Ning Xiu was held in Chu Jun’s arms, tears still hanging on his eyelashes, as he called out to Chu Jun in a hoarse voice. “Ah~ Da~”
Father~ I want Father to hold me~
He had already eaten a lot of porridge and slept many times, but he still hadn’t waited for father to come back. He was so angry!
Chu Jun reached out to wipe the tears from his face. Crying so fiercely, he probably missed Ning Buwei again. He coaxed in a gentle voice. “You’ll see him soon.”
Ning Xiu pouted, grunted, and turned his head to look at the stranger next to him, “Ah?”
Who are you?
Cui Yuanbai tugged at Chu Jun’s sleeve, looking at the fair and tender baby in the swaddling clothes. He pressed his lips together, his expression serious and a bit nervous, “Father, he’s so small.”
Jiang Yizheng, who was combing Big Yellow’s fur nearby, burst out laughing, “You’re not big either.”
Cui Yuanbai saw the dog called Big Yellow lying on her knee and tensed up, hiding behind Chu Jun, “Sister, can you… take it a bit further away?”
Jiang Yizheng picked up Big Yellow and showed him from afar, “Look, isn’t it cute?”
Cui Yuanbai was almost clinging to Chu Jun. Feng Zizhang, who had just finished cleaning the dog hair from the room and himself, picked up Big Yellow and said, “Xiao Jiang, don’t scare him.”
Jiang Yizheng chuckled and clapped her hands, then asked Chu Jun, “Venerable, is Father also going to the Dao Discussion Conference?”
“Yes,” Chu Jun nodded.
“Does Father know we’re going too?” Jiang Yizheng asked excitedly.
“I didn’t tell him,” Chu Jun paused.
“It’ll be a nice surprise for him,” Feng Zizhang put Big Yellow on the ground and sighed, “Xiao Shan has been missing him so much these past two days, he’s almost starved thin.”
Chu Jun looked down at his chubby white son in the swaddling clothes, doubting this statement.
After Ning Xiu was coaxed to sleep, Chu Jun finally had time to see Hao Zheng alone.
Hao Zheng had just finished scolding two disobedient young disciples, the anger not yet faded from his eyes. Seeing Chu Jun enter, he shook his head vigorously, “Each generation is harder to teach than the last. They’re not even as good as Ning Chengfeng!”
Chu Jun’s lips curved slightly.
Hao Zheng casually set up a barrier, “Is Xiao Shan asleep?”
“Yes.” Chu Jun brought out the previous white-robed shell, “Chengfeng said there’s a fragment of the Suzaku knife in the chest of this shell. I hadn’t noticed it at all before. It must have been wrapped by that insect.”
Hao Zheng frowned and stood up to look at the shell, “Looking at it this way, if your true self had come out then, this knife and insect would have been in your chest. Add to that your unresolved heart demon… tsk, truly vicious.”
“My divine consciousness felt no difference between the shell and my true body,” Chu Jun pondered for a moment, looking at Hao Zheng.
Hao Zheng asked, “Not even the slightest difference?”
In theory, even the same person’s heart demon would be different in a shell and the true body.
“The heart demon in your true body now was forcibly transferred from Ning Chengfeng, while the heart demon that the insect could trigger in this shell was caused by that green light. If there’s not the slightest difference between the two—” Hao Zheng frowned, “Are you suspecting that the person who planted the heart demon in Ning Chengfeng back then and the master of this insect now are the same?”
Chu Jun nodded.
Hao Zheng’s expression turned grave, “Back then, when you transferred this heart demon, you immediately went into possession and couldn’t completely eliminate it for five hundred years. If it’s really the same person behind this, they truly can’t be underestimated.”
Chu Jun’s voice turned cold, “This person must be eliminated.”
Hao Zheng, well aware of his style of doing things, gently advised, “You now have four little ones to raise, and Ning Chengfeng has such an impatient temperament. When he goes crazy, no one but you can control him. You can’t be rash.”
Chu Jun’s gaze was calm, “Of course.” He considered himself much more even-tempered now, preferring intimidation over violence, and negotiation over bloodshed.
Hao Zheng looked at him uncertainly, “So what do you plan to do?”
“Use their own trick against them.”
—
The Dao Discussion Mountain was located in the northeast of Zhongzhou, with the Xujingze to the east and the Endless River to the south. It was situated on the richest spiritual vein of all seventeen states. The entire mountain rose from the ground, floating in mid-air amid the clouds. Palaces and halls clung to the mountainside, with ornate doors and carved beams exuding magnificence. Flowers, trees, and secluded rocks emanated an ethereal aura.
The arena at the mountaintop was said to be where the Immortal Patriarch of the Longevity Dao taught his disciples in ancient times, hence its name: the Longevity Arena. Viewed from high above, it stretched endlessly, with clouds birthing mist, creating an illusion of purple qi coming from the east.
