I Have A Martial Dao World

The next morning, the whole family gathered for breakfast.

Su Erya was the one who cooked now, as the young girl had taken over all the household chores of the entire garden after her Organ Refining.

For breakfast, a whole sheep was stewed, the soup delicious and rich without a hint of gaminess, her cooking skills were pretty impressive.

During the meal, Lu Yao kept flashing his teeth at Liao Ya, showing off his new chompers.

But the family had been together for a long time, and Liao Ya, oblivious in the familiar setting, didn't notice the change in her junior brother's teeth, focusing only on devouring her meal.

"Cough, cough," Lu Yao couldn't resist any longer and straightforwardly asked, "Senior sister, how is your Mind Cleansing going?"

"Progressing normally," replied Liao Ya, eating quickly and still unaware of the severity of the situation.

It was finally Liao Qe who noticed her beloved's difference, exclaiming, "Your teeth... they're a set of forty!"

Lu Yao smiled modestly, his pearly whites reflecting a sliver of light.

Liao Ya, shocked, dropped the lamb chop from her hands and, along with her sister, crowded around Lu Yao's mouth for a closer look, even prying it open for inspection.

"Such beautiful teeth, like pearls."

"Grandmaster Yu has teeth like these, so pretty."

The two girls continued to compliment as they reached out to touch them.

Liao Ya asked, "Are you about to advance to the Innate Realm soon?"

"No, this kind of thing must not be rushed, remember not to expect miracles from brute force," Lu Yao said. "I'll stabilize my realm for a few days first."

At this moment, Li Pei suddenly interjected, "After breakfast, I'll send a telegraph to master asking for her help in guarding. But it's already the end of March, the army must have already set out, and the message might not be received in time."

"No worries, there's no hurry," Lu Yao seemed indifferent, confident in his own ability to break through the mirror.

Liao Ya bit her lip, somewhat panicked.

She had just touched him with her own hands and was very sure of her junior brother's robust physique and the assistance of the Spirit Refinement Realm. As soon as Grandmaster Yu arrived, reaching the Innate Realm would be a matter of course.

By then, as per the agreement, she would have to come clean with her sister—that she wanted to be with her junior brother...

Thinking of this, she glanced at Liao Qe who was still blissfully ignorant and felt a surge of embarrassment.

And just at that moment, Lu Yao cheekily transmitted via Mind Sound Transmission, "Senior sister, I'm going to use these white teeth to bite the softest part of you~"

Liao Ya's face flushed bright red, and she hurriedly lowered her head in embarrassment.

After making his inappropriate comment, Lu Yao sternly said, "After eating, I'll help both of you check on your Mind Cleansing process."

"You're going to help us?" Liao Ya was a bit surprised. With her junior brother's gluttonous ways, why would he still want to help her? Wasn't he afraid she might advance before him?

Lu Yao, as if it were a matter of course, replied, "For such a major event, of course I must help."

Liao Ya muttered to herself: At least you have a conscience.

~~~~~~~~~

After the meal, the three of them returned to their rooms to prepare for Inner Vision of their brains.

Liao Ya deliberately lagged behind, letting her sister go first.

Lu Yao extended his Mind Force, helped Liao Qe with her Inner Vision, and commended her, "Not bad, no problems at all. Take it slow, don't rush, and you will succeed by following the steps."

The young girl had a solid foundation, was lacking in nothing, and had a husband in the Blood-Exchange Realm for guidance; advancing to the Blood-Exchange Mirror was just a matter of time.

Lu Yao intentionally praised her now also as a form of encouragement. The mental state is very important for Mind Cleansing.

Liao Qe, buoyed by the praise, now overflowed with confidence, "I'm going to achieve Blood-Exchange before my sister, and shame her~"

Liao Ya reached out as if to hit her, but Liao Qe, laughing happily, dodged and ran back to her room to continue cultivating.
Stay tuned to empire

Then it was Liao Ya's turn for Lu Yao's Inner Vision.

Again, there were no issues, the sisters both had strong foundations and lacked nothing, both exceptionally talented.

The Blood-Exchange was but a small checkpoint, certainly not an insurmountable chasm.

Now Lu Yao was completely relieved, he took a deep breath and his face showed a trace of satisfaction. But in the next second his expression twisted, "Hisss~ Pain, pain, pain~"

Turns out Liao Ya took the opportunity of their privacy to pinch and twist the soft flesh of her junior brother's waist as retribution for his earlier vulgarities.

Lu Yao could have easily broken free, but he let his senior sister vent her frustration on him.

After pinching a few times, Liao Ya said in a muffled voice, "Don't be so smug, I might not lose to you!"

Having spoken, he also flipped his braid and ran off.

