Mortal Hearts, Ming'an Takes a Master

Mortal Hearts, Ming'an Takes a Master

The Alpha Wolf's final memory was of a streak of azure light stretching a hundred zhang across the sky.

He vaguely saw the Daoist in azure robes and a jade crown, standing atop a fire dragon, slash out a hundred-zhang sword light that cleaved the magical artifact forged by his eight brothers working as one into two.

When the magical artifact shattered completely, the backlash also caused the Alpha Wolf to lose consciousness entirely.

When Tian Ming'an hurriedly arrived at the Daoist temple's front hall, cradling that small candle flame, all he saw were eight desiccated corpses sprawled in disarray across the ground.

The Eight Wolves of Dongjun, once an evil cultivator gang that had shaken a region and roamed Qing Province freely, had now thoroughly become dead wolves.

The battle of magic between Jiang Sheng and the Eight Wolves of Dongjun had also destroyed nearly half the Daoist temple.

The front hall had been completely demolished. Of the walls on either side, only broken ruins remained, and even half the main gate had been smashed apart.

Firelight burned everywhere as far as the eye could see. Broken bricks and tiles littered the ground, while the verdant pines and emerald bamboo that had been planted there had all been ravaged and snapped, leaving behind utter devastation.

Looking at the miserable state of his own Daoist grounds, Jiang Sheng's eyes held a rare trace of anger.

Anyone would have been angry over this.

He had been peacefully cultivating in the mountains, only for a group of unrelated people to come knocking at his door and launch a sneak attack.

Though the enemies were all dead, half his Daoist grounds had been destroyed as well.

Who could he possibly reason with over that?

"Daoist Master?" Tian Ming'an tilted his head up, gazing at Jiang Sheng—who stood atop a fire dragon with an azure sword in hand—with boundless admiration.

Jiang Sheng sighed and withdrew the spiritual power sustaining the fire dragon.

Even with his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment and his current abundance of spiritual power, it was difficult for him to maintain the fire dragon for long.

In the end, it had been a contest between Jiang Sheng and the Eight Wolves of Dongjun over who had greater reserves and more abundant spiritual power. Clearly, Jiang Sheng had been the one to laugh last.

The fire dragon, deprived of the spiritual power sustaining it, let out one final low roar before dissolving into flames that filled the sky and vanished into the air.

Jiang Sheng landed on the ground and waved a hand. "All right, go back and rest. Whatever it is, we'll discuss it tomorrow."

Tian Ming'an obediently nodded, but after returning to his room, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

What had happened that night was far beyond anything he could have imagined. He was so excited that he simply could not sleep.

Jiang Sheng did not rest much either. The front hall had been completely destroyed, while nearly half the central hall had been ruined by the aftershocks of the battle. He could only hang the portrait of the patriarch in the rear hall and set up an incense table and candles anew.

Sitting cross-legged before the portrait of the patriarch, Jiang Sheng swallowed a Gathering Essence Pill and began slowly regulating his breath as he cultivated.

After the fire dragon vanished, the scorching heat lingering in the air remained for a full quarter-hour before being dispelled by the snow falling across the heavens.

The whirling snowflakes began drifting down again, extinguishing the remaining fires in the temple and covering the gruesome traces on the ground.

At dawn the next day, when the horizon was faintly tinged red, Tian Guofu led the townsfolk of Qingping Town up the mountain in a hurry, carrying all manner of tools.

The dragon's roar the night before had awakened the entire town. They only knew it had come from Qingping Mountain, but had no idea what had happened.

With the heavy snow still falling, they could only wait until daylight to enter the mountains and investigate.

Worried about his grandson, Tian Guofu led the able-bodied young men up the mountain as soon as the sky began to brighten.

After arduously climbing to the mountainside, Tian Guofu and the young men of Qingping Town stared at the ruined Daoist temple before them and the devastation all around it. Every heart sank halfway into an icy abyss. Could it be that Daoist Master Jiang had been eaten by a dragon last night?!

"T-Town Chief, Daoist Master Jiang, could he have..." One of the young men felt his entire body trembling. With sharp eyes, he caught sight of a corpse not fully buried beneath the snow. It was withered beyond measure, frozen bluish-gray by the ice and snow.

Tian Guofu was worried about his grandson as well, but he forced himself to remain calm. "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"Daoist Master Jiang is a high adept of Penglai! Don't let your imaginations run wild!"

Though he said that, Tian Guofu still hurried forward. "Come on, let's go inside and take a look!"

Seeing the town chief take the lead, the young men hurriedly followed him into the Daoist temple.

Though most of the traces had been buried beneath the snow, the piles of debris on the ground and the utterly collapsed front hall made it clear that an intense battle of magic had taken place there the night before.

Especially in the front courtyard, broken bricks and shattered tiles lay everywhere, along with all sorts of traces left by the battle. One glance was enough to tell how perilous the situation had been the night before.

The moment Tian Guofu saw those traces, his heart went cold. "This is bad. Something terrible has happened!"

"What terrible thing has happened?" Jiang Sheng's voice suddenly rang out beside everyone's ears.

The moment he heard Jiang Sheng's voice, Tian Guofu inexplicably felt at ease. Since Daoist Master Jiang was unharmed, his own grandson must surely be safe as well.

With that thought, Tian Guofu hurriedly bowed toward the rear courtyard. "Daoist Master Jiang, last night, we heard what seemed to be some commotion in the mountains."

"But it was the dead of night, and the snow was falling heavily. Though we worried for your safety, Daoist Master, we did not dare enter the mountains lightly. We could only wait until dawn, when the snow stopped, before coming up the mountain to assist you."

