Chapter 126: The East Wind Arrives |
Zhang Shaoheng did not truly have any deeper intentions. He was merely idle and venting a few complaints.
After eating a meal and drinking several cups of Yu Nian Brew from Bai Family Old Shop, Zhang Shaoheng became half-drunk.
Liao Xingbang’s son, Liao Wenjie, came over to help him back home.
Perhaps it truly fulfilled Qiaohua’s hopes.
Liao Xingbang loved roaming the jianghu, wielding blades and spears.
Yet the son he fathered turned out gentle and refined like a young lady.
He especially loved studying and often took the initiative to seek guidance from members of the Zhang family.
He had already completed the provincial examinations and earned the title of juren.
Now he only needed to wait two more years before attending the metropolitan examinations to see whether he could become a jinshi.
Although Zhang Shaoheng had not intentionally judged others by appearance, it was perfectly normal for a dignified second-rank minister to look down somewhat upon a rural farmer.
The entire world believed the refugee army leader from back then had already died.
Who would have imagined that the silent man sitting in the courtyard carving spirit tablets was actually that famous refugee army commander?
Huang Qi shook his head.
He had already abandoned everything long ago and no longer cared about such things.
As for the matters worrying Zhang Shaoheng, Huang Qi did not consider them major issues either.
Jing Kingdom might only produce one Tang Shijun and one Zhang Jingheng in a century.
But producing another Huang Qi was far easier.
Even Zhang Jingheng fell silent upon hearing those words.
Saving a nation was difficult.
Starting a rebellion, however, was far too easy.
Thus the days passed until the fifth year of Yongxiang.
With thunderous speed, Chu Xun seized the authority of Changming Prefecture’s City God.
Including the two cities and nine counties beneath Changming Prefecture, all fell into his hands.
That same year, Huang Qi adopted an orphan.
The child had fled from another region.
His ancestors had once been military officers of Jing Kingdom.
Later, after committing mistakes, they were dismissed and sent back to farm.
Several decades afterward, their family lands were seized through deceit and coercion.
His parents gathered the local people to seek justice, only to be executed under charges of rebellion.
The child fled together with others.
By the time he reached Pinecone Village, he was already starving to death.
After Huang Qi adopted him and obtained Chu Xun’s permission, the child remained in the courtyard to study, which at least guaranteed him food.
Although the child looked emaciated from hunger, his strength was astonishing.
At less than eight years old, he could lift a massive stone mill weighing over a hundred jin as though it were a toy.
When Liao Xingbang returned from wandering the jianghu, he spotted the boy immediately and realized he was a perfect martial arts seedling.
He wanted to take the child as a disciple and teach him martial arts.
Unexpectedly, the child refused.
His father had also practiced martial arts and had even been a third-rank martial warrior.
Yet when he went to seek justice, he died the most miserable death of all.
In the child’s eyes, personal martial strength was useful.
But it was not absolutely useful.
Many things one wished to accomplish could never be completed through personal force alone.
Therefore, he did not want to learn martial arts.
Liao Xingbang frowned deeply upon hearing this.
After finally finding such excellent talent, how could he willingly give up so easily?
“If you don’t want to learn martial arts, then what do you want to learn?” Liao Xingbang asked.
The child answered without hesitation:
“If I learn anything, I’ll learn the art of defeating ten thousand men!”
Liao Xingbang looked puzzled.
Defeating ten thousand men?
What kind of profound martial art was that?
Human strength had limits. Even a Innate Grandmaster would not dare claim to be invincible against ten thousand men.
Huang Qi spoke from nearby, “The so-called art of defeating ten thousand men refers to military strategy.”
Liao Xingbang immediately looked dispirited.
He had studied military strategy before and found it headache-inducing.
How could it compare to martial arts?
Even without talent, one could still achieve something through diligent training.
Chu Xun laughed.
“His desire to study military strategy doesn’t stop you from teaching him martial arts. He can learn both together.”
