My Junior Brother is a Hidden Boss

Chapter 8: Are You Up to It?

Soon, a Sect Elder rushed to the scene, only to find it completely deserted.

Lu Changsheng watched quietly from a distance. He had no need to step forward; the Ning family guards would naturally handle the debriefing.

As expected, the moment the Elder arrived, the frantic Ning family rushed over and recounted the terrifying ambush they had narrowly avoided.

The Cangyun Sect Elder nodded grimly, his figure blurring as he leapt out of the city in pursuit.

Watching them give chase, Lu Changsheng finally let out a long breath. ‘That was way too thrilling. Those Xuantian Sect thugs were absolutely vicious. I almost got flatlined. Just thinking about it gives me the chills.’

Just as he prepared to return to the Sect, he noticed that the entirety of Cangyun City had been placed under strict lockdown. Guards were aggressively interrogating everyone; no one was permitted to leave.

To avoid any unnecessary administrative headaches, he simply booked a room at a nearby inn and went straight to sleep.

After all, he had already solved the core issue. There was zero ROI in stressing over the cleanup.

The next day, he slept soundly until noon before finally dragging himself out of bed.

With the Sect’s interrogations concluded, he took a leisurely stroll back toward Qingyun Peak.

Along the way, he offered his usual, harmless greetings to passing disciples. However, instead of returning directly to the summit, he took a detour toward the inner sect gathering grounds.

He had previously signed a verbal contract to hold a Q&A session for the inner disciples of Qingyun Peak, helping them troubleshoot their cultivation bottlenecks.

“Senior Brother Changsheng!”

The crowd greeted him with overwhelming enthusiasm the moment he arrived.

Lu Changsheng smiled warmly. “I have consulted the necessary sources regarding your inquiries. Let us begin the consultation!”

With that, he took a seat and began systematically diagnosing their issues.

Whether it was the Sword Dao, fundamental cultivation, or even talisman crafting and alchemy, he had dabbled in all of it during his endless free time.

After all, he had walked these paths himself. Providing technical support for these basic concepts was as easy as breathing, effectively acting as a personal review session.

He displayed endless patience.

‘A strong youth makes a strong Sect. Investing in the next generation is the only viable path for sustainable, long-term corporate growth,’ he reasoned inwardly.

There were simply some calamities he could not withstand alone; ultimately, he needed a massive, powerful Sect acting as his meat shield.

Even though he had secretly battered the Sect Leader just days prior, he was acutely aware that the Sect harbored an even more terrifying Ancestor in seclusion.

It wasn’t until late afternoon that Lu Changsheng finally cleared the queue of questions.

He wasn’t the least bit worried about exposing his true depths. He carried his Eldest Senior Brother’s cultivation notes on him at all times; if anyone grew suspicious, he would simply pass the buck.

As the veil of night slowly descended, Lu Changsheng trudged up the winding paths of Qingyun Peak, a hand firmly supporting his aching lower back.

The physical backlash from his high-intensity cultivation had yet to fully dissipate, and sitting cross-legged all afternoon had done his lumbar spine no favors.

Upon reaching the summit, he paused. The courtyard was teeming with people. Only then did he remember that the Ning family VIPs were scheduled to move in today.

His gaze landed on a young girl seated quietly in the courtyard. It was Ning Yuxin, waiting with serene patience, showing not a trace of irritation.

“Ah, how could I have forgotten such an important appointment?” Lu Changsheng announced.

The crowd immediately turned toward the sound of his voice.

Ning Yuxin looked back, but it was Ning Yuchen who bounded forward first. “Senior Brother Changsheng, how impressive! Only dragging yourself back now?”

“Ahem, what nonsense are you spouting? I was held up with official business today!”

“Oh, I know you were ‘busy.’ I understand. I understand perfectly!”

Ning Yuchen’s eyes darted down to Lu Changsheng’s hand, which was still clutching his sore lower back. The young boy’s face bloomed with a painfully pure, yet deeply suggestive smile.

At that moment, Ning Yuxin gracefully approached. “Senior Brother Changsheng.”

Though she inwardly disdained his lazy reputation, her aristocratic upbringing ensured her manners remained impeccable.

“Junior Sister Ning, correct? Are my Senior Brothers not present?” Lu Changsheng asked.

Ning Yuxin shook her head gently. “I have yet to see Eldest Senior Brother. Second Senior Brother appears to be sequestered in the alchemy room, and I dared not interrupt his focus.”

“I see!” Lu Changsheng briefly surveyed the courtyard. “Eldest Senior Brother is an absolute cultivation addict; there is no telling when he will surface. I shall seek him out tomorrow. For now, you should retire for the evening!”

Though he spoke as if making grand arrangements, he simply pointed a lazy finger toward a vacant side building.

After all, Qingyun Peak only housed a master and three disciples. Real estate was hardly an issue.

Ning Yuxin offered a polite nod of farewell and retired without another word.

Ning Yuchen, however, lingered. “Senior Brother, where should I have the men unload this cargo?”

“What cargo?”

“The tributes Eldest Senior Brother favors, of course!”

At those words, a brilliant, predatory light ignited in Lu Changsheng’s eyes. Without missing a beat, he pointed directly at the doors of his own private quarters, instructing the men to haul it inside.

Watching several massive, iron-bound chests being carried into his room, his grin threatened to split his face in half.

Once the delivery was complete, Ning Yuchen bowed. “Senior Brother, I leave my sister in your capable hands. I must depart!”

“Junior Brother, wait-“

Before Lu Changsheng could even feign a polite refusal, the boy and his entourage had vanished down the mountain path like smoke.

