Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 386 - 241: Acceptance and Refusal

The actions of the two Foundation Establishment masters just now were not without purpose; people of their level never do anything without meaning.

Everyone present was experienced, well aware of this fact. The two Foundation Establishment masters stepping forward was no act of negotiation; it was simply a show of ’discussion’ out of courtesy, since behind them stood the Supreme Profound Sect. It was a façade to leave everyone with some dignity.

Thus, if one hoped to refuse, another path would have to be found.

The crowd glanced about; most family cultivators were worried and didn’t dare take the lead, but with their own safety at stake, they couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

At this moment, a man with a goatee stepped forward, an expression of bitter amusement on his face. "Master Gu, we’d certainly like to help, but that Red Cloud Daoist escaped from the hands of several True Men. His strength is clear to see. Even if we were willing, I doubt we’d make much difference."

With someone taking the lead, the rest’s apprehension diminished, and many echoed his sentiment.

The single most pressing concern was the whereabouts of Red Cloud Daoist.

"The True Man already stated that the Red Cloud Demon has been possessed by a great demon and is extremely skilled at hiding himself. Frankly, given our abilities, I suspect our efforts would be in vain."

The scene grew momentarily noisy.

But Gu Wei showed no displeasure at all; he smiled and said, "You needn’t worry about that. Since we’ve invited you to assist, we certainly have a plan. To be frank, though our recent siege didn’t subdue the Red Cloud Demon, we did manage to track him down. The area has been narrowed, albeit still somewhat vague, which is why we require you to keep watch over certain regions—to prevent his escape."

"This is simply a precaution. The chance of encountering the Red Cloud Demon is minimal. But if you do, just hold out for a while—we’ll be there in no time!"

"Please consider it. If there are no objections, we’ll depart in an hour," Gu Wei remarked with a meaningful tone.

Then he clapped his hands, and several Gu Family servants entered, offering spirit fruits and spirit tea for all to enjoy.

The two masters turned and entered the inner hall, leaving the late-stage Qi Cultivators behind in a heavy atmosphere.

After the Gu Family servants left, everyone dispensed with pretense, quickly seeking out familiar faces and moving to secluded spots to discuss countermeasures.

"The Supreme Profound Sect is acting a bit underhanded this time."

Lu Chang’sheng joined Fang Family, Qu Family, and others, including Xiao Feng from White Cloud Pavilion, to confer.

Once a few sound insulation spirit arrays were set, Elder Li was the first to speak up in displeasure.

Seeing Lu Chang’sheng’s curiosity, he explained, "This conscription isn’t the first, but usually, when Supreme Profound Sect calls on us, they throw us a bone—even in the most perfunctory times, they make promises to reward us based on contribution after the job’s done."

"This time, they haven’t mentioned a single word about rewards."

"No matter. We don’t have a choice. When Supreme Profound Sect insists, we can only swallow our pride. What matters now is figuring out how to get through this mess safely."

Qu Feng and the others nodded in agreement.

Elder Li also reined in his emotions. For family cultivators at the Qi Cultivation stage, the Immortal Sect was overwhelming. Unless they abandoned their clans, they’d have to go along, like it or not.

Lu Chang’sheng felt helpless as well. Such was this world—the powerful could change their attitude toward the weak at any moment.

"Chang’sheng, any thoughts?"

At this, they all looked to Lu Chang’sheng.

Lu Chang’sheng was the lynchpin of the group, connecting everyone into one, so they instinctively wanted to hear his opinion.

"Let’s put aside the Supreme Profound Sect for now. Our priority is how to handle what’s ahead." Lu Chang’sheng thought briefly before he spoke. "Right now, we’re in the dark about specifics. All we know from Master Gu is that Red Cloud Daoist has been confined to a certain place. The state he’s in is crucial for us."

"Alchemist Lu is quite right."

As Lu Chang’sheng provided a point of departure, the others started offering scattered thoughts, voicing them one after another.

Soon, an hour passed. The two True Men appeared punctually above the courtyard, chatting and laughing, which eased some of the tension in the hearts of those who witnessed it.

"Alchemist Lu, do you think we could find an excuse not to participate?" At this moment, Patriarch Huang approached Lu Chang’sheng.

Lu Chang’sheng glanced at him. Huang Feng, the Huang Family’s old ancestor, had gone to Taiyuan Domain in pursuit of Foundation Establishment, leaving the Huang Family in this man’s hands.

Compared to the patriarchs of Fang and Qu, though, the man was much more cautious.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, best not to overthink it. Refusal isn’t an option here."

Out of consideration for Old Ancestor Huang Feng, Lu Chang’sheng wanted to give him a hand so the Huang Family wouldn’t be dragged down by his poorly timed moves.

"An incompetent general gets the whole army killed. If one day Old Ancestor Huang Feng is gone, it’s best not to get too closely involved with this kind of family—otherwise, you’ll be swept up when disaster strikes," Lu Chang’sheng mused silently.

Just as this thought settled, sudden voices rang out, startling Lu Chang’sheng. Looking up, he saw more than a dozen cultivators step forward and bow slightly to the two True Men hovering above.

One, dressed like a simple farmer, kept his head low as he spoke: "Forgive us, True Men. We are not skilled in fighting and have important matters to tend to in the coming days. Regrettably, we must humbly decline this task."

At once, all eyes turned to the two Foundation Establishment True Men in the sky, gazes filled with a mix of anticipation and speculation.

"Heh, is this what all of you cultivators are thinking?" Before Gu Wei could speak, the Foundation Establishment cultivator at his side scowled, his eyes sharp and intimidating.

"I’d like to hear it again, in your own words."

The True Man’s cold voice sent a shiver through the dozen or so late-stage Qi Cultivators, prompting two of them to back down immediately.

"If the True Man calls, our own matters can wait."

Pressure instantly shifted onto those who remained. But having stepped forward, backing out now would invite both gossip and, likely, the lingering attention of the masters above—they might as well see it through.

Besides, those who’d decided to refuse had already guessed it could come to this.

After all, the two Foundation Establishment True Men would hardly allow their mission to be easily compromised.

So, the spokesman hastily raised an Immortal Insect from the Treasure Vault over his head. "We admit our guilt; within this Treasure Vault Immortal Insect are some of our family’s possessions. May it serve as atonement, and grant us pardon for not complying!"

That left everyone watching a little dumbstruck.

"That Fisherman and Woodcutter actually came up with something clever. Now, he’s given the two True Men a way out,"

Patriarch Huang said with envy in his eyes, clearly tempted by the idea.

Lu Chang’sheng couldn’t help but sigh. Fisherman and Woodcutter truly did show some wit.

The stumbling block to their withdrawal was undermining the True Men’s conscription.

If the True Men accepted, everyone present might imitate them; if not, then the whole carefully constructed façade would collapse.

But by presenting the Immortal Insect from their Treasure Vault, they’d given the two True Men a proper way to let them go.

The smartest move was to speak only vaguely about the wealth inside the Treasure Vault Immortal Insect. Anyone else wanting to follow suit would find it much harder.

Since, after all, who knows how much is stashed within?

The two True Men could easily make an issue out of this, and refuse any copycat attempts from others.