Chapter 256: Resolving the Lu Family's Predicament
When Gu Mo once again set foot on the land of the Qinghe Immortal Realm, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. Back when he had left, he was only a small Foundation Establishment cultivator. Hunted down by the Fenghua Sect, he had been forced to flee overseas to escape their pursuit.
Now, upon returning, his cultivation had already advanced to the realm of Nascent Soul True Lord. In the Qinghe Immortal Realm, where there were no Soul Transformation experts, a Nascent Soul True Lord was already the ceiling of existence.
However, Gu Mo did not immediately rush to settle his karmic debt with the Fenghua Sect just because his cultivation had risen. According to the intelligence he had gathered before, the Fenghua Sect possessed two Nascent Soul True Lords, both in the early stage. To the current Gu Mo, such strength no longer posed any real threat.
Yet that was only the strength the Fenghua Sect displayed outwardly. This sect had originated from the Tianyuan Immortal Realm, and while Gu Mo was there, he had investigated them as well.
Though every piece of intelligence pointed to the Fenghua Sect being nothing more than an ordinary Nascent Soul sect, there were still certain unexplained doubts hidden within.
Thus, Gu Mo suspected that the Fenghua Sect was not as simple as it appeared. Even if he were to settle this karmic debt, he would first need to investigate them thoroughly. Especially in recent years, his information on the Fenghua Sect was almost a blank.
Aside from the matter of Fenghua Sect, Gu Mo also had other karmic ties to resolve.
For instance, the matter of Lu Lingmei's family. Conveniently, Cloudsky Immortal City, the largest city in the Qinghe Immortal Realm, was also an excellent place to gather intelligence.
So, Gu Mo's first destination upon returning to the Qinghe Immortal Realm was Cloudsky Immortal City.
Cloudsky Immortal City.
This largest of the realm's immortal cities was as bustling as ever, but for some people, the city's prosperity had nothing to do with them.
"Still no one willing to trade with us?" Fang Jiaoyan rubbed her temples, her beautiful face filled with exhaustion.
"Yes."
A core member of the Lu family in charge of purchasing and trade gave a bitter smile.
At first, there had still been people willing to trade with them secretly. After all, only a fool would refuse to make money. But as the Fenghua Sect gradually displayed its powerful foundations, fewer and fewer dared to deal with the Lu family.
As a result, the Lu family's cultivated spirit plants could not be sold, nor could they buy the resources needed for cultivation. In such circumstances, their cultivators' progress slowed to a crawl, nearly coming to a standstill.
If this situation continued for several decades, the Lu family would fall from a cultivation clan to nothing more than an ordinary mortal household.
And all this was caused by nothing more than a single veiled hint from the Fenghua Sect. Yet that one hint was enough to make survival impossible for a family like the Lus.
Were it not for the fact that they were in an immortal city, someone would have long since tried to capture Lu family members to curry favor with the Fenghua Sect. Thus, their predicament was not only about failing to obtain cultivation resources but also about enduring constant harassment.
Even so, the Lu family could only endure silently. Within the city, things were hard, but at least they could still breathe. If they left Cloudsky Immortal City, their destruction would be but an instant away.
"I wonder how Lingmei is doing now." Fang Jiaoyan thought of the daughter she had sent away, the only hope left for the Lu family's survival.
So long as Lu Lingmei could enter a top-tier sect, the family's situation—even if not immediately resolved—would improve greatly.
The Fenghua Sect might be powerful, but they were far from the level of a true top-tier sect. The identity of a disciple of such a sect would be enough to keep the Fenghua Sect from pressing the Lu family further.
"Patriarch, bad news! The Wang family is here again!" At that moment, a Lu family servant rushed in. Before he could even finish speaking, a young man strode in.
Seeing him, Fang Jiaoyan's beautiful eyes flickered with anger, but she held herself back. The Lu family could not afford to offend this man.
"Beauty, have you thought it over?" The youth smiled faintly as he looked at Fang Jiaoyan's anger. "I'm now an outer-sect disciple of the Fenghua Sect. As long as you agree to be mine, your Lu family's predicament can be resolved immediately."
"Impossible."
Fang Jiaoyan refused without hesitation.
"Beauty, you'd better think before you speak. My favor is your opportunity." The youth's smile faded, his voice turning cold. "A married woman pretending to be some paragon of virtue—who are you fooling? Do you still expect your lover to come help you? Give it up. That man of yours was killed by our sect's patriarch long ago."
