Chapter 148: The Bootlicking Immortal Lord Who Wants to Live Off a Woman (14)

At the foot of Heaven-Reaching Peak.

Su Mingyue took a deep breath as she looked up at the ten-thousand-step staircase.

She had never imagined that one day she would set foot on Heaven-Reaching Peak.

Even the base of this mountain was a Forbidden Area that elders wouldn’t dare approach without permission, let alone Inner Sect disciples like her.

Thinking back on everything that had happened yesterday felt like a dream.

Why had the Sect Leader suddenly replaced Ruan Xi’er and sent her instead? Their peak had taken up all the available slots—if word got out, someone was bound to raise hell with the Sect Leader. She couldn’t understand why he was being so reckless this time.

Seeing her senior sister frozen in place, Ning Cui thought she was nervous and quickly grabbed her hand, giving it a shake.

“Don’t be scared, Senior Sister. It’s okay.”

Su Mingyue replied, “Mm, I’m not scared. I just can’t believe it.”

Ning Cui nodded. “Then let’s hurry up. Heaven-Reaching Peak is protected by a restriction—ordinary people can’t enter, and you can’t use spells either. Only those with a token can pass through the barrier. Since you don’t have one, just hold my hand and come in with me.”

Su Mingyue nodded. “Alright.”

As soon as the two stepped inside, Ning Cui said, “It might be a bit tiring. Are you okay, Senior Sister?”

She was still a little worried. Her senior sister probably had never endured this kind of hardship in her life. As her doting little junior, of course she had to take extra care of her.

If Senior Sister really couldn’t make it, well, she could always carry her up.

Getting to snuggle up close with her sweet-smelling senior sister? Just the thought made her giggle to herself—hehehe~

Ning Cui couldn’t help but show a lovestruck grin.

Su Mingyue chuckled and poked her forehead. “Who are you looking down on? If you can make it up, I definitely can too.”

Just as she finished speaking, a flying vessel shaped like a wooden boat suddenly descended at high speed.

It came down so fast, it was as if it feared Su Mingyue might actually start walking up the mountain.

The two stared at the sudden appearance of the vessel, not daring to move. If they weren’t mistaken, this golden, radiant flying boat looked like a High-grade Magic Tool.

Whenever a High-grade Magic Tool appeared, it would attract dozens of Heavenly Thunders. After being tempered by the lightning, it would radiate a dazzling, multicolored glow.

Normally, such tools were in the hands of powerful cultivators and were well-documented in records.

But this flying boat—try as they might—they couldn’t recognize it from any of the known artifacts.

Regardless of what it was, anything of this caliber had to belong to the Ancestral Master.

The two exchanged a glance and carefully tried to walk around the flying boat, terrified of accidentally touching it and offending the Ancestral Master.

But the flying boat had other ideas. Just as they took a step, it whooshed in front of them.

They tried to go around—it blocked them again.

Again—they were blocked.

And again—it blocked them once more.

The flying boat seemed almost sentient, as if it were playing with them…

The two looked at each other, unsure whether they should keep trying to climb.

Just then, a soft and ethereal voice drifted to their ears. “You two, take the boat up the mountain.”

At the sound of the voice, the flying boat gave a little shiver, then went completely still—as if playing dead.

Even though it was just an object, it somehow looked… obedient.

Startled, the two girls froze.

Fortunately, Ning Cui recognized the voice—it was the Ancestral Master.

She quickly pulled Su Mingyue into a bow. “Thank you, Ancestral Master.”

“Thank you, Ancestral Master.”

“No need to thank me.”

They hadn’t expected a reply, but the Ancestral Master actually answered them.

Ning Cui was stunned. She’d only seen the Ancestral Master twice before, but something about him today felt completely different.

Not just his voice, but his attitude too.

She tilted her head and glanced at her senior sister, puzzled.

The only difference between today and yesterday… was Senior Sister.

No way. Sure, Senior Sister was beautiful, but Ancestral Master, aren’t you being a little too biased?

