Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Things Remain, but People Change

At Dai Sangyu’s palace on the mountainside.

Led by Senior Brother Xiong, Zhang Tie arrived at the palace.

Senior Brother Xiong reported Zhang Tie’s successful Foundation Establishment to Dai Sangyu and requested to see their master.

But Dai Sangyu stopped them.

Dai Sangyu informed them that their master was in seclusion. Zhang Tie could only be formally accepted as a disciple after the master emerged, but he could reside on the mountain for now.

Zhang Tie didn’t dare leave Cyan Dragon Mountain, lest the Master emerge from seclusion and be unable to find him. He could only find a private chamber to meditate and wait for Fenglan Master to appear.

Although he couldn’t leave Cyan Dragon Mountain himself, he had someone go down the mountain to inform his master and elder brother of his successful Foundation Establishment.

After waiting patiently for over half a month, Zhang Tie finally saw Fenglan Master emerge from seclusion, and she accepted him as her disciple.

After all this was done, he went to Immortal Peach Mountain to look for his elder brother.

However, he was told by Bai Lin that after Li Ping learned of his successful Foundation Establishment, he had left the Immortal City, reassured, and returned to the Jiang Kingdom.

Hearing this, Zhang Tie could only leave in disappointment, planning to visit his elder brother again once he returned to the Immortal City.

...

Inside the palace at the summit of Cyan Dragon Mountain.

Mr. Yan smiled and said, "This child has a pure, honest, and steady character. I must congratulate City Lord Bai on accepting such a fine disciple."

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Yan." Fenglan Master sighed upon hearing this. "Unfortunately, that fiend Yan Liming is truly cunning. He kept us waiting for so long, yet he never showed up in the end. I can only trouble you, Mr. Yan, to condescend to stay in the Immortal City for a while longer."

Mr. Yan smiled and nodded. "It is no trouble at all. Do not worry, City Lord Bai. As it happens, I’ve met an interesting young friend, so I haven’t found it boring in the least."

"Oh? In that case, I am relieved." Fenglan Master was puzzled, but she did not say anything more.

...

The Jiang Kingdom was located in the central-western part of the Western Wilderness.

The mighty Jianglan River flowed from north to south, cleaving the entire kingdom in two. The abundant water from the great river resulted in a landscape dotted with lakes, earning the Jiang Kingdom the name "Land of Marshes."

The terrain of the Jiang Kingdom was dominated by lakes and hills, with few high mountains and equally few plains.

Mortals mostly lived in settlements built upon the hills. Generations of development had created a unique environment of terraced farming. The few plains that existed were mainly where the cities were located.

One day, on the western border of the Jiang Kingdom.

A black, shuttle-shaped phantom flew in at high speed from a neighboring country and, without pausing, headed toward the southern part of the Jiang Kingdom. This black Flying Shuttle was none other than Li Ping’s Tier Two Flying Ship, the Floating Shadow Shuttle.

Inside the Flying Shuttle, Li Ping and Daoist Ji Xiu sat opposite each other. Between them was a low table set with a tea service.

While chatting and drinking tea with Daoist Ji, Li Ping gazed out of the Flying Shuttle, his eyes filled with a storm of emotions.

The Jiang Kingdom was the homeland of this life for him. After transmigrating, he had spent eight or nine years here before he had to follow a merchant caravan to the Immortal City for the sake of Foundation Establishment.

Now, returning to the Jiang Kingdom after successfully reaching Foundation Establishment, he felt a distinct sense of returning home in glory.

SWOOSH!

The Flying Shuttle flew rapidly, and after less than half a day, it came to a halt above a hill forty to fifty zhang high.

Standing on the Flying Ship, Li Ping looked down at the hill below. According to what Daoist Ji had told him on the way, this hill was called Little Plum Mountain and was the Tier One Middle Grade Spiritual Land that the Ji family had rented.

The Spiritual Land was only about a hundred mu in size, yet the rent was sixteen Spirit Stones per year. This was significantly more expensive than the rental prices for Spiritual Land in the Immortal City.

However, the Jiang Kingdom was a developed land, populated by many Cultivators but with few Spiritual Lands. The rental prices for Spiritual Land had naturally skyrocketed.

As for why these Cultivators didn’t go to the Immortal City to strive for higher earnings, the reason was simple. In the Jiang Kingdom, Demon Beasts were nearly extinct, making it far safer than the Immortal City could ever be.

Most Cultivators, in truth, did not harbor such grand ambitions. They preferred to live ordinary, peaceful lives.

To work diligently and continue their family lines—that was all.

...

Li Ping smiled and cupped his hands. "Brother Ji, I’m going to return to Sword Casting Manor first to pay respects to my master. I’ll come visit you at Little Plum Mountain in a few days!"

Daoist Ji also smiled and nodded. "Alright, Brother Li, it’s settled then. You must come to Little Plum Mountain before you return to the Immortal City. I have some matters to discuss with you."

Although Li Ping was a bit puzzled by Daoist Ji’s words, he was anxious to return to the Sword Casting Manor and didn’t give it much thought.

He smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, Brother Ji. I’ll definitely let you know before I leave."

...

In a simple and unadorned study, a stern-faced old man of about sixty, dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold thread, was carefully examining the manor’s income and expense ledgers for the month.

He was so engrossed in his work that he was completely unaware that a figure in a cyan robe had appeared at his side at some unknown point and was now watching him with a smile.

After a long while, the old man finished checking all the accounts and finally looked up, pressing his hands to his temples to ease the throbbing pain in his head.

As he did so, he couldn’t help but sigh at how time waits for no one.

