Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 380 - 235: Lu Family’s Bad Habits, Writing the Ancestral Instructions
That night, after finishing his Barbarian Armor Technique cultivation, Lu Chang’sheng stood before a mirror, dripping with sweat. In the reflection, he looked a bit more robust than before—the visible sign of progress in the Barbarian Armor Technique.
The Barbarian Armor Technique was a body cultivator’s path, focused solely on tempering the flesh and refining the physique.
Naturally, it wasn’t as gentle as the usual Immortal Techniques.
Seeing the thinning hair atop his head, Lu Chang’sheng didn’t seem to mind. His skull was nicely rounded; even if he went completely bald, it wouldn’t affect his overall appearance.
Thinking it over, he simply used his magical power as a blade and shaved off every strand, so that as his Alchemy Dao cultivation deepened, he wouldn’t be troubled by hair loss anymore.
"Although our Lu Mansion emphasizes harmony above all, we can’t just let others walk all over us,"
Lu Chang’sheng said in a solemn voice at the family banquet after getting dressed.
Having come from the territory of Great Yuan, he had always treaded carefully, reluctant to make enemies unless he was forced. But now, with his wings fully grown, it was time to show some of his edge when necessary.
Lu Ziyou and Lu Chang’an exchanged a look; something unspoken flickered in their eyes.
"Father, are you really sure? For those people to be so bold, they must’ve received promises from Zhu Qing," Lu Ziyou said.
Lu Chang’sheng frowned unconsciously. This son’s approach to the Gou Dao seemed to be straying down the wrong path.
Lu Chang’an saw it differently. "Elder Wang said he’d step in to smooth things over, and it’s already been days. Clearly, that woman doesn’t want to reconcile. In that case, we’re already mortal enemies—there can’t be any slip-ups."
He understood the ways of the officialdom intimately. Even if survival in the Spirit Realm didn’t exactly mirror that of the mortal court, the underlying principles never changed.
Perhaps their enemy didn’t care about the issue itself, only waiting to exploit a small slip to unleash a vicious attack.
"What do you think we should do?"
Lu Chang’sheng felt a deep sense of relief—his eldest son was still the one he trusted most.
"Zhu Qing isn’t one for petty rules. She has the ruthlessness of an imperial scion. My little brother may not have covered all the angles, but he has a point. We can’t kill those people for now."
"Maybe that’s exactly what Zhu Qing wants. She lays the trap, and once we make a mistake, she’ll strike hard."
"Those people have probably become her chess pieces."
Lu Chang’sheng nodded silently to himself.
He looked again to Lu Ziyou and said, "You’d better put your Gou Dao books aside for now."
Lu Ziyou looked a bit unwilling but, as always, didn’t dare go against Lu Chang’sheng’s word.
But off to the side, Lu Fan’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint, his mouth opened as if to speak, then he lowered his head and went back to eating.
Lu Chang’sheng noticed the scene and felt a twinge of disapproval.
Lu Fan was Lu Ziyou’s son. Over the years, he’d often been influenced by his father’s Gou Dao teachings, but at the moment, he seemed even more extreme than his father.
Perhaps that’s just his unique personality, which conflicted with the Gou Dao’s principles.
It meant he came off as particularly contradictory at times.
"Little Fan,"
"Grandfather!"
Lu Fan sat up straight as he answered.
"What are your thoughts?"
Lu Fan clearly hadn’t expected Lu Chang’sheng to ask him; there was a flustered look in his eyes, and he blurted out, "Just kill them."
Lu Ziyou snapped and began telling him off.
"So bloodthirsty! Did you forget all the Gou Dao I taught you?" His lips felt strangely cold and numb from anger; he honestly thought about locking Lu Fan in a dark room to study Gou Dao books for a few years.
Lu Fan shrank his neck in reflex.
But Lu Chang’sheng saw through the faint look of indifference in his eyes. Clearly, all the Gou Dao he had learned had just become a mask to hide his real thoughts.
