Chapter 143 A Place of Peace of Mind: With this matter settled, Xi Huaizhen announced her official emergence from seclusion, and all previously shelved matters were now back on track...
With this matter settled, Xi Huaizhen announced that she had officially emerged from seclusion, and all the things that had been put on hold were now back on track.
The most urgent task is to consolidate Xi Congshuang's cultivation level. Her spiritual meridians are now flowing smoothly, and she can use all kinds of elixirs, medicines, and rare treasures.
This is a far cry from the past, when people were wary of any extra spiritual energy entering her spiritual veins for fear of her exploding and dying.
Xi Huaizhen went even further, sending everything that was usable and useful to Xi Congshuang to her cave dwelling without restraint, making up for all the losses incurred over the years.
This was the first time Xi Congshuang had received such care from her own mother, without any orders or reprimands, leaving her somewhat at a loss.
He wanted to refuse, but when he saw the tender look in Xi Huaizhen's eyes, he immediately fell silent.
She accepted whatever was offered, swallowing even the most unpalatable medicine in one gulp, hoping it would make Xi Huaizhen happier.
To everyone's surprise, Xi Huaizhen said, "I thought you would whine and refuse to drink, but you're so decisive. It's probably a habit you developed in the past."
Upon hearing this, Xi Congshuang was already able to continue the sentence.
As expected, Xi Huaizhen continued, "You suffered while I was away."
Someone who cherishes you will always find something about you that they deem worthy of their love, no matter what.
Xi Congshuang's hand holding the bowl froze: "..." So my mother wanted me to act cute?
That might be a bit difficult.
People say she's cold-hearted, aloof, and unafraid of pretense, but what she fears most is genuine sincerity.
Without experiencing it, one cannot respond, hence the increasing avoidance.
The spiritual vein had been bursting for hundreds of years, and in one fell swoop it widened, directly spanning two major realms. Even Li Xiangyue, who had lived for so many years, said it was rare. She originally thought that she would at most advance to the Nascent Soul stage, but who knew that she would directly jump to the mid-stage of the Void Refinement stage.
When the nineteenth lightning bolt struck, she almost rushed over without thinking. Fortunately, Xi Congshuang stepped in to resist, which calmed her down a bit.
Looking back, Li Xiangyue was still a little scared. She only remembered staring intently, and not forgetting to comfort the little demon girl who cared about her.
She didn't want to interfere in Xi Congshuang's training unless absolutely necessary.
The Great Dao is ruthless. If, because of her intervention, the already incompatible human-demon bloodline were to successfully advance, the karma awaiting Xi Congshuang next time would only be more difficult to resolve.
Losing more than you gain is never a worthwhile trade.
To suddenly put someone whose spiritual veins have been unable to function for hundreds of years into a situation where they are almost powerless is tantamount to putting a child to fight a tiger.
Of course, this "utterly powerless" refers to Li Xiangyue.
Whether she was truly weak or not, the Qingfeng faction and many witnesses have something to say.
The demons had nothing to say, for they had already returned to the embrace of the Chaos Blood Pool, and the Death Demon had nothing to say.
Xi Congshuang's very existence is a miracle; she gritted her teeth and forged ahead, carving out a path for herself.
Su Wenxin did not fall into demonic possession and die as a result, Li Xiangyue would not continue to guard the entrance to the abyss, and Xi Huaizhen would not be imprisoned in the secret realm forever because of the fall of the master of the secret realm.
The Flying Immortal Palace, which was supposed to be massacred according to records, remained peaceful as ever, and there were no more drug-testing scandals.
Everything has been completely and drastically changed.
*
Aside from their similar appearances, Xi Congshuang and Xi Huaizhen share many similarities, namely, they both keep their word.
The Palace Master of Feixian Palace announced that he had completely emerged from seclusion. Not long after, he went to the Su family to personally meet with the current head of the Su family.
Su Mu didn't care about things outside the Su family. He thought Xi Tingzhu wanted him to do something again, so he went to her door in person. Therefore, he refused to see the Palace Master of Feixian Palace under the pretext of being in seclusion.
