The Condolences

Lu Yu's body was found three days later, after Zhang Jiugao had rescued Li Fan and the others and the Abbot had sent a Nascent Soul-stage True Cultivator to lead a search of the mountain. They discovered him at the bottom of a ravine about a hundred li from the tomb.

A hundred li was only a moment's flight on Sword Light, so there was no way to tell whether he had been ambushed, dumped there, or killed in a sword fight in the sky and fallen to his death.

Of course, by the time Lu Yu was found, all his magical treasures were gone, along with his Storage Jade pendant, the mechanical right arm that the Lu Family used to store "things," and the four dragons he'd been guarding. Whether the killer had taken them or some treasure-seeker from Mount Buzhou had claimed them as a "fortuitous encounter" was anyone's guess.

What law was there in the cultivation world? The strongest made the rules. Even if they tracked down Lu Yu's treasures, or even the Azure Dragons raised by Ink Bamboo Mountain, their new owners could simply claim they were "destined" to possess them. Unless the sect went to war with them, it was unlikely they'd ever get them back.

But the magical treasures and the Coiled Dragon were minor matters.

The real problem was that Ink Bamboo Mountain had lost two Golden Core cultivators and a Foundation Establishment disciple. Worse, there might be a spy among the Inner Sect disciples with ties to Li Country's royal court, one who had actually murdered his fellow disciples.

Ink Bamboo Mountain's custom had always been for the Mountain Lord to oversee the sect and the Abbot to administer its laws. This time was no different.

The Abbot summoned Zhang Jiugao immediately. According to the old man, he had been teaching the youngsters when he suddenly noticed that Chen Daotong's soul lamp had gone out. Then he found the talisman Lu Yu had left at Canglong Jian and learned that the four of them had gone out of the city toward Mount Buzhou to herd dragons. He guessed that something had gone wrong.

So he sent a message to the Abbot, then set out on his sword to search for them. He finally detected the Brightlight Talisman that the youngster Li Qingyue had released with his Divine Sense, and arrived in time to rescue the two survivors.

The Abbot had corroborated his story, and there was solid evidence in the form of the soul lamp and talisman. He had also rescued the two surviving youngsters, Li Qingyue and Yuan Xuanbao, so his account was plausible enough.

Then there was Yuan Xuanbao's account. Senior Brother Lu had taken them to herd dragons, and they'd discovered baleful energy seeping out of the tomb. He had left the three youngsters behind to collect it and prevent a corpse from transforming and causing trouble.

But then this Golden Core cultivator from Ink Bamboo Mountain had suddenly appeared. He decapitated Chen Daotong with a flying sword, then cut Yuan Xuanbao in half at the waist. After that, he entered the tomb to hunt down the youngster Li Qingyue. Qingyue summoned the dragon-herding sword and wounded him with the Black Sword's Sword Light, but the baleful corpse attacked him while he was off guard, and he died in the end. That was how the two of them had survived and been rescued.

The youngster Li Qingyue was badly injured and unconscious, but an examination of his wounds, the remains left in the tomb, and the traces of the battle all supported Yuan Xuanbao's theory.

The Golden Core cultivator had indeed been caught off guard as soon as he entered the tomb. He was wounded by the Sword Light, his dantian damaged and his divine radiance severed, leaving him unable to circulate qi or use spells. Then, still caught off guard, he was killed by the baleful corpse. He had apparently shattered the corpse with his flying sword at the same time, so the two had ended up killing each other.

There was only one problem.

The demonic cultivator had looked and dressed like a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, and his Cultivation Method had been the same, but no one in the Inner Sect recognized him.

"No one recognizes him? What the hell, how is that even possible? Are you messing with me?" Li Fan stared at Yuan Xuanbao, who had come to visit him at Wangshu Residence.

The two of them sat facing each other in the tea room, with a pot of chicken soup and mountain delicacies on the table. Fuling had prepared it for him to nourish his health and replenish his blood before heading out on business for the trading company.

Of course, Li Fan had brought it out to treat his close friend who had shared life and death with him. Xuanbao hadn't come just to mooch chicken soup, either. Kun was the one slurping it down.

"No one recognizes him. There wasn't even a Daoist certificate or talisman in his jade pendant." Perhaps because Li Fan had saved his life, Yuan Xuanbao was much more patient with him now. "Ink Bamboo Mountain was a loose alliance of independent cultivators to begin with. A lot of Daoist Traditions have spread beyond the sect over the years. The practice of issuing certificates from Lou Guan Dao to everyone only began about a hundred years ago.

"Besides, when the False Moon hangs in the sky, disciples often go berserk. Only once they reach the Nascent Soul Realm do Inner Sect disciples become well-known True Inheritors. As for Golden Core cultivators, most of them train at Daoist temples scattered across the peaks and caves, unless they hold an important post like Master Zhang, who often guards Lou Guan Tower.

