Watching Fu Linglong's desolate silhouette disappear, Ji Zhang fell silent again in his cave abode. He didn't know whether to chase after her or give up. To be honest, he did have feelings for Fu Linglong—both as a friend and as a man. After all, Fu Linglong was a stunning beauty, the number one in Liaozhou, and her talent was top-tier.
"Feelings… or my path…" Ji Zhang sighed softly. He closed his eyes tight, recalling memories from his childhood and the hardships he'd faced on his cultivation journey. Back then, Ji Yifeng had abandoned his wife and son. His mother spent her life resentful and died in sorrow. Ji Zhang himself spent half his life hating, swearing revenge. Now, was he really about to become what Fu Linglong accused him of—a second Ji Yifeng?
"Zhang'er, if you want to chase her, go chase her." A faint, ethereal voice suddenly rang out in the cave. When Ji Zhang opened his eyes, there stood a middle-aged Daoist wearing a black robe and a five-beam crown, with a long beard hanging from his chin. "Father." Ji Zhang bowed his head respectfully. This man was Ji Yifeng, the head of Tianyi Sect, and the very man who had once abandoned him and his mother.
"Back then, I abandoned you and your mother for the chance at a bright immortal path. Even today, I regret it every single day." Ji Yifeng turned his back on Ji Zhang, clasping his hands behind him as he looked out over the scenery beyond the cave. Hearing this, Ji Zhang's expression softened; in his heart, he felt a flicker of forgiveness toward the father who had left him. After all, right now, he was making the same choice Ji Yifeng once had. How could he still blame him? When faced with the vast road to immortality, who could resist such temptation?
"But even if I regret it, if I had to choose again, I would still make the same choice—abandoning you and your mother," Ji Yifeng continued, his words firm. That made Ji Zhang's resolve harden too, reaffirming his chosen path.
But what Ji Yifeng said next stunned Ji Zhang. "But you're different…" Ji Yifeng's eyes turned cold. "I was born poor. I had only one chance to climb up by marrying into an immortal family—only then could I reach Nascent Soul and become Tianyi Sect's master. But you are different. With me as your father, you have opportunities others can't steal or take away. You don't have to gamble everything on a single choice like I did."
Ji Zhang paused, then nodded heavily. He gathered light under his feet, ready to leave the cave and chase after Fu Linglong. But just as he was about to set off, Ji Yifeng raised a hand, pinning Ji Zhang in place with Nascent Soul-level power. Seeing Ji Zhang's confusion, Ji Yifeng hesitated a moment before explaining, "Fu Linglong is a born Buddha Maiden. If you give up your path now to help her, she'll fall deeply in love with you. When that happens, take the chance to dual cultivate with her. With her Heart-Reading, your enlightenment in the Nascent Soul awakening phase will go much smoother."
As he spoke, Ji Yifeng pulled out a jade booklet titled Dragon-Phoenix Heart Cauldron Technique and handed it to Ji Zhang. Seeing this, Ji Zhang finally understood why his father wanted him to chase Fu Linglong. Not only would it let him resolve his regrets, but it would also use Fu Linglong's Heart-Reading to boost his own Nascent Soul breakthrough—a key advantage.
The first of the three Nascent Soul hurdles, awakening the soul, was notoriously the hardest. While many disciples from top sects could get a Transformation Pill, finding a sentient treasure was nearly impossible. Those were natural rarities few sects ever encountered.
Ji Zhang hesitated a bit before finally accepting the dual cultivation manual from his father's hands. It felt a little like he was using Fu Linglong, but if their feelings were genuine, he thought it would be a small sin that could be forgiven—a minor flaw, nothing more.
"Wei Tu's strength isn't ordinary. Back at Shengya Mountain, he defeated Situ Yang and earned the respect of the Zhao Clan. If you help Fu Linglong, try not to become Wei Tu's mortal enemy," Ji Yifeng warned, laying out detailed instructions. Ji Zhang didn't know Wei Tu's exact cultivation or power, but as Tianyi Sect's leader, Ji Yifeng certainly did.