But the next sentence from the attendant made Su Mu change his mind.
The attendant said, "Palace Mistress Xi asked me to tell the head of the family, 'I wish to pay respects to my late friend A-Ying, but even the head of the Su family won't allow it?'"
Upon hearing this, Su Mu knew that the person who had come was not Xi Tingzhu.
When she stubbornly walked out of her seclusion and saw the woman leisurely drinking tea in the hall, her suspicions were completely confirmed.
The real and fake Palace Master Xi have been switched back, and the real Palace Master has come to collect a debt, but it's a debt owed to Su Wenxin.
Su Mu helped Xi Tingzhu conceal the truth and even used her to kill demonic beasts and gain fame. He should have been riding high, with power and status in his grasp, but his cultivation level never improved again.
These years of seclusion haven't yielded a better solution.
Feeling guilty, she didn't refuse too much and ordered people to take inventory of the items, compile them into a book, and replace the used items with spiritual treasures of equal value, returning them all to Su Wenxin.
Many members of the Su family opposed Su Mu's actions, suggesting that if Su Wenxin wanted to take the legacy left by the former head of the family, she would have to return to the Su family.
Su Wenxin, who had taken almost half of the warehouse, just followed the person. Wouldn't that be a boon for the Flying Immortal Palace?
"I'm taking the things with me, and I'm taking the person with me too." Xi Huaizhen put down her teacup, the bottom of the cup making a crisp sound. "Wenxin is my soon-to-be disciple, and I'm taking him home. Who dares to stop me?"
"..."
Su Mu remained silent, as did the elders below the hall.
"A personal disciple? Palace Master Xi, you are clearly a sword cultivator..."
Xi Huaizhen raised an eyebrow: "What? Is it so hard to invite a sword cultivator to be a guest elder?"
"..." It's not difficult.
But that's not what everyone really wants to ask. What they really want to say is that so-called direct disciples are just inheritors of their master's mantle. Why would someone who practices both sound and array cultivation take in a sword cultivator? Aren't they afraid of ruining the lineage?
It's utterly incongruous.
Xi Huaizhen could easily see through the ulterior motives of these people, and she felt even more disappointed.
This is the Su family, whom my friend has protected for a lifetime. How could they be so old-fashioned?
A family tradition cannot be broken; does that mean we cannot take on apprentices?
Palace Master Xi, who had three direct disciples and more than a dozen nominal disciples, really couldn't understand it.
Forcing a descendant who doesn't like this art to learn it will only cause the tradition to break down faster. Over time, the most exquisite sword techniques in the world will become commonplace and be cherished only by those who don't know them.
They only captured the form, not the essence; no one can replicate Su Ying's stunning performance.
In truth, everyone knows that the master of the number one palace in the world might not actually covet her old friend's possessions; she already has everything she could possibly want.
It's heartbreaking that they emptied out most of the warehouse at once.
Su Wenxin received the item, but she was not happy. She said to Su Mu, "You owe me a life, and I will ask you for it back."
Although Su Mu was not involved in the killing of her adoptive mother, she was the one who ultimately gave the order.
Su Mu chuckled: "You can talk about it after you can do it."
Su Wenxin gripped the storage pouch tightly in her hand: "It's a deal."
At this time, Su Mu was also a powerful cultivator in the Integration Stage, and the one who spoke harshly to her was just a young girl in the Golden Core Stage, so he naturally didn't take her seriously.
Wanting to defeat her is nothing but a pipe dream.
Centuries later, Su Wenxin still remembered this incident and challenged Su Mu, who drew his sword to accept the challenge.
At that time, gambling dens were set up everywhere in the cultivation world, and almost 80% of people bet on Su Mu to win, while very few bet on Su Wenxin to win.
In everyone's eyes, betting on Su Wenxin to win was simply a joke, especially for the nameless guest who sent his servants to bet 100,000 high-grade spirit stones.
