Chapter 348
In the water tank, there was indeed a shallow layer of water—not much, probably too little for the old woman to lift.
Old Han spoke up, “What about the people in the village?”
“People? They’ve left... Nowadays, it’s all about which sect comes today and which holy order comes tomorrow…”
“They all want something, they all want to take…”
Old Han nodded gently; the old woman’s words rang true. The Da Zizai Demon Sect was raiding everywhere, and the Bai Xian Alliance was also short on supplies.
He had heard that the spiritual fields of the Bai Xian Alliance had been invaded by the Da Zizai Demon Sect, leaving the sect’s resources stretched thin.
With fewer resources, yet the number of people the Bai Xian Alliance supported hadn’t decreased at all. The Tongming Master had gathered several major sects, along with many smaller ones that relied on them. These cultivators had families and relatives, and those families needed to eat.
If they couldn’t get spiritual grains, ordinary food would do to fill their bellies.
Naturally, the demands on the lower ranks had increased.
For this old woman, whether it was a sect or a holy order, it made little difference.
Though the Bai Xian Alliance and the Da Zizai Demon Sect seemed to be engaged in petty squabbles from the perspective of the sects, for these people, it had completely altered their lives. “Where did they go?”
“To the city, working for those disciples of the sects,” the old woman replied with a smile. “My son and daughter-in-law have gone too. There’s work, and there’s a bit to eat, so we won’t starve…”
“And you? Aren’t you going with them?”
“Am I not a burden?” The old woman chuckled softly, “The world is getting worse… Fewer mouths to feed means they…”
Old Han looked at the old woman before him, feeling a pang of sympathy—his hearing was sharp, and even from the village entrance, he could hear the thunderous growl of her stomach, her breath barely perceptible. If she went another couple of days without food, she might not survive.
If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have knocked on her door.
Old Han fell silent.
The next morning, the old woman struggled to get up. When she checked her son’s room, she found the bed neatly made and the house empty.
Peering outside, she noticed a small jujube tree had sprouted in front of the house.
It wasn’t the season for jujubes, yet there hung a large fruit, green tinged with red.
Though her stomach was empty, the sight of the jujube made her mouth water. She couldn’t resist reaching out, plucking the fruit, and popping it into her mouth.
As the jujube slid down her throat, warmth and fullness spread through her, and she even felt less thirsty.
At that moment, Old Han’s voice drifted in, “This tree is for your lodging; one fruit a day, no need to worry about others coveting it.”
The old woman froze, then suddenly knelt on the ground, exclaiming loudly, “Thank you, divine being, thank you…”
In the air, Old Han rolled his eyes and muttered, “What a load of nonsense!”
…
“Thank you for your trouble, Old Han!” Zheng Fa said sincerely. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known where to find the Tai Chu Gang Qi.”
He had previously reached out to the Bai Xian Alliance and Yan Wushuang, hoping to purchase a large quantity of Tai Chu Gang Qi.
But the responses had been less than ideal—there was some Tai Chu Gang Qi available, but not in significant amounts.
It was Old Han who claimed he had a way to acquire it and personally delivered it, alleviating Zheng Fa’s urgent need.
“I’m just passing the time.”
After some pleasantries, Zheng Fa glanced at Sister Zhang and took out the jade tube and yellow gourd he had retrieved from the water mansion, asking, “Old Han, do you recognize these two items?”
Old Han furrowed his brow, first taking a look at the yellow gourd, then examining the jade tube for a while before opening his eyes in surprise, asking, “Tianhe True Method?”
“Yes, we obtained it from a water mansion.”
“This…”
Old Han frowned, pondering for a moment, “The Tianhe True Method isn’t problematic; it’s not much different from what’s passed down in the sect… but it’s not what the ancestor left behind.”
Indeed, Old Han was the first to suggest that the Tianhe Sect had betrayed the Tianhe Venerable—this Tianhe True Method, the more it resembled the Tianhe Sect’s secret teachings, the less likely it was to be the original version from the Tianhe Venerable…
However, he wasn’t interested in practicing this method; he merely wanted to reference the secret techniques within to enhance his own Dan formation, whether it was genuine or not didn’t matter, as long as it was useful.
“This yellow gourd…” Unexpectedly, Old Han seemed more concerned about the gourd. After some thought, he said, “It does resemble something from the ancestor…”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve heard many rumors and secrets; while others may not know, I do… The ancestor had a powerful secret technique, renowned in the Xuanwei realm, called—” Old Han stared at the gourd, “The Gourd Sword Technique!”
