After watching the newly admitted disciples with her senior martial sisters, Kong Hou found Wang Tong and spoke about wanting to descend the mountain for a period of time.
“You want to descend the mountain?” Wang Tong was silent for a moment, then frowned. “Have you suffered some grievance within the sect?”
“Master.” Kong Hou smiled helplessly. “No one has made me suffer any grievance. Recently, my cultivation has been continuously stagnant, so I want to descend the mountain to take a look. All these years, I’ve never been very clear about what the outside world is truly like. The first time I truly came into contact with the outside was when I was ten years old, on that night when you brought me to the Lingyou Realm, Master. That night was so beautiful, so beautiful it made me think I was dreaming.”
“Master, I want to go out and see.” Kong Hou tugged at Wang Tong’s sleeve, shaking it back and forth. “Please agree.”
“Already a sixteen-year-old young lady, yet still acting spoiled with your master.” Wang Tong turned his head away. “Bring this matter up again tomorrow. This master will go consider it.” Having said this, he pulled out his sleeve and strode out with large steps.
“Does this mean he agreed or didn’t agree?” Kong Hou held her face in both hands and sighed. Turning her head to see Wang Tong’s cave dwelling was empty, she went out to pick two plum blossom branches and placed them on the desk in the cave dwelling before turning to return to her own cave dwelling.
“Wang Tong, what exactly do you want?!” Qingyuan glared at Wang Tong who was sitting in his cave dwelling refusing to leave, and said impatiently, “You’re not welcome here.”
“You think I want to be here?” Wang Tong rolled his eyes, picked up the teapot on the table, unhurriedly poured himself a cup of tea, took a light sip, then said disdainfully, “What kind of taste do you have, drinking the same thing for several hundred years without changing flavors?”
“If you dislike my lack of taste, you don’t have to drink it.” Qingyuan wished he could throw Wang Tong out. “If you have business, speak your business.”
“Do you still remember seven hundred years ago when you descended the mountain for training and borrowed one hundred spirit stones from me?” Wang Tong put down his teacup. “It’s been so many years now. Shouldn’t you return them?”
“You still remember something from seven hundred years ago?” Qingyuan looked at Wang Tong in disbelief. “Why don’t you mention that back then when you went out, you were always mooching food and drink at my place?!”
“Mooching is mooching, borrowing is borrowing.” Wang Tong stroked his beard. “This account still needs to be settled clearly.”
“Take it, take it.” Qingyuan pulled out a bag of spirit stones and threw it in front of Wang Tong. “Principal plus interest, take it!”
Wang Tong wasn’t angry either. He picked up the bag of spirit stones on the table, humming a little tune he’d learned from the mortal realm, and left with a swaying gait. This angered Qingyuan so much his teeth ground together behind him, nearly cursing aloud.
If he’d known this bastard was so shameless, he shouldn’t have been so generous—he’d actually thrown out five hundred spirit stones!
After wandering around Chenxia Peak for a bit, Wang Tong went to Wuyang Peak, Ziwu Peak, and Xizhao Peak for a tour. After scraping up a sum of spirit stones from each junior martial brother, he began running toward the Main Peak. In any case, if his disciple had no spirit stones to spend, seeking out his senior martial brother was perfectly natural and right.
Heng Yan was reading a book. When he heard Wu Chuan say Wang Tong wanted to see him, he couldn’t help but have a bit of a headache. Whenever these junior martial brothers came to find him for no reason, there definitely wouldn’t be anything good. “Let him in.”
“Senior Martial Brother.” Wang Tong entered with a bitter face, performed a grand bow to Heng Yan. “I…”
“Speak. How much do you want?” Heng Yan threw the book onto the table and rubbed his temples. “Don’t wail. I have a headache.”
“Senior Martial Brother, the way you say this…” Wang Tong held out one finger.
“One hundred?”
Wang Tong shook his head: “One thousand.”
“Did you break something again?” Heng Yan’s brows furrowed tightly. “You need this much?”
“These past few years I haven’t even left the sect. Where would I break anything?” Wang Tong sat down cross-legged in front of Heng Yan. “It’s my little disciple who wants to go out for training. Although I’m reluctant, when children grow up, they should go out and walk around. What if I raise her not knowing hardship—wouldn’t that mean I’ve spoiled her?”
He sighed, his tone full of reluctance: “But she’s only this young. Without some protective talismans and magical artifacts on her person, I’m not at ease either. Fortunately, over these years I’ve saved up quite a few defensive magical artifacts. Having her carry them on her body should be enough. However, when out traveling, you can’t lack spirit stones to spend anywhere.” Speaking to this point, he gave Heng Yan an ingratiating smile. “Senior Martial Brother, as you know, I’m just fated to be unable to save spirit stones. So I can only brazenly come beg you for spirit stones to spend.”
