Elder Hong of the Fire Refining Sect

"Qiao Wei, is this that nephew of yours?"

At the foot of Mount Luofeng lay a small town.

It was called Yanghua Town.

But after so many years, calling it Yanghua Town was no longer quite appropriate.

At first, it truly had been a small town, but then the Fire Refining Sect moved here.

A heavenly disaster struck.

Heavenly fire fell from the sky, stirring the Earth Fire below.

Or perhaps a phoenix had descended into the world, for some claimed to have seen phoenixes dancing amid the flames.

In short, this place became a living hell. Every living creature, whether human or beast, died in an instant, and the earth became scorched wasteland.

But afterward, the Fire Refining Sect discovered the Earth Fire in Mount Luofeng that never went out.

Thus, the Fire Refining Sect moved here.

When the Fire Refining Sect came, those dependent upon it came as well.

Most of them were the family members of Fire Refining Sect disciples. Most were mortals, so naturally they could not live atop Mount Luofeng.

Thus, Yanghua Town had people once more.

As the years passed, the population grew greater and greater.

Now, rather than Yanghua Town, it was more fitting to call it Yanghua City.

It had become prosperous enough to rival a small county seat.

The Fire Refining Sect had assigned an elder to manage Yanghua Town's affairs. That elder was Hong Lang.

As for the Qiao Wei he mentioned, he was a young man in his thirties, currently wearing a fawning smile.

Qiao Wei.

To be honest, Hong Lang did not like him.

Because this man was far too frivolous.

Normally, he was all smooth talk and a glib tongue, incapable of handling anything properly.

But even so, Hong Lang had made him a steward in Yanghua Town, placing him in charge of a street.

All because Qiao Wei's father had once been his most prized disciple.

That had been Hong Lang's favorite disciple.

He had poured his heart and soul into nurturing that disciple, but unfortunately, the disciple had died young.

He had been slain in a spell duel with another.

It had been a fair duel.

The other party had also come from a great sect no weaker than the Fire Refining Sect.

Even if Elder Hong wanted revenge, there was no way for him to take it.

Though Elder Hong's disciple had died, he had left behind a Dao Companion with a swollen belly.

She was a disciple with little talent.

Her aptitude was so poor that she did not even qualify to join the Fire Refining Sect.

But at his disciple's pleading, Elder Hong still called in some favors and admitted that disciple into the Fire Refining Sect.

Later, he even officiated their marriage.

He had truly given so much for that disciple.

Afterward, he continued looking after the disciple's widow.

Qiao Wei was that posthumous child.

But unfortunately, while the descendants of cultivators had a great chance of possessing cultivation aptitude, it was not absolute.

Qiao Wei possessed no cultivation aptitude.

Otherwise, he could have become Elder Hong's disciple directly, regardless of how poor his talent was.

Yet even without much aptitude, Elder Hong still gave the mother and son a livelihood to keep themselves alive.

He told the woman.

As long as Qiao Wei did not change his surname, the two of them would always have a mouthful of food in Yanghua Town and in the Fire Refining Sect.

That woman with no cultivation talent later married another man.

But Qiao Wei never changed his surname.

Elder Hong did not get angry over her remarriage. He even sent a lavish gift when she married.

And he said again.

As long as Qiao Wei did not change his surname.

Hong Lang would always acknowledge the two of them as his juniors.

The woman naturally knew what it meant to have an elder as a backer. Thus, throughout all these years, she never let Qiao Wei change his surname, and she visited Qiao Wei's father's grave every year.

And Qiao Wei?

He had never seen his father since childhood, so naturally he held no feelings for that father he had never met.

To him, it was merely a name.

But before Hong Lang, he always tried his best to play the role of a filial junior.

Because he understood who could ensure he lived well.

Hong Lang naturally saw through all these little schemes at a glance.

But he did not care.

Because Hong Lang believed.

There was no perfection in worldly affairs.

As long as things were passable, that was enough.

That was his guiding principle.

At times, he felt some regret. If he had taught Qiao Wei's father these principles back then, Qiao Wei's father would not have thrown away his life over a momentary clash of temper.

Time flew by, and forty years had now passed.

Qiao Wei had already become a middle-aged man.

And though Elder Hong had succeeded in cultivation, he too had grown old after all these years.

Hong Lang looked toward the young man standing behind Qiao Wei.

He appeared to be in his thirties.

Standing beside Qiao Wei, the moment he saw Hong Lang look over, he hurriedly bowed in flustered panic.

"Yes, Elder!"

"He is also from Huisan Ridge. By seniority, he truly is my nephew."

"He could no longer survive, so he came to rely on me, hoping to find a position in the Fire Refining Sect."

"The Fire Refining Sect?"

Elder Hong frowned.

If he wanted a position in Yanghua Town, it would take only a word from him.

But if it was the Fire Refining Sect.

He could not help suspecting that the other party harbored ill intentions.

He looked at the man. "Is there anyone else in your household? Why do you wish to seek a position in the Fire Refining Sect?"

Song Chengan cupped his hands. "Reporting to Elder, my parents passed away long ago."

"I have no relatives left."

"Why do you still wish to become a Menial Disciple in the Fire Refining Sect at such an age?"

"You should know that the Menial Disciples the Fire Refining Sect recruited in the past were all young children."

"You are already thirty."

"Elder."

Qiao Wei spoke.

He stepped forward and said in a low voice.

