Chapter 78

After half a year, Wei Shizhi returned to Huzigou once again. The scenery remained the same, but the people had changed.

Wei Rongni immediately wrote a letter, which she handed to Cao Yu to review. In front of her, Cao Yu sent the letter back to Xiandu by flying sword. Cao Yu also wrote two letters, both of which were sent back to Xuantong, one of which asked his master, Han Chisong, to forward it to the head of Pingyuan Sect.

A few hours later, Xiandu’s Xi Huze, Xuantong’s Han Chisong, and Pingyuan’s Ji Hongru successively descended on flying swords, and the heads of the three sects arrived at Huzigou together.

Wei Rongni took out a storage bag and the Stone Fire Sword, while Cao Yu took out two storage bags. The two opened the storage bags, and the black gold ore, Qian Juran’s corpse, and the bone fragments of the two-headed fierce ape were presented before the three heads, who were informed of the reasons.

Years ago, the Kunlun ancestor used great magic to suppress the demons killed by the Tongtian Array under Jietian Ridge. A few powerful demons, although their bodies were destroyed, managed to escape the disaster and hide in the mountain, barely surviving. Such situations had occurred several times before, most of which were eliminated by the demon king guarding Jietian Ridge, but there were also some that escaped.

Ji Hongru remembered that more than thirty years ago, a demon’s soul escaped from Jietian Ridge, hiding in the body of a Xiandu Sect trial disciple, then possessed it and was reborn, killing all the fellow disciples, eating their organs, and killing its way into Xianyun Peak. In the end, it was severely injured by Xi Huze and fled into Kunlun Mountain, disappearing without a trace.

He examined his disciple’s corpse and asked in detail about the battle. He knew that Qian Juran’s misfortune was half due to bad luck and half due to poor judgment, and he could not blame Cao Yu. His disciple had outstanding talent and high aspirations, able to use the fire of departure to ignite the red flames of the Stone Fire Sword, with a bright future. Unfortunately, he was not adept at practical combat, which led to his death at the hands of the two-headed fierce ape.

Although he did not say much, he felt a deep sense of regret over his disciple’s unexpected death. However, as the head of the Pingyuan Sect, Ji Hongru had to handle the aftermath fairly. He took back the Stone Fire Sword and gave half of the black gold ore to the Xiandu Sect. Xi Huze, who had unexpectedly gained wealth, did not argue and thanked him, accepting it.

After the three dispersed, Xi Huze called Wei Rongni and Wei Shizhi to his room and carefully inquired about the details. He did not comment on Wei Rongni’s concealment of Cao Yu’s desertion but was more concerned about the sudden improvement in Wei Shizhi’s strength.

Wei Shizhi presented two pieces of animal skin and reported the origin of the Xiaoyue Gong to the head. After a moment of contemplation, Xi Huze asked about Wei Shizhi’s progress in practicing the Xiaoyue Gong and smiled, saying, "Very good. After we return to Xiandu, let Rongni take you to Penglai Hall. You can keep a copy of the Xiaoyue Gong for yourself and hand the two pieces of animal skin to Elder He for safekeeping. You can choose any secret manual from the Yingzi Pavilion to practice on your own."

Wei Shizhi thanked the head and stood respectfully to one side. Wei Rongni was also happy for him. The head’s high regard for the Xiaoyue Gong meant that his senior brother’s disciple would likely become an inner disciple without any problems.

The next morning, Ji Hongru, Han Chisong, and Cao Yu flew to Snow God Peak. It was expected that Xiandu would be excluded. The three returned to Huzigou before the end of the winter hunt, with no results, looking weary, clearly having found no more clues.

The appearance of the two-headed fierce ape became a deep mystery in everyone’s hearts.

A few days later, Jietian Ridge shook, and demonic energy filled the sky, marking the end of the winter hunt.

From the depths of winter to the depths of winter, the year of the winter hunt, everyone’s fortunes and gains were vastly different. Wei Rongni checked the disciples’ gains, and Wei Shizhi’s storage bag was the most abundant, containing nearly a hundred demon cores and countless animal bones. Duan Wenhuan and Chen Suzhen combined had less than a third of his. As for Cao Jinren, he did not disappoint, collecting many rare herbs near Huzigou, which surprised her.

Jietian Ridge was closed for a year, and the disciples of Pingyuan, Xuantong, and Xiandu set off on their return journey. Xi Huze used his magic, and with a wave of his sword, carried everyone back to Xianyun Peak, taking only three days.

