Chapter 35, The Unavoidable Mixer

Translator: Raznick

 

Red Herb Valley。

 

Only after Zhou Chun and his companions followed Wang Clan’s Clan Leader Wang Zhixiong into the Wang Clan estate did they realize that the Zhou Clan was actually the last clan to arrive.

 

Green Cloud Mountains’s Mu Clan, Gold Maple Peak’s Sun Clan, and Bamboo Grove’s He Clan had already arrived yesterday.

 

At that moment, as the Zhou Clan also arrived, all five great clans were present.

 

“This joint martial competition held by the five major clans is a rare grand occasion in recent years. Our Wang Clan has also invited many Foundation Establishment cultivators from both inside and outside Mist Province to attend the event. Now, all Fellow Daoists have arrived and are engaging in discussions. I suggest that Fellow Zhou Daoist join me and get acquainted with the others.”

 

Deep within the courtyard, Wang Zhixiong, smiling, extended his hand towards Zhou Daoyi in a gesture of invitation and said.

 

After saying that, he glanced at Zhou Chun and the other Zhou sect cultivators and said with a smile, “This will give these kids some time to get to know each other and make friends.”

 

Hearing these words, Zhou Daoyi nodded first before addressing the group of Zhou Clan cultivators behind him: “You’ve heard what Fellow Daoist Wang had to say. Accompany the other two Fellow Daoist Wangs and interract with the other clans. Just keep in mind not to cause any trouble, do you understand?”

 

“Yes, Clan Leader.”

 

Everyone affirmed and then followed Wang Zhixiong and two Wang Clan Qi Refining cultivators beside him to another courtyard.

 

When the Zhou Clan members arrived at a place called Devilwood Garden, they could hear cheers and exclamations coming from inside.

 

Upon seeing this, everyone exchanged glances and then entered the yard one after another.

 

In the courtyard filled with cassia trees, dozens of male and female cultivators were either seated on stone benches or reclining on trees, their gazes fixed intently on a central spot, as though something important was taking place.

 

After leading the Zhou Clan delegation in, the leader of the Wang Clan immediately clapped his hands and called out, “Come, come! Everyone pause for a moment. All of you, gather here to welcome our Fellow Daoists from the Zhou Clan!”

 

As he spoke, the cultivators in the courtyard all turned their gazes toward the Zhou Clan cultivators.

 

“My name is Zhou Jiacheng, greetings, Fellow Daoists.”

 

“Zhou Jiapeng， greetings to you all, Fellow Daoists.”

 

“Zhou Zhengkang, hello, Fellow Daoists.”

 

Under the gaze of the cultivators in the courtyard, the group of Zhou Clan cultivators took turns bowing with cupped hands in greeting and introducing themselves before initiating conversation.

 

In this way, the cultivators from other sects, who had been observing the Zhou Clan cultivators, could only follow suit and declare their names to avoid seeming disrespectful. Though many of them had already done so before.

 

After each had reported their name, under the invitation of a Wang Clan cultivator, Zhou Chun and the other Zhou Clan cultivators also found seats one by one, joining their activities.

 

Before the Zhou Clan cultivators arrived, these individuals were competing in casting speed, trying to see who could perform the most inferior first-grade and average first-grade mystical arts within a hundred breaths.

 

To add to the fun, someone at the scene took charge of accepting bets, attracting others to stake their spirit coin on the outcome.

 

Moreover, half of the final house earnings would be handed over to the victor.

 

This caused the enthusiasm to participate among all the cultivators present to surge. Many volunteers came forward to join.

 

At this point, upon learning about the event, many Zhou Clan cultivators were also intrigued and signed up enthusiastically one after another.

 

Of course, those eligible to participate in this kind of event were mostly Zhou Jiapeng and others like him—elites from the cultivation sect’s elite group.

 

Zhou Chun and these other young group cultivators could only watch the excitement.

 

“Thirteenth Brother, do you not wish to place a bet and have some fun?”

 

Under a cinnamon tree, Zhou Chun was watching the competition between two cultivators. His arms were folded across his chest as he observed the match. Suddenly, Zhou Zhengyong walked over beside him and whispered about placing a bet.

 

“The word gamble always brings harm—I never gamble!”

 

Zhou Chun shook his head and answered Zhou Zhengyong in a low voice.

 

Upon hearing his words, Zhou Zhengyong couldn’t help but crack a smile and replied, “A small bet for entertainment,  while a big one can be risky—I certainly understand that. So I only placed three spirit coins at stake, just for fun. If I lose, so be it!”

 

Zhou Chun wasn’t sure if he truly thought this way, but despite their good relationship, it wasn’t his place to teach the other how to behave.

 

So he merely shook his head and said, “Brother Yong, as long as you understand. Anyway, I’m not playing around.”

 

“If you don’t want to play, that’s fine, but have you seen those ladies over there? My friend, I’ve looked into it; they’re all unmarried beauties. How about you join me and give it a try? You never know what might happen!”

 

Zhou Zhengyong said as he glared at Zhou Chun.

 

Unlike Zhou Chun, the rest of the cultivators from Zhou Clan were not reluctant to seek a double cultivation Dao companion. In fact, they were quite proactive about it.

