Volume 1 Chapter 14

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Volume 1 Chapter 14: Breakaway

After sect leader Zhang Hualing and the group of protectors left Changchun Residence, Xu Qingfan, along with his senior brother Yue Qingru and Nangong Qingshan, returned to the spirit hall. They quietly knelt in front of Master Lu Huayan’s spirit, remaining silent for a moment.

"Senior brother, you really don’t have to do this with me. It will delay your training since this is just my personal idea," Xu Qingfan suddenly broke the silence, apologizing to Yue Qingru.

"Junior brother, don’t say that. After Master took me as a student, he treated me like a father. So even if you hadn’t told the sect leader, I would still do this," Yue Qingru waved his hand at Xu Qingfan and said, "Besides, I know my own abilities. Reaching the late stage of the Inedia Stage is already my limit, so it doesn’t really matter whether it delays me or not. Training alone is fine too; at least I’ll feel more at ease."

Just as Xu Qingfan wanted to say something more, Nangong Qingshan, who had been kneeling beside them, suddenly stood up and walked towards the back hall without saying a word to his two senior brothers.

Seeing Nangong Qingshan leave, Yue Qingru let out a slight sigh.

"Junior Martial Brother Nangong may feel a bit ashamed because he is the only one among us who has chosen to follow another master. That might have made him uncomfortable with what we said." Looking at Nangong Qingshan’s departing figure, Xu Qingfan said to Yue Qingru.

Although Xu Qingfan was not very happy about Nangong Qingshan choosing another master, he did not feel any hatred. Everyone has their own goals, and having a master can make training much easier. Xu Qingfan also did not want his choice to ruin someone else’s future.

"Haha, I understand what you mean, Junior Martial Brother. I won’t be angry with Junior Martial Brother Nangong, as this is about his future. He is different from us; he has great talent. If he has a good master, his future will be very bright," Yue Qingru said with a forced smile.

Seeing that Yue Qingru looked a bit down, Xu Qingfan quickly asked a question that had been on his mind to shift Yue Qingru’s attention. "By the way, Senior Brother, why do I feel like Martial Uncle Xiao Huazhe has a lot of complaints about Sect Master?"

"I’m not really sure, but I heard that over three hundred years ago, Martial Uncle Xiao competed with Sect Master for the position of sect leader. In the end, the ancestral master chose Sect Master to lead Jiuhua Gate, which might have left Martial Uncle Xiao feeling unhappy," Yue Qingru said hesitantly. Talking behind someone’s back didn’t align with his principles.

"Really? I think Martial Uncle Xiao would be a better Sect Master. Zhang Hualing, as sect leader, lacks kindness," Xu Qingfan said angrily, recalling Zhang Hualing’s actions earlier.

"Well, many things become unavoidable after someone becomes sect leader. Junior Brother, don’t take it too much to heart," Yue Qingru comforted.

Just then, Nangong Qingshan suddenly walked out from the back hall, heading toward Changchun Residence without looking back. He was carrying a bundle that seemed to be his daily belongings.

"Junior Brother, where are you going?" Xu Qingfan called out to Nangong Qingshan and asked.

"Find my master." Nangong Qingshan glanced at Xu Qingfan and replied coldly.

"Your master? Are you talking about that Dharma Protector Xu?" Xu Qingfan frowned and asked.

"Yes, go see him early to make a good impression."

"Then aren’t you going to keep vigil for your master?" Xu Qingfan asked unhappily.

"Your master has not yet passed the seven days; you should stay here to keep vigil for him. It is a rule that juniors keep vigil for elders for seven days after death," Yue Qingru explained, stopping him.

"That’s right, even though you have a new master now, you should not disrespect your old master. Doing so could bring punishment," Xu Qingfan said coldly beside him, unhappy with Nangong Qingshan’s disrespectful behavior towards Lu Huayan, his words laced with sarcasm.

"Master? Are you referring to Lu Huayan? Does he deserve it?" To everyone’s surprise, Nangong Qingshan sneered in reply.

"What did you say?" Xu Qingfan and Yue Qingru’s faces changed at Nangong Qingshan’s words.

"Did I say something wrong? Do you think I don’t know why that old man took me as his student? It was for his own long life! That’s why he made me practice that dangerous cultivation method. Senior Brother Xu, you too! That old man took you as his student for the same reason, and yet you are so loyal to him. And you, Senior Brother Yue, he only took you as a student to use you as a servant! I think you two have been fooled by him, reading so much that you believe this nonsense and still protect him till the end," Nangong Qingshan said, pointing at Lu Huayan’s spirit tablet, his eyes filled with hatred. Clearly, he had been holding these feelings for a long time.

"Junior Martial Brother Nangong, how can you say that about Master? This is Master’s memorial hall!" Hearing Nangong Qingshan’s words, Yue Qingru said excitedly, his grey beard trembling slightly with anger.

"What’s wrong with his memorial hall? Can’t we talk about it?" Nangong Qingshan replied defiantly.

"Nangong Qingshan, although Master took you as his disciple for another reason, he should have explained why he chose you before accepting you, right?" Xu Qingfan stopped Yue Qingru from saying anything more and coldly asked Nangong Qingshan.

