Chapter 7: Huaqing Sect

"My dear nephews have traveled such a long distance—my humble abode is truly honored by your presence."

A portly middle-aged man stood at the front gate of the mansion.

This man was Zhu Ping, head of the Zhu family.

Though he looked utterly bloated, this Zhu family head was in fact a genuine martial expert from Qinghe; those who often fought knew that such muscle-bound bodies were the hardest to deal with.

He had once secured his foothold in Qinghe through sheer ruthlessness, but over the years his focus had shifted entirely to business, leaving no need for violence—and thus his temperament had softened considerably.

Zhu Ping abandoned his usual stern demeanor, smiling like a fully bloomed chrysanthemum.

How could he not be delighted?

Today’s visitors to the Zhu mansion were not merely his son Zhu Yue alone—three prodigies from Huaqing Sect accompanied him; even the County Magistrate would envy such a scene.

The Zhu family had gained great face.

"We’ll be a burden to you for the coming days—thank you, Uncle Zhu."

The eldest of the men, true to his status as a senior disciple of a major sect, treated others with flawless courtesy, leaving them feeling as if bathed in spring breeze.

"Not a burden at all, not at all."

Zhu Ping laughed heartily, waving his hands repeatedly—he wished these Huaqing Sect disciples would stay in Qinghe as long as possible.

"Father."

Zhu Yue leapt down from his horse first.

Zhu Ping gazed at his beloved son with pride, barely holding back the urge to declare: My son has the potential of a Grand Master.

Zhu Yue pointed to the eldest man and said: "This is Senior Brother Han Qin, a ninth-rank Bronze Bone cultivator. Our Master often praises Senior Brother Han for his future greatness."

"Senior Brother Zhu, don’t flatter me."

Han Qin chuckled.

Zhu Yue then pointed to another somewhat simple-minded youth: "This is Senior Brother Zhou Hu."

Finally, he pointed to the only girl among them: "This is Junior Sister Jiang Yan."

Zhu Ping nodded to each in turn: "All of you are young talents—Yue’er, under your sect’s care, I beg you three to look after him."

Han Qin’s smile never faded.

Zhou Hu shyly waved his hands.

Jiang Yan’s expression remained blank.

From this alone, one could see their personalities differed greatly.

Zhu Ping, who had led the Zhu family for years, was far too shrewd to let the atmosphere grow awkward; after instructing his servants to treat the guests well, he casually made an excuse to leave.

They were all young; his presence, nearing forty, would only hinder their natural interaction.

Zhu Yue led the three through the Zhu family’s garden.

Zhou Hu was already dazzled by the endless pavilions, terraces, and towers: "Senior Brother Zhu, your family is truly wealthy."

Not all Huaqing Sect disciples came from noble families.

Some, like Zhou Hu, were born into humble origins.

Of course, “humble origins” here meant fallen scholar-official families; ordinary commoners didn’t even qualify to call themselves humble.

Flattered by Zhou Hu’s praise, Zhu Yue’s spirits lifted: "Senior Brother Zhou, if you like it here, feel free to stay longer."

Though he was treated like a star in Qinghe, in Huaqing Sect he was truly nothing special.

Now that his peers praised him, he naturally felt pleased.

Han Qin’s smile remained unchanged: "The Three Great Families of Qinghe are Zhu, Liu, and Yang—and the Zhu family is yours, Senior Brother Zhu. How could it not be formidable?"

Zhou Hu’s astonishment deepened.

He had never imagined that his unassuming Senior Brother Zhu came from such an illustrious background.

Flattered by their praise, Zhu Yue still remained humble: "Senior Brother Han, you’re teasing me again."

As he spoke, he unconsciously glanced at the girl beside him.

In terms of lineage, this girl was by far the most distinguished among the four.

Zhu Yue changed the subject: "Senior Brother Han, my father has a good relationship with Zhang, the County Magistrate of Qinghe—we could ask the government to help us track down the traitor."

"Excellent."

Han Qin readily agreed upon hearing this.

The reason these four had come to Qinghe was certainly not for sightseeing—they were here to hunt down a traitorous disciple who had fled Huaqing Sect.

Zhou Hu’s face lit up with delight.

With government assistance, they could save considerable time.

Completing the mission sooner meant returning to Huaqing Sect sooner to resume cultivation.

Yes, even as Huaqing Sect disciples, they couldn’t forever hide in the mountains in quiet seclusion; disciples like Zhou Hu, unless they came from extremely wealthy families, had to earn their cultivation resources by completing sect missions.

Martial cultivators were voracious consumers of resources—even wealthy ones like Zhu Yue had to leave the sect to undertake missions.

The Zhu family’s wealth was merely worldly; many things could not be bought with silver.

In Huaqing Sect, Zhu Yue had seen the peaks of cultivation; his horizons had widened, and his visits to Qinghe had grown increasingly rare.

Had this mission not happened to lie in Qinghe, he might not have returned for years.

Zhu Yue: "The traitor is ninth-rank and armed; ordinary constables won’t stand a chance—we’ll have to intervene ourselves."

Han Qin nodded: "Naturally."

An eighth-rank cultivator like himself could easily handle a ninth-rank.

Zhou Hu grinned foolishly: "Senior Brother Han’s Falling Petals Sword Art—I’ve heard even my Master praises you for having mastered a third of its essence."

Han Qin’s eyes brightened: "Is that true, Senior Brother Zhou?"

"Absolutely!"

Zhou Hu patted his chest confidently.

Though they called each other “senior” and “junior,” they did not share the same Master.

Zhou Hu’s Master was a famed sword expert of Huaqing Sect; for his Master to praise Han Qin was no small thing.

At that moment, the silent girl Jiang Yan suddenly spoke: "Senior Brother Zhu, your mansion truly hides dragons and tigers—even a stable hand is nearly ranked."

At her words, the three turned to look in the direction she was gazing.

Only then did Zhu Yue realize they had wandered to the stables.

Their horses, just moments ago, had been led into the stable by an old stableman.

Their horses were all priceless steeds, each as wild and unruly as the next—yet under the old man’s hands, they were as docile as lambs.

Zhu Yue remembered this old stableman had been with the Zhu family for a very long time.

So long that he seemed to have been tending horses since Zhu Yue first remembered anything.

His name… was it… Li Rui?

"Too old now—his vital energy is dried up. Forget being ranked; just maintaining his current state is already impressive."

Han Qin’s words sealed Li Rui’s fate.

Youth conquers age.

Martial cultivation does not grow stronger with age—unless one reaches seventh-rank or above, the older one gets, the weaker their vital energy becomes, becoming nothing more than a whetstone for the young.

Zhu Yue ceased paying attention.

An able stableman, in the past, might have warranted his interest and recruitment.

But now—he sought the Dao.

Managing power was an inferior art; Zhu Yue scorned it.

After the four departed—

Li Rui gazed at their retreating backs.

These four youths were unfamiliar faces—not Zhu family members—and their attire was lavish; if his guess was right, they were the esteemed guests from Huaqing Sect the servants had mentioned.

Hmm, so young and already admitted to Huaqing Sect.

Truly boundless prospects.

But as Li Rui lowered his head to finish tying the reins—

A line of small characters appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations, Host! Achievement “Divine Couple: Initial Encounter” completed.】

(End of Chapter)