Chapter 22

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Chapter 22

The Tianyuan Sect and the Qingxu Sect are separated by a distance of one hundred eighty thousand miles, one in the south and the other in the north. With thunderstorms and poisonous mists blocking the way, flying with a sword would take at least three to five days.

Xie Fuzhi can now fly slowly using a spirit boat, but thinking about how hard his disciples worked to earn the spirit stones, he doesn’t want to waste them.

A young and strikingly beautiful cultivator leapt from the mountain peak into the clouds. He did not use the spirit sword he usually relied on. As he entered the layers of clouds that looked like mountains, Xie Fuzhi transformed into a brilliantly colored red bird.

Wings like flames covered the sky above the Congyun Mountains, turning the white clouds into red mist. The phoenix flapped its wings, covering thousands of miles in an instant. The journey that was supposed to take three to five days was shortened to just one hour by Xie Fuzhi’s speed.

Upon arriving at the Tianyuan Sect, it was very grand and impressive compared to the somewhat quiet Qingxu Sect. There were over a thousand disciples within the sect, not counting the countless servant disciples.

Moreover, the location of Tianyuan was surrounded by a soft golden light, which comes from the sect’s grand formation. Only great sects could afford such luxury, constantly using spirit stones to maintain the formation.

This is mainly to prevent demons from invading, ensuring that no demons sneak in and harm the young disciples who have not yet grown strong.

It’s truly annoying how wasteful they are, but Xie Fuzhi thought about it and realized that being rich is good. If the Tianyuan Sect were too poor, he would only be able to take back limited things. It’s better if they are wealthy; the richer the Tianyuan Sect, the richer the Qingxu Sect.

The phoenix divine bird paused in the clouds for a moment, then in the next second it transformed into a beam of golden light that rushed directly into the great formation of the sect. The golden glow shook for an instant, but it did not make any warning sound.

Unexpected guests came to visit. At the esteemed Xianren Peak of the Tianyuan Sect, the Supreme Elder, who was meditating in a cave, opened his eyes.

The reason the Tianyuan Sect has achieved the rank of the twentieth sect is because of this Supreme Elder, who oversees the sect. He possesses cultivation at the Soul Changing Stage. Although he is now older and unable to break through his limits, causing his power to decline from its peak, he is still truly at the Soul Changing Stage.

There are no more than twenty Soul Changing Stage cultivators in this spiritual world. As long as the younger generation can cultivate outstanding disciples, it is expected that Tianyuan Sect will rank in the top ten in the next grand competition among the hundred sects.

However, the Supreme Elder, who is admired by countless disciples, looked out of the cave with a headache. On the peak of Xianren Peak, a row of tall phoenix trees grew. The trees reached the sky, and the shade was lush. Suddenly, a very splendid bird landed on a thick branch of the tallest phoenix tree.

Its golden eyes, like blazing flames, reflected Hua Xuan’s figure, as if it could burn everything in the world.

Coming back to his senses, the latter hurriedly paid his respects and said, "I did not know the Immortal Lord was visiting. Is there something important?"

These cultivators are human, while dragons and phoenixes are divine beasts that exist in ancient legends, so calling out "Immortal Lord" is not inappropriate.

The phoenix did not respond to the Supreme Elder, but instead began to groom its delicate, flame-like feathers, and only after tidying its feathers perfectly did it transform into a remarkably handsome young cultivator.

"You have the Spirit Connecting Jade too, right?" Xie Fuzhi revealed a palm-sized white jade talisman in his hand.

The Supreme Elder shook his head and politely asked, "I do not know, may I ask, what is the Spirit Connecting Jade?"

Could it be a divine artifact that allows communication with spirits for assistance?

Xie Fuzhi looked displeased, but secretly pleased, and said, "So outdated! My apprentice earned spirit stones and bought this for me at the first opportunity. Your many apprentices and grandchildren are not at all filial; they don’t even know to honor you with good things when they come out."

He was always very skilled at showing off and putting others down, displaying his Spirit Connecting Jade, "Look closely. Remember to apply for my Taoist name and hurry up to get one on the mountain."

Hua Xuan’s face turned pale; he had been in isolation in the cave. After his last failed Transmigration, Hua Xuan’s skills decreased by a small level. He had been in seclusion for hundreds of years to recover to his original strength.

If Xie Fuzhi hadn’t come to visit, Hua Xuan would still be in the cave for dozens or even hundreds of years more. The Spirit Connecting Jade had only been around for a few years, and no disciples down the mountain dared to disturb him.

This meant that even though Hua Xuan was a Supreme Elder, he did not have this artifact in his possession.

If the person in front of him were not Xie Fuzhi, he would have exploded in fury long ago, but facing the world’s only phoenix, the esteemed Supreme Elder of Tianyuan Sect, one of the top twenty in the spiritual world, and a powerful Soul Changing Stage expert who had lived for three thousand eight hundred and ninety years, he chose to hold his temper and replied, "Yes."

