Chapter 102, Human Nature

Translator: Raznick

 

Although she was the owner of Frost Dwelling, Liu Shiyun’s master was affectionate toward her disciples and did not prohibit them from bringing outside cultivators to visit the estate. Therefore, after Liu Shiyun arrived at the entrance of the estate with Zhou Chun, she merely greeted a senior sister guarding the mountain array before smoothly bringing Zhou Chun inside.

 

Perhaps because all past owners of the Frost Dwelling were female cultivators, the place had a distinctly feminine vibe to its decor. For instance, many of the trees on the mountain had been replaced with fruit trees that bloom vivid flowers, along with various flowers that blossom throughout the seasons and elegant pavilions and towers.

 

Liu Shiyun’s residence was located at the foot of the main peak—a large courtyard that was three times larger than Zhou Chun’s residence on Pagoda Peak. The courtyard featured over a dozen buildings, each serving different purposes, all constructed in an impressive and elegant style, clearly showing a lot of effort had gone into their design.

 

“This courtyard used to belong to one of my Seniour Aunts. Since she passed away several years ago with no descendants left, Master decided to give it to me.”

 

Noticing Zhou Chun looking at the courtyard with an expression of surprise, Liu Shiyun explained briefly before leading him inside.

 

When Zhou Chun arrived at the courtyard, he quickly spotted Liu Qingshan rushing over to greet him, drawn by the commotion. Not sure if the water and soil of the Green Lotus Monastery were truly rejuvenating, Zhou Chun noticed that Fellow Daoist Liu had not only advanced his cultivation to the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refining Stage but also looked significantly younger.

 

As Liu Qingshan saw Zhou Chun and Liu Shiyun approaching, he burst out laughing heartily. “Finally, Fellow Daoist Zhou has arrived! The wine and dishes are ready; today we shall not leave until we’re thoroughly merry!”

 

Hearing this, Zhou Chun also smiled and said, “It’s been a while since we last met. It seems Fellow Daoist Liu has made another leap in cultivation and looks even more youthful. Could it be that the water and soil of the Green Lotus Monastery are truly so rejuvenating?”

 

Liu Qingshan laughed again, his face glowing with joy. “Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen Shiyun join the Green Lotus Monastery, finding a good master, which has lifted my burdens. Now, I feel carefree!”

 

Recounting the scene, Liu Qingshan expressed his joy wholeheartedly. A parent would likely feel just as proud and happy seeing their child achieve success and happiness in their career.

 

Zhou Chun hadn’t been a father before, but he understood. He praised Liu Shiyun accordingly, making both Liu Qingshan and his daughter beam with joy. The three of them then moved to the living room for their meal.

 

The dining table was laden with dishes made from demon beast meat and herbs, each meticulously prepared and without any shortcomings in either ingredients or presentation. This extravagant spread left Zhou Chun momentarily speechless, as he hadn’t expected Liu Qingshan’s claim of lavish meals to be this impressive.

 

Before long, Liu Qingshan expressed his gratitude towards Zhou Chun: “Fellow Daoist Zhou is our savior. I had promised that once I was free, I’d invite you to dine at the Celestial Immortal Inn.

 

“While we can’t go to the Celestial Immortal Inn today, the Green Lotus Monastery estate still has a masterful cooks to prepare such delicacies. This table of spirit dishes should hold its own against any from the Celestial Immortal Inn,” Liu Qingshan added.

 

He then picked up a jade bottle filled with golden wine and poured a glass for Zhou Chun, saying, “And here’s this Golden Dew Wine, gifted to my daughter by her senior when she joined her sect. It’s said to be worth hundreds of spirit coins. Let me treat you to it today.”

 

“You two fellow Daoists are too kind!” Zhou Chun exclaimed, unable to hold back a sarcastic sigh at the absurdity of it all.

 

He couldn’t believe that this father-daughter pair had gone to such lengths just for his sake. The lavish feast they had laid out in his honor was simply unnecessary.

 

Having come from a background as rogue cultivators themselves, before joining Green Lotus Monastery, they had never experienced the luxury of spirit dishes. As a result, they hadn’t have any realistic expectations about it.

 

It was likely because they had always listened to other rogue cultivators exaggerate about how delicious and beneficial spiritual cuisine was for one’s cultivation. This had probably led them to believe that a lavish meal was the only proper way to show their appreciation.

 

Zhou Chun had tasted spiritual cuisine on more than one occasion and knew all too well that it was the kind of thing that would have been considered a status symbol in his previous life.

