A Beauty on Each Arm

"Huh, there are quite a few people in this box—must be more than a dozen." The Immortal Fairy gave a soft cry of surprise. The moment Luo Hongxia opened the box, she had caught a glimpse of over a dozen Body Integration cultivators and one half-baked Tribulation Transcendence cultivator lying inside, stacked atop one another like a small mountain. The mute old monk was covered in blood from head to toe, yet he bore not a single wound of his own. Qiu Jin'an and Yang Ding were rubbing their fists and wiping their palms, lying in wait for the next prey to take the bait. "Come on, hand over control of your body to this immortal! I want to go into the box and have a look!" Cold sweat broke out across Lu Yang's forehead. He pleaded desperately, "Fairy, our Dao Seeking Sect has plenty of activities going on today. There's no need to stick to just this one. It'd be far too much of a waste of time!" "All right, then." The Immortal Fairy readily heeded good advice and accepted her trusted minister's counsel. Lu Yang hastily bade farewell to Luo Hongxia and quickened his pace to get far away. Behind him, gloating voices drifted over: "Fellow Daoist Luo, I heard you were beaten by Sect Master Lu. Is that true? And where are Daoist Qiu and Daoist Yang..." Lu Yang walked even faster. Soon, something he had never seen before caught his eye. "What's this...?" Inside a small shed packed with cultivators, a familiar formation was active beneath their feet. The cultivators held torn talismans in their hands, their eyes blank and glassy as though their minds were wandering far away. Hanging beside the shed was a wooden placard reading: *The Dao Seeking Sect: Origins*. "Acting Sect Master." A head popped out from behind the shed. It was Tao Yao, whom he had not seen in a while. Seeing Lu Yang, she offered a sweet smile. "Congratulations on your promotion, Senior Brother Lu," Tao Yao teased. Lu Yang gave a helpless smile. "Junior Sister, please don't tease me." Seeing him a little embarrassed, Tao Yao stopped teasing. "With the grand celebration underway, mighty figures and top prodigies from all over have gathered at the Dao Seeking Sect. I took the opportunity to promote 'Dream Bubble.'" Lu Yang nodded. He had already figured as much from the formation on the ground. "How are the results?" "Everyone's response has been great. It shouldn't be hard to promote widely in the future." The Dream Bubble was essentially an illusion realm. To the guests attending the celebration, illusions were nothing rare. For them to speak well of it meant that not only was the concept of the Dream Bubble novel, but the content within was also exceptionally good. "What's the Dream Bubble's content this time?" "It tells the origin story of our Dao Seeking Sect." Lu Yang was astonished. "You could even make a story out of the Patriarch getting lost, asking for directions, and founding the Dao Seeking Sect because of it?" "I tweaked it a little bit. In this version, Patriarch Daoist Xiantian was restless in mind and spirit, lost in his cultivation and unable to make an inch of progress. While in deep meditation, he encountered an immortal and asked where the Pure Land lay. The immortal told the Patriarch to journey north, where he would find his answer. The Patriarch traveled north, slaying demons and vanquishing monsters along the way. Witnessing countless injustices across the mortal realm, he finally realized that the Pure Land resided within the heart. Thus, he founded the Dao Seeking Sect amidst the great mountains, symbolizing that in a world of mortal injustice and boundless immortal paths, one must seek the Dao within one's own heart." Lu Yang: "..." *So the only thing you kept was the Patriarch's name?* Well, if it made the Dao Seeking Sect's history look better, so be it. Surely the Patriarch wouldn't mind such minor details. "Have you run into any difficulties developing the Dream Bubble? Do you need me to approve some funding for you?" With immense authority in his hands, Lu Yang carried himself with utter generosity. Tao Yao hurriedly declined. "Keep up the good work, then. You can do it," Lu Yang offered a few words of encouragement. After passing a few more stalls, he spotted Meng Jingzhou giving an impassioned speech. "Fellow Daoists! Only mortals pursue carnal affairs! As cultivators, such matters only squander our precious time! After consummation, vitality drains away, memory deteriorates, and concentration