March 29th, 2023

Fang Li ambled leisurely through the secret passage.

At the time, when constructing this treasure vault, Yan Sui hadn’t actually cared about whether this secret passage existed or not. It had been Wu Yimei who had insisted on building it just in case. Recalling it now, Wu Yimei had still been the one to consider things more thoroughly.

Or else, he was afraid he would have come all this way for nothing this time.

From the others’ idle chatter, he’d gotten wind that in these years, Xie Huai hadn’t really gone after Wu Yimei, only relentlessly pursuing Du Meng. After leaving Hollow Ridge, Wu Yimei had set up his own faction, and these days, he was also a big and mighty demonic cultivator, giving Du Meng some trouble from time to time. It looked like his days were going pretty well.

Fang Li recalled how he’d fretted his heart out and wracked his brain over what to say in order not to let Wu Yimei end up on the old road of a vicious cannon fodder, guiding him over and over again. It looked like it had been pretty successful after all. Fang Li was completely satisfied.

Because all of the things in the main hall outside had been plundered clean, Fang Li hadn’t been able to get ahold of those herbs, but here, he was able to find plenty of bottles of pills for supplementing qi, nourishing the soul, and forging the body. Although they weren’t as specific to his problem as those herbs, they were still acceptable for helping his body recover. Plus, there were also a good amount of high quality spirit stones. This was the hard currency of the cultivation world, after all.

Fang Li found a storage ring and put a portion of the pills and spirit stones inside. As long as there was enough to use, it was good enough. The rest could just be left here.

With these pills and spirit stones, his body would be able to recover as quickly as possible. Only then would he have the capital to live his life peacefully in this world.

When he was done with all of this, Fang Li turned back and left through the secret passage.

It was still as lively and bustling as a marketplace outside, and even after digging through the whole place, none of those people had been able to find anything. In their exasperation, several people had already started to curse and swear.

Although the people from Heaven’s Summit were more or less able to hold their tempers, their faces didn’t look too well, either.

Xie Huai still had that indifferent expression, like he didn’t care about anything in the world. Even the position he was standing in was completely the same as before Fang Li had left, so he probably hadn’t noticed him.

Fang Li’s gaze swept around, and he saw Lu Hongdao.

Lu Hongdao was standing there, completely at peace. From the start, he’d only come to pick up the leftovers, and even if there were any big profits to be found, the probability that he would get a chance to reap them was very low. If one had no expectations, then one couldn’t be disappointed. Lu Hongdao, who had plenty of self-awareness, was actually quite calm, thinking, ah…… Sure enough, he’d come all this way for nothing.

In an odd way, it was actually within his expectations.

His disciples hadn’t moved either. Some were standing there in a daze, and some were sitting there, yawning.

Seeing that all the disciples around him were alive and well, Lu Hongdao thought with satisfaction, the fact that everyone could go home alive without any harm was also a result of his good leadership as a sect master!

Only, where had Fang Li that kid run off to? Had he slipped off somewhere again?

There wasn’t really any danger right now, so Lu Hongdao wasn’t actually very worried. The heavens would naturally assist those who were deserving. Nothing had happened to him earlier even in such dangerous circumstances, so nothing would happen now, either.

Just when he was about to go look for Fang Li, he saw Fang Li return.

The young man had a curious and perplexed expression, his eyes wandering left and right, and then he gave a brilliant smile.

Lu Hongdao immediately took Fang Li’s hand and said with a laugh, “We’ll be able to go home very soon.”

Fang Li looked as if he didn’t understand, only smiling blankly.

A few of the Golden Blade disciples nearby just happened to be a bit bored. Seeing Fang Li return, they promptly circled around him to play with him. They knelt down on the ground to throw stones, having a good time. Lu Hongdao stroked his short beard, looking at Fang Li with fondness and pity, then let out a gloomy sigh. Who knew how much time this child still had left……

At this thought, Lu Hongdao’s spirits fell again.

While he was in the midst of his melancholy, Lu Hongdao suddenly heard someone calling him and looked up. It was the baby-faced sword cultivator from Cloudbank Keep, the one who had given Fang Li crystal cake before. He seemed to be called Tao Lu or something……

Tao Lu had come on Xie Huai’s instruction. Shixiong had told him to figure out Fang Li’s circumstances. When he had first heard Shixiong’s request, Tao Lu had been astonished.

