47 Chapter 47

◎Parting Ways◎

"Wonderful! Very well, you say so! Then I'll give you all this cultivation for free." Wang Yu was quite satisfied. "The Forgetfulness Potion that my disciple gave you probably won't be of much use. You must have woken up long ago. You did what you did before because you wanted revenge, right? I can understand that you have such thoughts. After all, he did do some outrageous things to you in the illusion. Now that the grudges are settled, we will have nothing to do with each other from now on."

It turns out that Wang Yu already knew about what happened in the illusion. Judging from his tone, he didn't blame Jiang Qiye at all.

Pei Xueyan sneered inwardly, but put on a smile: "Master, I no longer resent him. No matter how much he likes me or chases after me, I will ignore him. Before, I was the one who chased after him and insisted on marrying him, but now we're even. Anyway, I don't like him anymore. Please tell Daoist Jiang to cultivate well and not to think about me anymore."

Standing beside Wang Yu, Jiang Qiye listened to her heartless words, and his face instantly turned ashen, devoid of any color.

The barrier was quickly withdrawn by Master Wangyu.

Pei Xueyan instantly vanished.

Pei Xueyan instantly vanished, but as luck would have it, she bumped into Jiang Qiye, who was dressed in a thin robe and looked extremely frail, just as she was happily stepping out the door.

His eyes were filled with sorrow, he looked haggard, and his gaze was fixed on her.

Oh, so it turns out the master and apprentice teamed up to lie to her.

Pei Xueyan is bold and responsible, and there's nothing to be afraid of.

We hadn't seen each other for many days, but I never expected it to be such an awkward occasion.

Before Jiang Qiye could speak, Pei Xueyan interrupted, "Jiang Qiye, it must feel terrible to be stabbed, right? What's two stabs compared to that? I've been stabbed four times, including when I was tricked into committing suicide. But I won't count the suicide attempt. You still owe me one sword, and I'll make it up to you later!"

He avoided answering, instead pressing for an answer: "Are you really not at all unwilling to be with me?"

"What are you doing? Are you going to cry?" Her tone was relaxed, but her face held a hint of mockery. "Master Jiang, do you want to know what Wei An was thinking before she died? She was regretting it because she thought that by threatening suicide, you could be nervous, save her life, and stay with her. She deliberately avoided stabbing her heart, but you stabbed her mercilessly, suffering a fatal blow. Unfortunately, I didn't die then; my eyes remained open for over an hour. Even now, I can feel that despair! Did you really like me? If you really liked me, how could you do that? If I hadn't just regained my memories and my mind hadn't been clouded, I probably wouldn't have been able to kill you now. What gave you the heart to stab me like that?"

"I--I--" Jiang Qiye stammered, his face growing paler.

Seeing his beloved disciple mired in emotional turmoil again, Master Wangyu immediately stepped forward and sternly rebuked her: "Witch! Your master passed on his cultivation to you so that you would become a demon and harm the world. Go ask your master how many people he has killed and how much blood he has sucked over the years! It is against the laws and morals for me to have my disciple kill you! He is kind and compassionate, yet you use the magic that is reasonably used in the illusion as a threat and psychological attack, causing him to suffer! You have brought this to the end, turning what was originally meant to save the world into such a miserable state! You are utterly vicious!"

Pei Xueyan looked up at his face. Jiang Qiye remained silent, presumably agreeing with his explanation.

She lowered her eyes for a moment, and when she looked up again, she had a cold smile on her face: "You only just realized how vicious I am? I have always been vicious. My master specifically targets immortals with cultivation to suck their blood for cultivation. I will definitely be like that in the future. What a pity, what a pity. Master Jiang's cultivation of twenty years has been used entirely by me."

She drew her longsword, stepped forward, and stood in the air, shouting, "Master Jiang, when your cultivation is complete, I'll be waiting for you to come and take my life!"

Then, he rode away swiftly on his sword.

