Chapter 4: Shen Tang

Sheng Yuanyao thought she hadn't caught Lu Xingzhou after coming down the mountain and was still wondering how the little Daoist boy could push a wheelchair so fast... Actually, Lu Xingzhou was still halfway down the mountain at this time; Sheng Yuanyao had rushed past her.

Halfway down the mountain, the master and disciple saw a fork in the road leading to a mountain cliff. A woman sat alone in a wheelchair, quietly lost in thought as she gazed at the distant setting sun.

Her posture was desolate and melancholy, and the wheelchair was very close to the edge of the cliff, looking like it could fall off at any moment.

The little Daoist boy walked slower and slower, turning his head back to look at the woman's back with every step.

Lu Xingzhou's face was expressionless: "What now?"

The little Daoist boy's chubby face twitched: "Master, that sister isn't thinking of killing herself, is she?"

Lu Xingzhou turned her head to look. From behind, the woman did indeed look like she had no love for life, but Lu Xingzhou still said: "What's it to you?"

The little Daoist boy pleaded: "She's in a wheelchair, and she's alone, she's so pitiful..."

"So you've always thought Master was very pitiful?"

The little Daoist boy patted his chest: "Master isn't alone, Master has me!"

"Precisely because I have a little thing like you, Master is pitiful."

The little Daoist boy stopped patting his chest, his expression extremely aggrieved.

Lu Xingzhou saw his cute appearance and wanted to laugh, but in the end, she didn't say anything against his suggestion. The little Daoist boy then understood her meaning and happily pushed the wheelchair and dashed over.

Shen Tang sat at the edge of the cliff, quietly looking at the light clouds in the sky, seemingly lost in thought. A cold voice transmission, she didn't know where it came from, quietly entered her ear: "Bai Chi has become the chief alchemist of Danxia Gang, and the former chief alchemist Lu Xingzhou has been expelled. Shall we kill Bai Chi on the spot?"

Shen Tang's lips moved slightly, seemingly silent, but actually, the sound carried far: "What about that Lu Xingzhou?"

"Her cultivation is ordinary, and she has a disability, but she seems to have a secret. As for her alchemy level, it doesn't seem to be much different from Bai Chi's."

Shen Tang pondered for a moment: "Let's not consider killing for now. You and I have just arrived in Xia State, so it's not suitable to make too much noise, and it wouldn't be good for Yuanyao either."

She stopped the exchange here, as she already sensed people approaching from behind.

Soon, she heard a man's gentle voice: "Girl, would you mind moving aside? You're blocking my way."

Shen Tang turned back and looked, focusing on the wheelchair and Lu Xingzhou's very long legs, feeling quite amused: "This is a mountain cliff, where is there a road to go? You're not implying that I'm blocking your way to seeking a quick death, are you?"

"Yes." Lu Xingzhou said: "Want to queue? Girl first. I'll jump down after you, and instead, we can merge with beauty and not distinguish each other, quite a gain."

Shen Tang was slightly stunned, her gaze falling again on the little Daoist boy's face peeking out from behind the wheelchair. The little Daoist boy blinked his eyes, looking sympathetic.

Shen Tang found it funny in her heart. This master and disciple seemed to have misunderstood something... Lu Xingzhou's words sounded like teasing, but upon closer thought, they were subtly preventing her from jumping off the cliff.

He himself had just been expelled, yet he had such a good heart to meddle in idle matters.

Thinking of this, Shen Tang's eyes shifted slightly, and she lightly laughed: "Then why are you seeking a quick death? Is it because you were expelled from Danxia Gang like a stray dog, and your heart is as dead as ashes?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "You know?"

"Because I came following behind Bai Chi, and now he's stayed behind, and you've come out. As for your identity, isn't a wheelchair too easy to recognize?"

"Then what about the girl? At such a good age, why are you like this?"

Shen Tang also sighed: "Because I painstakingly hired the alchemist Bai Chi, and as soon as I arrived in Xia State, he was poached. Do you think me jumping down here could cause trouble for Danxia Gang?"

The two paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled at the same time.

Their encounters in this matter were strongly related, and unexpectedly, both were in wheelchairs, which was quite fated.

Lu Xingzhou also realized her initial misunderstanding. This woman looked desolate, but she definitely hadn't come to jump off the cliff. She probably came here originally to try to get Bai Chi back or for some other reason. By rights, she should also have had an attendant to push the wheelchair, but for some unknown reason, the attendant was temporarily absent, and she was just waiting here.

"If your attendant isn't present, sitting in a wheelchair so close to the edge of the cliff is very dangerous. If you slide down, you won't have time to regret it." Lu Xingzhou made a hand signal to the little Daoist boy.

The little Daoist boy ran over with a thud. Seeing that the other party didn't prevent him from approaching, he was immediately happy and pulled the wheelchair back a few feet, then turned it around, exactly facing Lu Xingzhou.

Before she turned around to talk, she could only see her side profile. Now, facing each other, Lu Xingzhou discovered that this woman was truly beautiful.

She wore no makeup, yet it couldn't hide her painted-like eyebrows and eyes, and her skin was like condensed fat. Although she was in a wheelchair, she smiled slightly at this time, appearing gentle and dignified. Her first impression made people feel very comfortable. In terms of elegance, not to mention the gang's precious daughter Liu Yaner, even Sheng Yuanyao, who came from a quite prominent background in the capital, seemed to be a level weaker in comparison.

The sun had gradually set, and the sky was filled with light clouds, reflecting on the woman's body, adding three points of mysterious and ethereal meaning, like a goddess descending to the mortal world.

