Sighing at the Past

As daylight faded and the hazy night enveloped Red Haze City, Qin Ming sat quietly in his room, watching the fragmented scenes of the past gradually recombine and solidify from afar.

"So you are Li Qingxu." Qin Ming looked at the Feather Robe Youth in the picture and realized his name.

The two knew each other before, but they weren't old friends; they were just nodding acquaintances.

"A direct descendant of the Li Household, he possesses a very special talent. It would be difficult for others to become disciples of Beyond the Mundane People, but he is perfectly suited to that path. He was noticed by a renowned Old Senior throughout the entire Black Night World and exceptionally accepted as his last disciple."

Qin Ming frowned. That Old Senior from the Beyond the Mundane seemed difficult to deal with; even Millennium Aristocratic Family had to treat him with respect.

The image of Li Qingxu reappeared before his eyes, dressed in feathered robes like an immortal, ethereal and otherworldly. Even the Purple Bamboo Staff in his hand was exquisite, made from a rare bamboo from Blessed Land, which had once received the Worldly Heavenly Light.

Soon, the person's figure faded away, and more scenes appeared. All the fragmented images were reassembled and rushed towards him all at once.

Aside from a few minor details that were still somewhat hazy, the memories of the former main body returned, causing Qin Ming to rub his temples repeatedly to relieve his fatigue.

A multitude of images and scenes, from his childhood to adolescence, his past experiences crashed against him like wave after wave.

Qin Ming quickly absorbed and digested the information, his feelings were very complicated. All sorts of emotions from the past affected him, like a sea of fog threatening to engulf him.

He activated the magic on the Silk Scripture, calmed his mind, broke free from the constraints of the scene, and looked down upon the past.

He wanted to look at his past self from a different perspective. There were some things he had doubts about, and he wanted to examine his past experiences with a critical mindset.

"I am Cui Chonghe, a direct descendant of the Millennium Aristocratic Family." Qin Ming confirmed his identity by recalling his past memories.

The past seemed to have transformed into slightly yellowed books, which he found in his dusty old room, and now he opened them again.

Qin Ming turned to the first page, as if stepping through the mottled years and returning to more than a decade ago.

"Poor child, you've suffered out there. Remember, I'm your seventh uncle." A young man with thick eyebrows and bright eyes said, patting his head and revealing a kind smile. His teeth were so white they seemed to shine.

Qin Ming was very familiar with him. This was Cui Hao, one of the people closest to him. He had been very close to this seventh uncle since childhood.

He gazed ahead, into the distance; this was his earliest childhood memory.

"Have you ever been lost?" Qin Ming whispered. In that image, he was at most three or four years old, his little clothes tattered. He hoped to remember more, but he couldn't.

A normal person's memories begin as early as three or four years old.

He was led to bathe, changed into clean clothes, and adorned with beautiful jade, as if he had become a different person. Although slightly uneasy, his stubborn nature seemed unwilling to falter, and his small figure stood straight, silently standing there.

The scene quickly shifts; he moves into the Cui Household, where someone teaches him to read and explains various rules, which he diligently memorizes.

During that time, he cried secretly, but he didn't want anyone to see.

"Chong He, remember your name, don't forget it again. Come, I'll teach you how to write these characters." An elder personally taught him to write.

"Chong He, come here. This is your younger brother Cui Chongxuan. You must protect him in the future. He is one of your closest relatives." Mother Cui appeared.

She looked very young, elegant and graceful, with a delicate and beautiful face. A flowing Golden Haze feather was tucked into her hair as a hairpin, radiating a hazy glow, unlike anything ordinary.

The child she was holding in her right hand was very young, only a little over two years old, but he looked very intelligent, with bright, dark eyes that were curiously observing him.

"He's a year and a half younger than you. You two should love each other dearly from now on. You're the older brother, so you should take good care of him," said Mother Cui.

"Okay!" Qin Ming, who was nearly four years old, nodded.

He settled into the Cui Household's home and completely adapted to life there.

Father Cui was very strict and held great prestige in the household. When Qin Ming was young, he always remained quiet when he saw him.

Perhaps that's why he was so close to Cui Hao. This seventh uncle didn't act like an elder; he would sometimes take him to stroll through the bustling streets, and even ride strange beasts with him outside the city. He also once took him aboard a painted boat on the Ink Rhyme River at night.

For this, Uncle Seven Cui Hao, was even scolded by his Father Cui.

The dusty book of time turns its page once more. Qin Ming looks back and sees his elder brother, Cui Chongxiao, who is eight years older than him. Although his brother is still a teenager, he is already very mature and steady, much like their Father Cui.

Only when he saw the young Qin Ming did Cui Chongxiao's eyes light up, revealing a hint of youthful innocence. He walked over with a smile and carefully examined him.

It is said that Cui Chongxiao became a disciple of a master, but his Father Cui forbade anyone to discuss or spread the word about his master's location. All that was known was that this master would only return once every few years.

This also shows that Father Cui. and Mother Cui. Cui were cautious and did not want more people to know that their eldest son Cui Chongxiao, had become the disciple of a remarkable master.

