Chapter 50 - A Tale of Two Selves

Su Mu maintained a safe speed as he descended the mountain. Along the way, he encountered several people controlling their swords in flight, exchanging nods and a casual 'Have you eaten?' as they passed by, regardless of whether they knew each other or not.

Upon reaching the mountain gate, Su Mu gently lowered his broomstick to the ground.

He felt a sense of longing as he dismounted.

"Thanks, Kevin, the handling of this broomstick is really nice. It truly is a luxury super flyer."

Kevin replied offhandedly, "It's alright. This model isn't McLaren's flagship, and it's not too expensive, just over forty million. But it has good safety features and a long battery life."

"..."

Showing off without a trace is the deadliest!

I shouldn't have brought up this topic with a rich person. Just forty million, huh?

Kevin didn't seem to think there was anything showy about his comment. After putting away the broomstick, he studied Su Mu intently as if trying to see right through him, "Tell me, have you really never learned to ride a broomstick before?"

"Of course," Su Mu spread his hands, "With my family background and resources, it was impossible to learn. I should thank you for teaching me this skill."

"Well, buddy, you're truly surprising!" Kevin exclaimed, "Seriously, you should consider learning to ride a flying sword. If you can pick up riding a broomstick this fast, you'd be great with a flying sword. You might even participate in F1 racing!"

His eyes lit up at the mention of F1 racing; it was clear he was a fan of flying races.

Su Mu wasn't very interested and declined with a smile, "Let's talk about that some other time. My sister has arrived."

"You have a sister too?" Kevin's tone and expression turned a bit strange.

"Yeah, why, do you have one?" Su Mu asked, not looking at him. He waved towards a pavilion not far away where Su Ye was running out from. Su Mu, concerned she might fall, hurried over to meet her.

Kevin, following close by, spoke with a hint of dread, "My sister is a demon. Oh no, just thinking about her starts to give me a headache."

That's when Su Mu glanced at him.

Oh, the classic 'domineering little sister and the pitiful brother' trope? Tsk tsk... what a fail.

"Then you really are pitiful. My sister, on the other hand, is both well-behaved and sensible." Su Mu couldn't help but boast a little as he said this.

"..."

Now it was Kevin's turn to think Su Mu was showing off.

Despite praising his sister in front of Kevin, Su Mu's expression turned stern when he approached Su Ye, chiding her, "Didn't I tell you to wait for me at the hotel? Why didn't you listen? The mountain air is cold, and you're not robust. What if you catch a cold? Eh..."

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly noticing that her complexion was no longer the sickly pale it used to be but had gained a bit of color, and she didn't seem as frail.

Su Ye said with a grin, "Do I seem healthier to you? I feel very comfortable here. After staying for a couple of days, my righteous qi has been replenished quite a bit."

Su Mu understood then; it must have been the spiritual qi of Qingcheng Mountain that had nourished his sister.

Qingcheng Mountain was chosen as the site for the cultivation university precisely because the spiritual qi there is much stronger than in other places. Su Ye, practicing the Qi-Feeding Technique on the mountain, absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Not only did this make her practice twice as effective, but it also replenished her righteous qi.

With her righteous qi replenished, her health naturally improved.

This was good news.

Su Mu was very happy.

After chatting for a bit, Su Ye looked towards Kevin and asked, "Brother, is this your friend?"

Su Mu introduced him, "This is Kevin from Austria; I've been hired as his Chinese tutor."

"Hello, beautiful miss, it's an honor to meet you," Kevin said with a smile and a graceful demeanor, though his accent made one almost chuckle.

"Uh... hello," Su Ye responded, a bit taken aback but quick to react, managing not to be rude. On the way down the mountain, she leaned in and whispered to Su Mu while Kevin wasn't paying attention, "His accent, he definitely needs a Chinese teacher."

When they reached the hotel at the foot of the mountain, most of the examinees had already left.

Su Mu and Su Ye went back to their room to gather their luggage and then checked out at the front desk.

Kevin wasn't staying at the hotel, but he didn't leave. Instead, he waited in the lobby for Su Mu and his sister.

He had finally found a Chinese tutor and was determined to follow through with his lessons before he went insane, even if it meant following them all the way to Yongfang City.

After checking out, the three of them exited the hotel to find a sedan already waiting outside.

Kevin had called for the car, noticing that Su Ye, having just recovered from a serious illness, wasn't suited to travel by broomstick, so he arranged a car instead.