Liao Xingbang’s eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh.
“Right! He can learn both!”
Thus, another child joined the courtyard from then onward.
Every day he studied martial arts with Liao Xingbang and military strategy with Huang Qi.
After visiting several times and discovering Huang Qi was actually skilled in military strategy, Zhang Shaoheng found it astonishing.
Why would a farmer study military strategy?
However, the child’s talent truly was excellent, and Zhang Shaoheng also grew interested.
He began teaching the child how to conduct himself, along with astronomy, geography, and countless other subjects.
As a former Minister of Works, Zhang Shaoheng naturally possessed extensive knowledge in these areas.
By the end of the year, under Chu Xun’s witness, Huang Qi formally adopted the child as his grandson.
Considering the boy had originally belonged to a military household and had now been transferred to a farming household registration.
In order to ensure the child would never forget his roots, Huang Qi gave him a name:
Huang Ji.
Sixth Year of Yongxiang.
The current of Songliu River suddenly accelerated greatly.
Chu Xun went to inspect it once. After returning, he tossed the extraterrestrial meteorite iron, already fully shaped and polished, back into the furnace.
The furnace flames roared fiercely, heating the surrounding bricks until they looked almost molten.
The courtyard’s temperature skyrocketed in an instant.
White-haired Huang Qi silently grabbed his carving knife and wooden boards and moved dozens of meters farther away.
Wei Youyou shrieked in alarm and ran beside the vegetable patch, secretly pulling up several radish leaves while the field mice were distracted.
One glance was enough for Zhang Jingheng to understand.
The green-and-white python was about to awaken.
Huang Ji, however, knew nothing about this.
He curiously watched Chu Xun remove the glowing-red meteorite iron from the furnace and asked:
“Grandpa Chu, hasn’t your sword remained untouched for a very long time? Why are you suddenly reforging it?”
The sword forged from extraterrestrial meteorite iron lacked only its final step, sharpening the edge.
Chu Xun had delayed that final step all this time, focusing entirely on copying lightning-avoidance talismans.
Just as he had predicted earlier, he had now accumulated exactly twelve imitation lightning-avoidance talismans.
As for Heavenly One Divine Water Pearls, he had gathered dozens.
Each pearl contained over a hundred strands of Ren Water Essence.
Fourteen strands formed a thread.
Twenty threads formed a single flow.
Even prefecture-level City Gods would shiver at the sight of such quantities of Ren Water Essence.
All preparations had been completed.
Everything was ready.
Only the east wind remained.
Standing before the furnace, Chu Xun’s face flickered beneath the dancing firelight.
Facing Huang Ji’s question, he answered:
“I’m leaving.”
The moment those words were spoken, the courtyard fell silent.
Huang Qi stopped carving and slowly stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m not certain yet,” Chu Xun replied.
“Will you come back?”
“Perhaps. But I don’t know when.”
Some vague instinct told him that future missions would most likely no longer revolve around Pinecone Village and its people.
Besides, the world was vast.
He also wished to go out and see what lay beyond.
Especially since he intended to dismantle the rotten pavilion.
Remaining forever in this tiny village would accomplish very little.
Once he left this place, it might be decades, or even centuries, before he returned.
The old crow flew down from the roof and landed beside Chu Xun.
Even though the furnace flames scorched it uncomfortably, it still refused to retreat.
This oldest crow had already grown nearly as tall as a human.
Large and imposing, it stood like an iron tower.
Its eyes revealed reluctance and anxiety as it flapped its wings several times and emitted low cawing sounds.
Chu Xun understood its meaning.
“I also don’t know whether you can continue following me. If possible, naturally I don’t wish to part from you either.”
The weasels, rabbits, and field mice all gathered around, staring at him pitifully.
Only Wei Youyou wandered over while nibbling a cucumber.
Squatting down, she patted the heads of the weasels, rabbits, and field mice one after another.