As Ji Yifeng spoke, Ji Zhang's eyes flickered with hesitation and conflict. His father's plan was clear: let Fu Linglong suffer defeat at Wei Tu's hands, then swoop in like a hero to win her heart. It was a vile, underhanded tactic—but after thinking it over, Ji Zhang chose to obey.
Right now, Fu Linglong only admired him; she wasn't yet fully in love. Besides, they had just argued and parted on bad terms. Under those circumstances, how could he expect her to risk her life or body to help him break through? This plan might be despicable, but if it worked, the ends would justify the means.
"Chu has several sects friendly with Tianyi Sect. If you're on the verge of breaking through, hide in one of those sects to undergo your Nascent Soul tribulation. Take this—my 'Stellar Soul Golden Gong,' a fourth-grade lower-tier artifact. I've erased my aura from it; it'll help you face the lightning," Ji Yifeng said, his voice softening with fatherly concern as he handed over the treasure.
"Thank you, master—no, thank you, father, for paving the way for my path," Ji Zhang said, falling to his knees with a deep bow. Ji Yifeng shook his head with a small smile, resting a hand on Ji Zhang's hair. "Silly child, I've long since prepared your cultivation path. You don't need to struggle, fight, or become a bandit for it."
He sighed softly. "Though, in the end, your time with the Six Desires Sect did temper you. Without it, we wouldn't have reconciled as father and son."
A few years back, when the major merchant guilds pressured Tianyi Sect, Ji Yifeng had been forced to give up significant resources to protect Ji Zhang—something that had angered the sect's elders. But if Ji Zhang reached Nascent Soul, father and son both standing at that realm, then no matter how unhappy those old monsters were, they'd have no choice but to swallow their complaints.
…
Wei Tu, traveling the merchant road between Xiao and Chu, knew nothing about Ji Zhang and his father's schemes. But aboard the Ascending Cloud Flying Boat, Wei Tu actually felt a bit grateful toward Ji Zhang. If Ji Zhang hadn't stirred up trouble for Tianyi Sect by robbing them, Wei Tu wouldn't have "accidentally" run into Yuwen Cheng and discovered the secret of Little Cold Mountain.
At the same time, if Ji Zhang hadn't caused such a big mess, the flying boat wouldn't have beefed up security like this, making the journey far safer.
The trip passed quietly.
After one and a half months, Wei Tu arrived safely at the border of Chu Kingdom. Once there, he didn't rush to head straight to Shengyang Mountain, where the Beastmaster Sect was located. He first gathered news about recent events in Chu, making sure the route was safe before flying off without hesitation.
Unlike the political landscapes of Kang and Xiao Kingdoms, Chu Kingdom had few immortal sects and many powerful clans. It was ruled jointly by seven Nascent Soul clans and two immortal sects. Shengyang Mountain, where the Beastmaster Sect had moved, was actually a fourth-grade spiritual land gifted to them by the Guangyuan Yu Clan, one of the seven great Nascent Soul families.
Of course, the Yu Clan's gift came with strings attached. They required the Beastmaster Sect to give priority admission to cultivators from the Yu Clan and to establish a branch in the sect as a side lineage for their family. This kind of arrangement was quite common in Chu. Among the seven great clans still around today, four of them were originally sects themselves, transformed from immortal sects into clans with private holdings.
Everyone in Chu knew the real reason behind the Yu Clan's "gift." Whether the Beastmaster Sect would eventually swallow the Yu Clan or if the Yu Clan would use this as a springboard to rise again was anyone's guess.
Still, cooperating with the Yu Clan had obvious benefits for the Beastmaster Sect. Not only did they get a fourth-grade spiritual land, but the sect's reputation grew massively compared to their days in Jing and Zheng Kingdoms, putting them on a path of prosperity.
Ten days later.
Wei Tu arrived at the Beastmaster Sect.
