Lang Fengya already had no goodwill towards the families, so why would she mix with the Heavenly Dao Alliance? Such a condition was nothing. She immediately nodded and said, “Alright.” However, just as she was about to discuss the specific price with Wei Mingyi, Wei Mingyi fell silent, only casting a glance at Su Xuanjing.
How would she know the price for such a land transaction? Chongyuan Sect’s accounts were all managed by the Sect Leader and the Assistant Master. She released the horsetail whisk, allowing Wu Chongyun to take it back. She then walked around to the back of the wheelchair. Saying, “Shizun is tired,” without waiting for anyone else to say anything, she pushed Wu Chongyun and quickly left.
Lang Fengya: “…Sect Leader Su.”
Su Xuanjing rubbed her forehead and resigned herself to taking over these trivial matters, drafting an agreement with Lang Fengya.
When it came to the actual price, Lang Fengya’s transcendent, otherworldly air disappeared.
She was willing to trust her fellow Daoists, but the Fire Element Dwelling still needed to be inspected. Su Xuanjing understood this. She not only went with Lang Fengya to the Fire Element Dwelling but even helped her clear out the wraiths.
After the on-site investigation came another round of haggling. It wasn’t until the next day that Wei Mingyi received notification from the system.
The Fire Element Dwelling was successfully sold to Lang Fengya, and an achievement popped up: “First Land Sale.”
One hundred Achievement Points was like a mosquito leg, but it barely allowed Wei Mingyi’s long-stagnant Talent Points to increase to eighteen.
Looking at the map again, the Fire Element Dwelling hadn’t disappeared but had become somewhat faint. This meant Wei Mingyi had lost control over it, only able to manage the Teleportation Array connecting it to Yangchun Terrace. Wei Mingyi carefully read the text explanation that appeared beside the Fire Element Dwelling. The reason it hadn’t vanished was to leave a channel for “selling buildings.” In other words, land transferred from Wei Mingyi’s hands could support the placement of buildings from the System Mall. But as for the Mall’s buildings, Chongyuan Sect itself didn’t even have any. Wei Mingyi gave a light snort and didn’t bother with it further.
Inside the Fire Element Dwelling.
Lang Fengya and a group of fellow Daoists were clearing wraiths from the area.
Not everyone she knew could understand her, nor was everyone willing to stay with her at the Fire Element Dwelling.
“Fellow Daoist He still left last night. She preferred to head to The Lifeless Land.” A soft sigh arose. Given their backgrounds, their future paths weren’t easy to walk. Without a sect to rely on, and unwilling to join the families and become a dish on the plates of elite cultivators, they could only gasp for breath in the cracks between powers. Fellow Daoist He’s departure meant they would never meet again.
“Others have gone to search for safe places.” After a few moments of silence, another person spoke. “This Mountain Protection Array and Spirit Vein aren’t naturally formed. Why was there nothing when we came here before? Who could carve out such a domain? Would they be ordinary? Which clan does it belong to? Senior Sister Lang, tell us the truth. Did you sell your Golden Core? Or perhaps, promise your future Nascent Soul?” When Merit Points and Pill Jade were insufficient to pay, a Daoist could only sell their potential, sell their Dao body.
“If I had sold my Golden Core, I’d be living it up as a superior being in The Lifeless Land.” Lang Fengya cast a sidelong glance at the speaker. “It’s Chongyuan Sect.”
“Chongyuan Sect? The ones who sold us pills before? But before this, we’d never heard that name.” When speaking of the master-disciple lineage, the names that came to everyone’s minds were only the Jade Emperor Sect, the Pure Clean Sect, and the Heavenly Origin Sect. Could this mysterious Chongyuan Sect be about to leap into becoming the fourth great sect? But under the families’ suppression, it was fundamentally impossible for a major sect to arise from the master-disciple lineage.
Lang Fengya couldn’t explain it clearly either. After a moment’s hesitation, she said softly, “Perhaps it’s a hidden sect. One must allow for variables to appear in this world.”
“Variables? Like the Merciful Sword? But in the end…” The words trailed off, unfinished. The Merciful Sword had slain Daoists of the aristocratic families to raise the morale of the rogue cultivators. Yet later, she was still forced by the families into a situation where her fate was unknown.
