Afterwards, he went to the Dark Realm to rebuild his Dao heart. When he came out, he heard that something had happened to Ning Gu’s branch. That child had been taken in by Ning family’s main house. The main house valued the child greatly, so he returned to Wushi Sect.
Ten years passed. He was invited by Hao Zheng to teach at Wanxuan Academy. He even taught Ning Chengfeng for a period of time. The once frail child who was as thin as a kitten had grown into a spirited young man. He seemed cold and arrogant, but was actually quite mischievous, always coming to provoke him. He gave him a good scolding on Hao Zheng’s behalf several times…
Five hundred years later when they met again, he surprisingly didn’t recognize him.
The Ning family was such a large clan, and Ning Chengfeng was highly valued. Moreover, he had exceptional talent in cultivating the Heartless Dao. Later, he was even selected to enter Wanxuan Academy, truly a heaven-favored child. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have a smooth sailing future, rising with the wind as his name suggested, becoming a pillar of the new generation in the seventeen states.
Chu Jun completely failed to connect this scarred, cold, and vicious evil cultivator with that spirited, proud, and noble young master.
He never imagined that one day, the once invincible young master would lose all his cultivation, have his meridians completely severed, and appear at his cave dwelling carrying their child.
What on earth had happened to the Ning family that they couldn’t even protect a single person?
Chu Jun frowned, his gaze lingering on the red string on his son’s wrist.
This red string was the one he had used when helping Ning Chengfeng expand his sea of consciousness and reshape his bones. Later, when he went to Wanxuan Academy, he wore it on his wrist for certain reasons, but he didn’t know when it had been taken off.
Ever since he became possessed at that time, his memory hadn’t been very good. A period of his memories had always been unclear, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it.
Chu Jun reached out and gently pinched his son’s chubby little hand. It was warm.
“Ah~” Ning Xiu grabbed his sleeve and was about to chew on it.
Bai Bai~
Chu Jun gently pulled his sleeve away and said, “You’re as naughty as your father was when he was little.”
Although his father’s “little” was already fifteen or sixteen years old, in Chu Jun’s eyes, there wasn’t much difference.
Ning Chengfeng was now only five hundred and sixteen years old.
Chu Jun’s current mood was quite peculiar. He recalled the accidental “Shenjiao” with him in the sea of consciousness earlier, and then thought of the things his shell had done to him, making his feelings even more complicated.
They had even accidentally had a son together.
“Aya?” Ning Xiu got tired of lying on his stomach and rolled over onto his back. He lay on the bed, staring at his Bai Bai mother’s ears. Not only did he stare, but he also reached out with his finger, making the little bell jingle.
Why are Bai Bai’s ears so red?
Chu Jun took hold of his little hand and asked softly, “Do you miss your father?”
“Ah~” Ning Xiu blinked his eyes in confusion and grinned.
Sleeve sleeve~
He was currently attracted by his mother’s soft and white sleeves, having long forgotten about his father. He rolled over and reached out to grab Chu Jun’s sleeve.
Chu Jun suddenly felt a strange sense of joy. His expression stiffened as he connected with the white-robed shell through the talisman, and sure enough, his clothes were taken off again.
Chu Jun: “……”
What kind of hobby was this, always taking off other people’s clothes?
Ning Buwei hugged his arms and stared at the chest of this shell. He was certain that the Suzaku Knife fragment was inside this shell. Yet there was also a trace of what seemed to be Wanli’s soul inside. If he were to remove the Concealment and Isolation Talisman and extract this soul, Wanli’s true body would surely sense it immediately and come to kill. Just this small trace of soul was already so clingy, if the whole came—
It was unimaginable.
The Concealment and Isolation Talisman only lasted for twelve hours, which meant he had to reinforce it every twelve hours. It was very troublesome, and right now he didn’t really want to see Wanli.
“You know me?” Ning Buwei asked.
That shell nodded.
The Chu Jun behind the shell thought to himself that it was correct, he had indeed known Ning Chengfeng for a very long time.
“Are you…Wanli’s soul?” Ning Buwei asked again.
The shell paused, seeming to think for a long time, before hesitantly nodding.
Chu Jun: ?
