Chapter 558: Lu Yang is My Good Brother, I Won't Harm Him

Lu Yang arrived at Meng Jingzhou’s abode, and before he could even knock, he heard Meng Jingzhou speaking with someone inside.

“Impossible! What kind of man do you take me, Meng Jingzhou, for? How could I ever let my brother fall into such dire straits!”

“This is the Master’s will. If we wish to keep Lu Yang under control, this is the only way.”

“Go back and tell my old man it’s impossible! Tell him to give up on that idea once and for all!”

“And don’t you bring up my father to me. If he has the spine, let him come to the Dao Seeking Sect, and I’ll have my master thrash him!”

“Young Master… ah…”

Seeing that his persuasion was in vain, Xu You had no choice but to give up. When he stepped outside and saw Lu Yang standing by the door, he froze for a moment.

He had seen Lu Yang’s portrait long ago.

Lu Yang also felt a touch of awkwardness. Although the two inside had been discussing something related to him—and seemingly not altogether malicious—meeting face-to-face like this was bound to be uncomfortable.

The two men nodded to each other as they crossed paths, neither saying a word.

The moment he stepped into the cave dwelling, Lu Yang saw a furious Meng Jingzhou.

“This is too much! Look at what kind of devious, crooked schemes my old man is cooking up!” Meng Jingzhou grumbled to Lu Yang. While he usually spent his days trying to trick Lu Yang, when it truly mattered, he stood firmly by his side.

Deeply moved, Lu Yang thought to himself that this was indeed a true brother. Feigning ignorance of the eavesdropping, he asked, “Who was that just now…?”

“Xu You. I heard he used to be my father’s study companion, and now he’s risen to Chief Steward.”

“Did he come to persuade you to return home?”

“He tried at first, but after a couple of sentences he gave up. He said he came this time because of an important matter.”

“What matter?”

“My father wants to betroth my younger sister to you. I rejected it on your behalf.”

Lu Yang: “…”

What a truly great brother.

“If I remember correctly, your sister hasn't even reached the age to begin cultivation yet, right?”

“An engagement, of course. Don't large clans always love playing this game? When I was a child, wasn't there a whole crowd of people coming to propose marriage to me? It’s pretty much the same routine.”

“I reckon the letters I wrote to my sister were intercepted by my father. He saw how I praised you in them for being insidious, cunning, and ruthless, with a faint air of surpassing the Sect Master himself. Seeing you as a rare talent, he wants you to be his son-in-law.”

“Steward Xu also brought word saying that since your master is the Daoist Buyu, you’d never find a wife anyway, so it’d be better for you to marry into our Meng family.”

“By the way, what did you come to see me for?”

“Third Senior Sister sent a letter saying she wants me to visit the Beast Domain. I’m planning to make the trip; do you want to come along?”

“Which Third Senior Sister?”

“Third Senior Sister Gan Tian, of course.”

“Who’s that?”

Only then did Lu Yang remember that Third Senior Sister Gan Tian had not returned to the sect for a very long time, and being a low-profile person, few of her deeds circulated within the sect.

“My master has four disciples. Aside from Eldest Senior Sister, there are two above me: Second Senior Brother Ye Zijin and Third Senior Sister Gan Tian. One is in the Golden Buddhist Realm, and the other is in the Southern Beast Domain.”

A wave of realization washed over Meng Jingzhou, and he wagged his index finger. “I know your Second Senior Brother! He’s the one whose Nascent Soul ran away during his breakthrough, and he couldn't even beat his own Nascent Soul in a fight!”

“…I hope you can say that to his face when you meet him.”

Xu You had not walked very far. He sat down beside the old horse, pulling out two wine gourds—one for himself, and the other shoved straight into the horse's muzzle.

He poured half a gourd down his own throat first, then remarked, “Brother Horse, we haven’t seen each other in two years. How has life been here at the Dao Seeking Sect?”

“To tell you the truth, I truly envy you being able to stay by the Young Master’s side. What a leisurely life. You know how rowdy the Master's household is; managing the entire Meng clan nearly tires me to death.”

“As soon as I heard the Master missed his son, I volunteered to come to the Dao Seeking Sect. Regardless of whether the Young Master returns or not, at least I get to rest for a few days.”

