Chapter 1315: Su Yuqing's Thoughts

The Wind Rises Across the Nine Provinces

"Three months ago..." Su Yuqing mused for a moment. "I'm not aware of this matter. For some time now, your Uncle-Master Chen Xuanhai has been in charge of supervision. If any outsiders intruded, he would have apprehended them. Let me ask him."

Since she was the senior sister of her own disciple's savior, she wasn't an outsider. If she was indeed held at Fangcun Mountain, releasing her directly wouldn't be an issue.

As she spoke, she flicked her finger, and a ray of spiritual light shot outwards.

"After all this talk, I forgot to ask: what's the name of that young man named Lu, and where is he from?" Su Yuqing asked. She was already preparing to meet Lu Ye, so naturally, she needed to inquire about his background.

Such a junior, upright in conduct, noble in character, possessing impressive abilities, and backed by an expert—he was bound to achieve great things in due time. As a master, Su Yuqing was pleased to see her disciple befriending such a person.

"His name is Lu Ye, and he's from the Nine Heavens Realm!"

"Lu Ye from the Nine Heavens Realm..." Su Yuqing nodded slightly. As she was pondering which realm the Nine Heavens Realm was, a feeling of familiarity suddenly arose in her heart. Her expression shifted immediately: "Lu Yiye from the Nine Heavens Realm?"

Haitang blinked, wondering why her master suddenly reacted so strongly, but she still corrected her: "Master, it's Lu Ye, not Lu Yiye."

As if she hadn't heard, Su Yuqing's divine sense surged once more, extending outwards.

At the same time, in the guest hall within the valley, Lu Ye frowned. What was going on? Just now, a Sun-tier divine sense had come to probe him, and now it was happening again. Was he suspected of being a thief here, or what?

He didn't know that Su Yuqing's previous probe was based on one consideration, while the current one was based on another. A moment later, the sensation of being probed disappeared.

In the main hall of Immortal Spirit Peak, Su Yuqing was almost certain that the Lu Ye from the Nine Heavens Realm, brought back by her disciple, was the junior she knew of.

Because his cultivation level matched!

Speaking of which, it was a coincidence that she knew of the name Lu Yiye from the Nine Heavens Realm. More than half a year ago, Fangcun Mountain passed near a top-tier realm. She had an old acquaintance among the powerful cultivators in that realm, so she went to visit for a few days. While chatting with that expert, the other party mentioned an interesting anecdote: the last Divine Sea competition of the Reincarnation Tree.

It was said that during that Divine Sea competition, a Divine Sea Eighth-Layer cultivator from the Nine Heavens Realm single-handedly swept through the Blood Race, completely eliminating all their Divine Sea-tier juniors who participated. Not only that, but even the Insect Race suffered greatly at his hands; though not to the point of complete extermination, it was very close.

Later, this Divine Sea Eighth-Layer junior, with a cultivation weaker than everyone else's, overpowered the monstrous talents from various top-tier realms, brutally killing a monstrous talent from the Stone Race. Even the rising star from the Yellow Dragon Realm dared not confront him directly. He ultimately claimed first place, astonishing everyone.

And that junior was Lu Yiye from the Nine Heavens Realm!

Currently, the Blood Race and the Insect Race have jointly issued a bounty in the starry sky: anyone who can kill Lu Yiye from the Nine Heavens Realm can claim his head and receive substantial rewards from both races. The generosity of these rewards is enough to tempt even Sun-tier cultivators.

It could be said that the Blood and Insect Races suffered a great loss and lost immense face in the Divine Sea competition because of Lu Yiye. Now, they are willing to pay any price to seek revenge.

For a Sun-tier powerhouse like Su Yuqing, such a contest among juniors was merely an interesting anecdote. When she heard it back then, although she was surprised by Lu Yiye's profound capabilities, she didn't pay much attention to it.

Throughout history, countless monstrous talents have emerged from various races. However, traversing the perilous starry sky, the more monstrous a cultivator is, the harder it is for them to grow. Ironically, it is often those who keep a low profile in their youth who eventually ascend to high positions.

She never would have imagined that the protagonist of that interesting anecdote she heard would actually come to Fangcun Mountain!

Although the name was different, the realm was the same, and the names only differed by one character. His cultivation level also matched, which was enough.

She also heard that the one who originally brought Lu Yiye to participate in the Divine Sea competition was an exceptionally powerful expert. That individual directly took out a nine-star treasure and threw it into the Reincarnation Tree's treasure pool, ultimately profiting immensely.

An expert who could casually produce a nine-star treasure naturally could not be underestimated. With such a formidable figure behind him, the secret art of the golden strange beast sealed within his blade could be explained; it must have come from that expert.

She didn't know, however, that while all her other deductions about Lu Ye were correct, the one about the seal in his blade was flawed—a fortunate coincidence, perhaps.

Just then, a streak of light swiftly darted in from outside; it was Chen Xuanhai's reply. The light landed in Su Yuqing's hand. After a brief check, she understood.

Haitang asked, "Master, is Junior Brother Lu's senior sister here at Fangcun Mountain?"