"Your Lu family's crisis was all brought by that lover of yours. If you don't want to see the Lu family destroyed, you'd best give up on your childish fantasies."
"The one who should give up on fantasies is you." Fang Jiaoyan's voice was like ice.
"Very good!"
The youth was angered by her stubbornness. As nothing more than an outer-sect disciple, he longed to climb higher—even if he could not enter the inner sect, he wanted a decent position. Yet competition within the sect was fierce.
With his level of cultivation, obtaining such a position was nearly impossible.
So, he sought another way. The Lu family soon caught his eye. The sect already disliked them due to their connection with the sect's enemy, but because they were in an immortal city, the sect could not act openly.
The youth thus schemed to use the Lu family to earn merit, hoping to secure a better post in the sect. The entry point of his plan was Fang Jiaoyan's beauty.
When he first laid eyes on the Lu family's matriarch, he had been stunned. Compared to the young female disciples in the sect, this was a wholly different kind of mature beauty.
But such a beauty, after being used and enjoyed, would ultimately still have to be discarded. His own future mattered most.
Yet though his plans looked good in thought, reality proved otherwise. Fang Jiaoyan rebuffed him again and again, and within the city he dared not act directly.
Besides, Fang Jiaoyan's cultivation was no weaker than his. So in the face of her rejection, all he could do was throw out threats and continue tightening the noose around the Lu family.
Much of the hardship the Lu family had endured lately had been orchestrated by him. Only when they felt enough pressure would Fang Jiaoyan finally submit.
But clearly, the pressure so far was not enough.
Watching the young man storm out in anger, Fang Jiaoyan sighed deeply. She knew the Lu family's situation would only continue to deteriorate. Yet she also knew that yielding would be the true disaster.
As for the "Master Hu" who had brought about this predicament, she bore no resentment. Without him, the Lu family would have been destroyed long ago.
He had been the first man she willingly submitted to, and in return, he had brought the Lu family many benefits.
At the very least, because of him, they had been able to send Lu Lingmei away, and the family had survived until now.
Were it not for the Fenghua Sect's shadow, the Lu family could have lived well on his legacy alone.
As the youth cursed under his breath and left the Lu household, a group of three—a man and two women—were just approaching the Lu residence.
The youth's gaze swept over them, running through the list of the Lu family's important members in his mind, but found no match. Clearly, they were not of the Lu family.
And at such a time, anyone who came to associate with the Lu family was highly suspicious. With that thought, the youth stepped forward and blocked their path.
"Don't you know the consequences of getting involved with the Lu family?"
He had worked so hard to isolate them—he would not allow new connections to form now.
"Oh? And what consequences would that be?"
Suddenly being stopped, Gu Mo asked with some curiosity.
The three were, of course, Gu Mo, Chu Feifei, and Lu Lingmei. At this moment, all three were disguised—after all, Gu Mo wasn't ready to clash with the Fenghua Sect directly, so naturally he couldn't reveal his identity.
"The Lu family has already been listed by my Fenghua Sect as an unwelcome target. If you want to associate with the Lu family, then you'd better think carefully about the consequences of offending the Fenghua Sect." The young man pulled the banner of the Fenghua Sect over his head.
Nowadays, in the Qinghe cultivation world, the Fenghua Sect was definitely one of the top sects. Especially in recent years, the Fenghua Sect had produced a third Nascent Soul True Lord.
This was information Gu Mo had gathered after arriving in Yuntian Immortal City—the Fenghua Sect indeed had some weight. Three Nascent Soul True Lords—within the Qinghe cultivation world, that made them an overlord-level force.
Anyone facing such a dominant sect power would naturally feel fear. That was exactly why the Lu family's situation had been deteriorating—the Fenghua Sect's growing strength had driven it.
"Junior Sister, I'll leave this to you."
When confronted by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, Gu Mo couldn't even be bothered to argue and simply handed the matter to Lu Lingmei.
"All right!"
Hearing this, Lu Lingmei stepped forward and fixed her gaze on the young man. "Then, have you considered the consequences of offending Shennong Valley?" As she spoke, she revealed her identity as a disciple of Shennong Valley.
This was exactly what she and Gu Mo had agreed upon beforehand: to resolve the Lu family's predicament, Gu Mo didn't need to act personally—Lu Lingmei's status as a disciple of Shennong Valley was more than enough.
"Shennong Valley! You're Lu Lingmei!"
As soon as Lu Lingmei revealed her identity, she also dispelled her disguise. That naturally alluring beauty made the young man immediately recall the Lu family's direct daughter.
