Leaving Home Young, Returning in Old Age

---- Chongming Sect, Laoxuetang

That day, Ye Yaoling was on duty in the scripture hall for the evening lessons. Having already taken on the role of a steward of the Nurturing Qilin Hall, she rarely had time to do such tedious tasks lately.

The sixteen-year-old girl of yesteryear has now become an old woman in her eighties. Since her failure to Foundation Establishment, she has even stopped taking Beauty Pill, and now looks like a wrinkled old woman with white hair. Compared to Mo'er and Zhou Xinran, who are of similar age and have people who care about her, she does look much older.

However, she doesn't care much about these things now. Back then, she and Ming Zhe could have formed a marriage, but due to unforeseen circumstances, they missed each other and it all turned out to be a mess. As for Ye Yaoling, she still needs to seize the opportunity before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of ninety and take another risk.

Strangely enough, she, who had been anxiously searching for Foundation Establishment fortuitous opportunity for so long and was usually restless, found a rare sense of peace after standing behind the two characters "Lao Xue" (Old Learning) personally written by the Sect Leader Kang Da.

After the rain stopped, the scripture reading ended. Ye Yaoling received the bows of all the disciples in the hall and stepped out. She then saw her only disciple, Jiang Tangpei, hurrying over with a somewhat anxious look on her face.

This girl came from the Jiang Household and was well taken care of by Elder Ye Zhengwen, who was in charge of foreign affairs. That's why she was able to become a disciple of Ye Yaoling, who originally had a bright future.

In just over a decade, even Wei Gu, the junior brother with the lowest background and the oldest age, had already formed his Dao Foundation, while Ye Yaoling, who was highly regarded, had fallen behind.

This shows that even the True Lord of this era cannot predict a person's future on the path to immortality, which is quite lamentable.

Jiang Tangpei's aptitude is not bad. Her Triple Spirit Root are still considered above average in the Chongming Sect. Her cultivation has also reached the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer, which is no worse than Ye Yaoling's. The only thing to worry about is that her appearance is slightly more attractive. Therefore, even though she has a connection with the elders, it is difficult for her to find a good marriage partner.

Fortunately, cultivators are not bound by a single way of life. Once Jiang Tangpei established her Dao Foundation, Ye Yaoling no longer needed to worry about her romantic affairs.

Knowing her disciple was a steady person, Ye Yaoling saw his anxious expression and couldn't help but ask, "What happened?!"

Jiang Tangpei hurriedly replied, "Grandmaster Yuan instructed me to inform my master to go to the Ancestral Hall as soon as possible to pay respects to the elders of the sect, without delay."

"Elder?"

Ye Yaoling immediately thought of the Martial Uncle Lian that her two uncles had mentioned when Fei Nanying visited her before. Without saying much to Jiang Tangpei, she rode a gray goose to the ancestral hall of the Chongming Sect.

To be honest, the disciples of Sect Leader Kang Da weren't entirely without conscience.

Since the Chongming Sect began to rise to prominence, Kang Dabao not only stopped holding lavish banquets and elaborate sacrificial rites in the ancestral hall, but also renovated the golden statues of the six Chongming Sect patriarchs from Patriarch Zhang Yuandao onwards.

Furthermore, the three major festivals and two birthday celebrations each year are also presided over by disciples. Nurturing Qilin Hall disciples graduate, inner disciple are promoted, or duty disciples are promoted, they all come to this main hall to burn incense and pray, making it one of the most lively places in the Chongming Sect.

However, when Ye Yaoling landed on her grey goose today, she found the main hall to be much quieter than usual. Two rows of dark yellow flags fluttered outside the hall without wind, adding to the solemn atmosphere of the place.

At this moment, the main gate was wide open, and several elite disciples of the Punishment Hall were guarding the gate. Even though they all recognized Ye Yaoling as a close elder, they still verified her identity talisman before using the talisman on their waists to open the spiritual barrier on the gate and allowing Ye Yaoling to step in.

After Ye Yaoling entered, she saw a handsome cultivator dressed in a lacquered gauze canopy standing beneath the golden statue of Patriarch Zhang, holding incense and bowing.

All the senior uncles were present. Yuan Jin sat beneath the large chime, holding a bronze gavel, his face solemn. Each time the valiant cultivator bowed, the superior chime, which was brought from which sect by some disciple of Double Brightness, would ring out with a crisp sound.

