"A package for me?" Li Hengsheng looked surprised, then quickly put down the two bundles of firewood he was carrying, and took the package from Lu Qiaoqiao's hands. It was somewhat heavy.
He walked over to a stone beside the road and sat down. When he saw that the package was addressed to Li Changqing, a glimmer of expectation appeared in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a bitter smile, and he hesitated to open it.
"Senior Brother Li, why not open it?" Lu Qiaoqiao sat down next to Li Hengsheng and said with a smile, "I often hear you complain that your father doesn't even write back to you. Now he's sent you something, and you're frowning."
Hearing this, Li Hengsheng could only smile wryly and let out a long sigh, "My father is obsessed with painting, but he doesn't have the talent for it. Previously, because I sent little money back home, he kept asking me to send more. But I need to live too, so I didn't comply. As a result, he hasn't written to me for more than half a year."
Lu Qiaoqiao listened quietly without interrupting. She naturally understood the struggles of the young man before her.
Also being a menial disciple, she knew that Li Hengsheng received just over a hundred taels of silver monthly as cultivation resources from the sect. Yet, he had to send half of it back to his father, who was like a bottomless pit.
In the nearly two years since joining the Mountain Ancient Land of Dao Mountain, even though she joined later, her cultivation had reached the Transcendent Seventh Layer, while Li Hengsheng was still at the Transcendent Third Layer.
Too few resources, resulting in slow progress.
This made Li Hengsheng a laughingstock on Wanzai Peak, and he was frequently bullied.
Sometimes Lu Qiaoqiao wanted to share some of her resources with Li Hengsheng, but he always refused to accept them.
This made her both admire and feel a bit sorry for Li Hengsheng.
She always remembered how when she first arrived at the Mountain Ancient Land of Dao Mountain, it was Li Hengsheng who helped her through the toughest times, often lending a hand when she couldn't manage on her own. Yet in the end, she felt she couldn't really offer him any help in return.
"My father's sudden letter makes me a little uneasy." Li Hengsheng looked at the package in his hands, hesitating to open it.
"Why not open it? I'm here with you; whatever it is, we'll face it together." Lu Qiaoqiao sat next to Li Hengsheng, her voice soft, yet gentle.
This statement made Li Hengsheng blush suddenly, not daring to meet Lu Qiaoqiao's eyes.
For Junior Sister Lu, Li Hengsheng harbored genuine affection ever since he first laid eyes on this adorable girl.
But he didn't dare to speak up, feeling somewhat inferior, especially with such a bottomless father and lacking any support from home, he also wasn't particularly gifted.
Though Lu Qiaoqiao wasn't from an especially prominent family, her family still had some capabilities, and her potential was promising. Within another year or two, she might surpass the Transcendent Realm, step into the Innate Realm, and become an outer disciple.
From any perspective, he felt unworthy.
So, Li Hengsheng said nothing, simply blushing and lowering his head, starting to tear open the package's outer paper to see what was inside.
"Hmm?"
Seeing a box and a letter inside, Li Hengsheng was a bit surprised. This was the first time Li Changqing sent him something.
Ignoring the box for now, Li Hengsheng opened the letter, eager to see what was written inside.
As soon as he opened it, something slipped out from the letter, dropped to the ground with a crisp sound, and it sounded like iron.
"What's this?" Lu Qiaoqiao picked it up, finding a word "Qi" inscribed on it. The iron piece looked quite ancient and had intricate patterns that gave it an artistic flair.
But Li Hengsheng paid no attention to the iron piece; he was startled by the silver notes he took from the envelope!
A total of seven thousand taels!
"This..." Li Hengsheng could hardly believe his eyes. Where did so much money come from?
Even Lu Qiaoqiao was stunned, covering her small mouth when she saw so many silver notes.
Among all the disciples on Wanzai Peak, none of them probably had this amount of money.
"Your father sent money to you," Lu Qiaoqiao's eyes brightened, feeling happy for Li Hengsheng.
Li Hengsheng opened the letter. The content was brief, merely telling him to focus on cultivation and that his father had achieved something with his paintings, so he needn't send money home anymore. The seven thousand taels and the Blood Ginseng were for his cultivation, wishing him success soon.
Li Changqing dared not say much, fearing exposure, even having imitated the writing style of the letter's original owner.
Li Hengsheng was dazed.
He could hardly believe it was real.
"Senior Brother, quickly put these things away; don't let others see." Seeing Li Hengsheng in shock, Lu Qiaoqiao hurriedly reminded him.
Seven thousand taels weren't a small amount. If people found out on Wanzai Peak, it would be troublesome.
An innocent man will be seen as guilty if he has a valuable item.
"Oh, oh." Li Hengsheng realized the problem, quickly looking around before putting away the silver notes.
"Senior Brother Li, and this too." Lu Qiaoqiao quickly handed the iron medallion to Li Hengsheng.
"What's this?" Li Hengsheng looked at it, having no clue what it was.
"I don't know either. It fell out of your package; the medallion looks quite nice." Lu Qiaoqiao handed it over.
"I don't know what it is. If you like it, Junior Sister Lu, you can have it." Li Hengsheng said with a smile.
Hearing this, Lu Qiaoqiao teased, "Is this Senior Brother Li's keepsake for me?"
"Ah?" Li Hengsheng was a bit flustered, a keepsake?
Almost like a token of affection?
"I..." Li Hengsheng was lost for words and could only say, "It's just a piece of scrap iron. Tomorrow I'll buy a beautiful jade pendant for you at Hundred Treasures Peak..."
Seeing Li Hengsheng's nervous look, Lu Qiaoqiao burst out laughing, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
"Alright, Senior Brother Li, I'm just teasing you. Don't go buying random things. Focus on your cultivation, improve your strength. If Senior Brother Li really wants to give me something, this iron medallion will do. I genuinely like the pattern on it." Lu Qiaoqiao waved the medallion in front of Li Hengsheng.
"I wonder if Senior Brother would be willing to part with it." Lu Qiaoqiao asked with a smile.
"If Junior Sister Lu likes it, then it's yours." Li Hengsheng replied quickly.
"Then thank you, Senior Brother Li." Lu Qiaoqiao carefully put the medallion away. She actually didn't know its use but cherished it since it was a gift from Li Hengsheng.
"Junior Sister, I need to take the firewood back first." Li Hengsheng quickly stood up, lifting the bundles of firewood. If delayed, the other senior brothers would scold him again.
"Alright, Senior Brother, go ahead." Lu Qiaoqiao promptly said.
Meanwhile, on Dao Yuan Peak, Peak Master Mu Hai appeared. Having just returned to the Mountain Ancient Land of Dao Mountain, he hurried to meet the Sect Leader on Dao Yuan Peak.
Not only because of the matters concerning Li Changqing, but because on his return, he noticed traces of ghost cultivators, which made Peak Master Mu Hai feel uneasy.