Chapter 57: Was Arranged

“Senior, why are you here?”

Xu Xiaoshou tried to calm down and explained, “I didn’t damage any ancient books, jade slips, or anything like that, and I didn’t touch the boxes...”

“No need to be afraid; I won’t do anything to you.” Sang Lao smiled warmly. “Those two guys were just incidental; I’m really here for you.”

Xu Xiaoshou panicked even more. He’d rather this old man was here to punish him than appear with some hidden agenda!

Last time, he’d been left half-dead; this time...

What good could possibly come of it?

“What spiritual technique did you choose? Let me see.” Sang Lao extended his hand.

Xu Xiaoshou, unsure what the old man was up to, pulled a damaged scroll from his robe.

“Ten Segments Sword Finger?”

Sang Lao took the scroll and frowned. “This thing’s in such bad shape, and you still chose it? Forget about ten segments—you’d be lucky to master even one!”

As he spoke, he put the scroll away, and with a flick of his hand, an exquisite jade slip appeared.

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

What’s going on? What’s this old man planning now?

Give me back the scroll!

“Impressive, right?” Sang Lao chuckled.

Xu Xiaoshou had a bad feeling, but what could he do? He just nodded.

“Good, I’m glad you like it. This is specially made for you—here, take it!” Sang Lao shoved the jade slip into his hand and tilted his chin. “Go on, have a look?”

I don’t want to look!

I want the scroll!

“It’s really nice.” Xu Xiaoshou forced a smile and pressed the jade slip to his forehead, giving it a quick mental scan.

“Embers Illumination Heaven Burn?”

His heart sank at the familiar words...

Embers Illumination?

He didn’t believe for a second that this had nothing to do with the “Embers Illumination Fire Seed” he’d swallowed before!

Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t keep up the pretense any longer. He handed the jade slip back and said, “Senior, you’re overestimating me. My aptitude is genuinely poor—I’ve only mastered one move of the ‘White Cloud Sword Technique’ after three years. I probably can’t learn this.”

Sang Lao waved it off casually. “Doesn’t matter. Learning this doesn’t require aptitude. As long as your body is tough enough to handle the scorching power of the ‘Embers Illumination Fire Seed,’ you’re all set.”

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly deflated. The problem is, I don’t want to handle it!

I have a passive system—who needs this suffering?

Isn’t it better to slowly accumulate passive points? Cultivating this would be a nightmare—one misstep and I’d be burned to ash!

Sang Lao pushed the jade slip back into his hand and grasped it to check.

“Hmm, you’ve refined the first one quite well—it’s already halfway done. I knew I had the right person!”

He turned his palm over, revealing a familiar red seed, hot and searing, and stuffed it straight into Xu Xiaoshou’s hand.

“When you leave, just register this spiritual technique and focus on cultivating it. Once you’ve succeeded, come back here and find me.”

As if!

I never want to see you again!

Xu Xiaoshou’s heart pounded painfully; that dreadful agony seemed to return with the heat from the fire seed in his hand.

He decided life couldn’t just be about enduring—it was time to fight back.

“Senior, I don’t want to take this...”

Whoosh!

Sang Lao flicked his finger, and another fire seed shot into Xu Xiaoshou’s throat with a gulp as it went down.

“You don’t want this one? Save it for later. Let’s do the other one.” The old man squinted with a smile, his tone gentle.

He pulled out a jade bottle, carefully placed the fire seed from Xu Xiaoshou’s hand inside, and handed it over. “No rush—take your time with it.”

Xu Xiaoshou staggered and collapsed to the ground, his face draining of color.

That’s not what I meant!

I don’t want any of them!

He was completely taken aback by this unexpected move; this old man had zero elder dignity—it was infuriating.

As soon as the fire seed hit his stomach, Xu Xiaoshou didn’t dare mess around and quickly suspended it in his dantian to stabilize it.

His body heat skyrocketed, turning him red all over.

Xu Xiaoshou leaned against the bookshelf, steam rising from him, as the familiar intense pain returned, nearly driving him insane.

“Under attack, passive points +1.”

“Under attack, passive points +1.”

“...”

Xu Xiaoshou knew a huge influx of passive points was coming, but he couldn’t muster any joy.

This was the cost of pain!

No—agony!

And if he started refining it, it would be agony on top of agony!

Wasn’t I just here at the Ling Zang Ge to choose a spiritual technique? How did this happen...

Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes glazed over, his spirit utterly shattered.

Sang Lao paid no mind and smoothly pulled out ten bottles of pills, setting them in front of him, which made Xu Xiaoshou’s face twitch.

Chi Jin Dan?

Ten bottles?

So that’s the plan...

He felt his fate was sealed.

“Hang in there, and the path ahead will be wide open—trust me!” The old man scratched his head, thought for a moment, then set down another bottle of pills.

“Keep at it!”

“Once you’ve cultivated successfully, remember to come find me here.” With that, he vanished.

“Encouraged, passive points +1.”

Xu Xiaoshou sat there blankly, feeling life had lost all meaning.

Why?

He’d fought tooth and nail to win the championship, yet couldn’t enter the Nei Yuan?

Finally, he got another chance at the Ling Zang Ge to pick a spiritual technique, only to be forced into this mess?

Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t make sense of it; he felt the world harbored a deep grudge against him.

“Forget it—just let it be...”

He mechanically registered the spiritual technique and left the Ling Zang Ge.

...

In the Nei Yuan.

At a certain Ling Zhi site.

“Gurgle, gurgle~”

The spirit silver jade pot was boiling steadily.

Lan Xinz retracted the blue flame from her hand, lifted the lid, and a rich wine aroma wafted out.

She poured two cups, cradled them in her delicate hands, and with graceful steps, approached the man cultivating nearby with his eyes closed.

“Zhang Xinxiong, this is the ‘Zhu Xian Niang’ just sent by the family head—care to try it?” she asked tentatively.

Zhang Xinxiong opened his eyes, ending his cultivation, and looked at the woman before him.

There was no denying Lan Xinz was a breathtaking beauty.

Dressed in a flowing gown like an immortal, with her shoulders subtly exposed and only light makeup, she could outshine a garden of flowers.

“Your clothes are slipping—fix them.”

“It’s not slipping; this is how it’s worn...”

Lan Xinz suddenly flashed a sly smile. “I’m holding two cups right now and can’t adjust it—why don’t you help me out?”

Zhang Xinxiong simply reached over, snatched a cup, and drained it in one go. “Handle it yourself.”

Lan Xinz rolled her eyes at him but didn’t move otherwise. She leaned down to pour him more wine and whispered in his ear, “There’s news from home again.”

“Speak properly!” Zhang Xinxiong turned his head away, frowning. “What is it now?”

“It’s still about your Ah Chong being killed—did you really think you could hide it?”

Lan Xinz lazily stretched, showcasing her curves fully in front of the man, and went on, “The Wen family got wind of it over the past couple of days and is losing their minds, but they have no connections in the Ling Gong, so they had to tell Madam Wen.”

“Your second mother, that is. She just needs to whisper in your father’s ear, and the word gets through.” She gently blew on the wine in her cup, her enchanting eyes glancing sideways at him with a seductive gaze.

Zhang Xinxiong snorted. “What does the Wen family’s business have to do with me?”

“But he’s your cousin!”

“A useless fool who lost fair and square.”

“...”

Lan Xinz was at a loss for words.