The clear and melodious sound of the chime was soothing and refreshing. Ye Yaoling, who was inside the hall, immediately felt that the troubles in her heart had lessened.

Among her fellow disciples, she could barely be considered intelligent, so just by looking at the scene before her, she knew that her guess was correct. The handsome and sharp cultivator in front of her, who could be compared to her uncle surnamed Feng from back then, must be Lian Xuepu, the only remaining sixth-generation disciple of the Chongming Sect.

Seeing the solemn atmosphere, Ye Yaoling didn't dare to make a sound. After a quick glance, she realized that all the people in charge of the sect except Ming Zhe had arrived, so she chose a corner seat to sit down.

She had barely sat down when she saw Lian Xuepu turn around after checking the incense, looking at all the cultivators in the hall. His face was a mixture of guilt, relief, joy, and sadness, which could not be described by the word "complex".

"Hoo," Lian Xuepu let out a long breath, bowed to the assembled cultivators, and said loudly, "Lian Xuepu, the sinner of Double Brightness, greets all fellow disciples."

Apart from Yuan Jin, who was quite familiar with this Martial Uncle Lian, and Jiang Qing, who had a vague impression of him, even Ye Zhengwen, who was nominally his disciple, was seeing Lian Xuepu for the first time.

However, upon seeing their sect elder perform such a grand ceremony, they all showed surprise and hastily returned the greeting, saying in varying degrees of disarray, "Greetings, Martial Uncle Lian /Grandmaster Uncle."

Lian Xuepu's complex expression remained unchanged upon witnessing this scene.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. The words stuck in his throat for a long time. Finally, he turned his head and looked at He Changqing, the sixth sect leader, who had been moved by the Sect Leader Kang Da to stand next to Zhang Yuandao.

"My senior brother, the sect leader, is truly a divine being. The first thing he did after returning from Guandong Circuit was to personally visit Little Ring Mountain to check on the sect's survival."

I never imagined that I would hear from idle gossip that you have made your sect extremely successful, having already transcended Pingrong County and become an Exoteric Buddhism in the entire prefecture. In that case, I, a worthless person, feel I have no face to return."

When Lian Xuepu arrived at this point, several younger relatives, led by Yuan Jin, were about to offer some words of comfort, but were stopped by Lian Xuepu's gesture. However, they heard him speak again:

"When my senior brother, the sect leader, passed away, I was traveling. I was going to return for the funeral, but I heard from acquaintances that Senior Brother He had passed the position to Brother Bao because of his own selfish reasons, which caused Master Li to leave in anger."

The sect, which had just begun to show signs of revival, was immediately torn apart, and a scandalous fratricidal conflict almost broke out. Feeling utterly disillusioned, he turned to Outer Dao.

Looking back now, I must have been blinded by greed. How could I not have considered that my sect leader had never made a mistake in his actions?

After asking his question, Lian Xuepu paused. As a seasoned Pill Master who often listened to the teachings of True Person, he couldn't let this sentimental mood sway him for too long.

When he slowly withdrew his gaze from the Sect Leader He and looked at the disciples in the hall, his expression had already changed to one of renewed vigor:

"I am a person of no virtue who has betrayed the sect, and I should not and dare not return to pay homage to the ancestor. But now that the survival of the sect is at stake, I can no longer disregard such considerations."

At this moment, Yuan Jin finally got a chance to speak, and he earnestly said, "On behalf of the entire sect, I thank you, Uncle, for your protection."

Upon Lian Xuepu's eyes dimmed even more noticeably. He glanced at Yuan Jin, a hint of weariness in his voice. "If Brother Jin truly wanted to thank me, he wouldn't be saying thank you now."

The latter hurriedly said he dared not, but Lian Xuepu no longer cared. Apart from Yuan Jin, a junior he had watched grow up, he was not familiar with any of the cultivators in the hall.

However, it wouldn't be difficult for Lian Xuepu to recognize Jiang Qing among them.

Although he hadn't spent much time with this man, whom outsiders jokingly called the Double Brightness Sword Immortal, he could tell from the undisguised sharpness emanating from the young man in black in the hall that this was the same adorable little boy who had grown up on Kang Dabao's back years ago.

