…
Soon, Wang Shouzhe followed the guidance of the maid and arrived at the backyard of the Lu Clan's main residence, which was the secluded place where Ancestor Ming Sheng practiced.
This place was located near the Yingxiu Lake, and the tall and magnificent pavilion could capture the view of half of the lake. The lake breeze, the sound of waves, the fish jumping, and the birds chirping all made the building blend into nature.
Standing in front of the pavilion named "Yingxiu Sheng Mingyue", Wang Shouzhe bowed and said, "I am Wang Shouzhe from the Ping'an Wang's Clan, seeking an audience with Ancestor Ming Sheng."
"Come in."
A gentle voice sounded directly in Wang Shouzhe's ear.
Following the voice, Wang Shouzhe stepped onto the high level of the pavilion with thick wooden steps. Outside the pavilion window, an old man in a gray robe was sitting on a high-back chair, fishing in the Yingxiu Lake with a long fishing line.
His posture was very casual, but in Wang Shouzhe's eyes, he was unfathomable, like an unattainable mountain range or a bottomless lake.
Beside him was a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl in a red dress, Wang Shouzhe's cousin, Lu Xiaoxiao. She was glaring at Wang Shouzhe with a puffed-up look, obviously still angry.
"Grandpa Zeng, you said that Cousin Shouzhe is very annoying." Lu Xiaoxiao pouted and said, "Why does that girl with the surname Wang have a purple crystal bee hive, but I don't?"
"Uh…" Wang Shouzhe touched his nose, feeling helpless. This girl Xiaoxiao had actually come to complain to Ancestor Ming Sheng.
"Then how should I teach your cousin a lesson? You said last time that you liked Cousin Shouzhe the most." The old man said softly, "Don't you like him anymore?"
"I still like him, but my mother said that the Wang Clan is in a bad situation now and lacks money everywhere." Lu Xiaoxiao tilted her head and said seriously, "I think Cousin Shouzhe must be short of money. How about you give him five hundred qian gold to buy a purple crystal bee hive for me? This way, I won't be angry with Cousin Shouzhe anymore."
"Why five hundred qian gold?" The old man asked in surprise, "Grandpa Zeng remembers that an ordinary purple crystal bee hive costs only two or three hundred qian gold. Is it possible that the prices have skyrocketed now?"
"It's also very hard for Cousin Shouzhe to buy a beehive."
Pfft!
This made Wang Shouzhe almost spurt blood. This Lu family cousin's logic was really powerful. She wanted a beehive and even planned to make Ancestor Ming Sheng pay for it. He couldn't listen to this anymore and coughed twice, saying, "Wang Shouzhe pays respects to Ancestor Ming Sheng."
Unexpectedly, Ancestor Ming Sheng completely ignored Wang Shouzhe and continued to talk with Lu Xiaoxiao, "If your Cousin Shouzhe buys you a purple crystal bee hive, can you listen to Grandpa Zeng?"
"I can!" Lu Xiaoxiao nodded firmly.
Ancestor Ming Sheng nodded slightly, turned around and smiled at Wang Shouzhe, and casually threw several gold bills towards him.
Wang Shouzhe hurriedly caught them and took a closer look. They were actually five one-hundred-qian gold bills. He was stunned. What happened? Could it be…
"Shouzhe, did you hear me?" Ancestor Ming Sheng's face, which looked like he was only in his fifties, showed a playful smile. "Buy a purple crystal bee hive for your cousin Xiaoxiao, and the rest can be considered as your errand fee."
"This, Ancestor." Wang Shouzhe broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "This can't be done. Cousin Xiaoxiao really likes the purple crystal bee hive. I'll find a way to buy one.""Alright, what kind of situation is your Wang Clan in now? Don't you know?" Ming Sheng Ancestor impatiently waved his hand and said, "Take these Top Gold and prepare more cultivation resources. When you have convenient access to resources like the Purple Crystal Beehive, then you can use them."
Wang Shouzhe felt a little warm in his heart and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your support, Ancestor." It seemed that Ming Sheng Ancestor intended to support him as his grandson-in-law, so naturally he wouldn't be too insincere and would accept the money.
"Thank you, cousin Xiaoxiao." Ming Sheng Ancestor smiled and said, "If it weren't for her pestering me, I wouldn't want to give away this Top Gold." For the Lu Clan, five hundred Top Gold was not a small amount. After deducting various expenses, it might not be possible to save up this amount in a year.
"Thank you, cousin Xiaoxiao." Wang Shouzhe also bowed.
"Hmph." Lu Xiaoxiao turned her head away, snorted as if she didn't want to acknowledge him.
"Xiaoxiao, you have to strive to excel. You can't let that Spiritual Insect Master girl beat you." Ming Sheng Ancestor "instigated" her, "If you can successfully learn the path of an Array Master, and become a first-order Array Master, then your cousin Shouzhe will definitely look at you with new eyes."