He decided to change the subject, "Did you come here for something else?"

This peculiar phoenix was actually very low-key. If it hadn’t been for the previous leader of the Tianyuan Sect having a past connection with it and planting a large grove of phoenix trees as a sign of goodwill, he wouldn’t have known there was another phoenix in the world.

Xie Fuzhi almost forgot the main point, "My disciple has already reached Golden Core, and there are other disciples in the sect as well. Resources are a bit tight. We didn’t properly hold a disciple-receiving ceremony before, and this time I came to collect gifts for my disciple."

That’s right, he was here to get some benefits. Since Yun Chuyou was staying with the sect, he didn’t want to leave. After all, watching his precious disciple excitedly develop the sect was also a kind of joy.

But now Yun Chuyou had taken a few other disciples to the Mortal World for training and wouldn’t be back for a while. The lonely master felt a bit isolated waiting at the Heavenly Pool, so he decided to find something to do and gather more resources for his precious disciple.

The Supreme Elder had a hard time holding back his expression. How could there be such a way to receive a master’s gift? Really, he could have just taken it directly and found a grand excuse.

Hua Xuan bit down on his teeth and forced a smile, "I do have some suitable magic tools for Golden Core Stage cultivators…"

"What about the belongings I left at Tianyuan Sect? No one has touched them, right?"

If someone had touched them, Xie Fuzhi could make them return double what they took and openly ask for compensation for loss due to negligence.

"No, no!" The Supreme Elder waved his hand as fast as a spirited young man shaking a flower.

There were only one or two people in the Heavenly Mysterious Sect who knew about this. Who would dare touch Xie Fuzhi’s things? The Phoenix True Fire would not only burn the body but also destroy the soul, leaving no chance for rebirth.

He indeed thought about it, but he realized that his life was more important.

"Your old belongings are all surrounded outside, and this area of sycamore trees has become a forbidden zone for the sect."

The sycamore trees, known as the Phoenix Nest, actually belonged to Xie Fuzhi. As a highly respected Supreme Elder, he was the guardian of the phoenix’s treasures.

Others did not know that treasures once hidden by Xie Fuzhi were here. Even if they did know, those disciples who dared to invade the forbidden zone could not break the seals left by Xie Fuzhi. If they tried to force their way in while he was away, they would be instantly burned to ashes by the Phoenix True Fire.

"I doubt you would dare."

The master, who was friendly in front of Yun Chuyou, showed a very different high-and-mighty face in front of Hua Xuan. He easily destroyed the seals he had once set and took out all the old belongings buried in the forbidden zone.

After checking the storage ring, which was completely full, Xie Fuzhi was not sure if anything was missing inside. There was just so much that he had forgotten how much wealth he actually owned.

The important treasures that were memorable were not lost. He checked the items, and his expression relaxed a little. He sifted through them and discarded a few less valuable ones to Hua Xuan, saying, "Consider this compensation for guarding this sycamore forest."

The phoenix came quickly and left just as fast, leaving the Supreme Elder, who had forced his way out, feeling confused.

The current leader of Tianyuan Sect had already noticed something was happening, but he did not dare to intrude on the Supreme Elder’s territory, so he sent a message right away.

When Xie Fuzhi disappeared from Tianyuan Sect, Hua Xuan finally notified his disciple to come up the mountain. Not every generation of students can produce a genius capable of reaching the Soul Changing Stage. Nowadays, the leader of Tianyuan Sect is not Hua Xuan’s disciple, but his disciple’s disciple.

"Congratulations on the Supreme Elder’s return!" The leader of Tianyuan Sect breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the Supreme Elder was safe.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed that the forbidden area was in complete disarray, causing his previously calm heart to rise again. "What just happened in the forbidden area?"

No wonder the Supreme Elder was in seclusion and suddenly came out!

Hua Xuan gently shook his head. "It’s nothing. A close friend just visited. This forbidden area has always been his territory."

Who is this friend? Is he also a powerful being at the Soul Changing Stage, or perhaps someone at the Transcendency Stage? A cultivator who can enter without disturbing the sect’s formations should at least have the strength of the Soul Changing Stage.

The leader of the Tianyuan Sect was very curious, but since his ancestor did not speak up, he would not dig deeper to ask. Some secrets are better left unknown; knowing them can lead to danger.

"Will you continue your meditation, Master?"

"No," Hua Xuan said, "I spent too long in meditation this time, and I did not make any progress."

He had been in meditation for over a hundred years and could not tell the exact time in the mountains; all his old friends had returned, and the spiritual world would surely become lively again.

"Has our Tianyuan Sect found any good talents this generation?" Hua Xuan wondered, thinking that he might as well use this time to nurture some promising young ones. These lively young people have endless possibilities.

The elder of the Tianyuan Sect looked very happy, "Yes!"

