Chapter 377 A Glimpse into the Lives of All Beings
Tian Jin watched as the falling yellow leaves were struck by the rocks and then swept away by the wind.
The mountaintop was chilly in the early morning wind, and she hugged herself, asking softly:
"Uncle-Master, would you like me to get you a cloak?"
There was no response. She bent down and was about to lean close to the other person's ear when she found that the other person had slumped to the other side.
With a sudden jolt, Tian Jin quickly moved to face the other person. She crouched down and looked at the person with their eyes closed and a relaxed expression.
"Master Uncle?"
Her voice was very soft and quickly dissipated in the wind.
She grabbed the other person's hand and found that she could no longer feel a pulse.
Tian Jin's mind went blank for a moment before she came to her senses. With mixed emotions, she moved the armchair and herself to the quiet room of the cave and laid them flat on the bed.
She knew that Master Ji would arrive after Chenshi (7-9 AM), so she waited at the entrance of the cave. She recalled everything that had happened since she came to Ningcui Cliff, and her heart was filled with sorrow.
This kind senior sister will never open her eyes again. In a few days, she will also leave this place and be assigned to another place.
Her master once said he would reward her with a Foundation Establishment Pill to thank her for her meticulous care in the final stage of her life, but it seems that he won't be able to now.
Next to the cave dwelling, a teleportation array flashed, and Ji An strode out.
Despite having experienced countless teleportations, he remained extremely curious about the gray space passages used for teleportation.
He saw Tian Jin leaning against the cave door, looking lost and dejected, and a strange, ominous premonition arose within him:
Where is my master?
The maid came to her senses and said sadly:
"My senior sister-in-law, Ge, passed away while watching the sunrise at dawn."
Ji An was slightly stunned. When he bid farewell last night, he felt that the death energy in his master's body had accumulated to a certain extent, but he should still have several months of life left. How could he have died overnight?
"Take me to see this!"
He followed the maid to the quiet room, where he saw his master lying there lifeless, with no warmth to be felt.
Ji An walked to the bedside, gazed at it for a moment, closed his eyes, and sighed softly.
For a cultivator who is going against the natural order, when their cultivation can no longer advance and their physical functions are declining, watching themselves weaken day by day, death may be a beautiful ending.
From then on, there was no need to experience the ups and downs of life anymore; all the joy and pain vanished into thin air.
Ji An took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, but a faint sadness still lingered in his heart, and fragments of time spent with his master flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.
"I wish to accept you as my disciple. Are you willing?"
"Take this premium Foundation Building Pill and use it."
"What if you lose money? How will you pay it back?"
"You have an excellent talent for planting; you can master all three types of cultivation techniques: water, wood, and earth."
"Second-tier top-grade Star Mark Gold, this gift is too precious. Do you know what these things mean to those sword cultivators?"
"I happen to have some Azure Lotus Pills on hand; you can take them and use them."
"There are two Profound Origin Regeneration Pills in the jade bottle. If your physical body is injured, there is a Blood Burning Pill in this red jade bottle, which can burn your blood and magical power. Do not take it unless absolutely necessary."
"Now only you can calm down and listen to this old man's ramblings."
Ji An opened his eyes and exhaled again.
He took out more than ten golden communication swords, entered the information, activated them, and sent them to Senior Sister Ge Luoying, his fellow disciples, and the Dan Ding Academy.
My master is an alchemist, and the funeral arrangements will be overseen by the Dan Ding Academy.
Three days later, as the dean of the Dan Ding Academy, Han Yan presided over the funeral:
"We bid farewell to Fellow Daoist Ge Ying with heavy hearts. It is thanks to countless diligent cultivators like her who have followed in her footsteps that our sect has prospered."
The image of riding a dragon to ascend to heaven concealed the wooden frame and Ge Ying's physical body, beneath which the charcoal fire burned bright red.
As the flames blazed, the bodies of the deceased transformed into spirits and returned to the world.
The flames died down, and the guests dispersed.
Ge Luoying, Ji An, and the others collected the ashes and scattered them on the land of Ningcui Cliff, some riding swords, some riding clouds, and some riding flying shuttles.
This was Ge Ying's last wish. She had been in charge of Ningcui Cliff for about 150 years and deeply loved this land.
Finally, everyone gathered in the mountain cave and chatted for a while before Glory was the first to get up and take his leave.
"Fellow Daoists, farewell for now, may we meet again in the future."
She had only a so-so relationship with most of the monks here, and she didn't like such occasions on a regular basis.
Now that her great-aunt has passed away, she is unwilling to stay in such an environment for long.
She strode out of the cave, not waiting for anyone to see her off. Her light, like autumn water, rippled outwards, and the soft hum of her sword echoed as she swiftly disappeared into the distance.
