Tap, tap-
Footsteps echoed through the night.
On the street paved with bluestone slabs, Zhang Jing walked forward step by step, drawing ever closer to the pharmacy.
He had been away for only a month.
Looking at the familiar scenery around him, he actually felt as though the surroundings remained, but the people had changed.
Before he knew it,
Zhang Jing had reached the pharmacy door.
Knock, knock! He tapped lightly on the door.
A flurry of hurried footsteps sounded inside. Then the door slowly opened, revealing two familiar figures.
"Father, Mother, I'm home."
Zhang Jing smiled as he spoke.
In an instant,
Father Zhang and Mother Zhang both froze in place.
Only after a long while
“Jing'er is home! Come inside, come inside,” Father Zhang called out, a flicker of excitement in his eyes before he forced himself to appear composed.
But his trembling voice completely betrayed his excitement.
"Jing'er, were you hurt at the Dao Academy? Have you been eating on time? You haven't gotten into any conflicts, have you?"
With tears in her eyes, Mother Zhang seized Zhang Jing's hand and asked anxiously.
"Mother, I'm fine. I've been doing very well at the Dao Academy, too."
The three walked inside as they talked.
It was midnight.
Zhangji Pharmacy was still brightly lit.
"Father, Mother, you're saying these were gifts from that 'Ji Clan head'?"
Pointing at the chests hidden beneath the bed, Zhang Jing asked in surprise.
The Ji Clan certainly had well-informed ears!
He had taken third place in the assessment that day, and they had delivered these things to his parents that very evening.
Could it have been-Brother Ji?
"Yes, Jing'er. Master Liu came last night to tell us you had passed the Dao Academy assessment and become an immortal. This Ji Clan head came with Master Liu."
Father Zhang explained from beside him.
Meanwhile, Mother Zhang looked at Zhang Jing, worry appearing in her eyes. “Jing'er, why don't we simply return these things? You've only just entered the Immortal Dao, yet they've sent such lavish gifts. They might be scheming for something. We mustn't let this affect your cultivation. Your father and I don't seek glory or riches. We don't need these things.”
"Haha."
Zhang Jing chuckled at her words, then said,
"Father, Mother, just accept them without worrying. The Ji Clan only wants to show goodwill. There's no harm in it."
With only a moment's thought, Zhang Jing understood the Ji Clan's intentions.
And he was happy to see it happen.
"By the way, Father, Mother, where is that residence?"
“On East Street, apparently right beside Yong’an Academy.”
Father Zhang dug out the property deed, glanced at it, and answered.
"The Ji Clan certainly put some thought into this." Zhang Jing nodded in satisfaction.
Nothing could have been better.
He was busy cultivating at the Dao Academy and could not return often. With his parents living beside Yong’an Academy, their safety would naturally be assured.
If demons suddenly appeared in Yong'an City, Master Liu at the academy would certainly act. As long as he bought some time, the Ji Clan's cultivators would surely arrive.
At that thought,
Zhang Jing said firmly, "Father, Mother, let's move over in the next couple of days. With you living there, I can rest easy."
Hearing the refusal to take no for an answer in Zhang Jing's voice, Mother Zhang, who had wanted to say something more, could only nod in agreement.
"Then we'll do as you say, Jing'er."
The next day.
Not long after dawn,
Ji Xianming seemed to have received some news and hurried to the entrance of Zhangji Pharmacy.
Seeing a young figure inside,
he could not help breaking into a brilliant smile and called out kindly,
"Might you be Nephew Zhang?"
At the sound of his voice,
Zhang Jing turned to look and asked in puzzlement, "You are?"
"Haha." Ji Xianming walked straight to the pharmacy entrance and said warmly, "Do you remember Ji Bochang, nephew? He is my son."
"Brother Ji?"
Zhang Jing immediately understood and said with a smile,
"So you're Uncle Ji. I truly feel unworthy of all those gifts. Brother Ji already helped me a great deal at the Dao Academy. Please, come inside."
"What are you saying, nephew? We are both cultivators. How could a little gold and silver amount to anything worth mentioning? It was merely something for your father to amuse himself with."
As they spoke,
Ji Xianming entered the pharmacy at Zhang Jing's invitation.