"The personal disciple of my student, Ye Xuanye, has a natural talent for swordsmanship! He is a genius with a Heavenly Spiritual Root! Our Tianyuan Sect has a chance to rank in the top ten of the Hundred Schools; no, he might even become the champion of the Hundred Schools Competition!"

If Yun Chuyou were present, she would immediately recognize Ye Xuanye, the male protagonist from the original story, a swordsmanship genius associated with the female protagonist.

The master of the female protagonist, Song Mingzhu, was a powerful figure at the Soul Changing Stage, as described in the original story. Some legacies are very special; for example, a natural talent for swordsmanship can only exist one at a time in the spiritual world. Only when the current sword talent falls can the next one be born.

The Tianyuan Sect is a typical sect led by sword cultivators, and Ye Xuanye, who has a natural talent for swords, is the hope of the entire sect.

The leader of the Tianyuan Sect proudly said, "Xuanye already has Golden Pill Cultivators, but he can challenge a much higher-level Nascent Soul cultivator. He became a Golden Core at just sixteen years old, making him the youngest Golden Core cultivator in the spiritual world."

This is not wrong; Yun Chuyou also became a Golden Core at sixteen, but the spiritual world only knows about Ye Xuanye from the Tianyuan Sect, not about Yun Chuyou from the Qingxu Sect.

Sword cultivators are already strong, and with the natural talent for swords, they are almost unbeatable at the same level.

After hearing about Ye Xuanye’s many glorious deeds, Hua Xuan was very pleased with his beloved disciple, he looked down at the item he had in his hand and then threw it to his disciple.

The latter instinctively caught it, feeling confused and asking, "Master, what is this?"

Hua Xuan stroked his long white beard and said, "This is the key to open the Sword Tomb Secret Realm. Xuanye doesn’t have his own sword yet, so let him practice well and seek opportunities in the Sword Tomb."

The Sword Tomb is the place where countless spiritual swords lie asleep; it is home to the Sword Immortal and Sword God, where many talented sword cultivators have once wielded their treasured swords.

Swords that have given birth to sword spirits will automatically choose to sleep with their owners when they die, but if a destined person finds the Sword Tomb and gains the sword’s recognition, the divine sword will reappear in the world.

There is another rumor that the Sword Tomb Secret Realm holds the legacy of the Sword God. Even if one already possesses a personal spirit sword, gaining the Sword God’s legacy would still be a great opportunity.

However, the Sword Tomb Secret Realm is not open to everyone. It rejects cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage and above, allowing only those from the Qi Refining Stage to the Golden Core Stage to enter. Of course, if someone breaks through to the Nascent Soul Stage while in the secret realm, they will not be immediately expelled from the Sword Tomb Secret Realm.

A sword cultivator can only have one personal spirit sword in their lifetime. If they destroy that sword and start over, their cultivation level will suffer greatly.

A sword that has given birth to a sword spirit is very picky. There is a saying that a sword cultivator’s personal sword is like their wife, and sword spirits can be jealous. If a cultivator has reached the Nascent Soul Stage but does not yet have their own spirit sword, it shows their talent is lacking and they have missed their opportunity—indicating that it is not meant for them.

The Sword Tomb Secret Realm can be considered one of the most important storylines in the original book. After all, the secret realm not only has spirit swords, but also many other treasures. Whether for Buddhist cultivators, music practitioners, or even those who follow the path of harmony, if they find an opportunity, they can trade with others as well.

Basically, all the talented disciples from various sects have come to join the excitement, including all the significant characters from the original book.

"Should we use this token now?"

Hua Xuan thought of a domineering and unreasonable phoenix and shook his head, "Let’s wait a little longer."

This opportunity was given by Xie Fuzhi, and that phoenix seems to have taken on a disciple. They must wait for the disciple to return to the cultivation world, otherwise he fears Xie Fuzhi might come looking for them.

The book does not describe this part, nor does it mention where Hua Xuan got the key to open the Sword Tomb Secret Realm, but the complete world fills in this gap.

The items were given by Xie Fuzhi, so even though Qingxu Sect is a small sect, it allows every disciple to have a chance to enter.

In the original story, the secret realm would open a year later, as Xie Fuzhi didn’t come to reclaim his "inheritance" so early.

However, Hua Xuan, who got the key early, did not immediately open the secret realm; instead, he decided to wait for Xie Fuzhi’s disciples to return.

It seems there is a hidden force pushing the story along the same path.

Xie Fuzhi, who casually gives away items, didn’t care about what he was giving; he is not like those sword cultivators from Tianyuan Sect who treasure the so-called Sword God’s legacy.

Although Yun Chuyou learns swordplay, she is also skilled in alchemy and crafting. Xie Fuzhi does not think it is a problem for his disciple to learn many things; instead, he finds her to be very capable. His precious disciple can learn whatever she wants, and as a teacher, he must do everything he can to create the best learning conditions for her.

The phoenix will be reborn from the ashes, and buried here are the old items he hid before his last rebirth. Old friends have long fallen, and Xie Fuzhi, who originally planned to cut ties with the past, never intended to return to Tianyuan Sect, as it would bring back memories he didn’t want to recall.

