My Junior Brother is a Hidden Boss

Chapter 12: A Slight Twinge of Conscience

Deep within the Sect, beneath Cangyun Peak, wisps of mist curled and swept through the mountain stream, revealing a secluded valley.

The valley was narrow and utterly barren. Sharp, heaven-piercing sword qi spiraled into the sky, yet it remained eerily silent, radiating an oppressive aura that deterred anyone from approaching.

“This is the Sword Grotto!”

Lu Changsheng pointed ahead, adopting the tone of an elite tour guide.

Ning Yuxin nodded thoughtfully.

As their gazes settled on the valley, before either could speak, a chorus of hushed, untimely whispers drifted from the bystanders.

Every face was etched with shock, their eyes brimming with absolute disbelief.

Lu Changsheng sighed internally, though his face remained placid.

In the eyes of the Sect, he was a legendary slacker. Over his ten years here, he had set foot in the Sword Grotto exactly once.

The truth was, when he entered back then, he had already reached the seventh layer of the Sword Dao. He had hoped to find a catalyst for a breakthrough, only to realize the location offered zero return on investment.

He had lingered for a mere moment before leaving, never to return.

The Sect rumor mill, of course, twisted this into him being scared to tears by the sword qi, too terrified to ever show his face there again.

Fortunately, while his reputation as a cultivator was in the gutter, his networking skills were top-tier, keeping his interpersonal relations highly profitable.

The two of them finally stepped into the Sword Grotto.

Lu Changsheng waved a hand dismissively. “They just love a good spectacle. Ignore them. Now, let’s go over your personalized cultivation package. First, you’ll consume one of my premium Pills before entering the Sword Grotto every day. Then, you head inside and cultivate for two hours. Stick to this regimen, and you’re practically guaranteed to break through to the second layer of the Sword Dao!”

Ning Yuxin nodded. She absorbed his sales pitch without a shred of doubt, though a hint of confusion lingered in her eyes.

“Senior Brother, you seem incredibly well-versed in all of this. Why do you present yourself… the way you do?”

“What way?”

“It’s just..”

Ning Yuxin hesitated, realizing that reciting the Sect’s scathing reviews to his face might be poor etiquette.

Lu Changsheng couldn’t care less. “Ah, Junior Sister, everyone has their own optimal lifestyle parameters. You can’t realistically expect every disciple to obsess over the Dao with the same fanatical profit margin as Senior Brother!”

“That is true!”

Ning Yuxin nodded earnestly.

She was a perfect example. She had zero inherent interest in the Sword Dao; she had only purchased this service to get closer to her idol.

One was securing a lucrative Spirit Stone payout, the other was buying proximity to Zhou Qingyu—a flawless, mutually beneficial transaction.

Following her consultant’s instructions, Ning Yuxin swallowed the Pill and ventured deeper into the Sword Grotto.

Lu Changsheng stood safely on the sidelines, occasionally shouting out premium after-sales advice. She was his inaugural client, after all. Impeccable customer service now meant a recurring revenue stream of Spirit Stones later.

For two consecutive days, he clocked in at the grotto to oversee Ning Yuxin’s sword intent tempering.

Ning Yuxin was ecstatic. The Sword Dao, universally hailed as difficult as scaling the heavens, felt remarkably accessible. In just forty-eight hours, she could tangibly feel her sword intent yielding dividends.

Seeing that the product was functioning as advertised, Lu Changsheng wrapped up his shift and strolled back to Qingyun Peak.

He had synthesized those Pills himself. They artificially boosted the user’s sensitivity to sword intent. Once inside the Sword Grotto, the ambient sword qi would mercilessly batter the user. Get hit enough times, and muscle memory would eventually do the rest!

It was the most brutally efficient, low-overhead training method available.

However, just as he was humming a jaunty tune, mapping out his next quarter’s financial projections for Ning Yuxin’s wallet, a voice shattered his peace.

“Senior Brother Changsheng!”

He turned to see a figure storming toward him, glaring daggers.

It was Luo Qianling.

“Junior Sister, is there a problem?” Lu Changsheng asked neutrally.

Luo Qianling huffed. “Senior Brother has certainly been busy these past two days. You haven’t even made the time to visit me!”

“Have I ever made time to visit you?”

Lu Changsheng blurted out the raw, unfiltered truth, and the girl instantly exploded.

“Lu Changsheng, you’ve changed! You were never like this! Ever since that woman arrived, you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder, and now you even..”

Her eyes grew wet with dramatic tears. Clearly, the rumor mill had been working overtime.

Lu Changsheng froze, his PR alarms blaring. “Junior Sister, please, modulate your tone. If people hear you, they’ll think I’ve committed some grievous offense against you!”

“If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, I’m going straight to my father to tell him you bullied me!”

The girl crossed her arms and turned her head away with a stubborn huff, clearly striking a pose and waiting to be appeased.

She waited. And waited. Hearing nothing, she finally peeked back, only to find Lu Changsheng had already executed a flawless tactical retreat, vanishing into the distant treeline.

“Lu Changsheng!”

