32: The incident of being hung like bacon on Zizhu Peak for a night

The night on Qingyue Peak was exceptionally tranquil. The moonlight of theYinhour poured like water onto the window lattice of the quiet room. Shi Jingxian was immersed in the stillness of his Cultivation when his blanket was suddenly flung open by a rough force.

“Jing Xian! Mo Chen! Get up quickly!”

Shi Wanshan’s round figure burst in, his normally dignified chubby face glowing with an unusual red light, much like a rat that had stolen oil.

His small eyes darted around in the dim light, and he made a shushing gesture: “Your Master is taking you to find a great Opportunity, don’t make a sound.”

Before he finished speaking, Shi Jingxian was yanked, stumbling. Lin Mochen from next door also rubbed his sleepy eyes and was dragged out.

This young man, two years younger than Shi Jingxian, with Heaven-Grade Medium Grade Aptitude, had hair like a bird's nest and was still groggy from sleep: “Master, what kind of Opportunity do we have to go for in the middle of the night?”

“Zizhu Peak!”

Shi Wanshan rubbed his chubby hands mysteriously, his tone full of certainty.

“Xuan Yangzi’s two Disciples greatly increased their cultivation after returning from there. That Gu Changge must have hidden something good!”

Shi Jingxian felt bewildered. Although Purple Bamboo Peak Lord Gu Changge was a Peak Lord, he was only said to have Core Formation Realm Cultivation and usually lived in seclusion. How could he have a “great Opportunity”? He quietly reminded: “Master, isn’t it inappropriate to trespass on another peak?”

“What are you afraid of!” Shi Wanshan patted his round belly, righteous, “Your Master is the Qingyue Peak Lord after all. What’s wrong with visiting my Junior Brother?”

And so, the three of them, under the moonlight, stealthily made their way towards Zizhu Peak.

Along the way, Shi Wanshan kept chattering: “Your Martial Uncle Gu may not have high Cultivation, but he has many treasures. You two be clever later. If you see anything good, just… hehe…”

Shi Jingxian and Lin Mochen exchanged a helpless look — Master wasn’t visiting; he was clearly planning to “seek treasures.”

As the outline of Zizhu Peak appeared in the moonlight, Shi Jingxian couldn't help but hold his breath.

The entire peak was enveloped in a faint purple mist. The bamboo leaves swayed gently in the wind, making a rustling sound. Even more peculiar, the Spiritual Qi in the air was so dense it almost solidified into tangible light particles, slowly drifting in the air.

“Such dense Spiritual Qi!” Lin Mochen took a deep breath, his eyes instantly lighting up.

Shi Wanshan stroked his beard proudly: “See, your Master said there were good things! Let’s go, up the mountain!”

As they ascended the stone steps, the Spiritual Qi grew even richer. Shi Jingxian’s Golden Core within him began to operate on its own, greedily absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

Just as he was about to respond to Lin Mochen’s question, “Does Martial Uncle Gu really only have Core Formation Realm cultivation?”, his ankle suddenly tightened — a vibrant green vine had wrapped around it at some point.

“Senior —”

Shi Jingxian’s cry was caught in his throat, and he was already hanging upside down.

He heard Shi Wanshan and Lin Mochen’s exclamations, and in a blink of an eye, the three of them were hanging like cured meat, suspended between two thick Purple Bamboo by spirit-binding vines.

“Spirit-binding vines?!” Shi Wanshan exclaimed, his chubby face turning crimson, “Gu Changge, you little rascal, you actually put such insidious things at your own doorstep!”

Shi Jingxian hung headfirst, blood rushing to his brain, his vision a bloody red.

He barely managed to turn his eyes, only to see his Master tied up like a dumpling, his gray robe rolled up to reveal his round belly, and a piece of bamboo leaf still hanging from his beard.

Lin Mochen was even worse; his mouth was stuffed with a bamboo leaf, making him look like a caught frog, only able to make muffled “woo woo” sounds.

“Master… is this the great Opportunity you spoke of?” Shi Jingxian managed to speak, his voice hoarse from the blood rushing to his head.

Shi Wanshan awkwardly coughed twice, forcing himself to argue: “An accident, purely an accident! These spirit-binding vines specifically bind those with ill intentions, which proves there must be something fishy about Zizhu Peak!”