But for his precious disciple, he still chose to come. He did not take anything while raising his disciple because he felt he could manage. Now that his resources are somewhat tight, he certainly needs to reclaim things to support her.

On the way back, Xie Fuzhi did not change back into his original form to fly, but instead took out a magnificent giant Cloud Boat from his storage ring. In addition to the savings he had collected over thousands of years, he could also gather some fresh demon beast meat along the way for his apprentice.

His apprentice is very thoughtful, but sometimes it causes difficulties for Xie Fuzhi as a master. Even when he goes out, he always thinks about him, buying so many things that make it hard for him to repay.

Although it is lovely to see Yun Chuyou working hard, it is even sweeter to see him happily buying things now that he is wealthy. Xie Fuzhi wants to see Yun Chuyou look at him with wonder and admiration like he did when he was little, saying that his master is the best in the world.

Imagining Yun Chuyou’s bright smile when he returns, Xie Fuzhi, as a master, felt warmth filling his heart.

The very handsome young man generously placed a Premium Spirit Stone into the control center of the Cloud Boat, choosing to head towards the areas known for their misdeeds.

To be a good master, he must not commit violence or harm innocent people. However, dealing with those who are criminals is acceptable. It is his duty and responsibility as a righteous cultivator to fight against evil.

While waiting to "fish" with the Cloud Boat, he did not waste time but diligently organized his messy storage ring with his mind, "These are materials for alchemy, put them on the left." "Materials for weapon crafting go on the right." "Materials for crafting talismans should be in the middle."

Spirit stones and magic weapons… piled up into two more small hills.

The wealth he had saved over the years is quite impressive, after all, these are the spoils he collected from all over. There is enough here for not just the Golden Core Stage, but even for the upcoming Astral Projection Stage and the Soul Changing Stage.

Besides these training materials, Xie Fuzhi also found some very special building materials inside, like branches that contain Fire Spirit Qi, shiny gemstones, and soft, beautiful feathers… These things, which are not very useful, didn’t fit in with the other treasures.

He had collected these things for a reason; that’s right, they seemed to be for making a nest. Without a pretty nest, a female phoenix wouldn’t look at a male phoenix.

Courtship and reproduction is an instinct carved into the blood of a male phoenix. According to ancient teachings, they have to prepare a dowry from a young age. A phoenix with an insufficiently rich dowry will not attract a female.

Unfortunately, even though he took great care of his feathers and looked beautiful, after all these years, he was still a single phoenix, which was truly regretful.

But it doesn’t matter; now he is the only phoenix left in the world. Even if he cannot find a partner, he will not be laughed at by other phoenixes. With a calm mindset, Xie Fuzhi said that partners are like floating clouds, and none of it is important.

What matters is taking good care of his disciple. His lifelong wish and obsession is to see his disciple achieve great wisdom and soar through the void. Everything else can be set aside for this goal.

He finished organizing the things, but there is still a long time before his disciple returns. The long-awaited time alone did not make Xie Fuzhi feel free and happy; instead, he felt a sense of loss and emptiness.

Though he had been raising his disciple for just about ten years, which is a very short time in his long life, he seemed to have developed a legendary condition known as separation anxiety.

His disciple has been away from the sect for three days now. By this time, she should have arrived in the Mortal World. He wondered if her journey has gone smoothly and whether she has encountered any shameless people.

Think about it, Yun Chuyou is no longer the little girl who only reached her knees; she is now a young woman at the perfect age, and going down the mountain for training could make her fall for someone.

But there isn’t a good man in the world; they only trick you for money, love, or feelings. They easily change their hearts and can never truly give the same kind of love back.

Imagining Yun Chuyou being desperate for a male cultivator, Xie Fuzhi’s smile instantly vanished.

If such a situation really occurred, he would definitely end the apprentice’s ill-fated romance before it got serious, not leaving even the ashes of the scoundrel.

The air was filled with the unique smell of wood burning, as if something was ignited. Xie Fuzhi looked down and saw his robe on fire; not only his robe made of silkworm silk was burning, but the Cloud Boat beneath him also had a large hole from the Phoenix True Fire.

Xie Fuzhi stayed for a long time at the cold mountaintop, even entering the Cold Pool, just to calm his emotions and suppress the Phoenix True Fire that occasionally flared up.

It had only been a little over ten years. With Yun Chuyou by his side, he hadn’t lost control like this for a long time. As it turned out, this issue wasn’t healed; it was only under control because of Yun Chuyou’s presence.

The clothes he wore were high-level protective gear, and the Cloud Boat was an even more advanced holy-level item, but the Phoenix True Fire was a divine fire that was far too overpowering.

Xie Fuzhi quickly extinguished the flames, but sadly, the burned clothes could not be restored. A cultivator can wave a hand and rebuild a collapsed house, but not everything can be created from nothing; damaged spiritual items still require other spiritual materials to be fixed.

