[The Feng Family’s Reaction [Massive Reactions from the Feng Family] The brat enters the cave dwelling for exploration. Qin Huayue departs]
Shi Tonghao opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but didn’t know how to express it.
Zhong Cai saw the awkwardness of Grand-Master Shi and proactively continued: “Grand-Master Shi, please come back to the Zhan Shen Palace with us. Master Jiang will definitely be very happy to see you.”
Wu Shaoqian followed Zhong Cai’s lead: “When Master used to mention you, he truly expressed regret.”
Zhong Cai added: “The task of remolding Grand-Master’s body should rightfully be Master Jiang’s job. If Master Jiang knew that Shaoqian and I met Grand-Master but failed to bring you back, I’m afraid Master Jiang would blame us.”
Shi Tonghao’s expression shifted upon hearing this.
It was true that his disciple was better suited to handle the matter of his physical body.
Although his bond with the Qin family was deep, after so many years apart, he truly wanted to reunite with his disciple.
Thinking of Jiang Chongguang, Shi Tonghao felt a trace of guilt.
Years ago, his friend entrusted his son to him, and it was Chongguang himself who was capable, quickly becoming the senior-most disciple. Yet, he unfortunately had an accident then… He knew that the fact that his few junior disciples had survived and successfully reached Soul Transformation [1] Seventh Order jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3526230_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3526230_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); was undoubtedly all thanks to Chongguang.
He had been failing as a Master for many years…
Thinking this, Shi Tonghao turned to Qin Huayue and said: “Yue’er, I will go with Shaoqian and the others for now.” He smiled kindly. “Tell Le’ying that there is no need to continue gathering resources for me. He should focus more on his own cultivation. I will come to visit you both after I remold my body.”
Qin Huayue understood Shi Tonghao’s intention. She wanted to say that he had saved her life and that she and her father had also received resources from the ruin, so it was only right that they should gather the remolding resources for Senior Shi… But she also understood that Senior Shi had missed his disciples and his academy for many years. Upon discovering he had such outstanding grand-disciples, it was only natural that he would want a “family reunion.” No matter how reluctant she was, she could not stop him.
Besides…
Hadn’t Senior Shi promised? He would definitely come to visit her and her father in the future.
That was enough.
Qin Huayue forced a smile and said in a light tone: “When Senior Shi comes, this junior and my father will be ready to welcome you.” She paused, choosing her words carefully, and said, “If Senior Shi has time, please feel free to stay at the Qin family for a longer visit.”
She didn’t dare to be explicit, but she was implicitly conveying that if there was the remotest possibility that Senior Shi’s disciples treated him poorly… the Qin family would always welcome him.
Shi Tonghao naturally understood and also gave a smile.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaoqian understood as well, and merely raised their eyebrows slightly.
It was a good thing that Miss Qin cared so much for Grand-Master Shi—she had not let Grand-Master Shi’s affection for her go to waste.
As the conversation reached this point, Zhong Cai nudged Wu Dongxiao, signaling him.
Wu Dongxiao then proactively spoke to Shi Tonghao: “Greetings, Instructor Shi.”
Although Shi Tonghao didn’t know Wu Dongxiao very well, he could hear some of the outside activity from within the golden bell, so he naturally knew the relationship between Wu Dongxiao and the Zhong-Wu couple.
Hearing the address now, he understood that Wu Dongxiao was also a Canglong disciple, just not from the same lineage.
Shi Tonghao was very amiable toward him. He had originally intended to pat his shoulder, but being too small at the moment, he lightly patted his hand instead.
“Good lad! You’re very capable too!”
Wu Dongxiao smiled and said: “Instructor Shi flatters me. I’m still far behind my Little Uncle.”
Shi Tonghao encouraged him: “Then work hard to catch up!”
Wu Dongxiao readily agreed.
Next, Zhong Cai spoke again: “Dongxiao, since you and Miss Qin were lucky enough to find this ancient cave dwelling, why don’t you take this opportunity to go in and explore? We will guard the entrance outside. Once you are finished, come out quickly.”
Qin Huayue quickly said, “I won’t be going, Senior.” She said sincerely, “This ruin was found by Brother Wu. How could I selfishly take advantage of it? This cave dwelling rightfully belongs to Brother Wu. Furthermore…”
She looked at Shi Tonghao.
