You Didn't Turn Out Well

As the immortal light descended toward his crown, Wei Yuan stood smiling, neither dodging nor evading. An immortal's strikes were swift as lightning, yet the speed of divine thought surpassed even immortal arts. In a fleeting instant, countless thoughts flashed through Xu Youyi's mind. Ultimately, just as the immortal light was about to strike, it suddenly dissipated on its own. Initially, Xu Youyi had struck in anger, yet her force was measured with great care. As long as Wei Yuan blocked or dodged, it would merely wound him without being fatal. That would uphold her dignity as an immortal without forging an irreconcilable feud. Yet Wei Yuan had not dodged in the slightest, nor had he bothered to mount any defense! Xu Youyi judged that this blow would have battered him into severe injury on the spot, and at that point, it would no longer be a mere matter of saving face. Beyond that, despite scolding Xu Henshui earlier, she knew better than anyone that he had practically secured the position of master of the Monastery of Creation and held control over Qingming's pill industry. None among the Xu family's younger generation could hold a candle to him. In terms of achievements, pooling together all the descendants from a century before and after could not match a single Xu Henshui. Thus, no matter how volatile Xu Youyi's temper was, she truly did not wish to ruin the future of her family's most outstanding descendant. Therefore, she extinguished the immortal light at the very last moment, even though doing so was no different from slapping herself across the face. Wei Yuan was somewhat surprised as well. Glancing at Xu Henshui, he bowed to Xu Youyi and said, "Many thanks for showing mercy, Senior." Xu Youyi merely let out a cold snort and said nothing. Wei Yuan continued, "Lu Changhe is insidious, deceitful, and utterly shameless. He and I harbor a mortal vendetta, yet he expects me to let him off with so paltry an offering? He clearly wants to exploit Senior's face for free while refusing to part with a single hair himself." Xu Youyi's expression shifted unpredictably, evidently wavering. Finally, Wei Yuan said, "If Lu Changhe truly desires reconciliation, this measure of sincerity falls far short. First, two more immortals must come forward to mediate on his behalf before this can proceed. It is not that I deem Senior's standing insufficient, but rather that a deterrent must be placed upon Lu Changhe. With three True Immortals staking their reputations as guarantors, I presume he would not dare breach the agreement. But with only Senior alone, I fear..." Wei Yuan did not need to state the rest plainly; Xu Youyi naturally grasped his meaning. Her face turned dark as still water. "I owed Lu Changhe a favor previously, which was why I agreed to help. What other demands do you have?" Wei Yuan replied, "I want the nine commanderies of Ganzhou, excluding the Lu clan's ancestral land." Xu Youyi frowned. "Then how is the Lu clan supposed to survive? Lu Changhe will never agree to such terms." Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "If he shows sufficient sincerity in other regards, I can settle for merely the six commanderies currently in my hands, leaving him three more. That is my bottom line. However, should he wish to carve out territory from the Liao, I can release all the captured dharma idol and Dao Foundation cultivators, and even supply military provisions and equipment." Xu Youyi finally nodded. "I will convey your words." With that, she turned and stepped into the void, vanishing without a trace. Wei Yuan stood waiting a moment longer before speaking: "She should be gone now. Brother Xu, do you regret it?" Xu Henshui offered a wry smile. "The Immortal Ancestor simply has that kind of temperament, but she harbors no malice. Back then, her cultivation journey was smooth sailing all the way; she achieved immortality without so much as scraping her skin. Moreover, only she can refine the Evergreen Longevity Pill that extends life by three hundred years, so she has never had to swallow an insult in her life. Lu Changhe must have played the victim to win her sympathy, then backed her into a corner using old favors so she had no choice but to help. "As for the Xu family... as long as I remain in Qingming, you will always give me a bit of face and not go too far. Still, next time you see the Immortal Ancestor, it is best to be more respectful. She simply insists on having the final say. She probably only came to pass along a message this time; had you been slightly more polite, things would not have come to this." Wei Yuan readily accepted the advice. "Next time, I will certainly show proper respect. However, Brother Xu, there is something I don't know whether I should say..." Unnerved by Wei Yuan's gaze, Xu Henshui instinctively took half a step back. "Whatever you want to say, just say it!" Wei Yuan's face began to gleam with sincere radiance. "Brother Xu, you inherited at most sixty percent of the Immortal Ancestor's beauty. So what I wanted to say