Because in these nine years, Shixiong hadn’t had a single care for anything in the outside world. He had never asked him to do anything, as if the whole world had nothing to do with him…… In all this time, this was actually the first time Shixiong had told him to do anything. Although he didn’t know the reason, it was still far, far, far too hard to come by for Shixiong to finally speak up of his own accord. Naturally, Tao Lu had to see this thing done properly!

He asked Lu Hongdao, “Why is he like this?”

He was asking about Fang Li. Lu Hongdao sighed. “This child suffered an accident when he was young, and after that, he became dazed and foolish. Even seeing doctor after doctor was no use!”

Tao Lu frowned. “What kind of accident was it?”

Lu Hongdao scratched his head. “I heard from his dad, it seems like when he went into the mountains to play, he fell into a cave and hit his head.”

Tao Lu nodded. “So that’s what happened.”

After speaking up to here, Lu Hongdao paused, shooting Fang Li a cautious look, then turned his face aside and whispered to Tao Lu, “Plus, ever since getting very sick for a time, his body hasn’t been too well. His dad went to find lots of fortune tellers, and they all say that he won’t live past twenty. This child…… is turning twenty this year.

Tao Lu was startled, and his expression when he looked at Fang Li was immediately full of pity. No wonder Lu Hongdao was willing to follow along in whatever Fang Li wanted. So that was it. 

Fang Li was utterly speechless. 

Because I’m a fool, you guys aren’t avoiding the subject at all, is that right? Even if you lower your voices, I can still hear you clearly…… But the fortune tellers hadn’t actually been wrong. This child indeed hadn’t been able to live past twenty, so before turning twenty, his soul had scattered to the wind, and Fang Li had arrived.

In the distance, Xie Huai looked like his eyes were closed to rest.

But his fingers suddenly clenched inside his sleeves with so much force that he was practically shattering his bones.

Why, why was everything about him so similar to that person……

Even his short remaining lifespan……

All of it was the same.

It’d been nine years……

More than three thousand days and nights. 

It wasn’t that he’d never held foolish hopes before, trying to summon a trace of that person’s lingering soul, but even that had been impossible……

Under the Snowblue Sword, no soul remained.

That person’s soul had long scattered into the wind, and not even his body had been left behind.

Xie Huai had long gotten used to having his hopes shattered again and again. Every time he despaired, he would fall deeper and deeper into the dark depths of the abyss…… and gradually, he had no choice but to accept reality.

But this time……

Is it really possible that it might be you……

……………………

Because there wasn’t much left here, everyone dispersed after not too long, and the journey home was much smoother. 

The Heaven’s Summit elder said to Xie Huai in a respectful voice, “Then we’ll part ways with Yuyi-jun here.”

The leaders of the Jade Hawk Palace and Black Star Tower groups also came to bid Xie Huai farewell, then took their people and left. 

As for those little cultivation sects, they didn’t even dare to get too close to Xie Huai.

Fang Li hid himself in the crowd, completely inconspicuous.

Very good, this time, he’d successfully gotten some useful items. As for Xie Huai, the two of them lived in completely different worlds now. After parting ways, they wouldn’t need to see each other again.

To him, knowing that Xie Huai was well was good enough.

In this life, the winds and storms of the world would have nothing to do with him. He only wanted to live a life free and unrestrained like the clouds in the sky.

Lu Hongdao brought Fang Li home.

Fang Li naturally didn’t need to hide in the basket anymore on the way home. He sat comfortably in the carriage, enjoying Lu Hongdao’s attentive and meticulous care.

Lu Hongdao had only brought some dry rations for the trip, but when he thought about how Fang Li might not be used to eating those, he was afraid of causing the child grievance, so as soon as they left Grieving Wind Valley, they headed straight for a nearby village to find something to eat. There wasn’t much in this little place, so he got some roast chicken for Fang Li. Seeing Fang Li look quite happy as he ate, Lu Hongdao rubbed his short beard with satisfaction.