 

In reality, the taste of spirit food wasn’t superior to ordinary food, and its effect on cultivation was no match for pills. Unless he ate it every day, there wouldn’t be any improvement. If given the choice, Zhou Chun would rather have Liu Qingshan give him a vial of cultivation pills, or even a single hundred-year-old herb, which would have made him much happier.

 

“Just a small token of my appreciation,” Liu Qingshansaid, “Compared to what Fellow Daoist Zhou has done for our family, it’s nothing at all.”

 

Liu Qingshan had no idea about Zhou Chun’s true thoughts. He merely assumed that Zhou Chun felt uneasy about their generosity and thus smiled and waved his hand dismissively, appearing indifferent.

 

This left Zhou Chun realizing that the best course of action was to accept their “kindness.” So, he sat down and joined Liu Qingshan and his daughter for the meal.

 

Surprisingly, whether it was due to the culinary skills of the Green Lotus Monastery’s kitchen or the superior ingredients used, the taste of those spirit dishes was indeed far better than what Zhou Chunhad experienced before.

 

While these dishes might not do much for cultivation, they seemed excellent at tonifying vitality and invigorating blood. After finishing his meal, Zhou Chun felt a warmth spreading through his body, with signs of over-nutrition beginning to surface.

 

Apparently, Liu Qingshan also discovered this very quickly, and immediately shook his head and said, “No, no …

 

Then he dragged Zhou Chun to drink together.

 

That Golden Dew Wine was a wine sent out by a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a reason. Not only did it taste excellent, but its effect on cultivation improvement was much more significant than that the dishes. Zhou Chun felt that just one mouthful equaled his cultivation practice over one or two days.

 

He and Liu Qingshan took turns drinking, and within less than an hour, they finished the entire bottle. Both leaned back in their chairs, completely satisfied.

 

Seeing the two unwilling to move, Liu Shiyun couldn’t help but shake her head as well. She cleaned up the leftover food on the table and brewed another pot of spiritual tea for them to sober up.

 

After finishing the spiritual tea, Zhou Chun seemed to recall something and suddenly asked Liu Shiyun, “May I ask you a question, Miss Liu? Did those senior cultivators from the Green Lotus Monastery who chased after the Black Flood Dragon in Cloud Province manage to kill it?”

 

Liu Shiyun couldn’t help but shake her head and replied, “No. It’s said that the seniors only managed to sever its tail and two of its claws before it fled into the Dragon Mire.”

 

At this point, she also sighed and added, “Since neither of the Flood Dragons were successfully slain, our seniors ended up injured instead. This incident caused quite a stir within the sect, and those involved in the dragon slaying were even reprimanded by the Abbot！”

 

She turned to Zhou Chun with a slight apology. “I wanted to ask for a bit of blood and flesh for Fellow Daoist Zhou, but becuase the seniors were chastized by the Abbot, Master didn’t allow me to see them.”

 

Zhou Chun cupped his hands in thanks. “I appreciate your kindness Miss Liu, but you don’t have to worry about it. I have already acquired some in my trip to Cloud Province.”

 

Then he spoke his real intent for coming here.

 

“I’m here today in part to thank Miss Liy for the previous favor, and to give you a gift.”

 

He reached out to his storage bag and took out the information on Dragonized Sect he got from the black-robed old man, while omitting his feat of skipping stages and killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

 

Liu Shiyun excused herself. “Fellow Daoist Zhou, there’s no need. You’ve saved my and my father’s life and could never take the credit that’s rightfully your clan’s.”

 

Liu Qingshan also chimed in, “Yes, yes. Shiyun is now an inner sect disciple of Green Lotus Monastery. For her, this credit is just icing on the cake. Fellow Daoist Zhou really doesn’t need to go to such lengths.”

 

Zhou Chun, seeing through their misunderstanding, clarified matter-of-factly, “The situation isn’t as straightforward as you two Fellow Daoists think. This involves the Dragonized Sect and Green Lotus Monastery, major powers that a clan like ours, the Zhou Clan, couldn’t possibly meddle with. Therefore, this item absolutely cannot be turned over to Green Lotus Monastery by the Zhou Clan.”

 

Liu Qingshan voiced his concern, “But if Shiyun turns over this item, will it not draw attention from the Dragonized Sect?”

 

Zhou Chun, with a confident air, countered, “No way. Miss Liu is currently only at the Eight Layer of Qi Refining, and has never left Blue Lotus Range. Even if the Dragonized Sect finds out she turned it in, they won’t suspect her of killing the Black Dragon Envoy.”

