Chapter 145: Different (4K)

The trio looked like master and servants.

The leader resembled a young scholar from a prominent family, with clear, bright features and not a trace of malevolence.

The other two were ordinary—a middle-aged man and a young man, dressed as servants, yet their expressions betrayed they were no common folk.

Hearing the scholar's words, the younger man on the left asked: "Young Master, Zheng Fa is merely a newly risen name in Jiushan Sect, just a Qi Condensation cultivator—why should we care so much?"

The Young Master glanced at him but said nothing.

"... Enough!" The elder slapped the questioner across the face, scolding him: "The Young Master is interested in this man—we go investigate. Do we need to explain ourselves to you?"

"... Your servant admits his fault."

The young man, struck, dared not show anger—only hung his head, bowing in submission.

Hearing this, the Young Master studied the two for a long moment before speaking: "It's not just Zheng Fa—the geniuses of Baixian Alliance, even the geniuses of Xuanwei Realm—my Holy Sect will not let them go unchecked."

The other two exchanged glances, still somewhat confused.

"Last time, when spiritual energy waned, Tianhe Sect produced an unparalleled genius. My Holy Sect paid him no mind at first—yet he nearly unified Xuanwei Realm." The Young Master's face betrayed either fear or longing as he continued: "That time, my Holy Sect nearly had its entire lineage wiped out."

"Had our Holy Sect not been deeply rooted and protected by our Ancestral Master, our lineage might have been severed. We cannot repeat the mistake of ignoring such geniuses this time."

"So… that's why the Young Master is so concerned about Zheng Fa?"

The other two began to understand.

"Concerned? Not quite. My Sect fears most the famed geniuses of the Wu Da Sect. Among the Baixian Alliance, only a handful—like Zhang Wuyi—merit serious attention." The Young Master shook his head: "I'm merely intrigued because Zheng Fa is rumored to be the greatest talisman prodigy in the Baixian Alliance's ten-thousand-year history—and now he's been taken as a disciple by the Jiushan Sect's Sect Master."

"Our cultivation technique excels at disguise. You two go to Jiushan Sect and…" The Young Master paused, then added: "If the chance arises, take Zheng Fa's life."

"Yes."

…

"Zhang Shijie wants me to stay at her home?" Zheng Fa stared at Yuan Shijie, surprised by the news she brought.

"Yes." Yuan Shijie nodded, recalling a moment before remembering Zhang Shijie's exact words: "She said Xuanwei Realm isn't safe right now—several young cultivators with some fame have died mysteriously. Your current residence is too close to the marketplace; it's easy for villains to strike."

Hearing this, Zheng Fa gazed toward Zhang Shijie's small courtyard.

As if seeing the figure in the solitary pavilion, smiling at him.

"I've been staying at Zhang Shijie's too," Yuan Shijie patted her chest: "I promised Zhang Shijie I'd watch over you… no, protect you!"

Zheng Fa understood Zhang Shijie's kindness.

Her courtyard brimmed with spiritual energy and was far safer than his current lodging—anyone would envy him.

Yet he didn't immediately agree—he turned to look behind him at Young Master Bai Qi.

"Zheng Fa, I'm returning to Qingmu Sect."

As if sensing what Zheng Fa was thinking, Bai Qi suddenly spoke.

"You mean—?"

Bai Qi pursed his lips, pulled Zheng Fa a few steps away, then whispered: "Is my sister's trip to Taiyang Commandery dangerous?"

"…."

Zheng Fa couldn't help grinning.

Clever Young Master Bai Qi was back.

"Lately, she's given me so many spirit stones and pills, saying she doesn't need them anymore." Bai Qi lowered his head, voice heavy: "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"... It's not that dangerous. Zhao Shijie is careful—she'll survive, and Zhang Shijie will look after her."

Zheng Fa couldn't help offering reassurance.

"I know my sister is exhausted…" Bai Qi suddenly cut him off: "She trains herself, yet still gathers resources for me, expands my connections. My master? She begged countless people just to arrange it for me… Zheng Fa, I want to return and cultivate."

"…."

"When I reach Foundation Establishment, I can help my sister."

"When I reach Jin Dan, I can give her anything she wants."

"When I reach Nascent Soul, heh—I'll bring you along for the good life, and my mother… oh, and Gao Yuan!"

"... I'll wait."

Zheng Fa smiled, lips pressed tight, watching Bai Qi.

He'd always thought Bai Qi had it easy in Qingmu Sect, unchanged.

But now he saw—he'd changed.

…

As they saw Bai Qi off at the dock, he suddenly asked Zheng Fa: "I heard Baixian Alliance holds a Baixian Dharma Assembly every ten years, where disciples from all sects exchange and duel. Will you go?"

"Probably."

Zheng Fa had heard of the Baixian Dharma Assembly.

He'd come to understand the nature of Baixian Alliance.

More than a sect, it was a commercial city-state alliance.

Trade between sects was frequent.

But mostly, each went their own way.

The Baixian Dharma Assembly served as a place to strengthen ties and compete for interests.

The next one was less than two years away—usually held two years after the Immortal-Grade Fair, when the most talented new disciples of that cycle had already emerged.

They'd be ready to show off.

Zheng Fa remembered how Zhang Shijie, decades ago, had won the title of Top Talisman Expert at a Baixian Dharma Assembly, while still at Foundation Establishment.

"I'll probably go too," Bai Qi's eyes sparkled: "After two years of hard cultivation, I'll likely have reached Foundation Establishment."

"Mm."

Zheng Fa didn't quite grasp what Bai Qi meant to say.

"You should be able to as well." The Seventh Young Master's face was full of heroic ambition: "When the time comes, let us meet as Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

"... Usually, when I use such a passionate tone, I'm at least shouting about the Golden Core Stage."

Zheng Fa couldn't help but retort.

Seeing the Seventh Young Master's frozen expression, Zheng Fa couldn't help but burst into laughter.

In the Xuanwei Realm, only when he was with a handful of people did he feel like a young man.

"Zhao Jingfan." Zheng Fa's expression suddenly grew a bit solemn: "Do you know what I'm looking forward to?"

"Huh?"

"Meeting as Nascent Souls."

The Seventh Young Master held back for a long time before speaking: "... I wouldn't dare even dream of that."

After Zheng Fa saw the Seventh Young Master onto the boat.

The Seventh Young Master suddenly leaned on the boat's railing and shouted toward Zheng Fa: "Meeting as Nascent Souls!"

Zheng Fa smiled and waved at the Seventh Young Master on the boat.

Nascent Soul is certainly difficult; for someone like the Seventh Young Master whose talent isn't top-tier, it's even harder, but Zheng Fa still hoped that in this world, people like the Seventh Young Master...

... could live a bit longer.

The people around were drawn by the Seventh Young Master's shout.

They all turned to look at the two of them.

"Uncle, is this what a Sect cultivator is like?" In the crowd, an old man and a young man looked at the Seventh Young Master and Zheng Fa; the youth who had been slapped earlier on the small boat whispered with a laugh:

"Meeting as Nascent Souls? Truly so stupid as to not know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth."

That middle-aged man shot him a sideways glance, signaling him not to speak too much in such a crowded place with many eyes. The two walked toward the market district. As they passed Zheng Fa, that youth looked back once more.

"Sect cultivators are different from us uncle and nephew." The middle-aged cultivator spoke only after seeing no one else around: "Our Holy Sect reveres bloodline; the Ancient Saint bloodline is more noble than us common folk."

"Relying on our bloodline, we cultivate extremely fast, but if we hadn't obtained the Saint Blood Pill, neither of us would have any hope of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage."

"Those Sect cultivators don't have such restrictions." Speaking to this point, the middle-aged man sighed again: "Our Holy Sect is strong because of bloodline but also limited by it; even the Saint Son is like this, which is why we fear these unrestricted geniuses so much."

The youth nodded, looking toward the distant Jiushan with a hint of fear in his gaze: "But this Jiushan Sect still has three Nascent Souls; the two of us are only at Foundation Establishment..."

"That is why the Young Master does not come."

"..." The middle-aged man glanced at his companion, whose face was uneasy, then spoke: "Don't feel uncomfortable. Don't say our Holy Sect is like this; where in the Xuanwei Realm is it not so? The Jiushan Sect is no different."

The youth pressed his lips together.

The middle-aged man smiled, as if thinking he had little experience: "In our Holy Sect, those with low cultivation and poor bloodline serve as slaves and servants to those geniuses. Aren't these Sects the same? They just wear the skin of the Righteous Path."

"Enough. The Jiushan Sect is indeed not something the two of us can provoke. Let's not delay; let's first find that Zheng Fa's residence."

The two arrived at Zheng Fa's courtyard.

The middle-aged man looked and immediately laughed: "This place is a mix of good and bad. If we are careful, finding an opportunity to quickly resolve this person is not difficult; the hard part is how to escape."

The youth also looked around and nodded.

This place was originally for new disciples; besides Jiushan Sect disciples, the surrounding residents included the families of Jiushan Sect disciples.

Moreover, due to the current bustling activity of the Jiushan Sect market district.

