Thinking back to the old man's words under the big tree earlier that day, Xu Ning was speechless. This Tianxiang Village was exactly the same as when he had left it, unchanged at its core.
They were incredibly kind to him on the surface, but once their interests were involved, you couldn't imagine what kind of demons they would become. This was human nature.
This was also why Xu Ning didn't immediately believe the old man's words.
It was also because Xu Ning remained calm. If it had been any other impulsive cultivator, after hearing the old man's one-sided story, Chen Zhilei's family might have been wiped out in an instant, without even a chance to explain.
Chen Zhilei continued, his voice filled with a lifetime of hurt. "Immortal, I have never forgotten my roots, but my heart has long grown cold toward this village."
Xu Ning could roughly guess that Chen Zhilei was only highlighting the key points; there must have been many other incidents over the decades that had deeply saddened and alienated him.
Xu Ning nodded sympathetically. "Sit down. Let's talk slowly."
Chen Zhilei nodded gratefully and sat down beside him.
Xu Ning got straight to the point. "I originally came here to reclaim that land. But seeing that you haven't forgotten your roots, I'll give you two choices."
"First, you can continue using the land. However, it might bring trouble to your Chen family in the future."
"Second, I'll reclaim the land and compensate you with an inheritance no less valuable than the land itself. Choose."
Chen Zhilei pondered for a long time, weighing the options. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Please, Immortal, reclaim the land. The Chen family will also be freed from its shackles and leave Tianxiang Village."
Saying this showed that Chen Zhilei had completely lost faith in Tianxiang Village, despite it being the place where he grew up and built his fortune.
Xu Ning nodded approvingly and stood up. "Come with me."
Chen Zhilei nodded and quickly followed Xu Ning.
They arrived at the location of the land.
Chen Zhilei valued this land highly and had guarded it meticulously over the years.
After passing through numerous checkpoints and guards, Xu Ning and Chen Zhilei finally stood before the plot of land.
At this time, the land was filled with various rare medicinal herbs found in the mortal realm.
Xu Ning observed. "You made your fortune by growing medicinal herbs here?"
Chen Zhilei confirmed, "Yes, Immortal."
Xu Ning nodded, took out the storage bag containing his spirit fields, and opened it. He spoke to the land itself. "Come with me."
The land immediately responded, its consciousness eager. "Xu Ning, I've finally waited for you. Let's go!"
Then, the entire piece of land instantly detached itself from the ground and flew neatly into the storage bag.
Chen Zhilei was stunned by the entire process, deeply shocked. Was this the work of an immortal?
Xu Ning, with his hands behind his back, spoke softly. "Chen Zhilei, this land has anchored your Chen family to Tianxiang Village all these years. Now, the land is gone. You are free."
Stolen novel; please report.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhilei immediately knelt down. "Immortal, without this land, there would be no Chen Zhilei today. My family owes everything to you!"
Xu Ning nodded, waved his hand, and a book materialized before Chen Zhilei. "This is the legacy I leave for you. How far your Chen family will go in the future depends on yourselves."
As soon as he finished speaking, a donkey, Tie Dan in disguise, silently approached from the side.
Xu Ning leaped onto the donkey and quickly rode away.
"Respectfully seeing off the Immortal!" Chen Zhilei hurriedly bowed and saw him off.
After Xu Ning had completely disappeared from sight, Chen Zhilei picked up the book and began to read.
The more he read, the more shocked Chen Zhilei became.
This was a martial arts technique called Iron Shirt, which could be cultivated to the twelfth level, completely beyond Chen Zhilei's understanding of ordinary martial arts techniques.
If someone in the family mastered such a technique, it could protect the family's peace for a hundred years. If there was a worthy successor, it could ensure the family's long-term prosperity and security.
Although it wasn't as immediately lucrative as that piece of land, it was much safer and more stable.
A few days later, the Chen family indeed moved away and never returned to Tianxiang Village.
