Qin Sang stepped through the mountain gate.
Notified of his arrival, Tan Yi'en hurried out of the main hall and bowed in greeting. Following behind him was a burly, composed-looking man—none other than Mu Yifeng.
Mu Yifeng had once been easygoing and unkempt, sporting scruffy stubble and paying little heed to his appearance. Now, however, he carried himself with an imposing air far beyond his past self, befitting the stature of a sect master.
Old friends reunited.
Two hundred years had passed since they last parted.
Both Qin Sang and Mu Yifeng's eyes lit up.
Joy filled Mu Yifeng's face, yet a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. He parted his lips, faltering, unsure of how to address Qin Sang.
"Senior Brother Mu!"
Qin Sang flashed forward to land before them, using his old address from their days at Shaohua Mountain, and chided, "When did you turn into such an ascetic? You certainly made me wait long enough!"
Mu Yifeng's expression relaxed, the hesitation in his eyes vanishing entirely. He broke into a hearty grin, laughing with genuine delight as he nodded heavily. "Junior Brother Qin! It's been far too long!"
Tan Yi'en greeted his martial uncle and tactfully took his leave.
Jingyu and the white cat had both gone elsewhere to rest, leaving the two undisturbed.
Qin Sang and Mu Yifeng linked arms and strode into the main hall.
After reminiscing for a while, the lingering unfamiliarity between them quickly melted away. Looking back on everything that had happened in the past, they could not help sighing with emotion.
"I never imagined that since we parted all those years ago, you would soar so high, Junior Brother Qin, achieving such extraordinary heights! I was feeling anxious earlier, wondering whether you would still acknowledge me as your senior brother when we met."
Mu Yifeng sighed with deep emotion.
These words came straight from the heart.
The majesty of a Nascent Soul cultivator was not to be trifled with.
What was more, Qin Sang's strength placed him among the very pinnacle of the Beichen Realm's Nascent Soul cultivators.
An insurmountable chasm now lay between the martial brothers of yesteryear.
"Without you, Senior Brother Mu, there would be no Qin Sang today," Qin Sang said solemnly, his tone earnest. "No matter what kind of person I become in the end, I will never forget the kindness you showed me before the bronze hall."
Mu Yifeng waved his hands repeatedly, claiming no credit. "Have you forgotten, Junior Brother Qin? You saved my life back in the Yuncang Great Marsh first. If I had turned on my benefactor, how could I have had the face to go on living in this world?"
Qin Sang shook his head, his gratitude toward Mu Yifeng not diminishing in the slightest.
Had it been anyone else, even when facing a benefactor, they would not have dared to defy a Nascent Soul Patriarch. Mu Yifeng had not only shattered his crucial Nine Fire Divine Blade, but had staked his very life on the gamble.
"After returning, I wanted to meet with you, but you had drastically changed your ways, secluding yourself on Jingyue Peak and never showing your face. No one dared intrude upon Jingyue Peak either... What happened after I fled back then?"
Qin Sang inquired about Mu Yifeng's experiences.
Mu Yifeng hid nothing from Qin Sang, replying with a wry smile, "Back then, I thought I had executed everything flawlessly, but looking back, I was too naive. How could such a petty trick escape the Patriarch's discerning eye? Fortunately, Fairy Chenyan pleaded with the Patriarch on my behalf, gave me healing elixirs, and brought me out of Ziwei Palace. Later, she even permitted me to open a cave dwelling at the foot of Jingyue Peak. Only because of that did the Patriarch refrain from cleaning house and striking down an unfilial disciple like me..."
As he spoke, Mu Yifeng cast an ambiguous glance at Qin Sang. "After leaving Ziwei Palace, Fairy Chenyan searched everywhere for you. When she couldn't find you after so long, everyone assumed you had fallen. Who could have thought you had hidden yourself so well?"
Mu Yifeng did not know the true nature of Qin Sang and Chenyan's relationship.
All signs indicated that there was definitely more between the two than met the eye.
Mu Yifeng had heard rumors about Qin Sang serving as a human cauldron in order to achieve Foundation Establishment, but the clear party in those rumors had been Master Mawu, who died on the battlefield not long after the three domains went to war.
Mu Yifeng would never dare associate such a sordid matter with the peerless, ethereal Fairy Chenyan.