“Don’t worry. When Master’s about to die, I’ll bring him back.”
Huang Qi and Huang Ji both looked over, uncertain how to evaluate that statement.
It sounded strangely filial.
Yet also horrifying.
What they did not know was that after following Chu Xun for so many years, this was the thing Wei Youyou had become most familiar with.
Bringing back people close to them who were nearing death, then letting the Zhangnan County City God handle their reincarnation.
Chu Xun smiled.
He had long grown used to Wei Youyou speaking this way and paid it no mind.
Soon afterward, the extraterrestrial meteorite iron burned bright red.
Dark clouds gradually gathered in the sky.
This was not caused by spellcraft, but a natural transformation of heaven and earth.
Distant thunder rumbled faintly.
The oppressive atmosphere made everyone uneasy.
Chu Xun looked up at the sky.
Zhang Jingheng did the same and said, “This thunder seems somewhat unusual.”
It sounded heavier and denser than ordinary thunder.
Before the lightning even fell, the entire sky was already illuminated like daylight.
Chu Xun reached into the furnace and pulled out the blazing-red meteorite iron with his bare hand.
Huang Ji cried out in shock, “Grandpa Chu!”
Although Huang Qi’s eyes also revealed astonishment, he did not react as dramatically.
After so many years, he had already guessed at certain possibilities.
He simply had never confirmed them.
Today’s sight was enough to fully verify his suspicions.
Holding the glowing-red meteorite iron in one hand, Chu Xun formed a sword gesture with the fingers of his other hand and casually wiped along the blade’s edge.
The incomparably hard meteorite iron was effortlessly sharpened into a sword edge.
Chu Xun did not waste the leftover material either.
Looking toward Huang Ji, he asked, “Would you like a suitable weapon?”
Huang Ji’s eyes brightened instantly.
“Yes!”
Although military strategy was his primary focus, his personal martial strength was equally terrifying.
At only nine years old, he already possessed the strength of a fourth-rank martial warrior.
Although he had some martial foundation before arriving at Pinecone Village, his speed of improvement was still shocking.
Even Liao Xingbang had been greatly discouraged by it.
Fortunately, possessing the Dragon-Slaying Saber allowed him to preserve at least some dignity as a teacher.
“What kind of weapon do you want?” Chu Xun asked.
Without hesitation, Huang Ji answered:
“A long halberd!”
It was one of the standard military weapons and also the weapon his father had excelled with while alive.
Chu Xun nodded slightly.
With a wave of his hand, over a dozen iron billets stacked within the courtyard flew over.
They fell into the furnace and instantly glowed red-hot.
The leftover meteorite iron fragments also dropped inside.
Once all the metal completely melted, it flew out from the furnace.
No excessive hammering was required.
Under Dao art control, the weapon formed almost instantly.
A bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the heavens and struck the halberd directly, driving it six chi deep into the ground.
Sparks scattered everywhere as the weapon instantly shrank by nearly thirty percent.
Chu Xun laughed loudly.
“With this lightning strike helping, it saves me the trouble of further tempering.”
“Yah!” Wei Youyou squealed in fright and leaped beside the vegetable patch.
The field mice immediately pushed her shoes away while squeaking noisily.
After being tricked once already, they refused to fall for the same trap twice.
Wei Youyou’s tiny face turned pale as she pitifully squatted down.
“Scary…”
Her dark eyes looked toward them, and the squeaking of the field mice gradually softened.
After a while, they slowly waddled aside.
Wei Youyou extended her hand.
The field mice nervously stared at the radish leaves, uncertain how many would be plucked this time.
Yet the pale little hand did not reach for the radish leaves.
Instead, they felt warm, soft fingers gently stroking their heads.
“In the future, nobody will compete with you for radish leaves anymore.”
The field mice blankly raised their heads and looked at Wei Youyou, whose body was now faintly glowing with spiritual light.
Suddenly, they seemed to understand something.
