Evergreen Immortal-Chapter 7: Splendid Purity Sect

“All of you esteemed nephews have come from afar; my humble residence is truly honored by your presence.”

A rotund middle-aged man stood in front of the mansion gate.

This man was none other than the head of the Zhu family, Zhu Ping.

Despite his bloated and ungainly appearance, the Zhu family patriarch was, in fact, a seasoned martial artist of Qinghe. Anyone who fought regularly knew that this kind of "meat-wrapped muscle" was the toughest to deal with.

Back in the day, he had carved out a place for himself in Qinghe through sheer ruthlessness. However, in recent years, his focus had shifted to business, and without the need for constant fighting, his temperament had softened considerably.

Gone was the stern and imposing demeanor, Zhu Ping now smiled like a fully bloomed chrysanthemum.

How could he not be happy?

It wasn’t just his son, Zhu Yue, who had come to the Zhu residence today. Accompanying him were three prodigies from the Splendid Purity Sect. Even the county magistrate would be envious of such an occasion.

The Zhu family’s prestige had soared.

“These next few days, we will be imposing on you. I’ll have to trouble Uncle Zhu to host us.”

The eldest of the group, as expected of a disciple from a great sect, was courteous and refined, making others feel at ease in his presence.

“No trouble at all, no trouble at all.”

Zhu Ping laughed heartily, waving his hands repeatedly. He couldn’t be more eager for these Splendid Purity Sect disciples to stay in Qinghe for a while longer.

“Father.”

Zhu Yue was the first to dismount from his horse.

Zhu Ping looked at his eldest son with satisfaction, almost proclaiming, My son has the potential of a grandmaster!

Zhu Yue gestured toward the eldest of the three and introduced, “This is Senior Brother Han Qin, an expert at the eighth grade, Copper Bone Realm. Master often praises him, saying he will accomplish great things in the future.”

“Junior Brother Zhu, please don’t flatter me too much.”

Han Qin chuckled lightly.

Zhu Yue then pointed to a rather simple-looking young man. “This is Junior Brother Zhou Hu.”

Finally, he gestured toward the only girl in the group. “This is Junior Sister Jiang Yan.”

Zhu Ping nodded at each of them. “All outstanding young talents. While little Yue is at the sect, I’ll have to trouble the three of you to look after him.”

Han Qin maintained his usual warm smile.

Zhou Hu shyly waved his hand.

Jiang Yan remained expressionless.

From this alone, it was clear that the four had very different personalities.

Having led the Zhu family for many years, Zhu Ping was astute enough to avoid making things awkward. After instructing his servants to take care of the guests, he found a casual excuse to leave.

These were young people; a man nearing forty forcing himself into their group would only be counterproductive.

Zhu Yue led the three on a tour of the Zhu family estate.

Zhou Hu, unable to take his eyes off the countless pavilions and grand halls, blurted out, “Senior Brother Zhu, your family is really rich.”

Not all disciples of the Splendid Purity Sect came from noble backgrounds.

Some, like Zhou Hu, were from declining aristocratic families.

Of course, "declining aristocrats" referred to once-prominent scholarly clans that had fallen on hard times. Common folk didn’t even qualify to be called such.

Hearing Zhou Hu’s praise, Zhu Yue’s mood instantly lifted. “Junior Brother Zhou, if you like it here, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Though he was highly regarded in Qinghe, at Splendid Purity Sect, he wasn’t anything special.

Now, being praised by his fellow disciples felt rather nice.

Han Qin’s smile never wavered. “Qinghe has three major families, Zhu, Liu, and Yang, the Zhu family being one of them, of course they’re impressive.”

Zhou Hu’s eyes widened with even more surprise.

He had never expected the usually unassuming Senior Brother Zhu to have such a strong family background.

With both of them singing his praises, Zhu Yue was feeling a bit light-headed but still modestly said, “Senior Brother Han, you're making fun of me again.”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance at the girl beside him.

