Chapter 6: Linghu Chong

The tip of Wang Jingyuan’s sword, the moment it touched the skin, was met by an invisible force field, unable to advance even an inch. Not a single patch of skin was broken.

Since it was not a duel, friendly fire was turned off. Lu Dayou belonged to the same faction NPC; otherwise, he could have been taken down to expose the monkey.

Seeing Wang Jingyuan boldly make a move, the little monkey, who had been calmly sitting on Lu Dayou’s shoulder nibbling on dried fruits, immediately let out a terrified scream. Wang Jingyuan promptly withdrew his sword.

Lu Dayou turned around at the sound and looked at his little monkey. Upon seeing that their owner was unscathed, the little monkey felt as if it had been teased by Wang Jingyuan.

Chattering away, it reached out its two tiny paws and began to tousle Wang Jingyuan’s hair. In no time, it had turned his hair into a wild mess.

Lu Dayou scolded the monkey sharply and took it back. He looked apologetically at Wang Jingyuan but found that Wang Jingyuan was utterly unfazed.

As the foremost master of the Six Yang Sect, men of this era regarded their heads as especially important, rarely allowing others to touch them, let alone a beast. Wang Jingyuan’s reaction, in Lu Dayou’s eyes, was remarkably tolerant, prompting a grudging admiration.

“Beast King Hunter, if you ever come across another monkey this clever, remember to catch one for me.”

“Little junior brother, I’ve already told you, my surname isn’t Shou, it’s Lu. Also... well, since you like the little monkey so much, I’ll lend it to you for a few days.” Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Lu Dayou quickly made the decision upon seeing Wang Jingyuan’s genuine fondness for the monkey.

“If you’d said so earlier.” Wang Jingyuan slipped his hands under the little monkey’s armpits and caught it before it could react. “Come here.”

“Chatter chatter!” The little monkey angrily squealed, waving its tiny paws to express its displeasure, whether at Wang Jingyuan or its owner, no one could tell.

But when Wang Jingyuan stuffed another handful of dried fruits into its mouth, it fell silent. Quietly munching, its focus was entirely on the treats, ignoring everything else. Apparently, extra treats worked just as well on humans as on monkeys.

Seeing Wang Jingyuan happily teasing the monkey, Lu Dayou said no more and turned to leave.

The little monkey’s nimble paws quickly peeled the dried fruits and popped them into its mouth. Then, it looked up expectantly at Wang Jingyuan.

“Little monkey, my dried fruits aren’t free. You have to obey my instructions.”

“Chatter.”

“The volume’s too low—I can’t hear you!”

“Chatter!”

“Good, spirited! First, I’ll teach you to recognize things. This bag here is a laxative, this one is lime…”

...

Within the Hall of Righteous Spirit Soaring to the Heavens, Yue Lingshan strode in holding her sword, visibly upset. Ning Zhongze looked at her with a helpless shake of the head; she had lost count how many times this had happened. Silently, he picked up the teapot and brewed a cup of tea.

Yue Lingshan entered the main hall and plopped down at the Eight Immortals table, holding her teacup and gulping down the hot tea. She then poured herself another cup.

After two cups of tea, she finally coaxed, “Mother, my little junior brother…”

“What’s wrong with your little junior brother?” A stern male voice came as Yue Buqun emerged from behind the hall.

Seeing her father, Yue Lingshan shrank her neck and immediately stood up. “Nothing.”

Yue Buqun, seeing his daughter’s demeanor, knew she must have had a small quarrel with that “little junior brother” again, but he no longer found it surprising.

Over the past few days of observation, this immortal was quite different from the aloof sages he had imagined—far too mischievous.

Still, Yue Buqun could see that his daughter’s heart was wholly attached to him. He longed for an immortal son-in-law but could only hope that his daughter would spend more time with him. Everything else was left to fate; nothing could be forced.

“Disciple Linghu Chong pays respects to Master!” A shout came from outside the Hall of Righteous Spirit Soaring to the Heavens, interrupting Yue Buqun’s thoughts.

Yue Buqun replied irritably, “Come in.”

A young man with a rectangular face, sword-like eyebrows, and thin lips entered—it was Linghu Chong, the foremost disciple of Mount Hua Sect. Previously, he had been punished for neglecting his duties due to drinking and was sent to the Reflection Cliff to contemplate his mistakes. Now, having “completed his penance,” he was finally back down the mountain.

Among all the disciples, Linghu Chong was the most frequent visitor to Reflection Cliff; it had almost become his residence. Thanks to Yue Lingshan and Lu Dayou’s care, all necessities were available there.

Linghu Chong had grown accustomed to living there; over time, going to Reflection Cliff to reflect was just like moving to a different place to live.

“Master, Mistress, I heard our Mount Hua Sect recently accepted a new disciple?” Impatient as always, Linghu Chong asked before fully entering.

Hearing the question, Yue Lingshan inexplicably felt a flutter in her heart and a slight blush. But as a girl just awakening to love, she didn’t understand her own feelings, let alone the cause of these emotions.

“Hmph! After spending so long on Reflection Cliff, you still haven’t softened your temper.” Yue Buqun intended to groom Linghu Chong as the next sect leader and was displeased by his frivolous attitude.

Ning Zhongze interjected to mediate, “That’s true. You can go see your little junior brother later. Remember to treat him kindly and not make him angry.”

Linghu Chong waved carelessly, “I’ve never bullied my juniors.”

“Your mistress means you should be cautious with Jingyuan. If conflicts arise, you must yield first. Jingyuan comes from an extraordinary background and is very important to our entire Mount Hua Sect,” Yue Buqun added.

Ning Zhongze had repeated such instructions many times to other disciples, so Yue Lingshan was not surprised. But this was Linghu Chong’s first time hearing it right after leaving Reflection Cliff, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Mistress, aren’t we wanderers of the jianghu supposed to resist the powerful?”

Ning Zhongze tried to explain, “Jingyuan is not—”

Yue Buqun scolded, “Insolent disciple, don’t listen to his nonsense. Just do as you’re told.”

Under Yue Buqun’s authority, Linghu Chong had no choice but to agree, though only he knew what he truly thought. Most disciples of Mount Hua were the same.

In this era, elders never sought to understand young people’s hearts. One could only say old Bi Deng did not understand the (young) mind.

After greeting his master and mistress, Linghu Chong exchanged a few teasing words with Yue Lingshan but failed to notice her slightly strained expression. He assumed she was merely restraining herself out of respect for her father.

Soon after, he left the Hall of Righteous Spirit Soaring to the Heavens, intending to visit this unusual little junior brother.

A few steps outside, he happened to see Lu Dayou.