Epilogue

Outside the city, Mianning put away the mirror and looked in the direction Su Yao had come from, and couldn't help but sigh.

They had expected Su Yao to make a scene, cry, reunite with his parents, and develop a rift with Qixia Mountain. However, to avoid future trouble, it was better for their own people to bring the matter up than for outsiders to do so. Therefore, they had no choice but to do it this way.

But no one expected him to be so cold-hearted and have such weak ties with his family.

Mianning looked towards the southwest where the sunset was still in full bloom, wondering whether Su Yao's performance was good or bad, and also how her master viewed the matter.

Suddenly, a sense of unease arose in his heart, and he quickly looked towards Yongzhou, where he saw:

A scholar dressed in Confucian robes appeared on the official road at some unknown time, not far in front of Su Yao, and was talking to Su Yao. Enraged, Su Yao transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards him.

Su Yao bid farewell to his parents and headed out of the city.

His feelings were not much different from when he came. After all, he had no other debt of gratitude to his parents except for the debt of giving birth to him. Moreover, he had been abandoned on the Great Qing River at birth, and he had already done his best to ensure that the two elders could live out their old age in peace.

Jiye has no talent for cultivation, Mingcheng does. It's just that their time together hasn't come yet. If they are destined to meet in the future, they will naturally meet.

As for Daozheng's concealment and obstruction, what more could he say?

Ultimately Daozheng raised him and taught him with great care. The kindness of giving him life and raising him is immeasurable. It is true that Daozheng concealed the truth, but it is also true that Daozheng raised him well. It is impossible for him to have any grudge against Daozheng because of this. At most, he might curse the old man a few times for being mean-spirited.

After all, he had seen that his parents had indeed had their lifespans extended, and living to be over a hundred years old was not out of the question. However, the matter of Nanzhao was clearly not something that could be resolved in twenty years.

As he was pondering this, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. Looking up, he saw that the surroundings were empty except for a teacher sitting upright on an oxcart, looking at him.

Su Yao instantly became alert. Although the other party did not reveal any aura, Su Yao had a guess in his heart that it was definitely Purple Mansion!

The Confucian School's "Purple Mansion" can also be called "Master" or "Great Confucian Scholar"!

He just kept staring at Su Yao like that, his eyes cold.

Having no other option, Su Yao asked:

"May I ask what brings you here, senior?"

He finally spoke, his voice unhurried, as if he had been waiting for these words for a long time:

"Having seen that Qixia Daozi resides in your esteemed place, I have come specifically to pay my respects."

Su Yao was about to make a few perfunctory remarks and find a chance to slip away, but he was interrupted again:

"My disciple is still sinking into the Heaven of Following Desire; I wonder if you would like to go with him?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yao cursed inwardly, "As expected, they've come to collect a debt for that Qinghe Commandery. Daozheng sent his prized disciple to Heaven of Following Desire, and now his master has come knocking on our door."

With a thought, he unleashed Golden Light Across the Land. But the next moment, images of sages preaching appeared in the surrounding void, the sounds of bamboo slips turning, children reciting, and bells and chimes blending together, and Su Yao found himself unable to move.

The teacher slowly rose from the oxcart, looking down at Su Yao:

"Since Daozi has descended the mountain, why not discuss the Dao with me?"

Su Yao, unwilling to acknowledge the man, was about to refuse when he suddenly saw Mianning behind him. His face lit up with joy, and he felt reassured. He took a deep breath, adopted the expression he habitually wore when Daozheng on Qixia Mountain, straightened his back, and looked directly at the Master, saying:

"You old bastard, you only dare to bully someone like me who's at the Foundation Establishment. If you've got the guts, go up to Qixia Mountain!"

The Master was taken aback upon hearing this, seemingly not expecting a Foundation Establishment cultivator to speak to a Grand Confucian scholar of the Purple Mansion in such a manner; his face turned ashen.

"Is this the upbringing of someone born into a prestigious family?"

