Bu Wei

“Who wants to live with him? It’s like asking for death. He even harmed his own fellow disciples.”

Chu Xin had his back to them, silently making his bed. He then turned and walked out.

“He’s finally gone. What bad luck.”

Chu Xin walked with his head down, overhearing people whispering as he passed.

“Is that him?”

“Who?”

“That one from Yuanye Peak… who killed his fellow disciples. I heard he even killed his master.”

“What!? How can they let someone like that out?”

“He must have connections. His father is a disciple of the sect leader. Who dares to touch him…”

“Hah, such an ungrateful, cold-blooded person. How can he still have the face to live in this world? If I were him, I would have already committed suicide to atone for my crimes!”

“Shh, lower your voice. Be careful he doesn’t come with a sword and chop you to pieces in the middle of the night…”

“He must be an evil cultivator, right?”

“Why hasn’t anyone come to eliminate this scourge? They’re letting him out to harm others…”

Chu Xin walked faster and faster. Without his sword, he couldn’t fly, so he eventually broke into a run.

As the voices faded, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. He saw a cliff in front of him and sat down at the edge, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, his expression gloomy.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind him.

Chu Xin thought, if this person were to push him off the cliff, it might not be so bad.

But to his surprise, the person sat down beside him.

Chu Xin turned his head in surprise, finding the person somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen them before.

“I’m Xie Jiu from the Linggu Sect, a cook at Ruogu Peak,” said the person with gentle features, smiling at him. “I often come here to watch the sunset. Today I happened to run into you, fellow cultivator.”

Chu Xin was in a bad mood, but since the other had introduced himself, politeness dictated he should do the same. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “I’m Chu Xin.”

Xie Jiu seemed not to recognize him. He pointed at a cloud in the sky and asked, “Do you see that cloud?”

Chu Xin looked in the direction he was pointing and nodded, “Yes, I see it.”

“Will you remember what it looks like tomorrow?” Xie Jiu asked.

Chu Xin nodded, “Of course.”

“How about in a month?” Xie Jiu asked again.

Chu Xin became less certain, “Probably?”

“Then how about in a year?” Xie Jiu inquired.

Chu Xin shook his head.

“What about in ten years or a hundred years?” Xie Jiu smiled as he looked at him.

Chu Xin appeared bewildered, yet thoughtful.

“This cloud only exists for a brief moment,” Xie Jiu smiled softly. “Yet you will live for hundreds or thousands of years, and might not even remember seeing this cloud.”

Chu Xin’s mouth twitched, “You know who I am, don’t you?”

“You used to come with your junior disciple to eat the roasted sparrows I made,” Xie Jiu looked up at the clouds. “You always begged me to give you a big one.”

Chu Xin recalled Chu Zhi, his eyes reddening as he lowered his head.

Xie Jiu reached out and patted his head, “Since the sect leader released you, you must be innocent. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Chu Xin’s nose stung as he looked at his hands, “But I… killed them with my own hands.”

“You were just controlled by bad people,” Xie Jiu said gently. “Forcing others’ mistakes onto yourself is unwise in itself.”

Chu Xin hung his head silently. Then he heard a rustling sound beside him, and suddenly half a roasted sparrow appeared in his hand.

“Here’s half for you,” Xie Jiu smiled. “No need to thank me.”

Chu Xin sniffled, smelling the aroma. He took a bite and mumbled, “Everyone thinks I’m bad luck. Aren’t you afraid?”

Xie Jiu looked up at the clouds but handed him a handkerchief, “You always praised my cooking. I like watching you eat.”

Chu Xin took the handkerchief, “I’ll wash and return it to you.”

Xie Jiu turned to him with a smile, “No need, it’s a gift.”

They sat on the cliff edge watching the sun slowly sink, leaving only a sky full of colorful clouds. The mountain breeze gradually picked up.

“I have to go back now,” Xie Jiu turned and asked him, “Will you come tomorrow?”

Chu Xin moved his lips but didn’t speak.

Xie Jiu said, “I’ll bring some nuts tomorrow. Would you like some peach blossom wine?”

Chu Xin slowly nodded.

Xie Jiu gave him a gentle smile.

****

A few days later.

At Yijian Peak.

Feng Zizhang sat cross-legged on a rock, guiding his qi flow. He frowned and said, “It’s still not working.”

Jiang Yizheng swung her sword horizontally, stirring up a slight breeze. She hung her head dejectedly and said, “I can’t do it either.”

“If you can’t do it, find someone to teach you,” a lazy voice came from the tree.

Feng Zizhang looked up, his eyes brightening, “Father?”

Jiang Yizheng also walked to the tree, looking up at Ning Buwei, “Father, why are you here? Is Xiaoshan’s soul stable now?”

These past few days, Ning Buwei and Chu Jun had been trying to stabilize Ning Xiu’s soul, attempting various methods without leaving their quarters much.

“It’s about done,” Ning Buwei sat up on the branch, looking down at them. “Just blindly figuring things out on your own, you won’t get anywhere even in ten or eight years.”

“Then Father, can you guide us?” Feng Zizhang scratched his head, troubled. “I feel like I’m almost at the Core Formation stage, but I’m just missing something.”

“I can’t seem to find the knack for swordsmanship,” Jiang Yizheng hugged her sword worriedly. “But Father, you use a knife.”

“My cultivation method is different from yours. There’s no need to learn from me,” Ning Buwei bluntly refused them, thinking it unwise for an evil cultivator to guide them, lest they deviate too quickly.

He pointed to a small courtyard nearby, “Do you know who’s in there?”

“Xiaoshan’s mother—other father?” Jiang Yizheng blurted out.

