Lu Xuan wanted to say: "Look, this is how a qualified lackey should act!"
However, he didn't get the chance.
The young man in luxurious robes stabbed a finger at Lu Xuan's chest and barked with an avalanche of saliva, "Move aside and don't get in my business, little princess!"
A shadow cast down Lu Xuan's countenance as he reached out, grasped the young man's finger, and twisted it.
Crack!
"Eh?" The young man paused, his brain yet to register the pain. He was that dumbfounded.
Lu Xuan didn't give him the time to think as he followed with a knee to the gut. As the guy doubled over, Lu Xuan bundled a tuft of his hair and followed with another knee to the face.
Crack!
It was the nose this time. As blood streamed down Lu Xuan's knee.
Mingyuan flinched while watching, using one hand with spaced out fingers to cover his eyes while he continued to toss sunflower seeds into his mouth with the other.
"Young people these days are so reckless, can't he read the situation?" Mingyuan muttered. "Though I suppose he must have some background to strut around in a cultivation city."
As Mingyuan finished talking, an overwhelming pressure fell from the sky, covering the entire street.
Lu Xuan's bones began to groan and squeeze together, blood leaking from his lips.
Mingyuan shivered, though intentionally or unintentionally, he was just close enough to the female protector so her aura would protect him.
She looked over, a gleam of suspicion in her eyes.
Before Lu Xuan could fall from the pressure, her aura erupted.
Lu Xuan felt light almost immediately.
The pressure swept by, about to crush the young man into a mist of blood.
Bang!
An old man appeared from thin air, waved his sleeve to negate the pressure, and clasped his hands to salute.
"Fellow Daoist, my Young Master didn't mean to offend you and your entourage."
Lu Xuan gathered his bearings and stepped forward, the protector behind him.
He was about to speak when Mingyuan appeared by his side, scratching his chin while mumbling.
"Beat the young and here comes the old to put up a make-pretend show. Then, we shake hands, make friends, only to be secretly investigated in preparation for a hidden, lethal blow… Tsk, tsk, how terrifying…"
Although the voice was low, everyone here was a cultivator, how could they not hear it?
Lu Xuan's lips twitched, while the old man broke into cold sweat. Although what was said is true, who says something like that out loud?
Mingyuan continued: "At a time like this, we can't just let the tiger go back to the mountain, right? This old man looks like some servant, so we can ignore his promises directly… That young man, he looks like a spoiled brat who can keep a grudge, how about we keep him for some reforms just to be safe?"
As Mingyuan spoke, the young man was slowly coming back to his senses.
Mingyuan looked over and whispered, "He's going to say something along the lines of 'Do you know who I am?!' and start bragging."
The young man heard a buzzing in his ears.
Slowly, he got to his feet while shaking all over, blood on his face, his entire being shaking with glaring red eyes.
He hissed through his anger, "Don't you know who I am? Are you looking to die or something?! My big brother-…"
Mingyuan interrupted while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Your big brother is an inner court disciple in the Three Mysteries Sect, isn't that right?"
"I-… so, you do know?!" The young man's expression froze. He was thinking that if they knew who he was and yet dared act against him, they must have some greater background.
Lu Xuan's lips twitched while thinking, "he's totally guessing blindly!"
Mingyuan thought to himself, "I'm just guessing blindly! Still, truly terrifying…"
Mingyuan coughed, rubbed the back of his head, and said, "Well, I know some people in high places, so I did my research to help Boss Lu fit well after joining the sect."
Total bullshit, but when you have a prince, an overpowered protector, and some insider information from the sect—this seemed plausible…?
If Lu Xuan and the protector didn't know in advance that Mingyuan was lying, they might have taken his words at face value.
The young man had calmed down considerably right about now.
The old servant took advantage of the situation to whisper something to the young man while gesturing secretly toward the protector.
After listening for a while, the young man's expression shifted a couple of times before he swallowed his pride and laughed awkwardly.
"Haha… ha… Brother, truly from clashing fists are brotherhoods born. Honestly, I'm also registering to enter the Three Mysteries Sect during this recruitment session."
As he spoke, he ignored Mingyuan's presence as a lackey and moved closer to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan was disgusted with such blatant hypocrisy, but he couldn't slap a smiling face after beating him up.
So, thinking that it wouldn't hurt to spend time with a local, he nodded along and let bygones be bygones.
"Brother, this year's assessment is said to be the harshest, all because the candidates this time are no joke! Here, let's talk as we walk…"
Wei Hu introduced himself and the Wei family as he brought Lu Xuan along.
Behind the two, Mingyuan accompanied the old servant and the protector, keeping a close yet respectful distance.
Mingyuan didn't care for their conversation because the protagonist was sure to enter the sect.
As for himself, he would enter with a servant's quota.
As for the protector, she would be asked to kindly leave after her escort mission was completed.
It could be said that everything from this point onwards till Lu Xuan's successful joining of the sect was on autopilot.
As such, he quietly slipped into the background and let Lu Xuan do as he pleased.
Time passed.
The Deacon from the sect arrived and took everyone who registered for the assessment and their followers.
They reached the assessment ground where thousands of hopeful youths gathered, male and female.
Rouge cultivators, clan heirs, royal descendants, and some from hidden ancient families.
All of them were present.
Thus started one of the most competitive assessments in the history of the Three Mysteries Sect.
Two weeks later, 300 participants successfully entered as registered disciples, and 118 entered as outer court disciples.
Lu Xuan gradually revealed his true cultivation base as the assessment carried on, and while it shocked the protector, Mingyuan wasn't surprised.
However, he did comment on how terrifying it was that Lu Xuan kept his cultivation hidden from everyone all along.
Truly, it was dangerous.
Lu Xuan made it into the top ten, but he wasn't in first place. Then again, he lacked treasures and mystical techniques, so it was an accomplishment in and of itself to have reached that far.
Three days later, Lu Xuan returned with his outer court disciple robes to fetch Mingyuan from the temporary campsite.
The protector left on that day, but she gave both of them a deep, scrutinizing look before leaving.
Mingyuan feigned terror and stepped behind Lu Xuan, while the latter smiled faintly.
"What's with that look?" Mingyuan murmured quietly. "Even if we returned to overthrow the dynasty, it's not like we'd target hired muscle like her…"
Lu Xuan's lips twitched, and he began to doubt his decision.
A silver, bell-chime laughter echoed from nearby. Of course, the protagonist had picked up his first harem member on the Pokémon adventure.
"Your follower is such a character, Brother Lu," she said, and Mingyuan winked at her.