Going Their Separate Ways

Three days after the Goddess of Life left, Nan Feng summoned everyone to the Pagoda God Temple.

While it's said to be everyone, there weren't actually that many. After the second Immortal Dao Ceremony ended, those who were supposed to leave had all left, leaving only a dozen or so.

When Ye Lingling arrived from the herb garden, her sleeves were still covered in mud. Dugu Yan was carrying a jar of newly brewed Jade Phosphorous Serpent Wine. Hu Liena was leaning against the palace door, cracking melon seeds. Huo Wu was sitting on a wooden stool under a palace pillar. Shui Bing'er stood by the window with her arms crossed, looking at the clouds outside.

Bi Ji and Zi JI arrived last; one flew over from the Star Dou Great Forest, and the other rushed over from the Dragon Clan's territory. The two met at the palace gate and nodded to each other.

Xiao Wu ran over from Shrek and pounced on Ye Lingling as soon as she entered, sitting down next to her with a handful of unfinished red rope in her hand.

Zhu Zhuqing appeared directly from the shadows. When she sat down, Nan Feng couldn't even tell which direction she came from.

The Ice Empress and the Snow Empress didn't come. The Far North is too far away, so Nan Feng asked Shifang to make a trip there, bringing two jars of Huo Wu liquor brewed by Huowu, and also to tell them to wait for them in the Far North.

Tang Yuehua wasn't in the palace at first. She couldn't leave Moonlight Pavilion, so Nan Feng wrote her a letter beforehand.

The letter contained only one sentence.

"Moonlight, I want to ask you what your future plans are. I'll come to the Moonlight Pavilion to find you after I'm done with my work at the temple."

The Old Huai poked its head out from the sacred wood, glanced around, and clicked its tongue.

"You brat, are you having a family meeting?"

Nan Feng ignored him and stood in the very center of the temple, with the azure-gold Golden Immortal hanging down from the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl behind him.

The fourth drop of the Three Lights Divine Water was still condensing inside the pearl, taking longer than the previous three drops.

Old Huai said that the first three times had consumed too much Spiritual Power, and this drop would have to wait for the pearl to recover on its own.

Everyone's here.

Nan Feng spoke, his voice not loud, but everyone in the hall could hear him clearly.

"I called you here for one thing. The Goddess of Life came by a couple of days ago and asked me why I didn't accept a divine position. I said I wouldn't become a god; I would cultivate the Immortal Dao. I said that to her face, and now I'm saying it again in front of you."

Huo Wu mumbled a comment while chewing on sunflower seeds.

"We've all heard about it. Old Huai's mouth is louder than the bronze bell at the temple gate; half of Heaven Dou City knows you shut down the Goddess of Life."

Nan Feng glared at the Old Huai. The Old Huai was blowing its beard inside the tower.

I'm stating the facts!

Nan Feng didn't argue with him and continued speaking.

"I walk the Immortal Dao, not to become a god. But you are different from me. You have your own Martial Soul, your own opportunities. Those who wish to become gods, I will help you ascend."

"Those who wish to cultivate immortality, I will take them with me. Those who wish to remain in the mortal realm, I will provide them with the cultivation methods of Immortal Dao; you can cultivate on your own. Each of you will go your own way; I will not make decisions for you."

A moment of silence fell over the hall. Huo Wu stopped chewing the melon seeds in her hand. Hu Liena also stopped cracking melon seeds. Xiao Wu tightened her grip on the red string.

Ye Lingling looked up at the Nan Feng.

Ye Lingling was the first to speak. She brushed the mud off her cuffs and stood up.

"I'll go with you."

Concise and to the point, not a single word wasted.

Nan Feng looked at her, already guessing the answer. Nine Heart Begonia followed her from the underground training room of the Nuoding Academy to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, from the battlefield of Jialing Pass to the Lake of Life.

Ye Lingling never hesitated.

She even used "investment" as an excuse, and now that the returns are clearly in front of her, she's even less likely to leave.

Dugu Yan stood up, holding the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Wine Jar.

"My grandfather is still alive, and I'll stay with him. The old man is getting old; his Demigod Level cultivation is enough for him to live for several more centuries, but he needs someone to watch over him. If no one tests the venom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent on him, he might just tear the roof off the Dugu Family's house."

She paused after speaking, then looked at Nan Feng and added a sentence.

"But I'll practice your Immortal Dao cultivation method. I'll come find you for a drink again after Grandpa passes away."

Nan Feng nodded. Dugu Bo's temper definitely needs someone to keep an eye on him.

Hu Liena tossed the sunflower seed shells onto the table and leaned against the bar, swinging her legs.