"He did say, and because of what he said, I realized he was using me," Nangong Qingshan replied bitterly.

"Did he force you to become his disciple? Master must have given you a choice, right? Choosing him as your master was surely your own decision!" Xu Qingfan suddenly shouted.

"But it’s true that his intentions in taking me as a disciple were not good!" After hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Nangong Qingshan paused for a moment and then replied firmly.

"Since you chose to be his disciple, you should treat him as your master and respect him! Even though Master didn’t genuinely want you as his disciple, he never forced you. Everything was your choice. Setting aside the well-known saying ‘Once a teacher, always a father’, has Master ever treated you unfairly since you became his disciple? Has he ever put you in danger while you were training? Has he ever failed to be devoted while teaching you?" The more Xu Qingfan spoke, the louder he became, and by the last few sentences, he was almost shouting, letting out all his sadness and anger from the day in his words.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Nangong Qingshan found himself speechless, stunned for a moment, but then he snorted coldly and looked up at the sky, acting as if he had no desire to reply.

"I will give you one last chance; now go to Master’s memorial and bow to apologize, then stay here respectfully for Master’s first seven days of mourning. Senior Brother Yue and I will act like today never happened. From now on, you can go your own way, and I will go mine, and we will not be involved with each other anymore." Looking at Nangong Qingshan’s disdainful expression, Xu Qingfan suddenly calmed down and said softly to Nangong Qingshan, his tone gentle but filled with barely contained anger.

"What if I don’t?" Nangong Qingshan retorted stubbornly.

"Then don’t blame me for being rude," Xu Qingfan said softly.

"Hmph…" Nangong Qingshan coldly snorted but ignored Xu Qingfan, turning to walk out the door. Used to Xu Qingfan’s politeness and kindness, he didn’t believe Xu Qingfan would actually do anything to him.

"Enough!" Seeing Nangong Qingshan’s unrepentant attitude, Xu Qingfan could no longer hold back his anger. He raised his right hand, and the Ruler of Wither and Flourish transformed into a brilliant blue light, swiftly striking towards Nangong Qingshan’s back!

Nangong Qingshan clearly did not expect Xu Qingfan to really take action, but he reacted very quickly. He performed a hand gesture, and a large, solid wooden shield formed in front of him from Wood-type Spirit Qi. It was indeed the low-level intermediate Taoist spell "Wood Spirit Shield"!

Being able to use a low-level intermediate Taoist spell so easily, it was clear that he had reached the late stage of the Qi Refining Stage. Achieving such a level at a young age showed that Nangong Qingshan’s talent was truly exceptional.

However, how could this late stage of the Qi Refining Stage Taoist spell block Xu Qingfan’s furious artifact attack from the Inedia Stage? The seemingly thick wooden shield was easily shattered the moment it came into contact with the Ruler of Wither and Flourish, which continued without pause, striking directly at Nangong Qingshan’s chest.

Hit by the Ruler of Wither and Flourish, Nangong Qingshan spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backwards over ten steps before crashing to the ground, his face pale and clearly injured.

This was still because Xu Qingfan had held back. The strength of the Qi Refining Stage and the Inedia Stage was a considerable and all-rounded gap.

After Nangong Qingshan was injured, his pale face showed a look of disbelief. He never expected that Xu Qingfan would defeat him so easily. This was something very unacceptable for someone as proud as he was.

"Very good, very good! I didn’t think that old man would show favoritism and even give you a magical tool. No wonder you protect him so much." Nangong Qingshan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said fiercely, "Just wait, one day you will regret what you did today!"

Saying this, Nangong Qingshan walked away, not looking back. Before he left, the look of hatred in his eyes made Xu Qingfan question whether it was a mistake to show mercy just now.

"Some people only remember the bad things others do to them, but never think about the good things. Nangong Qingshan is definitely one of those people," Xu Qingfan thought silently as he watched Nangong Qingshan leave.

With a sigh, Xu Qingfan turned around, only to find his senior brother Yue Qingru staring at Nangong Qingshan’s back with a complicated expression.

"Senior brother, please don’t…"

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to say something to comfort Yue Qingru, he saw Yue Qingru suddenly spit out a large mouthful of blood and then faint straight away.

Xu Qingfan was shocked by this scene and quickly helped Yue Qingru up. After Spirit Qi flowed into Yue Qingru’s body, he felt relieved, knowing that he was not seriously hurt. It was just that anger had affected him, and he would be fine after resting for a few days.

After settling his senior brother Yue Qingru, Xu Qingfan knelt down again in front of Lu Huayan’s spirit. The large spirit hall now had only Xu Qingfan alone to keep Lu Huayan company, ensuring he wouldn’t be too lonely on his journey.

"Master, did you see? This is your senior brothers and disciples! Wouldn’t your spirit in heaven feel very sad seeing this? Probably not, you always said you see through everything. Maybe you will just find it funny from up there?"

Xu Qingfan looked at Lu Huayan’s memorial tablet and silently thought.