The Seven-Year Promise

Inside the house.

Zhou Ning checked the sealing wax on the envelope and confirmed that it had not been opened.

That made sense. No one should care about a low-level cultivator like him.

He had once looked through the Su Household's records and learned that most of the courier business in Chen State was controlled by a Core Formation beast-taming sect. It even delivered parcels to all corners of the land.

He unfolded the letter to find a line of crooked handwriting.

"Brother Zhou, it's Jiang Xiaohua... hee-hee, I'm already at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement. Impressive, right?"

"She can even write now..."

The image of a farm girl appeared before Zhou Ning's eyes: coarse hemp clothes, messy short hair, and hands covered in cracks.

Back then, Mr. Wen, their guide on the immortal path, had bought Jiang Xiaohua a set of silk clothes. After putting them on, she had cried and howled as she took them off, saying they were as slippery as a loach.

"Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement!" Xu Qinghou blurted out beside him, unable to conceal his surprise.

Cultivation grew harder the further one progressed. He was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer, yet he already found every step an uphill struggle, unable to advance even an inch.

Zhou Ning smiled. "What's so strange about that? She has an Earth Spirit Root, and a sect elder took her in as a True Disciple."

Jiang Xiaohua chattered on about many things: her master was strict, her senior sisters were kind, many people wanted to be her friends, and there were lots of good people in the sect.

Her words were full of childishness and genuine feeling.

But Zhou Ning found it hard to relate. In the end, a single sect gate separated two different worlds.

More than halfway through the letter, the handwriting changed, becoming much more elegant.

"Brother Zhou, seeing these words is like seeing me in person..."

Gu Xiangning had a Middle-Grade Spirit Root. Because she was gifted in music, an elder had likewise taken her as a disciple. She was now at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement.

She briefly described her experiences in the sect, then shared her cultivation experience, reminding Zhou Ning that he would do best to choose a craft, such as talisman-making, growing Spirit Plants, or controlling insects...

She said that wealth, companions, methods, and land were especially important on the path of immortal cultivation. Only by mastering a craft could one have a steady stream of wealth.

She also advised him that if a fortuitous opportunity arose, he must fight for it. Fight, and nine deaths might leave one chance of survival; do not fight, and ten deaths would leave none.

Finally, she made an appointment to gather with Young Master Luo and the others in Yongyang Commandery four years later, and hoped he would be sure to attend.

Xu Qinghou read along to the end and agreed with Gu Xiangning's words more and more. Compared to the naive Jiang Xiaohua, she was far, far more mature.

"If I'd entered the sect that day, perhaps I could have been like them and not had to run around making a living!" Xu Qinghou said with a sigh.

Zhou Ning watched his dreamy expression and shook his head inwardly.

Xu Qinghou grew somewhat excited again. "I didn't expect them to still remember the promise we made on the road to seeking immortality."

The group of immortal seedlings had once made a promise on the banks of the Huai River: if they entered the gates of immortality one day, they would support one another.

Zhou Ning showed little joy. What good was a promise?

He knew full well that time was a knife, and people's hearts were easily changed.

If he had no value of his own and shared no interests with them, then meeting would amount to no more than reminiscing about the past and sounding out one another's present circumstances. A few hours would be enough to say it all, and afterward they would probably go their separate ways to the far ends of the world.

From the moment they entered the gates of immortality, their ties might already have ended. It would be better not to meet.

But seeing Xu Qinghou's expectant expression, he seemed to think he could form connections with the sect's geniuses in the future.

Zhou Ning did not throw cold water on him.

"Scholar Xu, what do you make of my rejection?" he asked. That was why Xu Qinghou had come today.

"I wouldn't presume to say I know, but I do have a guess."

Xu Qinghou pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket, densely covered with names.

He read aloud, "In the third year of Xuanhe, one hundred and forty-seven immortal seedlings took part in the Azure Mystic selection... Fan Zhongping, Root Bone of eighteen, Middle-Grade aptitude, twelfth on the Heart-Questioning Platform, entered Golden Peaks Peak..."

"In the tenth year of Xuanhe... Zhou Xuemei, ninth on the Heart-Questioning Platform..."

Xu Qinghou needed only to glance at their names to recite their qualifications from memory, a clear sign of how good his memory was.

"In the seventh year of Xuanhe, Zhou Ning, Root Bone of seventeen, seventh on the Heart-Questioning Platform, rejected."

At that, Xu Qinghou lowered the sheet and said no more, simply looking at him in silence.

Zhou Ning was silent for a long time. The people on the list had all been inferior to him in age, aptitude, and temperament, yet every one of them had entered the Azure Mystic Sect.

Why was that?

Xu Qinghou smiled bitterly. "Being rejected that day nearly became my heart demon. For the past three years, I've gone through countless hardships to collect this list and find out why. Now I'm completely convinced."

"But Brother Zhou, there's something fishy about your case."

Zhou Ning let out a long sigh. "Now that I'm here, I'll make the best of it."

He was now settled and making a living in the Su Household, which was not so bad.

Xu Qinghou's voice suddenly grew agitated. "Do you know that the steward who was in charge of our admission back then was named Su Yanghao? He's a member of the Su Household."

