At the beginning of March, spring peeked out from behind the horizon.
In the *Study Pavilion* of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect's **Main Peak**, an oil lamp was still lit, and a man dressed in a sect Elder's uniform turned his head to look at the morning sun shining in through the paper window, letting out a long breath. "Phew..."
Before he knew it, it was dawn.
However, there were still stacks of papers on the desk in front of him. He had been sitting here without sleeping for five days.
Liang Zhu was thinking, how could he loaf on the job now?
When he followed Ye Anping here, he knew that as an outsider and a wanted criminal cultivator, his position was extremely delicate.
Just like unindentured workers.
Ye Ao could kick him out at any time if he wanted to, and he didn't even have to pay him any compensation.
Although Ye Anping repeatedly assured him that he and Liang Ating could live peacefully in the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect from now on, however...
The promise of someone with a triple personality...
Heh...
Therefore, ever since he came to the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, Liang Zhu worked hard, even serving tea and water to Ye Ao. Nothing was too much for him. He had given gifts to every Elder of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect according to their preferences. He did all the dirty work as long as he could do it, and he was active on all fronts.
As long as he made himself useful enough, Ye Ao had no reason to kick him out.
And, as long as Ye Ao didn't kick him out, Liang Ating would have a stable environment to grow up in and no longer have to wander around with him, eating and sleeping in the open like before.
He was also wondering now. Why did he want to take Ating with him back then?
"Well, this is it, there is no medicine for regret in this world. When you choose your own path, no matter how difficult it is, you have to walk on it... Heh---"
Liang Zhu sighed, picked up the next document, unfolded it, and looked at it.
But when he saw the content inside, his deep eyes with dark circles widened slightly. "... Dead?"
This document fell under the "condolences" category. After the death of a prominent cultivator, a document announcing the death would be sent to each sect. It would then be distributed and published in the newspapers for the passing cultivators to read.
The person who was mourned in the document was Liu An, the minister of the **Central Region** ***Imperial*** Sect, a cultivator in the middle stage of *Core Formation*.
Liang Zhu's face showed a rare hint of anger, but after struggling for a while, he returned to his usual expressionless face.
He wrote the word "read" below and then used his spiritual power to send the document to the pile of papers that were to be sent to the town market.
"I've been carrying Ating with me for so many years. What does it have to do with me? Well, what's the point of thinking so much?"
*Bang---*
Suddenly there was a loud noise and the door of the *Study Pavilion* was kicked open.
"Father!!!"
Liang Zhu, who was already a nervous wreck, was so startled that his body trembled in fright, and only when he looked up did he see that it was Liang Ating.
He took a deep breath, stood up, and quickly went to check the door that Liang Ating had kicked, scolding her. "Ating! Who taught you to kick the door?!"
With that said, Liang Zhu looked around, and seeing no one was there, he breathed a sigh of relief. He took out the repair tools and paint from his storage bag and began fixing the hole that Liang Ating had left in the door.
"How many times did I tell you, be good and don't cause trouble."
"But, but father..."
Liang Ating was so anxious that she could not speak clearly.
"Wait for me to finish the repairs first, then tell me what's so urgent?"
Liang Zhu quickly repaired the door without leaving a trace. He couldn't let anyone catch his weak spot. It would be bad if Ye Ao used "your adopted daughter kicked down the *Study Pavilion* door" as an excuse to kick him out.
"Father!! Auntie!!! She's back!! What should I do?"
?
"They're back?" Liang Zhu didn't understand why she was making a fuss. "If they're back, then they're back. Did you do something wrong?"
"No, no, no! But when my aunt comes back... she will want to break my bones again. Father, tell her that I am not in the ***Hundred Lotus ***Sect. I will come out after they leave..."
"What if they don't leave?"
"Then... let's run, father! Auntie is too scary!"
"..."
Initially, this girl wanted a stable place to live, but now she wanted to run away... Liang Zhu sighed faintly. "I'll go talk to your aunt later and ask her not to break your bones."
A sound was brought with the wind, and Liang Ating's ears twitched slightly as if she sensed Pei Lianxue's approach. Frightened, she rushed further into the pavilion, found a bookcase, opened it, and hid inside.
"Ating..."
"Father, don't call me!!"
"You--"
Liang Zhu sighed softly, then lifted his spirits, and rearranged his robes before walking back to the desk and continuing to correct the documents.
Soon after, Ye Anping and Pei Lianxue walked in.
As soon as she stepped in, Pei Lianxue asked, "Brother Liang, where is Ating?"
"I don't know." Liang Zhu glanced at the cabinet next to him. "Probably playing somewhere."
"Oh..." Pei Lianxue was a little disappointed. "Then, I'll go ask around. Brother, I'm going to look for Ating."
"Okay."
Ye Anping nodded slightly, and after watching his sister fly away with her sword, he glanced at the piles of paperwork in the book pavilion again. Feeling slightly sympathetic, he asked, "Brother Liang, I've been away for six months, and my father is exploiting you like this? Why don't you talk to him?"
Liang Zhu's face was expressionless. "As long as he gives me spirit stones, I will do the work."
Ye Anping looked at the dark circles under his eyes and pursed his lips. He brought a stool, sitting across the table. "Still, you need to rest properly. Anyway, didn't you make a lot of money by following me? Do you still need these meager spirit stones?"
"Do you think there's such a thing as too many spirit stones?"
"Nope."
"Right."
Liang Zhu shrugged slightly, and seeing how Ye Anping came to him as soon as he was back, he thought that he must have some big business in mind. He put down his pen and leaned against the back of the chair with his arms crossed.
"Same rules. Let's discuss it first."
A little embarrassed, Ye Anping raised his eyebrows. "I'm just here to see how you are doing, okay?"
"Is that so?"
"Oh... Brother Liang, our friendship goes a long way back. Why are you still seeing me like an outsider?"
"Let's talk business."
"Heh--" Faced with such a poker face, Ye Anping was at a loss. There was no detailed description of Liang Zhu in the game, and he really didn't know his past, so he had to probe carefully. "It's not a big deal. I have something I want you to sell for me."
"Something from the **Southern Region**?"
"..Kind of." Ye Anping thought about it for a while, then took out the glass bottle wrapped in waxed paper. "This..."
Liang Zhu originally thought it was some kind of natural treasure that Ye Anping collected from the Sword Sect, but when he saw it was a bottle wrapped in waxed paper, he frowned. "Is this some medicine?"
"See for yourself."
Liang Zhu slowly reached out to take it, glancing at Ye Anping again, as if he was afraid that he would give him a bomb. He carefully tore open the waxed paper and took a look into the bottle.
He stiffened and then wrapped the paper back in an instant.
"..."
"..."
For a moment, the two men in the room looked at each other, their expressions frozen.
After a long time, Liang Zhu's eyes slowly moved toward Ye Anping's crotch, his eyebrows raised.
?
Catching his gaze, Ye Anping blinked and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Brother Liang, where are your manners?"