After he was done eating, Fang Li wiped his hands on his clothes and touched his stomach with satisfaction. Then he rolled over lazily as if getting ready to go to sleep. As he shifted, he accidentally let a pouch fall out.

The opening of the pouch wasn’t fastened, and with a clatter, a pile of sparkling, translucent high-quality spirit stones rolled all over the carriage. There looked to be tens of them, and Lu Hongdao, who was just about to throw away the chicken bones, immediately widened his eyes until they were about to fall out. He sat there blankly, his expression dazed.

Fang Li looked like he’d suddenly remembered something and laughed delightedly, grabbing a handful of spirit stones. “Sparkly, pretty, fun.”

Lu Hongdao’s beard was trembling. When he looked at Fang Li, his face looked like he’d seen a ghost. Just where did you find these high-quality spirit stones?!

Those people from Heaven’s Summit had turned the whole place over and hadn’t found a single spirit stone, but you just casually brought out a whole bag? And they’re all precious high-quality spirit stones?! The high-quality spirit stones that are worth a hundred regular spirit stones each?

He was just a cultivator from a small town. He’d only seen this kind of expensive high-quality spirit stone once before in his life and hadn’t even gotten to touch it……

The brilliant light was nearly blinding to him.

Fang Li pushed the spirit stones toward Lu Hongdao.

Lu Hongdao said in a trembling voice, “For me?”

After he spoke, he wanted to slap himself. How could Fang Li understand him?!

The corners of Fang Li’s lips rose, and he smiled. “Golden Silk Pear Blossom cake.”

Lu Hongdao: “……”

Did this child mean that he wanted to trade the spirit stones with him for cake?

After he was done speaking, Fang Li was too lazy to bother with it further and gave Lu Hongdao some time to digest the news. He yawned languidly and lay down on the couch to sleep.

Lu Hongdao was in the midst of a daze.

He looked at the floor covered in spirit stones.

So…… in the end, the only person who’d gained anything out of this trip was actually himself? And it was such a huge fortune that’d fallen out of the sky?

He raised his hand to give himself a slap. Ow, so it wasn’t a dream……

Lu Hongdao looked at Fang Li with a complicated expression.

How was this a fool, this was a lucky star!

………………………

Every day, Fang Li ate and slept, then slept and ate.

After ten days, they finally returned to Hualin Town.

Lu Hongdao sent him straight home, and Fang Mingyuan was so excited that the corners of his eyes turned red. Xin Ruiyan hugged him, crying so hard she couldn’t speak, and Fang Qiongyi stood quietly to one side as she kept wiping away at her tears.

Not a single one of the three could bear to take their anger out on Fang Li. After all, it was already fortunate enough that their foolish little son could come home. They’d originally thought they’d never find him again!

When they thought about how Fang Li might have been kidnapped, sold, or killed……

They’d been stewing in anxiety for the last month or so.

After a long time, Fang Mingyuan finally remembered Lu Hongdao and said, “Brother Lu, how did you find little Li?”

Lu Hongdao was a little nervous. He swallowed and said, “Little Li was the one who hid in our cart by himself. We, we didn’t discover him until we were at Grieving Wind Valley……

Fang Mingyuan: “……”

If not for the sake of their decades-old bond, their friendship would be over today!

Lu Hongdao also felt extremely guilty. It was all because he hadn’t discovered Fang Li earlier. Seeing that Fang Mingyuan was about to explode, he slipped away hastily.

Because of the incident of Fang Li getting lost.

The whole Fang family’s nerves were suddenly stretched taut. Previously, they’d allowed Fang Li to go out and wander about, thinking that it would be fine as long as there was someone following him. Besides, everyone in town recognized Fang Li, so they’d never felt like Fang Li could actually wander off and get lost……

But after returning home this time, as soon as Fang Li stepped outside his room, a servant girl would trail close behind not more than a step away, and the main doors of the Fang household were shut tight day after day, so he couldn’t even get out the door.

The repercussions were quite severe, Fang Li thought helplessly.

Luckily, he didn’t plan on going outside for a while anyways.

