Volume 1 Chapter 16

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Recruitment of Editors: https://gravitytales.com/recruitment-of-editors/

Volume 1 Chapter 16: Consideration

The place where Xu Qingfan often met Jin Qinghan was not far from his new home. Xu Qingfan walked for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea and was almost there. From a distance, he saw a golden light shining there, and a knowing smile crossed Xu Qingfan’s face because he knew it was the glow from Jin Qinghan practicing his spell.

"Next time! Next time I will definitely not lose to him again." Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but remember Jin Qinghan’s frustrated expression and determined words after losing to Feng Qingtian last time.

Thinking of this, the smile at the corners of Xu Qingfan’s mouth grew even stronger.

He believed that if Jin Qinghan kept working this hard, there would be no one he couldn’t defeat.

Gently walking not far from Jin Qinghan, Xu Qingfan saw him focused on practicing his magical skills, just like usual.

But today, Jin Qinghan’s way of practicing was very unique; he was trying to gather all his Spirit Qi at the tip of his fingers. It is known that gathering all one’s Spirit Qi in one spot is quite difficult, and if the Spirit Qi becomes too concentrated, it could easily cause his fingers to explode if not controlled well. Yet Jin Qinghan not only succeeded, but the Gold-type Spirit Qi he gathered even began to transform into the shape of a sparkling gold nail.

Golden Nail Spell! It was actually the mid-level advanced spell, Golden Nail Spell! Although Xu Qingfan knew that Jin Qinghan was a rare genius, he never expected that Jin Qinghan could already start practicing advanced spells on his own!

After noticing Xu Qingfan’s arrival, Jin Qinghan slowly dispersed the Spirit Qi he had gathered, then nodded to Xu Qingfan with an expression that remained cold and calm. Only a brief spark in his eyes revealed that his heart might not be as peaceful as it seemed, and he softly said, "You are here."

Xu Qingfan smiled at Jin Qinghan and replied, "Long time no see."

Jin Qinghan did not ask Xu Qingfan why he hadn’t appeared for four months without even a greeting because he understood that Xu Qingfan must have his own reasons and believed that Xu Qingfan would give him a clear explanation. And Xu Qingfan did not rush to explain why he had been away because he knew Jin Qinghan’s personality would not lead him to blame him for this.

This is what friends are. Maybe they have different hobbies, different personalities, and different experiences, but they all share one thing in common: trust in each other as friends.

True friends don’t need to face difficulties together, nor do they need to spend a long time together. True friends are simply those two people who understand each other and are honest with one another, and who can rely on each other in the most dangerous times.

Without a doubt, even though Jin Qinghan is proud and Xu Qingfan is graceful, these two are true friends.

Some people may know each other for a long time and still remain mere acquaintances, while others may become friends after just a few words. Jin Qinghan and Xu Qingfan are like that; a simple "I’m here" can mean everything.

Then, the two of them went back to their own activities as if nothing had happened. Xu Qingfan continued to meditate, and Jin Qinghan kept practicing his skills beside him, just like the last four months, as if there had never been a pause.

Time passed quickly during meditation, and after a while, with the moon hanging low in the east, Xu Qingfan finally woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that Jin Qinghan had also finished his practice and was quietly standing by, waiting for him. It seemed he knew Xu Qingfan had something to say.

Seeing Jin Qinghan like this made Xu Qingfan feel an even stronger desire to share his feelings. He had kept so many emotions bottled up inside for too long.

Isn’t this the perfect time to need a friend?

Right now, Xu Qingfan only knows Jin Qinghan and Yue Qingru on Jiuhua Mountain. But unlike Jin Qinghan, Yue Qingru feels more like a wise elder to Xu Qingfan—kind and chatty, but not the right person to confide in.

"How have you been lately?" Xu Qingfan stood up, brushed off the dust from his clothes, and looked up to ask.

"Not much, my training progress is slow," Jin Qinghan replied calmly.

Hearing Jin Qinghan’s words, Xu Qingfan felt speechless for a moment. The "Golden Nail Spell" that Jin Qinghan had just practiced was a high-level spell, which could only be properly performed at the late stage of the Inedia Stage. Although it looked difficult for him to cast, Jin Qinghan undoubtedly had at least reached the middle stage of the Inedia Stage. Considering that six months ago Jin Qinghan was only at the early stage of fasting, it was easy to understand how speechless Xu Qingfan felt about Jin Qinghan’s claim of "slow training progress." He could only think that the standards for geniuses are different from those of ordinary people.

