Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

Her senior brother unleashed a barrage of scolding, and Gong Wu cautiously glanced at her master, her face distressed and not daring to retort.

Tu Xuixin looked complicated.

"Can’t you come up with some words yourself?"

"I’m tired."

Gong Wu: "…?"

The urgent task was to figure out how to explain her rebirth.

Tu Xuixin had thought this through several times before she awakened and quickly spoke: "Now there are two paths."

"The first is to admit that you are dead."

"But that means we need to fake your corpse and create a new identity for you, which always carries the risk of being exposed."

"The second is to claim that you are alive."

Ji Yang disagreed: "An immortal body contradicts common sense too much; she will be considered an evil spirit."

"That’s why I’ve warned you many times not to die in front of others." Tu Xuixin said, holding his head in pain, "At least now you’ve saved Master Yan’s life; he’ll surely say a few good words for you."

Gong Wu whispered, "What about lying?"

"Say that you somehow brought me back to life, or that it was actually a straw man that was pierced through the heart and lungs?"

"Once you do this, everyone will believe it." Tu Xuixin shook his head. "You have died once in front of Palace Lords Cheng and Hua, and now you have nearly died again in front of Master Yan. They are all witnesses to the strange occurrences and will eventually notice the clues."

"Ji Yang insists that you pretend to be dead to switch identities, acting as my new disciple who was brought in, or directly go out to gain experience and no longer stay in the valley."

Tu Xuixin took a deep breath, his tone firm.

"But I feel that if we think long-term, you should keep your home in Moonfire Valley."

The prevailing attitude in the southeastern region was male superiority and female inferiority. Later, due to a series of floods and disasters, even baby boys gradually became unsustainable, getting thrown into rivers or sold cheaply.

Although Moonfire Valley was located in the southwest, it took in a large number of abandoned babies each year. Even if many did not have the talent for cultivation, they would be sent out of the valley after they were capable of self-sustaining.

Gong Wu, being orphaned, if she were to leave here completely because of this identity, changing her name and living a new life, Tu Xuixin could not bear to think about it.

This apprentice was clumsy as a child, and now, although she had become smarter after growing up, she was still just a teenager.

"Wu Wu, you can count the number of times you’ve died on one hand."

"But ten years later, or decades later, you might die dozens or hundreds of times. Each time, you would have to change your name and live without a fixed home. Can you truly accept that?"

Tu Xuixin looked at her and sincerely said, "If that’s the case, none of the friends you know, the people you might like in the future, or the familiar places will remain."

"At least I feel that this is pure suffering."

As he analyzed this, Ji Yang also listened with concern and acknowledged that it really was true after a long pause.

Gong Wu hesitated for a moment and whispered, "How about we quietly call Palace Lord Hua and Master Yan and discuss it with them?"

If both elders do not accept her, there would be no need to think about the following matters.

"Ah, by the way, where are they?"

"They are…" Tu Xuixin tactfully adjusted his phrasing, "in negotiations."

You could also say they were haggling.

After the great battle, the fastest divisions of power did not focus on justice but on profit.

Loss is loss, victory is victory.

Jin Yan Tuo ranks as one of the six major sects and is also the leading sect in forming great formations.

At the same time, the flourishing trade involved the eighteen routes of formation materials and various precious formation books and treasures.

Initially, itinerant merchants traded back and forth, but later, their own disciples monopolized the production routes, forcing various sects to come regularly to procure the rare treasures and tools needed to establish spiritual formations.

After all, during festivals and rituals, the teachings passed down from master to disciple, and even dual cultivation sessions, all needed some rare items to construct formations.

Moonfire Valley sold herbs to treat many illnesses, yet maintained affordable prices, occasionally gifting villagers with reishi powder and ginseng roots.

Because of this, the valley’s annual income didn’t even match the small earnings Jin Yan Tuo made in a month.

He Zhao Li betrayed the sect, causing a commotion, imprisoned and killed disciples from Moonfire Valley, and was closely associated with the Eye Serpent Plague, revealing a hidden connection with the Demon Realm!

Taking advantage of the ongoing turmoil, the three palace lords of the Immortal Sect stepped in to suppress it, forcing Jin Yan Tuo’s temporary representatives unable to lift their heads.

First, they demanded the opening of surrounding mountains and rivers for any sect to mine rare stones and spiritual fish, prohibiting any more monopolization of formation tools.

