Chapter 163 The Realm of Trials (XIV)
Wei Feng did not change his clothes, but he also did not return them.
Looking out from the small space formed by the sea of blood, one could vaguely see a huge blood-red Bodhi tree, with long branches hanging down from the crown and disappearing into the ground. Jiang Gu wanted to take a closer look, but Wei Feng blocked his view.
“You can’t stay here for long. I will send you back to Wu Family Village in the Refining Heart Realm through the scroll in an hour.” Wei Feng said stiffly. He seemed to want to say something more, but he shut his mouth and kept his eyes fixed on Jiang Gu.
Jiang Gu had no choice but to speak first, "Is this scroll your magical artifact?"
“No.” Wei Feng didn’t remain silent for long. He paused for a moment and said, “The primordial spirit of mortals cannot leave the body for a long time. These mortals are captured by the cultivators of Wangyue and put into the Heart Refining Realm. Their real purpose is to provide nourishment for the trial participants to establish their Dao mindset. Mortals have strong emotions and desires. After absorbing them and then severing them, they are especially useful.”
"Deceive the Heavenly Dao?" Jiang Gu asked, somewhat surprised.
“This is hardly deception. A mortal’s primordial spirit is bound to collapse if it leaves the body, but it can survive well in the Refining Heart Realm. It’s not wrong for it to be devoured by the trial participants. After all, if it can’t devour those mortals, their primordial spirits will divide and devour the cultivator’s primordial spirits.” Wei Feng grinned. “It’s perfectly normal.”
Jiang Gu couldn't help but frown. "It's true that the cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world, but it also has its rules. Mortals and cultivators have never had much interaction. Acting like this will inevitably lead to disaster sooner or later."
Wei Feng squatted down in front of him, sniffed him closely, and tilted his head in confusion, saying, "When did you become so kind-hearted? You didn't hold back when you killed those cultivators."
“Cultivators walk a path that defies the heavens; it is their own choice. Since they have chosen this path, they must fight and compete. However, if people do not offend me, I do not need to kill them indiscriminately. Mortals live by the protection of the heavens and do not compete with us. There is no need to involve them.” Jiang Gu finally realized that he had lacked something in his teaching of Wei Feng, and his expression became slightly solemn. “Wei Feng, many things in the world cannot be solved by killing alone.”
"What if you can't survive without killing them?" Wei Feng said dismissively.
"Then that means the rule is wrong." Jiang Gu's tone became serious. "What did they all teach you?"
"You don't need to worry about it. Just do as I say, and I guarantee your Dharma form will be able to establish the Dao Heart Realm smoothly and pass through the second stage of Heart Refinement." Wei Feng shifted his gaze and said casually, "At the village banquet tomorrow, devour the primordial spirits of those mortals in Wu Family Village, and then find a few more mortal villages and towns. With your cultivation at the mid-stage of True Immortal Realm, about three or four thousand mortals will be enough."
Jiang Gu's face darkened completely.
Wei Feng keenly sensed his displeasure and wanted to get up and leave, but was rooted to the spot by Jiang Gu's icy gaze.
“If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to leave the Refining Mind Realm.” Wei Feng said, somewhat annoyed.
Jiang Gu looked at him calmly, "Then kill the person who made this rule."
He spoke so matter-of-factly and casually that Wei Feng was stunned for a moment. In his subconscious, the rules of both the Moon Gazing Continent and the Trial Realm were unshakeable. He had never even thought about the so-called "rules," as if they were just how they were supposed to be.
Jiang Gu never entered the trial realm in order to pass the trial smoothly and enter the Eight Pavilions.
He came seeking revenge.
Jiang Guzhen removed the ghostly patterns that were wrapped around Wei Feng's primordial spirit and extended his hand to him.
Wei Feng's primordial spirit instinctively flinched, then froze in place, before clearly feeling warm fingertips brush past the corner of his eye and firmly rest on his shoulder blade.
There was no flesh there, only several withered branches entwined and coiled in the bones of his primordial spirit, sinking into his empty chest cavity and occupying the place where his heart used to be. Those branches extended all the way from the sea of blood, connecting to the huge Bodhi tree in the distance.
Jiang Gu certainly couldn't stay here for too long, because Wei Feng could only temporarily sever the connection between the Bodhi tree and himself. His primordial spirit needed to continuously provide nutrients to this strange tree. He was a puppet tied to the tree, a planted in the soil of the sea of blood, and a "Jack Jade" whose primordial spirit needed to be dispersed to various realms to constantly explore the Jade Steps.
Compared to being auctioned off as a discarded spirit pet, Wei Feng's true primordial spirit was trapped in this dark and sunless place, suffering torment day and night. Jiang Gu could almost foresee the perilous situation he would face if he wanted to break free, not to mention that this bastard was trying to protect him.
His disciples may endure the hardships of cultivation, but they should not suffer such inhuman torment and abuse.
They shouldn't have gone to so much trouble to protect their master.
"I'll take you out of here." Jiang Gu suppressed his overwhelming anger and said in a cold voice, "The trial ends here."
Wei Feng shook his head in disapproval, "No, that's too risky—"
Before he could finish speaking, he was forcefully pulled into a warm embrace. The force was so great that he almost coughed out. He knelt halfway in the sea of blood, surrounded by Jiang Gu's unique, cool scent. His nose suddenly felt sore and painful... This was a scene he dared not even dream of.
But it really happened.
