Volume 4 Chapter 35

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Volume 4 Chapter 35: Letter

Upon hearing Zhao Yuming’s sudden words, Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback and couldn’t help but glance at the letter in Zhao Yuming’s hand. He saw the words "Junior Martial Brother Xu Qingfan Personal" written on it.

"Could it be from the descendant of an old acquaintance?"

Xu Qingfan thought to himself. He considered all his friends at Jiuhua but couldn’t think of anyone who had passed away and left descendants. Moreover, the handwriting on the letter was completely unfamiliar to him.

Yet, observing Zhao Yuming’s expression, it was clear that he spoke nothing but the truth, which only deepened Xu Qingfan’s confusion. For the moment, he set aside the issue of Deng Yuquan and Li Qinglan’s personal dispute and took the letter from Zhao Yuming, opening it to read carefully.

After a long while, a trace of remorse and sadness appeared on Xu Qingfan’s face. He then put away the letter and asked Zhao Yuming, "When did your father pass away?"

In a low voice, Zhao Yuming replied, "Twenty-five years ago."

"Then why are you only coming to find me now?" Xu Qingfan looked at Zhao Yuming’s timid demeanor, sighed slightly in his heart, and asked further.

"I had no idea where your abode was, Martial Uncle. Besides, whenever you appeared, it was only briefly before you’d vanish again," Zhao Yuming hurriedly explained, fearing that Xu Qingfan was blaming him.

Upon hearing Zhao Yuming’s explanation, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but smile wryly. Ever since he became an elder of Jiuhua, he had been in seclusion, especially in the last twenty years. He only occasionally emerged to handle matters on the mountain, and since his dwelling wasn’t arranged by the Jiuhua Mountain, to the ordinary disciples, Xu Qingfan was indeed a figure as elusive as a mythical dragon, seen once but never again.

After much consideration, Xu Qingfan nodded slightly and slowly said, "Your father has already informed me about your situation. Don’t worry, I’ll look after you from now on."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Zhao Yuming couldn’t help but show a trace of happiness on his face. Then, with a pleading look, he addressed Xu Qingfan timidly, "Martial Uncle Xu, my uncle and Senior Brother Deng…"

Xu Qingfan frowned slightly and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it."

It turns out that the timid Zhao Yuming standing before him was actually the son of Zhao Qingxuan, one of Xu Qingfan’s few friends at Jiuhua Mountain.

Because Zhao Qingxuan lacked talent, he had always been in charge of external procurements for Jiuhua Mountain. Even when Xu Qingfan was just an ordinary disciple at Jiuhua, Zhao Qingxuan often spoke to him about the outside world. Later, when Xu Qingfan returned to Jiuhua Mountain from the Southern Wasteland with Ting’er, he coincidentally met Zhao Qingxuan. Under Zhao Qingxuan’s guidance, Xu Qingfan discovered the cultivator market, where he acquired artifacts like the "Azure Scale Bracer" and the "Evil Exorcising Pearl."

Furthermore, when Xu Qingfan participated in the Newcomer Competition of the cultivation world, it was Zhao Qingxuan who took care of Ting’er and the round-bellied Little Green. Xu Qingfan owed him a favor. To the straightforward Zhao Qingxuan, Xu Qingfan sincerely regarded him as a friend, which is why he felt obligated to look after his descendants.

In reality, after receiving Zhao Qingxuan’s letter, Xu Qingfan felt more guilt than anything else. Zhao Qingxuan had helped Xu Qingfan wholeheartedly before, showing no sign of impatience, treating him as a friend. Yet, after the upheaval caused by Zhang Xusheng, Xu Qingfan never bothered to check on Zhao Qingxuan, forgetting to even inquire about his well-being. His heart was heavy with the feeling of having let Zhao Qingxuan down.

In his letter, Zhao Qingxuan expressed a desire for Xu Qingfan to take Zhao Yuming as a disciple. Given Xu Qingfan’s current mastery, he indeed qualified to take on disciples. Xu Qingfan himself had also considered taking a disciple to handle secular affairs for Jiuhua, particularly while he was in seclusion. This seemed better than always troubling Li Yuhan. However, Xu Qingfan didn’t intend to follow Zhao Qingxuan’s suggestion. While Zhao Yuming’s lack of talent could be overcome by accepting him as a nominal disciple, Xu Qingfan observed that Zhao Yuming’s timid nature was concerning, as he dared not even look up when speaking to Xu Qingfan. Making him a disciple might only reinforce his dependency and timidity. Therefore, Xu Qingfan planned to first place Zhao Yuming in one of the three academies to learn, hoping that interacting with more people would change his timid nature. As for whether or not to formally accept him as a disciple, that would be decided later.

In this letter, it also explained some things about Li Qinglan and Zhao Yuming. When the disaster in Jiuhua happened, Zhao Qingxuan was seriously injured and was taken care of by a female disciple from Jiuhua. As they spent time together, Zhao Qingxuan and this female disciple developed feelings for each other and eventually decided to become cultivation partners.

However, the female disciple’s brother, Li Qinglan, was against this relationship because Zhao Qingxuan, being only a procurement disciple with low skills and prospects, was not considered a good match. In the end, he couldn’t stop his sister’s decision.