Second, they insisted that Jin Yan Tuo compensate Moonfire Valley with hundreds of thousands of silvers to balance the costs of dealing with the plague, pacify Tianhua Palace’s people, and repair the damages caused by the invasion from the Demon Realm.

Third, they required Jin Yan Tuo to investigate the relationships of their disciples and pinpoint the source of the Eye Serpent Plague within a month, or rather, to find the mastermind behind He Zhao Li.

——If they are incapable, the other five great sects will convene and send a celestial master to take over until Jin Yan Tuo can cleanse its own house.

Yan Fangji endured the latter half of the meeting with these infuriating individuals. As the moon dipped low, his anger only intensified.

Most of the capable fighters in Jin Yan Tuo had perished, and the old sword cultivator temporarily in charge, usually arrogant and domineering, now dared not shoulder any responsibility, fearing he might become the eternal sinner of the sect.

Only after Master Yan and his team finalized the preliminary plan did the disciples dare to offer hot tea, mentioning that Master Tu had been waiting in the side room for quite some time.

Still seething with anger, Yan Fangji turned his head and demanded, "What is it now?"

The disciple whispered, "He wishes to invite you and Palace Lord Hua… to take another look at Gong Wu."

At the mention of that name, the agitation on Yan Fangji’s face vanished instantly.

He swiftly pushed aside the tables and chairs, not even pausing to drink the tea, and urged, "Take me there, quickly!"

He had never had a daughter, but if he had, she would likely be just like Gong Wu.

It was only after Gong Wu’s death that he realized the little girl had not rushed to him in folly but had dispersed the Paper Person that sought to attach itself to him.

—Several of his own disciples in the palace had noticed this, but either could not see it clearly or were too afraid to step forward and intervene.

But she dared.

She dared to use her hands to dispel the monster, to push away those who were far stronger than herself, willingly facing death.

As Yan Fangji recalled the events of the afternoon, a wave of sorrow washed over him.

Tu Xuixin led the way, and soon Hua Tingxiao followed, his expression faint with sorrow, his brow furrowed as if lost in thought.

Yan Fangji was consumed by immense guilt; seeing Tu and Hua not shed a single tear for Gong Wu filled him with irritation and anger, mostly directed at himself for his own inadequacy.

—Yet, it was Ji Yang who had slain He Zhao Li with a single strike.

He had been saved by a sixteen-year-old little girl, who had acted with more decisiveness than many twenty-year-olds.

This Palace Lord, if he continued like this, would become nothing but a joke!

The more he thought about it, the paler Yan Fangji’s face grew, and his steps became unsteady.

As he neared the place of rest, tears welled up within him.

I’m so sorry, truly sorry.

However, it was Hua Tingxiao who hurried his steps, and just before Tu Xuixin lifted the door curtain, he grasped his junior brother’s wrist.

"Tell me, is it the same as last time?"

Tu Xuixin glanced at Yan Fangji, who was lost in sorrow, and gave a slight nod.

"But," the young man said calmly, "if you intend to make things difficult for her, then you shouldn’t go in."

Hua Tingxiao sighed and shook his head.

"I’m not that kind of person."

As the curtain lifted, Gong Wu brushed the crumbs from her lap and quickly stood up.

"Good day, Master and Uncle."

Yan Fangji’s eyes turned red as he looked up and was momentarily stunned upon seeing her.

Alive.

Alive and kicking, able to eat and laugh as if she had never been struck by an arrow.

Hua Tingxiao’s expression was complex: "How was this achieved?"

Gong Wu and Ji Yang exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned their gaze to their master.

They both intended to inquire directly about what they had heard at the Rebirth Temple, and with other Uncles present, it felt safer.

Thus, while Yan Fangji stood there dumbfounded, Ji Yang succinctly narrated the entire sequence of events, having rehearsed it in his mind dozens of times.

From the two instances of rebirth at Wan Shi Pool to the chaotic answers from the Rebirth Temple, he even mentioned that the people behind the wall had instructed them to kill Tu Xuixin.

This was the most daring yet safest method.

If the secret remained confined within Tianhua Palace and their master truly harbored some anomaly, they would not withstand such a drastic change.

Master Yan, who appeared to be in his forties or fifties but had lived over three hundred years, listened to everything as if struck repeatedly by heavenly thunder, momentarily forgetting how to speak.

Hua Tingxiao was stunned for a while before suddenly bursting into laughter.

"I must say, those folks at the Rebirth Temple really despise you."

Tu Xuixin frowned and glanced at him, feeling sullen but remaining silent.