"If you carry too much bloodlust, you’ll only invite disaster. So if you insist on this path, what do you have to ensure our safety afterward?"
Lu Chang’sheng spoke heavily. He did not want to forcefully change his descendants’ thinking unless there was a truly serious flaw.
As expected, Lu Fan paused to think, then said, "The strongest among them is only fourth level Qi Cultivation. With Lu Family’s status and strength, we just need to move the pieces a bit—we can take them out, and no one would know it was us."
"As for suspicions? In the Spirit Realm, that’s not even an argument!"
Lu Chang’an and Lu Ziyou both furrowed their brows tightly. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Their temperaments had always been naturally peaceful. Even after undergoing changes due to circumstances, those changes were still based on their original nature.
So they really couldn’t understand how someone in the Lu Family could turn out so prone to killing.
"If you walk the path of slaughter, it will definitely come back to haunt you in the future, bringing unnecessary trouble," Lu Ziyou said.
Lu Fan didn’t dare argue with his father, but Lu Chang’sheng didn’t mind. Seeing that Lu Fan still had more to say, he nodded. "Go on."
"Yes, Grandfather! I really don’t see any reason to worry. Right now, our Lu Family has more virtue than evil; what’s the harm in creating a bit of a bad reputation?"
"As for what Father and Uncle are worried about with Zhu Qing, I don’t think it’s even worth considering. Zhu Qing knows perfectly well that this won’t cripple the Lu Family."
"Most likely, it’s just a test."
For once, Lu Chang’sheng gave Lu Fan a careful look.
They say grandparents love their grandkids most, but for him it was different. The farther the generation, the thinner the tie, especially since he spent most days cultivating and didn’t have much time for his grandchildren—in truth, he rarely paid attention to them. Who would have thought, even this generation produced such talent?
With this temperament, if he hadn’t had his so-called golden finger, maybe this grandson was even better suited than him for survival in the Spirit Realm.
"Has Little Fan been tested for the Immortal Dao Spirit Root?"
Lu Chang’sheng suddenly asked.
At this, Lu Chang’sheng could clearly feel the atmosphere turning a bit awkward.
"He has, Father. This child’s spirit root is extremely weak,"
Lu Ziyou replied solemnly.
This was, in fact, the reason Lu Chang’sheng hadn’t heard about it till now.
Lu Chang’sheng froze for a second; then with a sigh, he looked away.
Lu Ziyou tried to sound tactful, but really, a "weak spirit root" essentially meant there was no Immortal Dao Spirit Root at all.
Even Lu Chang’sheng’s own previous inferior root was better.
Such a pity—a top-notch temperament!
Lu Chang’sheng consoled them, "Training in the Martial Dao works too. Martial Sages can live more than a hundred years—not a problem!"
Lu Fan came to his senses from his daze, gazing at Lu Chang’sheng at the head of the table with gratitude.
He’d felt invisible at the mansion all these years, all because of lacking an Immortal Dao Spirit Root; but fortunately, the Lu Mansion still had some warmth and humanity. Otherwise, his lot would be even harder.
"Ziyou, you have to look after Little Fan more," Li Nangua reminded.
After dinner, Lu Chang’sheng and Li Nangua walked together in the courtyard.
Both of them wore serious expressions.
They both spent most of their time cultivating, which meant many family matters were neglected.
"It’s only been a few decades, not even a hundred years, and the Lu Family is already developing those centuries-old bad habits,"
Lu Chang’sheng sighed deeply.
Despising those with low talent, fawning over the gifted and prodigious.
"If it continues, in a few hundred years, the family could split into warring factions, and the branch lines will grow disloyal,"
Lu Chang’sheng knew well—this would be a huge loss for any family.
Who could say whether those relatives who seem untalented now might not someday produce a true genius?
"Nangua, help me grind some ink. I’m going to write a new family precept!"
Lu Chang’sheng said.