“I still have a lot to talk about with Senior Shi.”
When the group heard the first few sentences, they intended to gently decline her offer, but upon hearing the part about “talking with Shi Tonghao,” they stopped speaking. They knew this was because Qin Huayue and Shi Tonghao were about to part ways, so they had some final things they wanted to discuss.
However, this ancient cave dwelling was indeed purely stumbled upon by Wu Dongxiao. He brought Qin Huayue in to defend themselves, partly to save her life and partly to find an extra helper.
One could argue that finders keepers should share, but since Qin Huayue was willing to give up her share, Wu Dongxiao certainly wouldn’t force her—Are you kidding? Taking all the resources in the entire cave dwelling is simply the best outcome!
Wu Dongxiao glanced at his two uncles and immediately said, “Uncle Zhong, Little Uncle, do you want to join in?”
Zhong Cai gave him a sidelong glance: “Do your Little Uncle and I really lack these few scraps?”
Wu Dongxiao immediately lowered his head, looking a little embarrassed
‘It’s decided! I’ll go in and sweep the place clean, then pay off another round of my debt!’
After they settled the matter, the Zhong-Wu couple sat back together, drinking tea and eating snacks, while Wu Dongxiao immediately stood up. After bidding farewell to the group, he returned to the cave entrance without looking back.
Qin Huayue took the golden bell and walked to the other side, communicating softly with Shi Tonghao, careful not to disturb the Zhong-Wu couple.
The Zhong-Wu couple had no habit of eavesdropping. They merely looked at each other with affection and enjoyed their refreshments together.
The couple didn’t even chat; seeing each other seemed to be interesting enough on its own.
Wu Dongxiao, who had entered the cave dwelling, was protected by his puppet and cautiously explored deeper inside.
He carefully observed the surrounding mechanisms, formations, and other obstacles, and also recalled the many insights he gained while previously manipulating the protective barrier. By keeping his eyes and ears open, the exploration proceeded relatively smoothly.
However, the deeper he went, the more traps he still triggered and the more tests he had to undergo…
Fortunately, the breadth of knowledge Wu Dongxiao possessed was wide enough that he always had various ways to resolve any crisis he encountered.
Gradually, a colossal, towering tree, seemingly supporting the entire cave dwelling, appeared to the side of Wu Dongxiao’s path.
On it were several tree hollows flickering with light barriers. Entering one might lead to a reward, or it might be a death trap…
Wu Dongxiao didn’t hesitate. He leaped, relying on instinct to enter a random one.
He needed to speed up.
His two uncles were still waiting for him outside.
On one side, there was the joyful reunion of a Grand-Master and his grand-disciples, an excellent junior exploring a cave dwelling, and a “grandfather and granddaughter” parting with reluctance… Overall, it was a picture of harmonious interaction and good relationships.
But on the other side, things were completely different.
The two Feng family Fusion [2] Fifth Order jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3526230_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3526230_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); cultivators, after staggering away, immediately took out their flying magical artifact and took turns manipulating it, rushing straight back to the Feng family the moment they were out of the sight of Zhong Cai and Wu Shaoqian.
Neither of them noticed that they were covered in fresh blood, their faces were panicked, their hair was disheveled, and they still bore injuries that were far from healed.
Their overall appearance was utterly wretched.
As a result, when they arrived at the Feng family gate, the guards opening the door barely recognized them!
Fortunately, the two reacted in time, pulled out their identity tokens, and rushed inside.
Along the way, they met many clansmen of lower cultivation levels who were confused as to why they looked this way.
But the two couldn’t care less about anything. They swiftly arrived at the center of the residence and demanded to see the numerous Nirvana Elders and the Family Head!
The Feng family had actually developed very well, boasting two in the late-Nirvana stage, two in the mid-Nirvana stage, and four in the early-Nirvana stage.
That is, seven Feng family Elders and one Family Head.
The Family Head was one of the late-Nirvana cultivators.
By convention, large families like this have many affairs to handle. Any Elders or Ancestors whose strength has reached the top level often go into seclusion for cultivation and do not take up “posts” like Family Head, which require frequent administrative work.
