Chapter 29: Returning to Qinghe County

Early the next morning, on a high mountain two hundred miles from Guiyun Market, the master and disciple from the Li Family Sundry Shop were resting in a bamboo pavilion shrouded in mist.

"Master, could you have passed that Grand Void Sword to the wrong person? I’ve seen that boy; his aptitude is too poor. He’s only a Four-Spirit Root. How could he possibly cultivate your Grand Void Sword Art?"

The shopkeeper, dressed as a middle-aged Daoist, stood up and looked toward Guiyuan Market a hundred miles away, then spoke to his puzzled disciple behind him:

"Xingyun, you are still too young. On the path of cultivation, spiritual root aptitude is certainly important, but one must not obsess over it. In the ancient era, spiritual root aptitude was nowhere near as important as it is now. Even those with Five-Spirit Roots often ascended to become immortals; it is merely a matter of opportunity."

"These years, following me into the world to cultivate has been a bit hard on you. After we return this time, I will go into seclusion for a period. You should come back with me; you are not far from a breakthrough in your cultivation base. Prepare well, and when I emerge from seclusion, I will find some spiritual items for you."

Upon hearing this, the young cultivator was delighted and said respectfully, "Thank you, Master. Does this mean you intend to return to the sect?"

"I have been out for so long; it is time to go back and take a look."

A breeze swept across the ridge, and as the mist dispersed, the two figures were nowhere to be seen in the bamboo pavilion. The surroundings, along with the entire mountain, were as silent as if no one had ever been there.

——

Song Qingming had stayed at an inn in the market yesterday and left Guiyun Market early in the morning. Along the way, Song Qingming traveled by day and rested by night, not delaying for even a moment.

Song Qingming first traveled east from Guiyun Market to Pingyang County, then headed south through Pingyang County. After traveling for more than half a month, dusty and tired, he finally returned to Qinghe County.

Between leaving and returning, Song Qingming had been away for more than two months, covering nearly several thousand miles and witnessing the vast world outside.

The peak of Mount Funiu pierced through the clouds, and a stone staircase carved by human hands, like an immensely long green dragon, was embedded into the mountain from the summit down.

On a giant rock in a pavilion halfway up the mountain sat a burly man in green clothes, about forty years old. His eyes were tightly closed, and he sat as motionless as an old monk in meditation, as if he had merged with the mountain itself.

Before long, the burly man suddenly opened his eyes and quickly formed a series of hand seals. A surge of spiritual energy shot from his fingertips into a smooth blue stone in front of him. A circular spot in the center of the stone suddenly emitted a bright blue light, slowly forming a mirror. The mirror revealed a young man in green clothes passing through the stone archway at the foot of the mountain and quickly leaping up the stairs toward the summit. It was none other than Song Qingming.

This blue stone was also a rare mid-grade spiritual item called the "Spirit-Connecting Mirror," capable of projecting images from within a hundred zhang for a short time. It had been obtained by the Song family in Qinghe Market a hundred years ago.

Seeing Song Qingming in the mirror, the burly man relaxed, smiled slightly, and dissipated the spiritual energy in his hands. He closed his eyes again and sat down. The blue light mirror, having lost its spiritual energy, slowly vanished, and the stone returned to its original state.

A moment later, a youth leaped into the pavilion. It was Song Qingming. Seeing the person sitting there, he quickly cupped his hands and bowed his head in salute.

"Third Uncle, I am back."

"Qingming, you’ve finally returned. If you hadn't come back, the Great Elder and the others would have organized a search party to go to the Fuyun Mountain Range for you." The burly man nodded slightly and greeted him with a smile.

Third Uncle Song Changwu had a steady personality and was also a diligent cultivator. Because he practiced the family's body-refining technique, his physique appeared much larger than Song Qingming's, and every time Song Qingming spoke with him, he always had to tilt his head up uncomfortably.

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

"Yes, the Great Elder and the others have been back for nearly a month. Everyone is fine, though your Fourteenth Uncle was more seriously injured, but it is nothing life-threatening. You are the last to return; it is good that you are back safely. Go up the mountain quickly and report your safety to the Clan Leader and the others." Song Changwu waved at Song Qingming. Seeing him cup his hands and quickly leave the pavilion, he closed his eyes again and returned to his previous motionless state.

After Song Qingming arrived at the council hall, he found that not only was the Clan Leader present, but several of the family's elders had also gathered there, which was a rare occurrence. Seeing Song Qingming, everyone immediately crowded around him.

