YM778.TV Chapter 50 - 50 Service Hall
A quiet night passed, and the next morning dawned.
The Lu family’s blessed land was situated atop Mihe Peak.
Lu Qingshan followed Lu Zhi along the mountain path, ascending for half an hour until they could no longer see the path through the swirling mists, and only then did they stop.
Lu Qingshan knew that these mists were the Lu family’s Gatekeeping Illusion Formation.
Lu Zhi withdrew a bronze-colored token from his chest, magnificently engraved with the character "Lu."
This was the Lu family’s Communication Token.
Lu Zhi tossed the token into the mist.
Under the influence of Lu Zhi’s spiritual power, the token turned into a stream of radiance and flew into the mists.
Hardly a moment later,
a young cultivator emerged from the mist.
Presumably, he was the one responsible for guarding the Gatekeeping Illusion Formation, commonly known as the gatekeeper.
"Who approaches and what is your business?" the young cultivator asked, holding the token that Lu Zhi had just thrown.
"Outer Hall Lu Zhi, I have a matter to report to the Service Hall."
The young cultivator nodded and turned his gaze to Lu Qingshan standing beside him.
"And him?"
"His name is Lu Qingshan. He recently cultivated spiritual power, and I am bringing him to register at the Outer Hall,"
The young cultivator’s eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t help but take a few more looks at Lu Qingshan.
He appeared to be fifteen or sixteen, and although he had only just become a cultivator, it seemed slightly late.
However, as long as one could cultivate spiritual power before the age of eighteen, one could enter the Outer Hall of the Lu family.
This would be his colleague in the future.
With this thought, the young cultivator’s tone became somewhat more polite, "Very well, please come in."
With a wave of his hand, the young cultivator instantly dispelled the mists, revealing a narrow path.
The young cultivator stepped aside, making way for Lu Zhi and Lu Qingshan.
Lu Zhi thanked the young cultivator and then led Lu Qingshan inside.
At first, the path was very narrow, barely wide enough for a person, but after walking several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up.
Above, auspicious clouds floated, encircled by lush greenery, and the air was much fresher than outside.
Lu Qingshan couldn’t help but take a deep breath, feeling much refreshed.
This was because the spiritual power here was incredibly abundant.
The Lu family’s blessed land was established on a Third-Grade Spirit Vein.
The spiritual power output of a Third-Grade Spirit Vein was limited, so to avoid over-extraction, the Lu family had always controlled the number of people within the blessed land.
Many cultivators like Lu Zhi, who were older and had little chance of advancing to the next stage of cultivation, would be assigned by the Lu family to manage family affairs in Mihe Town to prevent wastage of the blessed land’s spiritual power.
It was Lu Qingshan’s second visit to the Lu family’s blessed land.
The first visit had been to test his Spirit Root.
All offspring of the Lu family, at the age of five, would undergo a test conducted by the family.
The test concerned the Spirit Root within their bodies.
If the test revealed good Spirit Root qualities and excellent cultivation talents, the children would be valued by the family and allowed to cultivate within the blessed land.
If the test showed poor Spirit Root qualities, they could not stay in the blessed land.
However, this did not mean that they were completely disconnected from cultivation thereafter.
While talent is an extremely important part of cultivation, it is by no means everything.
"Jun Bujian, how many cultivators with average Spirit Root aptitude eventually became powerful cultivators?"
The Lu Family naturally wouldn’t be so short-sighted and was willing to give the family’s descendants a chance to prove themselves through their own efforts.
Descendants with inferior cultivation talents could take home a Cultivation Technique and practice on their own at home on normal days.
If they refined their Spiritual Energy and became a cultivator before the age of eighteen, they would be able to enter the Outer Hall of the family.
It was Lu Qingshan’s first time testing his Spirit Root, and the result was not ideal, so he did not stay in the blessed land of the Lu Family.
Although Lu Qingshan made time to practice the Cultivation Technique occasionally, he was ultimately unable to successfully refine the energy, so he never re-entered the Lu Family’s blessed land.
...
The entire architectural complex within the blessed land was built from west to east along the mountainside, following the natural contours.
The surrounding mountains curved around like a jade dragon, in a terraced formation.
A river shimmering with silver light twisted down from the mountain top; this was the so-called Mihe River.
Lu Zhi led Lu Qingshan along the Mihe River and soon, a three-story building came into view.
"This is the Service Hall. Go inside, and report the details of your attack to the Service Hall cultivator for record, and then you can leave," Lu Zhi instructed.
Lu Qingshan naturally had no objections.
As soon as he entered the Service Hall, a black-clothed cultivator with a stern expression approached them and asked, "What is the matter?"
He was a Qi Refining Cultivator of the eighth level.
Even in the Lu Family, where Foundation Establishment Cultivators hold an exceedingly revered status, most of the operatives in various halls are still Qi Refining Cultivators.
Lu Zhi stated their purpose.
The black-clothed cultivator understood immediately, and without further words, led Lu Zhi and Lu Qingshan into a side room.
Inside the side room, all four walls were fitted with large cabinets divided into numerous small compartments.
Each compartment contained a Jade Slip.
All the tasks of the Service Hall were recorded in these Jade Slips.
"What date did the attack occur?" the black-clothed cultivator asked.
"April 13," Lu Zhi recalled and replied respectfully.
"April 13..." the black-clothed cultivator’s gaze swept over the cabinets, his fingertips continuously touching one Jade Slip after another.
"Here!" Soon, the black-clothed cultivator took out a Jade Slip from one of the compartments.
"Chang’an, twenty thousand years April 13 — Lu Qingshan (son of Lu Bei) of the Lu family garment workshop mysteriously disappeared while transporting goods. Reported to the family in hopes of investigating the cause of the incident.
Reporter: Lu Zhi of the Outer Hall
Date of Report: April 17
Processing Result: Unsolved. The Service Hall dispatched personnel on April 18 to investigate but found nothing and no eyewitnesses. Case remains unsolved," the black-clothed cultivator read slowly from the content of the Jade Slip.
Seeing the note about being the son of Lu Bei, the black-clothed cultivator couldn’t help but look up at Lu Qingshan for a moment longer.
— It was precisely because Lu Qingshan’s identity was that of the son of the Golden Core Cultivator Lu Bei that the Service Hall went to great lengths to investigate the circumstances of Lu Qingshan’s attack.
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Otherwise, if an ordinary mortal from the Lu Family was attacked and went missing, would the Service Hall even be able to manage?
"Is this the one?"
Lu Zhi nodded, "Yes, sir."
"Alright, now tell me all the details."
Lu Zhi looked at Lu Qingshan, and Lu Qingshan, without much hesitation, recounted his explanation to Lu Zhi once again.
The black-clothed cultivator, following Lu Qingshan’s account, first changed the case status from unsolved to solved, then added many more details to the Jade Slip.
"Alright, I have recorded it. With that, this matter is now concluded." After Lu Qingshan finished recounting the incident, the black-clothed cultivator completed the registration and returned the Jade Slip to the compartment, then looked up at the two and said.
Clearly, the black-clothed cultivator didn’t comprehend the significance of the name ’Zhishou Tower;’ otherwise, he wouldn’t have so easily glossed over the matter.