Chapter 108: Chapter 91: Separate Ways and Different Futures

Outer Sect Chiyun Peak, Ice and Fire Cave.

Ever since Jiang Yi had broken through to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, he had rarely returned here.

It wasn’t because he felt his status had risen and was unwilling to sit with ordinary Mortal Servants. Rather, after opening his Primordial Gate and establishing his Inner Mansion, his Cultivation Furnace needed to absorb far more Spiritual Qi and Spiritual Energy to advance his Cultivation and increase his Merit.

The Spirit Rice that used to be wonderfully satisfying with just one bowl was no longer enough.

Today, the old friends from the Big Mixed Courtyard had gathered together.

Jiang Yi sat in the seat of honor, a calico cat nestled in his arms. He was flanked by He the Venerable and Widow Qin, while Old Li’s family sat huddled together across from them.

Steam rose from the table, where two copper hot pots bubbled away on charcoal stoves, surrounded by more than a dozen plates and dishes.

There were paper-thin slices of raw fish, tender beef and mutton, and fresh, silken tofu, all for them to cook to their liking and feast on to their hearts’ content.

“Brother Li, for you to make it back from the mountain with your life is a true blessing in disguise.”

He the Venerable raised his teacup in a toast, then picked up some vegetables with his chopsticks and placed them in his bowl. He spoke earnestly,

“You two, listen to my advice. Now that your contract is up, go down the mountain and find some easier work. There’s no end to the charm coins you can earn. Don’t keep working yourselves to death for your kid. We have to live our own lives too, right?”

Widow Qin, who usually loved to tease and needle He the Venerable, surprisingly agreed for once:

“That’s right, Sister. You’re the one who makes the big decisions at home, so you have to convince Old Brother Li. A Mortal Servant contract with the Qianji Sect is for twelve years once you sign. It’s just too grueling.”

Old Li’s family was a little reserved. Old Li’s wife, who usually had a booming voice, sat turned to the side, sobbing softly and looking helpless.

Old Li, however, showed a rare bit of fortitude, laughing heartily.

“Hah! Thanks for the concern, everyone. I’m really fine. I just lost an arm, that’s all. It’ll be fine after some rest.

It’s all thanks to the Tiger Bone Ointment Brother Yi gave me. Before, it would get itchy and painful with the slightest effort, like getting pricked by needles. After applying it a few times, it feels much better.”

He the Venerable glanced at the empty right sleeve of Old Li’s robe and muttered sullenly while chewing on a vegetable leaf:

“Brother Li! You were lucky to be alive! Xiao He, who went with you, didn’t even leave a whole corpse behind. His entire body was crushed at the bottom of the mine shaft!

If you sign another contract, that’s another twelve years. With your body in this state, how can you possibly endure it? You should take your wife down the mountain as soon as possible and find some way to make a living in the Marketplace. That would be much better.”

Old Li, who was usually easygoing, was as stubborn as a mule this time and shook his head obstinately.

“My boy is still a long way off from having enough charm coins to enter the Yin Puppet Sect.

I heard from Brother Yi that once your Cultivation gets high, even Spirit Rice doesn’t work anymore. You have to rely on Elixirs to nourish yourself. When he gets into the Inner Sect later, if he gets looked down on by others because he has no money…”

Jiang Yi listened for a long while without saying a word.

Even when He the Venerable and Widow Qin looked at him expectantly, he remained silent.

He picked up a slice of fresh mutton with his chopsticks, swished it in the boiling water a few times, dipped it in chive blossom sauce, and slowly brought it to his mouth.

Though this food offered no benefit to his Cultivation, when it came to satisfying the palate, not even a thousand wisps of Spiritual Qi could compare.

Jiang Yi wiped his mouth. Spring would arrive in a few more days. The Mortal Servants whose twelve-year contracts were expiring would either be released to go down the mountain and find another livelihood, or they could request another contract to remain in the sect.

In the Big Mixed Courtyard, people like He the Venerable and Widow Qin each had their own plans.

Only Old Li’s family had been dead set on renewing for another twelve years to save more charm coins to support their child’s Cultivation.

But before the heavy snows sealed the mountains, Old Li, hoping to earn some extra money, had gone out looking for work with Xiao He from the neighboring barracks, heading west to work in the mines.

Who would have thought they would run into High Cultivators engaged in Magical Combat? The shockwave collapsed the mine. Xiao He was buried on the spot, not even his bones remaining. Old Li was lucky to escape with his life, but he’d had an arm smashed to pieces. He only managed to get away because his fellow workers dragged him out at the risk of their own lives.

“Brother Li, I know that every family has its own struggles. You and your wife work so diligently for no other reason than to hope your child can have a good future and live a respectable life.”

Jiang Yi paused, carefully choosing his words.

He was now considered a capable figure in the Big Mixed Courtyard. Mortal Servants from other barracks often came over trying to curry favor with him, so his prestige was naturally high.

But the human heart is as fickle as a river’s waves, and the ways of the world are as treacherous as a perilous peak. An outsider could hardly judge such matters, and it wasn’t his place to give unsolicited advice.

Just like how Old Li’s family was willing to work like Cattle and Horses to support their child’s Cultivation, they were, in reality, finding joy in their hardship, sustained by a dream.

Their life wasn’t necessarily as torturous as He the Venerable and Widow Qin imagined.

Once that hope was gone, their days would suddenly become bitter and unbearable, and they would no longer be able to grit their teeth and endure.

Jiang Yi organized his thoughts before continuing:

“The Sect Leader has already returned. Sewing Peak was moved out, but it’s unclear what’s happening with the other peaks.