Zhou Ning glanced at him. "Are you suggesting that a great Foundation Establishment cultivator singled me out? Am I worth that?"

"You have no value, but what about Jiang Xiaohua?"

Xu Qinghou shot back, "That day she kept calling you 'brother' this and 'brother' that. She was so close to you."

He pointed at the letter in Zhou Ning's hand. "This is proof!"

"From what I've seen, the Su Household has been making alliances on all sides in recent years. They're full of ambition and may develop a rift with the Azure Mystic Sect in the future."

"Jiang Xiaohua has an Earth Spirit Root and a chance of advancing to Core Formation. If you stay with the Su Household and receive their favors, Jiang Xiaohua will surely remember your old friendship in the future."

Zhou Ning found it absurd. It was utter nonsense!

Xu Qinghou said, "Besides, for a great figure like that, arranging where you went would have taken no more than a word."

Xu Qinghou felt a tightness in his chest. Yes, a move made on a whim, a piece placed casually on the board, could be enough to rewrite the fate of the person it fell upon.

Zhou Ning frowned in thought. Even if Scholar Xu was right, what of it?

Su Yanghao was a great Foundation Establishment cultivator who could easily crush him to death with one finger. The Su Household's patriarch was even at the late stage and had once fought a False Core cultivator with all his strength and still escaped with his life.

He rebuked him, "Don't say things like that again, or you'll bring trouble down on yourself."

Xu Qinghou reined in his indignation and nodded. "I only hope you won't be sold off and still count the money for the man who sold you."

"Mm."

Having said his piece, Xu Qinghou thought again of how the Su Household's eldest young lady had looked after Zhou Ning today. He feared it was not because Zhou Ning was good at flattering her, but because she knew the reason behind it all.

As for Su Wen, the more Xu Qinghou thought about her, the angrier he grew. What a fool!

At the same time, he regretted it. Had he known, he should have grown closer to Jiang Xiaohua back then. Perhaps a word from her might have let him benefit and enter the Azure Mystic Sect.

Having spoken frankly, the two of them could now be said to share a secret.

Zhou Ning was in a good mood after receiving the Fuluo Eel from Su Yunjin today, so he took the initiative to invite him:

"Stay and have a meal today."

Xu Qinghou's face lit up. He was a scholar, and although he came from a poor family, before stepping onto the immortal path, his family had both a cook and maids. He had always had food brought to his mouth and clothes placed in his hands.

After coming to Bamboo Creek Island, he could only hold his nose and cook for himself, and the taste was truly mediocre.

Zhou Ning, on the other hand, was a good cook, so Xu Qinghou occasionally came over to enjoy a good meal.

When he saw Zhou Ning scoop out a bowl of spirit rice, Xu Qinghou's eyes immediately lit up. He had not expected to be treated to spirit rice!

He quickly said, "Brother, wait for me a moment. I'll bring some ingredients!"

Xu Qinghou hurried along, his mood brightening at the thought of getting a free meal of spirit rice. After a few steps, he was struck by a feeling of sorrow:

"Alas, Xu Qinghou, oh Xu Qinghou, what happened to your promise not to bow for three pecks of rice?"

The bright moon hung high, and ripples swayed gently across the lake.

Standing at the door, Zhou Ning smacked his lips. "I wonder where Scholar Xu found that wild pheasant. It really did taste good."

He lived on a small island and had no flying Law Artifact, so he could only eat fish all day and had long since grown tired of it. Today's meal of chicken stewed with mushrooms had been thoroughly satisfying.

"Time to cultivate."

Zhou Ning fell silent. Scholar Xu's guess was not entirely without reason.

The immortal cultivation world was as unpredictable as clouds and winds, and low-level cultivators could not be sure they would live from morning to night. If he did not want to be swept along by fate, he had to become a great Foundation Establishment cultivator. Only then would he have the strength to stand his ground.

A stone basin sat on the stone platform in the main room. He lifted the lid and peeled away the sealing film, releasing a strong fishy stench. The basin was full of thick eel blood.

Zhou Ning activated the Spiritual Pivot Meridian-Unblocking Instruction, and to his surprise, he felt a craving for the basin of blood!

But Zhou Ning restrained himself. Although the Fuluo Eel was not poisonous, heaven knew what might happen if he actually drank its blood.

The first of the six meridians was the Gushing Spring Meridian Gate, located in both feet.

Zhou Ning stood barefoot on the floor and smeared the blood evenly over them like medicinal salve.

He first activated the Azure Flame Heart Method. He had chosen this Cultivation Method from the Su Household's cultivation method library. It was unremarkable in every respect and was a common, run-of-the-mill method.

He was not qualified to choose a better Cultivation Method.

As he activated the method, Spiritual Qi gathered toward him from heaven and earth, and he guided it along the twelve meridians toward his feet.

Next, he moved his Qi and Blood according to the Meridian-Unblocking Instruction.

Zhou Ning said in a deep voice, "Watch me defy the odds and strike at Meridian Opening with my Qi Refining cultivation!"

The next moment, "This is bad-hot, hot, hot!"

Zhou Ning felt the eel blood on his feet turn scorching hot, seeping drop by drop toward his Gushing Spring Meridian Gates with an unbearable sting.