shatters, severely crippling cultivation progress! "What's more, how much time is wasted dating lovers? Wouldn't that time be better spent entering closed-door cultivation? "Look at me! This refined spiritual power of mine is the fruit of renouncing carnal desires! As the foremost cultivator of the mid Golden Core stage, representing the Dao Seeking Sect in battle, my very presence is proof of my success! "You all know Sect Master Lu, right? Don't let the fact that he's Sect Master fool you. Just a few days ago, when he saw me, there was only one chair in his cave dwelling, and he insisted that I sit down! What does that mean? It means even upon meeting me, he has to offer me his seat!" The cultivators drawn in by Meng Jingzhou's speech gasped in hushed amazement. *Now that truly is incredible.* "I have sworn an oath to Heaven: if I do not attain immortality in this lifetime, I will never take a wife, never marry, and never engage in the affairs of men and women! "Do you want to achieve what I have achieved?!" "Yes!" several plants in the crowd shouted at the top of their lungs. Meng Jingzhou nodded in satisfaction. "I possess a secret technique that can sever all carnal desire. Who wants to step up and give it a try?" No one answered. After a few seconds, someone raised a hand and stepped forward. "I'll give it a try." Meng Jingzhou was delighted. There really was someone who wanted to be like him! Raring to go, he prepared to unleash his Bachelor Curse Fist. Li Haoran stepped onto the platform. "Senior Brother Meng, why not let me try?" Meng Jingzhou's face turned dark. If he punched Li Haoran, he would probably be forced to take another trip to Huangzhou. Seeing Senior Brother Meng's darkened expression, Li Haoran felt a surge of secret satisfaction. Back before he had achieved Core Formation, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had swaggered before his eyes every single day, proclaiming themselves Golden Core almighty experts just to mess with his head. Today, he had finally gotten his revenge. "Haoran, you're here?" A gentle female voice sounded, tinged with pleasant surprise. A fragrant breeze drifted by as Su Yiren caught hold of Li Haoran's arm. Su Yiren had searched all around before finally finding Li Haoran here. With so many people at the celebration, sweeping the area with divine sense would have been extremely impolite, so Su Yiren had no choice but to search with her own eyes. Li Haoran's pupils shrank slightly. He had never imagined that even while hiding in the Dao Seeking Sect, Su Yiren would still track him down. Seeing Li Haoran's terrified expression, Lu Yang felt a rush of secret glee. Su Yiren was here because he had invited her. For the sect's grand celebration, inviting a reclusive Body Integration expert was only natural and reasonable. "Mom, why are you here?" Qin Yanyan squeezed out from the crowd, grumbling under her breath about how unbecoming it was to cling to each other in broad daylight. *Mom?* A beauty had approached him of her own accord, which had originally made everyone deeply envious of Li Haoran. But now, the glances directed at him took on a rather peculiar cast. "Is this what they call a friendship across generations?" Man Gu mused thoughtfully. He happened to be one of the plants from moments earlier. Only after returning from Huangzhou had he heard that Li Haoran had a Body Integration fiancée—and one who already had a child. "Come on, there are so many fun things here. Let's look around," Su Yiren said. With overwhelming strength, she dragged Li Haoran away without taking no for an answer. Qin Yanyan walked alongside Li Haoran, glaring warning daggers at the two of them, though to little effect. With both mother and daughter at his side, a beauty on each arm, Li Haoran became the utter envy of onlookers. Watching this scene, Lu Yang was thoroughly satisfied. "Junior Brother." Eldest Senior Sister's voice rang out, giving Lu Yang such a fright that he shuddered. "Eldest Senior Sister, what is it?" Eldest Senior Sister frowned slightly, seeming puzzled. "We should have invited many Body Integration cultivators. Why does it feel like hardly any have arrived?" *Why don't you check inside the box?* Lu Yang thought to himself. *They might all be lying in there resting.* "I have no idea," Lu Yang feigned ignorance. Otherwise, what could he say? Suggest that Eldest Senior Sister go into the box and massacre everyone? "Then come with me and help search for them."