The spirit boat was fine, Xie Fuzhi did not mind. But this robe he wore was bought for him by Yun Chuyou. It held a lot of memories, and he felt very sad about it. This was the first set of clothes she bought for him after selling her magical item, using almost ninety percent of the money she had earned at that time.

This outfit was made from fabric woven from the South Sea merfolk’s silk, shining beautifully white under the sun. When Yun Chuyou saw this magnificent white robe full of colorful patterns, she thought it was perfect for her shy master and didn’t hesitate to spend a lot of money on it.

Although this so-called large amount of money was not even close to a small part of Xie Fuzhi’s savings from the spirit stone mountain, it contained true and pure friendship, something that money could not buy.

When he met his old friend Hua Xuan, he proudly showed off his treasured robe. He never expected that this robe, which he cherished so much, would be ruined by his own hands. If he had known, he would have just worn an old outfit! Feeling regretful, flames burst out in several places on the spirit boat.

Xie Fuzhi waved his sleeve to cover the extra holes, changed the direction of his flight, and sped west. The West Sea merfolk were skilled in weaving, but he was not good at mending clothes. Instead, he decided to catch some fish to help him fix it. The cold seawater would also help cool down the sudden flames of the Phoenix True Fire.

The guilty phoenix cleared his mind, trying not to think about unnecessary things; nothing had happened yet, and imagining was most dangerous.

But three years felt too long for him; he seemed unable to wait. If the clothes were not fixed and he learned more life skills, Xie Fuzhi planned to take the initiative to find her if his apprentice had not returned, along with a few others.

In the Mortal World, Yun Chuyou could not have imagined that just her short absence from the sect would lead Xie Fuzhi to start acting wildly.

Her current goal was to help her younger martial sister and junior brother end their earthly ties while also completing her own training tasks.

The Spirit Connecting Jade is divided into two sections: the spiritual world section and the Mortal World section. Very few cultivators can afford the Spirit Connecting Jade in the Mortal World, and they are mainly found in the Imperial Capital, holding high status.

For example, the current Murong royal family. Although the current Emperor cannot cultivate, he possesses the purple aura and is dedicated to introducing cultivators from the royal bloodline to establish roots in the spiritual world, so the Murong family can thrive there.

In fact, the spiritual world also has its own families of cultivation. While the sects are the largest powers, many people believe that the bond between master and student cannot compare to the ties of blood.

Moreover, under equal talent, if they can help their own blood relations, they will certainly not help strangers. Cultivators are also human; they have their own selfish desires and greed. They want to seize more resources, and relying on family strength is much better than fighting alone.

Now, none of the major families in the Imperial Capital is purely a mortal family; each has its shadow from a spiritual world family behind them. However, most of them are unimportant branches, and some are just small families.

Top cultivation families are too lazy to manage Mortal World powers, as there are no good resources, making it not worth the effort. But for those small families that cannot compete with the big families but want to develop, even the smallest mosquito is still meat. A well-managed Mortal World can still bring them returns.

"Younger martial sister, you must understand your own ties and troubles; I will not interfere."

Although she brought the younger martial sister out for training, she did not plan to handle everything for her. Zhong Wei is already a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator. While she may not be invincible in the Mortal World, she is more than capable of dealing with the small Zhong family.

Before they set out, Yun Chuyou took out a turtle shell to predict Zhong Wei’s fortune, "This trip will have small blessings."

"Younger martial sister, go with peace of mind. If anything happens, contact me at any time with the Spirit Connecting Jade."

Zhong Wei nodded obediently; she knew her Elder Martial Sister’s limits. She was careful with her charms, and besides, it was better if the Elder Martial Sister did not go. If she were there, Zhong Wei feared the Elder Martial Sister would think she was cruel.

Yu Jiu asked, "Senior martial sister, are you not planning to accompany me to the Yu family’s feast?"

The Yu family knew that Yu Jiu had become a cultivator and could not ignore it. Yesterday, the Yu family master was unwilling to leave, and today even more people came to invite Yu Jiu.

Talking about matters during a meal is much easier; with more people around, it’s also easier to do things secretly.

Yun Chuyou shook her head, "Everyone says this is the Yu family’s feast, but I am not a member of the Yu family."

She was not completely uninterested in ordinary people’s banquets, but the Yu family happened to be the type of people she disliked the most. These people were complicated and had too many tricks up their sleeves. She had a fear of crowded places and would definitely not enjoy the food.

Yun Chuyou understood herself well; she did not want to ruin her rare good mood for nothing.

More importantly, she wanted to take revenge herself and did not want to get involved in someone else’s troubles. Besides, if she accompanied Yu Jiu, she would have to accompany Zhong Wei; it was better if neither of them went.

She was not worried about Zhong Wei, and even less about Yu Jiu. He looked like he had just started his Foundation Establishment, but in reality, his skills were already close to Golden Core, ranking just second to her in their small team of four.

