Chapter 70: Fifteenth Day

After winter began, the weather grew colder. The next few days passed peacefully.

Ning Changjiu woke up early each day for meditation and a bit of cultivation. Then he would go downstairs to read. When Ning Xiaoling returned from her studies, he would teach her to read.

Passing through the corridor, he often encountered Lu Yuanbai, who was responsible for overseeing this half of the wing. The other half was temporarily managed by Yazhu.

They claimed it was to manage young cultivators and prevent mishaps, but in reality, it was a very leisurely job. The difference was that Yazhu continued her daily sword practice and cultivation, while Lu Yuanbai, as Yazhu's senior martial brother, seemed to have given up on himself a bit.

Ning Changjiu could probably understand his feelings. After all, as an elder, he remained stuck at the middle stage of the Immortal Connection Realm, unable to progress. He watched as the young men and women living on Inner Peak, a decade or two younger than him, caught up to and even surpassed him one by one. Such bitterness was sometimes hard to swallow without a few pints of wine.

Therefore, Ning Changjiu would sometimes chat casually with him, offering a bit of emotional solace.

Lu Yuanbai, seeing Ning Changjiu persist in coming downstairs to read every day, though uncertain how much he absorbed, figured him to be a diligent young man. Most importantly, he knew this young man had ordinary talent, and even if he read for another ten years, his cultivation would at most reach the Upper Profound Realm, certainly not surpassing his own. This sparked a sense of "mutual appreciation," and his attitude improved.

The old man in the library also spent his days lying there, supposedly reading. In reality, often the book was held upside down.

Ning Changjiu noticed that the old man often got up and wandered through the vast collection of books, his gaze constantly sweeping over the spines, as if searching for something.

Occasionally, they would meet, but since they didn't know each other, they simply passed by without any interaction.

He could see the old man's decrepitude, a weariness that spoke of approaching twilight years. Even that last wisp of vitality seemed to be fading to almost nothing.

Ning Changjiu always felt the old man didn't have much time left, as if he might die the next day.

Yet, every day he came to the library, the old man was still alive. Day after day, for dozens of consecutive days, it remained so.

This somewhat exceeded his expectations, leaving only one possible explanation.

One day, when Ning Changjiu encountered the old man again in the library, he stopped and said, "You are a master."

The old man wore an ancient yellow robe with dark blue trim at the cuffs, adorned with subtle patterns of wheat ears. A golden crown sat on his head, and his beard and hair were completely white, with long eyebrows drooping down. His drooping eyelids lifted slightly, and a pair of lifeless eyes glanced at Ning Changjiu. With a faint chuckle, his body shifted slightly.

"Young man, to say such a thing, you must be quite remarkable yourself." It was unclear whether the remark was a taunt or a compliment. After speaking, the old man continued to walk forward.

Ning Changjiu said nothing more and continued to search for books.

Books describing the physical structures of cultivators and ordinary people were not considered secrets and were mostly placed on lower shelves, so there was no need to use spiritual energy to retrieve them from afar.

Through his extensive reading over the past few days, he discovered that many of the books here contained errors, especially concerning the differences between the Violet Palace and the Qi Sea of Longevity. However, he reasoned that most of the authors had likely never reached the Violet Palace themselves, basing their writings on speculation and imagination, so errors were understandable.

By the fifteenth day, he had finished reading all the foundational cultivation books in the library, even those unorthodox and unconventional methods.

This world was the same as his previous one, and the methods of cultivation varied only slightly between sects.

Since he had read all the texts and still found no solution, there was naturally no need to continue reading.

Ning Changjiu left the library and walked towards the staircase.

Lu Yuanbai sat at the entrance of the sword chamber, legs crossed, watching him. He was used to Ning Changjiu reading daily, but seeing him come out so early was a first.

With a hint of schadenfreude, he asked, "What's wrong? Can't keep up the act? Weren't you trying to impress that Grand-Uncle in the library with your daily reading and diligent facade? Giving up after just half a month?"

Although he had gained almost nothing in fifteen days, Ning Changjiu wasn't in a bad mood. He said, "Yes, I don't want to waste any more time."

Lu Yuanbai nodded in satisfaction and chuckled, "I thought so too. You can comfortably teach your junior sister to read and write; being a small tutor isn't a bad idea. When your junior sister becomes famous, you'll also have a place on Tianku Peak. But let me give you a piece of advice: don't teach too quickly. You should deliberately slow down. Your junior sister's age is the easiest to trick; if you don't tie her down now, you won't get another chance later."

Hearing his words, Ning Changjiu couldn't help but recall the four characters for "eternal devotion." He mused that his problem was precisely being tied down too tightly; he felt a bit uncomfortable spending time with his junior sister every day now.

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Lu. This junior has learned a great deal," Ning Changjiu said with a smile.

Lu Yuanbai sneered, a slight smirk on his face. "Are you humoring me again? Don't be too confident. It would be quite amusing if that exceptionally talented girl were to abandon you after using you."