Qin Ming overheard their whispered conversation and learned that his elder brother should be worshipping in an ancient Daoist sect related to gods. It wasn't about revering and contemplating the gods, but rather that the sect had a grand ambition to subdue special "phenomena" and "territories," turning them into its own power and making itself a god.

Every spring when the flowers bloom, my parents receive a special letter that requires them to consult several ancient books to decipher. It is handled with great care, as if it is encrypted multiple times.

At this time, even the strictest of Father Cui would smile, appearing surprisingly gentle and radiant.

Qin Ming and his younger brother Cui Chongxuan both suspected that it was a letter from their eldest brother that made them so happy.

Cui Chongxuan once tried to steal a letter to read its contents, but he couldn't understand the coded language at all. He was severely beaten by his Father Cui and never dared to provoke him again.

The Cui Family Main Lineage has many white-haired elders, all of whom possess unfathomable strength. Some of them have ventured into Beyond the Mundane and are rarely seen within the clan. One elder, who has chosen the path of New Life, once took a deep breath and snatched a Four-Colored Sparrow from a tree to amuse a younger generation.

These elders, whether kind or strict with the younger generation, all placed great importance on nurturing their descendants.

Whenever these old men greeted him with smiles and asked Qin Ming to call them Fifth Master or Seventh Master, he would recall a blurry figure—a grandfather from his hazy childhood memories, whom Qin Ming insisted on finding.

"He has traveled far away, to the capital of the Great Yu Country. He used to go crazy practicing the methods in the Silk Scripture, but now he is 'emptying the void to subtract,' going to find his own path."

"I miss him, I miss that grandfather." Although he had already adapted to life in the Cui Residence, Qin Ming couldn't help but get teary-eyed. Then he wanted to get the scroll of Silk Scripture back.

"No, the Silk Scripture is an antique and cannot be handled casually; it's easily damaged. You should practice the first few pages first before looking at the rest. However... this book is very difficult to master."

From then on, Qin Ming took the methods in the Silk Scripture very seriously, became determined to practice them, and persisted in practicing them every day, rain or shine.

He had many cousins, but during this time, a few of them went far away, were chosen by Beyond the Mundane People, and embarked on very different paths.

Some brothers and sisters entered Esoteric Sect, some joined more famous sects, and others stayed at home, pursuing the path of physical New Life.

"The Silk Scripture has a very impressive origin; it was once one of the most famous classic texts?" As Cui Chongxuan grew older, he wanted to follow his elder brother's training after learning what he was practicing.

Father Cui scolded, "The Silk Scripture is very difficult to master; one person can follow this path alone. You can choose other secret texts."

As a result, Cui Chongxuan, who was growing taller, became jealous and complained, "Why can't I practice?" He even showed hostility towards his elder brother.

"I want to know, is the Silk Scripture the most powerful New Life Method?" Cui Chongxuan rarely contradicted his Father Cui, wanting to get to the bottom of it.

Father Cui's expression softened considerably. He said, "Who dares to claim the best? There's more than just one Silk Scripture scroll in the world; there are equally powerful lineages, such as the * Six Imperial Heart Sutra *, the * Tathagata Method *, and the * Heaven Reaching Book *. You should diligently practice the family's secret manuals to build a solid foundation. In the future, I might be able to obtain a copy of the * Six Imperial Heart Sutra * for you. If you are skilled enough, it's not impossible that you could truly become a disciple of that old man."

Qin Ming spoke up, "Father, I also want to see the Six Imperial Heart Sutra in the future and verify it with the Silk Scripture. The New Life Method in the latter part of the book is too difficult and seems impossible."

"What, you've lost confidence in yourself?" Father Cui looked at him, his eyes seemingly able to see right through him.

"Yes!" Qin Ming was a little impatient and turned to leave. Afterwards, he asked his cousin for some secret manuals, wanting to see what the other New Life Method were like.

Fifth Master of the main branch looked at him with a smile and said, "The choice of which New Life Method to build a foundation has a significant impact, and the final achievements will vary greatly. If you go and practice those ordinary secret manuals, and then go back to practice the methods in the Silk Scripture after stepping into the New Life Realm, the effect will definitely not be as good as sticking to the original path."

After hearing these words, Qin Ming went to ask Father Cui and Mother Cui, and received similar answers. After reading his cousin's visualization method and Willpower Skill, he threw them away, without wavering in his determination to master the New Life Method of the Silk Scripture.

The inn room was quiet. Qin Ming, like an outsider, looked back on his past, turning the page once more.

The entire Cui Household highly regards him, praising him not only at home but also in front of outsiders. Everyone can see that he is a core member of the direct line.

It was known from the very beginning that Cui Chonghe was likely to be the future leader of the main lineage and was being groomed as a key figure.

One night, the Second Master of the clan accidentally revealed that Cui Chonghe had a special talent, making him very suitable for venturing into Beyond the Mundane. Whether or not he mastered the Silk Scripture was not important; he was destined to become Near-Immortal.