Wei Rongni first went to Qingyang Hall to hand over the demon cores and animal bones. She wrote a few notes, signed them, and folded them into eight-sided shapes, giving them to Duan, Chen, Cao, and Wei, then dismissed the disciples, calling Wei Shizhi to wait outside the hall.

Wei Shizhi stood outside Qingyang Hall, holding the eight-sided note, turning it over and over, not knowing what it was for. Chen Suzhen deliberately stayed behind and told him that the merits accumulated during the winter hunt were determined by Wei Rongni and recorded in the note. He could take it to Penglai Hall and give it to Elder He to exchange for elixirs, techniques, and the like. Originally, Elder Xun was in charge of Penglai Hall, but since he entered the life-and-death seclusion at Eagle Beak Rock, Elder He had taken over. Elder He, named Jingxian, was a generation senior to the head and was known for his kindness and easy-going nature.

Wei Shizhi casually asked, "Why don’t we use fish eye stones like Taiyi Sect?"

Chen Suzhen looked at him and said, "Cao Jinren also suggested it. Kunlun does not produce fish eye stones, so he proposed to refine a type of unforgeable talisman for internal use. However, as he was a junior disciple, no one paid attention to him. Kunlun Sect and Taiyi Sect have always been at odds, and following in their footsteps or imitating their methods would be hard for anyone to swallow."

Wei Shizhi thought to himself that although Cao Jinren was an outer disciple, he had a forward-thinking mindset and was a rare talent. He smiled and said, "If it benefits me, I will take it, regardless of whether it is following in their footsteps or imitating their methods."

Chen Suzhen nodded and said, "Yes, I think so too, but the master disagrees."

As they spoke, Wei Rongni came out of Qingyang Hall and called Wei Shizhi to go to Penglai Hall with her to return the Broken Dragon Sword, storage bag, map, and bone-removing dagger. Chen Suzhen, being perceptive, found an excuse to leave and not join in the commotion.

The two arrived at Penglai Hall, and Wei Rongni led him to meet Elder He, handing over the note. As Chen Suzhen had said, Elder He was kind and did not make things difficult for him, even showing a hint of warmth. Wei Shizhi did not think he deserved that warmth, but he guessed it was because Wei Rongni had mentioned that he was the only disciple of Xun Ye and had made great contributions at Jietian Ridge, bravely taking a piece of black gold ore from the hands of the Pingyuan and Xuantong Sects. The head had already reviewed his practice of the Xiaoyue Gong and believed that this body-cultivation technique was worth collecting in Penglai Hall.

He presented the two pieces of animal skin, and He Jingxian glanced at them and casually put them in his sleeve.

In consideration of the head’s opinion, He Jingxian made an exception and took out all the secret manuals collected in the Yingzi Pavilion, allowing Wei Shizhi to choose. There were a total of twenty-three jade slips, mostly fist manuals and sword techniques, with some basic side techniques, but no suitable cultivation techniques or sword techniques for a sword cultivator.

The techniques collected in Penglai Hall were traditionally classified into Yang, Ming, Cang, and Ying. The Yang Pavilion collected sword techniques, the Ming Pavilion collected cultivation techniques, the Cang Pavilion collected Daoist techniques, and the Ying Pavilion collected secret manuals. Since Wei Shizhi had already learned the "Mad Demon Staff Technique," he no longer paid attention to the fist manuals and sword techniques but focused on the side techniques.

The side techniques collected in the Ying Pavilion were not many, only seven. Wei Shizhi looked through them all and finally chose the "Soul Capture Technique," which recorded several methods for capturing and manipulating souls, which were quite practical. Of course, he knew that this was actually the outer volume of the Soul Capture Technique, and the inner volume was likely in the hands of Deng Yuantong, kept secret.

Regarding the merits accumulated at Jietian Ridge, Wei Shizhi requested to exchange them for a piece of black gold ore.

Based on the demon cores and animal bones he had collected at Jietian Ridge, even the smallest piece of black gold ore would be far from enough to exchange for it. However, the note from Wei Rongni clearly stated that the black gold ore was entirely due to Wei Shizhi’s efforts. In this case, exchanging a piece for him was not unreasonable.

He Jingxian deliberated and tentatively agreed, but the black gold ore was still in the head’s hands, and he would find an opportunity to hand it over after it was distributed.

Wei Rongni found it strange. In her mind, Wei Shizhi should have exchanged for a storage bag. What use could a small piece of black gold ore be? He was not a sword cultivator. Then she realized that Wei Shizhi’s real intention was to cover up the black gold ore he had secretly taken in his sword bag, which he was exchanging for his senior brother Xun!

She was mistaken. Wei Shizhi’s true intention was to cover up the black gold ore he had secretly taken in his sword bag.