 

And in reality, for cultivators, men and women being Dao companions to each other was a path of dual cultivation. It was also a way to enhance one’s cultivation by leveraging external influence.

 

Zhou Chun had previously browsed through the secret arts in the Zhou Clan library’s second floor and even came across a dual cultivation secret art.

 

If men and women mutually cultivated using that secret art of dual cultivation, their cultivation speed would indeed be faster than usual.

 

So for someone like Zhou Zhengyong, a cultivator in his late twenties, now that he saw other female cultivators from different clans who were also strong and good-looking, it was only natural for him to think about seeking out a Dao companion.

 

However, he had dastardly intentions but lacked audacity; he needed Zhou Chun’s presence to bolster his courage.

 

To put it simply, it was because Zhou Chun was strikingly handsome and commanded a presence that exudes both heroism and good looks. Such an attractive man was unlikely to be met with disdain or rejection by female cultivators.

 

Honestly speaking, Zhou Chun had never imagined that after transmigrating, he would become a handsome man.

 

At this point, regarding his situation of being treated as a tool by Zhou Zhengyong, he couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions—part frustration, part amusement.

 

As for this particular matter, he simply couldn’t refuse it.

 

After all, to say nothing of their acquaintance with Zhou Zhengyong, making contact with other cultivators in itself was also not a bad thing.

 

More importantly, although he currently had no intention of seeking a Dao companion for dual cultivation, there was no need for him to avoid female cultivators upon encountering them.

 

If he didn’t agree, Zhou Zhengyong, that big-mouthed guy, might one day spread this around, and people might start to wonder if his thing didn’t work.

 

He could only clear his throat and said, “Of course, Fellow Daoist, it’s possible to get acquainted with other clan members. However, whether you can capture the interest of that lady is up to your own abilities, Brother Yong.”

 

Zhou Zhengyong saw him agree and immediately became joyful, nodding repeatedly as he said, “Of course, for I have a secret weapon.”

 

A secret weapon?

 

Zhou Chun couldn’t help but glance at him once, yet he didn’t notice anything unusual about him.

 

However, his heart was also stirred by a faint curiosity.

 

At that moment, Zhou Chun followed along beside him as they walked towards the cassia tree where the female cultivators were gathered.

 

In this way, when they walked to a distance of ten feet from the female cultivators, they saw that the female cultivators had noticed that they were looking at them. However, Zhou Zhengyong did not intend to speak, so Zhou Chun had to bow and say, “Excuse me, Fellow Daoists. I am Zhou Zhengchun, and this is my clan brother Zhou Zhengyong.”

 

Having finished his sentence, he paused slightly before smiling at the women and said, “May I inquire if we might have the opportunity to linger for a moment and exchange thoughts with you, Fellow Daoists?”

 

As he said those words, his heart was frantic with anxiety.

 

To be honest, Zhou Chun had lingering fears about this sort of event.

 

Because in his previous life, he had been rejected numerous times, leading him to become utterly lazy afterward.

 

However, this result made him gain confidence, from now onwards.

 

With his words falling, several female cultivators immediately broke into smiles.

 

Among them was a woman dressed in light blue robes who immediately waved and said, “Of course, no problem, please take a seat, Fellow Daoist Zhou. In fact, my companions and I were also eager to inquire about the beast-taming arts from the esteemed members of the Zhou Clan.”

 

[Indeed, good looks do get you far in the world.]

 

[Or is it that women cultivators in this world were more understanding?]

 

As Zhou Chun sat down, he couldn’t help but feel deeply moved.

 

He watched the four female cultivators across from him.

 

In terms of looks and figure, she was every bit the top-tier beauty from his previous life. So captivating that even without makeup or live streaming filters, she could effortlessly attract a million followers.

 

Beauties like these, he could only admire from afar in his past life. Wishing to encounter them in person and win their smiles in the real world was almost unimaginable.

 

“Fellow Daoist Zhou appears rather youthful; I wonder what might your age be?

 

“I heard that the Zhou Clan at Nine Peaks has tamed many types of spirit pets. I always wanted to raise a fox spirit pet, could Fellow Daoist Zhou please think of a way to assist me?”

 

“I have raised a flame cat spirit pet. Regrettably, after raising it for many years, it remainsa as an  average first-grade demon beast. Do you know, Fellow Daoist Zhou, how it can advance and break through?”

 

As Zhou Chun sat down and was lost in his own thoughts, several female cultivators at the front began asking him a variety of questions.

 

This time, it seemed to have returned to a familiar phase.

 

But in the past, people used to ask things like, “Do you have a house? A car? Did you pay in cash? Is your car a famous brand?”

 

Compared to those soul-probing questions, the ones nowadays were somewhat easier to answer.

 

He steadied himself and then, with a smile, replied, “I am twenty-four years old and have been on the path of cultivation for fourteen years.

 

“Fo your request, I truly could not help, because the Zhou Clan had not yet decided to sell spirit pets externally. But I could keep an eye out for Fellow Daoist and let them know as soon as there is news.

 

“As for this your question, I need to take a look at your cat’s situation, understand how Fellow Daoist has been raising it, then can I offer some advice.”

 

In this way, Zhou Chun was answering questions from several female cultivators while also beginning to ask questions, helping Zhou Zhengyong learn more about these women.