Chapter 123: Return to the Sect

Sea breezes blew gently, and white clouds drifted across the sky. The azure ocean, appearing like a colossal treasure mirror scattered across the earth, was breathtakingly beautiful.

Fang Junmei steered his sword-shaped rainbow as he soared through the heavens. With a mix of coaxing and trickery, he had finally convinced Lightning, the white horse, to enter the Demon-Sealing Plaque.

"The day you are capable of kicking a Dragon Gate cultivator to death, I will never lock you in the Demon-Sealing Plaque again while we are within the borders of the Great River Kingdom."

This was the final promise Fang Junmei had made. As a Void Spirit like the white horse, even if a Dragon Gate cultivator knew its true nature, they would surely want to claim it as their own beast. It was a miracle that no more formidable cultivators had appeared to snatch it last time; it was likely that the selfishness of those present had kept them from spreading the word, allowing Fang Junmei to secure such a great bargain.

Crossing the ocean, he returned to the territory of the Great River Kingdom and headed north toward the Peach Blossom Immortal Mountains. Along the way, he inevitably witnessed skirmishes between cultivators, but he did not intervene. Who knew why those fellows were fighting, or who was righteous and who was wicked?

...

On this day, he finally returned to the Peach Blossom Immortal Mountains. Upon entering the sect and smelling the intoxicating scent of peach blossoms, Fang Junmei felt refreshed and invigorated.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Fang."

As he passed by, outer sect disciples greeted him with genuine enthusiasm. Ever since Daoist Cuotuo had awakened, life for those on Immovable Peak had become significantly easier, and Fang Junmei’s rapidly advancing cultivation level was more than enough to earn him greater respect.

Soon, he arrived at Immovable Peak. Fan Lanzhou and the others were nowhere to be seen; only the old man, Daoist Cuotuo, was drinking tea under a tree in the courtyard. His manners and expressions were so similar to Fan Lanzhou’s that it was no wonder Fan Lanzhou claimed to have learned everything from him.

"Master, I have returned." Fang Junmei stepped forward and bowed.

Seeing that there was a subtle change in his eyes and temperament—a newfound firmness, clarity, and transcendence—Daoist Cuotuo knew that he must have gained something from his experiences over the past few years. He nodded with satisfaction and smiled. "Junmei, did you make any progress on that matter?"

He was, of course, asking about the study of the Dao of Space.

"It went passably well," Fang Junmei said with a touch of humility.

"Either you did or you didn't, what does 'passably well' mean? You juniors are so indecisive when you speak. Are you trying to guard against your own master?" Daoist Cuotuo immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.

Fang Junmei chuckled sheepishly; he was merely being humble and certainly had no intention of guarding against his master. After a moment of thought, he said, "The trip to the Savage Jungle was quite full of twists and turns, but in the end, it was successful. I have learned the Dao of Space from that living creature."

"You truly learned it? How is that possible?" Daoist Cuotuo exclaimed in surprise.

"So, Master, you didn't think I could learn it from the very beginning," Fang Junmei said, drooping his eyebrows.

Daoist Cuotuo burst into laughter, his eyes dancing with a lack of the solemnity expected of a master. Fang Junmei shook his head and smiled as well.

Daoist Cuotuo gestured for him to sit and poured him a cup of hot tea. After sitting and expressing his gratitude, Fang Junmei gave a brief account of his journey.

...

"Those little demonic brats from the Ten Thousand Savage Mountains actually dared to use mortals for blood-guilt cultivation, and they even slaughtered an entire village of mortals!"

Upon hearing about the Golden Light Stronghold incident, Daoist Cuotuo was filled with righteous indignation. After finishing, he looked at Fang Junmei with gratification. "Junmei, you did well in this matter. Our generation of cultivators begins as mortals; one could say that mortals are our ancestral kin. If we possess great power and use it to bully and slaughter them at will, how are we any different from beasts?"

Fang Junmei nodded slightly and said, "Master, I believe we must exert pressure on the Ten Thousand Savage Mountains. Otherwise, if they think no one cares, they will surely become even more lawless in the future!"

"What about that guy at the early stage of the Dao Embryo realm who came later? Did you kill him?" Daoist Cuotuo asked instead of answering.

Fang Junmei nodded.

"What did he look like? Show me."

Fang Junmei remained silent, pointing his fingertip into the void. A mirror of light appeared, and with his magic power, he manifested the image of Qi Yu.

"Qi Yu, so it was this cunning brat. Killing him was a good deed; your senior brother even suffered a secret loss at his hands back when he was in the Floating Dust stage!" Daoist Cuotuo recognized him instantly, but then asked in astonishment, "How could you have possibly killed him? He is one of the most outstanding among the juniors of the Ten Thousand Savage Mountains, and his techniques of evil poison are highly sophisticated. Even Lanzhou might not have a guaranteed victory against him."

Fang Junmei smiled and said modestly, "It was just luck. Before leaving, Senior Brother Shede gave me quite a few of Baili's antidote pills, and with the help of that white horse, I surely wouldn't have been his match alone."

Daoist Cuotuo nodded in realization, his expression turning grave. "The prohibition against using mortals for blood-guilt cultivation is one of the agreements between our five righteous sects and the Ten Thousand Savage Mountains. Since they have violated it, they must be warned. However, with the trip to the secret realm imminent, if they find out you killed Qi Yu, you will certainly face relentless pursuit within that realm. Let us hold off on this matter for now and address it after the secret realm expedition is over."