Su Yao scoffed:

"Cultivation? Senior, you've traveled all the way from Jiankang to the gates of Yongzhou to ambush a Foundation Establishment junior. I wonder what level of Confucian Dao you've cultivated?"

"You..." The Master's face darkened further, but he suppressed his anger, "Sharp-tongued and eloquent, True Person Guangli is a thousand times better than you!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yao's gaze turned cold, but instead of being angry, he smiled:

"Senior, when you bring up Senior Brother Guangli's matter, do you perhaps wish to follow in the footsteps of your disciple and sink into the Heaven of Following Desire, or do you simply wait to turn to ashes and be consumed by future generations?"

He was furious upon hearing this, and the surrounding phantoms pressed down on Su Yao.

He already harbored resentment over the matter concerning his disciple five hundred years ago, and his purpose in blocking the door today was to provoke Su Yao into making a move, but unexpectedly, he was provoked instead.

Mianning immediately became furious, and with a swift movement, appeared behind the teacher.

Without uttering a single word, he flipped his hand, and a short stick appeared in his palm. A clear light suddenly emanated from it, like divine punishment descending, striking straight at the teacher's head!

The Master was shocked, never expecting such a sudden change from behind. In his haste, his Vast Righteousness Qi surged, and he turned around to block it.

Mianning struck again with a backhand, and the sound of bamboo slips turning in the air abruptly stopped, the children's recitation turned into exclamations, and the bells and chimes rang out in unison, shattering into fragments.

The teacher trembled violently, spitting out blood. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, not daring to linger for a moment. He transformed into a streak of frantic blue light and fled desperately towards Jiankang.

Mianning didn't pursue, but lowered her eyes, gently twirled the short stick in her palm, wiped away the dust, and said calmly:

"Overestimating oneself."

Seeing that the teacher had been beaten until he spat out blood and fled in panic, Su Yao finally relaxed. He stepped forward with a grin and cupped his hands to Mianning, saying, "Thank you for your help, young master."

Mianning twirled the short stick in his hand, and it transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into his sleeve. He glanced at Su Yao, his tone tinged with reproach and lingering fear:

"You've got guts, kid. If he really makes a move, I might not be able to save you in time."

Su Yao stopped joking and said seriously:

"This disciple was not acting out of spite. It's just that in that situation, if I showed the slightest weakness, he would only become more demanding. Besides..." He paused, his gaze fixed on the direction where the Master had disappeared, "He brought up Senior Brother Guangli, and if this disciple remained silent, it would make it seem as if Qixia Temple was afraid of him."

Mianning remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly:

"This man is quite influential in the Confucian School. I repelled him today, and he dares not come looking for you again, but the feud has been formed. If you ever enter Jiankang or encounter any Confucian School disciples in the future, you must be extra careful."

Su Yao replied, "This disciple has remembered."

Mianning said no more, raised her hand and summoned a white lotus, gesturing for Su Yao to step onto it.

After the two stood on the lotus platform, Mianning said calmly:

"Things are settled here. It's time to go back."

The lotus platform rose and headed northwest.

Su Yao glanced back at the shrinking city of Yongzhou. The two faded old lanterns had long since disappeared into the depths of the streets and alleys, no longer visible.

He looked away and suddenly asked:

"Young master, who was that short stick just now Spirit Treasure? I've never heard of him before... and he didn't even notice you appearing behind him."

Mianning didn't even lift his eyelids. "Just a dog-beating stick." He paused, then added, "Nothing special, just practice makes perfect."

Su Yao was taken aback upon hearing this, then burst into laughter.

Mianning glanced at him sideways. "What are you laughing at? It wasn't me who got ambushed from behind." Then she added, "But those two insults you just hurled at him were quite reminiscent of my style back in the day. If anyone asks about it later, just say I taught them."

Su Yao smiled and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, "This disciple has remembered."

The lotus platform broke through the clouds and entered the Great Void. The Great Void in front of it was shrouded in gray, while the sky behind it was bright with light.