Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 319: Chapter 180: The Tragic Wu Xinyu_2

After a period of rest, Gu Sheng and the others set off again and returned to the Holy Pill Sect.

Gu Sheng took Wu Xinyu to Lin Miaomiao’s residence, while Lin Miaomiao hurried off to the Merit Hall to report the events.

Merit Hall

Lin Miaomiao, panting heavily, appeared before Qin Xue.

Lin Miaomiao hadn’t had time to tend to her injuries; bloodstains covered her body. Qin Xue frowned at the sight and asked, ”Miaomiao, what happened to you to end up like this? Did you get ambushed by disciples of the Thousand Poison Sect in the Red Cloud Mountain Range?”

Lin Miaomiao composed herself and nodded, ”Mr. Qin, we’ve captured Wu Xinyu. What should we do with him now?”

”What? Wu Xinyu? The precious son of Wu Gui, the Second Elder of the Thousand Poison Sect?”

Qin Xue was shocked upon hearing the news and kept confirming it.

Wu Gui was notorious in the Red Cloud Prefecture for pampering his child. Wu Xinyu’s capture was no trivial matter.

Lin Miaomiao nodded solemnly, showing she wasn’t joking. ”It’s absolutely true. He’s at my residence right now.”

Qin Xue immediately handed over her current task to an assistant before following Lin Miaomiao back to her place.

”Gu Sheng? Why are you here too?”

Qin Xue was momentarily stunned when she saw Gu Sheng, glancing at him and then at Lin Miaomiao with a peculiar look.

Lin Miaomiao’s face flushed red as their gazes met. Hurriedly, she explained, ”Mr. Qin, Junior Brother Gu and I, along with Dyson, Huang Miaoyin, and Mo Buwen, formed a team to venture into the Red Cloud Mountain Range, intending to kill some Thousand Poison Sect disciples to earn sect contribution points. As it turned out, our luck wasn’t great, and we encountered Wu Xinyu. If it weren’t for Junior Brother Gu, we probably wouldn’t have made it back.”

Qin Xue gave Gu Sheng another few meaningful glances upon hearing this.

”Qin Xue, if your Holy Pill Sect doesn’t want to start a full-blown war with my Thousand Poison Sect, then send me back quickly! Otherwise, when my father comes knocking at your door, it won’t end as easily as this!”

As Wen Mingyan’s wife, Qin Xue held considerable fame within the Red Cloud Prefecture, so Wu Xinyu naturally recognized her.

Now, standing before Qin Xue, Wu Xinyu acted cocky again, as he assumed she wasn’t as reckless as Gu Sheng and would think things through before taking any action.

Unlike Qin Xue, Gu Sheng didn’t tolerate Wu Xinyu’s insolence. He swung his hand and slapped Wu Xinyu right across the face.

The crisp sound of the slap echoed as five distinct finger marks appeared on Wu Xinyu’s face.

”You!”

Wu Xinyu hadn’t expected Gu Sheng to be so bold, daring to strike him in front of Qin Xue. Just as he was about to question him, Gu Sheng’s fierce glare made him zip his mouth shut.

”You what? This is the Holy Pill Sect, not your Thousand Poison Sect! Prisoners should act like prisoners. Do you think you can call Mr. Qin by name? If you keep glaring, I’ll dig out your eyeballs and eat them in a cold dish!”

Faced with a fearless Gu Sheng, Wu Xinyu’s fleeting courage instantly evaporated.

He had no choice but to shelve any objections; judging from Gu Sheng’s actions in the Red Cloud Mountain Range, there was a good chance he might actually carry out his threats.

Qin Xue, though, appreciated Gu Sheng’s directness. As Wen Mingyan’s wife, her standing couldn’t be equated to Wu Gui’s but she certainly deserved more respect than a younger generation member like Wu Xinyu.

”This matter could be both serious and minor. You all follow me to meet the Great Elder so we can clarify everything and see how he decides,” Qin Xue said.

Wu Xinyu’s poison hadn’t been fully neutralized yet, leaving his body stiff. Not bothering to carry him, Gu Sheng simply grabbed him by the collar and dragged him along the ground.

The Great Elder Lu Junyi’s residence was at the summit of Cloud Saint Peak, which required climbing thousands of steps. By the time they arrived, Wu Xinyu’s legs were bloodied and mangled. Tears streamed down his face from the pain, but he dared not utter a sound, as his previous screams earned him two slaps from Gu Sheng. Having learned his lesson, he could only swallow his grievances and plot vengeance for the future.

Upon reaching Lu Junyi’s pavilion, the group found its defensive barrier was activated, but Baixue Yuzi, who managed the vineyard nearby, came over after noticing them.

