"Man-made calamity..."
Lin Eryou slowly mouthed the words and gave his feather fan a shake. "Yanwei, that's a bit much."
He strolled to the railing and gazed out toward the distant Guandu Port.
The vast expanse of the Eastern Court Lake, with its thousand miles of misty waves, flowing winds and moonlight, came to an end here, transforming into a bustling harbor.
Lin Eryou raised his feather fan and pointed toward the port.
"Yanwei, look at Guandu Port. A thousand years ago, when the Liang Kingdom had yet to be founded, despite this fertile land and this boundless green lake, it was nothing."
"But because it became the crucial point between two prefectures, a must-pass for any army, people began to gather. And thus came the riverside willows, painted bridges, silken curtains, green screens, and a hundred thousand households, uneven yet thriving."
"Tall buildings rose with the passing sails, and the hustle and bustle of the human world flourished."
"Yanwei, do you know what 'hustle and bustle' truly means?"
He smiled and tilted his head toward Zhou Yanwei.
Zhou Yanwei was silent for a moment, then replied:
"The world hustles for profit, and bustles for gain."
He looked toward the lavishly dressed youth beside him, his tone steady.
"You are a businessman. You've come for profit."
"Not quite," Lin Eryou said leisurely. "I am human. A man of the world."
"If the entire world chases profit like hawks chasing rabbits, and the law does not blame the majority, then to act for profit, how could that be called a man-made calamity?"
"It's just human nature."
Zhou Yanwei sighed. "Brother Lin truly didn't learn anything worthwhile at Liberty Mountain."
Lin Eryou laughed, not offended in the slightest.
"I told you, I spent most of my time there sleeping."
He scowled slightly.
"When I was caught napping, they'd send me to reflect among the peach blossoms. But no matter how lovely the flowers, after a while, you grow tired of them. You might as well shut your eyes and see none of it."
He looked at Zhou Yanwei and said slowly:
"But I agree with what you said earlier. Most people don't understand what it really means when the Mysterious Divine Path Sect dares to meddle in others' affairs."
"Some matters... before you try to take charge, you'd better make sure you're worthy to."
Those words were nearly a direct provocation.
Zhou Yanwei was silent for a long while, then finally nodded.
"You are right, Brother Lin."
"But you alone do not represent the people of the world."
With that, he turned and left with a sweep of his sleeve.
Only Lin Eryou remained, standing alone at the prow of the ship, shaking his head with a laugh.
"That Zhou Yanwei, sees a commoner being robbed on the roadside and rushes to help. Truly too warm-hearted."
Moments later, a brawny youth in black martial garb appeared silently beside Lin Eryou, hands clasped behind his back.
In a low voice, the young man asked:
"You're certain it's him?"
Lin Eryou nodded with a smile. "Eighty to ninety percent sure."
"What, the Tower Master doesn't trust me?"
"Someone ranked eleventh on the Canglang Evaluation, one of only two to receive a personal appraisal from the Liberty Mountain master, known as the 'Walking Library'... Of course I trust you."
The brawny man's gaze was sharp. "We dock tomorrow. We strike immediately. The bounty is yours. The head is mine."
His face wasn't remarkable, but in Jishao Prefecture, he needed no introduction,
Wind and Rain Tower, Di Wu.
Meanwhile...
"All that grand talk... but aren't you only at Qi Opening Realm? Heaven's secrets aren't something just anyone can glimpse," Shen Meinan muttered.
Chen Kuang didn't bother to explain. He smiled and said:
"Then just assume I'm talking nonsense."
If things were really headed where he suspected, these two peaceful days would be all he'd get.
Sigh.. He really wasn't sure anymore whether that cheap senior brother of his had sent him up to the clouds, or off to the underworld.
Shen Meinan realized she might've offended him and waved her hands anxiously:
"I-I didn't mean to say your cultivation's too low! Qi Opening Realm is really impressive, honestly!"
She had just been comforted by him earlier, and now she'd accidentally belittled him in return. She felt terrible.
Watching her flustered face grow redder as she dug herself deeper, Chen Kuang held back a laugh and let out a sigh:
"Alas, limited talent, no sect, no path forward... I wish to cultivate, yet I have nowhere to go."
Shen Meinan's eyes lit up suddenly. She bit her lip and said cautiously:
"Um... if you want to join a big sect... I might have a way."
Chen Kuang raised a brow. "Oh?"
She looked at him, slightly embarrassed:
"My family gave me a core disciple quota for the Mysterious Divine Path Sect. But I've been sulking and never joined."
"You know who my sister is. The sect only offered it to me to win her over. With my talent, there's no way I'd be invited otherwise."
Chen Kuang asked, "You can transfer something like that? Would they really let someone else take your place?"
Shen Meinan shook her head:
"The Mysterious Divine Path Sect has protocols. They have special emissaries who look for talented seedlings and issue invitation seals."
She took out a small jade seal from her robes and placed it in his palm.
"The seal can be transferred. If the original invitee uses it, they join directly as a core disciple. If someone else uses it, they have to pass a test. But if you pass, you'll still get in, just as an ordinary disciple."
"You'll definitely pass!" she beamed.
The Mysterious Divine Path Sect, in the Floating Glass Immortal Province.
Chen Kuang looked down. The jade seal in his hand represented a dream opportunity for countless cultivators.
Could this be his stairway to the heavens?
He asked, "Such an important item, and you're just giving it to me?"
"It's not just 'giving it,'" Shen Meinan puffed her cheeks. "I consider you a friend."
"Friend? After just one meeting?"
"W-Well... you don't have to be a friend... It's no use to me anyway. Just take it."
She looked away, her cheeks pink.
This girl... she's just too easy to understand.
Chen Kuang stroked the jade seal and suddenly frowned. "Why does this seal feel... greasy?"
Shen Meinan froze, then quickly snatched it back, blushing furiously:
"I accidentally put it with my peanuts..."
She reached into her pocket and produced a handful of shelled peanuts.
Glossy and white, glistening with oil.
"I was saving them for a midnight snack! The peanuts on this ship are really good..."
Chen Kuang remembered how during their group conversation earlier, Shen Meinan had said almost nothing and kept her head down.
Turns out she'd been shelling peanuts the whole time.
"Pfft."
He couldn't help but laugh aloud.
Shen Meinan flailed. "Don't laugh! They're really good!"
Flustered, she shoved a peanut toward him. "Try it!"
Chen Kuang took it between his fingers and smiled:
"Since I traded a peanut for a jade seal, don't go giving it to just anyone else next time."
She blinked, stunned.
Then he added gently:
"The Mysterious Divine Path Sect invited you, Shen Meinan, not 'Shen Xingzhu's little sister,' and not some random passerby. If they have rules, then this seal wouldn't be given lightly. You must be truly worthy of being a core disciple."
She bit her lip. "But I'm not talented..."
"My cultivation is even lower than yours."
He raised an eyebrow. "You believe I can pass their test, so why not believe in yourself?"
"Didn't you say that Shen Xingzhu being number one on the Canglang Evaluation isn't a big deal, that in a few years, you might be up there too?"
"I was just joking..."
"I believe it."
Chen Kuang said firmly:
"In a few years, Shen Meinan's name will be at the top of the Canglang Evaluation."
She was stunned.
Then he added:
"And if you change your mind, it's fine. When I'm ranked first, just report and use my name."
She stared wide-eyed, then burst into laughter.
Her pigtails jingled wildly as she clamped a hand over her mouth:
"I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at that... hahaha... 'Just report and use my name'? Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Chen Kuang smiled back.
Soaring to the heavens isn't as precious as the smile of a girl.