Although his master's tenderness was restrained and limited, and they were about to part in an instant, Wei Feng was unwilling to let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He raised his arm and wrapped it around Jiang Gu's waist, holding him tightly in his arms. He rested his chin on Jiang Gu's shoulder, his cheek pressed tightly against Jiang Gu's neck. He carefully felt Jiang Gu's warmth and breath, and carefully smelled Jiang Gu's scent. His entire soul trembled with sadness—even though it was just a simple hug.
He knew Jiang Gu would definitely come to his rescue.
Because Master always has a way.
Jiang Gu did not push the man away. He should not have been so lenient with Wei Feng, but Wei Feng had suffered too much, and he did not want to deny him even this little bit of hope of being rescued.
He patted Wei Feng's back awkwardly, trying his best to soften his voice, "Don't cry."
“…I didn’t cry.” Wei Feng hugged him tighter. “I stopped crying a long time ago.”
"Um."
I haven't forgiven you yet.
"Um."
"You... touch your back," Wei Feng said in a muffled voice, "It hurts a little."
Jiang Gu placed his palm on his bony back and gently stroked it a few times.
He finally heard a suppressed sob, and scalding tears fell onto his shoulder, running down his spine and disappearing into the depths of his primordial spirit.
For the first time, he didn't want to hear Wei Feng cry.
Although Wei Feng didn't want to, Jiang Gu couldn't stay in this sea of blood for long; an hour passed quickly.
"It will take six hours before this sea of blood can be condensed again." Wei Feng looked at Jiang Gu, the ghost patterns churning in the sea of blood. "You should leave. I will send a wisp of my primordial spirit to follow you."
Jiang Gu nodded. "Send a message if anything comes up."
He stood still, and after a moment, he looked down at the ghost pattern that was clinging to his sleeve and refusing to let go.
"..." Wei Feng grabbed the ghost patterns and pulled them back, his face cold as he said, "That wisp of primordial spirit can connect to my main body most of the time, but if Chu Guanshan and his people come, I will withdraw my main body and destroy it if necessary."
Jiang Gu remained noncommittal, and with a thought, he returned to the courtyard of Wu Family Village in the blink of an eye.
The sky outside was just beginning to lighten.
Wei Feng's wisp of consciousness returned with him, clearly indicating that Wei Feng's main consciousness was still inside—Jiang Gu met those bright eyes, "Do you know who the figure in the painting is?"
Wei Feng nodded, looking at the unfamiliar figure. He pointed to the rightmost of the six figures in the painting, "This is Song Sui."
"Young Master Song Sui?" Jiang Gu looked at the figure, the one who had distributed blood to the villagers last night.
“That’s right. Five years ago, he and I were kidnapped to Wangyue by Lu Liyu. We were separated as soon as we arrived, and I lost contact with him. However, before he was taken away, he gave me a drop of something to protect my primordial spirit in the chaos. It was like a pine needle’s breath or a jade marrow. Because of this, I didn’t completely lose my mind and become completely at the mercy of others at first.” Wei Feng paused and said, “The next time I saw him was a few months ago on this second-level painting. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t get a response from him. So I deliberately left a wisp of my primordial spirit here, just to see if I could awaken him.”
Jiang Gu felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing this.
At least this scoundrel hasn't lost his most basic humanity; he knows how to repay kindness.
Wei Feng felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and touched his nose, saying, "This Wu Family Village is located in a remote area, and it has not been devoured by the trial participants for a long time. Instead, with Song Sui's help, it killed a few people with low cultivation levels. However, over time, the primordial spirits of these mortals will also dissipate. Every once in a while, Song Sui will give them a drop of his essence blood to prolong their lives."
Jiang Gu looked at Song Sui's back in the portrait and pondered for a moment.
Wei Feng looked at him and asked, "Is there any way?"
“Song Sui helped these primordial spirits in Wujia Village because he remembered his relatives and friends when he was a mortal,” Jiang Gu patiently explained to him. “If that’s the case, it means he hasn’t completely lost his mind; at least he still remembers the most important people in his life.”
"The most important person to him?" Wei Feng suddenly realized, "The Spirit Realm Princess."
Jiang Gu nodded, and with a flick of his wrist, a scroll appeared in his palm. The scroll slowly opened, and he made a hand seal to summon the spirit within the magic weapon. The remnant spirit within the magic weapon was summoned and slowly revealed the slender figure of a woman.
The woman's figure was outlined in ink wash painting. She turned and nodded slightly to Jiang Gu, then looked up at the painting hanging on the wall.
The scattered spiritual energy, like fireflies and candlelight, slowly drifted towards the shadows in the painting, their backs turned to them.
The man in the painting seemed to sense the call of the remnant spirit. He slowly turned around and finally revealed his face. It was Prince Song Sui. He stared blankly at the remnant spirit of Princess Song Sui outside the painting and hesitantly took a step out.
Jiang Gu and Wei Feng exchanged a glance. The former decisively pulled Song Sui out of the painting, while the latter cleanly blocked his escape route back into the painting.
Song Sui was tightly bound by the Fire Rope. He sighed helplessly and slowly said, "My cultivation is now low, and I have been forcibly separated from Song Sui Tower. Why must Young Master Jiang make things difficult for me?"
Then he saw the ruthless and brutal Young Master Jiang Qi, whom he remembered, raise his hand and solemnly bow to him.
"Many thanks to you, fellow Daoist, for saving my disciple Wei Feng that day. I am deeply grateful."
Wei Feng was stunned.
That was the first time he had felt so clearly that Jiang Gu was teaching him with all his heart.
He finally realized that Jiang Gu was seriously treating him as a disciple.
This is exactly what is meant by teaching by example.
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