It seemed as though he had withered away, not even bothering to defend himself.

Gong Wu keenly observed, "So, Master really did visit the Rebirth Temple back then?"

"Yes, he dragged me along," Hua Tingxiao chuckled. "Before he found your senior sister, he was in the Jade Balance Realm, and he still is."

"He must have been so eager in his cultivation that he woke me up in the middle of the night, declaring he wanted to take on disciples."

"And he insisted on taking the most capable disciples in the world, even if he ended up spending his life in the Jade Balance Realm, at least he wanted to witness his disciples ascending to immortality."

Yan Fangji seemed to be struck by heavenly thunder once more; his entire face contorted as he exclaimed, "It’s been a hundred years! Every year I’ve wanted to ask you: what kind of mind do you have? Huh??"

Tu Xuixin turned his head aside and muttered, "I’m rather rebellious."

Seeing that Hua Tingxiao was still laughing, Ji Yang finally relaxed a little and looked at their master. "So you went to the Rebirth Temple in the middle of the night?"

"Yes," Hua Tingxiao recalled. "I accompanied him to sneak out of the valley at midnight, flying to Silu County to find the Rebirth Temple. We waited at the door for two hours until they finally opened."

Gong Wu remembered the strange exchange request from the people behind the wall and asked curiously, "So… what did they demand from Master?"

Hua Tingxiao shivered, as if he wanted to laugh but was holding it back, and turned to look at Tu Xuixin.

"Why don’t you tell them yourself?"

Tu Xuixin stood up and said, "I’m the bad guy; I admit it."

"Hey, hey, hey, don’t rush now!" Hua Tingxiao pressed down on his shoulders, squinting and smiling, "This is not suitable to discuss in front of your juniors; perhaps we should talk about it another day."

"Talk about it now!" Yan Fangji glared, furious. "You both are making trouble behind your master’s back—this is collusion! Collusion!"

"Master really didn’t know. Big brother, don’t tell him," Hua Tingxiao forcibly pushed Tu Xuixin back into his seat, lowering his voice. "We don’t need to explain the rules of the Rebirth Temple, do we?"

"The person behind the wall at that time said that if you could offer a few things from your body, they would tell him the whereabouts and birth times of a few disciples."

Yan Fangji suddenly stood up. "What kind of nonsense is this! Are you trying to force someone to cut off their flesh or fingers?"

"They also insisted," Hua Tingxiao spread his hands, "that it had to be from inside your body."

"If you just cut your hair or nails, that doesn’t count at all."

Gong Wu realized that her master often had unconventional thoughts, and a bad feeling washed over her.

"Could it be…?"

Ji Yang raised his hand to his forehead: "Most likely."

Hua Tingxiao nodded silently: "That’s right."

Yan Fangji, being straightforward, couldn’t keep up with their thoughts and was now anxious, grabbing Tu Xuixin while feeling both angry and concerned: "What did you promise those people?!"

"Are your organs still intact? Did you lose anything?"

"Did you really cut off your kidney just to take in a few disciples? Chao Sheng, have you gone mad?!"

Tu Xuixin was lifted by his burly senior brother by the collar, his face turning pale and finding it hard to breathe.

"That’s not… you’re overthinking it."

"Let him go, let him go," Hua Tingxiao waved his hand. "It’s just that I gave them a bottle, a bag, and a basin—three items, you understand?"

Yan Fangji was stunned: "What?"

Hua Tingxiao, annoyed by his brother’s confusion, finally managed to find a more refined way to explain: "Items related to the cycle of life! Bringing forth food and waste! Got it?!"

Tu Xuixin silently turned his head away.

The moon was quite round tonight.

Yan Fangji gazed intensely at the two of them for a long while and finally said, "If I were a maiden in the Rebirth Temple, I would tear down the wall just to kill you."

Gong Wu tried hard to smooth out her expression and quietly said to Ji Yang, "It’s better not to tell senior sister about this matter."

Ji Yang covered his forehead and remained silent for a long time.

He wished he hadn’t asked these questions.

Tu Xuixin initially didn’t want to discuss this, but after trying to leave several times, he ended up spilling everything due to Hua Tingxiao’s prodding.

He kept his head down, embarrassed to look up, and after a long time, he said, "The people from the Rebirth Temple were angry, but I did indeed give them what they asked for."

"They still provided three birthdates and confirmed your locations and when you were born."

"Your senior sister was born in Jiangnan; she was scooped up from a barrel in a pond."