 

He continued, “Plus, as an inner sect disciple of Green Lotus Monastery, Green Lotus Monastery will certainly keep her activities confidential.”

 

“Then let’s have Master handle it. I’ll take it to her myself and explain its origins; we can see what she has to say.”

 

Liu Shiyun pondered briefly before sharing her thoughts.

 

Zhou Chun looked at her with mild surprise, then nodded in agreement, “That’s a good idea.”

 

Liu Shiyun then left her residence with some items, heading up the mountain to pay a visit to her master.

 

After she had gone, Zhou Chun suddenly gave Liu Qingshan a meaningful look and said, “Miss Liu is sharp-witted. Fellow Daoist Liu can now rest in peace.”

 

He had picked up from Liu Shiyun’s earlier words that she might have discovered the real reason behind Zhou Chun’s visit. That’s why she decided to go straight to her master, essentially helping Zhou Chun make the connection.

 

Liu Qingshan, a seasoned figure, soon caught on after Zhou Chun’s remark.

 

After flinching, he said with a bitter smile, “I was being foolish and was worried for her well-being, unable to see Fellow Daoist Zhou’s meaning.”

 

“Fellow Daoist Liu is only concerned about his daughter’s safety, which is understandable,” Zhou Chun remarked dismissively, giving a slight shake of his head as if to downplay the situation.

 

But Liu Qingshan seemed to have made up his mind. His face soon hardened with determination as he looked at Zhou Chun and said firmly, “Regardless of anything else, since Shiyun can help Fellow Daoist Zhou, then this matter, I will definitely make her do everything in her power to assist Fellow Daoist!”

 

The sooner one repaid a debt of gratitude, the better. Otherwise, whether it was after their father-daughter duo rose in cultivation status or Zhou Chun’s own cultivation rank increased, the cost of repayment would no longer be as low as it was now.

 

This wasn’t because Liu Qingshan was evil, harboring a desire to quickly settle his debts and sever ties. Instead, nobody liked owing others indefinitely, especially fearing that someone might exploit this debt to force them into reluctant actions in the future.

 

Thus, even though Zhou Chun could discern Liu Qingshan’s intentions, he felt no resentment. On the contrary, he admired the other’s virtue of reciprocity and gratitude. After all, there were far too many ungrateful individuals in this world. For Liu Qingshan’s father-daughter pair to remain virtuous and conscientious by not forgetting their debt even after achieving prominence was commendable indeed.

 

And Zhou Chun understood that, relying on favors to ask for help was far less practical and effective than leveraging self-interest.

 

For the sake of returning a favor, even an average person would find it exhausting, and whether they could persist depended entirely on their personal sense of morality and conscience.

 

But when working towards one’s own interests, no matter how exhausting it might be, people would feel satisfied and willing to push through the hardship.

 

Human nature was not to be tested! Zhou Chun had no intention of using favors or ethics to put humanity to the test. It was far more straightforward and secure to rely on self-interest as a binding force.

 

After waiting approximately an hour with Liu Qingshan, Zhou Chun finally saw Liu Shiyun return.

 

“She said, ‘I have taken the items. Once things settle down, I will take Shiyun to visit Zhou Clan to pay respects to their Grand Elder and express gratitude for their generous gift at the time.'”

 

In the living room, Liu Shiyun spoke with cheerful tones about her mission’s outcome.

 

Clearly, she understood the significance of her master’s actions.

 

Zhou Chun visibly brightened and immediately said, “Then please convey our gratitude to your esteemed master. The entire Zhou Clan will eagerly welcome her.”

 

“Alright,” Liu Shiyun assured him with a nod. “I will.”

 

Zhou Chun looked deeply at the Liu father and daughter, then said in a somber tone, “In any case, many thanks to you, Miss Liu. From now on, there’s no need for you two to consider me as some sort of savior or anything like that. Let us maintain our relationship as Fellow Daoists.”

 

Upon finishing, he didn’t bother to see their reactions and promptly performed the cupping hands gesture, saying, “My mission here is complete. There are many tasks awaiting me back at the clan. I won’t linger any further.”

 

“I—I insist on seeing you off, Fellow Daoist Zhou,” came a hesitant reply.

 

Liu Shiyun’s mouth opened, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything to stop him.

 

Though her mind was sharp, she was still shy.

 

In this moment, with Zhou Chun having half-revealed their shared secret, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She felt too ashamed to speak again, let alone ask him to stay.