Shen Tang was also sizing up Lu Xingzhou, secretly calling it strange in her heart. Both were in wheelchairs, both had the demeanor of a young master or a precious daughter from an aristocratic family. The two could almost see a gender-swapped version of themselves in the other person.

The little Daoist boy praised: "Sister is so beautiful..."

Lu Xingzhou lost her laugh: "You call everyone beautiful. You just called Sheng Yuanyao a beautiful sister too."

The little Daoist boy muttered: "She is indeed very beautiful..."

Shen Tang smiled slightly: "Little sister, you will be more beautiful than anyone later."

The little Daoist boy happily said: "Really? Master dislikes me because I'm fat."

Shen Tang: "..."

Lu Xingzhou was too lazy to argue with him and said to Shen Tang: "There are not many eighth-grade upper-level alchemists in Xia State, but there are many like cattle hair outside. It's not a big deal to have a Bai Chi poached. Girl, there's no need to be too entangled. Alright, I see the girl isn't the type to seek a quick death. I misunderstood earlier, that's all for this part."

The little Daoist boy reluctantly pushed the wheelchair, taking a long time to turn back.

This sister is so beautiful and gentle!

Shen Tang laughed: "I thought you would recommend yourself."

"Why would you think so?"

"Isn't it good? Danxia Gang poached Bai Chi from me and expelled you. You come to me to make a career, suppress Danxia Gang, and make them regret it immensely, isn't that fast?"

"There are many ways to get revenge. Making people feel they lost you and regret it is something only women like to use."

Shen Tang was stunned for a moment, not knowing what she was thinking, and pondered without speaking.

"Even if you only want to make people regret, there are many ways, and you don't necessarily have to bet on your own future." Lu Xingzhou smiled: "So if the girl sincerely invites me, I hope to talk about more practical things. For example, talk about the current situation of your side, your goals, and the treatment you'll give me. Up to now, I don't even know the girl's name, so why would I think I would recommend myself to a force I completely don't understand?"

"I was abrupt." Shen Tang sized Lu Xingzhou up and down: "Your esteemed self... Doesn't seem like a youth."

"No way." Lu Xingzhou turned her head and reached out to pinch her little Daoist boy's face, laughing very gently: "After all, I'm a man who needs to support his family, so I don't have the qualifications to act on impulse."

The little Daoist boy rubbed his face resentfully: "You clearly dislike me for being fat."

Shen Tang found it amusing to watch, but quickly restrained herself, her expression regaining the desolation she had shown at the beginning. She said in a low voice: "My name is Shen Tang, and I was originally the young master of Tianxing Sword Sect in Yong State. A month ago, this sect offended someone and suffered heavy casualties, even my Master... Only I remain to lead the remnants to move to Xia State, using the name of an external merchant."

"Why choose Xia State?"

"It's both a remote place to avoid enemies and has not bad medical conditions to try and cure my legs. There aren't many places to choose from."

"So you trust me and aren't afraid I'll spread the word?"

"We sincerely invite Mister Lu, so we can't even deceive him about our origins." Shen Tang smiled: "I believe Mister Lu also has no need to sell me out."

Lu Xingzhou didn't comment, staring at her legs for a while: "Your legs were broken in a previous fight?"

"Yes." Shen Tang said calmly: "From the perspective of sect development, a Sword Sect like ours lacks alchemy talents, which is a bias. Hence, we are seeking... You are not wrong to worry, we are stray dogs, and external guests. Our conditions are very different from Danxia Gang's. If you are not willing to come, we cannot blame you, we can only say it's not fated. If you are willing to come, I am willing to pay double the remuneration Danxia Gang gave you and appoint you as the Master of the Alchemy Hall, giving you full authority over matters related to alchemy."

These conditions were quite good. Why didn't Lu Xingzhou hold the title of Hall Master in Danxia Gang, only chief alchemist? Because the Master of the Alchemy Hall was actually Liu Yaner, even though she didn't manage affairs. After all, a Hall Master is a high-level position in a sect, and it cannot be casually given to an outsider. There must be a period of examination, and Liu Qingcang's practice was not to be blamed. This Shen Tang directly offered this position, which was very sincere.

However, Lu Xingzhou didn't buy it: "Your esteemed sect has a strong enemy outside, and the situation is unpredictable... Forgive me for bringing my child, I cannot stand under a dangerous wall. Even if you give me a sect master position, it's meaningless."

Shen Tang sighed, nodded, and only said towards the mountain path: "Qing Li, let's go back."

A figure flashed, and a white-clothed girl appeared beside her, expressionlessly supporting the wheelchair and directly pushing past Lu Xingzhou and the master and disciple, not even looking at Lu Xingzhou.

Lu Xingzhou blinked her eyes. The master and disciple synchronously turned their heads, their gaze following Qing Li's turn.

The girl had a head of white hair, slightly blue pupils, and skin whiter than snow, cold and unparalleled. She had been born and raised for nineteen years and had seen many demons and monsters, yet it was the first time she had seen such a two-dimensional person in this world!

Shen Tang explained to Lu Xingzhou somewhat apologetically: "Qing Li has a cold nature. Please don't mind her rudeness, Mister Lu."

Lu Xingzhou stared at Qing Li for a long time, then suddenly said: "Listening to your meaning, you've just arrived, so do you have a place to stay?"

Shen Tang was stunned for a moment: "We are temporarily residing in an inn and are in the process of seeking a suitable place."

Lu Xingzhou revealed a neat row of eight teeth: "Joining your esteemed sect isn't too convenient... But I can be a landlord for your esteemed sect, how does that sound?"

The two women and one little Daoist boy looked at Lu Xingzhou with very strange gazes.

Even being a landlord means standing under a dangerous wall... If this were put into a storyteller's story, you wouldn't be called looking down on the young lady, but looking on the maid?