The situation is unclear right now. In my opinion, Brother Li, you and your wife should probably go down the mountain first and rest for a while.

The Qianji Sect recruits people every year. If you want to come back up to work in the future, it would just take a word from me.

But once you sign that twelve-year contract, there’s no room for regrets.”

The wrinkles on Old Li’s face smoothed out. Brother Yi was a capable person, and his words carried real weight.

He forced a smile, sipped from his teacup as if it were wine, and began to ramble:

“Brother Yi, it’s not that I, Old Li, don’t know what’s good for me. I know in my heart that you’re all looking out for me.

But I’ve never amounted to much. Back then, just being lucky enough to become a Tenant Farmer for my clan, and then setting foot on the path of Cultivation, was already a blessing from the heavens.”

Old Li said with a sigh:

“Everyone says this work is hard and tiring, and it’s true, but compared to when I was a Tenant Farmer, this is already very good.

If you slacked off, you’d get whipped. If you dared to talk back, they’d tie you to a stake and bake you in the sun until you shed several layers of skin.”

These words struck a chord with He the Venerable. He also came from a farming family. Even if he hadn’t personally experienced such hardships, he had certainly seen enough of them.

“I don’t want my child to be a Tenant Farmer. Brother Yi, you don’t know… that whip, dipped in saltwater… when it cracks against your back—WHIP!—the pain bores right into your heart!”

Old Li lowered his head. His wife leaned in and took his hand.

“I’m not asking for our child to become some great figure. Even if he can’t make it in the Inner Sect in the future, if he can just go back to the Marketplace, open a small shop, and run a small business, that would be enough.”

Jiang Yi said no more. He the Venerable was a vegetarian, and Old Li couldn’t drink alcohol, so all he could do was pour several large bowls of hot tea.

He stood up and offered a toast to everyone:

“I’ve been in your care all these years, and thanks to you, I’ve finally managed to make something of myself on Red Flame Peak.

From now on, if there’s anything I can help with, don’t be strangers. The bond between us will always be there!”

The atmosphere, like the heat from the copper pot and charcoal stove, warmed every face.

Widow Qin’s eyes were slightly red. She wiped their corners and was the first to raise her teacup.

“Brother Yi, you have to go far, and don’t you dare look back! We have an old saying back home: when you walk, don’t turn around; when you climb, don’t look behind! Just take big steps forward!”

He the Venerable clutched his teacup tightly and added in his rough voice:

“Hehe, Sister Qin is right. Brother Yi is destined to become a great figure who can fly through the heavens and burrow through the earth! When your Cultivation is complete, you have to get a Flying Sword and let me touch it!

Ever since I first started learning about Daoism, I’ve dreamed of one day riding a sword gleam—SWOOSH! SWOOSH!—back to my hometown and circling a few times over the mansions of those clan masters.”

Old Li and his wife also quickly raised their teacups. Everyone clinked them together with a CLANG and tilted their heads back, draining them completely.

The hot tea warmed their throats, their bodies, and their hearts.

By the time the meal ended and they left the Ice and Fire Cave, it was past the middle of the Hour of the Dog.

The Great Cold was over, but the snow on the mountain had not yet melted. A cold wind carrying flurries of frost burrowed into their collars, forcing them to lower their heads and hurry along.

Old Li and his wife walked in front, supporting each other and calculating when to go down the mountain, whether they should visit their child first, and then ask about work in the nearby Marketplaces.

Widow Qin walked in the middle. A playful mood must have struck her, as she deliberately stepped on the soft snow, making it CRUNCH, CRUNCH under her feet.

He the Venerable fell two steps behind to wait for Jiang Yi, who was carrying the calico cat, and suddenly lowered his voice.

“Zhang Chao is dead. Happened a couple of days ago.”

Jiang Yi was momentarily blank, as if he couldn’t recall who that was. After a moment, he said:

“He actually lasted this long?”

He the Venerable pulled his cotton robe tighter and breathed out a puff of white air.

“He and Dong Ba used to bully people all the time. Dong Ba’s death was quick, but there was no way he was going to get off that easily.

I heard that recently, Mortal Servants were sent to his room every day to take care of him. They wouldn’t let him starve or freeze to death, just kept him alive to suffer.”

Jiang Yi shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it. ’The word “retribution” might not often manifest, but when it truly falls upon someone, the suffering is a hundred, a thousand times harder to bear.’

He looked at He the Venerable:

“Brother He, are you really set on going down the mountain? If you still want to work in the Quenching Room, I can put in a word with Grandpa to make you an Inspector. It’s more comfortable than doing manual labor, at least.”

Hearing this, He the Venerable grinned and waved his hand.

“No thanks, Brother Yi. I know you’re a good person who values old friendships, but I, He the Venerable, know my own limits. I’m just mud that can’t be plastered onto a wall.

If I really became an Inspector, or rode your coattails to success, who knows what kind of huge trouble I’d end up causing.”

Jiang Yi was surprised and wanted to say more, but He the Venerable cut him off.

“I’ve saved up some charm coins. I’m going back to Sanhe District to find my sweetheart, hehe.”

He the Venerable laughed openly.

“Brother Yi, if you’re ever passing through Sanhe District in the future, remember to ask around on Shuangfeng Street. We brothers can catch up properly and have a few drinks!”

With that, he strode forward. Suddenly, the treetop above him shook, and powdery snow fell—WHOOSH—down his neck. The cold made him yelp, and he started howling and acting strangely.

His antics made Widow Qin and Old Li’s family, who were ahead of him, burst out laughing.

In the quiet night, their teasing banter, mixed with the crunch of the snow, drifted far down the mountain path.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep