Chapter 160

No one knows when the grudge between the cultivators of Xiangxi and Badong began to deepen, to the point where they turn red-eyed upon meeting. The two sects leading the two regions have reached an irreconcilable point.

Therefore, the war between the Zhanglong Sect and the Gengsang Cave, unlike the fight between the three sects and one sect the year before last, has forged a blood feud that cannot be easily resolved. It is not just the Zhanglong Sect that cannot resolve it; even the loose cultivators of Xiangxi who have been conscripted cannot resolve it either.

Everyone is unwilling to fight, but once the war arrives, no one is willing to escape, including Liu Xiaolou—his teacher, Master Three Mystical, had participated in many wars against the Gengsang Cave and had been repeatedly wounded in battle.

It's just that Liu Xiaolou has self-awareness. With his Qi Refinement Stage 5 cultivation, if he were to step onto the front lines of the war, the possibility of not returning would be quite high, so this is not the time to act on impulse.

That night, the Longshan Wanderer, Zuo Gaofeng, and others also came to Dry Bamboo Ridge. Knowing that Liu Xiaolou was exempt from conscription due to his status as the Su family's son-in-law, they all came to entrust their affairs to him.

The Longshan Wanderer entrusted his disciple, Li Busan. He pressed the crying Li Busan to the ground and had him kowtow three times to Liu Xiaolou, calling him "Uncle Master." Liu Xiaolou knew that by accepting these three kowtows, if the Longshan Wanderer had any accidents during the war, he would be responsible for taking care of and teaching Li Busan in the future. The weight of these three kowtows was extremely heavy.

Zuo Gaofeng entrusted a family to Liu Xiaolou: Li Shen, who lived in the village outside the West Mountain Pass.

"If I am unfortunate, Xiaolou, please help look after her more... No, it's not like the other villagers, please take special care of her... She is pregnant."

"Ah... Brother Zuo, you actually..."

"Don't mention it, it happened two months ago, I was drunk... She has no man in her family, so..."

"Understood. Brother Zuo will be fine, everyone will be fine."

"In any case, just knowing about it is enough."

The Gengsang Cave moved quickly. According to the latest news, they had gathered hundreds of Badong cultivators and had already moved east of Yu Mountain. Therefore, the Zhanglong Sect did not dare to delay, and the next morning, they urged the loose cultivators of Wulong Mountain to descend the mountain and head west to join the main force of the Zhanglong Sect.

After just one morning, Wulong Mountain became empty and desolate.

Although the agreed-upon home-visiting holiday had long since passed, Liu Xiaolou was not in a hurry to return. He listened for news from the west while constantly checking on the heavy burdens entrusted to his shoulders.

He went to Longshan from time to time to see Li Busan and give him pointers on his cultivation difficulties.

Or he would make a trip to the West Pass Village to visit Li Shen and her elderly mother, bringing rice, grain, meat, and cloth to the family.

Or he would go to the Tan Family Village outside the mountain to see the situation of Old Man Tan and Tan Bazhang's brothers. Well, this family was a family of loose cultivators, so there wasn't much he could do to help. Old Man Tan was at home, but Tan Bazhang's brothers had all been conscripted to Zhuo Water—with the war about to start, how could they stay out of it?

When he said he was Tan Bazhang's brother, he was directly chased out by the old man with a flying staff.

Just like that, more than ten days passed in a hurry. He didn't wait for news of the war in the west, but he did wait for Wei Hongqing.

Seeing Wei Hongqing, his half-month of anxiety finally settled. He said sadly: "Valley Master Zuo, Bazhang, and the Longshan Wanderer have all been conscripted."

Wei Hongqing nodded: "I know, I heard. I specifically bought a batch of spirit wine to send to Zhuo Water to reward our brothers from Wulong Mountain. Since I was passing by, I came up to take a look."

"Did Brother Wei pay for it yourself?"

"Twenty-four jars of spirit cellar wine, eight jars of Bamboo Leaf Green."

"That must have cost a lot of money, right? Brother Wei, this is mine. Adding it up might be enough to exchange for a few jars of Bamboo Leaf Green. It's a small contribution."