He used the defensive spiritual devices he’d obtained from the treasure vault to set up a barrier around the Fang family. Blocking out demonic cultivators under Soul Formation wouldn’t be a problem, ensuring the Fang family’s temporary safety. After that, he stayed in his room every day.

Staying in closed door cultivation to recuperate.

Seeing him stay inside all day, Mother and Father Fang thought he’s suffered a scare while outside and didn’t come in to disturb him, so Fang Li was actually quite at ease.

About ten days passed like this.

Fang Li’s health gradually took a turn for the better. He was contemplating the matter of how, after a few more months, he would be able to start cultivation again……

That day, he’d just gotten out of bed, yawning, and was about to eat when a servant girl came in from outside, coaxing him to go to the front hall, saying that the master was looking for him.

Fang Li was a bit doubtful.

What could Fang Mingyuan be looking for him for? He was a fool, after all. In the past, even when inviting physicians over to treat him, they were all brought straight to his room. This was actually the first time someone had come to bring him out so seriously.

Fang Li followed the servant girl to the front hall. With a single glance, he saw the cold, white-robed man standing in the center of the room, and he immediately stiffened, his expression almost collapsing.

Why had Xie Huai shown up here?!

Fang Li was bewildered and unsettled.

These days, Xie Huai was the number one in the world, while the Fang family was no more than a few mortals from a little town. The difference between them was like that between ants and a god.

Regardless of whether he went back to Hollow Ridge or returned to Cloudbank Keep, he shouldn’t be here……

Fang Li immediately had a bad premonition. He’d already been very careful back then, but had he actually revealed any flaws? Exactly which part had drawn Xie Huai’s attention?

Although his heart was full of misgivings, he didn’t show any of it on his face. He stood to one side with a dazed and confused appearance, as if he didn’t know who Xie Huai was at all……

Xie Huai’s gaze swept past Fang Li’s face, a probing expression emerging in the depths of his eyes. He turned to Fang Mingyuan and said in a bland voice, “This is your son?”

Fang Mingyuan wrung his hands nervously, stuttering and stammering dazedly, “Oh, yes, Yuyi-jun, this is my son……”

Tao Lu was standing to the side with a smile. Seeing that Fang Mingyuan looked like his soul had fled his body in his astonishment, he reassured in a gentle voice, “Mister Fang, there’s no need to be too nervous. Yuyi-jun heard of the situation with your son and couldn’t bear it in his heart, so he came here to take a look. Maybe he’ll be able to cure him.”

Fang Li: “……”

Listening to Tao Lu’s words, Xie Huai had come here to treat him out of the goodness of his heart.

But those words—using them to coax Fang Mingyuan was fine.

But Fang Li didn’t believe a word of it!

He narrowed his eyes.

Although Xie Huai was indeed the light of the righteous sects, dedicating his life to slaying demons to protect the Dao and defend the common people, that didn’t mean that he was a living saint who would go around helping old ladies cross the street. He was an aloof and lofty cultivator, okay, and he was a sword cultivator! Minding other peoples’ business had never been Xie Huai’s style.

Xie Huai sure wasn’t that bored.

Besides, even if he was willing to mind it all, with all the suffering in the world, the number of people who needed his help was simply endless. Could he possibly take care of them all?

As far as Fang Li knew, these years, Xie Huai had stood guard on Hollow Ridge, descending very rarely and never asking after worldly affairs.

Would he go help treat a fool of his own accord?

Fang Li would have to be out of his mind to believe it.

The problem was, Fang Mingyuan had absolutely no misgivings about it and was so excited he nearly fainted. What kind of jackpot had he struck?!

Although he hadn’t shown it, during this period of time, whenever he thought about how this child didn’t have many days left and was about to turn twenty, he was filled with worry day after day. He hadn’t imagined there would be a light at the end of the tunnel, and he would actually encounter a living celestial like Yuyi-jun himself! A true bodhisattva!

As expected of the Yuyi-jun praised by all!

What a saint!

Fang Mingyuan took Fang Li’s hand and pulled him over, and even his voice was trembling. “Y-Yuyi-jun, take a look however you want. Even, even if you can’t cure him, it’s okay!”