Their squeaks instantly became louder.
Rain gradually began falling from the sky.
The raindrops were as large as beans, hammering the rooftops loudly.
The long halberd hissed with white steam beneath the rain.
Meanwhile, the weapon in Chu Xun’s hand gradually revealed its true form.
It was a long sword measuring three chi and seven cun.
Its spine stood firm as a mountain, while its edge was thin as cicada wings.
Tiny golden glimmers flowed faintly across its surface.
Raindrops could not even land upon it before being shredded apart by the sword’s sharp aura.
Chu Xun had spent nearly forty years forging this sword.
Thunder rumbled overhead once more as another bolt of lightning descended.
The sword trembled slightly.
Brilliant golden light shot into the heavens and directly split the lightning apart.
Chu Xun burst into laughter.
As expected, it truly was an excellent sword.
With a grasp of his hand, the wine jars inside the house shattered.
All the liquor poured into the wine gourd he had long prepared.
He had accumulated wine for countless years, enough that even massive vats could not contain it all.
Yet this wine gourd resembled a bottomless abyss, swallowing every drop completely.
Even the lightning-avoidance talismans stored in the cabinet and the old Daoist’s medicine bottles flew over.
After slight hesitation, the painting hanging on the wall flew over as well.
This painting had been personally gifted by Tang Shijun and even bore the private seal “Master Huaitang.”
Hanging the wine gourd at his waist, Chu Xun shrank Tang Shijun’s painting and tucked it together with the lightning-avoidance talismans into his robes.
Looking toward Huang Qi and Huang Ji standing beneath the eaves, Chu Xun said:
“I’m leaving.”
Huang Ji’s eyes reddened.
He did not know what this Grandpa Chu, who spent his days either drawing talismans or forging iron was truly going to do.
He only knew that after this farewell, they would likely never meet again.
Huang Qi’s gaze also dimmed somewhat.
But he had already experienced too many separations between life and death and disliked excessive sentimentality.
He cupped his hands respectfully.
“May your journey go smoothly, sir.”
Holding his sword, Chu Xun returned the salute.
Exchanging a glance with Zhang Jingheng, he said, “We should leave behind some traces. Enough to make others fear offending this place lightly.”
Zhang Jingheng nodded.
“That would be good.”
Under Huang Ji’s stunned gaze, Chu Xun rose into the sky.
His voice overpowered even the thunder and spread into every household of Pinecone Village.
“Today I leave my homeland, perhaps never to return. Villagers, do not blame me, do not think of me, do not miss me.”
Whether asleep or awakened by the thunder and rain, every villager heard his voice.
Many leaned out windows or opened their doors to look around.
Amid lightning and thunder, a lone figure stood suspended in midair.
They were utterly dumbfounded.
A… divine immortal?
Yet that voice clearly belonged to Chu Chen!
Even Zhang Shaoheng awoke and stepped outside wearing only his outer robe.
Beside him came his wife’s cry of alarm.
“Husband, look!”
Zhang Shaoheng lowered his gaze and saw that their courtyard had somehow filled with blooming flowers.
One blossom after another, dazzling in countless colors.
The crops in the fields, which had only just sprouted, instantly grew seven or eight chi tall.
Every stalk became laden with grain yet remained upright rather than bending.
The village fruit trees bloomed and bore fruit simultaneously.
The fragrance spread everywhere, impossible for even the rain to conceal.
Water jars brimmed full.
Courtyards overflowed with firewood.
Even rice bins were packed so full that rice nearly spilled out.
Many villagers were overjoyed and knelt toward Chu Xun in worship.
After leaving behind sufficient traces, Chu Xun’s figure flickered.
When he reappeared, he was already outside the Wei Duke Shrine beyond the village.
Within the courtyard, Huang Ji stood in the rain before the long halberd.
Looking at the weapon still embedded six chi into the ground despite so much remaining above the surface, he reached out with both hands and grabbed it.
