After entering Haicheng Prefecture, Xu Yang continued onward for half a day before finally arriving outside the sect. Only then did he let out a long breath of relief. He did not enter the sect, however, but turned toward the restricted grounds in the rear mountain.
Unable to fly on a sword, Xu Yang had to expend quite a bit of effort before he finally reached Qing Yuanzi's cultivation cave. He set down the little prince and respectfully called out, "Your disciple Xu Yang requests an audience with Master!"
As soon as Xu Yang finished speaking, the cave's doors slowly swung open. Third Senior Sister Li Qingqing walked out at an unhurried pace. Xu Yang was a little surprised to see her, and hurried forward to pay his respects.
After they had exchanged greetings, Li Qingqing said to Xu Yang, "My adoptive father is waiting inside. I'll take you to him now." She turned and headed into the cave. Hearing her words, Xu Yang suddenly understood. So Li Qingqing was Qing Yuanzi's adopted daughter. No wonder Liu Yuan and Liu Hao had been so wary of her.
Thinking this, Xu Yang hurried after her into the cave. As they walked, he asked Li Qingqing, "Senior Sister, how did you escape the Blood Refining Sect disciples who were hunting you?"
At Xu Yang's question, a look of relief flashed across Li Qingqing's icy, beautiful face. She replied, "I never imagined this mission would be so dangerous. We were even hunted by a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Fortunately, my adoptive father gave me an Earth-Escaping Talisman, so I managed to escape. I was also lucky that the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator didn't pursue me."
Then Li Qingqing asked Xu Yang curiously, "How did you escape your pursuer, Junior Brother Xu? Why did you take several days to return to the sect? I've been back for two or three days already!"
Xu Yang gave a bitter smile. "Your junior brother was terribly unlucky. That Demonic Path cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage targeted me and chased me all the way into Fengcheng Prefecture. Fortunately, he was toying with me the whole time. Otherwise, I never would have made it into Fengcheng Prefecture."
After a moment's thought, Xu Yang continued, "By chance, your junior brother once obtained a Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl. I relied on its power to escape that Demonic Path cultivator."
Hearing the name Demon-Slaying Thunder Pearl, Li Qingqing's expression froze for a moment. She nodded at Xu Yang. "Junior Brother Xu, you really are remarkable. You even had such a treasure on you. No wonder you managed to escape a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator."
Li Qingqing shook her head and sighed. "It's truly cause for celebration that you made it back to the sect, Junior Brother Xu. But our two junior brothers, Xu Shaoyang and Liu Hao, still haven't returned. Most likely, they're already dead."
Xu Yang's expression darkened as well. "I caught a glimpse of Senior Brother Liu Hao. The one pursuing him was that Demonic Path cultivator at the peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. By rights, he should have been able to get away. As for Senior Brother Xu..."
Xu Yang paused, then continued, "He really is dead. I saw Senior Brother Xu's head in the hands of that Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator."
Hearing Xu Yang's words, Li Qingqing's frost-cold face darkened too. She sighed softly, her spirits sinking. She said nothing more to Xu Yang, and the two of them silently quickened their pace into the cave.
A short while later, Xu Yang arrived once again at the quiet chamber he had visited before. Qing Yuanzi had already been waiting there for some time. The moment he saw Qing Yuanzi, Xu Yang set down the little prince and bowed to him.
Qing Yuanzi waved a hand. "There's no need for formalities. First, tell me the details of this mission." Xu Yang immediately agreed and gave a detailed account of what had happened. Of course, he left out the fact that he had killed Xue Meng.
After listening to Xu Yang's report, Qing Yuanzi's expression darkened. "It seems our fourth and fifth disciples really are dead. The Blood Refining Sect has some nerve, daring to interfere in affairs in Wu Prefecture. Are they trying to provoke a war between our sects?"
Then Qing Yuanzi looked up at Xu Yang, his expression softening. "You were lucky to escape. The failure of this mission wasn't your fault, so I won't punish you."
Qing Yuanzi then turned his gaze to the little prince standing nearby. Hearing his words, Xu Yang felt a great weight lift from his heart. When he saw Qing Yuanzi looking at the little prince, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Master, this child is a descendant of Wu Ming, the ruler of the Wu Kingdom. On my way back to the sect, I happened to come across him being hunted, so I rescued him and brought him here for you to decide what to do."
"Oh? This child is Changfeng's descendant? Are you sure?" A glint flashed in Qing Yuanzi's eyes as he asked Xu Yang.
"Master, I can assure you it's true. I heard it from Wu Ming's subordinates, and this child is Wu Ming's only offspring," Xu Yang replied with a bow.
Qing Yuanzi rose and came before the little prince, studying him carefully. Then he nodded. "He does look a little like Senior Brother Changfeng. Since he's descended from an old friend, I should treat him well." He looked at Xu Yang and nodded. "Sixth Disciple, well done. You handled this matter very well. I'm quite pleased."
Xu Yang hurriedly bowed. "It is my duty to ease Master's burdens. I don't deserve your praise." Qing Yuanzi waved his hand. "Merit is merit, and fault is fault. I reward and punish fairly. I'll remember your contribution this time, and you'll benefit from it in the future."