”Aunt Xue, what brings you to visit Master? He’s been refining pills recently and ordered that unless the matter is extremely urgent, no one is to disturb him.”

Qin Xue pointed at the teary Wu Xinyu, hanging his head in Gu Sheng’s hand, and replied, ”The son of Thousand Poison Sect’s Second Elder Wu Gui has been captured by our War God Peak disciples. This matter is rather delicate; please inform Master for us.”

Baixue Yuzi was familiar with Wu Gui’s reputation and recognized the gravity of the situation. She quickly lifted the barrier and went to notify Lu Junyi.

Ever since Wen Mingyan last forcibly broke the protective barrier, Lu Junyi had taken extra precaution by appointing Baixue Yuzi as gatekeeper and granting her access to the barrier controls.

A moment later, the barrier was deactivated, and Baixue Yuzi ushered them inside.

Inside the pavilion, Lu Junyi had already descended from his alchemy room on the second floor. He was visibly surprised to spot Gu Sheng. ”Gu Sheng? You’re here too? Did you become a disciple of War God Peak?”

His expression quickly soured as he turned to Qin Xue. ”What’s this about? Why wasn’t I informed about Gu Sheng’s peak selection? Did that little brat Wen Mingyan handle this secretly?”

Having heard Baixue Yuzi mention Wu Xinyu’s capture by War God Peak disciples earlier, Lu Junyi naturally assumed Gu Sheng had joined the peak.

Lu Junyi had a clear stance on the Holy Pill Sect’s strengths: it excelled in alchemy. If Gu Sheng were dedicated to martial arts, it made more sense to send him to a sect like the Haoyang Sect, known for its focus on combat.

Though Qin Xue wasn’t sure why Lu Junyi was so upset, she sensed his genuine anger and hastily began explaining. ”Great Elder, you misunderstand! Gu Sheng is still a disciple handling odd jobs and has not selected a peak yet!”

Gu Sheng looked slightly helpless as he replied, ”I haven’t accumulated enough contribution points yet. But after this mission, we killed several disciples from the Thousand Poison Sect, and I should be able to make the exchange soon.”

Hearing this, Lu Junyi smiled. ”Xiao Xue, make sure to arrange for Gu Sheng’s peak selection properly. Notify me when the time comes.”

Baixue Yuzi was somewhat surprised to hear this. Lu Junyi had been tirelessly refining the Bone Marrow Building Pill to the point of neglecting sect affairs. Yet, here he was, offering his involvement for the selection of an ordinary disciple’s peak. She couldn’t help but give Gu Sheng a few extra glances.

Recognizing that the subject was veering off course, Qin Xue quickly steered it back, saying, ”Great Elder, I’ll take care of Gu Sheng’s peak selection later. For now, we need to focus on resolving this matter.” She gestured towards Wu Xinyu, still restrained by Gu Sheng.

Wu Xinyu raised his tear-streaked face to glance at Lu Junyi but refrained from making any bold remarks.

”Lu Elder, I beg you to send me back. I’ll persuade my father to let bygones be bygones,” Wu Xinyu pleaded.

Lu Junyi understood how much Wu Gui valued his son and wasn’t keen on escalating hostilities over a minor issue. He waved dismissively and said, ”Inform Wu Gui to come and retrieve his son.”

Wu Xinyu, seeing how agreeable Lu Junyi was, quickly added another request. ”Lu Elder, my mother’s crossbow and arrows were taken by this... big brother here. Could you ask him to return them to me?”

As a shrewd individual, Lu Junyi wouldn’t fall for such tricks easily. Smiling, he turned to Gu Sheng and asked, ”What item is he referring to? Show me. If it’s nothing significant, you may as well return it.”

With Lu Junyi speaking, Gu Sheng could only comply. Reluctantly, he produced the Soul-snatching Arrow along with the small crossbow.

Lu Junyi inspected the items and chuckled. ”Oh! The Soul-snatching Arrow. Wu Gui truly spoils you, doesn’t he? To give you a Yellow Level low-grade treasure even though you’re only in the Silver Bone Realm! When you advance to the Marrow Refining Realm, I imagine he’ll try to get you something at the Dark Level.”

Noting the pristine condition of the Soul-snatching Arrow, Lu Junyi knew Wu Xinyu was lying but didn’t expose him. Instead, he casually tossed the old crossbow to Wu Xinyu, saying, ”Your mother’s been gone for over a decade. The Soul-snatching Arrow is clearly new, but this crossbow indeed has some age to it. Since you claim it was your mother’s, you can have it back.”