"Excuse me, please tell them an old friend from Zheng Kingdom is here to visit." Wei Tu gave a respectful bow to the disciple guarding the mountain gate, handing him a bag of spirit stones and a dark green bird feather.
At first, the guard didn't think much of it. But the moment he touched the feather, his attitude changed completely, becoming reverent. As a Beastmaster Sect disciple, he instantly recognized that this feather came from a third-tier spirit beast. Anyone carrying such fresh high-grade materials had to be someone he couldn't afford to offend.
"Senior, please wait here. I'll go notify Ancestor Nan right away…" the guard said respectfully.
"Ancestor Nan?" Wei Tu blinked in surprise. In immortal sects, if you weren't from the same direct lineage, people usually ranked by cultivation. This guard was only at the Qi Refinement stage—if he called someone "ancestor," that person had to be at least at Golden Core stage.
"I didn't expect Nan Zi to have formed a Golden Core," Wei Tu thought, feeling the passage of time keenly. The first time he met Nan Zi, they were both at Foundation Establishment. The second time, he was already Golden Core, but she was still at Foundation Establishment. Back then, Nan Zi had been warm toward him, and her master, Elder Hongzhi, even wanted to match them together to fulfill the regrets of the previous generation.
But now that Nan Zi had reached Golden Core and become his peer, who knew if she still felt the same? After all, Wei Tu clearly remembered how fiery and stubborn she could be, like when she argued with Hua Xianlong.
Half an hour later.
The guard returned with a young man in embroidered robes and a trimmed beard. "Immortal Master Wei?" the young man's eyes lit up as he approached with excitement, bowing deeply. "I am Qiu Buchen."
When he saw Wei Tu's puzzled look, Qiu Buchen quickly added, "We met before, but I was only thirteen or fourteen then. I didn't look like this yet."
Wei Tu's expression softened into a smile as he nodded. He studied Qiu Buchen carefully. After a hundred years, this youth's cultivation had reached late Foundation Establishment, already a level higher than his older sister Qiu Huaisu at the same age—truly impressive talent. Especially considering Qiu Huaisu's master Kou Hongying had become Golden Core back in Kang Kingdom, giving Qiu Huaisu all the resources of a Golden Core disciple. Nan Zi's own breakthrough had come much later.
"And your master?" Wei Tu asked casually.
"My master…" Qiu Buchen looked embarrassed. His master Nan Zi wasn't busy—she was just still sulking that Wei Tu had taken so long to visit her. Qiu Buchen knew well that Nan Zi once had feelings for Wei Tu, and he himself had been accepted as her disciple partly thanks to Wei Tu's introduction. Though Nan Zi's feelings weren't obsessive, she had been a close confidant to Wei Tu.
"I'll guide you, Immortal Master Wei," Qiu Buchen quickly offered, changing the subject.
"Very well," Wei Tu agreed, understanding Qiu Buchen's tact without pushing for more details.
As they walked, Wei Tu learned from Qiu Buchen that Nan Zi had formed her Golden Core about thirty years ago—right around the time she had sent him a letter. "No wonder she's upset with me. I must've missed her core formation ceremony," Wei Tu realized with a sigh. He rummaged through his storage bag, searching for a suitable congratulatory gift.
Whether judged from Elder Che Gongwei and Elder Hongzhi's generation or his own, he owed Nan Zi a proper Golden Core gift. Besides, since she had taken Qiu Buchen as her disciple, he really did owe her a favor.
"These two pills—please give them to Fellow Daoist Nan as my belated congratulations," Wei Tu said, handing Qiu Buchen a small jade bottle as they reached Nan Zi's cave abode.
But before Qiu Buchen could take it inside, the cave door swung open. Nan Zi appeared, wearing a purple dress. She reached out with her magic power to take the pills from Qiu Buchen's hands, inhaled their scent, then beamed at Wei Tu with bright eyes. "Senior Brother Wei!" she called happily.