Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 78: A Lifetime Commitment

The others nodded in agreement as well.

"I heard that during the last civil service exam, someone was very unhappy with your performance. They said they’d teach you a little lesson. Whether that was just a joke or a real threat, well, it’s not my place to say."

Zhou Yu left it at that, but Lu Chang’sheng understood perfectly what he meant.

It’s still a matter of choosing sides.

Reputation’s a double-edged sword!

With your name as a shield, every faction gives you a fair shake. The fact that I’ve been able to practice in peace for five years is mostly thanks to this.

But fame also comes with a downside: it’s hard for the big shots to ever ignore you.

Once you’re in the bureaucracy, your life isn’t your own!

"Of course, what you heard about Red Water County is true. But rare herbal recipes like the Dragon and Tiger Eight Treasures or Eight-Headed Herbal Cuisine are the only ones under strict regulation. Mountain Fire Herbal Cuisine, since it’s made from common ingredients, generally isn’t monitored!"

"Unless things get so dire it’s an extreme situation!"

Lu Chang’sheng nodded and thanked him sincerely.

A young man beside Zhou Yu suddenly said, "Actually, we all think Scholar Lu has the talent to get a Jinshi title, but he just lacks a certain... unspoken support. If Scholar Lu is interested, I could put you in contact!"

"Thank you for your concern, brother, but honestly, as a mere Ninth Grade Registrar, getting mixed up in all that is really too risky. Let me think it over for now!" Lu Chang’sheng replied with apparent sincerity.

He neither inquired about the man’s connections nor showed a hint of impatience.

Zhou Yu and the others understood completely and actually respected Lu Chang’sheng all the more for it.

Guys like them were born into family alliances—their path’s set from the start, and the price for switching sides is way too high. Lu Chang’sheng, on the other hand, still has options.

"That’s only natural!"

With that, the atmosphere turned a bit awkward, a little more distant than before.

When Lu Chang’sheng got up and took his leave, the nobles turned to Zhou Yu and said, "I think this guy’s a bit full of himself. He thinks being Top Scholar will be enough to keep him out of trouble, but since the moment he passed the Advanced Scholar exam, he’s been stuck in this mire. If he still can’t see the big picture, things are gonna get rough for him eventually."

"Best steer clear of him yourselves, or you might get caught up in it too."

"Zhao is right!"

One of them hesitated, then asked, "Do you think he’s so into practicing martial arts so he can get out of this by joining the Martial Artist Institute?"

"Heh, you really think that’s possible? Dean Hong Yuan holds an unmatched status, sure, and he’d have the power to pull someone out of the muck, but you know as well as I do—Dean hasn’t taken on a student in years. By his rules, only a direct disciple would get protection. As for Lu Chang’sheng, maybe shacking up with the Mountain Master would make sense, but if it’s Dean Hong Yuan, he only cares about martial talent. You’d have to be like Miss Zhuqing at least to become his student!"

······

By the time Lu Chang’sheng made it home, it was already evening, and all around the corridor, lanterns were hung up.

Trying to bring in a festive vibe, Li Nangua even dipped into her own stash to buy a few Merfolk Lamps. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"I heard these Merfolk Lamps come from Nanyang Prefecture," Li Nangua said, following Mrs. Lu around. "They use oil made from a kind of underwater fish. Even a tiny bottle burns for four or five days!"

Lu Heitu stood off to the side, grinning at Li Nangua.

Life had gotten much better since coming to Black Mountain Prefecture, and Lu Heitu didn’t look so dark-skinned anymore—her delicate features looked downright charming.

Word was, plenty of wealthy scions had been trying to win her over lately.

"So, Heitu—have you got your eye on any of those young men?"

Seeing Lu Heitu be all smiles, Li Nangua couldn’t help but tease her.

Ever since arriving at Black Mountain Prefecture, Lu Chang’sheng had given everyone new names. Still, in front of strangers it was the new names, but at home, they stuck with the old ones. It just felt more comfortable that way.

"Yeah, my Heitu’s already pushing fifteen. She’s old enough to get married!" Mrs. Lu laughed, beaming at her daughter who finally had no shadow on her face. Her heart was so full, and she couldn’t be prouder of her second son, Lu Chang’sheng.

Lu Heitu hadn’t expected the focus to shift to her, and grumbled, "No way, no way. Those so-called gentlemen, they’re all style and no substance! None of them is worth even one of my second brother’s fingers. How could I marry a guy like that?"

She kept shaking her head. Seeing her mother about to try persuading her, she spun around and said, "Besides, second brother’s so much older and he’s not married yet. I’m still young—no rush!"