"My nephew originally had ten mu of farmland at home."

"He was also a scholar. By farming and teaching at a private school, he had lived without worry over food or clothing."

"But he was all alone, so people bullied him."

"They seized his fields from him."

"He had a wife, but she abandoned him and took up with another man."

"With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and fled."

"In the end, he drifted to Yanghua Town. Seeing how pitiful he was, I took him in. After asking around, I found that he was indeed my relative."

Song Chengan cupped his hands as well and pleaded, "I beg Elder Hong for mercy. Grant me a position."

"So that I may have a place to stand."

"So that one day, I can return in splendor and glory!"

Elder Hong merely pondered.

"Is there proof of his identity?"

"Yes, yes." Qiao Wei pulled out a letter. "When he told me this, I wrote back to the ridge and asked around. He truly is my nephew."

After Elder Hong finished reading it.

He still did not agree.

Instead, he looked at Song Chengan. "Since you seek a position merely to earn a living, Yanghua Town would suffice. Why must you go to Mount Luofeng?"

Song Chengan said, "Elder."

He raised his head, and there was a trace of unyielding defiance in his gaze. "Evil men bullied me and humiliated me."

"My wife abandoned me."

"If I merely find a position in Yanghua Town, what would it matter even if my days became better? In the end, I would still be a defeated dog!"

"I want to become immortal. I want to cultivate. I want Longevity!"

"One day, I want to return to Huisan Ridge and make them regret it!"

"I heard that becoming a Menial Disciple of the Fire Refining Sect allows one to receive immortal arts!"

Elder Hong laughed when he heard this. "You are thirty already. Even if you cultivate the Dao, how much can you possibly achieve?"

"Even though I have cultivated for three hundred years, on this path, I am still as inconspicuous as an ant."

"But you are Qiao Wei's relative, so I should give you an opportunity."

"Where do you wish to serve as a Menial Disciple?"

"You cannot go to places like the Scripture Pavilion, the Pill Pavilion, or the Artifact Refining Pavilion, but other places are possible."

Song Chengan cupped his hands. "This disciple is not picky. I am willing to do any bitter or exhausting work, so long as I can receive immortal arts!"

Hearing this, Elder Hong's suspicion toward Song Chengan lessened by a few degrees.

He truly believed Song Chengan was a downtrodden scholar, battered by oppression and nursing resentment in his heart.

"You may go up the mountain, but I must make one matter clear to you."

"Ten days from now, the sect will conduct a Heart-Questioning Trial."

"Put plainly, it tests whether you are someone with sinister intentions."

"So long as you pass the test, you will become a Menial Disciple of the Fire Refining Sect."

"Are you willing?"

Song Chengan cupped his hands without the slightest hesitation.

"This disciple is willing!"

Elder Hong nodded.

"Good."

"Follow Qiao Wei and find yourself a place to live. If you have money, buy a decent set of clothes as well. In three days, I will take you up the mountain."

"There are also several children going up the mountain to become Menial Disciples."

"Many thanks, Elder!"

Song Chengan cupped his hands.

Ten days?

That should be enough.

When the time came, he only needed to find a way to come into contact with the Earth Fire.

Song Chengan had already made inquiries.

The Fire Refining Sect used that Earth Fire to forge over a thousand furnaces that burned year-round, supplying disciples for artifact refining and pill refining.

Song Chengan merely needed to take a wisp of furnace fire. It was not as if he intended to steal the Fire Refining Sect's artifacts or pills, so it would not be difficult.

"See? I told you saying it that way had an eighty or ninety percent chance of working!"

"Back then, Elder Hong climbed the mountain in fury to cultivate precisely because others bullied him."

Qiao Wei spoke in a low voice as they walked.

"Oh, right, nephew, you said you would give me that pill!"

Song Chengan took out the pill and tossed it to Qiao Wei.

"Hehe." Qiao Wei caught it happily.

He would need to serve as a steward for a whole year before he could afford this pill.

This poor scholar truly did not know its value.

Did he not know that selling this pill would let him live without worry over food or clothing for the rest of his life?

Why insist on going to the Fire Refining Sect to work himself to the bone as some Menial Disciple?

Could he really believe that beginning cultivation at thirty would allow him to become an immortal?

Naturally, Song Chengan did not know what Qiao Wei was thinking. He had fabricated a story.

He had packaged himself as a downtrodden scholar whose family property had been seized and who had been abandoned by his wife.

He then promised Qiao Wei that, once the matter was done, he would give him the Wonderful Grass Pill he had taken from a dead man's body. Qiao Wei helped him fabricate a complete identity and background.

As for why Qiao Wei did not question the pill's origins—

There was a Rogue Cultivator who had long made a living outside Yanghua Town by murdering people and robbing them of their wealth.

He specifically targeted low-level cultivators in the Dao Seed Realm.

Today, however, that elusive Rogue Cultivator had the misfortune of encountering a passing elder of the Fire Refining Sect and was casually cleaved to death with a single sword strike.

After the elder left, they had rushed toward the Rogue Cultivator together, but Song Chengan was one step faster.

Then, through his conversation with Qiao Wei, Song Chengan learned of Qiao Wei's connection to the Fire Refining Sect elder. A spark of inspiration struck him, and that led to what happened afterward.

Qiao Wei did not know that this Wonderful Grass Pill had not actually been taken from that Rogue Cultivator's body.