The nine-year-old boy’s body bulged with muscle.
Terrifying strength far beyond ordinary humans erupted from him.
With a furious roar, he actually yanked the halberd, easily weighing two to three hundred jin straight out from the ground.
However, pulling it free was one thing.
Wielding it freely was another entirely.
Thus, Huang Ji could only hug the halberd while silently standing in the rain.
Huang Qi stared at the halberd, which stood more than twice his own height, his expression incredibly complicated.
It was an excellent weapon.
Forged from extraterrestrial meteorite iron mixed together with ordinary iron billets.
Crafted not through mortal means.
But through Dao arts.
The only question was whether it would ever truly see use.
The guards protecting Wei Duke Shrine had already awakened.
Every single one of them was elderly.
Several among them had already passed away.
Yet their sons and grandsons still lived here, continuing to guard the shrine.
Chu Xun stood before the ancestral hall.
Immediately, angry shouts rang out from inside.
“Who goes there!”
Once the guards emerged and recognized Chu Xun, their tense expressions relaxed somewhat.
“Such heavy rain. Why has Mr. Chu come?” one elderly guard asked respectfully.
When Liao Shouyi died, he and several other guards had personally witnessed the miraculous sight of flying swords within the Zhangnan County City God Temple.
Among all people in the world, they were among those most aware of how extraordinary this Mr. Chu truly was.
Chu Xun spoke directly.
“I’m leaving this place. Before departing, I’m giving you all some things.”
Metal essence qi gathered casually into his hand and transformed into streaks of white light, each entering the guards’ weapons.
Some received more, others less, depending on their weapon quality.
But even a single strand was enough to transform an ordinary weapon into a peerless divine armament.
The elderly guard naturally understood what this represented.
He had witnessed such divine weapons before.
Even now, the new northern frontier cities and southwestern cities still possessed such weapons.
He simply never imagined he himself would one day obtain one.
Chu Xun said:
“After I leave, guard Wei Duke Shrine well. Guard Pinecone Village well too. Don’t allow outsiders to take advantage.”
The elderly guard froze.
Before he could respond, Chu Xun had already vanished.
The younger guard beside him turned pale in fright.
“He… he was just standing there talking. How did he disappear in the blink of an eye?”
The old guard inhaled deeply and slapped his grandson across the head.
“What nonsense are you talking about! That was Mr. Chu, a once-in-a-lifetime extraordinary figure of the mortal world!
If anything, calling him an immortal would make more sense. What ghost would dare show itself before him?”
“An immortal!?”
The young guard stared in shock.
Wasn’t Mr. Chu just a farmer from Pinecone Village?
“How immortals conduct themselves is beyond your understanding.”
The old guard inhaled deeply once more.
Whether Chu Xun could hear him or not, he bowed respectfully.
“Rest assured, sir. As long as we live, if any villains dare approach, we will ensure they never return!”
Soon afterward, the other guards learned that Chu Xun had visited, bestowed divine weapons, and entrusted them with protecting Pinecone Village.
None objected.
Instead, they felt both excited and regretful.
They had long suspected Mr. Chu was no ordinary man.
Yet after spending so many years near him, they still failed to see him one final time before parting.
Ping Shui Town.
Rain poured heavily from the heavens, leaving the streets completely empty.
Most shops had already closed.
Bai Family Old Shop.
Old Bai Min’an sat in his chair, aged and frail, his eyes cloudy.
Thanks to the health-preserving medicinal recipes from his son-in-law, he remained capable of walking on his own even past eighty years old.
He was the longest-living man in all of Ping Shui Town.
This also made his son-in-law famous across hundreds of li.
Even nobles and officials traveled great distances seeking longevity prescriptions.
Unfortunately, many people who took the medicine still failed to live longer.
Those destined to die still died.
Although Bai Min’an had longevity, his body had long become weak.
His grandson had already become a physician and opened his own clinic.
