Lu Yang arrived at Meng Jingzhou's cave abode. Before he could knock, he heard Meng Jingzhou speaking with someone inside.
"Impossible! What kind of person do you take me, Meng Jingzhou, for? How could I plunge my brother into a pit of fire!"
"This is the master's wish. If we want to rein in Lu Yang, this is the only way."
"Go back and tell my father it's impossible. Tell him to give up on that idea!"
"Don't mention my father to me! If he has the guts, let him come to the Dao Seeking Sect, and I'll have my master beat him up!"
"Eldest Young Master... sigh..."
Seeing that persuading Meng Jingzhou was futile, Xu You had no choice but to give up. When he saw Lu Yang standing outside the door, he was taken aback for a moment.
He had seen Lu Yang's portrait long ago.
Lu Yang felt somewhat awkward as well. Although the two of them had been discussing a matter related to him—and seemingly one where Meng Jingzhou was defending him—bumping into each other directly was awkward regardless.
The two nodded at each other and passed by without speaking a word.
The moment Lu Yang entered the cave abode, he saw a furious Meng Jingzhou.
"Too outrageous! Just look at the crooked schemes my father is cooking up!" Meng Jingzhou complained to Lu Yang. While he was usually looking to prank Lu Yang, at critical moments he stood unconditionally on Lu Yang's side.
Lu Yang was deeply moved. What a true brother! Pretending he hadn't eavesdropped at the door, he asked, "Who was that just now...?"
"Xu You. I heard he used to be my father's study companion, and now he's been promoted to head steward."
"Did he come to convince you to return home?"
"He tried at first, but after a couple of sentences he dropped it, saying he came with an important matter for me this time."
"What was it?"
"My father wants to betroth my younger sister to you. I rejected it on your behalf."
Lu Yang: "..."
Truly a good brother.
"If I remember correctly, isn't your sister not even old enough to cultivate yet?"
"An engagement! Isn't that what great clans love to do? When I was little, didn't crowds of people come knocking on our door proposing marriage? It's basically the same routine.
"I reckon my father intercepted the letters I wrote to my sister. He saw that in those letters I praised you as scheming, treacherous, ruthless, and merciless, faintly carrying the demeanor of surpassing our Sect Master. He thought you were a talent and wanted you as his son-in-law.
"Steward Xu even passed along a message saying that since your master is Daoist Buyu anyway and you won't be able to find a wife, you might as well marry into our Meng Family."
"Right, what did you come looking for me for?"
"Third Senior Sister sent a letter saying she wants me to make a trip to the Demon Domain. I'm getting ready to head over. Do you want to come along?"
"Which Third Senior Sister?"
"Third Senior Sister Gan Tian."
"Who's that?"
Only then did Lu Yang recall that Third Senior Sister Gan Tian hadn't returned to the sect in a very long time, and being low-key, very few of her deeds circulated within the sect.
"My master has four disciples. Aside from Eldest Senior Sister, there are two seniors above me: Second Senior Brother Ye Zijin and Third Senior Sister Gan Tian. One is in the Golden Buddhist Kingdom, and the other is in the southern Demon Domain."
Meng Jingzhou had an epiphany, waving his index finger back and forth. "I know your Second Senior Brother! He's the one who formed a Nascent Soul only for the Nascent Soul to run away, and he couldn't even beat his own Nascent Soul in a fight!"
"...I hope you can say that to Second Senior Brother's face when you meet him."
...
Xu You hadn't walked very far. He sat down next to Old Horse, produced two wine gourds, kept one for himself, and stuffed the other into Old Horse's mouth.
He first downed half a gourd himself, then said, "Brother Horse, we haven't seen each other in two years. How have you been doing at the Dao Seeking Sect?
"To tell you the truth, I really envy you being able to stay by Eldest Young Master's side. How leisurely! You know Big Brother's household—it's utterly chaotic. Managing the ins and outs of the Meng Family is exhausting me to death.
"So the moment I heard Big Brother missed his son, I volunteered to come to the Dao Seeking Sect. Regardless of whether Eldest Young Master comes back or not, at least I can get a few days of rest."
