Life as a Rogue Cultivator

Chapter 300: Qingyue Altar

Back at Green Serenity Courtyard, Liu Xiaolou was sprawled out on the daybed, eating the spread Sister Qing had laid out for him while she kneaded the knots out of his legs. He looked up at her. “Sister Qing... did my master ever mention anything about our sect’s lineage?”“Didn’t you ask me the moment you showed up a few days ago? He never brought it up.”

Liu Xiaolou pressed her again. “Rack your brain one more time. Did he ever mention the Luofu Sect? Or anything about Lingnan?”

Sister Qing frowned, digging deep into her memory for a long while before slowly shaking her head. “I don’t think so. Why? Is your Sanxuan Sect from Luofu? Who told you that?”

Liu Xiaolou let out a sigh. “Just a rumor floating around. Don’t take it seriously.”

Sister Qing slid behind him, pulled him back against her chest, and started working the acupoints around his eyes. “So what’s the move, Xiaolou? You actually heading down to Mount Luofu? Or are we sticking to the original plan and going to Chicheng Mountain?”

Liu Xiaolou rested his head, letting out a relaxed groan. “Am I really supposed to run all the way to Mount Luofu over one little rumor? That’s a thousand-li trip.”

After a moment of kneading, Sister Qing broke into a giggle. “Hands off, that tickles. Don’t go so hard. What, you think I’m Green Pearl or something?”

Liu Xiaolou sighed. “Green Pearl’s leaving, isn’t she? Bajhang doesn’t even know. He won’t be seeing her again.”

Sister Qing said, “That little shit vanished the second he left. No word at all; who knows if he’s dead or alive. If he comes back someday and can’t find Green Pearl, that’s his own fault. She’s heading out tomorrow. Honestly, I’m going to miss her too.”

Green Pearl left just after the fourth mark of the Rabbit hour, when the sky was still more night than morning. A lone carriage arrived, silent and empty. Only Sister Qing and Liu Xiaolou came to see her off. No one else.

After saying goodbye, Green Pearl took one last, lingering look at the courtyard gate and the curved eaves of Green Serenity Courtyard. Then she climbed into the carriage without another word and didn’t even lift the window curtain.

Han Jiuqian cupped his fist, saluting Liu Xiaolou. “Brother Liu, if you ever come to Lingnan and pass by Mount Dafeng, don’t forget to visit the Han family. Let me at least play the proper host.”

Liu Xiaolou nodded. “Brother Han, with such a fine lady by your side, I can’t help being jealous. Safe travels. And if you run into anything urgent or troublesome, don’t stand on ceremony with me. Send a letter, and I’ll come to Lingnan right away.”

Han Jiuqian thought for a moment. “If you have the time, you should visit Hengshan in the near future. There may be an opportunity waiting.”

Liu Xiaolou paused, then bowed. “Thank you, Brother Han.”

Han Jiuqian climbed into the carriage. The wheels rolled over the bluestone street, clattering softly as they disappeared into the thin, lonely morning mist.

The carriage headed south for a day. By noon the next day, Green Pearl lifted the window curtain and stared at the mountains ahead in surprise. “Husband, where are we?”

Han Jiuqian said, “This is Hengshan. There’s something I need to take care of, so we have to head up the mountain.”

“We’re going up Hengshan? What for?”

Han Jiuqian smiled. “It’s for Brother Liu’s sake. Poor guy… first he gets kicked out of the Su family, then he had to watch the two of us like this... I’m sure it stung a bit. You saw how he looked yesterday when we parted; he stood there sighing his heart out over us. Since you two were neighbors once, and he and I hit it off right away, it’s only right that I help him find an opportunity.”

Two nights later, at the very hour when Green Serenity Courtyard was at its brightest and noisiest, a shadow slipped out through the back gate. It moved quickly, leaving Yueyang Market and heading straight south.

He had originally planned to stop by the Dongyang Sect to visit Su Zhenjiu and ask where the rumor about his own master being from the Luofu Sect had come from. But after thinking it over, he let the idea go. Han Wuwang had already said it was “just a rumor.” Most likely Su Zhenjiu had only heard it secondhand.