Even after she left, Jiang Qiye's inner turmoil remained unresolved.

Master Wangyu felt both sorry for his beloved disciple and disappointed in him, wondering why he just couldn't understand the reason.

He believed that his disciple was intelligent and exceptionally talented. After this ordeal, he would surely be able to see through the illusions of the world and devote himself to the Tao. Sooner or later, he would become a true master, or even surpass him.

It's easy to improve one's physical strength, but difficult to resolve inner conflicts.

Master Wangyu felt that he needed to ignore him for a while and let him think things through.

No need to meditate, no need to immediately practice the scriptures; first, cultivate your mind.

He had never experienced any setbacks in his twenty-five years of life, but this great calamity would surely make him understand things clearly.

So, as a disabled person, he began to fetch water and chop wood.

Jiang Qiye came to the Qingzong Sect when he was four or five years old. Master Xuanjing saw at first glance that he was a good material for cultivation. He had never suffered any hardship and rarely paid attention to the outside world.

Now that I'm this age, this is the first time I've gone down the mountain to fetch water and chop firewood.

He wanted to respect his master and his teacher, so he did whatever they asked him to do.

Moreover, I am now a cripple, and my mind is in turmoil, so I can only toughen myself up.

At first, his fellow disciples were polite to him, thinking it was just a whim of their master.

Unexpectedly, half a month and a month passed, and he was still carrying water and chopping wood every day.

I descend the mountain twice a day, rain or shine.

The people's gazes gradually changed, from politeness to contempt and disdain, and some even deliberately made things difficult for him.

Jiang Qiye didn't care. He kept his eyes downcast and didn't say a word for days.

Not long after Pei Xueyan left the Qingzong Sect, she returned to Yishui Manor. However, the manor was very boring, and her senior sister was very diligent.

She devoted herself to her studies, ignoring everything else, and managed the estate in an orderly manner.

Pei Xueyan continued down the mountain, feeling incredibly free with no one to restrain her.

She played for a while, and finally found a good place to cultivate for some time, when she actually saw people carrying water.

She had no idea that Jiang Qiye could be seen from a hundred miles away from the Qingzong Sect!

His skin was darker, and the muscles in his thighs and arms were faintly visible. He looked much colder, and his face was frighteningly somber.

As she watched curiously, she saw a boy running over to stop him, laughing and joking. Jiang Qiye remained indifferent and walked around him without answering.

After he left with the water, Pei Xueyan caught up with the boy and asked with a smile, "Little boy, do you know who that person was?"

The boy pouted, "I know, he's the disciple of the Immortal Xuanjing. The villagers say he committed a crime and was punished by the gods in heaven to suffer on earth."

It turns out that Jiang Qiye's master, Master Xuanjing, was in seclusion nearby.

She then asked with a smile, "So what did you ask him for just now?"

"I need money," the boy said matter-of-factly.

Why are you asking him for money? Do you know him?

The boy said smugly, "When he first started carrying water and chopping wood, he would give fish and meat to people passing through the village, and he would also give money to poor people. The old man said he was a disciple of the Qingzong Sect and had money. These days he doesn't pass through the village, so he told me to come and stop him every day to ask for money."

Pei Xueyan raised her hand and slapped him on the head: "You brat, you're only a few years old and you dare to stop people in the street and beg for money! You're asking for a beating!"

The boy seemed surprised by the strength of such a small woman, and picked up a stone to throw at her, but Pei Xueyan was not one to be soft-hearted.

These villagers are truly ungrateful! She could imagine that the innocent Jiang Qiye, seeing the village's poverty, would catch fish to give to them every day after fetching water.

However, this fostered a greedy and insatiable spirit, who even instigated children to rob people on the road.

You should know that they haven't divorced yet, so she still has a share of this money.

That brat spoke with such smug satisfaction; it was truly despicable!

Pei Xueyan was beautiful, so the boy was not afraid of her. He even stood up and tried to hit her with a stick.

