Chapter 1: Brother and Sister

  Saw Lu Chen, Xiao Yatou's footsteps quickened a lot, and after several strides, she climbed to the top of the peak.

  "Brother~"

  "Huan'er is here." Facing Zuo Qing Huan, Lu Chen's playful and nonchalant demeanor was greatly restrained, his face filled with brotherly love and tenderness.

  The little girl's big eyes were clear and transparent, with a special emotional transmission between her eyebrows, she stared at Lu Chen for a while, only to find that this brother of hers didn't receive any signal, and she became disappointed.

  This expression was fleeting, and Lu Chen didn't notice. Then Zuo Qinghua said: "Brother, this time I have come to tell you some good news."

  "What's the good news?" Lu Chen didn't take it to heart. In Qianyu Gate, where there was no wine or meat, and he was not treated with courtesy, Lu Chen knew that even if it was good news, it wouldn't be much better.

  Little sister blinked her eyes and said: "Brother doesn't know? Three months have passed, the door is going to organize a trial, Huā'er talked to Master for a whole day yesterday, and finally got Master's agreement for Brother to join the Qingyue Peak team. This time we can go out for trial together!" Little sister was obviously very happy, speaking with gestures, extremely excited.

  "A test?" Lu Chen furrowed his brow and asked in a disgruntled tone, his expression very calm.

  Lu Chen seemed completely unbothered, but Xiao Yatou pouted her small mouth, clearly dissatisfied. She pulled on Lu Chen's sleeve and complained: "I had to promise to work hard before Master agreed, so why aren't you happy at all? Brother hasn't participated in a trial before, actually trials are the best way to improve one's cultivation~"

  Then, Xiaoyao began to analyze the benefits of the trial for Lu Chen in a rapid-fire manner, saying things like being able to think on one's feet and the subtle use of Taoist magic, spouting off a whole bunch of stuff.

  Lu Xichen wasn't very interested and kept on murmuring "uh-huh" and "ah" in a perfunctory manner.

  Zuo Qingwan's words became less and less energetic, until finally she rolled her eyes, and suddenly her small head leaned in close, almost sticking to Lu Chen's face. The girl's body fragrance mixed with the intoxicating scent of her breath like orchids suddenly wafted over: "Brother, this time you're actually following the team from Qingyue Peak, you know? Qingyue Peak is all female disciples."

  "Really?"

  "Can't deceive you? The sisters are all very pretty." Zuo Qinghua said with her foot raised.

  "Hmm, that's a good idea. Going for a walk isn't bad either." Lu Chen suddenly made a 180-degree turn from his previous casual attitude.

  Left Chancellor Hua suddenly jumped from Lu Chen's side to behind him, pinched her waist and glared at Lu Chen, saying: "Huh~ I knew it, brother is still like this, as soon as he hears there's a beauty, his eyes go straight. Hum~, hateful brother, not talking to you anymore." As she spoke, the little girl turned her head, gazing at the distant mountains, and with a huff, refused to look at Lu Chen again.

  Lu Chen rubbed his hands together and chuckled as he walked closer, saying with a mischievous tone: "Good sister, don't be angry, isn't that beauty meant to be admired? Why dress up so elaborately if not to show off? Besides, with so many female disciples going out for trials, how can they do without the protection of a hero like me? En, I must go, I definitely have to go."

  Zuo Qing's heart knew that her brother had always been open-minded, even if he was being frivolous at the moment, it was just an act. She didn't blame him much, but she did feel a small sense of resentment in her heart. On purpose, she puffed out her full chest and said with a sour tone: "What? Doesn't Hua'er's body look good? Do you still need to look at them?"

  Lu Chen indeed took a good look at her, his finger stroking his chin with a serious expression, making Left Qinghua's face turn red. However, Lu Chen immediately gave the little girl a burst of scolding, saying: "You little girl don't cultivate well, what are you thinking about every day? I'm your brother, can I look at you like I do at them?"

  The little girl ate bitter, rubbed her temples with a pained expression, and stared at Lu Chen with a huff, but didn't dare say anything.

  "Alright, alright, go back now. Call me when you leave." The loving yet strange gaze made Lu Chen's heart ripple with a feeling he had never experienced before: "Could it be that time has bred affection? This is too ridiculous, having such feelings for my sister, what a sin, what a sin."

  Thinking of this, Lu Chen hurriedly waved away the complicated emotions in his heart and pretended to be impatient, waving his hand and saying: "Let's go, let's go, I want to rest for a while."

  Zuo Qing's heart was slightly disappointed, and she couldn't understand what was wrong with herself. Especially as she grew older, her feelings for Lu Chen began to undergo subtle changes. She couldn't explain it clearly, but she knew she liked being with her brother a lot, and whenever she heard that he had a special closeness to beautiful women, she would feel a little sulky.

  Anyway, Lu Chen finally agreed to go with her to the trial, thinking that she could spend more time with her brother. The little girl was overjoyed, especially when she turned around and left the mountain, hearing Lu Chen's slightly emotional sigh behind her back. A kind of happiness she had never felt before slowly rose up in her heart.

  "You've grown up, you're a big girl now."

  Just this sentence is enough. The little girl, with a smile on her face, stepped down the winding peak with a light and nimble lotus step.

  Zuo Qinghuan left, Lu Chen returned to the house and sat quietly for a while. With the emotions of his youth stirring again, he couldn't sit comfortably no matter how hard he tried. His mind was restless and wandering, and after having seen an exquisite painting of a beauty bathing in the warm sunlight yesterday, Lu Chen had even less intention of cultivating now. Giving up reluctantly, he began to tidy up the Qiankun bag instead.

  "Over 40 fire talismans, demon-suppressing talismans, immobilizing talismans, and Vajra talismans, as well as a considerable amount of yellow paper and cinnabar. It's enough to refine a few more talismans for future use. As for the spiritual stones, they're all gone; we'll have to wait until Master returns. Looking at our cultivation progress, if it doesn't work out, I can always ask Eldest Senior Brother Zhang for help. After all, he's also a master of this school, and these things are still obtainable with some effort."

  Muttering to himself nonstop, thinking about going out for a trial run, he figures he'll inevitably have to enter some caves and mountain valleys, so he can't do without fire starters and prepares a few. He doesn't have any weapons either, so he readies two wooden sticks. Not having anything to eat won't do, this time when he goes out he has to prepare some salted meat and seasonings. Who knows, if he's lucky enough to hunt down a wild rabbit or something, he can fill his belly. Heh heh~

  Anyway, with the Qiankun bag, Lu Chen thought of everything he could think of and even made a trip to the kitchen. Taking advantage of the fact that the chef Shixiong and Shishu were not paying attention, he took some of each dish. Finally, he returned to the Bamboo Forest Hut with a satisfied heart.

  After returning, perhaps it was the timid heart that was playing tricks on him. Lu Chen couldn't shake off the feeling that something was going to happen on this trip. After tossing and turning for a long time, he finally decided to go find Yu Yang once: "It's always better to be prepared."

  The afterglow of the sunset faded as the sun slowly dipped behind the western mountains, gradually disappearing into the clouds and mist. Night descended upon the land, and a crescent moon quietly ascended to the high sky, accompanied by countless stars, bringing an otherworldly serenity and tranquility to the desolate darkness. The wind on the mountain ridge grew stronger, rustling the leaves of the bamboo forest. Under the dim moonlight, a figure stealthily climbed up the main peak of Qianyu Gate, its body as agile as a spirit cat, swiftly dashing towards the residence of Master Yu Yang Zhen Ren...