But the Feng family was different.
The Patriarch Feng was the one who could directly meet with Venerable Lian and receive instructions from the Venerable, thereby determining the family’s main development path.
Therefore, the practice was to have the strongest cultivator serve as the Family Head—this way, when he met with Venerable Lian, he could take the opportunity to ask for advice on cultivation difficulties. Also, because his strength was established, it would not annoy Venerable Lian too much.
Now, with two Feng family Fusion cultivators seeking an audience in such a state of panic and urgency, the many Elders and Family Head were instantly alarmed, recalling who the two had gone out with earlier.
Immediately, all the high-level members of the Feng family arrived.
Since no one happened to be in seclusion, the remaining six Elders and the Patriarch Feng—not including the deceased Third Elder Feng—all rushed to the ancestral hall. Their expressions were extremely grim as their gazes fell upon the two kneeling Fusion juniors.
The Patriarch Feng asked in a low voice, “What happened to you two?”
First Elder Feng immediately frowned and asked, “Didn’t you go out to retrieve treasure to protect Tianqi? Where is Third Elder Feng? Why do you both look like this?”
Facing so many ancestors of their own clan, the two Feng family Fusion cultivators seemed to finally relax the tightly-strung chord in their hearts and broke down, wailing and crying hysterically.
Seeing this scene, the Feng family ancestors frowned even harder.
However, seeing them trembling all over, they knew that even pressing them now wouldn’t get an immediate answer, so they could only wait for a moment.
In the meantime, Fifth Elder Feng took out a pill that could calm the mind, dissolved it in water, and sprinkled it over the two of them.
A mist of water spread, enveloping the two Feng family Fusion cultivators.
As if stimulated by the medicinal properties, the two finally slowly stopped their crying.
However, the deep terror remained on their faces. Their eyes still seemed to see the bloody mountain of corpses of their clansmen… Just thinking about the scenes of their narrow escape from death made them continue to tremble with fear.
Fortunately, both were finally able to speak.
One of them moved his throat with difficulty and said: “This time, we followed Lian Tianqi out. It was smooth sailing at first, but someone beat Lian Tianqi to the treasure he was after…”
The other person added to his clan member’s words: “That person originally intended to make a deal, but Lian Tianqi thought it wasn’t worthwhile…”
The two, speaking in turns, recounted their pursuit of the person who had been so audacious, how they failed to catch him after a long chase, Lian Tianqi’s idea, the ideas of the others, and how they acted…
Until, just as they had broken through the protective barrier, the seniors of the person they were chasing found them.
Then they saw the two ‘evil spirits’.
Yes, even though Zhong Cai and Wu Shaoqian were handsome enough for anyone to find them good-looking, after the preceding events, in the eyes of these two, they were nothing short of evil spirits.
When the two spoke of the subsequent events, terror resurfaced again.
It seemed that every few sentences they uttered made it difficult for them to speak at all.
Finally…
They spoke of the death of Lian Tianqi and the other clansmen.
Even Third Elder Feng had died a very miserable death.
After finally finishing their fragmented account, the two Feng family Fusion cultivators tremblingly said:
“They spared our lives, saying that we weren’t entirely at fault for bullying the junior… perhaps also because we were lucky not to die from the force of the punch…”
“…More importantly, it must have been to let us collect the corpses… and come back to report the news…”
As this last sentence was spoken, the two took out several mustard seed bags, lowered their heads, and raised the bags with both hands, presenting them to the Patriarch Feng.
In the ancestral hall, there was a deathly silence.
Everyone present was at the Nirvana stage. Even when the two juniors were recounting the events, causing them to feel intense anger and incredulity, they were still able to barely control themselves and not interrupt the juniors’ words.
When they heard the identities, subsequent actions, and message from the two “evil spirits,” their expressions changed drastically, and they all fell silent.
Patriarch Feng slowly took the mustard seed bags. After his soul sense swept through them, he passed it to the other Nirvana cultivators to inspect.
No one spoke, but the faintly flickering lights in their eyes bore witness to the changes in their emotions.
Their hearts seemed to be contemplating something, and they seemed to be struggling immensely.
After a long while, Patriarch Feng waved his hand, dismissing the two juniors.