Just then, Mother Zhang emerged from the inner room.
The moment she saw Ji Xianming, her expression grew somewhat constrained, and she said softly,
"Master Ji-"
At those words,
Ji Xianming's expression changed, and he hurriedly interrupted,
"Sister-in-law, I'm only a few years older than you and your husband. Just call me Brother Ji. I truly cannot accept being called 'Master.'"
"Brother... Ji, please sit down. I'll make some tea."
Mother Zhang spoke awkwardly.
"Sorry for the trouble, sister-in-law." Ji Xianming rose politely.
A short while later,
"Nephew Zhang Jing, I came today first because I heard you were home and wanted to congratulate you, and second because I wanted to discuss the matter of the Hundred Medicines Pavilion."
After taking a small sip of tea, Ji Xianming went straight to the point.
"The Hundred Medicines Pavilion? What happened with them?"
Zhang Jing asked in surprise.
"Well..." Ji Xianming gave Zhang Jing's parents opposite him a puzzled look. "Brother, sister-in-law, did you not tell Nephew Zhang Jing about this?"
Father Zhang shook his head with a bitter smile and answered,
"Brother Ji, at first, we mainly feared it would affect our Jing'er's assessment, so we didn't tell him then. And didn't you help resolve it a couple of days ago? There was no need to bring it up and worry Jing'er for nothing."
"Father, Mother, what exactly happened?"
Zhang Jing immediately pressed them, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.
“Nephew Zhang Jing, this is what happened...” Seeing that Father Zhang and Mother Zhang were unwilling to speak, Ji Xianming immediately explained the entire sequence of events.
"So that's what happened. Thank you for lending a hand, Uncle." Having heard him out, Zhang Jing thanked Ji Xianming gratefully.
But then something occurred to him, and he spoke calmly again. "There's a rogue cultivator backing the Hundred Medicines Pavilion? In that case, there's bound to be trouble left behind."
Zhang Jing's tone was perfectly calm.
Yet for some reason, Ji Xianming felt his heart pound with alarm.
No wonder he had seized third place with utterly overwhelming force in this Dao Academy assessment, where powerful contenders gathered like clouds, ranking below only those two First Grade prodigies!
Truly frightening!
Suddenly recalling Ji Bochang's instructions through the Communication Talisman, Ji Xianming could not help marveling inwardly, though he was also somewhat puzzled.
How had a child from an ordinary mortal family reached this point?
Could his ancestral graves have exploded?
If he went and blew up his own ancestral graves now, loosened the soil, and hurried to have another child, would there still be time...?
Coming back to himself,
Ji Xianming hurriedly explained, "Rest assured, nephew. Yesterday, I already sent people to 'clean up' the Hundred Medicines Pavilion's owner and the rogue cultivator behind him. There will absolutely be no future trouble."
Upon hearing this,
a smile immediately appeared on Zhang Jing's face, and he nodded. "You've thought of everything, Uncle. Sorry to have troubled you with this."
"Haha, you're too polite, nephew. Our Ji Clan is famous for seeing a good deed through to the end. And rest assured, I've already invited two clan uncles at the Qi Refining fifth layer to settle permanently in the eastern part of the city. Even if demons appear, they can ensure your parents' safety."
Then Ji Xianming drained his cup of tea and took his leave.
"Since everything here is settled, I'll go blow... head home now."
"Take care, Uncle. I'll look after Brother Ji a little at the Dao Academy."
Watching Ji Xianming's departing figure, Zhang Jing called out clearly.
"Good, good, good! How thoughtful of you, nephew! Hahaha!"
Hearing Zhang Jing's assurance, Ji Xianming could not help bursting into delighted laughter.
Behind him,
“Jing'er, the owner of the Hundred Medicines Pavilion, and the Immortal Elder behind him... are they dead?” Father Zhang asked in shock, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit ten eggs.
Zhang Jing slowly nodded.
At once, Father Zhang and Mother Zhang exchanged looks.
They found it hard to imagine that an Immortal Elder, lofty and exalted, had died just like that, without any clear explanation. More importantly, the Ji Clan had done all this of their own accord, simply to please their son.
Looking at the son they had raised from childhood, for some reason, both suddenly felt a trace of unfamiliarity.