Countless tragic events over thousands of years had proven that opposing the families would not end well. All one could gain was temporary satisfaction.
Lang Fengya tossed a chestnut at her dejected fellow Daoist. She said, “Don’t speak such disheartening words. Survive first.”
“Isn’t Senior Sister Lang’s remark also disheartening?” The Daoist chuckled and added, “Aiya, Senior Sister still owes a mountain of debt.”
Lang Fengya: “Not me. It’s our debt.”
“If we survive, that is.”
–
The Lifeless Bell tolled for a month, then abruptly ceased.
If Daoists deep in the Wild Domain had returned immediately upon hearing the bell, they still had hope of reaching The Lifeless Land encampment. But if they had lingered slightly, relying on past experience, reaching it would be somewhat difficult. Some among them were already close to The Lifeless Land, but the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s ironclad rules wouldn’t be shaken by any individual. Once the bell stopped, that final gate would be tightly sealed.
Those who failed to make it back to The Lifeless Land in time could only find their own way to seek a sliver of survival. At such times, even a paper-thin encampment was better than being exposed in the wilderness.
Outside Yangchun Terrace, the silence of the bell brought a different kind of stillness, but another kind of sound soon followed.
More and more people came knocking on the mountain gate, people from the wilderness seeking shelter.
“Open the mountain gate?” Su Xuanjing had no choice but to convene a meeting for this.
Hua Xiaozhu looked hesitant. She was a healer, possessing a compassionate heart to save the dying and heal the wounded. But she knew the true state of Chongyuan Sect better than outsiders. Before helping others, she had to be responsible for those within the sect.
Wu Chongyun, who usually rarely participated in discussions, was specifically asked by Su Xuanjing. She lazily lifted her eyes and spoke in a weary tone, “Don’t open.”
Wei Mingyi had also been hesitating. Even if they let in some truly wicked individuals, she could evict them with a single click. But since Shizun had spoken, following her words was undoubtedly correct. Wei Mingyi thought for a moment and said, “What Shizun means is, if we can let those people in today, why couldn’t we accommodate Fellow Daoist Lang’s group before, and instead had to sell the Fire Element Dwelling to them?”
Wu Chongyun glanced at Wei Mingyi, lowered her eyelids, and added, “Troublesome.”
Wei Mingyi said, “Shizun says that Chongyuan Sect will be number one in the Nine Provinces in the future, but before that, we must maintain a low profile and mystery, staying away from danger. The Fire Element Dwelling is large enough, and not too far. It can accommodate wanderers with nowhere else to go.”
Wu Chongyun: “…”
Su Xuanjing nodded, her voice gentle. “That’s reasonable.”
Yangchun Terrace didn’t respond. The Daoists outside couldn’t just wait by the mountain gate forever; they had to look elsewhere. At this time, the Fire Element Dwelling naturally came into everyone’s view.
Lang Fengya maintained communication with Wei Mingyi and the others, learning of this immediately. Having struggled for survival in the Wild Domain, Lang Fengya knew the hardships. She was willing to lend a helping hand. Of course, there was a prerequisite: she had already gained one hundred percent control of the Fire Element Dwelling. Otherwise, what if cultivators with higher cultivation than her came along, and they decided to seize the Fire Element Dwelling?
Wei Mingyi received word from Lang Fengya several days later.
In high spirits, she relayed the news to Wu Chongyun: “Among those who couldn’t return in time, there was a Nascent Soul cultivator. In a barbaric place like the Wild Domain, they always speak with strength. That Nascent Soul Daoist wanted to seize the Fire Element Dwelling and condescendingly offered to grant a boon—to take Fellow Daoist Lang as a disciple. Shizun, guess what happened?”
Wu Chongyun ignored her. While Wei Mingyi was speaking, she was constantly, in a muted fury, trying to retrieve her hair from Wei Mingyi’s grasp. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she said, “My hair.”
“Oh.” Wei Mingyi let go, licked her lips, and continued, “Fellow Daoist Lang, controlling the grand array, directly kicked that insufferably arrogant Nascent Soul True Lord out. We’ll just see how long that True Lord can last in the evil tide.”
