As the voice fell, a group of blue-robed cultivators descended gracefully.
The Wang family’s people.
Ning Buwei raised an eyebrow. So they hadn’t reached an agreement after all.
“Wang Haoxuan, don’t you dare go too far!” Sang Tian said coldly. “The Wang family and Canghai Tower agreed before that the Zhenlong Chess and the Heavenly Wave Ruler would go to your Wang family, and the Purple Flame Knife would go to Canghai Tower!”
Wang Haoxuan smiled and said, “But now the Zhenlong Chess and the Heavenly Wave Ruler have both been swallowed up by your Canghai Tower alone, and you still have the nerve to ask for the Purple Flame Knife?”
“Slanderous lies!” Sang Tian’s face showed anger. “You didn’t have the ability to protect your own things and dare to accuse us!”
“As if you protected the Purple Flame Knife any better. Didn’t it end up in someone else’s hands?” Wang Haoxuan sneered.
Sang Tian said to Ning Buwei and Chu Jun. “I advise you to hand over the Purple Flame Knife quickly! Otherwise, you’ll be going against the entire Canghai Tower!”
“Heh, if you hand it over to Canghai Tower, you’ll be crossing our Wang family!” Wang Haoxuan was equally hostile.
“It seems we are not destined to have this Purple Flame Knife,” Chu Jun said calmly. “Since that’s the case, you can decide its ownership among yourselves.”
As his words fell, a black wide knife burst out of the water, stirring up huge waves. Chu Jun waved his sleeve, taking Ning Buwei and Cui Yuanbai with him as they turned into a streak of light flying towards the horizon.
The people from Canghai Tower were about to give chase, but Sang Tian stopped them, “Seize the knife first!”
Wang Haoxuan was equally determined to get the Purple Flame Knife. The two sides immediately began fighting, with no time to worry about Chu Jun and the others who had escaped.
Ning Buwei landed and said teasingly, “You knew the Wang family’s people were coming?”
“Yes,” Chu Jun nodded.
“I didn’t expect such an upright and proper person like you would resort to schemes,” Ning Buwei feigned surprise.
Chu Jun was silent for a moment, “Who told you I was upright and proper?”
Ning Buwei: “…Perhaps it’s because you look like it.”
Chu Jun fell completely silent, though he looked more depressed than anything.
Cui Yuanbai lay on Ning Buwei’s shoulder, curiously looking at the surrounding scenery, quiet as an ornament. When Ning Buwei put him on the ground, he didn’t cry or make a fuss. He was already frail, and at five years old, he looked more like three or four. The clothes he wore were hastily cut by Chu Jun and were a bit too big, hanging loosely on his body.
But he looked very happy, curious about the surrounding scenery, yet cautious not to wander too far. He obediently stood beside the two of them, quiet and still.
Excited to get the knife, but ending up not only failing to get it but also picking up a child, Ning Buwei was also depressed.
“Kid, is there anywhere you want to go?” Ning Buwei asked with a blank face.
Cui Yuanbai shook his head blankly, but unconsciously grabbed Chu Jun’s sleeve beside him and said softly, “I can turn into a knife… to help you drive away bad people.”
Although he had taken human form, his true form was still the Purple Flame Knife. However, Chu Jun and Ning Buwei had helped him become an independent knife that didn’t need to recognize a master, and could even grow up like an ordinary child.
Ning Buwei stared at him with interest, “I am the bad guy.”
“You are a good person,” Cui Yuanbai shook his head, his gaze full of hope. “Can you be my father?”
He had given him snacks, hadn’t sacrificed him to the knife, had taken him and his mother to see lanterns, and just now hadn’t abandoned him or scolded him. He was a very, very good father.
Ning Buwei: “……”
He decided to deflect the trouble, pointing at Chu Jun and saying, “I think he’s very suitable to be your father.”
Cui Yuanbai looked up at Chu Jun, pondering deeply as he gazed at the most beautiful face he had ever seen. He gently tugged at Chu Jun’s sleeve and said softly, “Will you be my mother?”
“Hahaha!” Ning Buwei burst into laughter.
Chu Jun: “……”
He wanted to wear a mask.
As Ning Buwei was laughing mercilessly, Cui Yuanbai was suddenly stuffed into his arms.
The three didn’t linger there for long, quickly returning to where Jimo Hongcai and the others had been waiting. These disciples of the Qingdan Sect were indeed honest; Chu Jun had told them to wait, and they hadn’t moved an inch.
“You’re finally back,” Jimo Hongcai almost wept with joy. His gaze fell on Cui Yuanbai and he paused, “This child is…”
“His son,” Ning Buwei said lightly.
The light in Jimo Hongcai’s eyes gradually faded. He said incredulously: “S-son!? Fellow Cultivator Chu, you already have a dao companion?”
Chu Jun neither confirmed nor denied. Cui Yuanbai hadn’t seen strangers for a long time. Earlier, when he saw the people from Canghai Tower and the Wang family, he had clung to Ning Buwei’s neck in fear. Now, seeing Jimo Hongcai, he hugged Chu Jun’s leg and hid behind him. His little face was serious and tense. With Chu Jun’s usual expressionless face, they looked even more like father and son.
Jimo Hongcai seemed to hear the sound of his own heart breaking.
****
Wushi Sect, Yijian Peak
Big Yellow lay on the ground sunbathing, wagging its tail leisurely. Ever since it had returned to its original form and discovered that this courtyard could accommodate its full size, it was no longer willing to constrain itself to the form of a small puppy.