Their resolve was not strong enough, but since they were originally just playmates for Lian Tianqi, they were not people with particularly strong wills. It was already good enough that they managed to make it back to report the news. They should go drink some calming medicine now.
The two Feng Family Fusion cultivators supported each other as they walked out.
It was only at this moment that the Nirvana cultivators looked at each other, confirming each other’s thoughts.
Patriarch Feng sighed and asked, “Sixth Elder, you have been guarding the seclusion area recently. Do you know when Venerable Lian will emerge from seclusion?”
Feng Sixth Elder shook his head and said, “Venerable Lian is silent, but there is an aura of strange power emanating near the quiet room for seclusion. Clearly, he cannot be disturbed.”
Patriarch Feng nodded.
The other Nirvana cultivators all wore angry expressions.
Seventh Elder Feng lowered his voice and said, “Those two juniors, what vicious and ruthless methods!”
The other elders also had frosty faces and agreed heartily.
First Elder Feng, the most senior, was also the most calm. He stroked his beard and said, “Since Venerable Lian has not emerged from seclusion, it is not convenient to report the matter of Wu Shaoqian killing Tianqi.”
Patriarch Feng sighed again, “Without an answer from Venerable Lian on this matter, we don’t know how to make a decision.”
The other elders sneered.
“They slaughtered so many of our excellent Feng Family juniors, and even Third Brother… yet they still think it’s not enough, and demand that we give them an explanation? This is truly bullying us too far!”
“They are only at the seventh-level, and the one being pursued is merely a Fusion cultivator. Although they are certainly talented, how many geniuses have died before reaching Nirvana? They have the gall to demand an explanation from us Nirvana cultivators!”
“Both sides have lost people, yet they are so arrogant!”
“Nonsense!”
“What explanation? No explanation!”
“That may be so, but the other party is backed by two ninth-level powers, one of which is an Alchemist power. How can our Feng Family contend with them? The other party is indeed arrogant, but the root cause of this incident is indeed…”
The Elder did not voice the words “bullying the small with the great.”
The other elders also understood this principle, but the other party showed no mercy, killing so many people. It was a huge slap to the face of their Feng Family!
Almost everyone involved in the pursuit was killed, and the main culprit—their promising Grand-grandson of a Heavenly Connection expert—was also dead!
That wasn’t enough, and now they were demanded to apologize?
Where in the world was such a principle?!
Regardless, these Nirvana cultivators were unwilling to apologize to two mere seventh-level cultivators.
It would be too humiliating.
One must know that although their Feng Family was only an affiliated force of Venerable Lian, Venerable Lian did not have his own original force and had relied heavily on them for many years. Their Feng Family could roughly be considered a ninth-level power, not much inferior to the Lingxian Sect and the Zhan Shen Palace.
If they were to apologize after so many of their clansmen were killed, wouldn’t that be too obsequious?!
Most of the Feng Family Elders, including the Patriarch, chose to disagree without much hesitation.
However, Fourth Elder Feng was hesitant to speak, feeling that this decision was improper.
Regardless of everything, treasures go to the destined. While choosing to seize a treasure was not wrong, and bringing a higher-level expert to pursue was not necessarily wrong, it was true that they had besieged the other party for a long time and almost killed them.
And then the helper from the other side came and suppressed them… that meant the other side won.
The strong prey on the weak. The other side won because of their superior capability, not because of their side’s generosity.
So, it was only natural for the winner to demand an explanation from the defeated party.
Moreover, they learned from the two Fusion juniors that the one being pursued was a top figure among the younger generation of the Zhan Shen Palace. Even the current first-ranked of the Cangqiong Ranking of this generation was no match for him. The young man was almost certainly going to reach Nirvana, and might even have a chance at reaching Heavenly Connection—
Such a genius, pursuing him at the same level, or even one level higher, should not have angered his elders.
But the situation before was a pursuit by a Nirvana cultivator! If the other party had been slightly less capable, they would have been gone!
It was only natural for the other party’s elders to feel indignant.
Furthermore, although they were backed by a Heavenly Connection expert, Venerable Lian was almost eleven thousand years old, and the affair with the Feng Family woman happened many years ago. He had little affection for his own descendants. Would he really provoke the Zhan Shen Palace and the Lingxian Sect for the sake of their Feng Family, a handy tool?