She immediately activated her spiritual power to protect herself, her long hair moved without wind, and her eyes glowed red, making her look somewhat eerie.

The boy ran out instantly, repeatedly shouting, "There's a ghost! There's a female ghost!"

Pei Xueyan burst into laughter.

She flashed to the top of the cliff and watched Jiang Qiye carrying two loads of water up the mountain. The loads seemed very light on his shoulders. Of course, this man was incredibly strong.

Upon closer inspection, he looked much better than when they met in the dark room; he was more robust, more aloof, and his brows held a hint of detachment.

After all he's been through, he's still so simple-minded. How could he be so foolish as to bring food and drink to the villagers?

The Qingzong Sect's doctrine of "benevolence and kindness" is indeed outdated and pedantic.

She sat on the cliff watching him walk forward step by step, and casually picked up a stone and threw it down.

It hit him squarely on the shoulder.

Jiang Qiye didn't react at all, not even lifting his head.

This man is so strange, could he be deaf?

Pei Xueyan's curiosity grew stronger, so she followed him all the way to the top of the mountain.

Sure enough, atop the mountain was a cave used for cultivation, surrounded by serene and beautiful scenery.

Outside the cave entrance stood two doormen who looked to be around ten years old.

Upon seeing Jiang Qiye, the doorman immediately bowed slightly and said, "Uncle-Master, Master requests your presence to report."

Jiang Qiye placed the water in his hand at the cave entrance, straightened his clothes slightly, and then stepped inside.

Master Xuanjing has been in seclusion for nearly seventeen or eighteen years. This time, he was forced to partially emerge from seclusion to serve as a council member because of Jiang Qiye's matter.

Previously, when Jiang Qiye was in the Qing Sect, he was often secretly bullied by the younger generation. Although no one dared to do it openly, it was enough to shake his understanding of the sect.

The Qingzong Sect is not a benevolent utopia; it has a strict class system, clear hierarchical differences, and not everyone can get along harmoniously.

Jiang Qiye's patience was extraordinary; even when people talked behind his back, he never argued back.

When Xuanjing learned of this, he summoned his apprentice to the place.

After arriving, Jiang Qiye still had to fetch water, chop firewood, and buy vegetables every day.

Firstly, the two children at the cave entrance needed to eat, and secondly, although the Immortal of the Suspended Mirror could abstain from grains, he did not abstain from food year-round and still needed to eat occasionally.

It wasn't until Jiang Qiye had honed his character and calmed his mind through day-to-day labor, and had completely calmed down, that Xuanjing Zhenren allowed him to step into the mountain gate.

On the other side, Pei Xueyan watched as the doorman started a fire and cooked at the entrance of the cave. Soon, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air.

It smells like rice.

It's a pity that the side dishes were all wild vegetables, without a trace of meat. Even if she wanted to sneak a bite, she couldn't muster any interest.

With that thought in mind, Pei Xueyan turned around and went down the mountain to find a restaurant to eat at.

The next day, Pei Xueyan went to the quiet spot at the foot of the mountain to practice her skills as usual. At the same time, she saw Jiang Qiye fetching water from the river.

Day three.

Day 4.

For seven consecutive days, I met him at the same time and place.

Pei Xueyan always watched him leave.

Fortunately, the brat didn't come back to ask for money, otherwise he would have threatened people again.

Jiang Qiye probably also felt something was off, because every time he passed by, he would subconsciously look around.

She was much more relaxed, sitting on a large rock on the water in the distance, and bought some melons and fruits.

After closing his eyes for a few hours, he lay down and ate something to satisfy his hunger.

Sometimes, when she gets into the mood for eating, she'll cross her legs, bite into an apple, and hum a tuneless little tune, looking carefree and unrestrained.

The commotion that day was so great that it alerted people in the distance.

A slightly surprised voice rang out: "Pei Xueyan?!"