When Yun Chuyou said she would not accompany them, Yu Jiu did not insist. He really should find a suitable place to break through his Golden Core tribulation. It was not a bad thing to separate from senior martial sister for a while, "If senior martial sister has anything to deal with, just send me a message, and I will definitely come quickly."

"I feel the same way. No matter where senior martial sister is, I will rush over as soon as I can."

"You don’t need to come. I have Elder Martial Sister with me. With me around, she will absolutely be safe from danger." Meng He said proudly. Last night he was unable to join in, but for the time ahead, he could have Elder Martial Sister all to himself.

For the first time, he was happy that he had no parents and was not human at all, as there was nothing in the Mortal World that he needed to cut ties with.

Yun Chuyou felt a bit helpless; there was no reason to be so happy about this kind of thing, "Alright, talking as if it’s a life-and-death separation. I won’t be leaving the Imperial Capital for now. We are not far apart, and once I finish my business, I will return to this house."

She reflected on herself, wondering why the few younger martial brothers and sisters she was teaching were always eager to be like attachments on her legs, sometimes being overly clingy and dependent on her.

However, over the past few years, she had not taken on everything herself. She had always worked hard to help everyone develop independent living habits.

The chores in the sect were shared by everyone. Ever since she began to earn a lot of money, many tasks had been outsourced.

For example, before, I cooked spiritual food every day myself. When I had money, I hired a chef to cook. There are still a few disciples at Qingxu Sect who are known, but now there is a cook in the sect, and the spiritual fields that were developed have also been rented out.

This way of signing contracts is similar to companies in modern society, hiring casual cultivators with Spiritual Roots, allowing them to use a small rain technique to grow good fields.

The employment contract that Yun Chuyou uses is a profit-sharing system. At Qingxu Sect, she provides land and seeds and takes 70% of the harvest from the spiritual fields. Of course, if the harvest is too small, the contract will end early.

The topic has strayed. Right now, I don’t want to think about spiritual world matters, and I only want to focus on the Mortal World.

In the spiritual world, cultivators can publish tasks through Spirit Connecting Jade. However, in the Mortal World, common people cannot afford Spirit Connecting Jade. The few who can afford it also have no lack of channels to find people to solve problems.

Yun Chuyou is very wealthy now and does not lack the funds provided by her training. She plans to take on some public welfare tasks to fight monsters and eliminate evils.

At this time, Chen Qi, a cultivator she had previously befriended, came in handy. She directly asked through Spirit Connecting Jade, "Are there any unresolved strange happenings in this capital city? The area is not limited to the central area; even impoverished villages are fine. I will only accept rewards that they can afford."

This flexible way of taking orders means she receives payment based on the situation. In poor families, where the connection is deep, she would only symbolically take a few copper coins, while she would charge wealthier families more.

Yun Chuyou does not plan to take all the gold and silver she earns. She will buy some local specialties from the Mortal World to bring back to her master, and the rest she plans to use for charity, doing a few good deeds.

Yesterday, Yun Chuyou casually took out the Spirit Connecting Jade. Chen Qi knew that she was not short of money, and he quickly said, "Of course, there are a few cases: one is about a haunted Hot Spring Villa, another is about strange events happening in Huaishi Village near Beijing, and there’s also a case of a missing girl, but that one is not in Kyoto; it’s quite far away."

There are many strange things in the world. There are not many human cultivators, but there are martial artists, Taoists and monks who have inherited teachings, as well as evil beings.

Human desires are never-ending, so the evil in the world will never completely vanish. The capable people are few, and they will prioritize dealing with the most serious issues first.

Sometimes, the cause of the trouble is not an evil being at all, but rather a person with strong greed.

However, considering that Yun Chuyou is a golden core cultivator, what seems like a huge problem for ordinary people might be something a golden core cultivator can easily solve with a wave of their hand.

Chen Qi also carefully selected; these three matters are all real and related to evil beings, not just tricks played by ordinary people pretending to have ghosts.

"Then let’s go by distance."

She didn’t think that it would take too long. Initially, it was said to be three years of training, but the area she would be practicing in is the spiritual world.

The troubles of the mundane world will ultimately be resolved by ordinary people themselves. Looking back at the story, the Mortal World is unlikely to face any big issues in the short term.

In fact, three things are really very simple.

Outside the Hot Spring Villa, there is a faint ghostly presence. This is a haunted house. The last owners were a wealthy family who, shortly after moving in, faced tragedy, and nearly half of their family of ten or more perished.

At that time, it caused quite a stir, and a master from Lin Yin Temple came to help release the restless spirits of Hot Spring Villa. However, nearby residents have said that at night, a female ghost often cries in the house.

Since then, the house has been abandoned, but Yun Chuyou took a look around and only caught one female ghost in the well.

The resentment of the female ghost is not very strong and she hasn’t harmed anyone. She is a concubine of the last owner of the house who was pushed into the well.

