Return to Qinghe County

Next Morning, atop a lofty mountain two hundred li from Guiyun Marketplace, the master and disciple from Li's Sundries Shop rested in a bamboo pavilion shrouded in mist.

"Master, could this Void Sword have been passed to the wrong person? I saw that boy's aptitude—it was far too poor. He only has Four Spiritual Roots. How could he cultivate your Tai Xu Sword Art?"

The middle-aged shopkeeper, dressed as a Daoist, rose and looked toward Guiyuan Workshop a hundred li away before speaking to his puzzled disciple behind him.

"Xingyun, you are still too young. On the path of cultivation, Spiritual Root Aptitude is certainly important, but you cannot obsess over it alone. In ancient times, Spirit Roots were nowhere near so important. Even among those with Five Spiritual Roots, there were many who ascended and became immortals. It was nothing more than a matter of opportunity."

"These years, following me into the world to cultivate have been hard on you. After we return this time, I will enter seclusion for a while. You should return with me as well. You are not far from breaking through your cultivation. Prepare yourself properly, and once I emerge from seclusion, I will find some spiritual treasures for you."

Upon hearing this, the young cultivator was immediately delighted and respectfully said, "Thank you, Master. Are you planning to return to the sect?"

"We have been out for so long. It is time to go back and take a look."

A fresh breeze swept across the ridge, and a wave of mist scattered. Yet the two figures had vanished from the bamboo pavilion, and the entire mountain stood in utter silence, as though no one had ever come.

Song Qingming had found an inn in the Marketplace yesterday. Early in the morning, he left Guiyun Marketplace. He traveled by day and rested at night, not wasting another moment.

Song Qingming first traveled east from Guiyun Marketplace to Pingyang County, then headed south through Pingyang County. Dusty and travel-worn, he walked for more than half a month before finally returning to Qinghe County.

Between his departure and return, Song Qingming had spent more than two months away, traveling nearly several thousand li and witnessing the vast world beyond.

The peak of Funiu Mountain pierced through the clouds. A man-made staircase of bluestone, like an incomparably enormous Azure Dragon, stretched down from the summit and clung to the entire mountain.

On a massive boulder within a pavilion halfway up the mountain sat a burly man in green robes, around forty years old. His eyes were tightly shut, and he sat as motionless as an old monk in meditation, as if he had already fused into the mountain itself.

Before long, the burly man suddenly opened his eyes. His hands swiftly formed seals, and a stream of Spiritual Energy shot from his fingers into a smooth bluestone before him. At a circular spot in the center of the stone, countless blue lights emerged and slowly formed a mirror. Within it appeared a youth in green robes, passing through the bluestone archway at the foot of the mountain and swiftly leaping up the flights of stairs toward the summit. It was Song Qingming.

This bluestone was also a rare mid-grade spiritual treasure, called the "Spirit-Connecting Mirror." It could project scenes from a hundred zhang away for a short time. The Song Family had obtained it in Qinghe Market a century ago.

Seeing Song Qingming in the mirror, the burly man finally relaxed. With a faint smile, he dispersed the Spiritual Energy in his hand and closed his eyes again, returning to his seated meditation. Deprived of Spiritual Energy, the blue light mirror slowly disappeared, and the bluestone returned to its original appearance.

Not long afterward, a youth leaped into the pavilion. It was Song Qingming. Seeing the seated man before him, he hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed his head in greeting.

"Third Uncle, I'm back."

"Qingming, you finally returned. If you had not come back soon, First Elder and the others would have organized people to search the Floating Cloud Mountain Range for you again." The burly man nodded lightly and greeted him with a smile.

Third Uncle Song Changwu had a steady temperament and was also devoted to Arduous Cultivation. Because he cultivated the family's Body Refining Cultivation Method, his frame appeared much larger than Song Qingming's. Every time Song Qingming spoke with him, he had to crane his neck upward uncomfortably.

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

"Yes, First Elder and the others returned nearly a month ago. No one suffered any major injuries. Only your Fourteenth Uncle was hurt more seriously, but it was nothing grave. You were the last to return. It is good that you came back safely. Hurry up the mountain and report your safety to the clan chief and the others." Song Changwu waved at Song Qingming. Once he saw him cup his hands and swiftly leave the pavilion, he closed his eyes again and resumed his earlier mountain-like stillness.

When Song Qingming arrived at the Council Hall, he found that not only was the clan chief present, but several of the family's elders had also gathered there at the same time, a rare sight. The moment they saw Song Qingming, they immediately surrounded him.

"Qingming, you finally returned safely! If the spiritual light beside your name in the Family Genealogy had not yet faded, we truly would have thought you had met with disaster." As Song Qingming entered the Council Hall, First Elder Song Gubo was the first to speak. His tone was full of concern, and a few tears even slid from the corners of his eyes.