"How about you?" Jin Qinghan asked in return.

After hearing Jin Qinghan’s question, Xu Qingfan, although full of things he wanted to express, didn’t know where to start. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled and said to Jin Qinghan, "My new house is not far away, and I have two jars of fine wine. How about we drink and chat?"

Xu Qingfan suddenly realized that the atmosphere while drinking helped him tell his story.

"New house? Alright," Jin Qinghan nodded.

When Jin Qinghan saw Xu Qingfan’s new house, he showed a surprised expression, not only because of its simplicity but also because Xu Qingfan had managed to create a cave for himself. But he didn’t ask anything, knowing that Xu Qingfan would give him answers soon.

After Xu Qingfan introduced Jin Qinghan to his senior brother Yue Qingru, Yue Qingru was very pleased that his junior had made a good friend and warmly welcomed Jin Qinghan. Jin Qinghan also politely greeted Yue Qingru, and it was difficult for anyone to dislike Yue Qingru, who had the demeanor of a wise teacher, even someone as proud as Jin Qinghan.

Under the bright and clear starry sky, the surrounding greens formed a sea. Two jars of wine, three cups, and an old moon served as companions for the three friends at this gathering. The wine was what remained after honoring Lu Huayan, and the cups were Yue Qingru’s collection.

Silently toasting with Jin Qinghan, Xu Qingfan finally organized his thoughts and slowly began to share his experiences from these days. He spoke as he drank, one sentence followed by one cup of wine, as if he wanted to pour out all the suppressed emotions he had felt during this time into the drink.

When talking about the magic tools Lu Huayan had given him, Xu Qingfan drank wine, laughed, and cried. Yue Qingru sighed beside him. When mentioning Lu Huayan’s passing, Xu Qingfan drank and sobbed, while Yue Qingru’s expression turned sorrowful. When discussing the actions of sect leader Zhang Hualing, Xu Qingfan drank, laughed, and cried, as Yue Qingru offered comfort but soon fell silent.

The emotions that Xu Qingfan had kept inside for many days—joy, sadness, anger—were finally fully released in this drinking session.

Throughout it all, Jin Qinghan quietly listened to Xu Qingfan’s story. At the end, he gave Xu Qingfan’s shoulder a comforting pat but said nothing more, knowing that his role was to listen quietly, as he realized he couldn’t help Xu Qingfan at that moment.

As for Yue Qingru, hearing Xu Qingfan recount his experiences over the past few days only filled him with more sadness, and he couldn’t help but shed tears unexpectedly.

"Am I useless? I watched them take away Master’s belongings, his old home, and even the disciples. Yet, I couldn’t do anything," Xu Qingfan exclaimed after finishing his story, downing a cup of wine. It was unclear whether he was asking Yue Qingru, Jin Qinghan, himself, or the thing called "Heaven."

"Junior brother, this is not your fault," Yue Qingru sighed with a look of deep sorrow.

"You have done your best," Jin Qinghan said after raising a cup with Xu Qingfan.

"The Immortal Realm is really different from what I imagined. When I still called cultivators ‘immortals,’ I only knew from bits and pieces in books that there were cultivators in the world. At that time, I imagined that cultivators should be carefree and have no desires. But when I actually entered the Immortal Realm, I realized my previous thoughts were wrong-wrong and very wrong." After drinking another cup of wine, Xu Qingfan continued, "It turns out that cultivators are not carefree; they work hard every day for longevity. Cultivators also have desires, even stronger than ordinary people, and cultivators can be materialistic, with actions that can be even more extreme than those of ordinary people."

His voice was low and hoarse; it was unclear if it was because he had too much to drink or from his excitement.

Yue Qingru, hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, sighed but did not know what to say.

"Cultivators are also human; if you are human, you will have desires. If you cannot change, you can only adapt," Jin Qinghan said.

…

So, the three of them chatted and drank, and without realizing it, the sky had turned bright. Through this sharing, the emotions that Xu Qingfan had kept bottled up for so long finally melted away silently into the clear wine in his cup.

As the sunlight quietly spilled over the horizon, a new day was finally about to begin.