Chapter 29: Returning to Qinghe County

The next morning, on a high mountain two hundred miles away from Guiyun Workshop, the master and disciple of the Li Grocery Store were resting in a bamboo pavilion shrouded in mist.

"Master, are you sure you haven't passed on the Taixu Sword Technique to the wrong person? I saw that boy's aptitude; he only has four spiritual roots. How could he possibly practice your Taixu Sword Technique?"

The shopkeeper, dressed as a middle-aged Taoist, stood up to look at Guiyuan Workshop a hundred miles away, then turned to his puzzled disciple and said

"Xingyun, you are still too young. In the path of cultivation, spiritual root aptitude is indeed important, but one cannot obsess over it blindly. In the ancient era, spiritual roots were not nearly as significant. Even those with five spiritual roots could ascend to immortality; it was simply a matter of opportunity."

"These years, following your master into the secular world for cultivation has been hard on you. After we return this time, I will enter secluded meditation for a period. You should come back with me as well; you are not far from a breakthrough in your cultivation. Prepare yourself well, and once I emerge from seclusion, I will seek some spiritual items for you."

Upon hearing this, the young cultivator spoke with joy and respect: "Thank you, Master. Is Master planning to return to the sect?"

"We have been out for so long; it is time to go back and visit."

A gentle breeze brushed across the ridge, and as a patch of mist dispersed, the two figures were no longer visible in the bamboo pavilion. The surrounding area, including the entire mountain, was as silent as if no one had ever been there.

——

Song Qingming had found an inn in the market to stay in yesterday and had left Guiyun Workshop early in the morning. He traveled by day and rested by night, making no delays along the way.

First, Song Qingming traveled east from Guiyun Workshop to Pingyang County, then headed south through the county. After traveling dustily for about half a month, he finally returned to Qinghe County.

Between his departure and return, Song Qingming had been away for over two months. He had traveled several thousand miles in total and had witnessed the vastness of the world outside.

The peaks of Mount Funiu pierced through the clouds, and a man-made staircase of blue stone, like a colossal azure dragon, was embedded into the mountainside, stretching from the summit downwards.

On a large rock within a pavilion halfway up the mountain, a sturdy man in his forties sat cross-legged. His eyes were tightly shut, motionless like an old monk in meditation, as if he had merged with the mountain itself.

After a short while, the man suddenly opened his eyes and performed a rapid series of hand seals. A surge of spiritual energy shot from his fingertips into a smooth blue stone in front of him. In the center of the stone, a circular area suddenly erupted with blue light, slowly forming a mirror. The mirror revealed a youth in green clothes, passing through a blue stone archway at the foot of the mountain and quickly leaping up the steps toward the summit—it was Song Qingming.

This blue stone was a rare mid-grade spiritual item called the "Spirit-Communicating Mirror," capable of projecting images from a hundred feet away for a short duration. It had been obtained by the Song family in Qinghe Workshop a hundred years ago.

Watching Song Qingming in the mirror, the man finally relaxed. He smiled faintly, dissipated the spiritual energy in his hands, and sat back down with his eyes closed. The blue light of the mirror slowly faded, and the stone returned to its original state.

A moment later, a youth leaped into the pavilion. It was Song Qingming. Seeing the seated figure before him, he hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed his head in greeting.

"Third Uncle, I am back."

"Qingming, you are finally back. If you hadn't returned, the Great Elder and the others would have organized a search party to look for you in the Cloud-Floating Mountains again." The man nodded slightly and greeted him with a smile.

Third Uncle, Song Changwu, possessed a steady temperament and was a diligent cultivator. Because he practiced the family's body-tempering techniques, his physique appeared much larger than Song Qingming's. Every time Song Qingming spoke to him, he had to tilt his head back uncomfortably.

"Fourth Uncle, have the Great Elder and the others all returned safely?"

"Yes, the Great Elder and the others returned nearly a month ago. Everyone is fine, except for your Fourteenth Uncle, whose injuries were a bit more severe, but it is nothing to worry about. You are the last to return; as long as you are safe, that is all that matters. Hurry up the mountain to report your safety to the Clan Leader and the others." Song Changwu waved at Song Qingming. Seeing him bow and quickly depart the pavilion, he closed his eyes again, returning to his mountain-like stillness.

When Song Qingming arrived at the assembly hall, he found that not only was the Clan Leader present, but several family elders had also gathered there, which was rare. Upon seeing Song Qingming, the crowd immediately surrounded him.