Fang Junmei nodded and asked, "Will the people from the Ten Thousand Savage Mountains also be entering that secret realm?"

"Not just them, but the other four demonic sects as well," Daoist Cuotuo said. "I won't go into detail about how that place was first discovered, but once the news spread, all ten major sects arrived. A great battle ensued, and in the end, an agreement was reached: our ten sects would share the opportunities within, and if any outside cultivators intervened, we would unite to strike them down."

Fang Junmei nodded again.

"The killing will be extremely brutal once you enter. You must be careful," Daoist Cuotuo cautioned him once more.

The two continued to discuss the journey to the wilderness. As for the matter of the white horse, Lightning, following him, Fang Junmei hesitated and decided not to mention it for the time being. Daoist Cuotuo might be trustworthy, and Fan Lanzhou and the others were also reliable, but one could never be certain about others. There was no need to cause unnecessary trouble. As for Lightning, he would keep it in the Demon-Sealing Plaque for now.

However, Daoist Cuotuo was a shrewd man; from what Fang Junmei had recounted, he vaguely sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed. But the old man did not point it out—prudence was a good trait, after all.

Of course, Daoist Cuotuo was not so base as to pry into how one might gain insight into the Dao of Space.

After the master and disciple chatted for another while, Daoist Cuotuo said, "You are not to leave the sect for this year. Focus on your cultivation and wait quietly for the secret realm trip."

Fang Junmei nodded in agreement.

...

After resting for the night, he headed to the Medicine King Peak early the next morning.

Seeing his warm-hearted elder brother, Song Shede, both were delighted, and they shared another round of drinks. By this time, Song Shede had already reached the early stage of the Dao Embryo realm. With a master who excelled in alchemy, his cultivation speed was also extremely fast. The old man, Chunyu Qian, might have even slipped him some Dao Embryo Pills in private. Just thinking about it made Fang Junmei’s mouth water.

"Looking at your radiant face, did you get a great opportunity on this trip?" Song Shede asked with a playful tone after three pots of wine. Fang Junmei had not told him what he was doing in the Savage Jungle, so this was just a casual remark.

Fang Junmei laughed out loud and said, "It’s not that I got a great opportunity, but that you are about to get a small one."

"Oh? Did you bring me something good?" Song Shede was quick-witted.

Fang Junmei nodded and said, "I killed a few evil cultivators on this trip and seized some alchemy materials, as well as some finished pills and poisons. I have no use for them, so I'm giving them all to you."

As he spoke, he produced a storage bag and handed it to him.

Song Shede did not stand on ceremony, taking it and examining it carefully. Soon, his pupils constricted.

"The ones you killed were no simple characters?" Song Shede's gaze was sharp as lightning.

Fang Junmei nodded. As long as Song Shede recognized those items, he would naturally know they couldn't have belonged to ordinary people.

Song Shede took out a few bottles, removed the stoppers, and sniffed them. This clever fellow smiled meaningfully and added, "Not only were they not simple, but these pills are all mid-to-high-grade goods from the Ten Thousand Savage Mountains. They are not things that just any random person would possess."

Fang Junmei nodded again, very satisfied with his reaction. This was the kind of person who could accompany him on his future adventures.

"I won't ask who these guys were. Once the news spreads, I'll figure it out immediately," Song Shede said with a grin.

Fang Junmei truly admired Song Shede's intelligence and way of conducting himself. Since he didn't want to get involved in unnecessary trouble, Fang Junmei didn't say anything more.

Song Shede examined them one by one, picked out a few, and handed them back to him. "These few bottles might be useful to you; keep them."

Having said that, he explained their effects one by one. Fang Junmei was not so arrogant as to refuse; he recorded the information carefully and put them away.

"The rest are good things; I'll take them!" Song Shede thanked him and accepted them. With the same obsession for alchemy as his master, Chunyu Qian, he added with a smile, "I knew that betting on you, kid, would never be a mistake."

Fang Junmei laughed upon hearing this. Song Shede’s words might sound utilitarian, but Fang Junmei knew this man was by no means that shallow; he was worth befriending.

...

After drinking two more pots, Fang Junmei asked about the serious matter: "Have you ever heard of the Heart-Linking Gu? Do you know how to break it?"

Fang Junmei was truly a gentleman; since he had promised Lightning that he would inquire about it, he would do so.

Upon hearing this, Song Shede’s expression immediately turned grave. He stared at him and said in a low voice, "Did you get hit with it?"

Fang Junmei nodded.

"The master Gu or the servant Gu?" Song Shede asked again. This question was crucial.

"The master Gu."

Hearing these two words, Song Shede let out a long sigh of relief. Fang Junmei felt his concern and his heart warmed.

"Since it's the master Gu, why worry about it? Just let it be. Even if the one with the servant Gu dies, you won't suffer much harm, and now you even have an extra helper." Song Shede acted as if it were a trivial matter, not even asking how he got it or who the one with the servant Gu was.

Fang Junmei frowned and said, "I was trapped by a scheme and, through a coincidence, planted the Heart-Linking Gu with another living creature. In truth, I have no intention of enslaving it. I want to return its freedom."

By the end, he was looking at Song Shede very earnestly.

Song Shede looked at him with a strange expression for a few moments, as if seeing such a person for the first time, before suddenly smiling and saying, "Junmei, in this world, not everything can be solved just because you want it to be."