Xu Yang immediately looked overcome with excitement. "Thank you, Master!" Then Qing Yuanzi said to Li Qingqing, "Qingqing, I'll leave this child in your care from now on. If he has a spiritual root, let him cultivate. If he doesn't, keep him in the sect and let him live as an ordinary person."
Li Qingqing gathered the little prince into her arms, her face full of tenderness. "I'll take good care of him. Don't worry, Adoptive Father."
"Mm." Hearing Li Qingqing's answer, Qing Yuanzi nodded with satisfaction. Then he swept his sleeve and said to Xu Yang and Li Qingqing, "You may both leave. I still have to deal with the Blood Refining Sect." The two immediately bowed and turned to leave the quiet chamber.
Outside the cave, Xu Yang patted the little prince's head, said goodbye to Li Qingqing, then rose on his sword and flew toward the sect's grounds. Watching Xu Yang fly away, the little prince looked utterly reluctant and burst into tears.
Li Qingqing picked him up and gently said, "Don't cry. I'll take you to see him again someday. What's your name?" Hearing her, the little prince sniffled. "Really? I can see Uncle Xu again? That's wonderful! My name is Wu Yuan. I'm a prince of the Wu Kingdom."
Li Qingqing stroked Wu Yuan's little head. "Of course. Was Uncle Xu good to you? You've only been with him for a few days. How did you get so fond of him?"
"Uncle Xu was so good to me. He told me stories every day, bought me candied hawthorns, and used his energy to keep me warm at night. He treated me much better than Father's subordinates did!" Wu Yuan said, his little face beaming.
Hearing Wu Yuan's words, Li Qingqing looked up in the direction Xu Yang had gone. Her impression of him changed considerably. So he wasn't only good at scheming—he had a childlike side to him, too.
After saying goodbye to Li Qingqing, Xu Yang flew on his sword, reflecting on how right he had been to take on this mission. Not only had he greatly improved Qing Yuanzi and Li Qingqing's opinion of him, he had also found Wu Yuan a powerful protector. It had worked out perfectly.
Thinking of Wu Yuan, Xu Yang found that he was rather fond of the boy. He was cute and quick-witted. If he had a spiritual root and could enter the world of cultivation, he would have a boundless future under Qing Yuanzi's guidance. Xu Yang would have done right by Wu Ming.
As he thought about all this, Xu Yang soon reached the sect. He didn't linger, heading straight back to his own tower. Seeing that nothing inside had changed, Xu Yang felt deeply moved.
He had only been away for eight or nine days, yet it felt as if a long time had passed. Suddenly, he felt utterly exhausted. Instead of meditating and refining his Qi, he lay down on the second floor and fell into a deep sleep.
He let go of every last bit of vigilance and slept soundly. Only after a full day and night did Xu Yang wake, refreshed and full of energy. Once he was fully awake, he felt vigorous from head to toe, with a remarkably clear mind.
Xu Yang took the next two days to relax and get himself back into shape. Two days later, he went into seclusion again and resumed his cultivation. He had plenty of pills this time, including the top-grade Zengyuan Pills he had obtained from Xue Meng—enough to cultivate well for quite a long while.
Time passed slowly. After Xu Yang went into seclusion, the outside world was swept up in turmoil. The Blood Refining Sect's interference in Wu Prefecture enraged the higher-ups of the Bailian Pavilion. They immediately sent elite disciples to Wu Prefecture, and the two sides broke into open battle. The fighting eventually subsided after Golden Core elders from both sides intervened.
The Blood Refining Sect was forced to withdraw from Wu Prefecture, and Bailian Pavilion disciples killed the rebel Prince Fu. With the Wu royal family in decline, the higher-ups of the Bailian Pavilion had no choice but to select another disciple's family to become the new royal house of the Wu Kingdom.
With its plan foiled, the Blood Refining Sect flew into a rage and once again provoked a war along the border between the Wu and Yue kingdoms. This time, however, the conflict was smaller. Most of the cultivators who took part were in the Qi Refining Realm, while Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators remained behind the lines. The Golden Core elders, meanwhile, stayed out of the fighting.
Seeing this, the Bailian Pavilion was glad for the chance to train its disciples. It quickly sent inner disciples and some of its elite disciples to reinforce the front lines. The two sides became locked in a stalemate along the border between the two kingdoms.
Three years passed like this. The two great sects fought and paused in turn, never fully ending the war. Xu Yang, too, had spent three years in seclusion. During that time, he had not focused solely on raising his cultivation.
He had advanced too quickly before, reaching the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining in less than two years. Even with the Black Little Sword helping him purify his Gang Qi, his progress had been too rapid, leaving his foundation somewhat unstable.
He spent a year and a half consolidating his cultivation. Only when Xu Yang felt his foundation had become completely stable did he begin advancing again. With the aid of high-quality pills, his cultivation rose rapidly once more.
In only a year and a half, he had advanced from the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining to the peak of the Eighth Layer. At the same time, with the help of the Millennial Ice Soul Pearl, his physical cultivation had reached the equivalent of the middle stage of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. He was only one step away from mastering the Iron Body Technique completely.
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