The flames of Xuantian City burned for three days and three nights.
When Xiao Chen and his companions stood on the hillside outside the city and looked back, the city that had once symbolized the glory of the Xuan Tian Sect was now shrouded in thick smoke.
The sounds of arguing and fighting could be faintly heard from within the city—the allied cultivators had not been able to wait for the peace of "dividing the spoils," and had ultimately started fighting over the spiritual veins, mines, and secret vaults left behind by the Xuantian Sect.
"Zhao Lie is dead."
Xiao Chen gazed at the figure lying in a pool of blood atop the city wall, his voice low and somber. In the chaos just now, Zhao Lie refused to surrender, wielding his longsword to kill more than ten cultivators who had charged onto the city wall. He eventually died from exhaustion, his body carelessly tossed onto the city bricks, unattended.
He had a past grudge against the Xuantian Sect, but he also admitted that although Zhao Lie was a powerful figure, he was a qualified sect leader. It is regrettable that he ended up like this.
"He probably never knew until his death that his son had long since become someone else's shell." Jiang Li sighed, her red dress swaying gently in the wind. "It's a kind of... relief."
Stone scratched his head, saying nothing, just staring at the firelight. His black iron armor, still stained with blood from the battlefield, now seemed rather heavy.
"Let's go back." Xiao Chen turned around and stopped looking at the city.
The treasures and spiritual veins within the city are irrelevant to them.
The storm has not yet subsided, and a great era is about to begin. Rather than competing here with a group of greedy cultivators, it would be better to return to the sect and focus on cultivation.
The three transformed into three streaks of light and flew towards the Qingyun Sect in the Southern Region, leaving the flames and battles behind them far behind.
The mountains of Qingyun Sect remain a deep, clear green.
The old locust tree in the bamboo courtyard has sprouted new leaves again. Sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves and falls on the ground, with dappled light swaying gently in the wind.
When Xiao Chen and the others returned, Lin Zhou was lying on a bamboo chair, holding a well-worn notebook in his hands, with a pot of freshly brewed spiritual tea on the stone table beside him. He seemed so relaxed that all the world's conflicts had nothing to do with him.
"You're back?" Lin Zhou looked up, glanced at the three of them, his gaze lingering on the wound on Xiao Chen's lip and the scratches on his stone armor before moving away. "Was it fun outside?"
"Not fun," Stone replied in a gruff voice, putting the black iron armor on the ground. "There were plenty of fights, but they weren't very interesting. I didn't get enough of them."
Jiang Li pursed her lips, walked to the stone table and poured herself a cup of tea: "A group of people fought tooth and nail for territory, only to have Feng You escape in the end. It was all for nothing."
Xiao Chen briefly recounted the events in the Northern Region, including Zhao Lie's fate and Feng You's escape, and concluded by saying, "That demon is quite powerful and is still in the recovery phase; he will likely reappear sooner or later."
Lin Zhou turned a page of his notes and said calmly, "We'll talk about it when he gets out. If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother wants to remarry, she wants to remarry. If he wants to do something, you can't stop him."
He put down his notes and looked at the three of them: "Your cultivation levels have stabilized a bit during this time, but you've become a bit too aggressive. Go and water the vegetable patch in the corner of the yard, and repair that leaky woodshed on the east side. Try to temper your tempers."
"Huh?" Stone's eyes widened. "Can't we not repair the house? I want to practice boxing..."
"No way." Lin Zhou glanced at him. "Repairing a house is also a form of spiritual practice."
Xiao Chen chuckled and picked up the bucket from the corner first: "I'll go fetch water."
Jiang Li shrugged helplessly and went to the woodshed to look for tools; Shi Tou reluctantly picked up the axe and prepared to go to the back mountain to chop some wood.
Su She came out of the study, still holding a book in his hand. Seeing the three of them, he smiled gently and said, "I'll go boil some water. We can make tea after the house is finished."
The bamboo courtyard instantly became lively.
Xiao Chen carried the water buckets and walked up the stone steps to the edge of the mountain stream, where the clear spring water reflected his figure.
Looking at his slightly sharp eyes reflected in the water, he recalled the battles in the Northern Region, sighed softly, and immersed the bucket in the water—the water flowed loudly, as if it could wash away the murderous aura on his body.
Xiao Chen's inner knot was untied, and his cultivation level naturally broke through to the early stage of Mahayana. Jiang Li's cultivation level also naturally broke through to the early stage of Tribulation Transcending.
Stone's physical body is even more terrifying. After being tempered and hammered for a period of time, even cultivators in the Dao Inquiry stage would probably have to avoid Stone's sharp edge. After all, no one knows whether Stone's punch will smash you to pieces.
Jiang Li squatted on the roof of the woodshed, holding a tile in her hand, carefully filling the gaps where the rain was leaking.
Her movements were swift and agile, her red dress standing out against the green tiles. Occasionally, she would look up at the clouds in the sky, and a faint smile would unconsciously appear on her lips, making her less tense and more lively like a young girl.
Stone was chopping wood outside the yard, but with each swing of the axe, he used much less force than usual.
He imitated Xiao Chen, feeling the moment the axe made contact with the wood, and vaguely grasped some of the principles of body cultivation that were "soft yet strong". He got so into it that he even hummed an off-key folk song.
Su She sat under the old locust tree, watching them busy at work while flipping through the pages of his book. Occasionally, he would look up and point out to Ling Xue the types of spiritual vegetables. His voice was gentle and soothing, like the flowing water of a mountain stream.
Lin Zhou lay on the bamboo chair, watching this scene with a faint smile on his lips.
"Sushe is no longer so naive; he has come to know the dangers of the world."
The sun was shining brightly, and the wind was gentle.
There was no fighting, no intrigue, no so-called "prodigies" or "heritages," only the mundane details of daily life: firewood, rice, oil, salt, house repairs, and vegetable gardening.
Such times are truly few and far between.
He knew that the geniuses of the Central Region were emerging one after another, and the so-called "great era" was waiting for these young people not far away.
What's the rush?
Young people should act like young people, they should have time to live leisurely in a bamboo courtyard, and they should have memories of repairing houses, watering vegetables, and laughing and playing in the sunlight.
These seemingly ordinary days are the foundation that allows them to stand firm in the storms of the future.
"Is the soup ready yet?" Stone returned carrying the last piece of wood, sniffed the air, and exclaimed, "It smells so good!"
Jiang Li jumped down from the roof of the woodshed, dusted off her hands, and said, "I'm going to take a shower first; I'm all sweaty."
Xiao Chen carried the last bucket of water back and watered the vegetable garden. Watching the water droplets roll on the vegetable leaves, his eyes were clear.
Su She closed the book, stood up and said, "I'll go start the fire."
As dusk settled, smoke rose from the bamboo courtyard, carrying the aroma of fresh vegetable soup, a blend of earthy and natural fragrances that brought a sense of peace and tranquility.
Lin Zhou gazed at the sunset on the horizon, picked up the spiritual tea on the stone table, and took a small sip.
The tea has a refreshing aroma, just like this rare tranquility.
Before the wind rises, let them savor the simple pleasures of life.
After all, when the real storm comes, what they will face will not be as simple as repairing houses and watering vegetables.
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