Five days after the Qualification Assessnt, an old man led a child to the southern entrance of Sanglu Valley.
He clutched a letter stamped with the “Qing” insignia.
“Elder, will this be our new ho?”
The ten-year-old boy stood on tiptoes, peering into the valley with sharp eyes.
“Yes. From now on, our Lv Family will live here under the main family’s protection.”
The elderly man’s face bore deep wrinkles carved by ti.
Though his sunken eyes carried lingering exhaustion, a quiet relief softened his gaze as he held the letter.
“At least our family has found shelter,” he thought.
His na was Lv Lianshun, Elder of the Qinghe Lv Family.
A fourth-level Gathering Qi cultivator aged eighty-seven.
Once, the Lv Family thrived in Qinghe with three cultivators.
But his brother Lv Lianping had been sent east by the dynasty for Quelling Chaos and never returned.
Later, his nephew Lv Liang died exploring an ancient tomb during the Fengling expedition.
Left alone to sustain the family, Lv Lianshun struggled.
When Evil Spirits’ chaos erupted, Tian Yu sought his aid, but the Lv Family could barely protect themselves, let alone help others.
Lv Lianshun sought alliances tirelessly.
Yet sects and nobles spurned aged cultivators. As the family declined, discontent grew. Though he suppressed disputes with his cultivation level, he couldn’t nd fractured loyalties.
Mid-stage Gathering Qi granted him a lifespan of 110 years—only two decades remained.
He dreaded imagining the Lv Family’s fate after his death. Worse, even talented youths couldn’t be nurtured with their dwindling resources.
The Yang Family’s visit beca their lifeline.
Hearing Yang Lingqing’s proposal, Lv Lianshun agreed instantly. He fought fiercely against evil cultivators to prove his worth.
His efforts paid off. The Yangs needed a vassal family for their new branch. Though demoted, they’d gain protection—like the Liang Family of Willow Leaf Town, who’d fled to Song Mountain with only a first-level Gathering Qi cultivator and now lived comfortably.
When Zhao Qi delivered the news of their relocation to Sanglu Valley, Lv Lianshun knelt, crying, “Thank you, Master, for your rcy!”
By fortune, the Lv Family then discovered Lv Fangxuan—a clever, silver-tongued boy with cultivation talent.
To show gratitude, Lv Lianshun brought Fangxuan to Song Mountain. After a brief talk, Yang Lingqing accepted the boy as Yang Shu’s companion cultivator via letter.
“Fangxuan,” Lv Lianshun warned gravely, “however ambitious you are, rember: our family now serves the Yangs. Obey Young Master Shu in all things. Never overstep.”
“I’ll rember, Elder,” Fangxuan replied.
Yet as they entered Sanglu Valley, the boy’s eyes glinted with hidden thoughts the old man missed.
Song Mountain, Yang Family’s Forbidden Area
“Sister Lingqing, should that Lv boy truly beco Young Master Shu’s companion?” Zhao Qi frowned.
“You doubt it?”
“No. But he says one thing while plotting another—obedient face masking sches.”
Yang Lingqing chuckled.
“Better still.”
She gazed toward Sanglu Valley. “Cultivation bores him, household duties vex him. Let this whetstone sharpen Yang Shu’s edge.”
She knew Fangxuan’s slyness well. But compared to Yang Shu—who’d feigned foolishness since childhood—the boy’s tricks were crude. A perfect training tool.
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