Half a month later, outside the ruins of Mengxi City, Xu Ning arrived on his donkey.
Compared to its former self, Mengxi City was now completely dilapidated. The city itself had disappeared, leaving only a small, nameless village.
Following his memory, Xu Ning arrived at Zhao Datou's grave.
The tombstone was already broken and worn, but the words Xu Ning had carved back then could still be faintly made out.
The grave itself was overgrown with wild grass.
Xu Ning took out his kitchen knife and silently began cleaning.
The kitchen knife complained, "Xu Ning, I'm now a top-grade spirit-level magic weapon! And you're using me to cut grass on a grave?"
Xu Ning replied calmly, "You disrespected my master. I've decided to keep you here as compensation, as a permanent burial offering, to protect him for eternity."
The kitchen knife panicked immediately. "Xu Ning, I was wrong, I was wrong! Don't abandon me!"
"I love cutting grass on graves! Especially my master's! It's an honor!"
Xu Ning said softly, his voice firm, "No matter where we go in the future, or how powerful we become, he will always be my master."
The kitchen knife agreed hastily. "I understand! I truly understand now!"
After cleaning the grave thoroughly, Xu Ning took a new stone slab, carved fresh words onto it, and set it up properly.
He then placed incense, candles, and offerings, and silently sat down in front of the grave.
"Old man! Your disciple is now a cultivator! The martial arts you passed on to me, I brought to the cultivation world and passed on to many people. They are flourishing."
"Su Wei's grave has been leveled. That's good news. You should have seen it."
For the rest of the time, Xu Ning talked a lot, like a child sharing many interesting stories with his beloved master.
Unbeknownst to him, Xu Ning had been sitting by the grave for a whole day, lost in memory.
Early the next morning, a young man strode vigorously towards the grave. Seeing the figure sitting there, the things he was carrying fell from his hands to the ground with a clatter.
Xu Ning turned around, surprised. "Gu Mu! You're still alive?"
Gu Mu's face was already streaked with tears. "Master—"
Xu Ning wanted to laugh at the dramatic reunion but forcibly held it back. "Um, Gu Mu, what are you doing here?"
"Master—" Gu Mu rushed forward and threw himself into Xu Ning's arms.
Gu Mu cried for a long, long time, seemingly releasing all the pent-up frustration and grievances of the past years. He was practically using Xu Ning as a punching bag with his sobs.
Wait, that didn't sound quite right. Oh well, Xu Ning thought, I'll just comfort him. "Gu Mu! What are those three coffins on your back?"
Gu Mu seemed to have finally finished crying. He looked up, his eyes red. "Master, these are my lovers! They... they're all dead!"
Xu Ning was taken aback. "Dead? Disciple, you can't just carry them around on your back like that!"
"And won't they start to smell?"
Gu Mu explained, "Master, I used Youth-Preserving Pearls on them to prevent their bodies from decaying! In the future, I will definitely find a way to resurrect them!"
Xu Ning's eyes widened. "Youth-Preserving Pearls? Aren't those ancient, legendary artifacts? And you have three of them?"
Xu Ning had read about these items in cultivation manuals. They were extremely precious, capable of preserving a body indefinitely.
It has to be said, Xu Ning thought wryly, the protagonist is the protagonist. He gets three of these things at once, just handed to him by fate!
Gu Mu's eyes were filled with sorrow. "I obtained them from several ancient ruins I discovered."
Xu Ning was speechless. He clearly remembered his master saying that the mountains of the cultivation world had long been thoroughly scoured by generations of cultivators, making it virtually impossible to encounter any untouched ruins.
In fact, Xu Ning had lived for so many years and had never even heard of a real ruin being found, let alone encountered one himself.
Yet this kid, Gu Mu, seemed to stumble upon ruins as easily as eating and drinking. Where could he find any justice?!
The protagonist truly is a person of immense fortune, Xu Ning concluded, shaking his head internally.