is... you really didn't turn out well." Xu Henshui was infuriated. Just as he was about to lash out, Xu Youyi's voice echoed through the air: "At least you have some filial piety! Report for punishment yourself when you return home!" Xu Henshui froze, realizing that Xu Youyi had not gone far at all and had been hiding in the void, eavesdropping. Another realization struck him: so that was why Wei Yuan had suddenly launched into flattering her from afar, and in such a sickeningly sycophantic way at that. Then Xu Henshui thought a layer deeper. If Wei Yuan had fawned over her so nauseatingly to her face, Xu Youyi would most likely have slapped him across the cheek. But flattery behind her back would lead the Immortal Ancestor to believe it was spoken from the bottom of his heart, allowing her to accept it with great satisfaction. Having thought through all of this, Xu Henshui was thoroughly incensed. If he failed to realize by now that Wei Yuan had known all along she hadn't left, he would hardly be worthy of being one of the twelve immortal manifestations. Yet before Xu Henshui could vent his anger, a chill ran down his spine. He saw that Zhang Sheng had materialized behind him at some point, murmuring faintly, "She cannot endure a grievance, so we must swallow ours?" Xu Henshui instinctively sensed danger. Whirling around, he indeed saw Ji Liuli blocking his retreat! With these two terrors gathered together, he was in grave trouble! Wei Yuan hurriedly smoothed things over: "Brother Xu isn't to blame for this. A senior is a senior, after all, and due respect must be given. I deliberately provoked her earlier only to see if Lu Changhe had any hidden cards left." Zhang Sheng neither agreed nor disagreed. Ji Liuli said, "The opportunities for breakthrough are arriving one after another, and we will soon enter Scenery Command. Before advancing, I think it is necessary to reestablish the ground rules. The usual rules—sparring!" Xu Henshui wanted to object, but Ji Liuli had already seized him, hauling him away like a chick. Zhang Sheng vanished right behind them. Wei Yuan initially smiled, but as he gazed at Ji Liuli's receding silhouette, it somehow overlapped with the unyielding young girl from the world beyond the heavens. His smile instantly froze. Ji Liuli had vanished in the blink of an eye, yet it took a moment for Wei Yuan to collect his thoughts, wondering what connection that realm truly had with this world. He stood quietly contemplating in midair. Unbeknownst to him, more than ten days slipped by. Wei Yuan abruptly awoke from his contemplation to find two figures standing before him. One had refined features and commanded respect without displaying anger; it was the Immortal Ancestor of the Qinghe Song Cui, Cui Zhengxing. Wei Yuan bowed to Cui Zhengxing and said, "Greetings, Senior. Have you also come on behalf of Lu Changhe?" Cui Zhengxing said, "Though the two of us were entrusted by someone, it is not merely a matter of doing a favor. In truth, this matter concerns the Immortal Heaven above, which is why we had no choice but to come." Cui Zhengxing was one thing; Wei Yuan had learned after the fact that he was one of the three immortals who had cornered Yanshi back then. But the man beside him, who looked like a wealthy patriarch, was truly unexpected. Wei Yuan bowed to him as well, saying, "Greetings, Palace Master Bai." This immortal who resembled a wealthy patriarch was none other than the master of the Sword Palace, Bai Kaishui. Who would have thought he too would come on Lu Changhe's account? Wei Yuan's expression shifted only slightly before returning to normal. He said, "With both seniors arriving, I understand the gravity of this matter. But as crucial as the bigger picture may be, Lu Changhe's sincerity cannot be lacking by half a fraction. Otherwise, do not blame this junior for failing to know his place and disregarding this so-called bigger picture." Bai Kaishui wore an inscrutable expression, saying nothing. Cui Zhengxing, however, said, "Brother Lu has shown ample sincerity. As for this sincerity, take a look for yourself first." With a wave of Cui Zhengxing's hand, a gift registry flew toward Wei Yuan. Catching it, Wei Yuan did not open it, but said, "Back then, Lu Changhe disrupted my heavenly tribulation, intending to send me to my death! This feud is too profound to be settled so lightly. Therefore, this junior has one request." Cui Zhengxing replied, "Speak freely." "Since both seniors are willing to act as guarantors for Lu Changhe, I am not an inflexible man," Wei Yuan said. "However, I truly cannot trust Lu Changhe. I require him to meet me face-to-face and personally promise that nothing of the sort will ever happen again. Only then will I accept this gift registry." Hearing this, Cui Zhengxing knew that the so-called personal promise was only a small part of it. Most of it was the resentment burning in Wei Yuan's heart; he wanted to force Lu Changhe to bow his head in person to vent his grudge. Right away, Cui Zhengxing said, "That will not be difficult."