"While External Core Method may produce immediate results, they cannot be considered as effective in penetrating the body's internal organs. Ultimately, they are not as reliable as one's own methods, and may not be able to provide adequate protection in critical moments."

I have here the sword principles taught by Hong Wen, Heaven-Rending Sword Sect, when he went to Guandong Circuit to preach the Dharma 60 years ago. Brother Qing may be creating his own Swordsmanship now, and he might be able to use it."

Lian Xuepu spoke in a gentle voice, taking out a Jade Slip as he spoke. Jiang Qing initially showed a hint of hesitation, but after Yuan Jin beside him nodded in acknowledgment, he bowed deeply and respectfully accepted the slip.

Creating one's own Daoist arts and Cultivation Method is not a new thing for cultivators. Just look at how Patriarch Zhang, with his almost non-existent Foundation Establishment physique, was able to comprehend the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes, a superior pupil technique that can amaze even advanced cultivators. This shows that there are quite a few cultivators who are obsessed with this matter.

However, True Cultivator with extraordinary talent like Chongming Sect Patriarch Zhang of the Chongming Sect are truly rare.

A hint of pleasure Chongming Sect appeared on the faces of the sixth-generation disciples of Chongming Sect. Lian Xuepu arrived ten days later than Fei Nanying, and it was clear that he had done his homework in the meantime.

Apart from Jiang Qing, who stood out from the crowd and received a precious treasure, the other Double Brightness disciples also received suitable resources that perfectly suited their own cultivation.

Ye Yaoling was summoned quite early. When she paid her respects, after Yuan Jin solemnly introduced Lian Xuepu as Pei Yi's disciple, Ye Yaoling saw a hint of sadness in this grandmaster's eyes.

Perhaps because he suddenly thought of that handsome young man who was indeed talented in Dao of Alchemy, Lian Xuepu was speechless for a moment. He simply called Ye Yaoling to his side and gently stroked the top of her head.

The sight of a sharp-looking middle-aged man looking at a white-haired old woman with a hint of kindness on his face was indeed somewhat eerie.

However, the people in the hall didn't care about any of this. They only saw Lian Xuepu stuff a magnificent jade bottle into Ye Yaoling's hand. When the latter received the instruction and sat down to return, this grandmaster uncle did not utter a single word.

Ye Yaoling's intuition told her that there must be something extraordinary in this jade bottle. So even though they were still in the main hall, she, like her fellow disciples, risked checking it out.

"Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill?!"

She wasn't the only one in the hall with a look of surprise and delight; heaven knows why this grandmaster uncle was being so generous!

By this time, most of Yuan Jin's resentment had dissipated. Although it was true that his Martial Uncle Lian had made mistakes at the time, his concern for the sect was genuine.

Lian Xuepu placed Yuan Jin in the final position. The latter did not know what kind of skill or method this senior uncle practiced, but he knew that his eyesight was really good.

"The mind is easy to nurture, but the consequences are endless. The White Ape Scripture is a flawed teaching. You have already reached such a level by correcting your mistakes and filling in the gaps. It is truly difficult to achieve a breakthrough."

I have met several Foundation Establishment and False Core cultivators who think like you, Brother Jin, and I know that if we had stopped earlier, there would still have been room for maneuver.

But if the process is too slow, then one can only regret it and tell others, "The art of raising monkeys is like melting gold in an ice cauldron; it shines brightly for a moment, but will eventually crumble in an instant," as a form of self-consolation.

You should understand that while the Scripture of Clear Mind to Overcome Calamities and Awaken to Huihai Understanding is indeed a wonderful method of Buddhist practice, it may not necessarily help you achieve your wishes.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jin's expression changed drastically.

His cultivation had stagnated over the years, so he conceived the idea of raising the ape demon within his heart, hoping to strengthen its demonic body before refining it. The ultimate goal, of course, was to use the demonic body to nourish his true body and facilitate a breakthrough.

While this is a fairly common Outer Dao method, it doesn't deserve the label of "evil" or "devious," so practicing it doesn't necessarily go against one's true nature.

However, the dangers involved are considerable, and even Sect Leader Kang Da, Jiang Qing, and Yuan Jin have not mentioned it. After all, according to Yuan Jin's calculations, it might take another half a century for his mind to fully develop.

At that time, he would be 40% confident that he could directly break through to the late-stage True Cultivator. After spending another ten years or so to solidify his realm and strengthen his foundation, he might be able to attempt Core Formation.

