Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 143 I'll be waiting for you at the Imperial Academy
These days, Pei Chuyun has been staying at the Pei family home, and Lu Xingzhou has been engrossed in his studies. The two haven't seen each other for almost ten days.

Originally, Pei Chuyun didn't think she would miss Lu Xingzhou after being away for a few days. Besides, she was busy when she first entered the Pei family. Just getting to know people's faces and learning some basic etiquette of aristocratic families took up a lot of time and energy, so she shouldn't have any time to think about anything else.

As a result, every night when she went up to the small building that Pei Qingyan had prepared for her and leaned on the railing to gaze at the moon, his poem "A light chill rises on the small building" would often come to mind.

Then, looking left, I saw no rain tonight; looking right, I saw that the jeweled curtain wasn't hung with silver hooks; turning my head, I saw that the embroidered screen wasn't secluded enough; nothing felt right.

Finally, I realized that it wasn't these problems, it was just loneliness.

I just...miss him a little.

Today, at the grand ceremony of returning to her clan, Pei Chuyun had dressed up deliberately, a rare occurrence for her. Everyone assumed this was part of her preparations for the ceremony, a way to dazzle the world. Little did anyone know that the little vixen was simply wondering if that lecherous man's eyes would light up when he saw her.
He didn't come.

Pei Chuyun knew why he hadn't come. If he did, according to Pei Qingyan's claim of "great favor," Pei Qingyan would have to treat him as an honored guest, no matter how unwilling he was. That would mean he would be in the same hall as Pei Chuyun, being scrutinized and observed by people, who would speculate about their relationship, wondering if this was the maidservant who had been with Lu Xingzhou a few days ago, and whether the two had done anything, and so on.

Lu Xingzhou intentionally distanced himself and downplayed his presence, just so that her triumphant return would not be affected in any way.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see him.

Fortunately, Ah Nuo came with Sheng Yuanyao to watch the drama unfold, so she could secretly ask Ah Nuo for the address.

After finally enduring the banquet, Pei Chuyun rubbed her face, which had been stiff from faking a smile all day, and ran out the window of her small building without saying a word.

"Master," a guard captain hurriedly approached Pei Qingyan, "Just now, the aura of a demonic female cultivator seemed to sweep across the backyard. The brothers stationed there didn't even see the figure clearly, but just smelling some fragrance made them feel somewhat lost in a sensual and decadent atmosphere, their desires stirred. The opponent's demonic female cultivation technique is truly powerful..."

"..." Pei Qingyan knew exactly who this so-called demonic nun was, and rubbed his head in exasperation: "There's no conflict, right?"

"No. We think it's probably because Miss's fame has spread throughout the capital today, attracting the attention of the Charming Maidens' Union Sect. Someone has come to spy on her... perhaps it's one of the Holy Maidens' disciples. We are all men and it's inconvenient for us to visit Miss's boudoir. The head of the family may need to consider hiring female guards."

"Understood. Just focus on protecting the backyard; don't worry about anything else for now. Yun'er's cultivation is quite high; she should have no problem protecting herself..."

The captain of the guards agreed: "I never imagined that Miss could rise to the fourth rank at such a young age after wandering the world. The Pei family bloodline is indeed powerful. This list of rising stars is about to undergo a major change."

Pei Qingyan's lips twitched. Others assumed she was only at the initial stage of the fourth rank because Pei Chuyun hadn't revealed her true abilities. In reality, she was a solid fourth-rank upper-level cultivator; at eighteen, this level of cultivation wasn't just impressive, it was downright astonishing. It was something she could boast about for a lifetime, but she couldn't reveal her true skills…

Now, I just hope that Yun'er can practice the Pei family's martial arts properly and conceal the Demonic Art of the Maiden.

But what happens to you while you're practicing your skills?

So you're sending someone to be a bed warmer instead of a proper young lady?
If it weren't for the fact that he had secretly consulted a nanny who knew how to observe women and confirmed that his daughter was indeed a virgin, Pei Qingyan would probably have been devastated.