"Array Master?"
Wang Shouzhe was surprised and said, "Ancestor, does cousin Xiaoxiao have the talent for Array Masters?"
"What, you Wang Clan can produce a Spiritual Insect Master, but our Lu Clan can't produce an Array Master?" Ming Sheng Ancestor said with a smile that was not a smile.
Wang Shouzhe broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. "Ancestor, that's not what I meant. I'm just a little surprised. Congratulations to you, congratulations to cousin Xiaoxiao."
In his heart, he couldn't help but feel moved. This talent was really hard to predict. He vaguely remembered that Lu Xiaoxiao had learned the "Nine-Chapter Calculation Classic" so poorly, yet she still had the talent for Array Masters…
"Grandpa Zeng, from now on, I will definitely work hard and not be lazy anymore." Lu Xiaoxiao obediently said, "When I become a first-order Array Master, I will make that Spiritual Insect Master girl so angry that even Cousin Shouzhe won't dare to underestimate me."
"That's the spirit. This is the way my Lu Ming Sheng's granddaughter should be. Come, let's lay a good foundation first, and then I'll take you to find a teacher." Ming Sheng Ancestor spoke kindly to Lu Xiaoxiao, but waved his hand casually to Wang Shouzhe, "Shouzhe, go do whatever you need to do."
He was being treated as a tool, wasn't he?
Wang Shouzhe secretly sighed, but he was willing to be a tool if it meant receiving five hundred Top Gold. Moreover, Lu Xiaoxiao had the talent for Array Masters, which was a good thing. She was his cousin from both sides and their blood relationship was very close.
However, since he rarely had the opportunity to see Ming Sheng Ancestor, Wang Shouzhe didn't want to waste this chance easily. He immediately bowed and asked, "Ancestor, I have a few obscure questions about cultivation. I hope you can give me some guidance."
"You little brat, don't try to take advantage of me." Ming Sheng Ancestor blew his beard and stared, "Your ancestor, Long Yan, is knowledgeable and experienced. Do you still need me to guide you?"
"Listening to multiple opinions can lead to better understanding." Wang Shouzhe grinned and said, "Having the opportunity to verify things from different perspectives can be beneficial for my spiritual path. I see that the environment here is good, so I'm sure I can make rapid progress in cultivation…"
He put on a shameless attitude, as if he wouldn't leave if Ming Sheng Ancestor refused to give guidance. As a junior, it was perfectly fine to act shamelessly in front of his grandfather.
"Alright, alright, if you have any questions, ask them quickly and then leave. Don't disturb my meditation." Ming Sheng Ancestor said helplessly.
Wang Shouzhe quickly threw out the questions he had prepared one by one.In fact, Ancestor Mingsheng was only pretending to be indifferent on the surface. He couldn't be careless about the cultivation questions Wang Shouzhe raised and answered them all after careful consideration. Unexpectedly, as the questions went on, Wang Shouzhe's questions became more and more tricky, and even Ancestor Mingsheng had to think carefully before answering.
Before crossing over, Wang Shouzhe was a closed-minded person who only knew how to cultivate on his own. Sometimes he had many questions but didn't dare to ask Long Yan for advice. But now, Wang Shouzhe was completely different. Influenced by the thinking of modern people on Earth, he had accumulated many cultivation questions from various perspectives.
This is one of the differences between aristocratic children and wandering cultivators. There are clan elders who can solve doubts and give guidance.
"Kid, that's enough. Even I, an Ancestor, need to cultivate." After more than two hours, Ancestor Mingsheng also felt overwhelmed. This kid had so many strange questions. If he continued to ask like this, he might not be able to answer them.
For things he didn't understand, he couldn't just make up something. If something went wrong, it would harm the younger generations.
He really couldn't stand it anymore!
At first, Lu Xiaoxiao was pretending to listen on the side, but the more she listened, the more she didn't understand and became bored. She ended up falling asleep on the side.
"Thank you for solving my doubts, Ancestor. Shouzhe has gained a lot." Wang Shouzhe also knew when to stop and stood up to bow, "I wish Ancestor an early achievement of Xuan Gong and ascending to the heavens."
Ancestor Mingsheng was quite happy with these words. Although he was still stumbling on the way to the Lingtai Middle Stage, who among those who had achieved the Lingtai Realm did not want to go further?
It should be noted that everyone below the Lingtai Realm was mortal, with a lifespan of no more than a hundred years. After achieving the Lingtai Realm, one could extend their lifespan by twice and reach a maximum of two hundred years. This is also why those in the Lingtai Realm are called Ancestors, because as they live on, they find that their offspring and younger generations all die before them.
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