"My tavern just opened, I'm not leaving. Anyone who wants a drink, come find me on East Street in Heaven Dou City, the proprietress's special brew is all you can eat. As for becoming a god..." She tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I'll talk about that when I get tired of running this tavern."

Nan Feng chuckled. After Hu Liena's Rakshasa Curse was lifted, she lived a much clearer life, and all the entanglement and scheming she had in the Slaughter City were gone.

Huo Wu slammed the sunflower seeds on the table, stood up, and put her hands on her hips.

"I will become a god on my own! I will fight my way up using my own Blazing Sun Martial Soul, without your help."

She glared at Nan Feng.

"But does what you said before about using your Immortal Power to push me to my limit still count?"

"Count."

"Alright. I'll come find you and fight you when I become a god. If you haven't become an immortal by then, I'll beat you up."

You can't beat me.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Shui Bing'er turned around from the window, her tone neither hurried nor slow.

"I'll head back to the Far North first. The combination skills in the Ice Suppression Immortal Domain have only been developed to the second level. There's still so much to explore regarding the ice-type origins of the Ice Empress and Snow Empress and my Ice Phoenix Martial Soul."

She glanced at Nan Feng, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"Once your Immortal Dao advances further, your combination techniques can be upgraded even further. At that time, I'll come find you, or you can come to the Far North."

Nan Feng nodded. Shui Bing'er was always methodical; if she said she was going to develop a combination technique, she would definitely develop it to its fullest potential before returning.

Bi Ji stood by the window and smiled.

"I guard the forest. The Star Dou Great Forest is the home of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and the Emerald Swan clan is still there. Whether I become a god or cultivate immortality, I must guard that forest."

She looked at the Nan Feng.

"I'll take the Immortal Dao cultivation method you left behind and let the Soul Beast in the forest try it out. If it works, the Star Dou Great Forest will become the Immortal Dao Alliance's backyard."

Zi JI crossed her arms and snorted.

"I'm going back to the Dragon Clan. There's still a bunch of stubborn old fogies in the Dragon Clan Secret Realm waiting for me to use my Immortal Power to teach them a lesson. Your Primordial World Power can help the Dragon Clan break through its bottleneck, so I'll go back and subdue those old guys first. Next time you come to the Dragon Clan's territory, I'll treat you to the strongest wine in the Dragon Clan."

Liu Erlong sat on the outermost edge, remaining silent until everyone else had finished speaking. Only then did she stand up and slam her wine gourd onto the table.

"I'll stay here and run the tavern. Yu Xiaogang has wasted too much of my life. Now that I've finally figured things out, I don't want to go anywhere. The Scarlet Dragon Immortal Emperor's cultivation is enough for me to roam freely. Anyone who disagrees, come to the tavern and challenge me."

She glanced at Nan Feng and grinned.

"But you remember this, you owe me a drink. We'll call it even when you come back for it."

Xiao Wu wrapped the red rope around her wrist, stood up, and patted her skirt.

"I'll go wherever Tang San goes."

She glanced at Nan Feng, her eyes slightly red, but the smile on her face was genuine.

"You Tower Simpleton, go cultivate your immortality out there, I'll wait for you to come back to drink with me in the mortal realm. I don't care how many lovers you have outside, but the first drink you have when you come back has to be with me."

Nan Feng's throat moved slightly, and he nodded.

"Good."

Zhu Zhuqing took a step forward from the shadows. Her figure flickered between reality and illusion, her voice soft but clear.

"I exist between reality and illusion, and I can see you anytime. Just call out when you need to find me."

She paused for a moment, then added.

"I'll keep an eye on the Star Luo Empire, so you don't need to worry about trouble at home."

Nan Feng looked at her and thought of Zhu Zhuqing in the alley of Suotuo City, who had coldly said, "I won't use my Soul Skill if I'm just passing by." She still didn't talk much these past few years, but every word she said hit the nail on the head.

Everyone had finished speaking. The hall fell silent, with only the sound of the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl spinning atop the tower remaining.

Tang Yuehua was not in the palace. Bibi Dong was not there either.

Just as Nan Feng was about to say let's disperse, footsteps came from the palace entrance.

Tang Yuehua walked in from outside the palace gate. She had rushed to Heaven Dou City after receiving the letter at the Moonlight Pavilion, and it had taken her two days to arrive. She stood at the palace gate, her gaze sweeping over the people inside, before finally settling on Nan Feng.

"I don't need to choose my path."

Tang Yuehua's voice was calm. She walked up to Nan Feng and stopped.

"I'll wait for you to come to the Moonlight Pavilion to drink tea and watch the moon. Wherever you go, I'll go; if you don't come, I'll stay at the Moonlight Pavilion and wait for you."

