Chapter 247- The Black-Bellied Demon Cultivator’s Senior Brother VS The Righteous Young Junior Brother (12)
“Ha! You at Qing Lei Peak are the ones who should be ashamed! You’ve just gotten a disciple with a rare mutated thunder spiritual root, and now you’re eyeing a single-attribute wood spiritual root too? What, do you think you deserve all the best talents? Dream on!”
“So what if we at Chuanyun Peak don’t have any disciples with wood spiritual roots? All our resources would go straight to him! That’s much better than what Qing Lei Peak could offer!”
Luo Kangde, the Peak Master of Chuanyun Peak, immediately began cursing upon hearing the Qing Lei Peak Master’s words. The other peak masters, clearly displeased that Qing Lei Peak had already secured Mu Shaoyuan, quickly joined in on the verbal attack against Qing Lei Peak.
Seeing the heated argument, Mu Jin found no opportunity to interject. He simply stepped back, distancing himself from the chaos, deciding to wait until they were done before saying anything.
Fortunately, even though these peak masters and elders often didn’t see eye to eye, they were still united in their loyalty to the sect. They knew it would be disgraceful to brawl in front of their disciples, so they directly turned to Mu Jin and asked, “Well then, young man, which peak do you want to join?”
“I want to join Chuanyun Peak.” Mu Jin’s response was so swift and resolute that it caught everyone off guard.
After all, such a decision was a matter of great importance, and most people would weigh the pros and cons carefully before making a choice. They hadn’t expected Mu Jin to decide so decisively.
When Luo Kangde heard Mu Jin’s decision to join Chuanyun Peak, a look of triumph spread across his face. His smug expression made the other peak masters grit their teeth in frustration.
However, the person feeling the most pleased at that moment wasn’t Luo Kangde, but Ning Yizhou. He clearly noticed that after Mu Jin declared he wanted to join Chuanyun Peak, he sneaked a glance at him. It was obvious that Mu Jin chose Chuan Yun Peak because Ning Yizhou was a disciple there.
His mood brightened even further, and though Ning Yizhou simply curled his lips into a slight smile without saying much, he was inwardly delighted. The rest of the new disciples weren’t as outstanding as Mu Jin and Mu Shaoyuan, so the other peak masters and elders quickly returned to their usual calm demeanor. Without further quarrel, they swiftly allocated the remaining disciples and departed with their respective groups.
Chuanyun Peak only gained Mu Jin this time, but since he had a rare single-attribute wood spiritual root and excellent aptitude, the peak master Luo Kangde was more than satisfied. On the way back to Chuanyun Peak, his attitude toward Mu Jin remained kind and cheerful, clearly pleased with the new addition.
However, the others weren’t wrong—Chuanyun Peak had never had a disciple with a wood spiritual root before, and Luo Kangde had no experience in teaching one. Now that this young man had chosen to join him without hesitation, Luo Kangde felt it was his responsibility to cultivate him properly.
With this in mind, he suddenly stopped, confidently entrusted Mu Jin to his chief disciple, Ning Yizhou, and reassured Mu Jin with a few kind words. Then, he hurried off to find the sect master of Qingliu Sect, intending to ask for some cultivation methods related to the wood spiritual root.
After Luo Kangde left, Mu Jin felt happy at the thought of finally having some time alone with his beloved. He followed closely behind Ning Yizhou, feeling a bit excited. Although the distance from the main peak to Chuanyun Peak was quite far, Ning Yizhou chose not to use his sword to fly but instead decided to walk with Mu Jin toward their destination.
Ning Yizhou didn’t like using his sword to fly; he preferred walking, enjoying the journey and observing the scenery along the way. As for the other junior disciples, they lacked his patience and knew that their senior brother needed to properly introduce Chuanyun Peak to Mu Jin. So, they didn’t linger and each returned to their own cultivation.
As they walked, Ning Yizhou introduced Mu Jin to the various aspects of Qingliu Sect. Once they entered Chuanyun Peak’s territory, he began discussing matters specific to their peak, introducing Mu Jin to the junior disciples they encountered along the way.
What amused him was that each time he introduced someone to Mu Jin, the little guy would earnestly memorize the person’s name and greet them seriously. Moreover, Mu Jin listened attentively to every word Ning Yizhou said, which Ning Yizhou found rather endearing.
One had to admit, the scenery on Qingliu Mountain was truly beautiful. Although it wasn’t exactly filled with ethereal mist, each peak was lush and verdant.
Ning Yizhou noticed that Mu Jin had been closely following his pace for a long time without complaining of fatigue. Seeing this, he looked at Mu Jin with a bit of satisfaction. He then took two mandarins out of his bag, handed one to Mu Jin, and said, “Here, eat this while we walk. I’ll take you to explore some other places.”