Luo Qianling stomped her foot in a fit of pique and bolted after him.

Back on Qingyun Peak, Lu Changsheng exhaled a long breath. The Sect Leader’s precious daughter was a liability way above his pay grade.

He was just plotting to find a quiet corner to sleep off the stress.

Instead, another figure materialized directly in his path.

“Junior Brother!”

The voice was flat, frigid, and entirely devoid of emotion.

Ye Tianyi stood before him, exuding a distinct aura of extreme displeasure.

“Senior Brother! You’ve emerged from seclusion!”

“When did you return?” Ye Tianyi demanded.

They had a verbal contract to cultivate together. Yet, when Ye Tianyi opened his eyes, his training partner had breached the agreement and vanished.

This was an audit.

Lu Changsheng smoothly replied, “I just arrived this morning. I saw you were still deep in meditation, so I tactfully withdrew on my own.”

“Is that so?” Ye Tianyi’s eyes narrowed with skepticism.

Lu Changsheng nodded with the utmost solemnity.

“Lu Changsheng, halt right there! If you don’t explain yourself today, I really will report you to my father!”

Luo Qianling finally caught up, screaming at his back. But the moment she spotted Ye Tianyi, her voice abruptly died in her throat.

“Junior Sister, what is the meaning of this?”

“It’s nothing!”

Luo Qianling shook her head frantically. She knew Ye Tianyi was a draconian enforcer of rules, and she didn’t actually want Lu Changsheng to face physical disciplinary action.

Lu Changsheng, acutely aware that his Senior Brother might forcibly conscript him back to the training grounds, decided to play his trump card. “Senior Brother, the truth is, I successfully broke through. That’s why I returned early. I just needed a couple of days to stabilize my foundation before resuming the grind.”

“Truly?”

With a mere thought, Lu Changsheng released a carefully calibrated fraction of his aura—the fourth layer of Spirit Accumulation.

A rare, approving smile graced Ye Tianyi’s stoic face.

“Excellent. To reach this realm at your age… it may not shatter any historical records, but it is certainly a solid return on your efforts. Maintain this momentum. Your future holds promise!”

Basking in the praise, Lu Changsheng internally celebrated. His risk assessment had been spot on; he had just bought himself a two-day paid vacation.

But then Ye Tianyi delivered the fatal blow. “This timing is fortuitous. In a few days, the beast tide will strike. By Sect mandate, any disciple at the third layer of Spirit Accumulation or above is drafted to the front lines. This will be a phenomenal live-combat trial for you. Prepare your armaments!”

Lu Changsheng: “???”

His brain blue-screened.

“I shall go register your name!”

Ye Tianyi announced, pivoting on his heel and striding away before Lu Changsheng could file an appeal.

As soon as the enforcer was gone, Luo Qianling rounded on him. “You still haven’t clarified your relationship with that woman. I’m not bluffing about telling my father!”

Lu Changsheng stared at her, feeling a profound exhaustion in his soul. Truly, resolving one crisis only triggered a cascading failure of new ones.

After a moment of rapid calculation, he answered, “I have absolutely no personal entanglement with her!”

“Then why are you glued to her side every single day?”

At this juncture, Lu Changsheng made an executive decision. It was time for a high-risk PR spin.

“Junior Sister, it appears I have no choice but to brief you on classified Sect intelligence.”

“What intelligence?”

“You may not be aware of this yet, but my Master has gone missing!”

“I know that! My father briefed me a few days ago!” Luo Qianling retorted.

Lu Changsheng leaned in close, lowering his voice. “The official narrative is a ‘disappearance.’ But off the record? It’s a hostage situation. He was kidnapped.”

“What! Kidnapped?”

“Precisely. But this is strictly need-to-know. We can’t even alert the Sect Leader. My service contract with Ning Yuxin serves a dual purpose. First, I’m facilitating a strategic alliance between her and Senior Brother. Second, I’m siphoning her Spirit Stones to build a ransom fund. I can’t just abandon my Master to suffer! We’re keeping it quiet to protect the Sect’s market valuation and reputation. You understand, right? The Sect is my home!”

To navigate this PR nightmare, he had completely abandoned his moral compass. If he didn’t feed this girl a compelling narrative, she’d ruin his entire business model.

Luo Qianling’s expression shifted into grave concern, buying the scam hook, line, and sinker. “How many Spirit Stones are we short?”

“A massive sum.”

Lu Changsheng said with solemn gravity, eager to close this meeting so he could get back to legally swindling Ning Yuxin.

However, he radically underestimated his audience. Luo Qianling clenched her fists. “I’ll get the Spirit Stones for you!”

“We need a staggering amount. Your allowance won’t make a dent, so let’s just..”

“Don’t worry! My father has vaults full of Spirit Stones. I know the security bypass codes. I’ll steal the ransom for you!”

“Wait, what the hell?”

Lu Changsheng stood frozen, staring blankly as the girl sprinted off to rob the Sect Leader. For the first time in a long time, his ruthlessly pragmatic conscience gave a slight, uncomfortable twinge!

..