"Little Wu was thrown to the foot of Night Poison Mountain. I didn’t dare go in alone, so while accompanying master to gather herbs, I quietly went to retrieve her."

"What about me?" Ji Yang asked.

Tu Xuixin stared at him for a long time, long enough to seem lost for words.

Then he gave a self-deprecating smile.

"When I went to find you, I lost track of time."

"I was supposed to retrieve you from the village, but I couldn’t get away at that time and was delayed for several months. By the time I went back, someone else had already taken you."

Ji Yang was momentarily stunned: "And then?"

Tu Xuixin shook his head with his eyes closed.

"Then you were in the bustling market, being held by a woman, begging for alms."

His voice was hoarse and quite strained.

“You see, some of the slightly older children next to you are mute, while others have lost arms or legs.”

Hua Tingxiao listened, feeling heartbroken, and said softly, “Taking lives and mutilating bodies… these are the works of beasts.”

Gong Wu stared blankly at her senior brother, and after a long while, she said, “Master, if you had been a few days later, would senior brother…?”

“Let’s not talk about that,” Yan Fangji interrupted, lowering his voice. “The matter of Little Wu not dying is indeed puzzling. Perhaps the related secret scrolls are in the Demon Realm; we cannot reach a conclusion for now.”

“But there is one thing I must do.”

Since Gong Wu had honestly opened up to him, Yan Fangji had been weighing this matter repeatedly.

With Tu Xuixin’s troublesome matters serving as a buffer, Yan Fangji had thought enough about this to reach a final conclusion.

The middle-aged man composed himself, stood up, and deeply bowed to her and Tu Xuixin.

Gong Wu felt uneasy being bowed to like this, fearing the other party might ask her to leave the valley.

“I owe you my life and have no way to repay you.”

“Yan wishes to recognize Miss Gong as a goddaughter.”

“From now on, my son Yan Zha will be your blood-related older brother. When you marry, the Yan family will also be your maternal family and will provide you with a generous dowry, always welcoming you back.”

Yan Fangji, a rough older man, spoke this with a nervous tremble in his voice, uncertain if the two in front of him would agree.

“Zha is now nineteen and has a gentle and calm nature.”

“If in the future Miss Gong likes him, that would be a double blessing,” Yan Fangji had even thought about what his grandchildren would be named decades later, and his old face struggled to hold back a smile. “In short, the Yan family of Nanyan and Liu Jia Palace will always be your support, and your achievements will surely be recorded in the family tree!”

Tu Xuixin momentarily stuttered.

“She, she saved you, and you want to become her father?”

Gong Wu felt awkward, unsure of what to say anymore.

Out of courtesy, she helped the still deeply bowing Yan Fangji back up.

“Master Yan, I risked my life to save you, not for this…”

And besides, I know I won’t die.

Yan Fangji shook his head heavily.

“Miss Gong, your suffering and saving my life are already great kindness.”

Even if she could be reborn, the intense pain experienced throughout that process was not something an ordinary person could endure.

He was not the kind of person who would downplay important matters to evade responsibility; this matter would not be overlooked lightly.

Ji Yang had remained silent until this moment when Gong Wu approached Yan Fangji, interrupting.

“Little Wu.”

“Don’t force yourself.”

Yan Fangji realized he might have been too enthusiastic and quickly clarified, “Of course, I have no intention of forcing you!”

“Even if Miss Gong is unwilling, the Yan family will deeply remember this kindness and will not be negligent in any way!”

Gong Wu had never encountered such an invitation before and looked to her master for help.

Tu Xuixin shrugged.

“After all, he is a godfather; I can just see how it goes first. If it doesn’t work out, then goodbye.”

“If you can have more reliable shoulders to lean on, that would be a good thing.”

Tu Xuixin had lived for over a hundred years, yet his appearance remained that of a man in his mid-twenties. He was still playful at heart and often took care of children in a rather careless manner.

He knew very well that in many ways, Yan Fangji was more reliable and steady. His demeanor was also fitting for being called ‘father,’ and he could provide the little girl with a sense of security and an additional layer of protection.

… Although the generational hierarchy was a bit tangled, it wasn’t a major issue.

Gong Wu hesitated for a long moment before tentatively calling out, “Godfather.”

Yan Fangji immediately burst into a joyful smile and responded warmly.

In the midst of the warm atmosphere, Hua Tingxiao raised his hand to interrupt.

“Wait a minute; it seems we’ve forgotten something important.”

“Little Wu—are you going to return tonight alive or dead?”