No one remained to inherit Bai Family Old Shop.
Even though the family no longer lacked money, Bai Min’an still could not bear abandoning the family business.
Thus, he hired a young clerk to help serve wine each day.
The clerk stood at the doorway for a while before turning around and saying:
“Old Master, the rain is too heavy today. Probably no one’s coming to buy wine.”
Bai Min’an knew the young man wished to return home early.
The fellow had only recently become a father and naturally wanted to rush back home.
Under normal circumstances, Bai Min’an would have agreed.
With rain this heavy, so intense it sounded as though it might punch holes through the roof, it truly seemed impossible anyone would come to buy wine.
Yet for some reason, Bai Min’an felt a strange sensation today.
He could not explain it.
He simply did not want to leave yet.
“Wait a little longer,” Bai Min’an said.
The clerk did not understand what he was waiting for.
Leaning against the doorframe, he anxiously watched the rain outside.
He wondered whether his son had enough milk to drink.
Whether there was enough milk at all.
“Sigh. In rain this heavy, the whole street has already closed shop. Who could possibly come?”
Time passed.
Yet not only did the rain fail to lessen, it became even heavier.
Suddenly, a figure ran through the rain and entered the shop.
“Why haven’t you closed yet?”
The newcomer was Bai Min’an’s grandson, Bai Yucheng.
Now middle-aged, he possessed a tall scholarly appearance and carried the distinct scent of medicinal herbs.
The clerk replied:
“Old Master insisted on waiting longer. I don’t know who he’s waiting for.”
Bai Yucheng walked over and bent down beside his grandfather.
“Grandfather, the rain’s too heavy. Close the shop and let me escort you home.”
Bai Min’an still shook his head.
The strange feeling in his heart was becoming stronger and stronger.
He did not want to leave.
Bai Yucheng frowned.
How had the old man become even more stubborn with age?
In weather like this, not even ghosts would come buy wine!
Just as he prepared to persuade him further, a figure suddenly appeared at the doorway.
A warm voice asked:
“Is there still Yu Nian Brew left?”
Bai Min’an’s hunched body straightened slightly.
Trembling, he rose to his feet and looked toward the doorway.
Though his vision had become blurry with age, the feeling within his heart finally settled completely at this moment.
He knew who he had been waiting for.
Bai Yucheng turned around and froze momentarily before quickly bowing.
“Mr. Chu.”
Chu Xun smiled as he entered the shop.
The clerk glanced at the torrential rain outside, then at Chu Xun’s completely dry body.
His face instantly filled with shock.
In rain this heavy, how was Old Master Chu not wet at all?
There was no carriage.
No umbrella.
It was almost as though he had appeared out of nowhere.
The street had been completely empty just moments earlier.
“Quickly, pour wine for Mr. Chu!” Bai Yucheng shouted.
The clerk finally snapped out of his daze and hurriedly acknowledged the order.
Yet Bai Min’an suddenly said:
“I’ll do it myself!”
“Grandfather!” Bai Yucheng cried worriedly.
He knew the Chu family, two generations of them had supported Bai Family Old Shop for nearly a century.
Combined with the numerous businesses throughout town, the Chu family controlled over half the local industries.
Everyone knew of Old Master Chu and Lord Chu the Great Benefactor.
Not to mention the Chu family’s countless ties with the three great dukes and the renowned Zhang family that had moved into Pinecone Village.
Given such status, it was only natural for his grandfather to personally serve him wine.
But Bai Min’an was simply too old now.
Bai Yucheng feared an accident.
To Bai Yucheng’s surprise, however, his grandfather, whose health had steadily declined over recent years, suddenly looked remarkably energetic today.
Moments ago he had still been trembling while standing.
Now, as he walked toward the wine vat, his back had already straightened.
Pulling aside the red cloth covering the wine vat, Bai Min’an asked:
“The usual?”
The “usual” meant one jar.
Each jar held ten jin.