First Elder Song Gubo was already over a hundred years old and was the oldest cultivator in the Song Family. He had been responsible for training the family's younger cultivators for nearly thirty years, making him the guiding teacher of all the young cultivators of Song Qingming's generation. Though he was usually extremely strict with them, he had long regarded them as his own children in his heart.

Although Song Gubo had married and raised five or six children in his early years, and his descendants had already grown to dozens, unfortunately, all of them were mortals without Spirit Roots. In his later years, he had placed all his hopes upon the young cultivators of the family.

That day by the pool, faced with the enormous vortex created by the Black Feathered Python, Song Gubo had been powerless. He could only grab Song Changyun, who stood closest beside him, and watch Song Qingming be swept into the vortex. Later, when the Black Feathered Python pursued them, he could only make the same choice as the Liu Family and return to Qinghe County first. On the journey back, Song Gubo had blamed himself deeply over this matter.

Only after returning to Funiu Mountain and having clan chief Song Gushan inspect the blood essence spiritual light Song Qingming had left in the Family Genealogy did Song Gubo learn that Song Qingming was still alive. He had wanted to return to Floating Cloud Mountain alone to receive him. If Song Gushan had not kept him in check over the past month, Song Gubo would have gone to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range to search for Song Qingming long ago.

Song Gushan patted Song Gubo on the shoulder and comforted him with a few words, then turned to Song Qingming.

"Not only did you return safely, your cultivation has also improved. Truly, surviving a great calamity brings great fortune afterward. Tell us quickly, what did you encounter over these past two months?"

Song Qingming cupped his hands and bowed to everyone. "That day, I was swept by the vortex to the bottom of the pool and suffered some injuries. After I swam out of the pool, I discovered that the shore was already completely empty. When I tried to search for everyone, the demonic beast returning to the pool frightened me so badly that I lost my way..."

Song Qingming recounted the explanation he had already prepared, word for word. Naturally, he omitted the matter of finding Liu Tianlong's Storage Bag. Even his reason for breaking through to the Fifth Level of Qi Refining so quickly had been prepared. He claimed that while treating his injuries in the mountains, he had stumbled upon several red spiritual fruits. Thinking they would help heal his wounds, he ate them directly. Yet he had not expected their medicinal effects to be so astonishing that, in his muddled state, he had even broken through in cultivation.

As everyone listened to the dangers of his journey—the chance encounter with a group of Rogue Cultivators and the fierce battle with a pack of wolves before he finally returned safely to Qinghe County—they all felt lingering fear.

"No matter what, your safe return is a good thing. This time, it is also my fault. I never expected the Liu Family to be so careless with this mission that they had not even discovered a demonic beast like the Black Feathered Python hidden in that pool." Song Gushan spoke with a grave expression.

Song Gushan had been worried from the start about accepting the Liu Family's mission. Yet as clan chief, he could not casually leave the family, so he could only wait at home. Seeing that all eight members of the Song Family had returned safely this time, he had gradually found some comfort.

"The Liu Family suffered heavy losses this time. I heard that Liu Tianlong was also gravely injured and passed away in meditation. I do not know whether it is true or false. Clan chief, I fear the Liu Family will lose its standing in the northeastern region of Qinghe County." Second Elder Song Changfeng voiced the news he had obtained from the Marketplace over the past few days, his tone somewhat concerned.

Song Gushan nodded after hearing this. "If something has happened to the Liu Family, this area will likely not remain peaceful. We must be more vigilant as well. That old fellow Liu Tianlong should not be so easy to kill, should he?"

"Qingming, do not rush back to Lingyuan Mountain yet. Rest on the mountain for two more days and let Fourth Elder examine you for any other problems. Do not leave behind any hidden dangers to your cultivation."

Song Qingming remained on Funiu Mountain for another two days. To his surprise, Fourth Elder Song Gucai actually found a similar record for the red spiritual fruits he had casually fabricated two days earlier. In a scroll he had accidentally acquired in the Marketplace, containing records left by ancient cultivators on various heavenly treasures and earthly materials, Song Gucai found a kind of spiritual fruit that closely resembled Song Qingming's description.

This spiritual fruit was called the "Sky Dragon Fruit," a spiritual fruit that had only existed in ancient times and had never been discovered in Wei State. Its effects were extraordinary. Even with only a hundred years of medicinal age, a Qi Refining Cultivator could gain an entire level of cultivation out of thin air by consuming it raw. It was a spiritual treasure that had long since vanished from the world.

Hearing this truly gave him a fright. He could only casually admit it, claiming that he had lost his way when he encountered the spiritual fruit in those mountains. If asked to find it again now, he certainly would not recognize the route. Only then did the blazing look in Song Gucai's eyes fade.