, Mother will do as you say."
After Li Xinzhi took his seat, all the other guests had arrived. Wang Lifu walked into the hall and thanked everyone for coming. After he finished speaking, he said, "Please enjoy the song and dance." Just then, Li Xinzhi spoke.
With her weak body and low, hoarse voice, she said, "Our Shangqing Sect is famous for the Shangqing Sword Technique. Among the many elders and disciples, the Immortal Venerable is the best at it. As a direct disciple, Miss Ling must have received instruction from a master. Why not take this opportunity to demonstrate your swordsmanship for everyone and let everyone witness the style of the direct disciple of the First Immortal Venerable?"
"Great!" Someone started clapping, "Let's have one!"
Ling Shu felt like she was sitting on pins and needles; she hadn't learned the Shangqing Sword Technique at all.
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