Besides, he had no interest in turning his situation into some big public story. Whatever questions he had could wait until he reached the Luofu Sect.

In the end, it was just one more marketplace to browse through. Nothing more.

Hmm, and then there was that chance meeting on Hengshan that Han Jiuchian mentioned.

Now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, even as a lone cultivator, he was qualified to knock on the doors of smaller sects and rogue cultivation families.

Heading three hundred li south along the Xiang River, the mountains ahead stretched on without end, their peaks rising sharp and beautiful. This was the beginning of Hengshan.

When he climbed to a certain summit and looked around. A towering peak piercing the clouds on the western side, standing proud over the southern sky. That had to be Zhurong Peak, the tallest among the Hengshan mountains.

He went upstream along a creek lined with pines and cedars, thick and deep green as far as the eye could see. As he made his way higher, black rock jutted out in broken ridges. Sheer cliffs rose straight into the air. At the very top, strange stones stacked together, reaching more than ten yards high. Resting above them was a refined little residence tucked quietly into the lush greenery.

This was Qingyue Altar, one of the Three Altars of Hengshan.

Three hundred years ago, the Hengshan Sect was one of the great powers of the southern region. Within the sect, the Qingyue, Guangtian, and Dongling Altars formed its three main branches. It was thriving back then. Now the sect had split into three separate factions, its influence greatly reduced, and over the last century it had only continued to fade.

Take the Qingyue Altar, for example. According to Han Jiuchian, the strongest among them was Elder Qingwuzi, who had been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for twenty years and still hadn’t formed his golden core. The altar master was Qingwuzi’s junior sister, known simply as the Qingyue Altar Master, currently in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. There were two other elders at early Foundation Establishment, the same level as Liu Xiaolou. Everyone else was at the Qi Refinement stage.

Four Foundation Establishment cultivators wasn’t exactly a small number. It still put them above most ordinary family sects. But compared the major sects up north in the Jing-Xiang region, they were far weaker.

Even if you looked at Shenwu Manor on its own, Qingyue Altar didn’t even come close.

The only thing that still showed Liu Xiaolou even a hint of what a “great southern sect” used to look like were the blue-tiled roofs and red walls crowning the mountaintop.

They were all old buildings, worn by age!

Right, there was also the grand formation protecting the entire mountaintop. Even with Liu Xiaolou’s abilities now, he couldn’t really see through its workings. He definitely didn’t dare make any careless moves in front of it.

This formation had real power behind it. No doubt about that.

After giving his name and stating that he wished to request an audience, Liu Xiaolou waited obediently for quite a while beneath the Qingyue Altar’s archway. Before long, more than a dozen people came pouring out. The two in front were both early-Foundation Establishment; the rest were Qi Refinement. They fanned out in perfect goose-wing formation beneath the arch. They honestly looked pretty impressive.

Liu Xiaolou felt a little dizzy for a moment. What was with all the fuss? Was he really that famous?

Liu Xiaolou blinked, totally thrown. What the hell? What was with all the fuss? Was he really that famous?

The older of the two leading men, a long-bearded guy who looked about forty, stepped forward. His eyes locked onto Liu Xiaolou. “So you’re Friend Liu?”

Liu Xiaolou cupped his hands politely. “That’s me.”

The long-bearded man stroked his whiskers. “I’m an elder of the sect, in charge of passing down our techniques.” He then pointed to the younger, thinner man beside him. “This is our enforcement elder. Our altar master is waiting for you at Five-Dragon Falls. Please, come with us.”

Liu Xiaolou’s head was spinning with questions, but nothing came out of his mouth. He just followed the two elders inside, weaving between rows of pavilions and corridors.

Before long, the path sloped downward. The farther they went, the lower it dropped, until the deep rumble of crashing water filled the air.

After rounding two bends, the view suddenly opened up. A long, cascading waterfall stretched out before them, tumbling down in five distinct tiers, one after another. Mist drifted everywhere, cool and refreshing against his cheeks.