Chapter 94: The Young Master (Bonus chapter for Shen Chao Yunfan Alliance Leader)

Snowflakes danced through the air, scattered and fine, like countless glistening, translucent grains of spirit rice.

Dressed in luxurious brocade robes with a large black cloak wrapped over them, Liu Xiaolou looked noble and handsome—a true elegant young master. As the saying goes, names may be mistaken, but titles never are; his reputation as one of the Two Marvels of Wulong Mountain, alongside Wei Hongqing, was no idle boast.

Standing in the snow, he caught a few flakes in his palm, exhaled a puff of warm breath to melt them, rubbed his hands together, smiled at Susu, then squeezed the fur collar around his neck and sighed: “I’ve never seen marten fur this fine.”

Susu smiled: “This was a two-headed marten hunted last year at General’s Waterfall. The young mistress herself sewed this coat for Thirteen Young Master, but he didn’t return this winter. Yesterday, the young mistress said you came from afar without winter clothes, so she had this taken out to keep you warm… and it fits you well…”

“Two-headed marten? A spirit beast?”

“Yes, very sentient.”

“Then… this coat must be worth a fortune. How many spirit stones?”

“… ”

“Never mind. You just mentioned Thirteen Young Master? Is he…”

“He’s the eldest son of the second branch, fifteen this year. Last year he went to the Southern Sea Sword Sect to learn swordplay, under the great swordmaster Bai Changzhen. Among all the brothers and sisters in the family, the young mistress is closest to him.”

“The Shenwu Mountain Manor has deep ancestral traditions. Why send him away to learn from another master?”

“Our family’s ancestral art is beast taming, but Thirteen Young Master dislikes it. He trains inconsistently, halfheartedly, so his progress is slow. Last autumn, he suddenly declared he wanted to learn swordplay, so the master intervened, used his connections in the sect, and persuaded Master Bai to take him as a disciple.”

“This Master Bai… what realm is he in?”

“He’s said to be at the late Golden Core stage. His cultivation base isn’t remarkable, but his swordcraft is exceptional.”

Liu Xiaolou fell silent. Late Golden Core, described by this little maid as “not remarkable at all”? How high are her standards?

Seeing him suddenly quiet, Susu asked: “Young Master…”

Liu Xiaolou sighed: “My master’s greatest wish was to break through to Foundation Establishment, yet he died without ever achieving it. Compared to your noble household, what kind of immortality are we even cultivating?”

Susu paused, her heart softening with pity: “Foundation Establishment is hard. Even in the Su family, many fail. That’s why the young mistress took a son-in-law. Young Master, you’re so outstanding—you’ll surely achieve it someday.”

Liu Xiaolou smiled bitterly: “Are you complimenting my looks? Does good looks help cultivation? The hardship lies in resources. I won’t lie—I’ve barely even eaten spirit rice.”

At lunchtime, Susu brought a food basket. Among the four delicate dishes, two were ones Liu Xiaolou had never seen. She set them out and said: “Young Master, this is the Jin Xulong carp from the White Dragon Pool of Shenwu Mountain, and this is the Ao shrimp from Elephant Trunk Cliff. Both aid cultivation—please taste them.”

The carp, steamed, had tender white flesh; the shrimp, pan-fried, gleamed purple-red, making his mouth water. Liu Xiaolou picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of fish—sweet and fragrant, filling his mouth. He opened his lips to accept a peeled shrimp from Susu, and his soul nearly left his body. Both fish and shrimp contained faint spiritual power that dissolved in his belly into tiny true qi, not much, but if eaten regularly, would greatly aid cultivation.

The other two dishes were wild greens unique to Shenwu Mountain—not spirit items, yet they filled the mouth with pure, refreshing fragrance, rare indeed.

Susu chuckled: “Eat slowly, no one’s competing with you.” Then she pulled a bottle of wine from the lower compartment of the basket and poured him a full cup: “This is our sect’s home-brewed fruit wine, called Dan Gui Xiang. Try it—but don’t drink too much.”

Indeed, it couldn’t be drunk in excess. One cup down, the fragrance of osmanthus carried dense spiritual power that spread through his stomach and flowed through his meridians. Liu Xiaolou felt his head spin—he was already slightly drunk. At his Qi Refining third layer, he dared not take a second cup.

“Excellent wine! Better than Bamboo Leaf Green!”

“Bamboo Leaf Green? Are you referring to the Bamboo Leaf Green from Tianmu Mountain? Dan Gui Xiang is the premier spirit wine of the southeast. Even Shenwu Mountain Manor receives only six casks per year. This one was specially set aside by Master Song for you to ward off the cold—there’s only this one bottle. Drink slowly.”

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Seeing Liu Xiaolou quickly cap the bottle, Susu smiled: “Young Master, have another cup. I’ll find more after you’re done.”

Liu Xiaolou shook his head: “I want to save it. When I return to Wulong Mountain, I’ll take it to my master’s grave and let him taste it too.”

Susu froze for a moment, then hurriedly pulled two bowls of rice from the basket’s bottom: “Young Master, this is the spirit rice from Eyang Mountain.”

Liu Xiaolou was delighted: “You’re thoughtful.” He shoveled a large mouthful, chewing with bliss: “Mmm… delicious…”

Susu asked: “I asked the kitchen—they said Eyang Mountain isn’t far from Wulong Mountain. You never ate this before?”

Liu Xiaolou devoured greedily: “Mmm… dry rice just tastes better… Is this last year’s new rice?”

Susu blushed: “The kitchen said it’s last year’s old rice—the storehouse still had plenty left, so they didn’t buy new last year. Isn’t it good?”

Liu Xiaolou finished both bowls of spirit rice and all the dishes in a flash, patted his belly, and sighed contentedly: “Delicious!” Then he smiled: “Last year’s… maybe some of it was harvested by me.”

Susu cleared the dishes. Liu Xiaolou felt embarrassed: “Damn… I forgot to invite you to eat. I finished it all myself.”

Susu laughed: “That’s not proper. I’ll eat with the kitchen staff later.”

Liu Xiaolou asked: “Do you eat the same as this?”

Susu said: “Of course not as good—this is the master’s meal. But mine isn’t bad either; I often get to eat these things.”

Liu Xiaolou said: “Susu, I feel you have cultivation? You eat so well—your cultivation base must be strong.”

Susu replied: “Strong? No. The young mistress only occasionally gives us a bit of guidance. We rarely have time to cultivate—just enough to strengthen our bodies and make work easier.”

Liu Xiaolou asked: “What level are you?”

Susu said: “Fourth layer.”

“What about Xiao Huan?”

“Xiao Huan joined later, but progressed faster—she’s already at third layer. The young mistress says her talent surpasses mine, and her future achievements will be greater.”

“What about your young mistress?”

“The young mistress is the most gifted and diligent in the Su family. Last year, she finally achieved Foundation Establishment, crossing into cultivation. The master says she’s now truly cultivating—Sujiasuo’s future rests on her.”

“How old is your young mistress?”

“She turned twenty on the eighth day of the twelfth month last year.”

Liu Xiaolou sighed silently. No comparison. She was only three months older than him, yet already Foundation Established. How did she cultivate? Two maids, busy serving all day, only trained in spare moments—and both were stronger than him. How could he compete?

Thinking of his master’s lifelong dream—merely the starting point for others—it was truly despairing.

Liu Xiaolou pushed open the window, letting the cold wind strike his face, drying his despair and reigniting his determination: “Master, I will fulfill the dream you never achieved!”

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