The old horse glanced sideways at Xu You. Tilting its head back, it bit into the wine gourd, gulped down half of it, and then let go, leaving the gourd floating in mid-air.

“You truly think staying with the Young Master is easy?”

The old horse thought to itself: *You think being a steward is tough? Could it possibly be harder than my lot?*

*When I pulled the carriage bringing the Young Master to the Dao Seeking Sect, before we even entered the mountain gates, the Young Master invited Yun Zhi into the carriage and asked her if she was also here for the entrance trial, boasting that he had the real exam questions.*

*I was trembling in absolute terror the entire time I was pulling Yun Zhi.*

*Then the Young Master went out on a mission with Lu Yang. In their very first collaboration, they infiltrated the Immortal Sect and became branch masters. Just when we thought we could finally return to the sect, Lu Yang, seeking death, blurted out the Immortal Fairy’s true name.*

*I watched with my own eyes as an ancient Immortal manifested into the world, nearly scaring me to death.*

*Later, I pulled the Young Master to Qingzhou for the grand ceremony. Halfway through, two Great Yu Fusion Stage cultivators and one Great Yu Tribulation Transgression Stage expert popped out. Thank goodness Yun Zhi stepped in.*

*And after that, we came to Huangzhou. Good heavens, three Tribulation Transgression Stage figures—one of whom was the Emperor of Great Yu himself. It was I who dragged the souls of those three back.*

*Which of these matters could a mere Beast King like me handle?*

*They might as well bring the old ancestor of the Meng family over to pull the carriage; I’m not doing it anymore.*

“If you think my life is easy, we can swap places.”

*Just so you can witness what high-stage cultivators really look like. Don’t go thinking we’re a big deal just because we’re in the Fusion Stage; these days, if you aren't at least at the Tribulation Transgression Stage, you'd be too embarrassed to step out the door with the Young Master.*

Seeing the old horse bare its teeth in a thoroughly malicious grin, Xu You instantly sobered up halfway and shook his head resolutely.

Suddenly, the old horse asked in puzzlement, “Did you do something when you arrived at the Dao Seeking Sect? Why is someone coming for you?”

“Do something?” Xu You failed to react for a moment.

They saw a disciple guarding the mountain gates leading the Grand Elder over.

“Grand Elder, he’s the one who bribed the two of us. This is the storage ring he gave us.”

Xu You: “…”

A smile identical to Xu You’s broke across the Grand Elder’s face as he asked beams of friendliness, “Brother Xu, let’s hear it. Bribing the disciples of our sect is no small matter. Do you prefer that I report this to the authorities to have you arrested, or would you rather stay in our Dao Seeking Sect’s confinement for a few days?”

As the eldest brother of the Nine Primordials of the Dao Seeking Sect and the Master of the Mission Hall, the Grand Elder managed all intelligence within the sect. He knew every Fusion Stage cultivator around like the back of his hand.

The Master of the Meng Clan, the Beast King old horse, and Xu You were sworn brothers who had traveled far and wide in their youth, sharing a bond as ironclad as it gets. Later, Xu You became the Meng family’s steward, while the old horse alternated between staying with the Meng family and returning to its hometown in the Eastern Sea.

“I’ll stay at the Dao Seeking Sect,” Xu You made his decision swiftly.

Without another word, the Grand Elder produced a pair of shackles he had prepared long ago, clapping them onto Xu You with a sharp *clang*.

“Hey, there's no need to be this harsh, is there?”

The Grand Elder sneered repeatedly, “Don’t think I don't know what you're plotting. You simply find being a steward too exhausting and want to use this arrest as an excuse to slack off in my Dao Seeking Sect for a few days.”

“If you had just confessed honestly, I might have played along. But since you insisted on scheming like this… who else would I arrest but you! Move along!”

Trying to play tricks in front of him was an absolute impossibility.

Xu You turned his head in despair to look at the old horse, only to see a face full of schadenfreude.

Right at that moment, Meng Jingzhou pushed open the door and stepped out.

“Old Horse, Old Lu and I are planning to head to the Beast Domain.”

The old horse’s face turned ashen, wishing desperately that it could swap places with Xu You.

And