Mrs. Lu was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Your second brother really should get himself a wife!"

She wasn’t worried about him marrying, but deep down, she thought her second son was such a great guy, it’d truly be a loss if he had no heirs.

These past years, the old couple had sighed more than once in private—every single hair on that son of theirs had grown in just the right place.

Old Lu often pored over the family genealogy, trying to figure out just which ancestor their second son took after.

But tracing back four or five generations, none of them seemed as capable as him.

So, they could only keep blaming it on some forgotten ancestor further up the tree.

Maybe there’s some remarkable forebear lost to time.

Which made them care even more about the question of Lu Chang’sheng’s descendants.

To put it in Old Lu’s words: anyone in this family could go and they’d survive, but they couldn’t manage without Lu Chang’sheng. And as for the future, anyone else’s bloodline could disappear, but Lu Chang’sheng’s must go on.

Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice have pups who burrow!

If this family wants to keep going, they gotta have Chang’sheng’s seed!

If the old folks dared, they’d have arranged it all for him ages ago.

So now, after hearing Lu Heitu bring it up, Mrs. Lu couldn’t sit still and went straight off to find Lu Chang’sheng.

Lu Heitu had wanted to tag along for the drama, but suddenly noticed that Li Nangua hadn’t moved. Turning back, she saw her Nangua, lost deep in thought, a rosy blush on her chubby face that even the glow from the Merfolk Lamp couldn’t hide.

"Nangua, I’m rooting for you to get my second brother!" Lu Heitu blurted, nearly making Li Nangua jump out of her skin.

Barely able to suppress her joy, Li Nangua snapped with a smile, "You little brat, what are you talking about?"

Lu Heitu wasn’t like Lu Chang’sheng—she knew exactly what was going on. Seeing that, she put on a look of mock regret: "So Nangua doesn’t like my second brother? Well then—"

She didn’t finish before Li Nangua cut her off, half annoyed, half anxious, "That’s enough, Heitu. We still have to see what Chang’sheng wants!"

······

"Take a wife?"

Lu Chang’sheng had just gotten home, barely sat down, and already his mother and father rushed over, bringing up the subject of marriage.

He’d planned to brush it off with the usual excuses, but this time the old folks wouldn’t let him off the hook—they wanted a real answer.

"Your older brother already has two kids. You’re not that young anymore either. Even putting off children, at least you should get yourself a wife, right?"

Mr. Lu chimed in, "With a family business this big, how would it look if there were no heirs?"

By the end of it, Mrs. Lu was crying tears of frustration, leaving Lu Chang’sheng helpless. He thought to himself, "Guess I can’t dodge this bullet after all!"

Honestly, he didn’t have any real hang-ups about marriage. It was just the influence of his past-life consciousness making him feel he was still too young. He wanted to wait until things were steady before marrying and having kids. Too bad the old folks dragged him into it ahead of schedule.

"It’s not impossible," Lu Chang’sheng said.

Mrs. Lu was so overjoyed she teared up, saying right away, "I’ve heard that picking a wife is nothing like taking a concubine—it’s a big deal! Even marrying, you need to find someone from a good family. That’s good for everyone. Didn’t we meet that Qin Wan girl before? Her brother’s an Advanced Scholar too, so you and her are a perfect match. I’ve met her many times—she’s a real beauty, full up top, plenty of milk, so when you have kids, nobody goes hungry—"

"That’s enough, that’s enough. Look at you—just a few years in Prefecture City and you’re already learning this nonsense," Mr. Lu interjected, seeing the way Lu Chang’sheng was frowning. Then he said, "Nangua’s a good girl. She’s been with you for years—if she took care of you, we’d all be at ease!"

Mrs. Lu nodded as well. "Nangua would be fine too."

She didn’t really think Qin Wan was better; she just instinctively stood in Lu Chang’sheng’s shoes, and after hearing all those noblewomen chattering, those were the two choices that floated up.

Lu Chang’sheng thought of Nangua’s face and suddenly felt calm inside.

"We should... ask Nangua what she wants..."

Before he finished, someone burst through the door—it was Lu Heitu.

"Second brother, Nangua’s right here! Just ask her, don’t mind us!"

Lu Chang’sheng glared—man, he’d spoiled Heitu rotten these past years. She had no sense of propriety anymore! He was about to scold her when he saw Heitu dragging someone out by the hand.

By now, it was dusk. With the lanterns glowing outside, the young woman stood shyly at the doorway, hands clutching her clothes, seven parts nervous, three parts bashful.

She dared not look up, but deep down, she knew she’d been waiting for this moment for years.