He had been searching for this daughter for a long time without finding any trace of her, thinking the Lu family had hidden her away. He hadn't expected that Lu Lingmei had actually crossed the seas and entered one of Tianyuan's top sects, Shennong Valley.
As a disciple of the Fenghua Sect, he naturally knew much about Tianyuan's intelligence network and understood well the value of a top sect disciple.
In front of a top sect, Fenghua Sect was nothing more than a small fry.
"This isn't over!"
Leaving a harsh parting line, the young man quickly departed. He would have to report this matter to the sect. The Lu family, originally dismissed and disregarded, had suddenly connected with Shennong Valley. That could very well allow them to escape their crisis.
And if the Lu family broke free, it would be a slap in Fenghua Sect's face. The young man felt certain his sect would take this seriously, so he needed to deliver the information promptly—and perhaps gain a good impression for it.
Gu Mo didn't stop his departure, because he actually needed the man to spread the news.
Only when everyone knew that the Lu family had tied itself to Shennong Valley could the family's plight be fully resolved. Beyond that, Gu Mo also wanted to trip up the Fenghua Sect a little.
With him, a personal Disciple of Shennong Valley, leading the way, Gu Mo felt the other major sects of the Qinghe cultivation world would be quite happy to see Fenghua Sect take a fall. After all, the Fenghua Sect had grown far too domineering, and this had already stirred the other sects' resentment.
Of course, this was also something those sects had brought upon themselves. Back when Qinglu Sect was in trouble, they had stood by and watched. Now it was just karma.
"Lingmei!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Fang Jiaoyan hurried out. When she saw Lu Lingmei, she immediately embraced her, her face filled with joy.
She had just heard Lu Lingmei declare herself as a disciple of Shennong Valley. Fang Jiaoyan had never imagined that in such a short time, Lu Lingmei would successfully enter a top sect.
"Lingmei, and these two are…?" Excited as she was, Fang Jiaoyan's eyes swept over Gu Mo and Chu Feifei. With her Foundation Establishment cultivation, she naturally couldn't see through their disguises.
"Mother, this is my sect's senior brother. He's taken good care of me, and this time he came to accompany me." That was how Lu Lingmei introduced Gu Mo—it was the cover story they had agreed on before arriving.
Gu Mo's identity as Elder Hu of the sect clearly couldn't be revealed, otherwise Fenghua Sect would immediately know the truth.
"I greet you, Senior!"
Hearing that this was the senior brother of Shennong Valley—a top sect—Fang Jiaoyan was shocked and hurriedly saluted. She had thought he was merely a companion her daughter had met along the way. After all, as a disciple of Shennong Valley, it was natural for others to want to befriend her.
But to find out he was actually at the level of a senior brother of Shennong Valley—in Fang Jiaoyan's eyes, anyone who bore such a title could never be a simple figure.
"No need for such formality."
Gu Mo smiled and nodded. Since he was acting under the guise of Shennong Valley's senior brother, he had to show the proper demeanor.
"This senior sister is the senior brother's Dao companion." Lu Lingmei then introduced Chu Feifei. She knew well that this senior sister wouldn't take offense at such an introduction.
"Ah!"
At that, Fang Jiaoyan froze. She had been thinking that the senior brother of Shennong Valley was accompanying her daughter because he was interested in Lingmei. Fang Jiaoyan had been pleased at the thought—after all, with such a powerful backer, her daughter's future would be much smoother.
But who would have thought this senior brother already had a Dao companion? Then again, upon reflection, considering her daughter's talents, becoming the Dao companion of a top sect's senior brother seemed unlikely anyway.
She could only hope that this senior brother of a top sect wasn't the type to casually toy with Lingmei's feelings.
"Lingmei is someone I personally brought into the sect. She is my junior sister and half a disciple of mine." Seeing the subtle change in Fang Jiaoyan's expression, Gu Mo had no choice but to explain.
"Ah!"
Fang Jiaoyan was startled again, and it felt almost worse than if her daughter had simply become his lover.
"Honored guests, please, come inside!"
After all, Fang Jiaoyan had lived through many ups and downs. She quickly steadied her emotions and invited Gu Mo and Chu Feifei inside, treating them with great hospitality. After all, these two were to be the Lu family's great pillars of support in the future.
"Elder, this matter is absolutely true!"
Meanwhile, a streak of light was speeding toward the Lu family's estate. Within it was the young man from earlier, alongside a middle-aged cultivator exuding the aura of a Golden Core stage expert.
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