“Well… they could tolerate being in the same room with us every day before, so they probably won’t go too far now.” Pei Qingyan sighed helplessly, muttering to herself, “Maybe they’ve been in the Joyful Union Sect for too long and lost their self-control… Fortunately, she’s still young, there’s still hope. I’ll teach her more self-respect in the future and try to guide her onto the right path…”

Pei Qingyan, hoping to teach her daughter more self-respect, was now nestled in the man's arms. Her elaborate dress had been pulled off her shoulders, revealing her fair, white shoulders, and the man kissed her all over her shoulders and neck. The little vixen arched her neck, deliberately pursing her rouge-covered cherry lips, and let out an alluring breath.

Ah Nuo sat outside the door, hugging her knees and sniffling.

I'm not stopping you from going in to help Sister Yao, but because if you go in, things will inevitably turn out this way, and Master needs to study...

What a disaster! When will Master realize that Ah Nuo is the best support?

But it's so strange, Ah Nuo still can't figure out why Master broke through to the fifth rank. It seems that Master was holding Sister Ah Yi in the house that evening, and he broke through when he came out... and Sister Ah Yi also seemed to have become a little stronger.

The dual cultivation of spiritual energy had already begun naturally inside. After the first time, the second time was simply a matter of course, without even needing to say a word. As the two kissed, Pei Chuyun took the initiative to transfer her spiritual energy to him, and the dual cultivation began at the opportune moment.

After a round of dual cultivation was completed, Pei Chuyun leaned halfway up and half down on Lu Xingzhou's shoulder, drawing circles in her eyes: "Didn't you feel like it wasn't enough...?"

Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but laugh: "Are you not comfortable enough, or do you think this isn't enough to break through to the third rank?"

"Yes, both!" Pei Chuyun said, but quickly changed her tune, "I was asking you, don't you think?"

Lu Xingzhou knew exactly what she wanted to say, but deliberately said, "I'm not in a hurry to break through. Actually, for a pill refiner, the process of refining pills is also a form of cultivation. I've had quite a bit of reflection these past few days..."

Pei Chuyun gritted her teeth and kicked him angrily: "Then die and keep practicing your pills. If you're so capable, don't touch me."

"Dan Ke doesn't taste as good as your rouge today." Lu Xingzhou leaned in and kissed her again: "Especially the Pei family's rouge, it's particularly delicious."

Pei Chuyun pushed him away, chuckling, "I knew it... What, is it more exciting to toy with the Pei family's daughter than before?"

"It feels even more exciting that a daughter of the Pei family is willing to offer herself up."

Pei Chuyun paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Do you think I'll sever ties with you after I go back?"

Lu Xingzhou turned her over again, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "I was worried..."

"If you were worried, why did you support my return to my ancestral home? You should know that if you had tried to dissuade me back then, I might not have gone back."

“Two things. After all… I don’t have a father either.” Pei Chuyun stopped talking, quietly resting her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating.

After a while, he suddenly chuckled and said, "Your muscles have improved. You used to be so skinny, but now you're getting interesting."

These days, Lu Xingzhou has been taking the strength-enhancing pills he had previously refined at home, and he has almost finished them. Combined with his recent training, his muscles are becoming more and more defined.

For an ordinary person to develop beautiful muscle definition would require years of hard work, but the world of cultivation is so powerful that it greatly shortens this process.

Although his physique isn't perfect now, it's quite presentable; at least he's no longer the frail, scholarly type he used to be. A man's muscles are equally alluring to women, and as Pei Chuyun touched them, a slight flutter stirred within her. She said in a seductive voice, "Want to go again?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "If you don't go back soon, Pei Qingyan will really come knocking on your door."

Pei Chuyun was well aware of this principle, but she was reluctant to leave since she had to go back soon: "It's been so long since I've held you while we slept."

There's no need to rush.

Pei Chuyun retorted angrily, "When a whole bunch of people come to propose marriage, let's see if you're still in a hurry!"

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "I asked Gua Mei, and she said that the Imperial Academy and the Imperial University are connected. In a sense, we will soon be classmates."