"Since this man was a spy, anyone who knew him would only get into trouble. So far, nobody has come forward to identify the head we hung under Lou Guan Tower."

Li Fan frowned. "This... your whole big-data system is terrible. Fine, you don't have identity verification, but there can't be that many Golden Core cultivators. Couldn't you check them one by one?"

Yuan Xuanbao thought for a moment. "There's another possibility, of course. This demonic cultivator might not have been an Inner Sect disciple at all. He may have become a Golden Core cultivator in the Outer Sect."

"The Outer Sect? Those nominal disciples?" Li Fan stared blankly.

Yuan Xuanbao nodded. "That's what the Abbot suspects. The nominal disciples do receive the true teachings, and some of them may have extraordinary talent and great fortune. It's not impossible for them to reach the Golden Core stage. It would make sense for one to claim to be a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain.

"But that makes him even harder to investigate. The Outer Sect's nominal disciples are people sent by aristocratic clans, royal families, landlords, and powerful families. Some are heirs to aristocratic houses, while others are retainers raised by Cultivation Families. They only keep a name in the Outer Sect. Once they achieve Foundation Establishment, they return to their families to continue cultivating.

"If he was already a hired killer raised by one of Li Country's noble families, his identity would be even more deeply hidden. It'll be very difficult to uncover the truth anytime soon."

The two fell silent.

Kun took the opportunity to pull a chicken leg from the pot and eat it.

Li Fan hesitated, then asked, "Do you think... it might have been that eunuch from Liqiu Palace?"

Li Fan had told Yuan Xuanbao about the demonic cultivator being a eunuch, as well as the events he'd witnessed at the Dragon Gate Inn, after he recovered.

Yuan Xuanbao nodded, then shook his head. "That demonic cultivator was probably working for the Li Country court, but murdering a fellow disciple is forbidden by all Three Great Sects. It's hard to guard against something like that. As for who killed Senior Brother Lu, there's no way to know.

"The schemes of the royal court are deep and dark, and the Immortal Palace is involved too. It's all too complicated for youngsters like us to get tangled up in...

"But we can hunt down the mastermind later. Qingyue, at least you killed the chief culprit this time and avenged Daotong. Today is the seventh day since their deaths. I came to see how you were healing, and if you're well enough, I'd like to take you to offer incense to Daotong and Senior Brother Lu."

"Oh, the seventh-day memorial. It's already been seven days..." Li Fan finally caught on. He'd been unconscious in the pot for days, apparently. "Of course. I'm fine now. Let's go."

Li Fan changed into the black ceremonial robe he wore for funerals, picked up Kun, who was still chewing on a chicken bone, and tucked him into his sleeve. Then he and Yuan Xuanbao left Wangshu Residence.

Xuanbao released a wooden kite and rode it ahead to lead the way. Li Fan summoned the crane Fairy Wangshu had given him and followed behind.

They left the inner mountain grotto-heaven and headed for Lou Guan Tower. Then they went east, following the river for a little over ten li, until they reached a cluster of wealthy estates: pavilions and vermilion towers, high walls and red-tiled roofs, waterside halls and gardens.

From afar, one could see the frosted roof tiles, the delicate breeze stirring the tortoiseshell curtains, and auspicious clouds drifting above the grand gates. Vermilion towers and waterside halls, emerald pools and gilded pavilions, orchids and jade trees competing in beauty among the Xie family's courtyards. This ancient town, so picturesque and full of charm, was probably where the cultivation aristocracy of the Ink Bamboo Mountain lineage had gathered, protected by the immortals.

When someone attained immortality and became a land immortal who could live for hundreds of years, it was only natural that they'd shelter their descendants beneath their wings—three generations, five generations, even seventeen or eighteen generations down the line. And if one or two more of their descendants attained the Dao, an entire Cultivation Family, an aristocratic clan passed down through the ages, would rise up from the ground.

The Immortal Palace's institutions—heavenly courts, deification, Daoist certificates and talismans—were founded on the same central idea: when one person attained the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascended to heaven. The first Immortal Venerable in the world and his disciples, then the entire Immortal Palace and the Twelve Countries, were simply a microcosm of a Cultivation Family. Naturally, Cultivation Methods and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures stayed within the family.

But this system of family inheritance had later been challenged by the Daoist sects' master-disciple traditions and the Divine Church's religious lineages. Then the False Moon appeared and the Heavenly Dao changed drastically. One cultivator could go berserk and wipe out their entire family, which forced the families to rein themselves in.

Even so, the estates of the noble families around Ink Bamboo Mountain showed that Cultivation Families remained the most widespread and fundamental units in the cultivation world. Any great sect that avoided calamity and accumulated power for a few centuries would naturally find itself surrounded by a cluster of dependent noble families.