The night wind blew, and the three of them swayed gently like wind chimes. Lin Mochen struggled to spit out the bamboo leaf in his mouth, while Shi Wanshan still struggled fruitlessly. The more he struggled, the tighter the spirit-binding vines bound him, until he couldn't even speak.

It wasn't until the eastern sky began to lighten that Shi Jingxian, by the morning light, saw that every bamboo on Zizhu Peak glowed with a faint purple light, and runes shimmered vaguely at the bamboo nodes.

Even more peculiar, their dripping sweat landed on the ground of Zizhu Peak and was instantly absorbed completely, leaving no trace.

“Senior Brother, look…”

Lin Mochen pointed to the ground with difficulty, his voice full of shock.

“Cough cough…” Shi Wanshan suddenly cleared his throat, lowering his voice, “Jing Xian, Mo Chen, when Gu Changge comes later, remember to act pitiful. We’ve been utterly disgraced this time; we have to get some benefits back.”

Shi Jingxian didn't know whether to laugh or cry — after being hung for a whole night, Master was still thinking about “getting benefits.”

Just then, faint footsteps came from deep within the bamboo forest. A figure in a green robe slowly walked out, surrounded by morning mist, making him appear like an Immortal from a painting.

He was a young man under twenty, with a handsome face and picturesque features, a faint smile playing on his lips. His body indeed only showed the Spiritual Qi fluctuations of the Core Formation Realm, but his eyes were so deep they seemed to see through people’s hearts — it was none other than Purple Bamboo Peak Lord Gu Changge.

“What play is Senior Brother Shi putting on?”

Gu Changge circled the three of them, his voice clear like the striking of jade.

“Early in the morning, instead of looking after your Disciples on Qingyue Peak, you came to my bamboo forest to swing on a swing?”

Shi Wanshan’s old face flushed, and he quickly pleaded: “Junior Brother, don’t make fun of me! Quickly let us down!”

Gu Changge chuckled softly, a green light flickering at his fingertips, and he gently tapped.

The spirit-binding vines instantly loosened, and the three of them fell to the ground with “thuds,” rubbing their numb limbs as they got up. But then they heard Gu Changge add with a half-smile: “How do I know if Senior Brother came to my Zizhu Peak in the middle of the night with ill intentions, or if he wanted to secretly learn from me?”

“Junior Brother, don’t make fun of me!”

Shi Wanshan said with a bitter face, his peripheral vision catching the miserable state of his two Disciples, and quickly changed the subject.

“Yesterday, I saw Xuan Yangzi’s two Disciples leave your place, and their Qi was off. I knew you must be hiding something good! Look at my two Disciples; their Aptitude is mediocre, and they’ve been stuck in the Early Stage of Core Formation for many years. Please have mercy and let them benefit a little too?”

“These two Disciples of yours, one with Heaven-Grade Low Grade Aptitude and one with Heaven-Grade Medium Grade Aptitude, which one isn’t a treasure in the Seven Great Sects? Is this what you call mediocre Aptitude?” Gu Changge’s voice was calm, yet it sent a shock through Shi Jingxian’s heart — Martial Uncle Gu actually saw through their Aptitude at a glance. This was definitely not something a Core Formation Realm Cultivator could do!

Shi Wanshan chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his hands and deflecting: “Compared to Xuan Yangzi’s two Disciples, they are indeed quite ordinary…”

Gu Changge shook his head, his gaze turning to Shi Jingxian and Lin Mochen, a hint of deep meaning flashing in his eyes: “You two young ones, it must be hard following this unreliable Master.”

The two bowed respectfully: “Disciple Shi Jingxian, Lin Mochen, greet Martial Uncle Gu.”

“Rise.” Gu Changge waved his hand, his tone softening, “Since you’ve come, come in and have some tea.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Wanshan’s previous embarrassment instantly vanished, and he followed with a beaming smile: “Now that’s more like it! Let’s go, let’s go, Junior Brother’s Purple Bamboo tea is a unique delicacy of the Sect!”

Watching his Master happily trailing behind Gu Changge, Shi Jingxian and Lin Mochen exchanged a smile — this Martial Uncle Gu, who seemed to be only in the Core Formation Realm, appeared to be very different from what the rumors said.