Pei Chuyun found the scene somewhat amusing, but still said, "So what? We can't sleep anyway."

"I can openly pursue you, and then I'll see which flies dare to try and get away with it."

Pei Chuyun immediately laughed.

Originally, the artsy young woman was interested in attending the Imperial Academy, but didn't have high expectations. It was more about enhancing her image as a talented woman. However, recalling Lu Xingzhou's open pursuit, she suddenly became extremely interested and wished she could enroll tomorrow.

"Then I'll be going now, lest my father really comes knocking and throws you into a pig cage." Pei Chuyun whispered a kiss into his ear, her voice alluring: "You must pass the test... I'll be waiting for you at the Imperial Academy for our tryst."

…………

In the following days, Pei Chuyun rarely came to disturb him, and Sheng Yuanyao also came less often. Everyone wanted to avoid disturbing Lu Xingzhou's reading and alchemy.

I heard that Sheng Yuanyao was almost beaten up by Sheng Qingfeng and ordered to go to work.

The little demoness who once said, "I am your enemy, and it is not a matter of course to disturb your cultivation," has now brought a cart full of alchemical books collected by the Pei family and piled them up in Lu Xingzhou's room, making Lu Xingzhou both laugh and cry.

What he lacks is not learning materials.

In addition, when the Huo family came to discuss "compensation matters," the messenger they sent was an old acquaintance, Yang Dechang.

Lu Xingzhou didn't try to extort anything; he simply asked the Huo family to provide a batch of medicinal herbs for his alchemy experiments, as well as a large amount of spirit stones needed for cultivation, and that was it. The signal he released left Huo Xingyuan quite conflicted; he really didn't know what this "son" meant.

In reality, Lu Xingzhou was simply too lazy to scheme about such things and waste his cultivation time. The most direct and straightforward thing to do was to ask for some spirit stones and medicinal herbs, as these were things he needed all the time.

In any case, all the troubles that had started with his trip to the capital were finally over, and Lu Xingzhou settled down to study and refine elixirs, finding it all rather amusing.

If it weren't for the quiet period of time, I would have almost forgotten why I originally went to Beijing.

In late February, the number of young Taoist priests on the streets and alleys gradually increased, inns began to be full, and the topics of conversation in taverns and teahouses shifted from the Ye Wufeng case and the Pei family's daughter returning to her clan to a large number of topics related to elixirs.

And guessing who will perform best in the assessment—the current alchemy is quite similar to the imperial examination. The alchemy academy also publishes the results of the assessment. If you can be admitted with the highest score, it is no different from the glory of the top scholar in ancient China.

Sheng Yuanyao sat in the tavern, eating melon seeds and listening intently to other people's discussions.

To Gua Mei's surprise, Lu Xingzhou, who was a hot topic in the previous incidents, has hardly made a splash in the discussions this time, and almost no one mentions him.

Most people don't even know what special reputation Lu Xingzhou has for alchemy. All they can remember is that on the list of rising stars that is about to be changed, Lu Xingzhou is ranked thirty-eighth among the rising alchemists.

Thirty-eight is not low under normal circumstances, but in this kind of atmosphere, he is really not considered a top contender, there are still a lot ahead of him.

Although many of those ranked higher have already enrolled or are not even participating in the imperial examinations, there are still at least five or six people ahead of Lu Xingzhou in terms of popularity. Lu Xingzhou's popularity index doesn't even make it into the top three.

"I've placed my bet!" someone shouted at the opening of the betting odds. "I'm betting three hundred taels on Daoist Xuanqing! He's the third-ranked rising star in alchemy!"

"I'll bet on Daoist He Hui! Five hundred taels! That new talent list is ancient history, who even bothers with that!"

"I bet on Xuanqing! Four hundred!"

"Bang!" A huge plate of gold ingots was placed on the table. Everyone turned to look, and a ponytail-wearing girl in the official uniform of the Demon Suppression Bureau stood on a stool, her hand on her waist knife: "I bet on Lu Xingzhou, five hundred taels of gold!"

(End of this chapter)