~~~~~~~~~

Three hours later, around nine o'clock, Li Pei, who had gone out to send a telegram, returned.

Lu Yao's mind stirred, and he arrived at the gate to welcome him in advance.

Indeed, Li Pei was not alone; he was accompanied by two guests.

The man at the forefront was about 30 years old, with a square face that bore some resemblance to Zuo's. He was clearly a very upright person.

Upon seeing Lu Yao come out, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, "If I am not mistaken, this must be Young Master Lu. I have long admired you! I am Zuo Xiaowei, and I have come specifically to thank you for your generous assistance!"

Lu Yao returned the gesture, "It was a trivial effort, not worth mentioning."

Zuo Xiaowei then introduced the person beside him, "This here is Mr. Hu, a close friend of my father."

"I am Hu Guangyong. I have long admired the great name of Young Master Lu. Seeing you today, indeed, your reputation is well-deserved."

Hu Guangyong had high cheekbones and slender eyes, the look of someone well-versed in scheming.

He was a wealthy merchant backed by Zuo, who came to Yunzhou specifically to mediate between banks and wealthy merchants, discussing profits.

As for Zuo Xiaowei, he was the one handling the social interactions, relying on his father's reputation to make generous donations.

The two of them could be described as a "fundraising team" especially put together for Yunzhou.

At first they just thought that civilian donations in Yunzhou were quite substantial.

According to the custom, Zuo Xiaowei had to personally come forward to thank on behalf of his father.

But when preparing to respond to the donor list, they found something amiss:

Yu Yanmei, Lu Yao, Liao Ya, Liao Qe, Li Pei, Su Erya, Ji Xiang, Ru Yi, Ping An, Lu's Textile Factory...

Those who donated 1,000 taels were all from the same family!

In other words — the Young Master Lu before them had donated a total of 10,000 taels of silver!

This was no small amount, and what's more, it was given in separate contributions, clearly meant to be discreet and unostentatious, displaying utmost cultivation.

After Lu Yao made the donation, he didn't show his face either, obviously having no ulterior motives, simply giving for the sake of giving.

That's why Zuo Xiaowei and Hu Guangyong had come together to express their thanks.

Zuo Xiaowei exclaimed, "The war consumes silver like flowing water, and my father was truly in a difficult position; otherwise, he would not have called for civilian donations. Young Master Lu has truly been a huge help, please accept my deepest bow!"

With those words, he bent over to bow deeply, and Lu Yao hurried to hold him up.

But Zuo Xiaowei insisted on this gesture, even saying, "The first few names on the list all belong to the household of Young Master Lu. According to etiquette, I must thank each of them personally. Are they available?"

Lu Yao replied with a smile, "Truly, there is no need for this..."

Yet Zuo Xiaowei was resolute and earnestly clasped his fists, "As a benefactor who has generously contributed to our nation's cause, I must thank them on behalf of my father. Please, Young Master Lu, grant me this favor!"

Lu Yao could only helplessly call out the young ladies.

Zuo Xiaowei solemnly saluted and thanked each of them, and they all politely returned the courtesy.

After looking through the list, Zuo Xiaowei asked, "Are Ji Xiang, Ru Yi, and Ping An also here?"

Seeing how earnest and insistent the man was, wishing to thank everyone in turn, Lu Yao had no choice but to whistle.

Three Spiritual Sparrowhawks swooped down like lightning, their large eyes curiously looking on.

"These are... Ji Xiang, Ru Yi, Ping An..."

Zuo Xiaowei paused, surprised, "Sparrowhawks at the peak of the Marrow-Cleansing Realm... and there are three of them..."

But for someone who could donate 10,000 taels of silver, keeping three Spiritual Sparrowhawks seemed not such a big deal after all.

He came back to his senses and solemnly bowed to thank the sparrowhawks.

The Spiritual Sparrowhawks squawked and flapped their wings as if they found it quite entertaining.

After expressing their gratitude, the two men exchanged a few pleasantries and left.

Hu Guangyong seemed very inclined to chat more with Lu Yao, but unfortunately, Zuo Xiaowei insisted on personally thanking everyone on the list, and they were short on time.

Hu Guangyong had no choice but to leave with great regret, thinking in his heart what a pity it was: This person only knew to focus on his cultivation, indeed, getting to meet him was not easy.