The moonlight flows like water, sprinkling over the shimmering lake surface, as if draped with a silvery light veil. The distant mountains and the nearby lake reflect each other in harmony. In the distance, the summer cicadas softly hum, and the pavilion remains tranquil and picturesque.
As Lu Jinan leaned on the railing to look far away, she lightly shook the goblet in her hand and softly asked, "Master, what do you think of the living beings I found in the desolate ruin cave?"
The existence of the Taoist cave is ancient, either a gift from the Yunting Continent to the cultivators, or a legacy of transcendence left by those of superior ability beyond this realm.
Mostly, they are of the former type.
However, whether it is a natural or artificial cave created by a cultivator, besides the strange beasts that have always existed there, no 'living beings' have been discovered so far.
Because the environment inside is not suitable for cultivators to survive: the higher the level of the cave, the faster and more isolated the spiritual power will be consumed and unable to get supplemented from external heavenly essence.
A little over half a year ago, the Wandoadao and one of the seven academies, Hengshui College, jointly obtained the right to explore the Void Cave, a grade-9 cave after competing together. This resulted in casualties far beyond any previous exploration of grade-9 caves.
And as the team leader, Lu Jinan, who was also shielding others during their retreat, discovered Lin Mu and the dozens of mysterious people he was talking to.
At that time, Lin Mu was no more than a small cultivator at the late Condensation Realm, but within the power of the mysterious figures, he not only did not consume his spiritual energy but also was not crushed into blood mist by the energy contained within the grade-9 cave.
He was not discovered while eavesdropping, so with the intention of investigating, he followed Lin Mu from another exit of the cave to the Nanzhuo Domain and stayed there for half a year and a half.
Unfortunately, besides learning about the conspiracy of those people who self-proclaimed to be from the Upper Realm of Yunting, he didn't get any information about those mysterious people from Lin Mu's mouth.
Therefore, after speaking about the experiences in Nanzhuo Domain, Lu Jinan anticipated that he might gain something from the elder of the Grand cultivator of the Divine Presence Realm.
At this moment, Pei Wanhu sat on the stone bench with her legs crossed. Without arranging the hem, the slit of her yukata slid down from both sides, revealing a pair of plump but beautiful white smooth thighs that were exposed to the air, exuding a delicate glow.
Lu Jinan gave a glance at the visible root of the thighs, then quickly shifted his gaze to her expression. The elder, though still enchanting and attractive, possessed an additional charm from her role as a teacher, as her serious and proper demeanor seemed more alluring.
Staring for a while, he then turned his gaze to the open collar of her clothing. The beautiful curve of her neck extended downward, and the white collar, tightly wrapped around her throat, exuded a profound and breathtaking attraction.
Although the stone table was not very high, it still could be placed on the edge of the stone table. In her delicate arm movements, up and down, lightly tapping, it was like ripples on the lake surface under the moonlight.
Lu Jinan's eyes narrowed slightly. It was probably because it was a bit cold by the lake at night that he could clearly see the more alluring curves outlined on the silky yukata.
Sipping wine and pondering, Pei Wanhu didn't seem to notice the disciple's sight shrinking into two dots. After putting down the wine cup again, she softly spoke: "After learning of the danger from the cultivators who were evacuated earlier, senior executives of major sects began investigations.
But even the Tianyuan Pavilion has not reached a conclusion."
Taking advantage of the time to pour wine during the cold winter, she turned her head and looked at her disciple, whose appearance and figure were all top-notch: "So even if we know that there are mysterious beings in the cave now, it is highly likely that we will not be able to draw a conclusion."
But there is no doubt that it is related to those who considered themselves high and mighty in the Upper Realm."
Lu Jinan smiled, "Teacher, you said a useless thing."
Pei Wanhu's eyes narrowed, the curve of her mouth added a touch of allure, but the voice was faintly malicious: "Are you mocking me for being old and not as sharp as before?"
You even call me 'old timer' in front of Xia Ming. Are you dissatisfied with Master?"
"Teacher, you must have misunderstood," Lu Jinan stood up solemnly and said, "I clearly said 'Teacher, you still have a certain charm'."
"Or is Master old?"
"I just like the bigger ones." Lu Jinan implied something meaningful, full of sincerity: "I don't like the smaller ones."
"So is Zhu Nanzi?" Pei Wanhu leaned forward slightly, her weighty gaze on the edge of the table, which looked substantial just by watching it.
"Not as good as Teacher," Lu Jinan honestly said, "But much stronger than my senior sister."
“Qing Yue is…” Pei Wanhu changed her tone, "Is it good that you have such an evaluation of Master's daughter?"
"Yet another one of those excuses?" Lu Jinan chuckled, not changing his expression as he casually glanced at the guard sands on her left forearm, which had slipped out of her sleeve. "Am I to believe that?"
"Isn't our appearance similar?"
"I don't know!" Lu Jinan directly responded, thinking that from the moment she first saw Mu Qingyue, there was a black cloth over her eyes. All these years, she hasn't taken it off. How can one get a full view of it?
He had asked seriously before about the relationship between Master and Mu Qingyue, but never received an answer. So he guessed that this was likely not something within his reach at all... a secret due to insufficient strength.
Lu Jinan's eyelids drooped, and he changed the topic: "What about countermeasures against the Upper Realm for this matter of Lin Mu?"
Pei Wanhu shook her head slightly: "First, we don't know how long the Upper Realm's plan has been implemented. Second, there is no need to alert the Upper Realm by taking action now."
As you said, it's another era of great contention."
She paused for a moment before continuing: "In particular, the ones who claim to be from the Upper Realm are not just humans from the Upper Realm, and there are also mysterious groups in the cave. It would not be beneficial to expose our faces at this stage."
"Hmm." Lu Jinan nodded, turning her head to look at the shimmering lake surface, sneering, "The ones who claim to be from the Upper Realm may not be able to easily interfere in human affairs. So they use this method to take human qi and fortune for their own use, thus becoming a real upper realm paradise."
"Yes," Pei Wanhu's eyes dimmed slightly, and she fell silent for a while before speaking again, "The Upper Realm is very strong, and we don't know how many special talents they have possessed already..."
Pei Wanhu turned her head to look at Lu Jinan: "If they are discovered, it would be better to kill them. After all, they are likely to be controlled by the Upper Realm as they grow up."
But in this era of great contention, that kind of talent would take hundreds or even thousands of years to find. No one can guarantee what might happen during this time..."
Pei Wanhu gently swayed the wine cup: "Although you have successfully removed yourself from Lin Mu's cause and effect, killing him and Xiao Li who is rumored to have a special physique may not have escaped the greater cause and effect of this continent of Yunting."
"Just become stronger." Lu Jinan walked over to the stone table, placed the wine cup on it, and stood straight with his back against the wall, staring directly into Pei Wanhu's captivating eyes, speaking loudly——
"I'll bear all their causes and effects that I have killed them."