Unfortunately, for cultivators, such relationships can hardly last long. Zhao Qingxuan, lacking talent and power, suffered grave injuries during an attack by Zhang Xusheng, and the couple soon passed away after becoming cultivation partners due to their short lifespans. The female disciple also became despondent over Zhao Qingxuan’s death and eventually died as well.

At that time, Zhao Yuming, who was only ten years old, came under the care of his uncle Li Qinglan.

From this letter, Xu Qingfan could infer the situation somewhat. It seemed Li Qinglan harbored resentment against Zhao Qingxuan for hindering his sister, which extended to Zhao Yuming. Additionally, Zhao Yuming’s timid personality and lack of talent probably resulted in much scolding and beating. For some unknown reason, Deng Yuquan became Zhao Yuming’s friend, which likely led to the conflict between Deng Yuquan and Li Qinglan.

Considering this, Xu Qingfan frowned at the sight of Li Qinglan and Deng Yuquan lying dispirited on the ground. For Xu Qingfan, taking care of Zhao Yuming was straightforward; he could simply make arrangements with the Missionary Elders in charge and provide Zhao Yuming with some spirit stones occasionally. However, handling the private conflict between Li Qinglan and Deng Yuquan was tricky.

Li Qinglan had attempted to kill in the duel, and Deng Yuquan’s challenge was a breach of hierarchy. The situation could be seen as severe or trivial, but if Xu Qingfan dealt with it harshly, both men’s futures at Jiuhua Mountain would be bleak.

In the end, Xu Qingfan sighed softly and said, "After returning, you two will reflect on your actions in isolation for a year and decide whether what you did was right. Once you’ve sorted it out, come to me and explain. Until then, I will let this matter rest temporarily."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, both Deng Yuquan and Li Qinglan looked relieved. Even the stubborn Deng Yuquan felt it was going to be bad for them, but Xu Qingfan’s leniency made them both pleased.

At this moment, both of them were significantly injured by the sonic attack of the "Five Spirit Bell". Although they wanted to thank Xu Qingfan, they were too severely wounded to even stand up.

Seeing them like this, Xu Qingfan took out two healing pills for internal injuries and gave them to the two. After noticing that their complexion improved a bit, he turned to Deng Yuquan and said, "It’s good to be persistent, but you mustn’t be stubborn. The saying ‘don’t stop until you hit the wall’ is not meant as praise. From what I saw earlier, you act and fight recklessly. You must understand that the most direct way is not always the best way."

After speaking, Xu Qingfan paused for a moment, his tone suddenly becoming stern, as he said, "Furthermore, at Jiuhua Mountain, we emphasize respecting our teachers. Even if Li Qinglan was wrong, you could have persuaded or even stopped him, but how dare you attack him? You looked so aggressive just now, were you going to kill your Martial Uncle? If your juniors treated you like this in the future, how would you feel? If everyone in Jiuhua Mountain behaved like you, who would dare to take disciples?"

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan’s previously restrained aura erupted suddenly, oppressing the other three people present to the point that they could hardly breathe. Even Deng Yuquan, who was usually stubborn, showed fear in his eyes and didn’t dare to talk back.

Xu Qingfan stopped paying attention to Deng Yuquan and turned to Li Qinglan, speaking evenly, "Brother Li, technically you joined Jiuhua before I did, and I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but your recent behavior didn’t show the demeanor of a mentor. Instead of reasoning with a junior, you used power to threaten? And then resorted to heavy-handed tactics? If I hadn’t intervened just now, Deng Yuquan might not have survived."

With a gentler tone, Xu Qingfan continued, "Brother Li, cultivating immortality is also about cultivating the heart. Only a peaceful mind can sensitively perceive the Heavenly Way. Having learned about your grievances with Zhao Yuming, and from what I just observed, I must say; your mind is too narrow and easily angered. This will greatly hinder your future cultivation. I hope you might learn from these few words."

Li Qinglan, whose strength was much higher than Deng Yuquan’s, was now able to speak with the help of Xu Qingfan’s healing pill. He trembled upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s advice and then lowered his head and said softly, "Thank you, Deacon Xu, for your guidance. My mentality has become imbalanced. My cultivation hasn’t progressed for years, probably due to this reason. Once I return, I’ll enter seclusion to reflect and will not come out until my mind is at peace."

Xu Qingfan nodded in satisfaction and then said, "It’s good that you understand. During your seclusion, I will arrange for Zhao Yuming to train in the Three Halls."

Seeing no objections from the three, Xu Qingfan nodded, said they should take care of themselves, then transformed into a gust of wind and disappeared instantly.

…

Since that day, Xu Qingfan found the Missionary Elder in charge of managing the third house and arranged for Zhao Yuming to study there, often checking on Zhao Yuming’s situation.

It turned out that Xu Qingfan’s decision was right. Once Zhao Yuming entered the third house, his personality gradually brightened just as Xu Qingfan expected. Although he was still occasionally weak, he was much better than when Xu Qingfan had last seen him.

Besides this, Xu Qingfan spent his days meditating in silence, diligently practicing "Flourish Qi," hoping that one day the mutated two qi of Wither and Flourish would reach a new balance.

As Xu Qingfan continued this daily routine of meditation, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, eight years had passed.

On this day, Xu Qingfan was meditating in his cave just like any other day when he suddenly sensed someone outside. Judging by the Spirit Qi fluctuations, it was none other than Gongsun Huasa. His heart trembled slightly, then he ended his meditation and got up to walk outside the cave.