Mu Jin nodded at his words, and gave Ning Yizhou a big smile. It was then that Ning Yizhou noticed Mu Jin had a pair of sweet dimples on his cheeks, making his baby-faced features even more adorable.
Clearing his throat lightly, the man peeled open a mandarin and ate a segment. The refreshing scent filled his nostrils, and the sweet-tart flavor spread across his taste buds, instantly making him feel more energized.
Beside him, Mu Jin was also eating the mandarin with a smile. Ning Yizhou, enjoying his own fruit, found himself liking the little guy even more. As they walked through the beautiful scenery, he recalled the days when the two of them would grill meat together in the mountains.
Unfortunately, now that he was in his human form, he couldn’t very well ask his junior disciple to make him delicious food, which left Ning Yizhou feeling a bit regretful.
On the other side, Mu Jin savored the mandarin in his hand. Although he knew the fruit was originally his gift to Ning Yizhou, for some reason, after receiving it from the other man, it tasted even better. He couldn’t help but think how nice it would be if Ning Yizhou could feed it to him.
As they continued to wander and eat, Mu Jin stopped after finishing three mandarins, knowing that while eating a couple was fine, too many would make his stomach uncomfortable. Of course, for cultivators, their bodies were different from ordinary people’s, and they could handle consuming large amounts of difficult-to-digest food.
However, Mu Jin couldn’t help but twitch his lips as he watched Ning Yizhou, who had already eaten more than thirty mandarins since they began.
Doesn’t anyone suspect my man’s true identity when he behaves like this? How could a cultivator eat so much in one sitting? How big is his stomach, and why doesn’t anyone question whether he’s actually human?
In reality, though, Mu Jin was overthinking it. Ning Yizhou never acted this way in front of others. Despite his considerable cultivation level, when he first entered the sect, he did disguise himself with a lower cultivation level but quickly leveled up. After that, he always maintained the appearance of using fasting pills in front of others. He found the sect’s food too bland and disliked it, even if it was infused with spiritual energy. Ning Yizhou preferred the meat of spirit beasts. When he couldn’t leave the sect, he would eat fasting pills, but whenever he got the chance, he’d sneak down the mountain or into the forest to hunt for some game.
This was the first time since joining the Qingliu Sect that he had relaxed enough to indulge in eating so freely in front of someone. The sweet taste of the mandarin was pleasant, but the presence of his cute little junior disciple made him feel even more at ease. So, without realizing it, he had eaten quite a lot while chatting with Mu Jin.
When Ning Yizhou reached into his storage bag again after finishing another mandarin, he found that the basket was now empty. He had eaten all the mandarins, and a wave of disappointment washed over him.
Noticing the man’s furrowed brows, Mu Jin asked with concern, “Benefactor, did you eat too much and upset your stomach?”
Ning Yizhou realized then that he might have overindulged in front of Mu Jin. He quickly cleared his throat, then smiled at Mu Jin, pretending nothing was amiss. “I’m fine. With my level of cultivation, eating a bit more won’t harm me. You’re right; these mandarins are really delicious.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Jin’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed happily, “I’m glad you like them, Benefactor! You’re amazing!”
Although it was a bit odd to be praised for eating a lot, Ning Yizhou found it quite pleasing. For demon cultivators, some habits differ from humans’, and sometimes eating more is a sign of ability.
Feeling even better now, Ning Yizhou smiled and said warmly, “You don’t need to call me ‘Benefactor’ anymore. Since you’ve joined the Qingliu Sect, we’re now fellow disciples. Just call me ‘Senior Brother’ like the others.”
“Senior Brother Ning!” Mu Jin called out happily, then earnestly added, “Senior Brother, if you like them, I’ll get more from Uncle Li the next time I go down the mountain. Oh, and I’ve heard that fruits grown by those with a Wood Spirit Root are especially delicious. When I’ve cultivated more, I’ll grow lots of mandarins and bring them all to you!”
Seeing the serious expression on the little guy’s face, Ning Yizhou couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t bother to correct him about the rarity of using Wood Spirit Roots to grow fruits. Instead, he playfully asked, “You’re going to give me all the mandarins? What about the others?”
What started as a joke turned into something Mu Jin earnestly considered. He began counting on his fingers, saying, “I’ll have to give some back to Uncle Li. Master can have two, and I’ll give one each to the other senior brothers and sisters. I’ll keep two for myself, and the rest will all go to Senior Brother Ning!”
“Pfft!” Ning Yizhou couldn’t hold back his laughter, finding the little guy in front of him utterly adorable.