This was the second time he had heard the name “Wanli,” but he had no recollection of it at all.
Ning Buwei raised an eyebrow, “Do you like me?”
This time the shell didn’t even hesitate, nodding firmly.
The Chu Jun behind the shell had a complicated expression, while the Ning Buwei in front of the shell had an equally peculiar gaze.
“It was my fault for breaking our appointment back then, but now look, I even have a child with someone else,” Ning Buwei cleared his throat and said seriously, “This is what we call destined to meet but not to be together. The child’s mother is devastatingly beautiful, gentle and kind, virtuous and considerate, loves me deeply, comes from a prestigious and righteous family, and went through great hardships to give birth to my son…”
“I fell in love with him at first sight, and I want to marry him as my Dao companion in the future,” Ning Buwei said with a serious expression, talking nonsense. “Back then, I was young and ignorant, and said many foolish things to you. None of it should be taken seriously.”
An indescribable sourness came from that trace of soul in the shell. If Chu Jun, being the “child’s mother” himself, wasn’t busy comforting his son while listening to Ning Buwei’s nonsense, seeing his serious and confident expression, he might have almost believed Ning Chengfeng’s words.
Ning Buwei said while drawing talismans on the shell’s body, “After I retrieve this knife fragment, we’ll go our separate ways.”
He felt he had made himself very clear. When this trace of soul returned to its true body, it would be able to convey his words without missing a single sentence. Someone as aloof as Wanli would surely not persist.
Ning Buwei lowered his eyes, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and said in a casual tone, “This is what we call destined to meet but not to be together. It can’t be forced.”
The white-robed shell suddenly fell silent.
Chu Jun felt his heart full of sourness and melancholy, but didn’t know why these emotions arose. Blurry images flashed through his mind, but they were too fast to grasp.
This feeling wasn’t unfamiliar. During the period just after he had recovered from being possessed, he often experienced these inexplicable emotions, as if… he had forgotten something very important.
But as time passed, these inexplicable emotions gradually faded and finally disappeared.
Chu Jun lowered his gaze, holding his son’s little hand, his fingers brushing over the red string.
Five hundred years had passed, and he suddenly wanted to know what had happened during the time he had fallen into possession.
And what had happened to turn that once noble young master into his current state.
The karma of the mortal world was beginning to reveal itself. It was time for him to come out of seclusion.
****
Chu Xin was walking on the road, lost in thought, when he accidentally bumped into someone.
He quickly grabbed the person’s arm, preventing them from falling to the ground.
“I’m sorry,” Chu Xin looked up at the person and found it was an unfamiliar face. They weren’t wearing the disciple robes of Wushi Sect. Their features were gentle, with particularly beautiful peach blossom eyes.
“It’s alright,” Xie Jiu smiled slightly.
Seeing that he had come from the direction of the Merit Department, and hearing the commotion from that direction, Chu Xin casually asked, “Did something happen at the Merit Department?”
Xie Jiu said, “It seems that Shen Ze, the manager of the Shangong Department, and a few disciples got into some trouble. I’m not sure of the details.”
Chu Xin remembered Shen Xi’s red-eyed rush to the Shangong Department earlier. His expression changed, and he was about to hurry to the Shangong Department.
“Fellow Cultivator,” Xie Jiu suddenly reached out and grabbed him.
Chu Xin turned around and saw the other person handing him a jade token. “What’s this?”
“It’s your waist token,” Xie Jiu looked down at the jade token and said softly, “The cord is worn out. You should replace it with a new one.”
“Alright, thank you,” Chu Xin took the token, thanked him, and hurriedly walked towards the Shangong Department.
Xie Jiu stood there with his hands in his sleeves, watching him leave.
“Tsk…it’s really terrible,” a few passing disciples discussed in low voices, “I heard there were severed limbs and body parts scattered all over the place.”
“They say it was discovered ten days ago, but the elders of the Shangong Department kept it under wraps. Then Shen Ze’s sister came, and now the elders and managers of the Shangong Department are in trouble!”
“Hmph, they deserve it,” one disciple said angrily. “The elders and managers of the Shangong Department are in cahoots, embezzling so much from us. If it weren’t for Shen Ze’s sister being the sect leader’s senior disciple, would they dare to be so arrogant?”
