Chapter 30: Ancestor Mingsheng
Editor: Atlas Studios
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Soon, led by the maidservant, Wang Shouzhe arrived at the backyard of the Lu Clan's main residence, where Ancestor Mingsheng was cultivating in seclusion.
This place was close to the banks of Lake Yingxiu. The tall and magnificent attics allowed one to take in the entirety of the lake. The wind from the lake, the sound of the waves, the leaping fish, and the chirping of birds all allowed the buildings here to blend into nature.
Standing in front of the pavilion named "Moonrise of Yingxiu", Wang Shouzhe cupped his hands and said, "Wang Shouzhe of the Wang Clan of Ping'an seeks an audience with Ancestor Mingsheng."
"Come in."
A gentle voice rang out directly in Wang Shouzhe's ears.
Wang Shouzhe followed the instructions and walked up the thick wooden steps to the upper level of the loft. Outside the attic window, a gray-robed old man had his back to Wang Shouzhe. He was sitting in a armchair and fishing in Lake Yingxiu with a long fishing line.
His posture was very casual, but with Wang Shouzhe's insight, he could not see through him at all. It was like an insurmountable mountain, or a bottomless lake.
Beside him was a 12 or 13-year-old girl in a red dress. It was Wang Shouzhe's cousin, Lu Xiaoxiao. She was glaring at Wang Shouzhe angrily, clearly still mad.
"Great-grandfather, see how infuriating Cousin Shouzhe is." Lu Xiaoxiao pouted and said, "Why can that sister from the Wang Clan have the Amethyst Spirit Beehive when Xiaoxiao doesn't?"
"Uh…" Wang Shouzhe rubbed his nose, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. So this girl really came to the Ancestor to complain.
"Then tell me, how should I teach your cousin a lesson? Last time, you also said that you liked Cousin Shouzhe the most." The elderly man said faintly. "You don't like him anymore?"
"I do, but Mother said that the Wang Clan isn't in a good state right now and is in need of money everywhere." Lu Xiaoxiao tilted her head and said in all seriousness, "I think Cousin must be in need of money very badly. Why don't you give Cousin 500 gold and let him buy an Amethyst Spirit Beehive for me, Great-grandfather? Then Xiaoxiao won't be angry with Cousin Shouzhe anymore."
"Why 500 gold?" The old man asked in surprise. "Great-grandfather remembered that ordinary Amethyst Spirit Beehives only cost two or three hundred gold. Have prices in the present inflated to this point?"
"It's also very tiring for Cousin Shouzhe to buy a beehive."
'Pfft!'
These words almost made Wang Shouzhe spit out blood. This Lu Clan cousin's logic really was impressive. In order to get a beehive, she was even prepared to make Ancestor Mingsheng pay for it. Wang Shouzhe could no longer tolerate hearing these words. He immediately coughed twice and said, "Greetings, Ancestor Mingsheng."
Unexpectedly, Ancestor Mingsheng completely ignored Wang Shouzhe. Instead, he continued to talk to Lu Xiaoxiao, "Then if your Cousin Shouzhe bought you the Amethyst Spirit Beehive, can you listen to Great-grandfather properly?"
"Yes!" Lu Xiaoxiao nodded firmly.
Ancestor Mingsheng nodded slightly. He turned around and smiled at Wang Shouzhe. With a casual throw, a few gold bills flew towards him.
Wang Shouzhe hurriedly caught hem. When he took a closer look, he realized that it was five 100 gold bills. He was immediately stunned. What just happened? Could it be…
"Shouzhe, did you hear that?" A trace of a teasing smile appeared on Ancestor Mingsheng's face, which seemed to be in its fifties. "Later, buy your Cousin Xiaoxiao an Amethyst Spirit Beehive. The rest will be your errand fee."
"This… Ancestor." Wang Shouzhe broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "You can't do this. If Cousin Xiaoxiao really likes the Amethyst Spirit Beehive, I'll think of a way to buy one."
"All right, don't you know what kind of situation your Wang Clan is in now?" Ancestor Mingsheng waved his hand impatiently. "Take the gold first and prepare more cultivation resources. The Amethyst Spirit Beehive can wait until you have the funds to spare."
Wang Shouzhe's heart warmed slightly. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your support, Ancestor." It seemed like Ancestor Mingsheng had the intention of supporting his great-grandson. He naturally did not stand on ceremony and accepted the money first.
"Thank your Cousin Xiaoxiao," said Ancestor Mingsheng with a smile. "If not for my inability to hold out against her pestering, I wouldn't have been willing to part with this gold." For the Lu Clan, an entire 500 gold was not a small sum. Even after eliminating all kinds of massive expenses, they might not even be able to save up this amount in a year.
"Thank you, Cousin Xiaoxiao." Wang Shouzhe also cupped his hands and said.
"Hmph." Lu Xiaoxiao turned her head away and snorted, as if she was ignoring him.
"Xiaoxiao, you have to work hard. Don't lose to that little girl who's a Spirit Insect Master." On the side, Ancestor Mingsheng "instigated". "If you can successfully learn the art of an Array Master and become a Grade One Array Master, I guarantee that your cousin Shouzhe will look at you in a new light."