Chun Chun has too much money to burn, otherwise she wouldn't do something like this.
Who is Su Mu? She is the head of the Su family, the inheritor of the family's sword technique, and someone who can carve out a place for herself under the brilliance of Immortal Venerable Su Ying.
Su Wenxin was merely a rising star; he neither practiced his family's sword techniques nor the sword techniques created by Immortal Venerable Su Ying, but instead practiced the saber. He was no match for Su Mu at all.
Unexpectedly, Su Mu, who was more skilled with the sword, was seriously injured. Su Wenxin knocked away his natal spirit sword and struck him off the cliff with a palm. He was only saved from dying on the spot because Su Clan disciples at the bottom of the cliff gave him medicine and took him away.
From then on, Su Mu went into seclusion even more frequently.
A swordsman who does not travel the world with his footsteps and wander the world with his sword, but only secludes himself in seclusion, will only trap himself in the same place and die.
Unfortunately, Su Mu didn't understand this principle. Perhaps she did, but during her seclusion, she thought of Xi Tingzhu, who had been out of contact with her for a long time, more and more often.
She couldn't help but think back to why she had agreed to keep Xi Tingzhu's secret. After careful reflection, she finally remembered the reason.
—The moment Su Mu saw Xi Tingzhu, she felt as if she were looking in a mirror.
But she was a little better off than Xi Tingzhu. Su Ying died under the Nine-Nine Thunder Tribulation, saving her from having to do it herself.
Su Mu, who inherited the position of family head, instinctively resisted doing things like Su Ying; she didn't want to be seen as copying others.
As she reminisced about the past, the nameless guest sent his servant to collect the spirit stone she had won from her bet.
With so many spirit stones, how could anyone not be envious? Some cultivators followed the servant away, lurking in the shadows to try and ambush him, only to find that the servant's destination was the Flying Immortal Palace.
Gazing at the ethereal and majestic gates of the Flying Immortal Palace from afar, those with guilty consciences quickly left, not daring to make a move.
But this happened hundreds of years later; at that time, Su Wenxin was still a young girl who had secretly made up her mind.
Xi Huaizhen said, "This is what Aying left for you. Make good use of it. We'll go find Cong Shuang to meet up now."
*
Xi Congshuang did not go to Su's to support them; she was ordered to watch over her mother, who was trying to go with her to support them.
One Nascent Soul stage expert who is just one step away from restoring the Great Ascension stage is enough; sending another Void Refinement stage expert and a demon with a mysterious cultivation level would be a bit excessive.
They don't seem like they're there to lend support; they seem like they're there to challenge the established order.
The Demon Lord Li Xiangyue hadn't been to the mortal realm for a long time, and her curiosity was even greater than before.
Three hundred years is enough time for the human world to undergo earth-shattering changes, leaving the demons, who are tired of the dramatic and superficial, overwhelmed with newfound experiences.
Fortunately, she was beautiful and had been in a high position for many years, which cultivated her elegant temperament. This prevented people from thinking that she was ignorant or that she was used to wealth and rarely saw ordinary markets.
Not to mention the aloof, frost-like woman in a blue robe behind her; compared to the former, a wealthy and beautiful woman who seemed to be wandering the mortal world, she was more like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal realm.
Then, the fairy in green spoke: "I don't eat candied hawthorns, nor do I play with rattles. Put them back."
Li Xiangyue: "My daughter won't buy it for me, there's nothing I can do."
The peddler carrying a haystack covered in candied hawthorns: "..."
I don't know whether to be shocked by her being so young yet having such a grown daughter, or to be shocked by how she managed to feel the filial piety behind the words "don't buy candied hawthorns and rattles." What an extraordinary person.
Li Xiangyue caught up with the figure walking ahead: "Why don't you want it? I see the other children are all begging their parents for it."
Xi Congshuang: "I am three hundred years old."
Li Xiangyue blatantly lied: "I'm two thousand years old. If I had met your mother earlier, I could have given birth to six and a half of you."