It had always been this way for countless years.
Chu Xun untied the wine gourd hanging at his waist.
“Use this.”
Bai Min’an examined the gourd and said:
“This probably can’t hold much. At most three or four jin. Won’t that be too little for you?”
Chu Xun smiled.
“My gourd is rather special. Just fill it. I’m only afraid your shop doesn’t have enough wine.”
Bai Yucheng, who stood nearby with both hands ready to support his grandfather at any moment, looked at the wine gourd.
It was less than one chi tall.
He secretly thought Mr. Chu must truly be getting old.
He had even started exaggerating now.
A wine gourd that size could hold at most three or four jin.
The shop contained well over a hundred jin of wine.
How could it possibly be insufficient?
He said nothing, feeling it would hurt Mr. Chu’s dignity otherwise.
Bai Min’an removed the stopper from the wine gourd.
Before he even picked up the wine ladle, the wine within the vat suddenly flowed into the gourd on its own.
His aged eyes could not see clearly.
But Bai Yucheng and the clerk were completely dumbfounded.
Bai Min’an scooped downward with the ladle but strangely found nothing.
He let out a surprised sound.
Bending lower and stretching his arm farther, he scooped again.
Still nothing.
Astonished, he asked:
“Ma San, where’s the wine?”
Ma San was the young clerk.
Hearing himself addressed, he swallowed nervously and stammered while staring at Chu Xun:
“The wine… the wine… it’s all gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” Bai Min’an scolded. “There were at least two hundred jin of Yu Nian Brew left. We hardly sold any these past few days!”
Bai Yucheng also swallowed nervously, not daring to look directly at Chu Xun.
Leaning close to his grandfather’s ear, he whispered shakily:
“The wine flew into Mr. Chu’s gourd by itself…”
Bai Min’an froze.
Holding the wine gourd in his hand, he could feel no weight at all.
It remained light as ever.
His grandson’s words left him momentarily unable to react.
An entire vat of Yu Nian Brew, over two hundred jin had vanished into a single wine gourd.
Chu Xun walked over and took back the wine gourd from Bai Min’an’s hands.
Smiling, he said:
“I told you your shop didn’t have enough wine.”
Only then did Bai Min’an fully realize that the Old Master Chu he had known for so many years was no ordinary person.
He instantly became emotional, wanting to say something yet unable to find the words.
Chu Xun casually took out a pile of silver and tossed it onto the counter without even counting it.
“Your family’s Yu Nian Brew is excellent. I hope that one day I’ll have another chance to drink it again,” Chu Xun said.
Bai Min’an heard the hidden meaning behind those words and asked:
“Mr. Chu, are you leaving this place?”
Chu Xun nodded.
“I’ve stayed here many years. It’s time to go.”
A trace of sadness appeared in Bai Min’an’s cloudy eyes.
“Once you leave, I’m afraid I won’t live long enough to wait for your return.”
Chu Xun sighed softly.
“Once I leave, I may never drink wine this good again either.”
Although he had not traveled the world often or gone especially far.
Among all the wines he had tasted, only Bai Family Old Shop’s Yu Nian Brew was truly the best.
Another thunderclap echoed outside, accompanied faintly by a sharp howl.
Chu Xun no longer delayed.
He cupped his hands respectfully.
“Take care.”
Then he turned and walked outside.
The clerk jumped in fright and hurriedly stumbled backward.
His legs weakened, causing him to fall to the floor.
At that moment, however, Bai Yucheng suddenly realized something.
He immediately rushed forward and knelt before Chu Xun, kowtowing.
“Please, Mr. Chu, for the sake of all these years of friendship, grant my grandfather several more years of life.”
Chu Xun stopped walking and turned back with a smile.
“You don’t wish for anything for yourself?”
Bai Yucheng gritted his teeth.
“I dare not ask for much. I only hope my grandfather can live to a hundred years old.”
“You truly ask for nothing else?” Chu Xun asked again.
