In fact, after returning to Yanbo City, Chu Liang did not reveal his experience in the Water Mansion. He only mentioned that he had encountered Chen Wuyin again and had luckily escaped.
If the news of him killing Chen Wuyin were to spread, he would probably become famous instantly, definitely worthy of a special feature in the Nine Provinces Chronicle. However, once this news spread, he would not be able to leave his house. Yi Qiushui, who had been deceived, would probably be furious and wait at the foot of Shu Mountain for revenge.
It’s better to keep a low profile and make a fortune quietly.
The treasure coveted by the Red Robe Palace was not the Immortal Cooking Cauldron, Chu Liang speculated that it should be the golden skull and the scroll inside it.
The golden skull should be some kind of seal, Chu Liang did not dare to try to remove it, planning to find Wen Yulong to try to open it after returning to Shu Mountain.
As for the half-eaten Immortal Cooking Cauldron, Chu Liang did not forget to pack it and take it away. After eating half of the cauldron, the Silkworm Baby’s body became more and more lustrous, and it seemed to be on the verge of another breakthrough. Chu Liang was looking forward to what it could evolve into.
Because it was uncertain whether the people from the Soul Killing Sect had left, the city of Yanbo continued to be on high alert for a while, and it was not until a few days later that the alert was lifted. During these days, the three disciples of the Shu Mountain Sect patrolled at night and wandered around during the day, leading a rather leisurely life.
During this period, Yang Yuhu from the Penglai Upper Sect also stayed here. He had some interactions with them, and he still had a somewhat arrogant attitude towards Lin Bei and Shang Ziliang. But when dealing with Chu Liang, he was quite friendly.
Chu Liang had been contemplating the technique of Shrinking the Earth into Inches during his leisure time, and finally had some insights.
Seven days later, Du Ce announced the lifting of the alert. The disciples from the Penglai Upper Sect and the Shu Mountain Sect who had come to support could finally return with peace of mind.
The day before leaving, Yang Yuhu suddenly sought out Chu Liang and brought a pot of wine.
“Brother Yang, what’s this for?” Chu Liang laughed, “I never drink.”
This was true, he not only didn’t drink, but even had a bit of an aversion to it… because he had suffered greatly from it. If it weren’t for Di Nvfeng’s heavy drinking, Silver Sword Peak wouldn’t have ended up like this.
“This is the Immortal Wine Brewed from Peaches, a specialty of the Three Islands of Penglai. One sip can enhance your comprehension for three days, which is extremely beneficial for cultivation and enlightenment,” Yang Yuhu said.
“Come, let’s drink to our heart’s content today!” Chu Liang’s spirits rose.
“Hehe.” Yang Yuhu couldn’t help but laugh.
He pushed the cup over, filled Chu Liang’s cup, and poured himself a cup.
“I didn’t greet you when you came in just now, I’ll punish myself with three cups first.” Chu Liang picked up his cup and drained it in one gulp.
After one gulp, he felt a refreshing energy instantly connecting his crown and his dantian, separating his clear and turbid qi. He involuntarily exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi. In an instant, his body felt light and his mind was spinning…
Refreshing.
This was indeed Immortal Wine.
Chu Liang’s eyes suddenly brightened.
“Brother Chu, don’t rush, we can slowly finish this pot of wine.” Yang Yuhu shook his head and laughed, “I didn’t plan to take it back.”
Chu Liang also smiled, “Such a fine wine, Brother Yang wouldn’t just give it away for nothing, is there something you need?”
“Good, let’s not beat around the bush.” Yang Yuhu said, “I want to invite you to our Penglai Upper Sect.”
“Huh?”
This statement made Chu Liang pause.
The Penglai Upper Sect, as the current number one immortal sect, was very inclusive. Any talented cultivator under the heavens could join.
Of course, if one’s talent and cultivation were not up to par, they could only join the Penglai Lower Sect and wait until they made significant contributions to be promoted to the Upper Sect. There were also some geniuses who could join the Upper Sect as soon as they entered the door.
For these mid-way geniuses, the Penglai Upper Sect always treated them equally.
In the end, it all came down to resources.
The endless supply of heavenly and earthly treasures from the Three Islands of Penglai gave them the confidence to recruit geniuses from the Nine Provinces.
But Chu Liang never expected that Yang Yuhu would invite him.
“Brother Yang, where is this coming from?” He was somewhat puzzled.
“To be honest, I’ve seen quite a few geniuses from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths over the years, each with their own merits.” Yang Yuhu said, “But the only ones who truly make me feel that they transcend this level and can be called the top geniuses of the Nine Provinces are you and my elder brother.”
“Huh?” His high praise made Chu Liang slightly surprised, “Brother Yang, you’re too kind, I dare not compare myself to your brother.”
He didn’t expect this guy to come here to discuss geniuses over wine.
“I’ve looked into your background these past few days and found that you’ve made rapid progress from the initial stage of the Divine Intent Realm in just half a year, becoming the top Golden Elixir cultivator of today.” Yang Yuhu said, “Your development trajectory during this period is even higher than my elder brother’s.”
“It’s just a bit of luck.” Chu Liang said.
“Many people have luck and opportunities, but only one in ten thousand can seize the opportunity. You don’t need to be too modest.” Yang Yuhu continued, “But it’s strange that someone like you only rose to prominence in the Third Realm, and spent more than a decade in Shu Mountain doing nothing.”
“Hehe…” Chu Liang could only laugh.