Could it be… the Ancestral Master is a sucker for pretty faces?

I’m crying. Senior Sister gets treated like royalty, and I’m just chopped liver.

Ning Cui had a sinking feeling—if Senior Sister hadn’t come today, she’d probably still be trudging up the mountain on foot like before…

The thought shocked and suffocated her.

How tragic was her life?

The two of them quickly boarded the flying boat. It soared into the sky, moving at incredible speed. The scenery on the mountain blurred past them in a flash.

In just a few breaths, they arrived outside the grand hall at the summit.

Su Mingyue and Ning Cui were both stunned. This flying boat was insanely fast—there probably weren’t many in the Cultivation World who could catch up to it. It’d be perfect for escaping danger.

But if it were only a High-grade Magic Tool, it shouldn’t be capable of such speed.

Had they misjudged? Was this boat actually above High-grade?

Using something like this just to pick them up… wasn’t that a bit overkill?

The two girls felt a little overwhelmed.

The flying boat, sensing their hesitation to disembark, gave a gentle shake—clearly hinting that it was time to get off.

Snapping back to their senses, they quickly stepped down.

At that moment, the doors of the grand hall slowly opened.

A man walked out.

He was tall and slender, with long, jet-black hair cascading down his back. His sharp, cold eyes could draw someone in with a single glance. The aura around him was imposing—clearly someone who had held power for a long time—making it hard for anyone to act casually in his presence.

The flying boat, seeing him emerge, cheerfully zipped over and circled him a few times like an excited puppy.

Shen Xiuyan patted the flying boat helplessly, signaling it to behave. This wasn’t just a High-grade Magic Tool—it was a Supreme-grade artifact.

It was incredibly useful, but also sentient—like a mischievous child. Fortunately, it was obedient to him as its master.

Receiving his touch, the flying boat dashed off into the sky like a happy dog let off its leash.

Su Mingyue stared, mouth agape. So that wasn’t even its full speed earlier?

At that pace, there was no way anyone could catch it.

Shen Xiuyan smiled and said, “Apologies. The flying boat’s a bit playful.”

The moment that smile appeared on his handsome face, all the coldness melted away. He suddenly seemed like a warm, dependable older brother from next door.

Hearing that familiar voice, Ning Cui was stunned—so this is what the Ancestral Master looks like.

It had been two days, and this was the first time she’d seen his true face. As expected, it matched the voice perfectly.

She quickly bowed. “Greetings, Ancestral Master!”

Su Mingyue was equally shocked. The man before her was actually the Ancestral Master? He didn’t look anything like the fearsome figure from the legends. On the contrary, he seemed approachable, even easy to talk to.

She followed suit and bowed. “Greetings, Ancestral Master. I am Su Mingyue. From now on, I’ll be assisting Ning Cui with cleaning duties.”

Shen Xiuyan’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Very well. If there’s anything you need help with, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Ning Cui: “…”

The Ancestral Master’s attitude today was completely different from when they first met. It was like he was a whole different person.

While she was still trying to make sense of it, Shen Xiuyan extended a hand and offered a token. “Keep this with you. You’ll need it to access Heaven-Reaching Peak.”

Su Mingyue hurriedly accepted it. “Thank you, Ancestral Master.”

Ning Cui glanced at the token in her senior sister’s hand and was instantly speechless.

It wasn’t anything like the one she had—hers was pitch black, ugly as sin. But her senior sister’s was more than half the size smaller, delicate and adorable at first glance.

Not to mention the entire token was gold, etched with intricate patterns and adorned with various gemstones. A long tassel hung from the bottom—light pink, her senior sister’s favorite color. It was absolutely beautiful.

If she wore that on her waist, it would be the perfect accessory—eye-catching and elegant.

Why though? Why was her senior sister’s token so pretty, while hers, the Sect Leader’s, and even Ruan Xi’er’s were hideous beyond belief?

She sneakily glanced up at the Ancestral Master’s expression, then looked at her senior sister again. Something felt off… but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.