With Yuan Xuanbao leading the way, Li Fan followed him to the Chen Family first.

After all, Chen Daotong had only been a Foundation Establishment youngster, so the Chen Family's memorial was modest. Only the relatives of Chen Daotong's household and close friends and Dao Companions like Yuan Xuanbao had come to offer incense.

Since Li Fan had avenged Chen Daotong, he was treated as an honored guest. Chen Daotong's parents, along with the three wives and four concubines he'd left behind, all came to thank him.

...Yes, he really had three wives and four concubines.

Chen Daotong looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, like a high schooler at most. His parents looked sad, but they were dressed like middle-aged people in the prime of life. They probably had elixirs to keep them looking young. At first, Li Fan thought the young women in mourning robes who came to pay their respects were his sisters. But when they were introduced, it turned out they were his wives and concubines...

They could have two tables of mahjong tonight. This wicked feudal society was so enviable... Ahem. Condemnable. It deserved condemnation...

"Brother Xuanbao, how many years did you and Daotong cultivate together?" The dead deserved respect, and it wasn't right to talk about them behind their backs, but Li Fan couldn't resist asking. He chose his words carefully and whispered.

"About twenty years." Yuan Xuanbao did the math. "We were both sixteen when we achieved Foundation Establishment and became disciples under the same master. We became Dao Companions and cultivated together until we reached Foundation Establishment Perfection. It's been at least twenty years."

So they were around thirty-six, and they were immortals. In this era, having three wives and four concubines seemed normal enough. And sixteen was about the right age for puberty... Hm?

"...You said you achieved Foundation Establishment at sixteen?" Li Fan's heart skipped a beat. He looked Yuan Xuanbao up and down. "Brother Xuanbao, you haven't grown much, have you?"

"Oh, after Foundation Establishment, the Dao Body grows more slowly. The higher your cultivation gets, the more slowly you age..." Yuan Xuanbao seemed to realize what Li Fan was thinking. He turned to look at the ten-year-old-looking Li Fan. "Uh, Qingyue, you could actually have waited a couple of years... But given the circumstances back then, there wasn't much you could do..."

Holy shit! Did this mean that if I cultivated too quickly, I'd be stuck looking like a child forever?!

Li Fan's mood decreased by 1 point.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "What's so bad about that? It just means you're a genius, host. Go out and see the world, and you'll find that those great cultivators who've lived a dozen lifetimes all started Foundation Establishment when they were five or six. They're old kids, ferocious and badass. You ran into me too late, host. Otherwise, I'd have had you cultivating before you were even out of your cradle."

Sword Intent, shut the hell up!

Li Fan was speechless. This was such a rip-off. No wonder so many children of Cultivation Families were teenagers, around fifteen or sixteen, and so few in the Outer Sect practiced Moon Worship. They had to carry on the family line...

He looked at Chen Daotong's widows, their tears falling like pear blossoms in the rain. It looked like two of them were already pregnant. Was this how Cultivation Families carried on their lineage?

"Uncles, don't worry. I, Xuanbao, will help look after Daotong's children." Yuan Xuanbao had gone over to comfort the family.

Li Fan could only sigh. But then, it didn't matter. He'd grow up eventually, as long as he didn't level up too quickly.

He offered incense to Chen Daotong and bowed. After Yuan Xuanbao left some pills and talismans and helped his Dao Companion settle the various details of the funeral, they left the Chen Family together.

Chen Daotong, a Foundation Establishment disciple Li Fan had only met a few times, had briefly teamed up with him on the long journey of cultivation. They'd traveled together for a short stretch, and then he'd logged out of the server.

If Li Fan, that menace, lived long enough, there would be many more people who crossed paths with him like that, wouldn't there?

"Haah... the difference between immortals and mortals, a friend who shared life and death..."

Li Fan looked back at the Chen Family's vermilion gates. There didn't seem to be any other cultivators in this generation of the Chen Family. Chen Daotong had been expected to reach the Nascent Soul Realm, but now that he'd died, the Chen Family would probably soon have to move out of this estate and return to what people called the mortal world.

At that moment, Li Fan suddenly realized that he could never return to the Human Dao.

He was no longer a mortal.

It wasn't arrogance. It was simply the truth.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, even Li Fan's physical capabilities were no longer those of a mortal. The gap was already too great.

The births, deaths, and emotions of mortals—their joys and sorrows—would grow harder and harder for him to understand. It might take a long time or a short time, but sooner or later, he'd no longer be able to relate to them. And the consequences of his casual spells, of casually chopping off a couple of heads, would be more than "mere mortals" could bear. What about when he flew on his sword, took on the form of Heaven and Earth, or sacrificed himself to unite with the Dao?

This was probably the mental hurdle that immortals, True Cultivators, martial arts masters, and superheroes all had to face. Sooner or later, you had to realize how dangerous your existence and every action you took could be to ordinary people.

