Seven Star Tower was the location of the Seven Star Sect’s branch in the Royal Capital.
Normally, anyone with eyes in their head wouldn’t dare trespass.
But today, the Gatekeeping Disciple saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing coldly before him, demanding to see the manager—and he hadn’t even noticed anyone approach!
The Gatekeeping Disciple was near the Golden Core stage.
For someone to appear silently before him, it was highly likely they were a Nascent Soul-level powerhouse.
Realizing this, he dared not slack off and hurried to receive the beautiful woman, then rushed to inform Elder Mo, who managed this place.
Not long after, a young-looking man walked out, the Gatekeeping Disciple following behind.
This youth was Elder Mo Qiu, who oversaw this place and was in the late Nascent Soul stage.
When Mo Qiu heard from the disciple that a Nascent Soul-level powerhouse wished to see him, he was puzzled—none of his old friends had said they were coming.
With doubts in his heart, Mo Qiu arrived at the reception hall.
When his eyes landed on that breathtaking figure, his mouth dropped wide open—not because of her beauty, but because he recognized her.
Mo Qiu disregarded his composure and rushed to the beautiful woman, bowing deeply.
“Mo Qiu greets the Sect Master!”
At the words ‘Sect Master,’ the Gatekeeping Disciple’s expression grew even more exaggerated than Mo Qiu’s, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Even now, he couldn’t believe he had actually seen the legendary Sect Master with his own eyes!
Lu Qian’s beautiful eyes lifted slightly, glancing at Mo Qiu.
Her red lips parted lightly.
“To think, even as a Nascent Soul, you recognize me. You should know that quite a few Nascent Soul Elders in the sect have yet to meet me in person.”
She spoke the truth.
The Seven Star Sect was a superpower—Nascent Soul-level powerhouses were formidable to outsiders, but within the sect, while not everywhere, they were not rare.
Generally, only those who reached Soul Transformation had the qualifications to meet the Sect Master.
Mo Qiu spoke carefully.
“I did not know the Sect Master would visit. Forgive me for failing to greet you properly.”
He paused, seeing that the Sect Master was not displeased, and continued.
“Sect Master, your arrival in the Royal Capital—may I ask if there is urgent business?”
At this, Lu Qian did not reply.
In fact, she had brought Mu’er to the Royal Capital because her close friend in the Great Yu Dynasty’s Imperial Clan said the Demon Clan was making moves and asked her to help maintain order.
Of course, such things could not be disclosed at will.
Lu Qian remained silent, and Mo Qiu dared not press further—after all, a Crossing Tribulation powerhouse could end a mere Nascent Soul like him with a breath.
Lu Qian fiddled with her teacup, taking a sip.
“All you need to know is that I will be staying in the Royal Capital for some time. During this period, bring me a list of all sect personnel in the capital.”
“Yes, at once!”
Mo Qiu moved to prepare.
“Wait!”
Lu Qian called out, and with a wave of her hand, an image of a young man appeared in mid-air.
“If you see this young man enter, do not stop him.”
Mo Qiu replied with a “Yes” and withdrew, dragging the paralyzed Gatekeeping Disciple with him.
Lu Qian’s gaze lingered on the young man’s portrait.
Her icy demeanor crumbled, cheeks puffing up in anger.
“Despicable! Wang Yan’er! That seductive woman! She dared to trick my Mu’er with sweet words!”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Lu Qian downed her tea in one gulp, then stared at the empty cup, lost in thought.
Unbidden, her memories drifted back to a rainy day over ten years ago.
At that time, her rare friend Xueyu had sent a message, entrusting her to look after her children while she herself went to the Forbidden Land in search of her husband.
Hearing this, Lu Qian became even more convinced—men were unreliable!
Still, she couldn’t ignore the message.
So she traveled to the Qin Family to see her friend’s children.
Because cultivation often meant seclusion for decades or centuries, she had rarely seen her friend’s children, though she remembered visiting when they were born.
Arriving at the Qin Family, she met her friend’s children.
The two daughters were adorable, already budding beauties at a young age—one could see they would grow into great beauties.
As for the son…
She took one look and found him cute, but compared to his sisters, his talent was far inferior—utterly ordinary.
Unconsciously, she favored the two girls more.
After all, to her, men were simply annoying.
Having cultivated for hundreds of years, countless suitors had pursued her, but to her, they only disrupted her cultivation and troubled her Dao heart.
But some things were beyond her expectations.
She discovered that the two little girls treated their brother especially well.
Whether food, drink, or cultivation resources, they would always give to their brother first.
If she hadn’t personally provided them with more, the two girls would likely have given away everything to their brother.
Yet, despite this, the girls advanced rapidly with minimal resources, progressing in cultivation at a pace that defied reason—almost without bottlenecks.
In the blink of an eye, they reached Foundation Establishment, and with a Perfect Dao Foundation at that.
By contrast, the brother was slower than a turtle, with almost no progress.
She scolded him often and fed him many pills and herbs, but it was useless.
She thought her strictness would make the boy fear her.
But unexpectedly, the boy, despite his youth, acted old beyond his years.
Instead, he lectured her with all sorts of grand theories—some even she had to ponder.
Gradually, she began to look after the boy as well.
She remembered once, while refining pills, she suffered a backlash.
Though skilled in many things, her knowledge of pills was limited—she had wanted to try, but overestimated herself, used an Ancient Pill Recipe, and was caught by the backlash.
Dan Poison raged within her body—if she survived, she would live, but if not, the entire sect would have to hold a funeral.
At that moment, the boy burst in, panicked at the sight of her suffering from Dan Poison.
It was the first time she’d seen him so frantic.
She tried to comfort him, saying it was nothing, just a backlash, and she’d be fine if she held on.
The boy took the Dan Prescription, studied it, and said Scarlet Fire Crystal could expel Dan Poison.
Of course, she knew that.
But at the time, she couldn’t move her true qi, nor could she obtain Scarlet Fire Crystal—and the boy, being only at the Qi Refining stage, couldn’t either.
The thought that she might die from Dan Poison made her laugh at herself.
But what she didn’t expect was for the boy to appear before her, holding a Scarlet Fire Crystal in his hands.
Even a Golden Core wouldn’t dare touch one barehanded.
She didn’t know how he did it, but he held the crystal and saved her life.
Looking at the boy’s hands, burnt black from the fire, her heart was deeply shaken.
If it had been her at the Qi Refining stage, she wouldn’t have had the courage to approach a Scarlet Fire Crystal.
Burned so badly, yet still able to smile after seeing she was unharmed.
He said, “As long as Aunt Lu is fine, that’s all that matters.”
A short sentence, yet it struck her heart.
From then on, she doted on the boy even more.
Thinking of this, Lu Qian couldn’t help but smile.
Yes.
She had to admit, perhaps it was then that Mu’er began to occupy a place deep in her heart.
She also understood why some great figures, even after a lifetime, could not escape worldly attachments.