Tian Guofu's explanation actually made Jiang Sheng laugh. "If you're worried about your grandson, just say you're worried about your grandson. Why drag this poor Daoist into it?"

"Town Chief Tian, rest assured. Your grandson is fast asleep at the moment. If you wish to see him, simply come to the rear courtyard guest room."

Upon hearing that, Tian Guofu immediately ran toward the rear courtyard guest room. After taking only two steps, he stopped and turned back toward the young men from town. "What are you standing around for? Why aren't you helping Daoist Master Jiang clear away all this miscellaneous mess?"

Only then did the young men come to their senses. They picked up their tools one after another and began sweeping away the fallen snow and clearing the ruins.

When Tian Guofu reached the rear courtyard and saw that his grandson truly was sleeping soundly, he angrily grabbed Tian Ming'an and yanked him up. "You thoughtless brat! Do you have any idea how worried your family has been? It's already daylight, and you still didn't go home to let us know you were safe. You made your parents and me worry half the night!"

Tian Ming'an, having just been yanked awake, was still somewhat confused. When he suddenly realized that the person before him was his grandfather, he came fully awake. "Grandfather, why did you come up the mountain?"

Tian Guofu replied irritably, "If I hadn't come up the mountain, how could I have confirmed whether you were safe?"

"There was such a huge commotion in the mountains in the middle of the night. The whole family was worried sick!"

As he spoke, Tian Guofu cupped his hands toward the rear hall. "It was only because Daoist Master Jiang is kind-hearted that he kept you safe. But what about you? Instead of helping ease the Daoist Master's burdens, you came here to sleep like a log!"

Listening to Tian Guofu's scolding, Tian Ming'an lowered his head and obediently admitted his mistake. Then Tian Guofu dragged him into the rear hall.

Tian Guofu respectfully bowed to Jiang Sheng. "I saw the traces in the front courtyard. After such an intense battle of magic, Daoist Master, you still did not forget to keep this boy safe. Tian truly does not know how to thank you..."

Jiang Sheng merely smiled. "It's no matter. It was this poor Daoist who asked him to stay the night. If I had not kept him here overnight, he would not have encountered any danger last night."

"Since this poor Daoist kept him here, I would naturally ensure his safety."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng slowly rose to his feet. He looked at Tian Guofu, then at Tian Ming'an. "Town Chief Tian, do you regret letting this boy come up the mountain?"

Tian Guofu froze, not knowing how to answer.

In truth, Tian Guofu really did regret it.

His original intention had been to let his grandson follow Jiang Sheng for a time and gain some polish. If Jiang Sheng were willing to teach his grandson a trick or two, becoming a Daoist official in the future would bring glory to his ancestors and allow the Tian Family to soar to great heights.

But Tian Guofu had ultimately underestimated just how dangerous the world of cultivators was.

The dragon's roar that had echoed through the mountains the night before, the traces of that fierce battle in the front courtyard—everything was blackened by smoke and scorched by fire, marked by blade cuts and axe cleaves. Crisscrossing cracks covered the blue brick paving stones of the front courtyard, and there were even monstrous remains that looked savage despite being covered by falling snow...

The world of cultivators was far too terrifying.

Jiang Sheng knew what Tian Guofu was thinking. "Town Chief Tian, rest assured. This poor Daoist will not forcibly keep your boy here."

"Yesterday, he was placed in danger because of this poor Daoist. If Town Chief Tian only wishes for him to enjoy wealth and glory throughout his life, then take him home. This poor Daoist can say a few words to Magistrate Zhang and ensure that he lives in wealth without worry."

"Following this poor Daoist offers no wealth or glory to speak of. This poor Daoist is merely one who cultivates in quiet seclusion and does not wish to become too entangled with the mortal world. As for the affairs of court and the martial world in the Qi Kingdom, this poor Daoist cannot be bothered to concern himself with them."

"Yet even so, following this poor Daoist may still bring danger at any time. Just like last night, something like that could happen without warning."

Tian Guofu was truly moved upon hearing Jiang Sheng's words, but before he could say anything, Tian Ming'an spoke.

Ever since witnessing how wondrous the world of cultivators was the night before, Tian Ming'an remained filled with yearning for cultivation, even though his own life had been endangered.

He desperately wanted to become a cultivator like Jiang Sheng, rather than some wealthy idler.

Thus, after hearing Jiang Sheng speak with his grandfather, Tian Ming'an suddenly broke free from Tian Guofu's grasp and directly knelt before Jiang Sheng. "Daoist Master, this boy wishes to remain here!"

Tian Guofu looked at his grandson in astonishment, but Tian Ming'an did not look at him at all. He simply lowered his head. "Daoist Master, last night was this boy's first time witnessing cultivators battle with magic. This boy is not afraid of encountering danger. This boy only fears living an ordinary and purposeless life."

"Before, this boy was merely a frog at the bottom of a well, unaware of the vastness of heaven and earth. But last night, Daoist Master allowed this boy to witness the greatness of the world and the wonders of heaven and earth. This boy truly does not wish to return to the past and continue living an ordinary life."

"In this life, this boy wishes only to follow Daoist Master, serving before your horse and behind your stirrup. This boy begs Daoist Master to let him remain!"

First update of the day~ Esteemed readers, please leave more comments and messages. Any suggestions or corrections are welcome. So long as they are reasonable, Lin Yuan promises to accept them humbly. (But no insults, please.)

(End of this chapter)

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