Reunion

Bing Ling looked at him with a face full of admiration. "Little Fengfeng, you're amazing! Ultimate Foundation Establishment—indeed, only that could make the gap between you and them so vast."

Feng Wuhen greatly enjoyed his admiration, but he also caught what Bing Ling had just said. "You mean that over this past month or so, not only did my brother achieve Foundation Establishment, but Senior Sister Meng did too?"

Bing Ling pulled him toward his own residence as he spoke. "That's right! You went into seclusion so suddenly that even I only learned about it from Momo. Shen Ziheng came looking for you that night to have a meal together, but he couldn't find you. I told him, and only then did he learn that you had entered seclusion to achieve Foundation Establishment.

After he returned, he also began secluded cultivation for Foundation Establishment. The next day, Meng Hongying went to see him because she wanted to buy a formula to refine candy beans for her contracted beast. She saw that he had entered seclusion for Foundation Establishment, then heard that you had done the same.

Unwilling to lose to the two of you, she went back and entered seclusion as well. She only came out not long ago.

And because Shen Ziheng's cultivation was higher than hers, he was naturally faster. He had already achieved Foundation Establishment when you had been in seclusion for half a month.

However, he didn't immediately go to the Merit Hall to claim a mission. He planned to wait until you and Meng Hongying had both achieved Foundation Establishment, then have the three of you go together.

Oh, there's one more thing I nearly forgot to tell you—Qin Leyan woke up."

Feng Wuhen was not surprised to hear that Qin Leyan had awakened. There had been signs that she was about to wake more than a month ago; after another month had passed, she should have awakened no matter what.

By the time Bing Ling finished recounting everything that had happened over the past month, they had reached where he lived.

He lived in a treehouse. Though it was not very large, it was exquisitely made.

They climbed up the rope ladder and stepped onto a mat woven from vines. Ahead stood a table made from a tree stump two meters in diameter, with several stools made from similar stumps beside it.

Feng Wuhen sat on one of the stools and looked over Bing Ling's home. It was not large, and he took it all in with a single glance.

Behind him was a wooden storage cabinet, upon which rested all sorts of little trinkets: pretty stones, brightly colored feathers, beast fangs...

Across from him was a swaying hammock. Two baskets of spirit fruit sat beneath its lower left corner, while beneath the windowsill on the right stood a table holding a white porcelain vase with several beautiful flowers in it.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, draping the room in a golden cloak.

A golden Spirit Butterfly flew in through the window, trailing specks of spiritual light behind its tail. Once inside, it flew straight toward Feng Wuhen.

Feng Wuhen raised his right hand and extended his index finger for the Spirit Butterfly to land on. After resting on his hand for several seconds, it dispersed into golden spiritual light.

The golden spiritual light gathered together, leaving behind a line of words in the air.

"Gather at Peaceful Residence in half an hour. Shen Ziheng."

Ten breaths later, the line of golden words vanished.

"My brother invited us to gather at Peaceful Residence in half an hour. Let's hurry over now!"

Bing Ling followed him while biting into a fruit. Standing at the entrance to the treehouse, Feng Wuhen took a leaf from his storage ring and tossed it out. The instant it left his hand, the leaf enlarged.

Feng Wuhen stepped onto it first, and Bing Ling followed. Once the two were standing steadily, they controlled the leaf and headed for Qin Xiaoran's Peaceful Residence.

This leaf was the lowest-grade flying artifact on the Qiankun Continent. It could not travel very far, but it was enough to fly around within Mount Grand Mystery.

Feng Wuhen felt that it was perfectly suited to serve as his means of travel until he acquired a spirit sword.

Feng Wuhen and Bing Ling were the last to arrive. When they got there, Shen Ziheng looked at the younger brother he had not seen in over a month and went forward to greet him with delight written all over his face.

"Ah Hen, you're here!"

"Brother!"

Hearing how the two addressed each other, Meng Hongying cried out in surprise. "What is going on? How did you two suddenly become so close?"

She still did not know that the two had sworn brotherhood. When they became brothers, she had still been drunk at Peaceful Residence!

After she sobered up, no one told her about it. Then she followed in those two's footsteps and entered seclusion.

Although she had emerged from seclusion several days earlier than Feng Wuhen, Shen Ziheng had never mentioned this matter whenever they met.

Seeing her make such a fuss, Bing Ling asked in surprise, "You didn't know? The two of them became sworn brothers more than a month ago!"

Meng Hongying looked toward Qin Xiaoran and Qin Leyan. Qin Leyan shook her head at her, indicating that she knew nothing either, while Qin Xiaoran avoided her gaze, clearly showing that he knew.

"So, aside from Leyan and me, all of you knew about something this important!"

Seeing the expression on her face that said, You people have gone too far, Shen Ziheng explained, "We didn't deliberately hide it from you. It was simply too much of a coincidence.

Right after we became brothers, Ah Hen went back and entered seclusion. Then I followed him and entered seclusion as well.

Didn't you also enter seclusion with us afterward? There simply wasn't a chance to tell you. From the time you emerged until now, we've only met twice.

When you came out of seclusion, you sought me out for a formula to refine pills that would nourish your contracted beast's feathers. You left as soon as you got the formula. Even if I had wanted to tell you, there was no time!"

Meng Hongying thought it over carefully and felt that his words made perfect sense.

"That's true~ I'll forgive you this time. But if something like this happens again, you must remember to tell me!

All of you knew while I was the only one left in the dark—it makes me seem so foolish!"

Qin Leyan gently tugged on her sleeve when she heard that. "You weren't the only one. I didn't know either!"

Meng Hongying hugged her and rubbed her cheek against hers. "Mm, these people are too much. If we have any little secrets, we'll keep them from them too and not tell them!"

Qin Leyan smiled and nodded. Seeing that his younger sister had become much more lively under her influence, Qin Xiaoran was deeply pleased.

"All of you are now in the Foundation Establishment Realm and can accept missions. I'll lead your first mission and take you to investigate the disappearance of children in Radiant Moon City."

After learning that Feng Wuhen had emerged from seclusion, Qin Xiaoran had specifically gone to the Merit Hall to accept a mission to lead Foundation Establishment disciples out for experience.

Such a mission did not require him to make a move at all. He did this to repay Feng Wuhen and the others for the kindness they had shown him over two months ago, and also because he had his own selfish motives.

Qin Leyan was also in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but because of Ling Ji, she needed to relearn how to cultivate and gain experience anew.

He had already taught Qin Leyan the methods of cultivation during this time. Now, he needed to take her out to gain experience and build up her practical knowledge.

Feng Wuhen had no objections to going out for experience, except that he had not yet received his spirit sword. "Eldest Senior Brother, is the mission urgent? If it isn't, could we wait a few days? Master told me that the natal spirit sword he had someone forge for me is ready, and I can receive it in the next couple of days. I want to get my spirit sword before going out for experience!"

Hearing this, Qin Xiaoran nodded. "Of course. The matter in Radiant Moon City is rather significant, and disciples from more than just Mount Grand Mystery will be going. It won't matter if we arrive a few days later."