Wei Hongqing didn't stand on ceremony and took it. Seeing that it was all scattered gold, silver, and jade, he knew it was likely Liu Xiaolou's entire fortune, so he asked in surprise: "You've been a son-in-law in the Su family for quite a while, why are you so strapped for cash?"

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Liu Xiaolou smiled bitterly: "With my status, no one in the Su family looks up to me. My monthly allowance is only ten taels."

Wei Hongqing was surprised: "Didn't they arrange a job for you?"

Liu Xiaolou shook his head: "The Su family treats me as an idler. I can't compare to you, Brother Wei, who can preside over a business. Of course, there are benefits. By using the Su family's name, I wasn't conscripted this time, so I suppose I've dodged a bullet."

Wei Hongqing didn't know what to say, so he took a pot of Bamboo Leaf Green from his bosom and sat down to drink with Liu Xiaolou.

"Brother Wei, do you actually have a storage magic treasure now?"

"How could that be? That thing is very precious; I borrowed it."

"Being able to borrow a storage magic treasure is also very impressive. Brother Wei, your complexion has changed again. Could it be that your cultivation has advanced another level?"

"I spent quite a while cultivating in the Heavenly Matriarch Mountain blessed land in the first half of the year and gained some benefits. I'm at Stage 7 now."

"That fast? It's only been a year since you broke through to Stage 6, right? I'm truly envious, Brother."

"Haha, a little over a year. Xiaolou, you seem to have made great progress in cultivation too. Are you at Stage 5? Are you also following the Su family to cultivate in the Danxia Cave Heaven?"

"I'm at Stage 5. But it has nothing to do with the Danxia Cave Heaven. They had their millennium ceremony, and they let me go in to eat a plate of sacrificial meat; that's all."

"That's a pity. Cultivating in the blessed land this time, I finally understood: among those disciples of large sects, while there are indeed heaven-sent talents, how many more are really stronger than us? Breaking through one level in half a year or a year—what is the reason for this? It's nothing more than techniques, spirit springs, and spirit elixirs. Oh, and guidance from famous teachers. If we heroes of Wulong Mountain had these circumstances, who would be worse than them?"

"Brother Wei, perhaps this is our fate."

"Then, Xiaolou, do you accept your fate?"

This question stumped Liu Xiaolou. By the time the pot of Bamboo Leaf Green was finished, he still had no way to answer.

Wei Hongqing left. Liu Xiaolou wanted to go to Zhuo Water with him to take a look, but was dissuaded. The reason was still that his cultivation was insufficient, and if an accident happened on the road, it would be hard to look after him.

After staying for a few more days, when heavy rain began to fall on Wulong Mountain, he waited for another acquaintance. This time, it was Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon.

"Is this where Xiaolou grew up?" Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon didn't avoid the wind and rain, circled Dry Bamboo Ridge, and sighed: "Truly beautiful scenery. No wonder it could grow such a handsome figure as Xiaolou."

Liu Xiaolou greeted him on the terrace under the eaves: "Come up quickly and take shelter."

Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon hadn't seen enough, so he braved the rain to climb to the mountaintop. Seeing the white goose resting in the rain, he called out: "I haven't seen Dabai for a long time, move aside!" He pushed the white goose to the side, looked out at the mountains in the rain, spread his arms, and shouted: "Beautiful—"

"Rumble," thunder rolled and suddenly struck, as if it were coming straight down from above. Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon shivered, then laughed out loud, but didn't dare to wander around there anymore and returned to the small courtyard.

"I still remember the last time I came, it was exploring the mountain with Xiaolou and Bazhang. It's a pity we were discovered by the Green Jade Sect. Being outnumbered, we fell into enemy hands and couldn't appreciate the scenery of Dry Bamboo Ridge. Coming this time was worth it. No wonder Xiaolou didn't want to go back, haha."

"That's not it... mainly... the Badong cultivators are invading our Xiangxi, and I am worried about the war, so..."

"Xiaolou, I came specifically for this. Your Su family entrusted me to come here specifically to summon you back. You are the Su family's son-in-law, and the Su family is afraid you'll get hot-headed about the war with the Gengsang Cave."

"Are they afraid I'll drag the Su family into it? How could that be? I'm just a low-status son-in-law..."

"That's exactly what they're afraid of—that the Gengsang Cave won't think so."

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