Fourth Elder Feng truly felt that it would be best to bring generous gifts and compensation to the juniors to resolve the matter.
Moreover…
From the extermination order heard from the Fusion junior’s mouth, Fourth Elder Feng could tell that Wu Shaoqian and Zhong Cai were birds of a feather.
Back when Zhong Cai was ambushed by the evil cultivators, he could spend such a terrifying price to make all the righteous path cultivators in the world demonstrate their abilities, causing huge losses to the evil path… So now, the one being pursued was Wu Shaoqian’s nephew. Even if he wasn’t as important as Wu Shaoqian in Zhong Cai’s heart, they would still have to consider Wu Shaoqian’s feelings.
Would Zhong Cai and Wu Shaoqian do something unbearable to them if their Feng Family failed to give an explanation?
This had to be considered!
Fourth Elder Feng tried several times to speak up and offer a warning, but the other elders looked displeased. After much deliberation, he ultimately did not voice his concerns… he had many hesitations and struggles.
Because he also considered: what if Venerable Lian emerged and became curious about Lian Tianqi, who was said to resemble him? What if Venerable Lian felt that the actions of the Zhong-Wu couple had insulted him? What if Venerable Lian was displeased and wanted to take action…?
Fourth Elder Feng was not a decisive person. He could not make a decision, nor did he dare to easily offer a warning.
After much hesitation and struggle, he finally kept silent.
As for Patriarch Feng and the other Feng Family Elders, they had already made their decision.
No explanation, just a cold shoulder.
Of course, the Feng Family would not be so unreasonable as to continue mobilizing people to pursue when they were clearly in the wrong.
They felt that restraining their anger over the deaths of so many clansmen was already showing a great deal of respect.
They also felt that no matter how great the past feud was, they had already lost a Nirvana cultivator. What more did the other side want?
The Zhong-Wu couple could not go too far!
Fourth Elder Feng looked at his many clansmen. He felt a heavy heart for some reason.
He could only hope that everything would be fine.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaoqian waited quietly and leisurely.
They were waiting both for the brat to finish exploring the cave dwelling and for the Feng family to provide an explanation.
About several hours passed.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaoqian had each been flipping through ancient texts for a long time, but there was no movement either from inside the cave dwelling or from the Feng family’s side.
The sky gradually began to darken.
Zhong Cai raised his hand and tossed out a Luminous Pearl, which hung in mid-air, instantly illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.
During this time, Qin Huayue had already left while the sky was still bright—after all, she didn’t know when Wu Dongxiao would come out, so she had already bid him farewell before he entered the cave.
The golden bell containing Shi Tonghao’s primordial soul was put away by Wu Shaoqian.
After flipping through their books for a while, Zhong Cai put down his volume and gently rubbed his eyes.
Wu Shaoqian looked up and asked, “A Cai, are you uncomfortable?”
Zhong Cai smiled and shook his head, then picked up his tea and took a sip.
Wu Shaoqian also smiled and took out some snacks—this was the umpteenth time he had done so today. Whenever Zhong Cai’s plate was empty, no matter what ancient text he was reading or what he was comprehending, he could swiftly act and replenish Zhong Cai’s supply.
Zhong Cai picked up a piece, took a bite, and then fed one to Wu Shaoqian.
Then, Zhong Cai said with a slight laugh, “No matter how slow those two Fusion cultivators are, they should have reached the Feng family by now.”
Wu Shaoqian smiled faintly and nodded: “Indeed.”
Zhong Cai then raised his eyebrows: “It seems the Feng family doesn’t plan on giving us an explanation.”
Wu Shaoqian nodded again.
Zhong Cai said softly, “Once Dongxiao comes out, let’s report this matter to the sect.”
Wu Shaoqian still nodded.
Zhong Cai looked at Wu Shaoqian’s handsome face and his completely obedient manner, and couldn’t help but raise his hand to pinch Wu Shaoqian’s cheek.
“You agree to everything?”
Wu Shaoqian chuckled: “As long as it’s something A Cai says, of course I agree.” He leaned in and kissed Zhong Cai’s face. “I’ll always say yes.”
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