“This yellow gourd looks very much like the legendary spiritual root gourd.”
“This technique has long been lost to the Tianhe Sect…” Old Han sighed, “We later generations… are getting worse, unable to even master such top-tier secret techniques.”
Zheng Fa’s expression shifted as he looked at the yellow gourd with newfound seriousness.
Though it didn’t seem to possess any power at the moment, it certainly sounded extraordinary!
And it seemed to be a spiritual root?
Zheng Fa had already decided to reward the archaeological team with some merit, and of course, the price of the yellow gourd would have to go up…
The next day, Zheng Fa apologetically said to Old Han, “Old Han, I’m preparing to form my Dan, so I can’t entertain you much.”
“You’re going to form your Dan?”
“Yeah!” Zheng Fa replied, “I’ve already perfected my foundation stage, and now I have all the resources I need, so there’s no need to delay.”
Sister Zhang, usually decisive, had been urging him to prepare more these past few days—but Zheng Fa understood one thing: while forming a Dan without regrets is good, sometimes you need to burn your boats.
If one keeps clinging to preparation, they often achieve nothing.
Even with the Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Method, Zheng Fa felt more at ease—if it really came down to it, he could always upgrade!
Old Han didn’t try to dissuade him, just smiled and nodded, saying, “You can focus on forming your Dan; I’ll wander around the Jiu Shan realm. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not.”
…
After Zheng Fa entered seclusion, the atmosphere in the Jiu Shan Sect became one of external relaxation but internal tension.
Old Han noticed that no matter who he spoke to in the Jiu Shan Sect, they seemed distracted, frequently lost in thought—he could certainly understand; Zheng Fa’s Dan formation was a matter of great importance, and not a single disciple of Jiu Shan was unconcerned.
But this made it hard to have a decent conversation with the disciples…
Meanwhile, the mortals on Le Tu Island continued their lives as usual, farming and weaving.
So, he spent his days mingling on Le Tu Island and even made a friend:
Zheng Shan!
“What’s got you looking so glum?” Seeing Zheng Shan’s troubled expression, Old Han couldn’t help but ask curiously.
His closeness to Zheng Shan wasn’t due to any particular affinity; it was just that on Le Tu Island, she was the only one who spoke to him comfortably and openly—being Zheng Fa’s sister, she was used to seeing a few Yuanying cultivators daily.
“I have an exam coming up!”
Zheng Shan replied while practicing her Ling He body technique.
It was clear she had been training well… mainly thanks to Zheng Fa’s special attention.
“An exam?”
“Yeah!” Zheng Shan’s tone was unusually tense, “Math, martial arts—once I pass, I can truly enter the Jiu Shan Sect for cultivation!”
Old Han was a bit surprised.
He could tell that Zheng Shan was quite favored… not to mention her adeptness with the Ling He body technique; just her attitude towards herself showed she was living quite comfortably.
“You’re worried you won’t get into the Jiu Shan Sect?”
“Of course not!” Zheng Shan lifted her little head proudly, “Grandpa Pang says I have great talent, I’m good at math, and my brother teaches me martial arts, so I’ll definitely get in!”
Old Han smacked his lips, sensing something deeper.
Zheng Fa had indeed been giving her special attention, but it seemed he wasn’t planning to go easy on his sister, striving to maintain a sense of fairness.
“I just don’t want to embarrass my brother!” Zheng Shan declared loudly.
Old Han smiled and nodded gently.
“And…” Zheng Shan muttered, “I’m not as smart as my brother. I’ve been studying math for a long time, but I still can’t grasp it as well as he does. How can I surpass him in the future…”
Old Han blinked, pretending not to understand, and asked, “Surpass your brother?”
“Yeah!”
Zheng Shan nodded.
“Do you know how amazing your brother is?”
“Of course! My brother is the most talented person in the Jiu Shan… in the Xuanwei realm!” Zheng Shan puffed out her little chest, her tone filled with pride.
“Then why do you want to surpass him?”
“Because my brother said so!”
“…”
“My brother said he’s not much stronger than those before him, but by learning from their wisdom, he’s discovered some truths they missed.” Zheng Shan seemed to be reciting Zheng Fa’s words, “If I follow in his footsteps, I can naturally learn his knowledge and will be stronger than him in the future.”
“If not, how could the future of the Jiu Shan realm be bright?”
The Sword Immortal of the Setting Sun stood there, lost in thought, as the old woman’s words about the world going downhill echoed in his mind.
He found himself at a loss for words.
Table of Contents