Sometimes, Li Xiangyue's words reveal his demonic nature.
No one would say half a person; it sounds too much like being cut in half at the waist.
"..." Xi Congshuang closed her eyes and exhaled. "The candied hawthorn only has syrup on the surface, and it's sour inside. I don't like it."
Li Xiangyue: "I understand now. There's a pastry shop on the street corner. I smelled the freshly made milk candy. I'll buy it for you later."
Xi Congshuang: "..." How can she explain that she is no longer a child who would tug at her mother's skirt for candy?
But compared to her enigmatic life, he, at three hundred years old, was no different from a child.
Never mind, let her be.
Just by smelling it, Li Xiangyue was able to find the best restaurant in the vicinity.
"Drunken Immortal Pavilion." Li Xiangyue looked up and decisively stepped inside. "It's a good name, I like it, I'll eat here today."
Xi Congshuang followed him inside, and a waiter with a white towel draped over his shoulder immediately came forward: "Please come in, sir. How many are in your party?"
"Four people, and two more will arrive shortly." Li Xiangyue glanced at the storyteller in the hall who was engrossed in his tale. "I'd like a private room on the second floor."
After weaving through the crowd, the two were led by the waiter to a private room on the second floor. The room was spotless, and outside the window was a bustling street where one could hear the sounds of everyday life.
Sitting at the table, looking down from the railing, one can see the storyteller talking eloquently in the hall. It was lunchtime, and we ate while listening, which drew cheers from the audience.
Xi Congshuang took her seat with ease, and the task of ordering food fell to Li Xiangyue, as no one in the group loved eating more than her.
Xi Congshuang, who was supposed to abstain from grains, also started eating human grains. She took out her communication bell and prepared to tell the two people who were still at the Su family the location.
But Li Xiangyue stopped her and asked, "Don't rush to talk to your mother. Listen carefully. Does the text below say 'I am here'?"
Xi Congshuang: "How could they find us if we didn't tell them?"
Li Xiangyue turned her attention back to Xi Congshuang and suddenly smiled.
Xi Congshuang: "..." Every time she laughs like that, it's never a good thing.
Sure enough, Li Xiangyue said, "Otherwise, how do you think I met your mother?"
Looking at the smug Demon Lord in front of her, Xi Congshuang occasionally didn't want to admit that the other party wasn't her mother. Considering the Demon Lord's identity that made people tremble with fear, someone's song unconsciously came to mind.
"Whatever the world says about good and evil, I will never let go of your hand—"
The leader of the righteous path and the lord of the demon realm are indeed a fitting match.
Xi Congshuang calmly said, "Good and evil are opposed, they meet on the battlefield, and they fall in an instant after a fleeting glance that surpasses millions of people."
"..." Li Xiangyue was dumbfounded. She never expected such a meeting scene, which was just like the one written in a romantic novel.
It sounds really heartbreaking.
She quickly said, "Stop, stop, stop! You didn't listen to anything I told you before. I said that your mother and I met because I didn't have any money with me when I went out to eat."
Xi Congshuang lifted her thin eyelids: "Yes, you also said that my mother met him while on patrol. Isn't that near the battlefield? I just embellished the story."
Li Xiangyue: "You've gone a bit too far with the moisturizing."
Xi Congshuang: "I would like to hear the details."
Li Xiangyue: "I won't go into too much detail, but the braised pork knuckle at the restaurant where I almost ate for free is amazing, and your mother likes the stir-fried bamboo shoots from that restaurant."
Just then, the waiter came over to serve tea and glanced at Li Xiangyue, who was dressed in luxurious clothes.
He didn't say anything, but his eyes showed that appearances can be deceiving, and the teapot he was holding was about to tip over.
Xi Congshuang took out a silver ingot from her sleeve: "Serve the dishes as usual."
The waiter immediately dispelled his doubts, thanked her profusely, and took the money she had paid for the meal before going downstairs.
I almost thought these two were there to dine and dash, thankfully they weren't.
