Chapter 28: Bewilderment in the Face of the Unknown World

It was only after the old man had departed from the wedding banquet that Li’s father regained his composure. When he had displayed his true strength to help Yuan understand the nature of this world, he had accidentally shattered a mountain peak, inadvertently breaking the barrier he had set up and allowing the old man to stumble inside by sheer chance.

"Let us all have a reunion meal together today," Li’s mother said to the group.

Old Man Chen Xun understood why she suggested this; to whisk Li Ziyuan away so abruptly would have seemed heartless. At the dining table, Chen Xun felt a warmth from the couple’s hospitality that he had not experienced since his thirties. He felt somewhat unaccustomed to it, having lived in solitude for far too long.

"Old Master Chen, I entrust Yuan and Yue to your care from now on."

Faced with this plea, Chen Xun readily thumped his chest, promising to look after the young couple well.

After the meal, Chen Xun sat at the front of the water gourd, while Li Ziyuan and Li Yue’er stood behind him. Yue’er adjusted her posture slightly and sat sideways on the edge of the gourd.

"Sister Li, Brother Li, please remember to come back and visit Ling’er often," Ling’er said to them. "I will take good care of the little peach sapling for you, Brother."

Ziyuan nodded at Ling’er, while Yue’er offered her final farewells to her family.

Watching the water gourd fly off into the distance, Li’s father placed a supportive hand on his wife’s shoulder and said, "Whether he is Li Ziyuan or Li Yuan, he remains our son."

Perhaps this simple life in Qingyan Village had been the happiest time of Li Ziyuan’s life, though, consumed by his thirst for revenge, he had failed to notice it.

Up front, Chen Xun steered the water gourd toward the Fengling Sect, the lowest-ranked sect on the Canglan Continent. As Qingyan Village gradually vanished from his sight, Ziyuan felt a complicated mix of emotions. This simple life in the village was something he had never experienced before.

Ziyuan withdrew his gaze and looked toward the unknown distance, firm in his resolve: no matter how difficult the road ahead might be, it would not stop him from returning home or pursuing his path of vengeance. Yue’er felt similarly lost, knowing nothing of the outside world, yet from the moment she left the village, she held an unwavering belief that she could overcome any challenge.

Sitting at the front, Chen Xun asked, "Why aren’t you two wearing the wedding rings I gave you?"

He had sensed it at the dinner table—and even suspected there might be some friction in their relationship.

"Master, I have it with me," Yue’er quickly replied.

Chen Xun feigned a pained expression. "It seems you disdain the gift I gave you. Regardless of its quality, it was a gesture of my sincerity."

Seeing this, Yue’er had no choice but to take out the two white jade rings and place one upon her finger. "How could I disdain it, Master? See, I am wearing it now."

Yue’er did not notice that the moment she donned the ring, a faint, near-invisible flicker of white light pulsed from it.

Ziyuan, however, said firmly, "If you want me to wear this ring, I’d rather jump off right here."

Seeing this, Chen Xun decided to say no more. The simple probe had confirmed that their relationship was indeed complex.

As Yue’er, feeling disheartened, moved to take the ring off, she suddenly heard a weak, pleading male voice: "Please, don't take it off! I beg you, beautiful fairy sister, please don't take it off!"

Yue’er furrowed her delicate brows, wondering who was speaking in such a faint tone.

"Beautiful fairy sister, I am inside the jade ring you are wearing. They cannot hear me, as I am speaking to your mind. Sister, do you have any spirit stones? I am so hungry; I haven't eaten in over a thousand years. I'm starving to death," the voice inside the ring pleaded.

Yue’er had no spirit stones; she had only read about them in books, as spirit energy was too scarce in Qingyan Village to produce them. However, she realized that Old Man Chen likely had some. Though she didn't know what was in the ring, it clearly had a desperate need for them.

"Master, do you have any spirit stones? If so, could you give me one?" Yue’er asked.

"I do, of course I do," Chen Xun said casually.

"How many?" Ziyuan and Yue’er asked in unison.

Chen Xun cleared his throat. "How many do you want?"

"The more, the better," Ziyuan said.

"Just one," Yue’er said.

Chen Xun felt like jumping up and kicking Ziyuan for his insatiable greed.

Chen Xun produced a low-grade spirit stone and handed it to Yue’er. She took it and whispered to Ziyuan, "I will help you find more spirit stones in the future."

Ziyuan remained indifferent; he had plenty of ways to get them from Chen Xun—if he couldn't ask for them, he would steal them; if he couldn't steal them, he would seize them. He knew the importance of spirit stones to a cultivator, especially one just starting out.

"Thank you, sister. I will reward you well in the future. I am very weak right now; just put the stone in your pocket, and I will absorb it myself," the mysterious entity inside the ring said.

Five days later, the three arrived at the Fengling Sect, only to be struck by the sight of the overgrown, dilapidated little sect.

The sense of disappointment was greatest for Ziyuan. He could never have imagined that the sect mentioned in books would be so starkly different from this.

"Master, is this really your sect?" Yue’er asked, faltering. "May I ask how many people are in it?"

Chen Xun laughed awkwardly. "I haven't been back for over three months, so I didn't expect it to look like this. Including you two, there are four of us in total." He changed his tone, adding, "Don't worry. With your addition, I believe everything will look brand new in the near future. The Fengling Sect will become one of the top sects on the Canglan Continent, and eventually, a legendary immortal sect that strikes fear into all who hear its name."

*Even though I never expected a sect like this,* Ziyuan thought, *I don't know enough about this world yet. I'll use this place as a stepping stone and look for opportunities elsewhere later.*

Yue’er sensed that there was more to Old Man Chen than met the eye, but decided to learn more gradually and familiarize herself with the place first.

Ziyuan, having already walked inside, found a disheveled, red-haired creature sleeping at the entrance of the sect. Thinking the person was dead, he walked past without a second glance.

Seeing this, Chen Xun clutched his head in frustration. "He's starved himself unconscious again."

Yue’er rushed over to check on the red-haired creature. Finding him still breathing, she realized it was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen. "He's still alive, Master."

"It seems he's eaten all the food in the sect. Look, he's even gnawed on the tree bark. He must have fainted from hunger."

Hearing this, Yue’er hurried outside the sect. She returned a moment later with two wild two-headed chickens. She quickly went to the kitchen, chopped them up, and made a pot of soup. She then gently picked up the starving boy and began to feed him.

The boy struggled to open his eyes, and upon smelling the delicious meal, he immediately jumped up, snatched the bowl, and devoured the meat. Following the scent, he rushed to the kitchen and finished off every scrap of the two-headed chicken in the pot.

Still unsatisfied, the red-haired boy walked out slowly, hugged Yue’er’s leg, and said, "Thank you, Mommy. Mommy is so beautiful. Can I sleep with Mommy tonight?"