Chapter 37 of 100
Chapter 37
8 min read1,942 words
Wei Shizhi and Qin Zhen returned to the foot of Tian Du Peak. This time, they would stay for a few more days.
The Song brothers had keen eyes. From a distance, they saw Wei Shizhi carrying back a string of "blood food" and immediately cheered. For over a month, they had lacked meat, eating only porridge and vegetables, which had made their mouths tasteless. The chance to have a feast was an unexpected and delightful surprise.
The fellow disciples warmly welcomed them, taking over the seven or eight mountain chickens from Wei Shizhi. They chattered excitedly, asking where he had found them and saying they would try their luck in a couple of days.
Everyone listened intently. Wei Shizhi, half-joking and half-serious, said he had been lucky and encountered a lone wolf on Tian Du Peak. After chasing it for half a day without catching it, he stumbled upon a nest of mountain chickens and caught them by chance. This wasn't entirely a lie; the mountain chickens had been caught by the green wolf, and he hadn't exerted much effort.
Yue Zhiyan decided to make a pot of chicken rice. Everyone was delighted and started to help, some washing the rice, others boiling water. This was a new atmosphere since Xun Ye took over the Qi Yunhe lineage, and everyone understood it without needing to say it. Yue Zhiyan plucked the feathers from the mountain chickens, cleaned them, and cut the breast and leg meat into pieces to cook with the rice. The remaining chicken heads, feet, and bones were thrown into a small iron pot to stew into a rich broth. Everyone gathered together, chatting and laughing, feeling a sense of camaraderie.
Wei Shizhi watched them coldly, feeling neither elated nor superior. The trial disciples before him came from various backgrounds: some were farmers who barely had enough to eat, some were from noble families with fine clothes and food, some were merchants' children skilled in calculation, and some were well-read scholars who often lamented the passing of autumn. Some were simple, some were sharp, some were crude and dull, and some were cunning. But in the path of cultivation, these differences meant nothing. The only obstacle before them was a single hurdle. If they crossed it, they would see a vast sky; if they didn't, they would still struggle in the mortal world.
A mere mortal, practicing the incomplete Howling Moon Technique, had opened six acupoints, forming a complete "Yuan Qi Tide." Wei Shizhi asked himself, had he succeeded? In a certain sense, yes. From Lao Ya Ridge to Tian Du Peak, he had worked hard and seized the opportunity, taking a half-step ahead. But what about the future? How far could he go on this path? Fifty steps? A hundred steps? Compared to them, how much of a difference was there?
Gains and losses, fortune and misfortune, no one could truly see clearly.
The large iron pot was simmering with chicken rice, and the small iron pot was stewing mountain chicken soup, the aroma spreading everywhere. Outside the woodshed, the moonlight illuminated familiar yet strange faces. Wei Shizhi quietly retreated into the shadows, his mind filled with thoughts. He strolled to the crescent moon pond, looking up at the misty Xian Yun Peak, where the inner disciples of Xian Du practiced diligently. One day, he would step onto Xian Yun Peak and become one of them. What kind of destiny would await him then?
Not far away, the noise of his fellow disciples echoed, distant and ethereal, as if from another world. The pleasant and unpleasant memories of the past faded from his mind, leaving only a faint sense of melancholy. Wei Shizhi picked up a stone and threw it into the pond with a splash, humming softly, "Beyond the long pavilion, by the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky..."
Qin Zhen stood silently behind him, wondering what this tune was. It was soft and unfamiliar. Memories welled up from the depths of her heart, and she tried to convince herself not to think about them but couldn't control it. "At the edge of the sky, at the corner of the earth, half of my friends have scattered..." The words Wei Shizhi hummed were simple, but they touched a soft spot in her heart, stirring long-forgotten emotions and making her feel like crying.
Qin Zhen couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother, what is that tune?"
"…A farewell song, sung when parting."
"It sounds so beautiful. Where did you learn it, Senior Brother?"
Wei Shizhi said offhandedly, "When I was a child, I went to town to sell animal skins and bones. I met a destitute scholar whose luggage had been stolen. My father felt sorry for him and gave him two steamed buns. In return, he taught me this song."
"Senior Brother, Senior Brother, can you teach me?"
Wei Shizhi laughed, recalling an old saying: "To learn, sleep with the master." He affectionately pinched Qin Zhen's chin and said, "Sure, I'll teach you."
The next day, Wei Shizhi began to pack his belongings. When his fellow disciples asked, he only said he planned to go into the mountains in a couple of days to seek opportunities for breakthrough. Once everything was ready, he went to Qiu Tao Valley to see Xun Ye.
Passing by the Qiu Tao forest, he thought of the beautiful girl who used to sit in the branches eating peaches, feeling a mix of nostalgia and melancholy.
In the thatched hut under the crooked tree in Qiu Tao Valley, Wei Shizhi met Xun Ye. The chief disciple of Xian Du, still looked the same, with a disheveled appearance and unkempt demeanor, reminiscent of Qi Yunhe.
Wei Shizhi reported his plans to his master, and Xun Ye was not surprised. For Qin Zhen, the Ghost Gate Abyss was unnecessary; she had excellent talent and didn't need to take risks. But for Wei Shizhi, the Ghost Gate Abyss was the best choice. Only through combat could he continuously push his limits and achieve the legendary "Golden Body."
Breakthrough or destruction, the path of body cultivation was always forged through a pile of corpses.
After careful consideration, Xun Ye passed Wei Shizhi an iron rod and a set of Frenzy Staff techniques.
The iron rod was three feet long and as thick as a fist. Xun Ye had re-forged it from a piece of black iron left by Qi Yunhe, making it extremely heavy and rough on the surface, with an ugly appearance. The Frenzy Staff techniques were obtained by Xun Ye in his youth when he traveled the world and exchanged them with a body cultivator from Yun Ya Sect. The name "Frenzy" meant "not frenzied, not enlightened."
The Howling Moon Technique and the Frenzy Staff were once the closely guarded secrets of Yun Ya Sect.
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