It was already good enough that Yuyi-jun had stooped to coming here, but he was a sword cultivator, and they hadn’t heard anyone say that he was proficient in medicine. Although Fang Mingyuan was very happy, he didn’t dare to hold too much hope.

He watched Fang Li shrink back a bit, looking like he didn’t want to step forward, and he yanked Fang Li’s hand, stuffing it into Xie Huai’s.

Fang Li’s hand touched Xie Huai’s scorching hot palm, and he immediately wanted to flee as though he’d been burned…… But before he could take back his hand, Xie Huai had already grabbed ahold of it.

Fang Li: ……

Xie Huai’s dark eyes watched Fang Li attentively, not letting a single expression on his face escape him.

As soon as he’d entered the Fang household, he’d sensed the hidden array set up around it. The setup of this defensive array was extremely ingenious, and ordinary cultivators wouldn’t be able to perceive it at all. Unless a cultivator was above Soul Formation, they wouldn’t be able to break through it, and it definitely wasn’t something just anyone could set up.

Right now, the only person in the Fang household who could possibly have done it was Fang Li, and he had just returned from Grieving Wind Valley and obtained defensive spiritual devices.

Although this person was playing a fool, his identity suspicious and his goals unknown, he seemed to care for his family very much……

Truly contradictory and strange.

As if surrounded by layers and layers of fog.

Xie Huai couldn’t help but close his eyes, recalling the first time he’d met that person. His expression became heavier, and his spiritual energy suddenly probed into Fang Li’s body.

Fang Li felt Xie Huai’s spiritual energy enter, and his entire body stiffened, firmly pressing down the instinct to resist!

Allowing his spiritual energy to push straight in.

The feeling wasn’t actually painful. Xie Huai’s spiritual energy was warm and gentle, like a stream from a warm spring, quickly flowing through his dried up meridians. A tingling sensation slowly radiated outwards from inside…… Fang Li clenched his teeth tightly. If not for the fact that he was a fool right now, he, he definitely wouldn’t let Xie Huai do such a thing!

But right now, he couldn’t resist.

Or else, it would be like announcing that he wasn’t a fool.

Luckily, he hadn’t been in a rush, and although he’d spent all his time recently recuperating, he hadn’t formally started cultivating yet. This body was only just a little bit better than it had been when he’d first arrived. This was Xie Huai’s first time investigating, so he shouldn’t be able to find any abnormalities. He just had to hold himself steady……

Xie Huai’s gaze rested on Fang Li’s face without blinking.

On the young man’s pale, clean face, a trace of discomfort emerged. His long eyelashes quivered, his exquisite brows furrowing, looking aggrieved and ill at ease over the fact that he wasn’t able to free himself. His thin wrists trembled in Xie Huai’s palms…… but, from start to finish, he didn’t use his spiritual energy to resist Xie Huai’s probing.

Hah……

What a good performance.

If not for the fact that Xie Huai had witnessed the other side of him, he would probably also have been fooled. He was just as good at deception as that person……

Xie Huai examined Fang Li all over without any mercy and quickly found where the problem was. Fang Li actually had the extremely rare Heave’s Spirit physique, but because he was unable to absorb the enormous amount of spiritual energy in his body, he had this weak and sickly appearance. As soon as he absorbed that spiritual energy, he would be able to recover. If he were really a fool, there would be no way to treat him, and it would indeed be a thorny problem…… But seeing as this person was only pretending to be a fool and was able to cultivate, then naturally, there was no problem.

But that wasn’t even the most important part. The most important thing was that he hadn’t discovered any traces of possession.

When a demon or spirit possessed a mortal, it wasn’t their own body, after all. The body and the soul weren’t compatible enough, and there would more or less be traces of it to find……

But not only was there absolutely no trace of a demon or spirit’s aura on this person, there wasn’t a trace of disharmony between his body and his soul. Now that was strange.

If it wasn’t possession, then why was he pretending to be a fool?

But……

Sooner or later, he would get to the bottom of these things.

The corners of Xie Huai’s lips hooked up softly. He loosened his hand and said blandly to Fang Mingyuan, “I can cure his illness.”

…………………………………

The Author Has Something to Say:

Fang Li: I want to give up treatment.

Xie Huai: Not allowed : )