"Qingming, you have finally returned safely! If the spiritual light on your name in the genealogy hadn't faded, we would have truly thought you had met with disaster." Seeing Song Qingming walk into the council hall, Great Elder Song Gubai spoke first, his tone full of concern, with tears welling in the corners of his eyes.

Great Elder Song Gubai was over a hundred years old, the oldest cultivator in the Song family. He had been responsible for training the family's young cultivators for nearly thirty years and could be considered the mentor for all the young cultivators of Song Qingming's generation. Although he was usually very strict with them, in his heart, he had long regarded them as his own children.

Although Song Gubai had married and started a family in his early years, raising five or six children and having dozens of descendants, unfortunately, they were all mortals without spiritual roots. In his later years, he had pinned all his hopes on these young cultivators of the family.

That day by the pool, facing the massive whirlpool created by the Black-Feathered Python, Song Gubai had been powerless. He could only pull up Song Changyun, who was closest to him, and watch as Song Qingming was swept into the whirlpool. Later, pursued by the Black-Feathered Python, he had no choice but to do as the Liu family did and return to Qinghe County first. On the way back, Song Gubai had blamed himself deeply for this.

It was not until they returned to Mount Funiu and Clan Leader Song Gushan checked the spiritual light of Song Qingming's essence blood on the genealogy that Song Gubai knew Song Qingming was still alive. He had wanted to return to the Fuyun Mountain Range alone to retrieve him. If Song Gushan hadn't suppressed him for the past month, Song Gubai would have long since gone to the Fuyun Mountain Range to search for Song Qingming.

Song Gushan patted Song Gubai on the shoulder to comfort him, then said to Song Qingming:

"Not only have you returned safely, but your cultivation base has also improved. Truly, one who survives a great disaster is destined for good fortune. Tell us what you encountered in these two months."

Song Qingming cupped his hands and bowed to everyone, explaining: "That day, I was swept into the bottom of the pool by the whirlpool and suffered some injuries. By the time I swam out of the pool, I found the shore already empty. I wanted to search for you, but I was frightened by the monster returning to the pool and lost my way."

Song Qingming told everyone the story he had prepared, word for word. Of course, he omitted the fact that he had picked up Liu Tianlong's storage bag. He also found an excuse for why he had broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining so quickly, lying that while he was healing in the mountains, he had stumbled upon a few red spiritual fruits. Thinking they were useful for healing, he had consumed them directly, not expecting the medicinal effect to be so astonishing that he had broken through his cultivation base in a daze.

Hearing of his dangerous journey, his chance encounter with a group of loose cultivators, and a great battle against a pack of wolves before finally returning safely to Qinghe County, everyone felt a lingering fear.

"Regardless, it is a good thing that you have returned safely. This time, it was all my fault. I didn't expect the Liu family's mission to be so careless; they didn't even detect that a monster like the Black-Feathered Python was hiding in that pool," Song Gushan said with a heavy face.

Song Gushan had been worried about taking on this mission for the Liu family, 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, he felt a bit more comforted.

"The Liu family suffered heavy losses this time. I heard that Liu Tianlong was also seriously injured and passed away. I don't know if it's true or false. Clan Leader, the Liu family is likely to lose its influence in this area northeast of Qinghe County," Second Elder Song Changfeng said with some worry, sharing the news he had received from the market in the past few days.

Song Gushan nodded after listening. "If there is a change in the Liu family, I fear this area will not be peaceful in the future. We must be more careful. That old fellow Liu Tianlong shouldn't be so easy to kill, right?"

"Qingming, don't rush back to Lingyuan Mountain yet. Rest on the mountain for two more days and let the Fourth Elder check you to see if there are any other problems with your body, so as not to leave any hidden dangers for your cultivation."

Song Qingming stayed on Mount Funiu for two more days. Unexpectedly, the red spiritual fruit he had made up two days ago was actually found by Fourth Elder Song Gucai to have a similar origin. From a scroll recording various heavenly treasures that he had accidentally obtained in the market, he found a spiritual fruit that was similar to what Song Qingming had described.

This spiritual fruit was called the "Heavenly Dragon Fruit," a spiritual fruit that only existed in ancient times and had never been discovered in the Wei Kingdom. This fruit had strange effects; even if it only had a hundred years of medicinal age, a Qi Refining cultivator could increase their cultivation base by one level just by consuming it raw. It was a spiritual item that had long since gone extinct.

Hearing this, Song Qingming was truly startled and could only admit it, lying that he had lost his way when he encountered this spiritual fruit in the mountains that day, and if he were to look for it again now, he would definitely not know the way. This finally dispelled the fiery look in Song Gucai's eyes.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 30 =====