"Array Master?"
Wang Shouzhe said in surprise, "Ancestor, could it be that Cousin Xiaoxiao is talented in array formations?"
"What, your Wang Clan is allowed to produce a Spirit Insect Master, but our Lu Clan is not allowed to produce an Array Master?" Ancestor Mingsheng said with a spurious smile.
A drop of cold sweat broke out on Wang Shouzhe's forehead. "That's not what I meant, Ancestor. I was just a little surprised. Congratulations, Ancestor. Congratulations, Cousin Xiaoxiao."
However, he was sighing in his heart. It was really difficult to determine one's talent. He vaguely remembered that Lu Xiaoxiao had learned the "Nine Chapters of The Book of Arithmetics" poorly, but she actually had talent in array formations…
"Great-grandfather, from today onwards, I'll definitely work hard and not be lazy anymore," Lu Xiaoxiao said obediently. "When I become a Grade One Array Master in the future, I'm going to lord it over that little Spirit Insect Master. I definitely won't let Cousin Shouzhe underestimate me."
"You have ambition. This is worthy of Lu Mingsheng's great-granddaughter. Come, let's build a good foundation first. Later, Great-grandfather will take you to find your master." Ancestor Mingsheng looked at Lu Xiaoxiao amiably, but waved a hand casually at Wang Shouzhe. "Shouzhe, go ahead and do what you need to."
So he was just an errand boy here?
Wang Shouzhe was speechless. However, if being an errand boy meant earning 500 gold, he was willing to do it for however many times. Moreover, Lu Xiaoxiao was talented in array formations. That was a great thing. She was his biological cousin, and they were very close by blood.
However, seeing Ancestor Mingsheng was a rare opportunity. Wang Shouzhe did not want to waste this opportunity so easily. He immediately cupped his hands and asked, "Ancestor, Shouzhe has run into a few obscure areas in cultivation. I hope you can give me some guidance."
"Rascal, don't push your luck," said Ancestor Mingsheng angrily. "Your Ancestor Longyan is experienced and knowledgeable. Why would you still need my guidance?"
"Wisdom comes from listening to a range of opinions," Wang Shouzhe said with a guileless smile. "If I have the opportunity to verify it from multiple sources, it'd be quite beneficial to my path towards the Spirit Tower Realm. I think the environment here is quite nice, Ancestor. Cultivating in such an environment will definitely allow one to improve by leaps and bounds…"
He put on an obstinate air that implied if Ancestor Mingsheng was unwilling to give him pointers, he would not leave. As a junior, it was not a problem at all for him to be shameless around his great-grandfather.
"All right, all right, if you have any questions, hurry up and ask them. Leave quickly after you're done. Don't disturb this old man's peaceful cultivation," Ancestor Mingsheng said helplessly.
Wang Shouzhe hurriedly threw out the questions he had prepared one by one.
In reality, Ancestor Mingsheng was just showing disdain on the surface. He could not possibly be careless with the questions Wang Shouzhe asked about cultivation. He answered them after careful consideration. Unexpectedly, as he asked, Wang Shouzhe's questions gradually became trickier. Even Ancestor Mingsheng had to think carefully before answering them.
The Wang Shouzhe before the transmigration took place was a taciturn person who only knew how to cultivate on his own. Sometimes, he would hold back a lot of questions and wouldn't dare to consult Ancestor Longyan. However, the current Wang Shouzhe was completely different. Under the influence of modern Earthling's way of thinking, he had accumulated a lot of questions on cultivation from various angles.
This was one of the differences between the descendants of noble clans and freelance cultivators. There were elders in the clan who could provide guidance.
"Rascal, it's about time. I need to cultivate too." After over four hours straight, Ancestor Mingsheng was also feeling very overwhelmed. Where did this brat get so many strange questions from? If Wang Shouzhe continued asking questions like this, he probably wouldn't be able to answer them anymore.
He couldn't possibly spout nonsense about things he didn't know. If something went wrong, wouldn't harm his descendants?
He could no longer hold out!
At first, Lu Xiaoxiao was still pretending to listen by the side. However, the more she listened, the more confused and bored she became. As she listened, she eventually fell asleep at the side.
"Thank you for your guidance, Ancestor. Shouzhe is truly enlightened." Wang Shouzhe also knew when to quit while he was ahead. He stood up and cupped his hands. "I wish Ancestor success in mastering the Arcane Martial Arts and ascension to the level of a Celestial Being as soon as possible."
These words made Ancestor Mingsheng rather happy. Although he was still struggling on the path to the middle stage of the Spirit Tower Realm, what person who had attained the Spirit Tower Realm wouldn't want to take another step forward?
One had to realize that everyone below the Spirit Tower Realm were mortals with a lifespan of no more than 100 years. After attaining the Spirit Platform Realm, one's lifespan would double, and their lifespan would reach the limit of 200 years. This was also why the Spirit Tower Realm cultivators were known as Ancestors. It was because as they lived, they would realize that their children and juniors had all died before them.
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