Su Yuqing glanced at her and nodded. "Yes, she is. Three months ago, she inadvertently intruded here and was apprehended by Chen Xuanhai." Haitang immediately grew anxious: "She wasn't injured, was she?" If she were injured, it would be difficult to explain to Junior Brother Lu.

"No, she wasn't injured," Su Yuqing shook her head. "You should know the rules of this realm: trespassers are merely sentenced to a hundred years of hard labor and do not receive any harsh treatment. That woman is currently mining a spiritual ore vein and even receives a monthly stipend."

Haitang immediately felt relieved. While Fangcun Mountain did apprehend trespassers, they certainly didn't mistreat them. As a top-tier realm, Fangcun Mountain naturally possessed various valuable mineral veins that required careful manual excavation. Those with lower cultivation couldn't do this work; Star-tier cultivators were best suited for it.

However, who among the Star-tier cultivators in this realm didn't need to cultivate? They didn't have much time for such miscellaneous tasks, so it was convenient to have intruders serve in this capacity.

However, Fangcun Mountain never went too far. While mining was indeed arduous, it came with a corresponding monthly stipend, effectively a compulsory employment relationship.

After a hundred years, they would regain their freedom.

It was precisely for this reason that even though Sun-tier powerhouses were constantly stationed at Fangcun Mountain, they never issued advance warnings to intruders. The guarding Sun-tier cultivators eagerly hoped for people to trespass and serve their labor; giving advance warnings would only scare people away early, offering no benefit.

"That's wonderful!" Haitang was delighted. She had been worried about something she couldn't explain to Lu Ye. Now, knowing that Junior Brother Lu's senior sister was safe and sound, she immediately relaxed and pleaded: "Master, can we get her out? Junior Brother Lu saved my life, and since she's his senior sister, she should be considered my guest. I should treat her with courtesy; it wouldn't be right to let her endure such hard labor."

That made sense. Before knowing Lu Ye's true identity, Su Yuqing wouldn't have minded fulfilling her disciple's request. It was simply a matter of getting one person out, and as one of only three Sun-tier cultivators in this realm, she had that authority.

However, after learning Lu Ye's true identity, Su Yuqing couldn't help but have more ideas.

It wasn't that she intended to kill him to claim the bounty from the Blood and Insect Races. These two major races were notorious in the starry sky, having coveted Fangcun Mountain for untold millennia. The Pixie Race had always been at odds with them; it would be good enough if they didn't actively sabotage these two races, let alone do something to please them.

Moreover, as a Sun-tier cultivator of a top-tier realm, Su Yuqing was not lacking in wealth from such bounties. She was considering something else entirely.

She carefully scrutinized the disciple before her. Hmm, she was exceptionally beautiful, with a graceful figure, a rare beauty wherever she went. Her own aptitude was also quite good; her future achievements wouldn't stop at the Star-tier. Moon-tier was the minimum, and whether she could advance to Sun-tier would depend on her own fortune.

Seemed feasible?

Her master remained silent but scrutinized her from head to toe. Haitang felt a little strange; was there something on her face?

After a good while, Su Yuqing finally said, "There's no problem with that woman. I'll just have a word with Chen Xuanhai later and tell him to release her."

Haitang was overjoyed: "Thank you, Master!" Su Yuqing beckoned: "Come here!"

Haitang quickly stepped forward and stood before Su Yuqing. Su Yuqing took her hand and softly asked, "What do you think of Lu Yiye?"

Haitang didn't know why her master asked that, but she honestly replied, "He's very good."

Su Yuqing asked again, "In the past few months you've spent with him, has he ever done anything disrespectful to you?"

"Never!" Haitang shook her head. "Junior Brother Lu is an upright person. Even his gaze towards me has never held any impropriety. How could he do anything disrespectful?"

"Then... do you think he's someone you could entrust yourself to?"

Haitang was startled for a moment. After careful consideration, she said, "If I truly had to choose someone to entrust my future to, Junior Brother Lu would indeed be a very good candidate. However, Master, there's nothing between Junior Brother Lu and me. For the past few months, I've been recovering from my injuries, and Junior Brother Lu has taken great care of me." She cautiously glanced at Su Yuqing. "Master, why are you suddenly asking these questions?"

Su Yuqing said, "The path of cultivation is long and arduous. People always need something to care about, so their hearts won't feel empty, and they can go further. That's why, even with successful cultivation, many choose a Dao companion—to support each other on the path of cultivation. You've been a Star-tier for quite some years now; it's time to choose a Dao companion."

Although she had some inkling, Haitang was still surprised when Su Yuqing said this: "Master, are you suggesting that Junior Brother Lu and I become Dao companions?"

"What do you think?"

"No, no, that won't do!" Haitang quickly waved her hands. "Junior Brother Lu doesn't have such intentions towards me. If Master brings it up rashly, it will surely put him in an awkward position."

Su Yuqing understood the unspoken meaning and smiled faintly: "In other words, you have no objections on your part."

Haitang blushed slightly: "I don't have that kind of romantic feeling for Junior Brother Lu. It's just that he saved my life. If he truly had such an idea, I... wouldn't refuse."

She felt a little strange inwardly. It wasn't that no one among the Pixie Race formed Dao companions, but it was usually within their own race. It was rare for them to form Dao companion bonds with outsiders. She wondered why her master suddenly had such an idea.