“Lower your voice. Shen Xi is a strong candidate for the next sect leader…”
“Come on, if Chu Li were still alive and they became Dao companions, it might be possible. But if the next next sect leader of Wushi Sect isn’t surnamed Chu, do you think any of the elders would agree?”
“Anyway, it’s satisfying. Shen Ze is simply reaping what he sowed for doing too many evil deeds!”
Xie Jiu stood by the roadside listening to them talk, smiling slightly. He casually brushed over the frost on the wild grass by the road, looked up at the orange-red sunset spreading across the sky between the mountains, and murmured, “Winter is coming soon.”
When Chu Xin arrived at the Shangong Department, he encountered Shen Xi questioning the manager of the Shangong Department.
“…If I hadn’t come out of seclusion and seen that Shen Ze’s soul lamp had gone out, how long were you planning to keep this hidden!?” Shen Xi usually appeared gentle and spoke softly, and even when angry, her voice wasn’t raised, but she had an imposing presence. The heavy pressure she exerted made none of the managers and disciples in the hall dare to speak.
After a while, the elder specifically in charge of the Shangong Department finally came out from the back hall. Seeing Shen Xi, he put on an apologetic face, “Elder Shen, please calm down. Let me explain this matter to you. The masters of Wanxuan Academy are staying on the neighboring peak, and tomorrow is the ceremony for Venerable Jinghe’s emergence from seclusion—”
“Using Wanxuan Academy and the Venerable to pressure me won’t work,” Shen Xi sneered. “If your Shangong Department doesn’t give an explanation today, even if I have to make a scene at the Venerable’s place, I will seek justice!”
The elder’s expression changed slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, but he didn’t dare to truly confront her. He said gently, “The culprit has already been imprisoned. You can come with me.”
Chu Xin didn’t have a good impression of Shen Ze, so he was indifferent to his death. But Shen Xi was, after all, his senior brother Chu Li’s former fiancée, and she had always taken good care of them. Apart from being overly indulgent towards her brother, she had no other faults. Hearing this, he followed closely.
In the back hall, a half-dead young man was lying on the ground, his hair disheveled, his gaze vacant, babbling incoherently.
“Hahaha… good that they’re dead…good that they’re dead…”
“It wasn’t me… it was me… haha, I did it… I killed them all! Killed them all!”
“Good that they’re dead!”
Shen Xi frowned.
This disciple’s cultivation level didn’t seem high, at most late Foundation Establishment. Her brother Shen Ze was at the peak of Golden Core. How could he possibly have been killed by this deranged person?
Chu Xin also found it suspicious.
“Elder Shen, this person’s name is Lu Shen, a disciple from Ruogu Peak. He was the only one in the dungeon at the time…”
“Heh, I’ve been in seclusion for half a year, and you dare to try to fool me?” Shen Xi’s gaze swept over these elders and managers. “I will not let this matter rest. After the Venerable’s emergence ceremony, if you don’t catch the real culprit, you’ll bear the consequences!”
Everyone’s expressions immediately turned ugly.
Shen Xi left the back hall with an angry expression. Only then did she notice Chu Xin following behind her. Remembering Shen Ze, anger and sadness intertwined in her heart, and she almost lost her composure. Forcing a smile, she said, “Junior Brother Chu Xin is here too?”
Chu Xin wasn’t very good at comforting people. “Senior Sister Shen, my condolences.”
“The people at the Shangong Department have fallen into the trap of greed. They try to shirk responsibility and avoid issues whenever something happens,” Shen Xi said through gritted teeth. “I just observed that the back hall was heavy with evil energy. The perpetrator should be an evil cultivator.”
Chu Xin was taken aback. “An evil cultivator?”
He suddenly recalled the incident of Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng being injured more than ten days ago, his expression uncertain.
“Junior Brother Chu Xin?” Shen Xi looked at him. “Did you remember something?”
“Nothing,” Chu Xin cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze. “Senior Sister, are you going to the Punishment Hall?”
“Not for now,” Shen Xi was still mindful of the bigger picture, suppressing her grief. “After the Venerable’s emergence ceremony is over, I’ll settle accounts with them properly.”