Hearing this, Qin Sang frowned slightly.
Could Chenyan have truly been swayed by Dongyang Bo into cultivating that damned Stone Bridge Zen?
"Did she ever mention why she was looking for me?" Qin Sang asked.
Times had changed.
Even if Chenyan truly harbored some intentions, he had nothing to fear.
It had barely been two hundred years since Chenyan broke through to the Nascent Soul stage. Even as a heaven-blessed darling endowed with a heavenly spiritual root, there was no way she could have advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage in such a short span.
Senior Sister Qingjun was a freak of nature—a genius among geniuses.
Mu Yifeng chuckled. "What standing did I have back then? How would I dare aim above my station! Still, I suppose it was a blessing in disguise. Not long after returning from Ziwei Palace, while healing my injuries, an epiphany came to me. To my surprise, I naturally formed my core and was granted an audience with Fairy Chenyan. She first inquired about your situation, Junior Brother, then bestowed upon me a magic treasure similar to the Nine Fire Divine Blade and offered guidance for my subsequent cultivation. Fairy Chenyan was aloof and out of reach; from the time I entered Jingyue Peak for secluded cultivation until the day she left, I only ever saw her that once."
As he spoke, Mu Yifeng eyed Qin Sang sideways.
His gaze seemed to say: *And you still claim there's nothing between you two? She even helped repay the debts of gratitude you owed.*
Qin Sang was also somewhat baffled, unable to grasp Chenyan's attitude.
Of course, he would not naively believe that Chenyan harbored romantic feelings toward him.
Could it be guilt over implicating an innocent bystander?
"I remember back during your Foundation Establishment stage, every time you broke through a bottleneck, it was when you were severely wounded. To think Core Formation was no exception. Out of all the cultivators I've met, you're truly one of a kind, Senior Brother Mu. No wonder you've attained the late Core Formation stage."
Recalling how grueling his own journey to Core Formation had been, Qin Sang felt that comparisons were truly exasperating.
Mu Yifeng wiped away his teasing expression and said in a grave voice, "I only broke through to late Core Formation a few days ago. Given my aptitude, without some fortuitous opportunity, I would likely have needed another few decades of quiet cultivation to stand a chance. This breakthrough was all thanks to the spirit pills bestowed by the Patriarch."
"Dongyang Bo?"
Qin Sang nodded slightly, unsurprised.
As the sect master of Shaohua Mountain, one needed at least the late Core Formation stage to hold down the fort.
Although spirit pills that assisted Core Formation cultivators in breaking through minor stages were precious, they were far easier to obtain than pills for breaking through to Nascent Soul; Shaohua Mountain certainly did not lack them.
Mu Yifeng hesitated for a moment. "After Fairy Chenyan left, knowing that I was unwelcome in the Patriarch's eyes, I holed up on Jingyue Peak for years without stepping out. Half a year ago, Che Yutao failed to form his Nascent Soul and perished. The Patriarch came looking for me and laid out the pros and cons. After careful deliberation, I agreed."
Pausing, Mu Yifeng looked straight into Qin Sang's eyes. "Whatever happens, everything I, Mu Yifeng, have today came from Shaohua Mountain. Even after that incident, the sect never cut off my cultivation resources. The sect's grace cannot be forgotten, and I cannot stand by and watch Shaohua Mountain decline!"
"Rest assured, Senior Brother Mu. The grudge is strictly between me and Dongyang Bo," Qin Sang consoled him, knowing what Mu Yifeng was worried about.
"I truly didn't misjudge you, Junior Brother!"
Mu Yifeng's tension eased, his face brimming with relief. "The Patriarch left behind a few words that were likely meant for you, Junior Brother Qin. From this day forth, he will not set foot on Shaohua Mountain, and every single affair of Shaohua Mountain will be decided by my word alone!"
Qin Sang narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had not expected Dongyang Bo to possess such decisiveness, letting go of the sect into which he had poured a lifetime of effort without a second thought.
Yet one had to admit that this was a brilliant decision—and the one most beneficial to Shaohua Mountain.
Qin Sang could not ask Mu Yifeng to refuse.
"If Dongyang Bo is a man of his word and doesn't come looking for trouble with me, I can't be bothered to care about him either!"
Chapter 1356