Jiang Yizheng and Feng Zizhang sat formally, looking at the legendary Dean of Wanxuan Academy, Hao Zheng, with nervous expressions.
Hao Zheng looked at Jiang Yizheng and Feng Zizhang. After seeing through their aptitudes, he paused, then estimated their cultivation levels. After a moment of silence, he praised. “Jinghe, your daughter and son are truly handsome.”
Although their aptitudes were ordinary and their cultivation levels were average, to be fair, Feng Zizhang had sword-like eyebrows and striking eyes with a clear and moist temperament. Jiang Yizheng, though not delicate, was upright and spirited. After being nourished by the rich spiritual energy of the Yijian Peak for so many days, their appearances were even more striking than before.
Chu Jun: “…Thank you for the compliment.”
“Ah~” Ning Xiu was happily playing with the little doll that the pretty aunty had just given him. Hearing Bai Bai mother speak, he offered the little doll for him to see.
Hao Zheng said, “Since this is our first meeting, I have nothing of value to offer, so let me give the children some protective talismans.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a white light flashed over the hearts of Feng Zizhang, Jiang Yizheng, and Ning Xiu, then quickly disappeared.
“Thank you,” Chu Jun nodded slightly.
Although they didn’t know what the protective talisman was for, it didn’t prevent Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng from feeling honored. “Thank you, Dean Hao.”
After a while, Jiang Yizheng hugged Ning Xiu, and together with Feng Zizhang, the three of them watched Big Yellow grow bigger and smaller in the courtyard.
Chu Jun and Hao Zheng sat drinking tea at the stone table under the tree.
“I can’t tell either,” Hao Zheng said, shifting his gaze from Jiang Yizheng to Chu Jun. “But since you’ve sealed her divine and spiritual consciousness and blocked her meridians, even if there are parasitic insects, they won’t be able to cause any trouble.”
Just this small courtyard of Yijian Peak had been fortified by Chu Jun with countless arrays and barriers inside and out. It was not just ironclad, it was practically an iron ball. Hao Zheng said, “Back in the day, you dared to go into seclusion without setting up barriers. Why are you making such a big fuss now?”
Chu Jun shook his head, “These three children are still too young and have no ability to protect themselves. We can’t be careless.”
Hao Zheng marveled, “Being a father really does change you.”
Chu Jun asked, “Are you going to attend the Canghai Tower Discussion Conference?”
“The invitation has arrived. I missed the one three hundred years ago, so I’ll go this time,” Hao Zheng said. “It’ll be a good opportunity to meet that old bastard Wang Bin.”
“A Purple Mansion Secret Realm has opened up in Yuemian Mountain, Leyuan City, Zhongzhou,” Chu Jun said calmly. “The owner of the secret realm is Cui Chenghong, the ancestor of the current Cui family line.”
“I think I’ve heard something about this secret realm. The Canghai Tower and the Wang family are keeping it from the Cui family, probably thinking they can grab as much as they can. By the time the Cui family finds out, there won’t be much good stuff left, tsk tsk,” Hao Zheng said curiously. “But since when did you start caring about such trivial matters?”
“Help me leak some information to the Cui family,” Chu Jun said.
Now Hao Zheng was interested, “You want to help the Cui family?”
Chu Jun’s expression remained calm, “I’m saving up for the children’s future.”
“Oh? Which of your three children are you saving up for?” Hao Zheng asked with a smile.
“The fourth one.”
“What?”
****
Leyuan City, Zhongzhou
“Thank you both for escorting us out of the secret realm,” Jimo Hongcai said gratefully to them, along with Bu Qing, Zong Liu, and Zong Sheng. “It will take some time to refine the heaven-grade Soul Stabilizing Pill. You’re welcome to find us at the discussion conference when the time comes.”
Chu Jun nodded, watching them disappear into the bustling crowd with a calm expression.
Ning Buwei handed the newly bought candied haw to Cui Yuanbai and said to Chu Jun, “I’m going to find Sang Yun. Will you take him back to Wushi Sect?”
Cui Yuanbai licked the candied haw in his hand and looked up at Ning Buwei, saying, “Father, I can turn into a knife and help you fight.”
Ning Buwei flicked his forehead, “Don’t talk nonsense. Someone might steal you and refine you back.”
Remembering the pain of being roasted by true fire, Cui Yuanbai’s face paled. Hugging his candied haw, he said, “Oh, then I won’t say I can turn into a knife anymore.”
After a pause, he added firmly, “Father, I’m really good at fighting.”
Ning Buwei: “…You’re really something.”
Cui Yuanbai smiled shyly.
Over the past few days, Ning Buwei and Chu Jun discovered that since Cui Yuanbai had transformed back into a “human” rather than a knife spirit enduring constant roasting by true fire, he had gradually become more steady. Although he still thought like a child at times, he was much more mature compared to his peers.
Chu Jun added another layer to the barrier surrounding them and said to Ning Buwei, “Something happened to Zizhang and Yizheng…”
He recounted in detail the events that had occurred at Wushi Sect during this time. As Ning Buwei listened, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Thinking back on everything that had happened since he woke up at the edge of the Endless River, he said in a heavy tone, “What exactly does that green light want to do?”
His gaze fell on Chu Jun and suddenly froze.
Seeing his strange expression, Chu Jun asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Since I woke up, among all the old acquaintances I’ve seen, you’re the only one still alive,” Ning Buwei said with a very unpleasant look on his face. “I’m afraid the target of those parasitic insects isn’t Zizhang and Xiao Jiang—”
“It’s you.”