"Qingming, you have finally returned safely! If your name's spiritual glow had not yet faded from the genealogy, we truly thought you had met with disaster." Seeing Song Qingming enter the hall, Great Elder Song Gubei was the first to speak, his tone filled with affection, a few tears even tracing the corners of his eyes.

Great Elder Song Gubei was over a hundred years old and was the eldest cultivator in the Song family. He had been responsible for training the family's young cultivators for nearly thirty years, making him effectively the mentor to all the young cultivators of Song Qingming's generation. Although he was strict with them, he had long since regarded them as his own children in his heart.

Although Song Gubei had married and raised five or six children in his younger years, and his descendants numbered in the dozens, unfortunately, they were all mortals without spiritual roots. In his later years, he had placed all his hopes and efforts into the family's young cultivators.

That day by the pool, facing the massive vortex created by the Black-Feathered Python, Song Gubei had been powerless. He could only pull the nearest person, Song Changyun, aside as he watched Song Qingming being swallowed by the vortex. Later, when pursued by the python, he had no choice but to follow the Liu family's lead and return to Qinghe County first. On the journey back, Song Gubei had been deeply self-reproachful.

It was not until they returned to Mount Funiu and Clan Leader Song Guanshan checked the spiritual essence glow left by Song Qingming in the genealogy that Song Gubei learned the boy was still alive. He had wanted to return to the Cloud-Floating Mountains alone to meet him, but if Song Guanshan had not held him back this past month, Song Gubei would have gone searching for him long ago.

Song Guanshan patted Song Gubei on the shoulder to comfort him, then turned to Song Qingming and said

"Not only have you returned safely, but your cultivation has also progressed. Truly, those who survive great disasters are destined for great fortune. Quickly, tell us what you encountered during these two months."

Song Qingming bowed to everyone and explained, "That day, I was pulled to the bottom of the pool by the vortex and sustained some injuries. When I swam out of the pool, I found the shore deserted. I wanted to search for others, but I was frightened and lost my way by the demon beast returning to the water..."

Song Qingming recounted his pre-prepared story to the crowd without missing a beat. Naturally, he omitted the fact that he had found Liu Tianlong's storage bag. He even fabricated a reason for his rapid breakthrough to the fifth level of Qi Refinement, claiming that while healing in the mountains, he had stumbled upon several red spiritual fruits. Thinking they would aid his recovery, he consumed them, not realizing their medicinal potency was so staggering that he had inadvertently broken through his cultivation level.

As the crowd listened to his tale of perils, encountering a group of rogue cultivators, and fighting a battle against a pack of wolves before finally returning to Qinghe County, they all felt a lingering sense of dread.

"Regardless, you are back safely, and that is a good thing. This time, it is also my fault. I did not expect the Liu family's mission to be so careless that they failed to discover a Black-Feathered Python lurking in that pool," Song Guanshan said with a solemn expression.

Song Guanshan had been worried about the Liu family's mission from the start, but as the Clan Leader, he could not leave the family at will and could only wait at home. Seeing that all eight members of the Song family had returned safely, his heart finally eased somewhat.

"The Liu family has suffered heavy losses this time. I heard that Liu Tianlong also died from his injuries; I do not know if it is true or false. Clan Leader, I fear the Liu family may lose their influence in this northeastern region of Qinghe County," the Second Elder, Song Changfeng, said with concern, sharing the news he had gathered from the market over the past few days.

Song Guanshan nodded after hearing this. "If the Liu family undergoes a change, this area will likely not be peaceful for a while. We must be more vigilant. That old fellow Liu Tianlong shouldn't die that easily, should he?"

"Qingming, do not rush back to Spirit Source Mountain. Rest on the mountain for a few more days and let the Fourth Elder check if there are any other issues with your body, so as not to leave any hidden dangers for your cultivation."

Song Qingming stayed at Mount Funiu for another two days. To his surprise, the "red spiritual fruits" he had made up on the spot were actually found to have a similar source by the Fourth Elder, Song Gucai. From an ancient scroll regarding various heavenly treasures found by chance in the market, he had found a spiritual fruit very similar to the one Song Qingming had described.

This fruit was called the "Heavenly Dragon Fruit," a type of spiritual fruit that only existed in ancient times and had not yet been discovered in the State of Wei. Its effects were extraordinary; even with only a hundred years of age, a Qi Refinement cultivator consuming it raw could increase their cultivation level out of thin air. It was a spiritual item that had long been extinct.

Hearing this, Song Qingming was truly startled. He could only admit to it, lying that he had also lost his way when he encountered the fruit in the mountains. He claimed that if he were asked to go find it again, he certainly wouldn't know the way, which finally extinguished the fervent look in Song Gucai's eyes.

(End of Chapter)