Old Horse shot Xu You a sidelong glance, tilted its head back with the wine gourd in its teeth, downed half a gourd of wine, and then let go, leaving the gourd hovering in midair.
"You really think following Eldest Young Master is easy?"
Old Horse thought to itself: *What does being a steward count for? Think your job is harder than mine?*
*I pulled Eldest Young Master to the Dao Seeking Sect, and before even passing through the gates, Eldest Young Master invited Yun Zhi onto the carriage, even asking if she was here for the entrance test and claiming he had the real test questions!*
*Pulling Yun Zhi had me trembling in absolute terror!*
*Eldest Young Master went out on a mission with Lu Yang. Their very first collaboration, they infiltrated the Immortal Cult and became Branch Masters. Just when they were finally able to return to the sect, Lu Yang had to go and call out the Immortal Fairy's true name!*
*I watched with my own eyes as an ancient immortal manifested in the world. It scared me half to death!*
*Later, I pulled Eldest Young Master to Qingzhou to attend the grand ceremony. Right in the middle of it, two Great Yu Body Integration experts and one Great Yu Tribulation Transcendence expert popped up! Luckily, Yun Zhi took action.*
*And later still, I went to Huangzhou. Good heavens—three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, one of whom was even the Emperor of Great Yu! And their souls were pulled back by me!*
*Which of these messes was something a mere Demon King like me could handle?*
*Even hauling over the Meng Family's Old Ancestor would barely suffice. Let him pull the carriage—I'm not doing it anymore!*
"If you think I've got it easy, the two of us can switch."
*Just so you can experience what high-stage cultivators really are! Don't go thinking we're hot stuff just because we're at the Body Integration stage; if you're not at Tribulation Transcendence as a baseline, you'd be too embarrassed to accompany Eldest Young Master out the door!*
Seeing Old Horse peel back its lips in a malicious horse grin, Xu You sobered up considerably and shook his head emphatically.
Suddenly, Old Horse asked in confusion, "Did you do something when you arrived at the Dao Seeking Sect? Why are they coming after you?"
"Do something?" Xu You failed to react in time.
A disciple guarding the mountain gate was seen guiding the Grand Elder over.
"Grand Elder, he's the one who bribed the two of us! Here are the storage rings he gave us."
Xu You: "..."
A smile identical to Xu You's spread across the Grand Elder's face. Beaming, he asked, "Brother Xu, care to explain? Bribing disciples of our sect is no trivial matter. Are you planning on having me report you to the authorities for arrest, or would you rather spend a few days locked up in our Dao Seeking Sect?"
As the eldest brother among the Nine Scions of the Dao Seeking Sect and the Hall Master of the Mission Hall, the Grand Elder oversaw all intelligence across the Dao Seeking Sect. He knew every Body Integration cultivator in the realm like the back of his hand.
The Meng Family Patriarch, the Demon King Old Horse, and Xu You were sworn brothers. In their youth, they had traveled far and wide together, sharing an ironclad bond. Later, Xu You became the Meng Family's head steward, while Old Horse stayed in the Meng Family from time to time and returned to its East Sea home at other times.
"In the Dao Seeking Sect, then," Xu You decided immediately.
Without another word, the Grand Elder pulled out a set of shackles he had prepared long in advance and clapped them onto Xu You with a loud *clank*.
"Hey, there's no need to be this ruthless!"
The Grand Elder sneered repeatedly. "Don't think I don't know what you're scheming. You just think being a steward is too exhausting, so you wanted to use being arrested as an excuse to slack off and rest for a few days in our Dao Seeking Sect!
"If you'd been upfront about it, it's not like I couldn't have played along. But you just had to scheme like this... Who else would I arrest if not you! Come with me!"
Trying to play tricks in front of him? Impossible.
In despair, Xu You looked back at Old Horse, only to see Old Horse gloating maliciously.
Right at that moment, Meng Jingzhou pushed open the door and walked out.
"Old Horse, Old Lu and I are planning to head to the Demon Domain."
Old Horse's face turned ashen. It wished desperately that it could switch places with Xu You.
Chapter 558