He was in such a frantic, burning hurry, as if his pants were on fire.

Lu Changsheng immediately dropped the subject. Rubbing his hands together like a scheming merchant, he bolted straight into his room.

The moment he pried open the lids, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Five massive chests, packed to the brim, holding no less than ten thousand flawless Spirit Stones! With a flick of his wrist, a dimensional pouch materialized, and every single Spirit Stone was seamlessly embezzled into his private reserves.

Aside from the hard currency, there was another chest stuffed with rare Sword Dao scriptures, and an ornate brocade box housing a high-grade spiritual sword.

He completely ignored these physical assets. He would just find time to toss them into his Senior Brother’s room later.

As a core disciple, his baseline monthly salary was a pathetic ten Spirit Stones. Ten thousand was a literal hundred-year pension plan!

“The Ning family truly deserves their title as Cangzhou’s wealthiest. What magnificent cash flow!”

The more Lu Changsheng counted his newly acquired liquid assets, the harder his heart pounded. With this capital injection, his cultivation could resume without a hitch.

“If Eldest Senior Brother just married into the Ning family, wouldn’t we have a limitless, passive income stream of Spirit Stones for the rest of our lives?”

He muttered his brilliant business strategy aloud.

Just then, Lu Changsheng’s senses caught a familiar fluctuation in the ambient Qi. He stepped out of his room to investigate.

A brilliant rainbow cleaved through the night sky as Zhou Qingyu descended via Sword Riding.

“Eldest Senior Brother!”

Lu Changsheng greeted.

Zhou Qingyu offered him a long, complicated look, ending with a heavy sigh.

It was evident he had received the intelligence reports regarding last night’s bloodbath. Yet, rather than reprimanding his junior, he simply offered a stern warning.

“The undercurrents have grown treacherous as of late. Exercise extreme caution when you leave the peak.”

“Understood!”

Lu Changsheng nodded dutifully.

At that precise moment, Ning Yuxin heard the commotion and emerged from her quarters. Her face instantly blossomed with a radiant, joyful smile as she called out from across the courtyard.

“Senior Brother Qingyu!”

“Junior Sister Ning,” Zhou Qingyu replied, his face an impenetrable mask of ice. He offered a stiff nod.

Ning Yuxin stepped closer, her eyes shining. “Have you just returned from your cultivation, Senior Brother?”

“En.”

Faced with the young maiden’s bubbling enthusiasm, Zhou Qingyu remained utterly immovable. He cast a brief, cold glance over her before speaking in a measured tone.

“Junior Sister Ning has traveled thousands of miles to cultivate at the Cangyun Sect. Should you require any accommodations, simply inform Changsheng. He will handle the logistics.”

“But he-“

“Rest early.”

Before Ning Yuxin could finish her sentence, Zhou Qingyu spun on his heel and strode into his quarters, sealing the door behind him.

Only Lu Changsheng and Ning Yuxin remained in the silent, awkward courtyard.

Lu Changsheng massaged his temples, nursing a sudden headache. He genuinely couldn’t tell if his Senior Brother was clinically dense or executing a masterclass in playing hard to get.

‘She’s the sole daughter of Cangzhou’s wealthiest conglomerate. She could buy her way into any holy land on the continent. Why else would she slum it out here?’

She had explicitly come for him, yet the man refused to offer even basic customer service.

A profound sense of loss washed over Ning Yuxin’s face, her expression twisting into a knot of complicated emotions.

Seeing her distress, Lu Changsheng adopted the tone of a seasoned mentor. “Eldest Senior Brother has always been this way. He is fiercely obsessed with cultivation and entirely devoted to the Sword Dao. During my first two years on this mountain, he practically left me to graze like wild livestock. You will slowly acclimatize to his rhythm.”

“But he…”

“Junior Sister, this current strategy of yours is fundamentally flawed. Do you know the golden rule for capturing a man’s heart?”

“Capture his stomach?”

Lu Changsheng stared at her, flabbergasted. “We are immortal cultivators. What use do we have for stomachs? The man barely has time to breathe, let alone eat!”

“Then what must I capture?”

“Why must you insist on physically capturing something?”

Lu Changsheng sighed, entirely exasperated by her lack of vision.

Ning Yuxin furrowed her brows. “Then what do you propose?”

“You must pivot to cater to his core demographics!” Lu Changsheng lectured earnestly. “He is addicted to the Sword Dao. Therefore, you must cultivate the Sword Dao. That immediately establishes a mutual platform for engagement. Do you see the logic?”

Hearing this, Ning Yuxin’s eyes lit up with sudden clarity. The logic was utterly flawless.

Looking anew at Lu Changsheng, she realized this infamous playboy wasn’t nearly as vapid and degenerate as the rumors claimed. At the very least, his strategic analysis was remarkably sound.

However, a moment later, reality set in. She bit her lip in distress. “But the Sword Dao is notoriously arduous. Reaching the Novice stage alone demands a monstrous investment of time and energy. I fear I…”

“That is merely because you lack the optimized methodology. In truth, crossing the Novice threshold is incredibly simple!”

“Simple?”

“It requires zero effort whatsoever!”

“Then… what must I do?”

“You just need to consult me!”

“Consult… you?”

Ning Yuxin froze, her eyes dropping unconsciously toward the hand still firmly massaging his aching lower back. She spoke in a timid, highly skeptical whisper. “But… are you truly up to it?”

With a single sentence, the entire mountain peak plunged into a suffocating, dead silence!

…