But if you couldn't even think of yourself as a person anymore, how could you hold on to your humanity?

Li Fan's mood decreased by 1 point.

So this was what it meant to hold fast to one's Dao-heart. It was harder than he'd thought...

Yuan Xuanbao wasn't in high spirits either. "Don't worry. The Chen Family still has relatives serving in the court, and Daotong had some savings. His family won't go hungry. I'm more worried about Senior Brother Lu..."

"Senior Brother Lu? Right, isn't his family a hereditary cultivation family with its own artisan inheritance?"

Li Fan shook off his thoughts, summoned his flying crane, and followed Yuan Xuanbao to the Lu Family to pay his respects.

Yuan Xuanbao turned and reminded him gravely, "Qingyue, Senior Brother Lu treated us well, but the Lu Family made a lot of enemies in the past. Now that his cause of death is unclear, someone might come looking for trouble.

"The grudges between Cultivation Families are complicated. Some last decades, centuries, even thousands of years without fading. Dao Companions, relatives, disciples, and followers fight generation after generation. One botched sword duel can draw wave after wave of people into the feud. Eventually, no one can say who was right or wrong, and the tangled karma never ends.

"If a fight breaks out later, don't get involved."

Li Fan nodded. He'd personally experienced one conflict in the martial world and one magical battle in the cultivation world. He hadn't even been dragged into any feud between the Three Great Sects. They'd been nothing but minor skirmishes between independent cultivators, and yet so many people had died.

Li Fan had some idea now of just how harsh life was for the older cultivators. No wonder great cultivators like Profound Heaven Sword Intent were paranoid and petty...

Even with the False Moon hanging in the sky and the Heavenly Dao changed, the core of the conflict had only shifted to the Devil Form. That might ease the shortage of resources for a while, but it hadn't changed the fundamental nature of the world, let alone human nature.

To put it bluntly, the various sects were still enjoying the benefits brought by the False Moon, so there hadn't been any major wars yet. But once they'd recuperated to a certain point, and even the Devil Forms born of cultivators going berserk weren't enough to go around, the cycle of slaughter and conflict would probably begin again.

Devils...

Ha. What were devils?

When it came to bloodlust, people were far more terrifying than devils...

And when they arrived at the Lu Family, Li Fan got an even better sense of just how ruthless the cultivation world could be.

Two groups of people were facing off at the grand memorial hall the Lu Family had set up. They stood with swords drawn, about to fight.

Li Fan and Yuan Xuanbao reined in their mounts and joined some of the other independent cultivators who had apparently come to offer their condolences. They watched the situation from a distance.

Wasn't this going too far? Lu Yu had been a Golden Core cultivator from Ink Bamboo Mountain, after all. Wouldn't this make the sect lose face?

Yuan Xuanbao clearly hadn't expected them to make such a blatant display of hostility, either. He flew over to ask a cultivator he knew. "Brother Gao, who are these people picking a fight with the Lu Family?"

Brother Gao had a square face and was tall and plump. He stood on a flying boat and smiled ruefully. "Brother Yuan, you don't know the whole story. This is their family business. We can't interfere."

After he briefly explained, Li Fan and Yuan Xuanbao finally understood.

Both groups were members of the Lu Family. Nothing under the sun was new, and the reason for the feud was simply that they were fighting over who would lead the family, dividing the estate, and snatching its treasures. It was a disgraceful spectacle, but it was the Lu Family's own business. The fellow cultivators who had come to offer their condolences could only wait awkwardly outside, pretending not to see anything until the Lu Family had sorted things out.

But who could have known the feud would escalate? In the end, they'd formed factions, and the two groups were about to fight a sword duel in the memorial hall. Could you believe it?

Yuan Xuanbao scrunched up his nose and raised his eyebrows. "Senior Brother Lu hasn't even been buried yet! What kind of wicked relatives are these? This is outrageous!"

Hey, Xuanbao! Weren't you the one who said not to get involved?

Brother Gao continued to smile wryly. "Well... I wouldn't call them wicked relatives. One is Senior Brother Lu's daughter by a concubine, and the other is his illegitimate son, born to a mistress he kept outside the family. Both have achieved Foundation Establishment, so they're fighting over the position of head of the Lu Family."

Yuan Xuanbao choked on his words. He exchanged a look with Li Fan, and both of them were speechless.

You couldn't tell, Senior Brother Lu. You looked so upright, but you had a mistress on the side... Wait!

"Xuanbao, you have a wife too, don't you?"

Yuan Xuanbao craned his neck to look at the Lu Family and answered impatiently, "Of course I do. Ink Bamboo Mountain doesn't forbid marriage. Oh, you'll have to wait a few years... or maybe a few decades..."

Li Fan's mood decreased by 1 point.