Zhang Jing stayed at home for more than ten days.
Only after the Chang'an Festival had passed did Zhang Jing set off for the Dao Academy.
During that time, he helped his parents move, purchased several dozen maids and manservants for them, and entrusted the Ji Clan with recruiting a reliable steward.
In those scant ten-odd days,
Physician Zhang became Master Zhang, and Mother Zhang became Madam Zhang, while visitors from the county office, commandery administration, provincial administration, and the various great clans came in an unending stream.
The streets buzzed with the saying: Physician Zhang was blessed to have an Immortal Elder for a son; with immortal favor and heavenly dew showering down upon them all, they became dukes and marquises overnight!
In the inner hall of the Zhang residence,
Mother Zhang murmured to several spirit tablets she had made herself,
"Father, Mother, Elder Brother, are you doing well over there? I have good news for you. Jing'er's child, Zhang Jing—your grandson and nephew—has become an Immortal Elder of the Dao Academy. Who could have imagined that the wish of generations of the Li Clan would actually come true through me...?"
Dressed in a brocade robe, Father Zhang slipped quietly inside and said softly,
"Wife, are you thinking of them again?"
"Husband, Jing'er has entered the Immortal Dao. He and we are already separated as immortal and mortal."
Mother Zhang spoke with a sense of emptiness.
"Then shall we have another?"
"Shameless old man!"
Before the Dao Academy's Inheritance Pavilion,
travel-worn Zhang Jing took the Communication Talisman from the Spirit Pendant Space and infused it with spiritual power.
"Is that Junior Brother Zhang Jing? You're back so soon? Wait a moment. I'll come pick you up right away."
Zhang Yangchu's Spiritual Sense fluctuations came through the talisman.
Putting away the Communication Talisman,
Zhang Jing stood quietly in place with his eyes closed, resting his mind as he waited for Senior Brother Yangchu to arrive.
It had actually taken ten whole days to reach Dragon Lake Dao Academy after leaving home.
And that was with him constantly using Law Techniques to travel faster.
Thinking of how the Spirit Crane ride had taken only the better part of a day, Zhang Jing silently made a decision: once he had the means, he would definitely buy a flying Law Artifact, as well as a flying mount.
Before long,
"Haha, sorry for the wait, junior brother."
A streak of light flashed past. Senior Brother Yangchu, standing atop a Flying Sword as broad and thick as a door plank, came to a graceful stop before Zhang Jing.
"Not long at all. Mainly because you came so quickly, senior brother."
Zhang Jing said with a smile.
"Of course! The moment I heard you were back, I came straight over at full speed to pick you up, without another word. Hop on."
"Yes, senior brother."
With a light leap, Zhang Jing landed behind Senior Brother Yangchu.
"Junior brother, hold tight."
At those words, Zhang Jing instinctively grabbed the other man's clothes, then suddenly felt that the words sounded somewhat familiar.
Boom-
The Flying Sword slowly rose, then transformed into a streak of light and shot into the distance.
Beneath their feet, lake islands large and small flashed past one after another, all covered in sprawling buildings.
"Junior Brother, those islands below are the other teams' bases. Each island represents a Mission Team."
"So many?" Zhang Jing exclaimed in surprise.
Senior Brother Yangchu nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, Dragon Lake Dao Academy has existed for countless years. Every year, new teams form, while others fall to demons and are wiped out. Over time, it grew to this scale."
"So that's how it is."
A flicker of wonder passed through Zhang Jing's eyes.
He truly could not imagine just how many powerful cultivators lay hidden among so many Mission Teams. And for the Luodu Squad to hold a firm place in the top three among all these teams, just how formidable must its strength and reserves be?
Clearly, he had been thoroughly fooled by the word "small" in "small mission teams."
He had no idea how far they had flown.
An incomparably vast island gradually came into Zhang Jing's view, covered with countless pavilions, terraces, towers, and halls, all on a grand scale.
Dozens of powerful auras could also faintly be sensed echoing one another across the island.
Some were sharp, some gentle, some fierce.
"Junior Brother, we're home."
P.S. Sob, sob, I only updated nearly 7,000 characters today and didn't hit the target. Tomorrow, I'll keep going with two updates totaling 6,000 characters.