Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 382 - 237: Lu Mansion’s Notorious Reputation
The female cultivator opened her mouth, but seeing that he had already made up his mind and was beyond her persuasion, what more could she say?
Besides, Fellow Daoist Wang she mentioned may have offended the Lu Family, but who could predict what the future holds?
Just as the male cultivator had said, although ’Fellow Daoist Wang’ offended the Lu Family, he also got tied in with someone from the Supreme Profound Sect. So in this brief window, while some stay away from ’Fellow Daoist Wang’ out of caution, others are approaching him instead.
The cultivator before her was just such a man.
To people like them, this was a rare opportunity; most disciples of the Immortal Sect are gifted by nature, and even if they can’t reach the Foundation Establishment stage someday, attaining the late stages of Qi Cultivation is all but guaranteed.
Not to mention, the connections of someone from the Immortal Sect would only be better, never worse, than what Alchemist Lu can offer right now.
Hanging onto such a powerful backer was obviously a huge advantage.
However, she and the male cultivator didn’t see eye-to-eye on this matter.
She believed that, with the status of a Supreme Profound Sect disciple, how could he ever think highly of someone like ’Fellow Daoist Wang’?
Most likely, he’d end up as just another sacrificial pawn.
She glanced over at the man and shook her head, sighing to herself. After years spent together, it would be a lie to say she felt nothing for him. Lately, she’d even wondered about accepting him into her bedchamber.
Building a relationship isn’t easy, and for a woman who’s always played by the rules, the thought of letting go gave her pause.
That was why she came here to try and talk sense into him.
Seeing how stubborn he was, she gave up on saying more.
"To each his own. Do as you please, Daoist."
After she turned and left, the male cultivator’s face darkened. He spat fiercely, with a cruel glint in his eyes.
Of course, with her back turned, she had no idea about this change in his expression.
Not that he’d make a move here anyway; it was far too risky. Their strength was about equal, and if he tried something in this place, he’d be discovered instantly.
Moments later, he turned and descended the stairs, thinking to himself that since she didn’t want to join his cause, he owed her nothing.
He also recalled how, in their earlier conversation, she kept tiptoeing around the topic of ’Fellow Daoist Wang’, clearly unwilling to say anything concrete.
She was just hedging her bets in case ’Fellow Daoist Wang’ managed to survive this incident and sought retribution against her.
"If you’re already so certain, why even bother putting on this act?"
The male cultivator sneered, and before long found ’Fellow Daoist Wang’ and relayed the whole matter with added embellishments.
’Fellow Daoist Wang’, thin and sharp-featured, did not take the news well.
"Womanly thinking! Don’t worry, I’ve got this under control. I appreciate your concern, Daoist. In the future, if you ever need a status endorsement for alchemy, just let me know." Cultivator Wang pounded his chest as he spoke.
"That Lu kid might have some skill, but in the eyes of that Immortal from the Supreme Profound Sect, he’s nothing. Let me lay it out for you—there’s no way that Lu bastard dares lay a finger on me."
"Don’t be fooled by how Lu’s made a bit of a name for himself. In truth, he’s just some bumpkin barely escaped from the Mayfly World, still clinging to that ingrained sense of inferiority."
"Even if he tries something, I won’t be worried. That Immortal promised us that if Lu makes a move, someone will step in to stop him!"
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The male cultivator smiled—he’d bet on the right horse this time.
Suddenly, a faint fluctuation of magical power came from the window. In a split second, they saw a centipede-like shadow dart in, sharp as a needle slicing into water.
The protective spirit array carved into the room’s walls was immediately and automatically triggered, but proved almost useless. A subtle gray glow shimmered across the centipede creature, and before they knew it, it was right upon them.
They froze for the briefest instant, but then snapped into action, casting protective magic on themselves while bolting for the door.
Too bad—they managed only a few steps before suddenly their faces twisted in shock, bodies freezing as if locked in place, collapsing flat to the ground.
"Poison!"
Cultivator Wang shouted, hurriedly channeling his power to suppress the toxin within.
Most times, the subtler the poison, the harder it is to notice. All he needed was a few seconds to suppress the venom and regain command of his body.
But by then, the sand centipede, sticking to them like a shadow, was already before them, its tail puncturing both their throats in one swift motion.
Against a sand centipede with the power of a sixth level Qi Cultivator, their talismans posed little resistance. It tore straight through them, severing their last breath of life.
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"It’s done."
Outside, Lu Chang’sheng gave Li Nangua a quick hand sign signaling success, then controlled the sand centipede to burrow out and collected it into the Treasure Vault Immortal Insect, vanishing into the darkness without a trace.
The noise caused by the sand centipede forcing its way through the array was negligible; if Lu Chang’sheng himself had tried sneaking in, chances were high the mansion’s patrolling cultivators would’ve noticed.
That’s why the bodies would have to be left as is.
The next day, the female cultivator living and practicing on the third floor was startled by a hurried knock at her door. Opening it, she saw two patrol cultivators with odd expressions.
After being questioned back and forth, she finally learned the male cultivator and Fellow Daoist Wang had died by unknown causes the night before.
The patrol cultivators didn’t elaborate on the details of their deaths, but anyone with half a brain could tell—this was a Lu Mansion retaliation, and deep down, everyone was pretty eager to see what would happen next.
As lower-ranked cultivators, they were all thrilled by the prospect of titans clashing.
This estate complex ultimately belonged to a great power, and the Lu Mansion had just slapped that power right in the face.
This particular estate was backed by none other than the Gao Family, top dogs among the late-stage Qi Cultivation clans.
But not all clans are equal—the Gao Family was a leader in the Platinum Immortal City, boasting nearly ten late-stage Qi Cultivators. Lu Mansion couldn’t hope to compete. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Plus, Lu Mansion kept a pretty low profile, so most people figured they’d end up on the receiving end of some payback.
Yet nobody expected what happened next.
The following day, word got out—there had been murders in several other estate districts, all involving those alchemists who’d fallen out with the Lu Family.
For days, other than a few underlings making noise, the big shots behind those groups remained eerily silent.
In that instant, Lu Mansion’s faint notoriety gained a generous new dose of infamy.
There were over a hundred Qi Cultivator factions in all Platinum Immortal City, but in these circumstances, only a scarce few could pull this off and come out unscathed.
Whatever the truth, Lu Mansion now bore a mysterious reputation—practical consequences immediately reflected in Lu Chang’an, the one most involved in dealings with other major forces.
When talking business with others now, everyone treated him with much more courtesy.
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"That Lu Mansion sure knows how to pick their moments!"
"If this was in the past, no way they’d get away without paying in blood."
"But it’s not over. Once this storm passes, we’ll settle the score with them!"
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Hardly anyone knew that that very night, in the Gao Family’s own estate, Patriarch Gao Ling nearly exploded when he got wind of what happened.
Unfortunately, there had just been fresh developments in the Red Cloud Daoist matter, and the Supreme Profound Sect’s newly arrived Immortal needed to mobilize some of the local cultivators.
As a prominent clan in Platinum Immortal City, they couldn’t just stay out of it.
"Given the current situation, less trouble is better than more. Let’s get through this, then deal with them."
Gao Ling’s face changed several times before he decided to let the matter drop for now.
Better not to bring about other unexpected disasters.
"The times are messy indeed!"
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