When he was younger, he could often work through the night without feeling tired. But now, just focusing on the ledgers for a while made him feel dizzy and mentally exhausted.

"Third Senior Brother, it’s been a while." Just then, a calm voice sounded by his ear.

"Who?" The old man shot to his feet warily. Only as he stood could one see how tall he was.

Turning his head to look around, the old man spotted the person standing beside him at a glance. When he saw the man’s face clearly, his eyes filled with disbelief, and he gasped, "Junior Brother?"

Li Ping smiled. "It’s me."

...

Outside the ancestral hall of the Sword Casting Manor.

Two figures approached slowly. The one in the lead was the current Manor Master, Yan Jingxing, and walking shoulder to shoulder with him was a young man.

"Greetings, Manor Master!" Upon seeing Yan Jingxing, the two guards watching over the ancestral hall hurriedly bowed.

As they bowed, their eyes couldn’t help but drift to the young man beside the Manor Master. They seemed puzzled as to why the Manor Master would bring such a young man to the ancestral hall where the manor’s past generations rested.

Yan Jingxing nodded and instructed coolly, "Open the doors. My junior brother and I are going inside to pay our respects to the ancestors."

"Yes, Manor Master!" The guards naturally dared not defy the Manor Master’s command. They respectfully opened the great doors of the ancestral hall and allowed the two to enter.

After the footsteps inside had faded into the distance, one of the guards asked curiously, "That young man is the Manor Master’s junior brother? He looks so much younger than the Manor Master."

The other guard was also puzzled. "I’ve been at the manor for over ten years, and I’ve never seen that young man before. When did he join the manor?"

...

Inside the ancestral hall.

With his Cultivation, Li Ping naturally overheard the two guards’ conversation with ease. He didn’t say anything, merely sighing to himself.

’The children I meet do not know me; they smile and ask where the guest is from. I suppose this is what that feels like.’

’The gulf between Immortals and mortals is no joke.’

He had embarked on the Immortal Dao. Though only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, his lifespan already far exceeded that of a mortal. In another forty or fifty years, there would probably be no one left in the Sword Casting Manor whom he knew.

When he returned to the Sword Casting Manor then, things would be the same, but the people would be gone. He would likely only be able to find familiar names on the memorial tablets inside the ancestral hall.

’Perhaps this is what Cultivators call severing worldly ties.’ A realization dawned on Li Ping, and his state of mind elevated slightly in that moment.

Yan Jingxing’s voice came from ahead. "Junior Brother, after Father passed away, we followed his last wishes. His body was cremated, and his ashes were placed in the ancestral hall."

Li Ping nodded. He had already seen, among the dense rows of wooden tablets, the newest one on the outermost layer.

It was his master’s memorial tablet, inscribed with the words: "Spirit Tablet of the Esteemed Father, Duke Yan, Guike."

He slowly walked up to the memorial tablet, looking at the characters with a blank expression. But in his mind, he recalled a large, warm hand reaching out to him during the coldest days of winter, a time when his pleas to heaven and earth went unanswered.

He took the incense stick from his third senior brother and placed it with both hands into the incense burner before his master’s memorial tablet.

Then, he knelt down respectfully and performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows to his master.

...

After paying his respects to his master, Li Ping accepted his third senior brother’s invitation and went to one of the manor’s grand halls.

The two sat facing each other. Yan Jingxing looked at Li Ping’s full head of black hair and youthful appearance, a hint of envy in his eyes. "Junior Brother, you are still so young, while I have grown old."

Li Ping shook his head inwardly. He knew that since ancient times, death has been the one true hardship, something no one can escape.

From the mightiest emperor to the humblest street peddler.

Most people reveal their ugliest sides when faced with death.

Even among Cultivators, who did not fear the end of their lifespan?

He smiled and comforted him, "Third Senior Brother, I think you are clearly as vigorous as ever. How can you say you’ve grown old?"

Yan Jingxing gave a bitter smile. Thanks to the Pills Li Ping had sent back, his body was indeed in excellent condition, much stronger than others his age. But naturally, he couldn’t compare to an Immortal like his junior brother.

Shaking his head, he changed the subject and asked about his eldest grandson, Yan Hengchuan.

When he heard Li Ping say that Yan Hengchuan had already settled down in the Immortal City and was on the right path of the Immortal Dao, a relieved smile appeared on his face.

He himself had no Spiritual Root and could not cultivate.

But his eldest grandson had become an Immortal. In a way, wasn’t this another form of fulfilling his own lifelong wish?

...

Li Ping stayed at the Sword Casting Manor for two days. He left some Pills, weapons, and other items that mortals could use for his third senior brother.

Li Ping even personally used his Nourishing Life Skill Power to treat some of his third senior brother’s old, accumulated injuries. The chronic ailments were completely purged, restoring his body to its peak condition.

Afterward, despite his third senior brother’s repeated pleas for him to stay, he left the Sword Casting Manor without hesitation.

As for the tools of a Cultivator, he did not leave any for his third senior brother.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to part with them, but that items like Spirit Talismans and Dharma Artifacts all required a Cultivator’s Magical Power to activate.

Even if he left them behind, his third senior brother would be unable to use them.

...

After leaving the Sword Casting Manor, Li Ping did not rush to Little Plum Mountain to visit Daoist Ji.

Instead, he piloted his Flying Shuttle to another location.

Li Ping looked down from above, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes.

In his field of view was a lake several dozen li in radius. Immortal energy wreathed the lake, and from time to time, Cultivators could be seen flying in and out.

This was the ancestral home of the Yu family of Bifeng Lake, one of the dozen or so Foundation Establishment Immortal Races in the Jiang Kingdom.

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