Bai Yucheng still gritted his teeth.
It was not that he lacked desires.
He simply did not dare.
Knowing the other party might truly be an immortal, obtaining a century-long lifespan for his grandfather was already an unimaginable blessing.
How could he dare ask for more?
Chu Xun sighed.
“Since you ask for nothing else, then so be it. Let Bai Min’an live to one hundred years.”
A wish ribbon suddenly appeared before Chu Xun.
Below it was the kneeling figure of Bai Yucheng praying earnestly.
Chu Xun had genuinely wished to leave the Bai family some benefits.
As long as Bai Yucheng was willing to make wishes, Chu Xun could fulfill them through incense divine arts.
Unfortunately, Bai Yucheng’s heart held too much reverence and fear, causing him to miss the opportunity.
Chu Xun extended a finger.
The white wish ribbon instantly transformed into deep blue.
Without further words, Chu Xun stepped outside.
One step later, he vanished into the rainy night.
The fallen clerk had only just recovered when he heard Chu Xun grant Bai Min’an a hundred-year lifespan.
He scrambled outside and dropped to his knees, shouting:
“Old Master Chu, please grant me wealth and prosperity!”
But no reply came.
Chu Xun had already left Ping Shui Town.
And even if he had remained, he would not have fulfilled such a wish.
Because this desire had been born from momentary greed rather than true reverence or faith.
Not even a wish ribbon had formed.
Furthermore, when Chu Xun turned around earlier, the clerk had been so frightened that he stumbled backward and fell.
That alone proved the two lacked destiny together.
Meanwhile, listening to the clerk’s desperate cries outside, Bai Yucheng felt both regretful and melancholic.
Judging from Chu Xun’s earlier words, had he been slightly bolder and asked for one or two additional wishes, perhaps they too might have been fulfilled.
The moment that thought appeared, Bai Yucheng regretted it so deeply his intestines nearly turned green.
Bai Min’an walked over beside him.
“Do you regret it now?”
Bai Yucheng looked up and saw his grandfather standing perfectly straight.
Though still old, his complexion looked incomparably healthier than before.
Bai Yucheng quickly shook his head.
“I don’t regret asking for Grandfather’s longevity. I only regret lacking courage.”
Bai Min’an helped him up and gestured toward the clerk outside, who still knelt in despair after failing to receive any response.
Then he quietly said:
“How immortals act cannot be judged by ordinary logic. If you had truly made too many wishes, your heart might no longer have been sincere. Without sincerity, nothing works.”
Bai Yucheng froze.
Then sudden understanding dawned upon him.
Wishing for his grandfather’s longevity came from filial piety.
Sincerity brought spiritual response.
But if he had made additional wishes for himself, they would inevitably have contained selfish desires and personal greed.
At that point, perhaps even his grandfather’s granted longevity would have vanished.
Realizing this, Bai Yucheng let out a long breath.
Admiration filled his face.
“Grandfather is right. Simply encountering an immortal and witnessing immortal methods is already a blessing beyond compare.
And he even granted Grandfather a hundred-year lifespan. I shouldn’t harbor further greed.”
Bai Min’an patted his shoulder and walked toward the now-empty wine vat.
Peering into the completely dry vat several times, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“So immortals also love my family’s wine!”
Songliu River.
At that moment, massive waves churned violently across the river surface.
An enormous mountain-like figure slowly emerged from the water.
Chu Xun stepped forward.
A bolt of lightning illuminated heaven and earth in pure white.
Looking at the giant python raising its head proudly toward him, its vertical pupils shining as it unleashed deafening roars capable of splitting mountains and stone.
Chu Xun opened his palm.
A long sword wrapped in dense golden light appeared within his grasp.
He raised his head toward the heavens, his gaze unwavering.
Today, he would see whether heavenly tribulation was stronger.
Or whether Old Master Chu himself was stronger!
[End of Chapter]