Nan Feng looked at her, recalling the cup of tea in the Moonlight Pavilion Garden that had gone cold and then been reheated.

He nodded.

"Good."

Before the words were finished, the sound of fabric brushing against the threshold came from the side door.

Bibi Dong emerged from behind the side door. She had been standing behind the door the whole time, clutching a petal from the Nine Heart Begonia in her hand.

She walked to Nan Feng's side with her head down and reached out to tug at his sleeve.

The force was very light, just like usual.

She didn't speak, but her meaning was clear. Nan Feng glanced down at her. Bibi Dong's ears were bright red, and the flower petals were almost crushed in her hands.

Old Huai muttered something inside the tower.

"Is there even a choice? She's already living in your tower."

Bibi Dong looked up and glared in the direction of the tower.

"Old Huai, shut up!"

A burst of laughter erupted in the hall. Huo Wu laughed Huo Wu that sunflower seeds scattered all over the floor. Hu Liena slapped the bar so hard she couldn't straighten up. Even Zhu Zhuqing's lips curved into a smile.

Nan Feng spoke only after the laughter subsided; his voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him clearly.

"Alright. We'll each go our own way, but all will be under the Immortal Dao. You all have the cultivation methods of the Immortal Dao Alliance, and the produce from the Immortal Herb Immortal Herb Garden will be distributed to your respective mountain areas quarterly."

"I will regularly send the Three Lights Divine Water to the Far North Star Dou Great Forest, the Dragon Clan's territory, the Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou City, and Moonlight Pavilion."

"If any of you hit a bottleneck, send me a message and I'll handle it."

He glanced around at the people in the hall and chuckled.

"Don't just focus on cultivation, come back for a drink when you have time. There's plenty of grilled fish from Shifang."

Shifang poked half his head in from outside the palace gate.

"Brother Nan, you finally remembered my grilled fish! I've already grilled three racks, it'll get cold if we don't eat it soon!"

The Old Huai was cursing inside the tower.

All you ever think about is eating!

Huo Wu was the first to rush out and grab the grilled fish, followed by Shui Bing'er and Bi Ji.

Before leaving, Ye Lingling glanced back at Nan Feng.

"You just said we should go our separate ways, but I still stand by what I said—I'm with you."

He turned and left before Nan Feng could react.

As Tang Yuehua walked past Nan Feng, she gently hooked her finger around the back of his hand.

Bibi Dong was still holding onto her sleeve. Nan Feng looked down at her.

Aren't you going to eat grilled fish?

Bibi Dong shook her head.

"I'm not hungry."

She paused for a moment, her voice very soft.

You looked at me again when you said 'the person who protects me'.

Nan Feng paused for a moment, then smiled.

"This time I really watched it."

Bibi Dong turned her face away, clenching her sleeves even tighter.

The Old Huai floated out of the pagoda and left a sentence as it walked out of the hall.

"I'm going to eat grilled fish. You two can chat."

Nan Feng stood in the center of the temple, with Bibi Dong beside him, holding his sleeve. The Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl spun at the top of the tower, and the fourth drop of the Three Lights Divine Water finally condensed to the final stage.

Outside the hall, shouts and calls came from Shifang, along with the sounds of Huo Wu and Old Huai arguing over grilled fish. Ye Lingling sat on the steps eating freshly picked spiritual fruit from the herb garden. Dugu Yan and Hu Liena were already having a drinking contest.

Nan Feng glanced down at Bibi Dong's hand, which was gripping her sleeve.

You've almost crushed the crabapple petals.

Bibi Dong loosened her grip, and the petals fell to the ground. She squatted down to pick them up, her ears turning bright red.

Nan Feng squatted down and helped her pick up the petals. Once they were all gathered, Bibi Dong's face turned bright red.

"Let's go to the Moonlight Pavilion tomorrow."

The Nan Feng handed her the flower petals.

"Tang Yuehua needs the Three Lights Divine Water to stabilize her condition, go and lend a hand."

Bibi Dong nodded, and as she stood up, she tucked the flower petals into her sleeve.

Old Huai called from outside the hall.

"Hey kid, hurry up! The grilled fish's getting cold!"

Nan Feng got up and walked out, with Bibi Dong following half a step behind him. When they reached the palace entrance, she suddenly spoke.

"Nan Feng."

"Um?"

"Among the people you mentioned who 'protect me,' am I one of them?"

Nan Feng glanced back at her. This time, Bibi Dong didn't flinch; her eyes shone brightly as she looked at him.

"Have."

Bibi Dong smiled, then quickly walked ahead of him, her steps much lighter than usual.