“I guess it’s because of resources. Shu Mountain treats all disciples equally, everyone needs to contribute to the sect in exchange for resources, and the start is very poor.” Yang Yuhu said, “But for someone like you, if you were given enough support early on, I believe you could have soared to the sky long ago!”
Hearing him exaggerate more and more, Chu Liang hurriedly said, “Brother Yang, you’re exaggerating. The treatment in our Shu Mountain is not bad. My slow progress before was just because I hadn’t awakened yet.”
Yang Yuhu shook his head again, “You think Shu Mountain is good because you haven’t seen the other Nine Heavens Immortal Sects. Not to mention comparing it with my Penglai, even compared with the relatively inferior Heavenly Strength Sect and Endless Sword Sect in the Nine Heavens, Shu Mountain is far inferior.”
Chu Liang naturally understood what he was saying. Among the Nine Heavens, the resources Shu Mountain provided to its disciples were the least, and they were all obtained through hard labor. In other words, it was because they were poor.
Having lost their top-tier divine artifact, they were no longer assertive in the struggle for major resource points. Over time, they naturally fell behind.
Therefore, the disciples of Shu Mountain had to exchange a large amount of labor for their own resources, while the disciples of the other Nine Heavenly Immortal Sects could have a lot of assistance even when they were lying down.
“If you come to my Penglai Sect, I can recommend you to my master’s door, and we will be of the same lineage. I can respect you as my senior brother.” Yang Yuhu earnestly said, “At that time, you don’t need to waste time on mundane affairs, you just need to concentrate on cultivation, and all resources will be supplied unlimitedly. I guarantee that the time you will take to reach the realm of questioning will be at least ten years earlier than in Shu Mountain, or even more. This is the ladder to the blue sky, Brother Chu.”
His words were earnest, and he seemed full of sincerity. As for the promise of unlimited resource supply, he believed that Penglai could indeed do it.
However…
Chu Liang shook his head firmly.
“Brother Yang, I can see that you are sincere to me, so I will also speak to you from my heart.” Chu Liang said seriously, “I grew up in Shu Mountain since I was a child, that place is my home, and the fellow disciples and elders of Shu Mountain are my family.”
“I know that there are many shortcomings in this mountain gate, and I will also have conflicts with some people on the mountain…” His gaze looked to the side, suddenly distant, “But I have never thought about leaving it.”
“If there is something wrong with Shu Mountain, I will try to make it better. If there is something needed in cultivation, I will find a way to fight for it myself. Everyone knows that Penglai is good, but I know that it is not a fairyland either. Every sect has its own advantages and disadvantages. If I switch to Penglai because of the shortcomings of Shu Mountain, where should I switch to when I find the shortcomings of Penglai?”
“I have no way to go, because my roots are gone.”
“Brother Yang, I’m sorry.” Chu Liang paused, “I will never leave Shu Mountain in my life.”
“But…” After hearing his words, Yang Yuhu was also quite moved, and finally only said one sentence: “But your master is Di Nvfeng!”
“Hiss.” Upon hearing this, Chu Liang immediately frowned, “Let me think about it again.”
…
The next day, Chu Liang returned to Silver Sword Peak.
The familiar flowers and plants came into view again, and every scenery at home looked particularly intimate.
Liu Xiaoyu was busy in a large field of Golden Patterned Flowers. Chu Liang still maintained the good habit of chopping black fur balls in his spare time. The flower field was getting bigger and bigger, and his dream of a plantation was getting closer and closer.
The little girl saw Chu Liang coming back and immediately greeted him, “Brother Chu Liang, do you see what Xiaoyu is doing?”
“Hehe, Xiaoyu is working again? That’s great!” Chu Liang raised his thumb, “What’s the most glorious thing?”
“Labour is the most glorious!” Liu Xiaoyu responded loudly.
Chu Liang praised her a lot, and then went on.
Turning a corner of the flower field was a large wooden shed, which was the nest of the golden fur beast. Its big head was sleeping soundly inside. It had been sleeping a lot recently, accumulating energy for its advancement to the sixth realm.
Chu Liang was about to go and greet his master, saying that he was back. He had just taken two steps when he saw a flash of fire rushing from the direction of the loft.
Whoosh–
The figure of Di Nvfeng suddenly appeared in front of him. It seemed that she was still sleepy, and she didn’t know what force supported her to fly over.
Although her eyes were not open, her nose was sniffing up and down. After a big circle, she suddenly opened her eyes, “Yes, it’s the smell of Penglai Peach Brew! It’s the smell of Peach Brew!”
“Is…”
Chu Liang blinked, not expecting that the smell of wine on his body could still be smelled after a day. In terms of smelling wine, his master’s attainment was really not inferior to the golden fur beast.
“You unfilial disciple, you actually went out to have fun and drink good wine behind your master’s back…” Di Nvfeng pouted, her face full of grievance, “You completely forgot about your poor master at home, who never had the heart to drink such good wine…”
You do want to drink, but the people of Penglai have to be willing to sell it to you… Chu Liang muttered in his heart.
“Master, the wine you drink at home is also Drunken Immortal Brew…” He laughed, “That stuff is not cheap either, right?”
“I don’t care.” Di Nvfeng glared, “Next time you see Peach Brew, you have to bring it back for me to taste, otherwise you are unfilial!”
Looking at the woman in front of him who was brazenly playing rogue, Chu Liang suddenly doubted his decision.
Or…
Should he go talk to Yang Yuhu again?
(End of this chapter)