Jiang Yuechu's expression remained unchanged after listening.
She simply uttered a sentence indifferently.
"We'll talk about this after the Lu family's business is settled."
"Hmm?"
Running Ox was taken aback.
Although the young girl didn't say it explicitly, how could he not understand the meaning behind it?
Thinking of this...
Joy surged onto his face: "Thank you, thank you... From now on, my life belongs to you! I'll go wherever you point and fight whoever you say, no questions asked!"
Jiang Yuechu paid no mind to the profuse thanks behind her.
Her lips merely curled up imperceptibly.
Spirit Mountain... She would have to go there sooner or later.
As for saving that Great Marsh Demon Emperor... it was just a matter of convenience anyway.
Besides...
The young girl narrowed her eyes slightly, calculating in her mind.
Currently, the Great Tang was surrounded by enemies on all sides, unable to find even a single decent ally.
Since this Ten Thousand Demon Great Marsh was now on bad terms with Spirit Mountain, and even their own Demon Emperor was being detained...
There might be some room to maneuver here.
An enemy of an enemy might not necessarily be a friend.
But at least...
They could sit down and have a proper talk... The clamor of the inner perimeter gradually faded.
Walking further in, they encountered a vermilion gate.
Eight guards dressed in green robes were lined up on both sides.
Even for mere guards, the one with the lowest cultivation was in the Mountain Gazing Realm.
This Lu family indeed had some foundation.
Just as the three of them approached the steps...
Clang—
The sound of blades being drawn in unison.
Eight long sabers were half-unsheathed, their cold glint blocking the path.
The leading guard commander remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping over the three of them as he said coldly, "Halt."
There was no drama of looking down on others, nor any overbearing scolding.
Just a business-like indifference.
"Further inside is the Lu family's inner hall. No entry without an invitation."
"If you are just wandering around, please turn back."
Wang Ziyu took a step forward, about to explain.
The vermilion gate slowly opened a crack.
An aged voice drifted out slowly.
"Stand down."
Hearing this, the eight guards shuddered, their cold expressions instantly turning into respect.
They sheathed their blades in unison and bowed as they stepped aside.
The gap in the door widened.
A grey-robed elder stepped over the threshold with his hands behind his back.
The elder didn't look at Wang Ziyu, nor at the black ox shrinking its neck; his gaze fell straight onto Jiang Yuechu.
After looking her up and down, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"This Fellow Daoist, you look quite unfamiliar."
Jiang Yuechu's expression was calm: "Being a newcomer, I naturally look unfamiliar."
"A newcomer?"
The elder chuckled, slowly pacing down the steps and stopping three paces in front of Jiang Yuechu.
"Since you are a newcomer, you have been looking but not buying all the way here. Clearly, you didn't come for the Treasure Fair. I wonder why you have come to my Qifeng Ridge?"
There was more to his words than met the ear.
Clearly.
From the moment the three of them stepped into this market, their every move had been under his watch.
Jiang Yuechu, however, wasn't flustered at all.
Since the other party had made things clear, it saved a lot of beating around the bush.
"I do have business... I want to ask the Lu family for something."
"Ask for something?"
Hearing this, the elder didn't get angry; instead, the smile on his face deepened.
He turned sideways, bowed slightly, and made a gesture of invitation.
"Then what a coincidence. My Young Lord also happens to want to meet you, Fellow Daoist."
Wang Ziyu was stunned.
Young Lord?
Lu Changfeng?
The Lu family's qilin child, who had joined Mount Qingcheng and was hailed as a Prodigy?
He actually came back?
Before he could figure out the logic behind it...
Jiang Yuechu had already started walking, heading towards the vermilion gate with a calm expression.
Looking at the young girl's unhesitating back, a hint of surprise flashed in the elder's cloudy eyes.
What courage.
If it were an ordinary person, hearing the name of the Lu family's Young Lord, they would inevitably feel some nervousness.
This woman is quite interesting.
His internal suspicions became even more certain.
"You two, please come along as well."
The elder glanced at Wang Ziyu and Running Ox, who were still standing there dazed, and spoke indifferently.
Running Ox swallowed hard, feeling that it was quite eerie inside that gate.
But he took a look at the fiend in front of him, who didn't even look back.
Fine.
Better follow... Once the vermilion gate opened, a whole new world appeared.
The Lu family's inner manor was built against the mountain, with tiers of buildings and pavilions reaching straight into the clouds.
There were red cliffs and strange rocks, sheer precipices and wondrous peaks.
In front of the cliffs, Ganoderma and orchids competed in beauty; on the peaks, ancient cypresses vied for greenness.
There were even fragrant immortal herbs and dancing cranes; purple Qi swirled around the painted beams, and brilliant golden clouds floated above the Golden Summit.
What a scene of an immortal's blessed land.
Wang Ziyu followed behind, narrowing his eyes as he looked around, clicking his tongue in admiration.
With such scenery, anyone who didn't know better would think they had arrived at some immortal Sect... but he had to admit, the Lu family indeed had some tricks up their sleeve.
To be able to manage such an estate on the edge of the Great Marsh...
...couldn't be done just by being a dog for Mount Qingcheng.
Jiang Yuechu's expression remained calm, her mind undisturbed by the magnificent scenery before her.
Her gaze was fixed ahead, her steps steady.
The grey-robed elder led the way.
Although his back was to the three of them, he would occasionally use the opportunity of turning to guide them to quietly observe the young girl.
The more he looked, the more satisfied he became.
This woman was stunningly beautiful with a cold, elegant temperament.
What was even rarer was her poise.
Facing such a grand display by the Lu family, ordinary Cultivators who weren't from a Grotto-Heaven—even a Tower-Ascending Martial Immortals—would feel somewhat constrained or amazed.
But this woman acted as if she saw nothing.
Such a Heart-Nature was definitely not something an ordinary power could cultivate.
Looking at the two following behind her, one large and one small...
...both had cultivation in the Denglou Realm.
Yet they were now willing to follow behind this woman.
What did this mean?
Thinking of this...
The weights in the elder's heart shifted even further.
Although the Lu family seemed prosperous now, they knew their own situation.
To truly rise, relying on just one generation was far from enough.
It also depended on the next generation.
The Young Lord, Lu Changfeng, was exceptionally talented. He had already reached the Ascending the Tower stage at a young age and had even joined Mount Qingcheng; his future was limitless.
The position of the Lu family head would definitely be his in the future.
But for the position of family head, cultivation alone wasn't enough.
There also had to be a Legacy.
Although Cultivators had long Lifespans...
...the matter of carrying on the family line was even more valued than among Mortals.
Especially upon reaching a Realm like Ascending the Tower.
How could the requirements for a partner be satisfied by just finding any random woman?
Only by finding a Dao Companion who was also a Prodigy...
...a union of the strong...
...could they give birth to a qilin child with top-tier Aptitude.
To ensure the Lu family's foundation flourished.
It was just a pity... their Young Lord's standards were sky-high.
Over the years, the clan had made many arrangements for him.
Whether it was daughters of surrounding noble families or female Cultivators from various Sects.
He hadn't taken a fancy to even one, not even the women in Mount Qingcheng.
Only this time.
He took the initiative to request a meeting with a woman... He turned back again, his gaze lingering on Jiang Yuechu's face for a moment.
Such appearance, such cultivation, such background.
She was barely a match for their Young Lord.
If they could marry this woman into the family, it would not only solve the Young Lord's lifelong matter, but the Lu family would also gain a powerful ally for free, and might even use this to connect with the power behind her.
Three birds with one stone.