Free Web NovelChapter 158: Chapter 158: Could Also Try Returning to Secular Life
Yan Zui had taken quite a liking to Lu Sangjiu. Hearing her words, she glanced in the direction Lu Sangjiu pointed to see her friends.
She found they were all handsome men and beautiful women... except for that big fellow who wasn’t quite her type, everyone else was very good-looking.
Yan Zui smiled. "Alright. I love dealing with good-looking people."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted over to Xie Ningyuan again. ’Hmm... This man is the one who best fits my type.’
Lu Sangjiu noticed her gaze and, worried about a misunderstanding, immediately whispered to Yan Zui, "Ms. Yan Zui, that’s a Buddhist Practitioner. It’s best not to get any ideas about him."
Surprise flashed in Yan Zui’s eyes, and she said with regret, "Tsk, I really couldn’t tell."
"He doesn’t look like one, but he really is a Buddhist Practitioner."
Yan Zui didn’t say anything more and simply left the site of the Sword Seizing Conference with the group.
Too many people were participating in the Sword Seizing Conference. At this rate, it wouldn’t end until tomorrow evening at the earliest.
Everyone in their group had competed today, so they were all free tomorrow.
Therefore, they could drink to their hearts’ content tonight without worrying about not being able to get up tomorrow.
Lu Sangjiu had become a familiar face at the Moon Viewing Tower over the past few days. As soon as she entered the restaurant, a female server came up to greet her with a smile. "Lu Fairy, you’re back! We happen to have a private room upstairs. Please, follow me."
Lu Sangjiu immediately thanked her, then asked, "Is Elder Huo at the tower today?"
The female server shook her head. "He went to watch the competition. He probably won’t be back until dark."
Lu Sangjiu nodded and didn’t ask anything further.
After the female server left, Xiang Qian couldn’t help but ask, "Lu Fairy, you know my Master Huo?"
His question made Lu Sangjiu realize something. ’Isn’t there someone from the Gold and Silver Gate right here? Do I even need to guess about Huo Xu’s identity anymore?’
Chi Yan and Feng Lin were also very curious about this. Before Lu Sangjiu could press for details, Chi Yan spoke up first, "Mr. Xiang, who is that Elder Huo?"
Xiang Qian thought for a moment. It wasn’t exactly a secret, so he explained it to them in detail.
It turned out that Huo Xu was a direct descendant of one of the Gold and Silver Gate’s Supreme Elders, Master Wuliang. He was likely his great-great-great-grandson, or something along those lines.
Despite the many generations between them, Huo Xu had an extremely high talent for Alchemy, so he was held in high regard by Master Wuliang.
He should have had a limitless future, but unfortunately... when Huo Xu reached the Golden Core Stage, he suddenly became interested in the profession of a Divination Master and poured a vast amount of time and energy into fortune-telling.
Master Wuliang was furious at his lack of ambition. Several reprimands failed to change his mind, and from then on, Master Wuliang was disappointed in him. He stopped inquiring about his cultivation and just let him fool around as he pleased.
But he was still a direct descendant of Master Wuliang, and Master Wuliang was known to be protective of his own. As a result, Huo Xu’s status in the sect was still quite special, and most people didn’t dare to provoke him.
After Xiang Qian finished, Lu Sangjiu nodded in realization. "I see. So, is this Moon Viewing Tower also Master Wuliang’s business?"
Xiang Qian shook his head. "How could our Supreme Elder be bothered with such trivial matters? It’s managed by some of the people under him."
"Back then, the Supreme Elder gave the order to give a share of the restaurant’s profits to Master Huo. Later, Master Huo didn’t want to take the money for free, so whenever it gets crowded like this, he takes the initiative to come and watch over the place."
After hearing this, Chi Yan looked at Lu Sangjiu in pleasant surprise. "Looks like we really latched onto the right backer! That money wasn’t wasted!"
Lu Sangjiu also felt that Huo Xu’s identity carried significant weight.
Although his name was no longer among the ranks of the Gold and Silver Gate’s geniuses because he’d switched careers to fortune-telling, the fact that he was backed by a Body Integration Realm Supreme Elder meant his status could not be underestimated.
After gossiping about Huo Xu, the group didn’t say much more on the topic. Lu Sangjiu turned to talk to Yan Zui.
Everyone else had known each other for a long time; only Yan Zui was new to the group. Since Lu Sangjiu had invited her, she naturally had to be a good host.
Yan Zui had a frank and generous personality. Over drinks, she quickly became familiar with everyone.
However, it was clear she was still most interested in Xie Ningyuan. Unaware of the tangled circumstances, she asked him directly, "I hear you’re a Buddhist Practitioner?"
As soon as she said this, the others couldn’t help but look surprised, especially Luo Linlang, who looked like she’d seen a ghost. "You’re actually a Buddhist Practitioner? If you’re a Buddhist Practitioner, why are you getting so close to my Little Junior Sister?!"
Luo Linlang was furious, feeling as if her feelings had been betrayed.
When they were taking their seats earlier, she had deliberately made sure Lu Sangjiu sat next to Xie Ningyuan. Now, without another word, she yanked Lu Sangjiu away from him.
"Little Junior Sister, you should have told me he was a Buddhist Practitioner! What a waste of my emotions!"
"Let me tell you, a Buddhist Practitioner is a no-go. Absolutely not! This is even worse than Gu Jue!"
Lu Sangjiu: "..."
’I knew it. My second senior sister must have imagined some weird scenario again.’
Yan Zui looked completely baffled, belatedly realizing she might have said the wrong thing.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t know..."
Lu Sangjiu quickly shook her head. "It’s fine. My second senior sister just likes to joke around... I just hadn’t gotten a chance to tell them that Mr. Xie is a Buddhist Practitioner."
’The truth is, I was afraid Chi Yan would connect this Mr. Xie with the Xie Ningyuan from the Secret Realm, so I didn’t say anything.’
’I’d only intended to tell Yan Zui quietly. I didn’t expect the secret to be out so soon.’
Xie Ningyuan appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was feeling quite frustrated...
’He had originally thought that since everyone around Lu Sangjiu misunderstood her relationship with Gu Jue, it might, over time, subconsciously influence her feelings.’
’So he decided to show up in person to divert everyone’s attention. With fewer people talking about it, Lu Sangjiu might just forget all about Gu Jue.’
’But who would have thought his campaign would end before it even began? His identity as a Buddhist Practitioner had been exposed!’
Now, looking at the furious Luo Linlang, Xie Ningyuan hesitated for a long moment before tentatively saying, "I am indeed a Buddhist Practitioner, but actually... I could try to renounce my monastic vows."
Everyone: "..."
Lu Sangjiu: "..."
For a Buddhist Practitioner to renounce their vows was equivalent to crippling their cultivation and having to start all over again.
Moreover, from a certain perspective, a Buddhist Practitioner cultivates the heart. The higher their cultivation, the more devastating the damage to the Cultivator when their Buddha Heart shatters.
If they were lucky, their foundation would only be damaged, making it difficult to achieve great progress in their future cultivation.
If they were unlucky, they would die on the spot, their soul dissipating, without even a speck of dust left behind.
Therefore, to everyone listening, Xie Ningyuan’s words were no different from saying, "I can kill myself."
Although Xie Ningyuan hadn’t stated any preconditions for his words, any intelligent person knew why Luo Linlang had been angry.
So it was obvious for whose sake he was now saying he could renounce his vows.
Lu Sangjiu’s face grew hot under everyone’s subtle gazes. She couldn’t help but glare angrily at Xie Ningyuan. "Don’t talk nonsense!"
Xie Ningyuan looked innocent. "What did I say?"