The atmosphere in the cave was somewhat quiet; no one spoke, and everyone breathed very softly.
After a moment, Zhu Qinghao glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice:
"Fellow disciples, now that our master has passed away and Senior Sister Ge has left us at this time, we don't know what to do with our master's belongings."
Let's discuss and formulate some regulations.
He was the senior brother of all the others, and even though his cultivation level wasn't the highest, his words naturally carried weight.
Ji An remained silent. He knew that the merit points and contribution points in his master's jade tablet had been converted into spirit stones and given to Ge Luoying half a year ago.
The master's robes and various clothes were burned along with his body. Now, only a few alchemy furnaces remain, including a Four Symbols Life-Giving Furnace that has reached the level of a spiritual artifact.
Besides the alchemy furnace, there were also some pills used by Foundation Establishment cultivators, as well as some jade slips about alchemy and planting.
Liu Yu spoke first:
"I abstain."
His fellow disciples all learned alchemy and needed alchemy furnaces or pills, but he needed neither.
Ji An's eyes flickered, and he said:
"I also abstain."
Only the Four Symbols Spirit Furnace was useful to him, but it would soon become too outdated for his level, so it would be better to leave it to his fellow disciples who needed it more.
He can now attempt to refine pills at the Chaoyuan stage, and he plans to directly acquire a second-tier high-grade pill furnace in the future.
Zhu Qinghao was secretly delighted and said:
"Now there are only eight of us brothers left. As for the pills, we can each take what we need. As for the remaining three pill furnaces, we can distribute them according to our pill-refining abilities."
This will allow the alchemy furnace to function better and thus serve the sect. What do you all think?
His words were clearly biased. In terms of alchemy skills, the disciples who had become apprentices earlier had a natural advantage because of their extensive experience in alchemy.
This statement united a group of people, and others immediately responded.
"I agree with Senior Brother Zhu's proposal."
Du Huaiyuan curled his lip and said:
"I would like to ask Senior Brother Zhu, how are alchemy skills differentiated?"
"Calculating from multiple dimensions, such as the types of pills refined, the success rate, and the number of high-quality pills, is the fairest approach."
“However, we embarked on the path of immortality several decades later than our senior brothers. Such a long time gap is difficult to bridge. I think we should each refine a batch of our best Foundation Establishment stage pills as a basis.”
Du Huaiyuan said calmly that he cultivated the Water Element Technique, which used water to refine pills, and did not require the use of the pill furnace left by his master.
However, he was furious at the other party's remarks that were detrimental to them. Alchemy was a craft that required a great deal of experience, and it was clear that they wanted to exclude them.
"Junior brother, you are mistaken. Strong alchemy skills can lead to better alchemy furnaces, enabling us to make greater contributions to the sect. This is what our master has always taught us to do."
Therefore, I believe that having more comprehensive skills is the most important thing now.
Li Lingyu said sarcastically:
"The more alchemists can contribute in the future, the more beneficial it will be for the sect. I think potential should be calculated based on age and cultivation level."
Those who are accepted as formal disciples by their master are roughly equal in alchemy ability, but those who have practiced alchemy extensively will naturally have more experience.
The other party clearly wanted the alchemy furnace, yet they acted so righteously, which she disliked.
The group started arguing and refused to back down, splitting into two factions: one led by Zhu Qinghao and several senior disciples, and the other consisting of Du Huaiyuan and two others.
Zhong Yuefei sighed softly. With the unexpected death of the eldest senior brother, Zhu Shixiong became the 'de facto eldest senior brother,' but he lacked the responsibility of the eldest senior brother.
Such a conflict has arisen only a few days after the passing of their master, which will further destroy the already thin bond between the fellow disciples.
When the arguing subsided slightly, Zhong Yuefei spoke up:
"No matter how they are distributed, there will be disputes. How about this: these alchemy furnaces are auctioned off on the spot, and all the proceeds are divided equally. This is the fairest way."
Du Huaiyuan laughed:
"I agree. Senior Sister Zhong's words are fair. Those with ulterior motives should learn from her!"
Of his master's five senior disciples, he only had a relationship with Senior Sister Zhong.
Li Lingyu and Mu Qingwan nodded simultaneously, "I agree."
Zhu Qinghao looked at Zhong Yuefei with a grim expression and transmitted his voice:
"Junior sister, what good will this do you? If you follow my method, the Four Symbols Spirit Furnace will be yours."
There are many of us, so if we vote, it will be done the way I say it!
Zhong Yuefei lowered her gaze, pursed her lips, and remained silent; the other person's eating manners were too unsightly.
Things didn't need to escalate to this point. Wouldn't it be better if everyone just stayed peaceful and amicable?
She has decided to try to have less contact with Senior Brother Zhu and others in the future.