Countless immortal cranes and phoenix birds guided spirit boats and phoenix carriages from the horizon. At the Longevity Arena, countless young cultivators gathered, like stars clustering together.
Perhaps for the geniuses on the Tianji List and the powerful figures from various sects and noble families, such gatherings were optional. But for the younger generation, especially disciples of average talent and comprehension, this was an unparalleled heavenly opportunity. Even if they were fortunate enough to understand just a bit of what the powerful cultivators discussed, it would be enough.
The young disciples on the Wanxuan Academy’s flying boat were eager and excited. Although there were many powerful cultivators in Wanxuan Academy, such lively gatherings were always different.
Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng leaned out the window to look at the ant-like people below. Hearing the cheers of the disciples on the boat, even Cui Yuanbai couldn’t resist his curiosity, tensing his little face and poking out half his head to look.
Big Yellow enlarged his form, wagging his tail and poking out his dog head to look, “Woof! Woof woof!”
“So many flying boats and phoenixes,” Feng Zizhang marveled.
“So many people,” Jiang Yizheng’s face was hit by the cold wind. “This is the first time I’ve seen such a big mountain.”
Cui Yuanbai reached out to touch the clouds at the window’s edge but grasped nothing.
“Hahaha!” Jiang Yizheng and Feng Zizhang mercilessly laughed at him, taking turns to rub his head, completely forgetting their own glorious past of licking clouds to taste them.
Ning Xiu, who had been playing with a pretty wooden doll given by the beautiful aunty while being held by Chu Jun, saw them all at the window and wanted to go too. He grabbed Chu Jun’s collar and tugged hard, “Ah~ Ah ah!”
Mother~ I want to see too!
Chu Jun pinched his little hand, “The wind is too strong.”
“Ah!” Ning Xiu protested.
Want to see!
Chu Jun felt he should be a principled father and not spoil the child. With a wave of his sleeve, he forcibly closed all the windows. Now no one was allowed to look anymore.
Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng turned their heads to look at him longingly.
Cui Yuanbai called out softly. “Father, can you open a small gap?”
“Aooo~” Big Yellow bravely came over to tug at his sleeve, asking him to open the window.
“Ah~” Ning Xiu’s little face was full of ‘want to see’.
The very principled Venerable Jinghe: “… Only allowed to look for half a quarter hour.”
Meanwhile, Ning Buwei was leaning lazily against the window of the phoenix carriage, watching the clouds. His gaze swept past a flying boat where several small heads were poking out in unison, even including a dog’s head mixed among them. He was just about to mock whose children were so inexperienced when his gaze suddenly paused.
It seemed to be his family…
Just as Ning Buwei was about to take a closer look, he heard a servant report, “Young Master, the quarters arranged for us by Canghai Tower are right next to Wanxuan Academy. Those young disciples are noisy. Should we ask them to change our location?”
Ning Buwei’s gaze swept over the Wanxuan Academy’s emblem on the flying boat and said, “No need.”
Xie Jiu looked at him, “Young Master Wang is truly considerate.”
Ning Buwei lowered the curtain and said, “The noisier it is, the less likely it is to attract attention, which is convenient for our plans.”
Xie Jiu smiled, “That makes sense.”
When the phoenix carriage landed at the Longevity Arena, disciples from Canghai Tower came to welcome them, “Young Master Wang, please follow me.”
Besides Xie Jiu and a few servants, Ning Buwei had brought nearly twenty members of the Wang family. He nodded in response and was about to move forward when a mocking voice came from nearby, “Isn’t this Young Master Wang?”
Another almost identical voice said, “It really is Young Master Wang Zizhua. I thought I had seen wrong.”
Hearing this, Ning Buwei looked over and saw two identical men with their arms crossed, looking at him unfavorably.
These two men were tall with regular features, but they were dressed somewhat shabbily, their clothes looking like patched-up black and gray coarse cloth. Their hair was messy and loose, and each had a large hammer hanging at their waist, with one of them also carrying a heavy sword on his back.
It seemed that Wang Zizhua didn’t get along well with them. Ning Buwei, committed to his act, let out a cold snort from his nose and walked past them without changing his expression.
“Young Master, Wei Xuesong and Wei Yuquan are really going too far. Should we find someone to teach them a lesson?” The servant asked, thinking he was being thoughtful.
Ning Buwei gave him a cold look, “I’m here for the Dao Discussion Conference on important business. Don’t cause me trouble.”
The servant sheepishly retreated.
However, Ning Buwei was somewhat surprised.
Although he hadn’t met the Wei family’s twin brothers before, he had heard of their reputation. The Wei family was skilled in refining tools and forging, and these brothers were particularly talented. But the brothers had peculiar personalities and never accepted jobs from people they didn’t like, which had offended many people from various sects and noble families.
He hadn’t expected these two to come to the Dao Discussion Conference as well.
The guests attending the Dao Discussion Conference were all arranged by Canghai Tower. The Wang family currently ranked second among the sects and noble families, so their treatment was naturally high. The quarters arranged for them were very spacious, with three courtyards, more than enough to accommodate twenty people.
Xie Jiu exchanged a few words with him before entering a room and closing the door, clearly not wanting to be disturbed. Ning Buwei heard voices from the neighboring quarters arranged for Wanxuan Academy, so he knew that Hao Zheng and others had also arrived.
He seemed to have seen Ning Xiu on the flying boat earlier.
Ning Buwei looked at the high courtyard wall in front of him. It had been a long time since he’d seen his son, and he really missed him a bit.
Unfortunately, with so many people around, it wasn’t suitable to climb walls in broad daylight, and with old Hao Zheng watching, even the slightest movement could easily be discovered.
Ning Buwei could only enter his room for now, monitoring Xie Jiu’s movements next door while continuing to study the formation on the green worm.
By midnight, he had deciphered nearly half of the hundred or so formations, and there was still no movement from Xie Jiu’s side. Ning Buwei finally couldn’t resist and wanted to quietly climb over the wall to see his son.
He patted two concealment talismans on himself and silently climbed out of the window. Just as he was about to break through the barrier set by Wanxuan Academy, he saw a white-robed cultivator come out from within the barrier, leaping onto the roof in a few steps, but his footsteps seemed unsteady.
Most importantly, he recognized this white-robed cultivator – who else could it be but Chu Jun?
Ning Buwei felt that his condition wasn’t right. He changed his course and quietly followed behind him.
Chu Jun’s speed wasn’t slow. He quickly left the quarters where the cultivators attending the Dao Discussion Conference were staying and in the blink of an eye, reached halfway up the mountain. The path was quiet and deserted. Just as Ning Buwei was about to call out to him, he saw two cultivators turn out from around the corner.
Those two cultivators looked young, carrying wine jars and reeking of alcohol. One of them suddenly paused, “Whoa, where did this beauty come from?”
His companion took a closer look and saw the cultivator ahead was tall and graceful, dressed in snow-white robes. Hearing their voices, he turned to look at them.
The two suddenly held their breath.
“Flowing clouds and pure snow, bright as the moon… jade-like and orchid-fragrant…” That disciple suddenly became intoxicated, “An extraordinary beauty, unparalleled in the world!”
He hiccupped and stumbled forward a few steps to greet Chu Jun, “I-I am Li Jianqing from Hanyan Sect. May I ask, fellow cultivator…why is such a beauty alone in the middle of the night?”
“Let us escort you back,” the other disciple was bolder, directly reaching out to grab Chu Jun’s arm. Surprisingly, Chu Jun stood still, showing no intention of dodging.
Ning Buwei watched with fury in his eyes. He rushed out and kicked away the two cultivators who were trying to get handsy. He was so angry that he didn’t hold back his strength, and the two disciples were kicked into the wall, passing out immediately.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ning Buwei turned to look at him, irritated, “Their claws were about to tear off your clothes—”
Ning Buwei stopped mid-sentence, realizing Chu Jun’s current state seemed a bit off. He waved his hand in front of Chu Jun’s eyes, “Chu Jun?”
Then his hand was suddenly grasped.
Chu Jun’s beautiful phoenix eyes stared at him unblinkingly, his gaze deep and focused. He called his name in a gentle voice. “Ning Chengfeng.”
Ning Buwei’s breath caught, silently cursing the misleading beauty. He frowned and said, “You’re not in the right state now, is it because of that—”
“Chengfeng.” Chu Jun took a step forward, stumbling. Ning Buwei reached out and caught him in his arms. A very faint, bitter-sweet fragrance instantly enveloped him.
Although Ning Buwei had cultivated the Heartless Dao, he was still a man after all. Moreover, he had shenjiao with Chu Jun twice before. With this “fragrant jade” in his arms, the contents of the picture books he had read to pass time began to surface uncontrollably in his mind. To make matters worse, Chu Jun showed no intention of getting up. He tried to push Chu Jun away, cleared his throat, and said through gritted teeth, “Get up.”
Hearing this, Chu Jun slightly raised his head, but his gaze was unfocused, “Ning Chengfeng?”
Ning Buwei grabbed his wrist to check his pulse, “What’s wrong with you? Did something go wrong with your cultivation? Or is it because of that—”
Before he could say “insect”, he suddenly felt a soft touch on his lips.
Ning Buwei felt a warm hand on the back of his neck, their cool noses touching, and their slightly warm breaths intertwining. The tingling sensation, completely different from shenjiao, made his whole body freeze.
Chu Jun slowly raised his eyes, his gaze clear and deep.
Ning Buwei suddenly narrowed his eyes, about to take action, but was unexpectedly pushed back a few steps by Chu Jun’s force, his whole body pressed against a tree.
Chu Jun pressed down on the blood talisman on his palm, his Adam’s apple moving slightly, “Let me explain.”