As soon as they got into the car, Kevin suggested visiting Dujiangyan to pay homage to Li Bing, which Su Ye found very interesting. Ever since she fell ill, she rarely went out, and her most recent trip had been to the zoo and panda base in Rong City before the examination for cultivation.

Both were keen to go, and Su Mu naturally had no objections. The examination for cultivation was over, and they were no longer pressed for time. Taking a trip before heading back was entirely feasible.

"Since both of you want to go, let's do it. Actually, I'm also quite interested in Dujiangyan, especially since I heard that beneath Fuloong Temple at Lock Loong Pond, there's a Black Loong that was captured by Li Bing and his son during their efforts to control the water disaster in the Minjiang River. It's said you can still see it today."

The plan was set, and the trio made their way to Dujiangyan, first visiting the hydraulic engineering project, then paying their respects to Li Bing and his son at Erwang Temple, and finally heading to the Lock Loong Pond that Su Mu mentioned.

Lock Loong Pond is in the Minjiang River right below the mountain pile. Upon arrival, they realized it was a 5A Grade Scenic Area, teeming with tourists. Looking around, they saw people everywhere and little else.

"What do we do?" Su Mu was a bit taken aback.

"This..." Kevin was unusually speechless and only after a while did he say, "Let's still go in and take a look, we've come all this way."

Indeed, they had come all this way.

They bought tickets and entered the scenic area. The scenery along the way was beautiful, but like the other tourists, they weren't interested in it.

The people came here to see the Black Loong.

Walking along the stone bridge by the river, they could see from a distance nine thick chains, engraved with runes, stretching from the mountaintops on both sides, plunging into the turbulent waters of the Minjiang River. The runes on the chains sparkled in the sunlight.

Su Mu immediately became excited: "Do you see those nine chains? Legend has it that to deal with the Black Loong in the Minjiang River, Li Bing enlisted the help of the best nine artifact cultivation masters of the time. Each crafted a chain, and ultimately, his son, Li Erlang, dove into the Minjiang River to battle the Black Loong. After severely wounding the creature, they used these nine chains to bind it and suppress it at the bottom of Lock Loog Pond!"

Kevin said with excitement, "That's a fascinating story! Where did you hear about it?"

"It's written on the ticket."

Finally, the trio followed the crowd to the front of Lock Loog Pond.

And indeed, they saw a Black Loong!

The Black Loong spanned a hundred meters, majestic and extraordinary. Its body coiled in the Minjiang River, with its massive head emerging above the water, swallowing clouds and puffing mist, stirring wave after wave, prompting cries of surprise from the tourists on the bridge who quickly took out their phones to snap photos and record videos to share on Moments and TikTok.

Su Mu and the others were also greatly shocked.

Kevin exclaimed, "Now that's a loong! Compared to it, our Western dragons are like big lizards; they might scare you, but they lack this ethereal spirit."

After pausing, he seemed puzzled, "Hasn't this Black Loong been locked up for over two thousand years? Is the sentence really that long?"

Su Ye laughed and said, "This Black Loong isn't the same one from back then. It's here because the Scenic Area wanted to develop, so they hired a loong to play the part, striking poses here. You can even take a photo on its head for a fee. It also performs in the afternoon, and apparently, its acting skills are so impressive that it even has a fan group called 'Dragon Taming Masters'."

"Really?" Kevin was astonished.

Su Mu was very curious, "How do you know all this?"

Su Ye replied, "I saw it in a documentary a while back."

Su Mu nodded and sighed, "I thought this Black Loong looked quite intimidating, but the waves it stirred up were all directed away from people. So it's all an act."

Although it was just for show, the fact that it was a real loong made the trip worthwhile for them. They paid for a photo opportunity, each taking back a silly smiling picture.

The three of them stayed in Dujiangyan that night and even went out for hot pot. Kevin had quite the tolerance for spicy food and was particularly interested in trying blood curd and organs, devouring several servings on his own.

Back at the hotel, after sending Kevin off, Su Mu pulled his sister aside.

During the examination, he had learned a set of self-defense techniques from the body refining major. These combat skills required very little spiritual power to use, so even ordinary people could learn and apply them. They weren't very powerful, but he planned to teach Su Ye so she could defend herself if ever faced with a pervert.

Su Ye once again demonstrated her intelligence, grasping the theoretical knowledge immediately, with no need for Su Mu to explain things twice.

However, when it came to actual cultivation practice, there was a problem.

She could recite the theory perfectly and seemed to understand it all exactly right, but as soon as she tried to put it into practice, everything went wrong.