The waiter was deeply moved by Xiangyue's words, which she was unaware of. She continued, "So many years have passed, that restaurant is probably long gone. Thinking back now, I still miss it. If you weren't here, I would go and take a look before coming back to eat."
His words were full of regret.
Xi Congshuang: "..." No wonder my mother asked me to keep an eye on her.
It definitely needs someone to keep an eye on it; someone can disappear in the blink of an eye.
Not long after all the dishes were served, Xi Huaizhen indeed appeared outside the restaurant with Su Wenxin.
Li Xiangyue could no longer sit still and hurriedly stood up and waved her hand, attracting many curious glances.
But she didn't care, as long as Xi Huaizhen could see it.
Two more people joined the private room, sitting in pairs facing each other.
Downstairs, the storyteller, having finished a cup of tea to soothe his throat, slammed his gavel, silencing the entire audience.
"Continue the decomposition from the previous chapter."
"A few days ago, the demonic cultivator from the abyss, still harboring malicious intentions, forced his way into the Flying Immortal Palace, only to run into the Palace Master of the Flying Immortal Palace who had just emerged from seclusion..."
When the storyteller spoke the first sentence, Li Xiangyue had already raised her head, and when he spoke the second sentence, Xi Huaizhen also raised her head.
Listening to the storyteller downstairs speaking eloquently, it was as if he were the pillar supporting the gate of the Flying Immortal Palace, a storyteller who had witnessed everything firsthand.
Despite the commotion that day, no disciples were injured or killed, but the fact that the Flying Immortal Palace had been invaded by demons could not be completely concealed.
The message that was sent out was only two or three sentences: "It is true," "He has been brought to justice," and "He dares not come again." That was all.
Who knew that after it was introduced to the mortal world, it was processed layer by layer and transformed into a complete story of the celestial palace master battling a demonic cultivator.
Contrary to the story of the demons who painstakingly stayed in the Flying Immortal Palace, the storyteller heard that the demon cultivator was subdued by the palace master who had suddenly emerged from seclusion, and repeatedly begged for mercy. However, the palace master was unmoved and insisted on killing him.
The storyteller said, "But killing that demonic cultivator so easily is too lenient. He must suffer the agony of having his tendons pulled out and bones broken, and be imprisoned in a dark and sunless cell to repay his debt for countless lifetimes..."
"How did it become a rumor about demonic cultivators?" Li Xiangyue was really dissatisfied as the storyteller below kept going on and on about how the story was getting more and more outrageous.
This storyteller doesn't tell the truth at all; it's all hearsay. He even portrays the demon race as demonic cultivators.
The man, who was expressing his dissatisfaction, waved his hand and threw a silver ingot onto the storyteller's table. The storyteller became even more enthusiastic, his voice becoming excited and high-spirited.
She had just begged Xi Congshuang for the silver ingot, and before she could even warm it in her hand, she threw it out as a reward to someone else.
Xi Huaizhen: "If you're dissatisfied with the storyteller's nonsense, why give him a tip?"
Li Xiangyue looked completely innocent: "He said I stayed in Feixian Palace, which isn't entirely nonsense."
However, the method of keeping them was different from what the public believed. People thought that the arrogant demons were imprisoned in a dark and sunless prison and could no longer be arrogant.
In fact, the arrogant demons lived in the palace, but the result was the same: they couldn't be arrogant. Therefore, in Li Xiangyue's eyes, it wasn't too far-fetched.
Xi Huaizhen: "..."
On the other side, Xi Congshuang, who was not a listener of the storytelling, put some ribs into Su Wenxin's bowl.
Seeing that Su Wenxin was in a bad mood and didn't care about how the storyteller downstairs was making up stories about her mother getting beaten, she coaxed her in a low voice, "This is delicious, you should try it."
Su Wenxin poked at the ribs in her bowl, and under the table, amidst the lively chatter, she quietly took Xi Congshuang's hand.
As her chaotic emotions gradually subsided, Su Wenxin felt somewhat at ease.
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Both parents, one raising a child (?), have bright futures.
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