“Venerable Jinghe?” Feng Zizhang said uncertainly, “But Venerable Jinghe is a prodigy. We’re just average, probably not worthy of his attention.”

“Who told you he’s a prodigy?” Ning Buwei’s expression turned strange.

“Huh? Isn’t he?” Jiang Yizheng asked confusedly. “He’s the venerable of Wushi Sect, a thousand-year-old Hinayana Realm master.”

“His aptitude is only average. He never even made it onto the Tianji Rankings,” Ning Buwei broke off a twig, glancing at the gloomy sky that looked like it might snow.

Jiang Yizheng exclaimed in surprise, “Venerable Jinghe’s aptitude is only average!?”

Feng Zizhang also looked incredulous.

“There’s nothing shocking about that,” Ning Buwei twirled the twig in his hand, tapping each of them on the forehead. “In the cultivation world, those with exceptional aptitude are rare. Aptitude, luck, determination… none can be lacking. But as long as you have spiritual roots, you can be said to have aptitude. Those ordinary people without spiritual roots are the ones without aptitude. In the end, most who ascend are those with average aptitude among cultivators.”

“Why is that?” Jiang Yizheng felt a surge of excitement, but still didn’t understand.

“Prodigies with celestial spiritual bodies and those with top-tier aptitude are rare to begin with, and even fewer survive to successfully ascend,” Ning Buwei tossed the twig away. “But prodigies always make for better stories… You don’t need to worry about these things. Just remember to cultivate steadily, be more astute, and staying alive in the seventeen states is an achievement in itself.”

Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng listened, seeming to grasp something.

Fearing these two young fools might not understand, Ning Buwei spoke very plainly, “Take Venerable Jinghe for example. He steadily cultivated his way to the Hinayana Realm, never taking any disciples.”

“Father, you mean—” Jiang Yizheng’s mouth gaped in surprise.

Ning Buwei nodded, “You call me Father, so Ning Xiu is your brother. Understand?”

“Understood!” Feng Zizhang nodded vigorously, pulling Jiang Yizheng away. “Don’t worry, Father!”

Ning Buwei raised an eyebrow. These two little fools finally showed some smarts.

Only a fool would pass up such an opportunity. A ready-made master right in front of them, and they didn’t know to take advantage. Just a casual pointer or two from Chu Jun would be worth more than three to five years of their own hard work.

Ning Buwei felt he was really going to great lengths as a foster father for these children.

Jiang Yizheng followed Feng Zizhang, puzzled, “Zizhang, what did you understand?”

“Father just said Xiaoshan is our brother. What does Xiaoshan call the Venerable?” Feng Zizhang asked.

“Mother…or Father?” Jiang Yizheng recalled the Venerable’s exquisite appearance, comparing it to their father’s domineering face. Clearly the Venerable was the one being bullied. He mumbled, “Let’s call him Mother.”

“Didn’t our father mean for us to go recognize our relationship?” Feng Zizhang said confidently.

Jiang Yizheng felt something was off, “Is… is that so?”

Feng Zizhang’s gaze was determined, “Absolutely. And I think our father might have some feelings for the Venerable.”

Jiang Yizheng looked utterly confused, “Does he?” Ever since learning Ning Buwei was a great demon, she had been constantly worried that the Venerable would strike down her father in the name of justice.

“Sister,” Feng Zizhang stopped, looking at her solemnly, “Don’t you want to have a complete family?”

Jiang Yizheng’s eyes immediately welled up with emotion, and she said with determination, “From now on, the Venerable is my real mother.”

She reasoned that if the Venerable and her father became cultivation partners, surely the Venerable wouldn’t want to strike her father down. Although Ning Buwei had a bad temper, Jiang Yizheng still had great confidence in her father’s handsome face.

Feng Zizhang patted her head, “Although… calling him Father might be safer.”

While the two were planning how to recognize another father, they were unaware that their current father was preparing to leave.

Ning Buwei’s injuries had healed, and his cultivation had reached the early Golden Core stage. Forming a Nascent Soul and reaching the Deity Transformation stage was just a matter of time. He could vaguely sense that his cultivation speed had increased significantly, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.

Now that Chu Jun was taking care of Ning Xiu, and Jiang Yizheng and Feng Zizhang would have better prospects even as menial workers by Chu Jun’s side than with him, both his own child and his foster children were settled.

Ning Buwei scanned his storage ring: a Vermilion Bird knife handle, five broken knife pieces, half a bottle of Jade Spirit Pills, and a handful of spirit stones. This was now all his worldly possessions.

The broken knife pieces in Chu Jun’s body could wait until he found the rest and returned to retrieve them.

He needed to find a method to completely stabilize Ning Xiu’s soul, gather the remaining broken knife pieces, and incidentally meet that elusive figure who had been hiding in the shadows.

Ning Buwei was never one to procrastinate. It was now Ning Xiu’s nap time, always a fussy affair with Chu Jun having to coax him for a long while, leaving no attention for their surroundings.

The small courtyard had been tended to very cozily. A few days ago, he had complained about the bare, ugly fence, and Chu Jun had silently transplanted a flowering vine. Overnight, it had covered the entire fence, seemingly unafraid of the cold. Even in winter, it enthusiastically bloomed all over the yard. Ning Xiu always insisted on looking at it for a long time before Chu Jun ordered him back inside.

The teleportation array beneath his feet received its final stroke.

Ning Buwei glanced at the room where Chu Jun and Ning Xiu were, then placed his hand on the array’s core, instantly vanishing from the tree.

Chu Jun had just lulled his son to sleep when he suddenly felt a subtle ripple of spiritual energy around him. He turned his head to look out the window.

Winter’s first snow had finally begun to fall gently, covering the yard full of blooming flowers.