Second Master revealed that Cui Chonghe has not been sent away yet because he is waiting for a renowned Old Senior in the entire Night Mist World to emerge from seclusion. They have already made an agreement for Cui Chonghe to become his disciple.

Afterwards, when Father Cui learned that he had spoken nonsense while drunk, his face turned extremely ugly. The Second Master knew that he was in the wrong and was filled with shame, so he punished himself by sending himself into seclusion.

Although Second Master leaked the secret while drunk within the clan, some people outside still knew about it, which threatened Qin Ming's safety. Several people tried to harm him, but the Cui Household saw through their schemes each time.

Qin Ming was indeed treated very well by the Cui Household. When he got a little older, his mount was upgraded to something extraordinary, a creature that Fourth Mutation.

Although Fourth Mutation were already the limit for that alien creature, it was still quite luxurious to let a person who had not yet New Life ride on it; it could be considered top-of-the-line.

The Cui Household protected him very well. Although there were repeated attempts to spy on him, nothing unexpected happened.

Moreover, when Qin Ming was still young, Father Cui had already made an agreement with the Wang Family of Thousand Stars City that one of the Wang Family's legitimate daughters would marry Cui Chonghe, thus forming a marriage alliance between the two families.

Qin Ming had even met the girl; she was extremely beautiful and loved to laugh.

However, as he grew older, when the two families met again, Father Cui. and Mother Cui began to warn him to be polite and avoid getting too close to each other.

Once, when he was traveling with the eldest daughter of the Wang Family in Clear River City, Father Cui got angry and scolded him afterwards.

As Qin Ming grew up, the Cui Household still valued him and praised their Kirin in front of distinguished guests, but they rarely let him see those people anymore, for fear of distracting him and making him focus on the methods in the Silk Scripture.

After he turned teens, he met many people, from important figures in various Lineage to direct descendants of the Millennium Aristocratic Family, and even disciples of Beyond the Mundane People.

It must be said that the Millennium Aristocratic Family have a profound heritage, and even those ancient Daoist traditions, powerful sects, and even Beyond the Mundane People are willing to befriend them.

For years, rumors circulated that some important figures in the Beyond the Mundane would be taking on disciples, and that several of them would emerge from seclusion to enter the mortal world to select suitable disciples. The location was set in Clear River City.

The rumors were true; everyone was taking action. Li Qingxu, Li Qingyue, the eldest daughter of the Wang Family, and a group of others arrived in this Giant City one after another, hoping to become disciples of those powerful figures.

It was at this moment that Qin Ming sensed Li Qingxu's hostility.

Ultimately, some renowned recluses did indeed appear, and a small number of them were chosen.

A highly respected Old Senior valued Li Qingxu greatly and presented him with a Purple Bamboo Stick nourished by the Heavenly Light upon their first meeting.

Afterwards, Qin Ming was puzzled. Wasn't it said that a renowned Old Senior in the Night Mist World was going to take him away? Why did they choose Li Qingxu instead?

"No rush, the senior who has taken a liking to you hasn't finished his seclusion yet," said Father Cui.

Qin Ming subsequently survived several assassination attempts.

No one expected that the rising Li Household would suddenly go to war with the Cui Household.

Perhaps Qin Ming was unaware at the time, or perhaps the elders within the Cui Household already knew and were prepared.

"An old fellow from the Li Household has actually broken through to Near-Immortal, and may even approach immortality in the future, while our Cui Household's Old Ancestor hasn't appeared for two hundred years. The Li Household wants to achieve a series of goals, demonstrate their strength, and advance to the ranks of true Millennium Aristocratic Family through a clash with the Cui Household. They need such a battle."

"The scariest thing is that they have someone backing them up; they might be being pushed forward."

As the two Lineage were about to clash, some members of the Cui Household were discussing this, which made Qin Ming quite worried about his Lineage.

"Our Old Ancestor still hasn't appeared. The situation is extremely dire; we may not be able to hold him off any longer. We must preserve our foundation and retreat first. We must also search for our Old Ancestor's secluded retreat again. I believe he is still alive; we must ensure his return as soon as possible."

Late one night, the Cui Household secretly sent away a group of important members, while another group was to take a different route, where they would likely have to contend with a large number of experts from the Li Household.

"Chong He, you are my child. Our main branch must take responsibility. I also need to oversee the overall situation, so we can't take that path for now. Your younger brother is still young and not mature or steady enough. You represent me and take the second path with those elders," said Father Cui.

That night, Father Cui's expression was somewhat complicated as he patted his second son on the shoulder.

Qin Ming looked at his parents. He knew that the path he was about to take was extremely dangerous, with a high probability of death. The main purpose was to attract the attention of a large number of experts from the Li Household. The people accompanying him were all very old men from the Cui Household who were not expected to live for many more years.

"Father, Mother, Brother!" Qin Ming nodded with tears in his eyes, bidding them farewell. He boarded the bronze chariot and looked back in the darkness, only to see his parents' departing figures.

Inside the inn, Qin Ming sighed.