Ning Changjiu pondered for a moment, then retorted, "Uncle Lu, you seem to have a deep resentment towards the phrase 'abandoned after being used,' don't you?"

Lu Yuanbai's expression froze, and his hand instinctively clenched inside his sleeve. His eye twitched almost imperceptibly, then he quickly regained his composure. He snapped, "I, Lu Yuanbai, have been an unparalleled swordsman and a dashing figure my whole life! If any woman in this world were to gain my favor, she'd be too weak in the knees to walk! If you've heard any rumors, don't believe them; they're all fabrications from people jealous of my talent and good looks."

Ning Changjiu narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "I haven't heard any rumors, but hearing you say that, I'll definitely keep an eye out in the future."

Lu Yuanbai's eyes widened in anger. "Don't push your luck, junior! It's only because I, your uncle, am approachable. If you spoke like that to Junior Sister Lu Jiajia, you would have been disciplined by the sect rules long ago!"

Ning Changjiu paused, then asked, "Lu Jia... er, is Master so fierce?"

Lu Yuanbai thought to himself that this outer sect disciple, even after entering Inner Peak, was rarely seen going out, let alone having the chance to meet Lu Jiajia, who was now the revered peak master.

"Junior Sister Lu, she wasn't like this before. When she first entered the sect back then, she was so well-behaved, calling everyone 'senior brother' and 'senior sister.' It's just a pity..." Lu Yuanbai's expression showed sorrow. "Women, once their cultivation reaches a high realm, they become colder and colder, like a bowl of hot water left outside. Because the environment is too cold, it slowly cools down, then chills, and finally freezes. It's often said that beautiful women are aloof and untouchable, and even more so for beauties with excellent sword skills and high cultivation. So, I've always advised you, hold onto your junior sister tightly, keep that cup warm, don't let this warm water freeze."

Ning Changjiu nodded slightly. He could certainly understand Lu Jiajia; at just over twenty, entrusted with such a significant responsibility, the mental pressure and the burden of maintaining the image of an acting peak master were naturally immense. Deliberately appearing cold and unapproachable was necessary. And having spent a few days with Lu Jiajia while in the imperial city, he knew that her coldness was merely a facade.

Ning Changjiu displayed a look of sudden understanding and respectfully said, "Your words, Uncle, are golden; this junior is enlightened."

Seeing his sincere expression, Lu Yuanbai nodded in satisfaction.

Ning Changjiu suddenly remembered something. He pointed downwards and asked, "That Grand-Uncle should be an extraordinary figure with a very high cultivation realm. Why does he now seem to be self-imprisoned in the library, in a daze all day? What is he trying to achieve?"

Lu Yuanbai sighed and said, "Uncle Yan Zhou has been here for over twenty years... When I first joined the sect, he was already in charge of the Inner Peak library, and he still is. There are many rumors about him, but as an outer sect disciple, you shouldn't inquire too much."

Ning Changjiu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does he have a grudge against the Sect Master?"

Lu Yuanbai's expression was strange. He rubbed his chin and chuckled, "Where did you hear that rumor from?"

"I guessed," Ning Changjiu replied. "If he didn't have a conflict with the Sect Master, how would Master Lu be the acting Peak Master of Tianku Peak today?"

Lu Yuanbai thought for a while and said, "There are many conflicting stories about the past, but the most prevalent rumor is that Grand-Uncle Yan Zhou lost a precious treasure of this lineage and was therefore punished to be here."

"A precious treasure?" Ning Changjiu asked. "How heavy?"

Lu Yuanbai rolled his eyes. "At least thirty thousand jin."

Ning Changjiu chuckled, "That's certainly not light."

Lu Yuanbai asked, "With so many problems of your own, do you still have the leisure to gossip about others?"

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly, "Just looking at others' misfortunes to find some psychological comfort. As the saying goes, 'The stones from other hills may be used to polish one's own jade,' right?"

Lu Yuanbai stared at him, marveling. He chuckled, "Can that phrase be used like that? The more I look at you, young man, the more I find you spirited. I even feel sorry for you."

"And I feel quite sorry that you, Uncle, are spending all your days here idle at such an old age," Ning Changjiu said.

Lu Yuanbai immediately stopped smiling and retorted angrily, "I'm not even forty yet! Among cultivators, I'm a young prodigy! How can you call that 'an old age'?"

"Junior Sister." Ning Changjiu sat quietly in his room until night fell, when a knock came at the door. "Why are you so late today?"

Ning Xiaoling replied, "Sister Jiajia told me some things today."

Ning Changjiu asked, "What things?"

Ning Xiaoling sat down beside him, tugging at his sleeve. "Master said that although Xiaoling is exceptionally talented and learns characters very quickly, there's still a significant gap before she can freely read sword technique scriptures. There shouldn't be any gaps in between, so how about your senior brother comes to the sword hall with you from now on, to read and explain the contents of those sword scriptures?"

This meant she wanted him to be her reading companion.

After speaking, Ning Xiaoling looked at him with wide, expectant eyes, charming and delicate.