Although she hadn’t experienced it personally, Wei Mingyi recounted it with such vivid delight, as if she were there herself. She even entertained the idea of “entrapment,” thinking of letting some people into Yangchun Terrace just for fun.
Her hands, empty without something to hold, felt somewhat unaccustomed. Within a couple of sentences, she was again toying with Wu Chongyun’s long hair. Wu Chongyun listened to her absently and finally stuffed her horsetail whisk into Wei Mingyi’s hand.
Wei Mingyi blinked.
The stories she had heard from Lang Fengya somehow vanished like smoke. She focused her gaze on the crimson tinge at the corner of Wu Chongyun’s eye, gently brushing the whisk against her face.
Wu Chongyun was slightly annoyed. “Wei Mingyi!”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Shizun?” Wei Mingyi looked at her with an innocent expression.
Wu Chongyun was at a loss for words.
She just wheeled her chair around in a huff.
Wei Mingyi raised an eyebrow and quickly caught up with Wu Chongyun.
“Does Shizun not like hearing about those things? Then I won’t mention them again.”
“Oh, right. I remember Shizun saying that you also know about the ‘Four Paragons of Spirit Mountain.’ Then please, Shizun, tell me about it?”
Wei Mingyi rattled on and on, while the wheelchair moved away faster and faster. It wasn’t until Hua Xiaozhu appeared that Wu Chongyun stopped, assuming a tranquil and composed demeanor.
“Assistant Master.” Wei Mingyi, having caught up, greeted Hua Xiaozhu. She asked, “Has the Spirit-Restoring Pill been successfully refined?” After the transaction, Lang Fengya’s side had gathered some herbs. Her fellow Daoists carried some on them anyway, so they didn’t need to go to the Alchemical Cauldron Pavilion to buy them with Merit Points.
Hua Xiaozhu said, “One furnace was successful.” Her expression was slightly weary. After the successful refinement, she had come directly to Yangchun Terrace. She took out two small, exquisitely crafted jade bottles and handed them to Wei Mingyi, instructing, “First, take the pills in the purple bottle. After three days, then take the Spirit-Restoring Pill.”
Wei Mingyi quickly accepted the jade bottles and nodded seriously.
“After taking this medicine, will Shizun be able to stand up?”
Hua Xiaozhu: “…She could get up on her own all along.”
Wei Mingyi pretended not to hear that, and asked again, “Will she still be in pain?”
Hua Xiaozhu frowned upon hearing this. “Have the pain-relieving pills lost their effect?”
Wei Mingyi wasn’t entirely sure if they had lost effect. When she slapped herself and took the pill, it did relieve the pain.
Before she could speak, Wu Chongyun’s voice rang out: “They haven’t.”
Hua Xiaozhu nodded, finally feeling relieved. Indeed, if they had lost effect, Wu Chongyun wouldn’t maintain such a calm demeanor.
Wei Mingyi: “?”
Then were those midnight murmurs actually her dream?
Wei Mingyi looked at Wu Chongyun, puzzled, until Hua Xiaozhu hurriedly left. Only then did she follow the silent Wu Chongyun back.
Why was her Shizun even harder to read than One Hundred Years of Solitude?
Wei Mingyi: “Shizun, doesn’t it hurt?”
Wu Chongyun answered calmly and evenly, “It doesn’t hurt.”
“Then what I heard before—”
Before Wei Mingyi could finish, Wu Chongyun interrupted her: “You heard wrong.”
Wei Mingyi: “…” She walked around to stand in front of Wu Chongyun, meeting her gaze at eye level. Facing Wu Chongyun, Wei Mingyi was very patient. She asked gently, “Shizun, does it hurt… in your heart?”
Wu Chongyun was silent for a moment, then pursed her lips and emphasized, “I’m not in pain.”
Wei Mingyi leaned closer to Wu Chongyun and asked again, “When I form my Golden Core, will Shizun tell me about the past?”
Wu Chongyun lowered her eyes. “Not enough.” After a pause, her indifferent tone took on a hint of weariness. “I have no vengeance to seek.”
And no more kindness to repay.