Not wanting anyone else to move in, she cries softly in the house every night. There aren’t many harmful spirits in the Hot Spring Villa; the wealthy family was harmed by their competitors.

The officials investigated the case and uncovered the hidden mastermind, but they forgot about the female ghost left in the abandoned well. Sometimes, unruly people break in, and in order to protect her territory, the ghost scares them away, which is how the haunting of Hot Spring Villa began.

Meng He, who followed Yun Chuyou, held a large knife wrapped in cloth. Compared to the delicate sword, he preferred the bold knife.

The boy in black looked displeased, "Really useless."

Being weak in life means being weak in death as well.

These words made the female ghost’s eyes turn red with anger. The resentment was then dispelled when Yun Chuyou placed a charm on her forehead. She said to Meng He, "You summoned her, now recite the sutras to help her move on."

For wicked ghosts who harm people, we can directly help them pass on physically, scattering their souls. For these timid spirits, we recite sutras to help them, guiding them to the underworld to wait for their next life.

The Hot Spring Villa incident only took an hour, and most of that time was spent listening to the female ghost tell her story. The rest was Meng He reciting the sutras to send her away.

When it was all over, Meng He couldn’t help but complain, "How boring!"

He thought he would encounter something exciting, at least have a thrilling fight, but instead, he met such a useless and cowardly female ghost.

Yun Chuyou shook her head, "Then I would rather be a bit boring."

So-called excitement and fun can lead to the death and injury of many innocents. A human life is already short, and they do not need anything dramatic. If they can live safely until they naturally pass away, they are better off than ninety-nine percent of people in the world.

Meng He understood what Yun Chuyou meant, "Senior martial sister, you truly have a kind heart."

Outside Huaishi Village, Yun Chuyou took charge of the case of the missing girl. This incident was connected to a spirit because fox fur was found in the girl’s home, suggesting the work of a fox spirit.

However, there was only one missing girl and her family did not have much power, so the case remained unsolved until Yun Chuyou arrived.

Fox spirits are the most commonly mentioned spirits in tales of mortals. The stories are often not very serious; in better versions, they transform into beautiful people to show gratitude, leaving behind a romantic tale. In worse versions, they drain the life force of mortals or even rip out their hearts and lungs.

This case was quite strange and complicated, but solving it was simple for Yun Chuyou. She first went to the missing girl’s home, found her relatives, took a drop of their blood, and used magic to search for her.

In the Mortal World, there weren’t any powerful opponents to hide the traces, and it was easy to find her. The missing girl was indeed connected to a fox spirit, who was a handsome male fox.

When the girl was brought back, she was tearful, holding onto the beautiful fox and refusing to let go, "I don’t want to go back and marry; I asked Sanlang to take me away!"

This is not a terrifying tale of a fox spirit eating people, but rather a story of a little fox showing gratitude.

The girl’s parents wanted to marry their beautiful eighteen-year-old daughter to a rich old man for wealth and fortune. Fortunately, she was kind-hearted and had once rescued an injured little fox in the wild.

The fox spirit was a proper one, following the righteous path, and all the chickens he ate were bought with money he earned through hard work.

Yun Chuyou felt a slight headache from the crying, then mercilessly knocked out the girl’s parents, "If you follow him, you will leave this world forever without regrets?"

The girl nodded seriously, "I know he is a monster, but I do not regret it."

So what if he is a monster? Humans are much scarier than monsters; she would rather die than marry a sixty-year-old man.

"Humans and monsters are on different paths."

The girl’s eyes were filled with tears, "I am not afraid; I do not care."

Yun Chuyou looked at the male fox spirit, "But your existence will delay his training."

Her voice was gentle, "Returning a favor should not be foolish to risk yourself. I see you have little love for her in your eyes; if it jeopardizes his training, will you regret it?"

In the Mortal World, humans and monsters cannot fall in love, not because there are strict rules. Mainly, monsters can’t help but absorb life energy, which is harmful to human bodies. Even if a monster is kind-hearted, negative consequences may arise.

If the little fox spirit does not bond with the girl, he might be able to train properly and become a little fox immortal. But if he risks himself, he will ruin his path to cultivation. The cultivation world is much more forgiving; the spiritual world has many useful herbs and magical tools from various species.

Is a moment of love really as important as having one’s own path? This pair consists of a girl who loves beauty and a little fox spirit who is innocent and pure.

The fox spirit bowed to Yun Chuyou, saying, "I truly do not love Yunniang, but she once saved my life, and I must repay her kindness."

The bold girl, Yunniang, was a bit stubborn and held onto the little fox spirit, refusing to let go.

Yun Chuyou gave Yunniang a pill that made her have a long, deep sleep.

When Yunniang woke up, she cried to the fox spirit, "I’m sorry, I won’t hold you back any longer."

However, Yun Chuyou wouldn’t let Yunniang go back just like that; she asked Chen Qi to help solve a little problem for Yunniang’s family. The girl wouldn’t have to worry about being sold again, and she would find a suitable human husband, who happened to be her childhood neighbor.