When it came to family background, Jiang Yan’s was actually the best among the four.

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Zhu Yue shifted the topic, “Senior Brother Han, my father has a good relationship with Magistrate Zhang of Qinghe. We can have the government officials help us track down that traitor’s whereabouts.”

“Excellent.”

Han Qin’s eyes lit up and he readily agreed.

The reason the four of them had come to Qinghe was certainly not for sightseeing. Their true purpose was to hunt down a disciple who had defected from the Splendid Purity Sect.

Zhou Hu was equally excited.

With the local authorities helping, they could save a lot of time.

The sooner they completed their mission, the sooner they could return to Splendid Purity Sect to continue their training.

Yes, even after becoming sect disciples, they couldn’t simply remain in the mountains cultivating in seclusion. For disciples like Zhou Hu, unless they had a wealthy family, they had to complete sect missions to earn cultivation resources.

Martial artists were like bottomless pits for resources. Even someone as well-off as Zhu Yue had to take on missions.

The Zhu family’s wealth was impressive in the mundane world, but there were many things that could not be bought with silver.

At Splendid Purity Sect, Zhu Yue had witnessed sights from the very peak of power. As his horizons expanded, his visits back to Qinghe grew increasingly rare.

If not for this mission happening to take place in Qinghe, he probably wouldn't have come for several more years.

Zhu Yue added, “That person is at the ninth grade and possesses a weapon. Regular officers won’t be able to handle him, so we'll need to take action ourselves when the time comes.”

Han Qin nodded. “Naturally.”

For someone at the eighth grade, dealing with a ninth-grade opponent was effortless.

Zhou Hu grinned foolishly. “Senior Brother Han's Falling Blossom Sword technique is so refined that even my master praised it for capturing three parts of its true essence.”

Han Qin’s eyes flickered. “Junior Brother Zhou, are you serious?”

“Of course!”

Zhou Hu thumped his chest confidently.

Though they addressed each other as senior and junior brothers, they did not share the same master.

Zhou Hu’s master was Splendid Purity Sect’s renowned sword expert. Receiving his praise was no small feat, and Han Qin couldn't help but feel pleased.

At that moment, the silent Jiang Yan suddenly spoke, “Senior Brother Zhu, your residence is truly full of hidden talents. Even your stable hand is on the verge of entering the graded realms.”

Hearing this, the other three looked in surprise toward where Jiang Yan was gazing.

Zhu Yue only now realized they had wandered near the stables.

An old stableman was leading their horses inside.

Their mounts were all prized steeds worth thousands of silver taels, each with a wild and untamed temperament. Yet in the hands of this old stableman, they behaved as meekly as lambs.

Zhu Yue vaguely recalled this old stableman had been with the Zhu family for a long time.

So long that he could remember seeing him since he was a child.

What was his name again…? Li Rui?

“Unfortunately, he’s too old. His blood and vitality have declined. Forget advancing, just maintaining his current level is difficult.”

Han Qin concluded with certainty.

Strength feared youth.

In martial arts, age didn’t always equate to power. Unless one reached the seventh grade or higher, the older one got, the weaker they became, reduced to nothing more than whetstones for the younger generation.

Zhu Yue lost interest.

A capable stableman? Perhaps in the past, he might have tried to recruit him.

But now, he sought the path of cultivation.

Managing forces and building influence? That was a lesser pursuit, one Zhu Yue disdained.

After the four of them departed, Li Rui finally looked at their retreating figures.

Judging by their unfamiliar faces and luxurious clothing, if his guess was correct, they must be the esteemed guests from Splendid Purity Sect that the servants had mentioned.

Tsk tsk, joining Splendid Purity Sect at such a young age…

Their future was boundless.

But just as Li Rui lowered his head to fasten the reins—

A line of small text appeared before his eyes.

[Congratulations, Host, for completing the initial achievement of the "Fated Immortal Couple" storyline—Encounter.]