188: Chapter 188 A Secret Pledge of Love, A Sprint to the Dao Palace

[After binding the Spiritual Vein, Chu Sheng lived like a cautious mouse.]

[During the day, he wandered around the outer sect, taking on a few inconsequential tasks, browsing through miscellaneous books in the Library Pavilion, and maintaining a nodding acquaintance with other Guest Elders.]

[At night, he would unfailingly sneak into the Mine Tunnels and sit cross-legged outside the stone walls.]

[He didn't dare go any deeper; although Tangtang was "too lazy to care," what if she was in a bad mood one day?]

[At the entrance of the Mine Tunnel, there was a recessed stone wall, just large enough for one person to sit, and the Spiritual Qi there was denser than elsewhere.]

[Chu Sheng treated that place as his own Cultivation den.]

[The Luck of the Wendao Palace seeped out from the depths of the Spiritual Vein, being drawn away bit by bit by that invisible "straw" inside his body, flowing into his Dantian and transforming into cultivation.]

[It was as thin as a strand of hair, but it was stable.]

[Chu Sheng felt like he was milking a giant Dragon; the Dragon was completely unaware, and he could drink his fill every day.]

[However, his cultivation was growing too fast.]

[From the Late Stage of Sea Opening Realm to the Peak, it took less than half a month.]

[Further up was the Dao Palace.]

[The threshold of the Dao Palace had trapped countless people for their entire lives.]

[He didn't want to repeat the same mistake.]

[So, he spent one year of his lifespan to perform a divination.]

[A phantom of a Fortune Stick Container appeared in the Mine Tunnel, shook for a moment, and a stick jumped out.]

[Chu Sheng reached out to catch it, turned it over, and saw—a High-grade Fortune Stick.]

[Auspicious.]

[He let out a long breath, put the stick away, and continued to absorb.]

[Auspicious was enough.]

[He didn't seek the "Highest-grade Fortune Stick"; that kind of "destined by heaven" thing was too mystical and could easily make one lower their guard.]

[A High-grade Fortune Stick meant the general trend was favorable, but the details depended on oneself.]

[A new Disciple arrived at the outer sect on an autumn afternoon.]

[Chu Sheng had just returned from turning in a task at the Deacon Hall when he passed the Mountain Gate and saw a young girl standing on the stone steps, looking around.]

[She was clutching a letter in her hand—the Admission Notice for Wendao Palace.]

["Ex... Excuse me, Elder, where are the residences for the Outer Sect Disciples?" Her voice was very soft.]

[Chu Sheng had originally intended to just point the way and leave.]

[But he saw the young girl's eyes—bright and shining, filled with light, yet also with a hint of cautious unease.]

[He fished a bottle of condensing true pills out of his Storage Pouch and handed it over.]

["Follow this path straight ahead, and you'll arrive when you see a row of Stone Houses," he said. "Consider this bottle of pills a meeting gift."]

[The young girl was stunned. She hurriedly took the pills, her face flushing red: "Th... Thank you, Elder! My name is Shen Linger, and I come from a small place!"]

[Chu Sheng waved his hand and turned to leave.]

[He didn't look back, but he knew those bright eyes must be watching his back.]

[Shen Linger lived next door to him.]

[At first, Chu Sheng didn't take it seriously.]

[The outer sect wasn't like the inner sect where Inner Sect Disciples had Peak Masters to look after them; they all formed their own groups or attached themselves to an outer sect Elder. With so many people coming and going, it was impossible for him to look after everyone.]

[But Shen Linger would knock on his door every few days to ask questions about Cultivation.]

[The Cultivation Technique wasn't running smoothly, she couldn't understand a certain mantra, or she couldn't get the heat right during Alchemy.]

[Chu Sheng initially just gave a few casual pointers, but later found that the girl had good Comprehension Ability and understood things immediately. Her foundation was just too weak because no one had taught her.]

He helped her not because his heart was moved, but because he remembered himself before he had the simulator.

Back then, if someone had given him a hand, he might not have had to take so many detours.

[But Shen Linger didn't think that way.]

[The way she looked at Chu Sheng became brighter and brighter, like the brightest star in the night sky.]

[She would leave a bowl of hot porridge at the door before Chu Sheng went out, and she would leave a lamp lit when Chu Sheng returned from his late-night "cultivation."]

[It wasn't that Chu Sheng didn't know; he just pretended not to.]

[Du Yu noticed.]

[He mocked Chu Sheng in front of Shen Linger: "Some people, relying on a bit of cultivation, go around attracting butterflies and bees. They don't even look at their own status—just an outer sect Elder, yet they really think they're someone important."]

[Shen Linger's face turned beet red, but she stubbornly retorted: "Elder Du, Elder Chu is not that kind of person!"]

[When Chu Sheng heard these words, he was wiping his sword in the Stone House.]

[The cloth in his hand paused for a moment, then he continued wiping.]

[On a moonlit night, Shen Linger confessed.]

[She stood at the door of the Stone House, wearing a light pink dress, which was likely her best one.]

[Her face was as red as a cooked shrimp.]

["Elder Chu, I... I like you."]

[Chu Sheng was silent for a long time.]

He was no gentleman.

In the simulations, he had married seven Dao Companions and had entanglements with countless women.

He had never been a virtuous man.

But precisely because of this, he couldn't accept Shen Linger.

He already owed too many people.

Xiao Huan, Li Zhiyi, Lin Wanqing, Liu Qingyan, Yue Jianli, Zhou Wantang, Yu Rumeng...

Every one of them was waiting for him, not in the simulator, but in reality.

He couldn't add another unpayable debt in the simulation.

More importantly, his mind was now entirely on the Dao Palace.

The Luck of Wendao Palace was like a great river. He absorbed it every night like a parasite, not daring to take too much or too little. He had to perform divinations, watch out for Tangtang, and be wary of Ye Gucheng's Divine Sense scans.

His mind was full of these things; there was no room for a new relationship.

Furthermore, Shen Linger's current cultivation and status could not provide him with any assistance.

Shen Linger was a good girl.

She deserved someone who would be devoted to her, not a cultivation madman whose head was filled only with cultivation and calculations.

[“I have a wife,” Chu Sheng said. “More than one.”]

[Shen Linger's eyes dimmed, like a lamp blown out by the wind.]

[She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, but they didn't fall.]

[“They... they must be very outstanding, right?”]

[“Yes. They are very good. You are also very good, but there's no need to waste your time on me.”]

[Shen Linger stuffed a Sword Tassel into Chu Sheng's hand and ran away.]

[It was woven with bright red silk threads, very meticulously, with every strand neatly arranged.]

[Chu Sheng stood there, watching her figure disappear into the moonlight.]

[The Old Grandfather sighed: “You certainly are cold-hearted.”]

[Chu Sheng said: “Being cold-hearted is better than being soft-hearted. I don't want to lead her on.”]

[After a pause, he added, “Besides, my head is currently full of the Dao Palace.”]

[“Women? We'll talk about that after I've sucked Wendao Palace dry.”]

[The Old Grandfather retreated into the ring, speechless.]

[Chu Sheng closed the door and sat cross-legged.]

[In his Dantian, that hair-thin stream of Luck was still flowing.]

[He closed his eyes, feeling that warm power, with only one thought in his mind—the Dao Palace.]

[Romantic feelings could wait until later.]

[Outside the window, Shen Linger's sobbing could be heard faintly; after crying for a while, it stopped.]

[Then the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.]

[Chu Sheng did not chase after her.]

[The Luck in his Dantian continued to flow.]

[It was as thin as a strand of hair, but it would never run dry.]