Yunniang didn’t really love the fox spirit; even though the fox spirit was beautiful, seeing her turn into a fox still scared Yunniang. Besides, humans are social creatures, and Yunniang didn’t really like living in the mountains.

She simply didn’t have the chance to meet any powerful people, didn’t want to get married, and didn’t want to hurt her parents; the fox spirit was her only lifeline.

Once the case of the missing girl was solved, it was getting late, "Let’s go back for now and visit Huaishi Village tomorrow."

When she returned home, Zhong Wei and Yu Jiu had not come back yet, but Yun Chuyou had still prepared dinner for four people.

"Senior martial sister, I’m back."

Yu Jiu returned from the Yu family first. He looked a bit pale compared to usual, but when he saw Yun Chuyou, a bright smile appeared on his face.

Yun Chuyou, with her delicate hands, pushed over a cup of soothing tea, "You’ve worked hard, have a cup of tea."

"Younger martial sister hasn’t come back yet?"

Yun Chuyou shook her head, "Not yet."

She glanced at the sky outside and sent a message through the Spirit Connecting Jade, "Yu Jiu has returned, just missing you. Will you come back to eat?"

Faced with the frightened faces of the girls, she felt the Spirit Connecting Jade vibrate. She put down her bloodied sword, wiped her hands clean with a cloth, and showed a gentle and sweet smile as she replied, "The matter will be resolved soon, I’ll be back in a quarter of an hour."

The person in front of her was none other than the matriarch of the Zhong family, along with the servant who had once sold her.

This once-fallen mortal who had suffered a bad fate would not harm her own path even if killed. Zhong Wei was very careful; when the woman who had sold her was in her grasp, she took the other’s life.

She was very well-behaved, harming no innocent, but returned double the lesson for the humiliation she had faced.

The traffickers who had sold her all died on the road, so the matter was settled. Zhong Wei could not dig up the bones of those evil people to punish them, but she could deal with the masterminds who were still alive.

Her cruel stepmother had protective charms and magical tools, which held her back for a little while.

It was only when she entered the courtyard that she learned her sister also had a chance for immortality, and since her sister had a Heavenly Water Spiritual Root, she was taken away by a great sect.

These magical charms and tools were what that elder sister’s sect had left for their parents in the Mortal World.

How could these gifts bestowed by the lofty cultivators compare to the protective tool given to her by her senior martial sister? Zhong Wei was only delayed, but she was not harmed.

Zhong Wei and her stepmother were only mothers by name; there was no blood relation. After being sold by her, even that name no longer existed.

She broke the other’s hands and legs, destroyed that utterly false appearance, harmed the five organs and left the person with just one life.

Living in pain so great that you wish to not live is more painful than death. She endured nearly nine years of suffering. To let the other person live for ten more years feels like suffering an extra year herself.

As for her irresponsible biological father, Zhong Wei did not kill him; she simply cut off his source of power.

And as for that older sister… all accounts will be settled when they return to the spiritual world.

After casting several Cleaning Spells to ensure she had no trace of blood on her, Zhong Wei left the Zhong family. She also changed into a new outfit, as the previous one was stained with blood. It made her uncomfortable, and she couldn’t wear dirty clothes when meeting her senior martial sister.

The Zhong family home and the Yu family home weren’t far apart. To young Zhong Wei, it felt like a long distance, but for cultivator Zhong Wei, it was just a quick spell and a Transmission Symbol away. The distance between the human world and the spiritual world felt very small.

When she returned to the Yu family mansion, Zhong Wei sensed that something was off.

Meng He had a dark expression. Most cultivators have skin as pale as snow, but his was more like wheat, and now his face looked as dark as a pot bottom.

Yu Jiu appeared even more sinister, emanating a chilling aura that instinctively frightened Zhong Wei.

Zhong Wei quickly looked at her Elder Martial Sister, "What happened?"

Meng He exclaimed angrily, "Someone has come to take revenge!"

The snow-white figure on the table regained its movement and struggled to make a protesting sound.

"That’s not true!"

Under the table where they were eating, Yu Jiu caught a male fox spirit. The little fox had snow-white fur and had worked hard to grow three tails. He was the fox spirit Sanlang from the case of the missing girl.

He originally had four tails, but he gave one up to repay Yunniang’s kindness, so now he only had three.

When Yun Chuyou left, the fox spirit quietly followed her. Since he meant no harm, Yun Chuyou ignored him.

After all, anyone could walk down the road. She solved the matter and did not plan to interfere in the future lives of those involved. Life is lived by oneself, and regardless of whether it is good or bad, what happens next is not her concern.

The little three-tailed fox transformed into a handsome young boy. His shape-shifting skills were not very good; he had two pointy fox ears on his head and three fluffy tails behind him.

The beautiful fox spirit looked at Yun Chuyou with his clear amber eyes, not blinking, "I came to express my gratitude to Immortal Master Yun!"