Many outsiders were staying here.

It was truly a good place to make a move.

Fearing that a long night brings many dreams, the two simply found an inn at a street corner and, through the room's window, observed Zheng Fa's household's movements every day.

One day passed.

"Uncle... does Zheng Fa really live here?"

The youth could no longer hold back and asked the middle-aged man beside him.

"I inquired; it is this courtyard." That middle-aged man was also confused, staring at the empty small courtyard and muttering to himself: "Zheng Fa is quite famous in the Jiushan Sect."

"But..."

"Wait two more days!"

"..."

Three days later.

The uncle and nephew stood by the window, staring at each other in silence.

"Uncle, the Shopkeeper is asking me what I'm doing in the room every day..."

"... Let's go to the market district to inquire again!"

"Then... shall we go watch the play?" The youth suddenly suggested: "This thing has become very famous recently; there is one tonight!"

Seeing his nephew's pleading gaze, the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

When the uncle and nephew arrived at the theater, the entrance was already bustling with people buying tickets.

The youth squeezed through the crowd and managed to snatch two tickets. When he turned to look at his uncle, he discovered the other man was surveying the surroundings.

"Uncle, what are you looking at?"

"I heard this play was created by Zheng Fa. Looking at it now, the Jiushan Sect must be making a lot of money from this thing."

The two entered the theater and found that almost all ten thousand seats were filled.

The uncle calculated in his heart, then sighed to his nephew beside him: "For this single performance, the Jiushan Sect must earn at least three hundred Spirit Stones."

His nephew nodded but didn't take these words to heart; he was just looking around eagerly with a passionate gaze.

The middle-aged man looked at his nephew's expression, sighed slightly, and knew his nephew's character was not yet set, simply liking the excitement.

Yet the Holy Sect has strict hierarchies and allows no recklessness.

This first time leaving the Holy Sect, he had already shown a bit too much.

Thinking of this, his heart softened, and he let his own nephew go his own way.

After a while, "Rescuing the Young Cultivator Pang Qian" began.

The play seemed to pass in a flash; after watching it, the uncle and nephew followed the crowd out of the theater, neither speaking.

They seemed still immersed in the plot.

After a long pause, the middle-aged man suddenly heard his nephew mutter: "Jiushan Sect is different."

"Hmm?"

"In this play, those from Jiushan Sect were willing to pay such a huge price to rescue a Foundation Establishment-stage young cultivator," the young man said softly. "It's not like our Holy Sect."

"..." The middle-aged man twitched the corner of his mouth, looked at his own nephew, and couldn't help but feel a headache...

I know you're a bit rebellious usually; we who mix in the Demon Sect don't really talk about loyalty and righteousness.

But... you've gone a bit too far off the rails, haven't you?

"This is a play! Adapted from a storybook!" he said in a low voice. "It's fake!"

Hearing him say this, his nephew stopped speaking.

The two left the theater and happened to stroll through the market, also preparing to inquire about Zheng Fa's movements.

The middle-aged man glanced at the crowd in the market and couldn't help but sigh again: "This market is so lively; there was nothing like this when we came a few days ago. I suppose it was attracted by this play—Jiushan Sect is really making a lot of money."

His nephew didn't care about such economic matters; he just kept his eyes wandering everywhere, going wherever it was lively.

As they walked, the two discovered a shop doing extremely good business, with many people crowding the shop entrance, even forming a long queue.

A sign stood before the shop door: "Half a stone per person; no sales beyond that!"

Only when the uncle and nephew walked up did they see that this was actually a spiritual grain shop.

"Brother, why is this shop so popular?" the young man asked the cultivator at the end of the line curiously.

"First time in Jiushan Sect?"

"Yes."

"The Huang Ya Rice here is cheap! They say Jiushan Sect negotiated the price specifically with Qianhe Sect, just so people can buy spiritual rice at a fair price."

"..."

The uncle and nephew looked at the winding, serpentine queue.

"We came to watch the play; buying some spiritual rice to take back, whether we eat it ourselves or sell it, we can still make some profit," that cultivator was still sighing. "It's just that each of us can only buy half a stone. I heard Jiushan Sect's disciples aren't restricted... and quite a few people are reselling at higher prices; their hearts are black."

"But what can be done about that?" that cultivator sighed and said. "Jiushan Sect said it's all welfare for the lower-level disciples; whether they eat it or sell it, as long as the disciples' lives are a bit easier, that's enough."

Hearing this, the young man looked at his uncle and said softly: "Uncle, Jiushan Sect is different."

His uncle said nothing.

He just stood silently behind that cultivator...