Chu Xinghui held him for a long time before finally calming down and pulling away from Xie Liufeng’s arms.

Xie Liufeng gently wiped the rain from Chu Xinghui’s cheek with his fingertip and said in a warm voice: “Want to go home together?”

Chu Xinghui looked at him for a while and asked to confirm: “Are you still planning to avoid me?”

Xie Liufeng tilted the umbrella toward him and smiled: “Not anymore.”

Chu Xinghui was mostly satisfied and nodded: “Okay. Then, let’s go home together.”

*

After walking for a while, Chu Xinghui suddenly asked: “Do you still remember Xie Huai?”

Xie Liufeng thought for a moment and recalled the name: “I do.”

Chu Xinghui said: “He didn’t stay at Beiyue Sword Sect. Somehow, he got in touch with someone from Lingxiang Sect. A few days ago, he was taken away by Mu Zeqing.”

“Lingxiang Sect?” Xie Liufeng raised his brows at the familiar name and gave a fair comment: “Lingxiang Sect does tend to attract odd things.”

Then he suddenly realized something and looked at Chu Xinghui with a smile, teasing: “Did you look into this just for me?”

Chu Xinghui pretended nothing had happened, shifted his gaze away, and subtly moved a bit to the side, refusing to speak.

He couldn’t exactly say that he’d been a little hung up about it ever since the day of the apprenticeship ceremony.

That would make him sound petty.

Seeing him almost stepping out from under the umbrella, Xie Liufeng quickly pulled him back and said gently: “Alright, alright, I’m not teasing anymore. I know about it.”

Feeling the warmth from the person beside him, Chu Xinghui was somewhat appeased and took the initiative to hold Xie Liufeng’s hand.

But Chu Xinghui had brought up the topic for a reason, so he continued: “I met with Senior Xie. She told me the Xie family’s bloodline has an anomaly.”

Xie Liufeng wasn’t surprised that Xie Tinglan had told him that and nodded: “Mm, that’s why I investigated him after the last entrance trial. His identity checks out—he’s the only son of this generation’s Xie family head. His talent is considered the best in the family. He’s received the highest level of resources and support, and many in the family are counting on him to restore the Xie family’s name in Zhongbo City. He came to me to become my disciple because someone told the Xie family I could resolve the issues in their bloodline.”

He frowned involuntarily when talking about this: “…But it was very strange, I did not find out who exactly gave him the ‘token’.”

Many years had passed, and the Xie family had already changed several generations. He had many matters to attend to and did not continue to bother the Xie family after avenging himself. If those Xie family members who experienced those events back then chose to deliberately conceal them, it was indeed possible that the current Xie family members did not know about his connection to the Xie family.

Especially after the incident five hundred years ago, he rarely appeared in the cultivation world, many people thought he was dead. The Xie family had probably become even more unscrupulous in covering up the peace internally.

Otherwise, these people nowadays must have lost their minds to let the “hope of the family” come to him for apprenticeship.

So… who exactly dug up the fact that he was from the Xie family again?

Chu Xinghui tightened his grip on his hand silently as he recalled what he had heard before.

Xie Liufeng noticed his mood and shook their joined hands, joking: “Do you feel sorry for me? If you do, then you must not be angry with me.”

Chu Xinghui glanced at him and said seriously, “I feel sorry, but I am still angry, those are two different things.”

Xie Liufeng sighed.

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He relaxed a bit and said: “Alright, I can lower the degree of anger a little.”

Xie Liufeng could not help but laugh.

Chu Xinghui, feeling a bit embarrassed and angry because of his laugh, decided to add back the anger he had reduced, and with a serious face said: “No lowering.”

Seeing that his mood got better again, Xie Liufeng cleared his throat lightly and did not dare to provoke him further.

Chu Xinghui turned the topic back to serious matters and asked Xie Liufeng: “What exactly is in that scroll of cultivation method?”

Xie Liufeng finally got serious and explained: “The cultivation method is ordinary, in essence, it is a kind of contract.”

Chu Xinghui frowned: “A contract?”

Xie Liufeng nodded and explained in more detail: “A contract that exchanges fate energy for cultivation speed. The reason why the Xie family members often died untimely after cultivation was because of this. As for who the mysterious person who gave this cultivation method was, you should have guessed.”

It was that “god” he had killed five hundred years ago.

He had descended into this world five hundred years ago but had started arranging things much earlier than that.

Chu Xinghui was somewhat puzzled: “Since that mysterious person was already dead, why had the contract not ended?”

Xie Liufeng’s tone was somewhat indifferent: “Once the contract was signed, it would not end unless the Xie family bloodline was severed or someone attained a higher cultivation level and forcibly broke the contract. The Xie family head at the time probably knew the evil nature of this cultivation method, but he still chose it. Once the shortcut was chosen, they had to bear the cost that came with it.”

Chu Xinghui thought about this logic: “Did the Xie family not know the problems with the cultivation method? Why did it continue… to be passed down until now?”

