"You mean Li Yijin?" Ye Xingchen was taken aback. "I haven't heard from her in a long time. How is she now?"
“It’s good, but… I’ll be cultivating with someone else.” Zhang Shih-hao hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.
"Whom do you cultivate with?" Ye Xingchen frowned when she saw his expression. "Is there anything you can't tell me? Why are you stammering?"
"Following my mother, inside the Demon-Suppressing Tower behind Qiwu Mountain, your little fangirl somehow stumbled in by accident, and then..."
"Does your mother eat people?" Ye Xingchen was taken aback.
“I’m not eating…” Zhang Shih-hao rolled his eyes: “She’s a proper celestial fox, not a monster.”
"Okay." Ye Xingchen smiled awkwardly: "She ran into your mother? What happened between them?"
“My mother saw that she had good aptitude, so she took her as her disciple and taught her the Heavenly Fox Heart Technique,” Zhang Shih-hao said leisurely.
"She...cultivated the Heavenly Fox Heart Technique?" Ye Xingchen was surprised again; this news was truly too explosive.
"Don't worry, the Heavenly Fox Heart Sutra is a unique cultivation method of the Heavenly Fox clan, a proper and righteous path of cultivation." Zhang Shihao said, "The Heavenly Fox clan is different from ordinary demons and spirits; they are the closest to us humans."
“I’m not worried. Being able to cultivate the Heavenly Fox Heart Technique is her good fortune,” Ye Xingchen said. “If she has good aptitude and succeeds in her cultivation, it will be enough to change her life.”
“Her aptitude is indeed quite good, otherwise do you think my mother would just casually take on a disciple?” Zhang Shihao shook his head: “I don’t know what it is about this little girl that attracted my mother.”
“She has been locked up there all these years, but she won’t see anyone, not even me.”
"Don't worry too much," Ye Xingchen comforted him. "There's always a way to solve things."
“There is indeed a way to solve this, so why shouldn’t I come down the mountain to find you?” Zhang Shihao glanced at Ye Xingchen: “After your matter is resolved, come back to Qiwu Mountain with me.”
“No problem.” Ye Xingchen nodded. “But I think the reason your mother hasn’t left the Demon Suppression Tower all these years is not because the restrictions imposed by our ancestors on Qiwu Mountain are so powerful, but because she doesn’t want to leave.”
"Why do you think that?" Zhang Shih-hao frowned slightly.
Although he didn't know if what Ye Xingchen said was true, he felt that it made sense.
When the incident happened decades ago, my mother was already a six-tailed celestial fox.
Although it's not the strongest, it's definitely not something Master can subdue.
The Demon-Suppressing Tower locks up countless powerful demons. These demons were captured and imprisoned here by the ancestors of Qiwu Mountain.
However, this was not the case with Rokubi; she seemed to have voluntarily requested to be locked up on Mount Sugo.
As for what happened back then, Zhang Shih-hao had no idea. Moreover, she had been locked up there for over thirty years, and it was even harder to say whether her cultivation had improved during those thirty years.
“Your mother is from the Celestial Fox clan, and she has the blood of a demon royal family flowing through her veins.” Ye Xingchen glanced at Zhang Shihao and said, “Do you really think that your master, Zhang Guangling, can hold her captive?”
Zhang Shih-hao clenched his fists tightly, remaining silent.
Yes, the Celestial Fox Clan is the royal family of demons, possessing extremely powerful bloodlines. If they embark on the righteous path of cultivation, they can progress much faster than even the most talented individuals.
How could someone like that be trapped on Qiwu Mountain? There must be a reason, but he didn't know what it was.
"Where's your father?" Ye Xingchen asked.
“After what happened with my mother thirty years ago, he lost all his cultivation and was expelled from Qiwu Mountain.” Zhang Shihao said, “The disciples of Qiwu Mountain have a deep affection for the sect. Being expelled from the sect is more serious than being killed directly.”
"So, having lost all his cultivation, he leaped off the cliff at the back of the mountain, leaving no trace of his body..."
Ye Xingchen fell silent for a moment. Zhang Shihao's background was indeed a bit too much. He comforted him, "Don't worry, your father might still be alive."
"Why would you say that?" Zhang Shih-hao was taken aback and suddenly looked up.
"People who jump off cliffs usually don't die," Ye Xingchen said seriously. "That's how it's portrayed in movies and TV shows, didn't you know?"
"Damn it..." Zhang Shihao helplessly raised his middle finger at Ye Xingchen. He was in a very bad mood just now, but Ye Xingchen's words made him laugh.
"Haha, I'm telling the truth." Ye Xingchen said seriously, "How old were you when your father passed away?"
“Three years old,” Zhang Shihao said. “Originally, I had the bloodline of a celestial fox in my body, so I couldn’t become a disciple of Qiwu Mountain. But my master withstood all the pressure and insisted on taking me as his disciple. And over the years, I have used my strength to shut up those who opposed me back then.”
"After you turned three, did your mother and your master ever go looking for your father's remains?" Ye Xingchen asked.
“We searched, but found nothing, because the cliff he fell off is below the Windless Valley, which is full of wild animals. We don’t know if his body was dragged away or…” Zhang Shih-hao shook his head.
"That's it. Some things, unless you see them with your own eyes, you shouldn't believe any rumors," Ye Xingchen said seriously.
"Okay, I understand." Zhang Shihao nodded gently, carefully considering the meaning behind Ye Xingchen's words.
"Alright, you go with me to the Jin Clan Imperial Mausoleum first to save my father, and then I'll go back to Qiwu Mountain with you to save your mother." Ye Xingchen said, "The reason your mother locked herself in that dark and gloomy Demon-Suppressing Tower, filled with demonic energy, is..."
"I think it's because she's disheartened and doesn't want to interact with outsiders anymore, so to save her, we must first remove the knot in her heart."
"There's no solution then, unless I find my father." Zhang Shih-hao sighed helplessly.
"Then find your father," Ye Xingchen said seriously.
"This... how is this possible?" Zhang Shih-hao exclaimed in surprise.
"I need to see him alive or dead. Trust me, we'll go to the bottom of Windless Valley together later. We're sure to find something there," Ye Xingchen said.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Zhang Shihao looked into Ye Xingchen's eyes and nodded heavily. Ye Xingchen's words rekindled his hope.
"Alright, stop being so down about these things." Ye Xingchen patted his shoulder and said, "We're actually the same kind of people."
"But look at me now, I've found my mother and am about to rescue my father, so I think everything is preordained, there's no need to worry."
"Alright, come on, bottoms up, we're brothers." Zhang Shihao's mood instantly improved. He raised a bowl of wine, clinked glasses with Ye Xingchen, and then tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com