“In this lifetime of yours, only your teaching and raising of disciples is worth praising.” Heng Yan raised his chin toward Wu Chuan. “Wu Chuan, go fetch two thousand spirit stones to give to your Master Uncle Wang Tong.”
“Senior Martial Brother is still the most generous. I thank you on behalf of my little disciple.” Wang Tong rubbed his hands together. “If you have any talismans or magical artifacts you don’t want on your person, you can also give them all to my little disciple.”
Heng Yan looked at him for a moment, then pulled out a storage pouch from his sleeve and handed it to him: “Take it, take it. Tell Kong Hou to pay attention to safety when outside. Though our Yunhua Sect emphasizes the word ‘kindness,’ most important is acting within one’s capabilities. No matter what matter it is, it can only be done under the premise of guaranteeing one’s own safety.”
“I will instruct her.” Wang Tong swiftly hid the storage pouch in his own sleeve before saying, “That girl’s mind is clever. It’s just that her personality is a bit simple. Going outside to broaden her experience is good.”
“It’s good that you can think this through.” Heng Yan nodded. “If you forcibly keep her and don’t let her leave the mountain, that would truly harm her.”
Wang Tong smiled but said nothing. His three direct disciples were to him like his own biological children. As a father, he both hoped his children could distinguish themselves and hoped his children could have peaceful lives—even if they didn’t have great accomplishments, it didn’t matter. But no matter how reluctant he felt in his heart, when children grew up, all he could do was let go and let them choose the path they wanted to walk.
His master had treated him this way back then, and now he had to treat his disciples the same way.
The next morning, Kong Hou saw the spirit stones and storage pouch placed on her table. She picked up the letter on the table and read it carefully, smiling until her eyes reddened. What “too lazy to see her off”—he clearly was reluctant to see her leave, which was why he didn’t show his face. Carefully folding the letter and placing it in her breast, Kong Hou collected all the things on the table and put them in her storage ring, then stood up and walked out of the cave dwelling.
“Junior Martial Sister.” Cheng Yi, who had been waiting outside the cave for some time, saw Kong Hou come out and smiled at her. “Leaving today?”
Kong Hou nodded her head, lowering it somewhat afraid to look at Cheng Yi: “If Second Senior Martial Brother comes out of seclusion and I haven’t returned yet, tell him I went out for training. Perhaps when I return, I’ll be able to break through to Core Formation cultivation.”
“So confident?” Cheng Yi laughed lightly, handing Kong Hou the storage pouch he’d prepared. “Go early and return early. Remember that Master and your senior martial brothers are waiting for you in the sect.”
“Thank you, Senior Martial Brother.” Kong Hou accepted the storage pouch, reached out and hugged Cheng Yi. “Eldest Senior Martial Brother, wait for me to return.” Releasing Cheng Yi, she flew down the mountain without looking back. She was afraid that if she turned her head once, she wouldn’t be willing to leave.
Having been pampered as a treasure in the palm by her master and senior martial brothers for six years, Kong Hou felt she could only repay this familial affection by working even harder and becoming even more successful. Because it was valued, she cherished it; because she cherished it, she worked hard.
“This martial arts training ground here is where you’ll practice your skills in the future. Two days from now, you’ll learn here every other day…” A clear bell sound came over. The steward stopped speaking and bowed toward the sect’s exit.
“Steward, what does this mean?” The slightly plump young man, already changed into Yunhua Sect outer disciple clothing, asked curiously, “Why did a bell sound suddenly ring out?”
“This is to send off a disciple traveling far away.” The steward’s expression was serious. Turning to them, he said, “After you establish your Foundation, you will also go out alone for training. But to establish your Foundation, you must work hard now. Do you remember?”
“This disciple remembers.”
Kong Hou descended the mountain directly. When passing the bookstore, she hesitated for a moment, then walked in. The bookstore owner saw her and said with a smile: “Immortal, your timing is perfect. A new book by Miaobi Ke has arrived at the small shop. Do you want it?”
“Yes.” Kong Hou nodded and pulled out spirit stones to hand to the bookstore owner. “I’ll be going out for a period of time. During this time, if any new books by Miaobi Ke arrive, please keep them for me. I’ll collect them from you when I return.”
“Please rest assured, Immortal. I will certainly keep them well for you.” The bookstore owner agreed repeatedly. In any case, aside from this immortal, no one else asked about this author’s books anyway.
“Shopkeeper, are there story books by Miaobi Ke here?” A low male voice sounded.
The bookstore owner turned to look, only to see standing in the backlit doorway a young master with a face like jade. His hair was bound with a jade ornament, the white brocade robe on his body was spotlessly clean, his fair palm was placed before his mouth, coughing softly, his face carrying several parts of a sickly appearance.