Most cultivators had little desire to propagate offspring. It was strange that the Xie family, knowing the bloodline had problems, still let the problematic bloodline pass on and hold power at the top.

Xie Liufeng continued explaining: “Because the fate energy the cultivation method consumed within a certain period was limited, the more descendants the Xie family had, the less fate energy each person needed to pay. While the Xie family… always prospered in population.”

Chu Xinghui did not ask further.

Higher cultivation, ascension… were these things really so enticing that people lost all bottom lines and even gambled with their lives and those of their descendants?

*

The two of them returned side by side to Qingjing Peak. Just as Xie Liufeng opened the restriction on his cave dwelling, he suddenly felt Chu Xinghui tug him.

He looked at Chu Xinghui with confusion.

Chu Xinghui raised his head and asked him: “What is the meaning of cultivation and ascension?”

Xie Liufeng pondered for a moment and smiled: “That question is a bit too big.”

Chu Xinghui shook his head and loosened his grip on him: “You don’t have to answer, just asking casually.”

He just felt inexplicably thoughtful after hearing about the Xie family’s matters.

Xie Liufeng thought for a moment, then pulled him to the stone platform in front of the cave and asked: “What do you see?”

Qingjing Peak was located at the edge of the sect. From here, one could see mountains shrouded in mist and rarely visited by people in the distance.

Chu Xinghui answered: “Mountains and mist.”

Xie Liufeng continued asking: “When you first came here, did you imagine what was behind that mist?”

Chu Xinghui nodded: “Yes.”

Xie Liufeng smiled at him: “This is the innate curiosity of living beings.”

He said: “It is said that in ancient times, ancestors once ate raw meat and drank blood, but now in both the mortal and cultivation worlds, raw food is rare.”

“The first person used fire, the first person built a residence, later the first person absorbed spiritual energy into the body and began to learn how to use this special power. Afterwards, different cultivation methods and systems emerged… Essentially, all of this is the same: cultivation, ascension, or exploring the heavens beyond after ascension, is the process of turning the unknown into the known. There is no need to clearly define their meaning, just walk on the path you believe is right.”

Xie Liufeng did not say much more, fearing his words would influence Chu Xinghui’s own understanding, and added: “Of course, there can be many views on cultivation and ascension. If you have other ideas…”

He did not hear Chu Xinghui’s reply. When he turned his head to look, Chu Xinghui had already closed his eyes, and spiritual energy surged around him.

This was a sign of enlightenment.

Xie Liufeng was stunned for a moment.

Then he smiled slightly, raised his hand to set up a barrier around Chu Xinghui, sat down beside him, and quietly watched over him.

…

Chu Xinghui felt as if he had just had a very long dream. When he woke up from that mysterious realm, the sky had already completely darkened.

He felt his spiritual core exceptionally clear. After checking the spiritual energy inside his body, he found his cultivation had reached the mid Golden Core stage.

Suddenly, Chu Xinghui thought of something and immediately opened his eyes, wanting to find Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng was right there where he could see him the moment he opened his eyes, looking at him with a smile in his eyes.

Chu Xinghui glanced at the sky, still a bit dazed from just waking: “How long has it been?”

Xie Liufeng answered: “Three hours.”

The daze in Chu Xinghui’s eyes gradually faded. He looked at Xie Liufeng and then reached out his hand.

Xie Liufeng laughed softly and pulled him up.

The rain had already stopped.

It was a good night, with a bright moon and sparse stars.

*

Xie Liufeng explained again what had just happened and helped him sort out his spiritual energy once more before holding his hand and sending him back to his own room.

Chu Xinghui stood at the door, not going in immediately but lingering for a while.

Seeing he didn’t move, Xie Liufeng asked: “Is there something else?”

Chu Xinghui looked up at him: “Will I see you tomorrow?”

Xie Liufeng nodded: “Yes.”

Chu Xinghui felt a little reassured and continued: “And the day after tomorrow?”

Xie Liufeng patiently said: “Yes, too.”

Chu Xinghui kept asking: “What about the day after that?”

Xie Liufeng pretended to think for a moment and teased him: “What should I do? I haven’t made plans for the day after that. I might go out—or maybe even far away.”

Chu Xinghui grabbed the corner of his clothes tighter, showing his intention: “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Xie Liufeng hesitated for a moment.

He instinctively felt it was a bit inappropriate.

But since Chu Xinghui current lack of security was caused by him, he first asked for Chu Xinghui opinion: “Can I refuse?”

Chu Xinghui thought about it and truthfully said: “You can, but I will be very disappointed.”

Xie Liufeng laughed helplessly and rubbed his head: “Alright, alright. But I warn you beforehand, my bed isn’t big. As long as you don’t mind it being cramped.”

Anyway, if it really didn’t work, he could just stay awake.

Chu Xinghui was satisfied and took his pillow to return to the room with Xie Liufeng.

 

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