While he may not be as talented as his senior and junior brothers, he hasn't fallen too far behind.

Fortunately, Lian Xuepu was speaking in secret, so Yuan Jin didn't have to worry about others finding out for the time being; otherwise, there would have been a lot of trouble to deal with.

Seeing the change in Yuan Jin's expression, Lian Xuepu, perhaps because he had just returned, did not say much. He simply gave a few more words of advice and then gestured for him to leave.

After Yuan Jin, the last person to come forward to pay his respects with a complicated expression was Ye Zhengwen, a disciple who should have been friendly but was actually a stranger.

Ye Zhengwen was filled with anxiety at this moment, and it would take a lot of effort to keep it from showing in his one eye.

However, after carefully examining him for a while, Lian Xuepu showed no displeasure. Instead, he let out a light laugh, "Ha, my nephew, the sect leader, has indeed thought things through. I have cultivated for many years, all alone, but after returning to the sect, I have gained a lineage of disciples for free."

The elder in charge of the Chongming Sect was quite shrewd. Upon hearing Lian Xuepu's words, he immediately prostrated himself and bowed deeply, saying, "Disciple Ye Zhengwen greets Master."

Lian Xuepu nodded repeatedly, uttering a few words of praise. The master-disciple relationship between the two was thus established, and there was no need to dwell on the matter of Sect Leader Kang Da overstepping his bounds back then.

Having left the Hehuan Sect, Lian Xuepu had no time for pleasantries with his only disciple, whom he was meeting for the first time but who had been a disciple for some time. After distributing the final gift, he stepped forward and announced loudly:

"The Three Immortals Cave is cruel and tyrannical, and has wronged our people without cause. This matter needs to be addressed."

Lian Xuepu finished speaking, the spirits of all the cultivators in the hall lifted. His gaze swept over their faces, noting that while their expressions varied, none showed fear or panic. Reassured, he continued:

"Cultivate virtue and eliminate evil at its root. Since we have already distanced ourselves from such sects, we cannot let them go easily. My departure from the Hehuan Sect is precisely to join you in destroying the Three Immortals Cave, annihilating their lineage, and eliminating future troubles."

Lian Xuepu's words were sincere and earnest, not feigned.

However, Yuan Jin and Ye Zhengwen, perhaps inheriting the cautious nature of Sect Leader Kang Da, did not act rashly. The latter even spoke up, saying, "Reporting to Master, such an important matter may require careful consideration."

"I've already made arrangements with Chu Han; he won't interfere."

Lian Xuepu understood their intentions with just a glance, not anger but delight. If they were to obey him so easily because of this small favor, then the officials of Chongming Sect would truly be Chongming Sect saving.

Even with Lian Xuepu's explanation, Yuan Jin still had reservations. He restrained the somewhat tempted Jiang Qing and respectfully addressed Lian Xuepu:

"Reporting to Martial Uncle, this matter may still require the Sect Leader's decision. We have not been sitting idly by just now; all preparations have been made, and when the time comes, all forces will be deployed immediately."

Yuan Jin's answer was reasonable and well-founded, Lian Xuepu appreciated. However, after thinking for a while, he frowned and said, "What Brother Jin said is all reasonable. However, Brother Bao is still in Ying Prefecture Core Formation. If it's just this kind of thing, we shouldn't disturb him."

Yuan Jin understood this principle, and although his mind remained unchanged, he could not find any other excuse.

Just as the two were discussing this, the disciple guarding the Chongming Sect's gatehouse happened to let in a valuable token.

"From the Fei Household?"

Upon receiving the letter and unfolding it, Jiang Qing's face lit up with ecstatic joy. Yuan Jin hadn't seen his junior brother like this in many years. After snatching the letter from Jiang Qing's hand and glancing at it briefly, he made the same expression as Jiang Qing.

This reaction naturally aroused Lian Xuepu's curiosity, but he had already guessed what was going on. After looking at the letter, he confirmed his suspicions.

"Phew, the pill is now of medium grade." Lian Xuepu's face was almost overflowing with smiles. He was about to put the talisman away, but when his peripheral vision caught sight of the golden body behind him, he stopped.

He unfolded the talisman and placed it in Sect Leader He's hand, his tone full of reassurance. "In that case, things will be much easier."