She couldn't understand why some people couldn't see the current situation. The cultivators who could unite their lineage had already been born, so why did others still support such a proposal that was detrimental to unity?
Ji An said in a deep voice:
"Although I abstained from the allocation, I should have the right to speak. I agree with Senior Sister Zhong's suggestion."
It seems that the fellow disciples who gathered together because of their master will become strangers in the future.
When there are no conflicts of interest, everyone seems kind and generous, but now that things have escalated to a point of contention, his face is somewhat gloomy.
His relationship with the others was just so-so, so naturally he sided with Senior Brother Du and the others.
Liu Yu coughed and said:
“I agree with Senior Sister Zhong’s suggestion. Since things have escalated to this point, it’s better to auction off the pills so that everyone can get their share clearly.”
The vote was six to four, with the two cultivators at the Chaoyuan stage standing on the same side. Zhu Qinghao glared fiercely at Zhong Yuefei, but had no choice but to back down, saying:
"OK."
Ji An transmitted his voice to Li Lingyu and Mu Qingwan respectively:
"Senior sister, if you need a pill furnace, feel free to bid on it. I can lend you some spirit stones or resources first."
The alchemy furnaces treasured by Master are all top-quality.
Li Lingyu responded with a smile via telepathy:
"Thank you, let me benefit from the landlord's generosity!"
Mu Qingwan shook her head slightly and transmitted her voice:
"Since Senior Brother Liu has agreed to help me, I won't trouble you, Junior Brother."
Zhong Yuefei clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention, and said:
"What do you all think about having Junior Brother Ji or Junior Brother Liu handle the auction?"
"Alright, with two cultivators at the Chaoyuan stage presiding, I assume everyone agrees. Let's begin!"
Du Huaiyuan laughed and said that the emergence of two Chaoyuan stage cultivators from the Ningcui Cliff lineage was quite a story in the sect.
Most Foundation Establishment cultivators may not have met Ji An and the other person in person, but they all know this news.
Ji An raised his head at Liu Yu and said:
"Senior brother, come here."
With the matter settled, everyone got what they wanted during the elixir auction, and there were no major upheavals.
When the alchemy furnace was put up for auction, a bloodbath ensued.
Zhong Yuefei won the bid for a second-tier spiritual artifact alchemy furnace, while Li Lingyu and Mu Qingwan won the bid for a first-tier top-grade alchemy furnace. The prices were driven up to a very high level, much more expensive than custom-made alchemy furnaces of the same style.
Unlike other magical artifacts, secondhand alchemy furnaces are more popular with alchemists as long as they are undamaged and their internal magical restrictions are intact.
Because of the long-term process of refining elixirs, the alchemy furnace will develop a special spirituality, which alchemists believe can help improve the success rate of elixirs.
After dividing up the resources obtained from the auction, Zhu Qinghao and the others exchanged a few polite words and left.
Ji An's gaze was deep, and he gently shook his head, saying:
"Master often mentions that everyone should help each other, but that's just wishful thinking."
They weren't exactly enemies with Zhu Qinghao and his group, but it was unlikely they would continue to associate with each other in the future.
Zhu Qinghao once brought Chen Xingyun to see him, and since then his relationship with this senior brother has been very cold.
Du Huaiyuan gave a cold laugh and said:
“Senior Brother Zhu and the others are not on the same side as us. I once asked him for help, and he made very nice promises, but when I really needed his help, he was nowhere to be found.”
During the period immediately following the outbreak of the demonic calamity, he was refining pills in the Immortal City of Mingfeng Mountain, under the direct jurisdiction of Zhu Qinghao, and the two sides had some unpleasantness at that time.
Zhong Yuefei raised her head and said:
"Everyone is busy with cultivation or various things, so we will inevitably see each other less in the future. It would be better to get together every few years to maintain our relationship."
Even the deepest friendships will gradually fade away with the passage of time if there is no contact.
Because of different circumstances, people may find themselves unable to share a common language.
“Great!” Du Huaiyuan was the first to agree, laughing.
“Junior Brother Ji is now in charge of Ningcui Cliff, so we should let Junior Brother Ji make the arrangements.”
His relationship with Ji An remains good, untainted by any self-interest. If a rift were to develop between them, he would withdraw from the friendship.
He was well aware of his situation and had no hope of breaking through to the Chaoyuan stage. He would spend the rest of his life enjoying life.
Du Huaiyuan subconsciously swallowed. The food in Crimson Flame Peak was exceptionally delicious, and second-tier ingredients were not something that Foundation Establishment cultivators could easily enjoy.
Liu Yu smiled and nodded: "Agreed."
“I agree,” others chimed in.
Ji An patted his chest and laughed heartily:
"Haha, no problem, leave it to me. I'll invite everyone to visit Crimson Flame Peak before I go on my travels."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com