Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

"Senior Brother Xu, there's no need to see me off. I know the way myself."

During this period, although Xu Kuzhou did not act particularly close, he was quite serious and responsible in guiding Lu Qian, which made Lu Qian very grateful.

Moreover, Lu Qian also knew Xu Kuzhou's personality quite well. He was very reclusive and had nothing else to do besides alchemy. For nearly two months, no old friends had visited him, which showed that he was not good at socializing.

"Alright, I won't see you off then. If you need anything, you can send a message via flying talisman!"

Xu Kuzhou said no more and turned to leave.

As Lu Qian left Ziyan Peak, he glanced back a few times. If nothing unexpected happened, he didn't know when he would come back again after this departure.

But he didn't linger. He had already learned how to refine the Yellow Sprout Pill and had even broken through to the third level of Qi Refining. He had gained a lot and didn't need to regret anything. So he turned around and strode away.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

A clear shout suddenly came from behind him. Lu Qian didn't need to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. He had just seen a group of people gathering not far away and had left quickly to avoid trouble, but he hadn't expected to be noticed.

Lu Qian immediately turned around and bowed, "Senior Sister Meng!"

"Heh, you're still so boring. So rigid, like a block of wood."

Meng Lingjun seemed to have acted on a whim when she called out to Lu Qian.

But a group of people behind her were also looking this way, putting Lu Qian under immense pressure. He couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister Meng, what brings you to my attention?"

"I'm fine, but you might be."

Meng Lingjun's beautiful eyes darted around, and she suddenly took a few steps closer. "I saw you just came from Purple Smoke Peak, so you probably haven't heard about what's happening outside, have you?"

Lu Qian's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, but he already had a guess in his heart. On the surface, he remained calm and composed. "Could it be that something has happened that concerns me?"

"In the torture chamber, Zhang Baoshan refused to confess, neither admitting his guilt nor revealing the mastermind."

Meng Lingjun stretched out her fingers, grasping her glossy black hair, her eyes filled with worry, as if she were concerned for Lu Qian. "Besides, I don't know why, he insisted that you were involved too. This person is really inexplicable, wrongly accusing people randomly!"

You really don't know the reason?

Lu Qian suppressed his inner grumbling, but still immediately asked, "Everyone knows that I only went to collect pearls because it happened to be there. Even if he makes baseless accusations, it shouldn't have anything to do with me, right?"

"Logically speaking, that's how it is. The people in the Punishment Hall aren't fools; they won't believe his nonsense."

Meng Lingjun changed the subject, "However... if someone takes the initiative to confess and take the blame, then it's hard to say what will happen."

Lu Qian's smile was more strained this time. "No one's really going to confess, are they? Since they haven't been found, who would confess?"

"I don't know about that."

Meng Lingjun looked curious. "I've heard that many of you come from the mortal realm. In some wealthy families, if a young master does something wrong, his page will be sent to punish him. Is that true?"

Lu Qian nodded heavily, "That's right! Young masters are so precious; they certainly can't be punished casually. So the pageboy must be punished to make the young masters realize their mistakes!"

"So you've heard of it too, that's good!"

Meng Lingjun's smile blossomed like a flower. She reached out her small hand and patted Lu Qian's shoulder with an air of mature wisdom, "I hope to see you again next time!"

After she finished speaking, Meng Lingjun walked over to the group of people who had been waiting for her. They had been waiting for quite a while, but none of them complained. Instead, they all rushed to please her.

"This little girl doesn't seem as naive as she appears!"

However, Lu Qian also understood that the other party was there to remind him that if Zhang Baoshan didn't admit it, someone might force him to confess, and once he confessed, the punishment would fall on him.

He was a bit helpless. He had only gone to complete the pearl-collecting task casually, but he didn't expect to be targeted by a mad dog that wouldn't let go.

"However, it seems this pearl-harvesting task wasn't taken lightly. It was originally intended to be a scapegoat for Zhao Qi. At the time, we thought there wouldn't be any consequences, but then we ran into this mad dog!"

"But as long as I don't give in, no one can force me!"

So much time has passed, and the other party still hasn't been able to do anything to Lu Qian. This is enough to show that the other party doesn't have many means to use within the sect. So what is there to worry about?

Lu Qian had originally thought this way, but when he went to the outer sect steward to accept a wood-chopping task, the steward refused him, saying, "You have already reached the third level of Qi Refining, so you cannot accept wood-chopping tasks."

Lu Qian frowned. "But I saw someone at the third level of Qi Refining accepting a wood-chopping task..."

"Perhaps so. It might be due to some people's negligence. The wood-chopping task is originally intended for newly initiated disciples to train. In principle, people with too high a cultivation level are not allowed to take on the task."

In the end, Lu Qian didn't say anything more and left without trying to argue.

He had long understood that the wood-chopping task was for disciples with low cultivation levels to train, but to say that the cultivation level was limited to those below the third level of Qi Refining was definitely nonsense.

But arguing with the outer sect stewards about this is pointless, because in principle, this kind of task is given to the menial disciples. Otherwise, why would it be called a menial task?

Lu Qian has already reached the third level of Qi Refining, and it wouldn't be good if word got out that he was still trying to snatch this kind of mission.

"Anyway, I never intended to chop wood; I just wanted to do something familiar to relax."

That's what I said, but being directly rejected still made me feel a little uncomfortable.

He didn't try to take on tasks like fish farming or blacksmithing, as they were either too time-consuming or too tiring, and besides, he was always within the sect's network of relationships.

With his current cultivation level, it would be difficult for him to break through this suppression, so there's no need for him to make things difficult for himself.

"Perhaps I could take on some missions outside the sect and use this opportunity to go out and lay low for a while."

Previously, Zhao Qi had suggested that Lu Qian take on a garrison mission to avoid trouble, but he hadn't taken it seriously at the time. Now, however, he felt it was necessary to do so.

"Moreover, it's more convenient to buy things after leaving the sect. Without connections and resources within the sect, you're always restricted in what you want to do."

Not long after returning to his residence, there was a knock on the door. When Lu Qian opened the door, he found a female cultivator in a pale yellow dress. Her hair was styled in an ingenious updo, her face was round, and her eyes were charming with a touch of languid elegance.

Seeing Lu Qian's puzzled expression, the female cultivator couldn't help but laugh. "What? Don't you recognize me?"

"Come in!" Lu Qian found it hard to connect the other person with Wu Ling'er from his memory. He hadn't seen her for only a few months, but it felt like he hadn't seen her for decades.

He could understand Chen Yu a little better now. Wu Ling'er had changed too fast since entering the sect. She looked different every day, catching people off guard and making her unrecognizable.

Moreover, Lu Qian had some guesses about why the other party had come and had begun to be on guard.