Chapter 190: Henceforth, We Owe Each Other Nothing

Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Henceforth, We Owe Each Other Nothing

"What did you say?" the old man asked in disbelief.

"That depends on whether you trust me, Senior," Chu Fan said, taking out a bowl of wine.

"This is Drunken Immortal Brew. I obtained it from a Miracle Secret Realm. An Immortal who drinks one bowl will be drunk for three days, while a mortal who drinks one will be drunk for three years. It is, after all, a wine from the Divine Realm. Senior, although you will be drunk for three years after drinking a bowl, it will restore a great deal of your vitality, and you will no longer need to wither away sitting here."

Upon hearing this, the old man’s body began to tremble with excitement.

"Are you saying this bowl of wine is for this old man?"

"Several patriarchs from the Six Sects and Eight Gates have already had some. Would you like to try, Senior?"

The old man listened, then immediately picked up the bowl and drank.

After finishing, he said, "You were a disciple of the Lingyun Sect, and Ling Zhexing’s closed-door disciple at that. If I can’t trust you, who else is there in this world to trust?"

Shortly after he downed the bowl of wine, the old man felt as if a seed had been planted within his depleted life force. It was slowly taking root and sprouting, his vitality gradually reviving.

At the same time, the intoxicating effects began to go to his head.

"This... this... this..."

The old man became somewhat incoherent.

"Senior, have a good sleep. In three years, you’ll be able to roam the Jianghu once more. As for the Lingyun Sect’s future, you should be the one to guide it personally!"

"Thank you!" All the old man’s excitement and gratitude were condensed into those two words.

Chu Fan waved his hand, then stood up and left the cave.

’With the Spiritual Qi Revival, the patriarchs of the other sects have all received a bowl of Drunken Immortal Brew, gaining at least a hundred years of vitality. If the Lingyun Sect’s patriarch didn’t get any, what influence would the sect have in the future?’

’Besides, having these old-timers drunk for three years will make it easier for Great Xia to enact and enforce the new laws on Cultivation.’

’As for whether these old-timers emerging from their Spirit Veins after three years would affect the balance of power in the Eastern Domain, Chu Fan wasn’t worried. After all, he also had three years to plan.’

「The sixteenth day of the first month.」

Early in the morning, all the disciples of the Lingyun Sect gathered at the Martial Arts Arena in front of Lingyun Hall.

From Sect Leader Yu Zongding down to the newest disciples, everyone was dressed in mourning.

Chu Fan and Yun Xi also arrived at Lingyun Peak, clad in sackcloth mourning attire.

They knelt before Ling Zhexing’s memorial tablet and the coffins of the five senior brothers as Yu Zongding personally recited the eulogy.

Yu Zongding’s recitation lasted over fifteen minutes. It was obvious they had put a great deal of thought into the eulogy.

It was filled from beginning to end with words of praise and respect, recounting the contributions these six individuals had made to the Lingyun Sect, and so on.

It extolled their spirit, urging all disciples to take them as role models, to revere the Dao and cultivate virtue, to be diligent on their path of cultivation, and to dedicate themselves to the cause of the Sect...

The phrasing was not without a touch of exaggeration.

But for a eulogy, that was perfectly acceptable.

After the eulogy, there was a series of elaborate ceremonies. The grand memorial service was not completed until just before noon. Then, with each of the five coffins carried by eight strong young disciples, the entire sect escorted them to the mausoleum where the past masters of the Lingyun Sect were buried.

From digging the graves to lowering the coffins, filling the earth, and erecting the tombstones, there was another whole set of rituals.

All in all, the scale of the memorial and burial for Chu Fan’s five senior brothers even surpassed that of previous Lingyun Sect Leaders.

After the burial came the live human sacrifice. The ones being sacrificed were, of course, Li Mosheng and his four cohorts.

These five only knew fear when death was upon them. But for traitors who betray their own, a bad end is guaranteed in any power. Who would spare them?

After all the ceremonies were concluded, Yu Zongding and Ji Chengding approached together, hoping Chu Fan would stay and take charge of the Lingyun Sect.

Chu Fan, of course, refused them.

’How much of their offer was sincere? Chu Fan couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it. He had already left the Lingyun Sect. After being so disappointed with it in the past, how could he possibly return?’

’Forget the Lingyun Sect; even if he truly wanted to become the Great Xia Emperor, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. Jin Chuhong would surely lead all the civil and military officials in a grand procession to welcome him.’

But after the experiences of the past few years, Chu Fan’s mindset had long since changed.

Aside from living a long and quiet life with Yun Xi, far from the mortal world, his only remaining attachments were likely the Martial Dao and the Sword Dao.

He offered no advice and gave no opinions. After refusing Yu Zongding and Ji Chengding, he took Yun Xi, Ji Bufan, and the others and left the Lingyun Sect directly.

Watching Chu Fan’s departing figure, Ji Chengding heaved a deep sigh.

Perhaps sighing was contagious, because Yu Zongding followed with a sigh of his own.

"Great Elder, I truly want to step down from the position of Sect Leader. Perhaps I’m just not fit to lead the Lingyun Sect."

"Learn from this bitter lesson. If you were to step down as Sect Leader, do you think there’s anyone in the Sect capable of taking your place? The biggest regret of my life is naively trusting that animal, Li Mosheng," Ji Chengding said.

"If not for my incompetence, how could I have forced Chu Fan away? The moment I saw him again at the Cyan Cloud Sect, I was sick with regret. It’s two months shy of four years, and in that short time, he has already reached such heights. His future... Sigh!"

"Do you know what I was thinking when I saw him behead Yan Qi with a single sword strike?"

"What?"

"That if he hadn’t held on to some lingering affection for the Sect, perhaps the Lingyun Sect would have suffered the same fate as the Fiery Fire Sect and the Celestial Derivation Sect?"

"Sect Leader, the Lingyun Sect’s backbone was broken on our watch. It is our undeniable duty to set it straight again."

Just as the two were speaking, Yun Keji came running over in a flustered hurry.

"Sect Leader, Great Elder."

"What is it?" Ji Chengding did not have a very high opinion of Yun Keji.

"The disciple adding incense for the patriarchs in the Main Hall just discovered these items. There was a letter underneath. Judging from the handwriting on the envelope, it must have been left by Chu Fan."

Yu Zongding hurriedly snatched the letter from Yun Keji’s hand, tore it open, and quickly read it.

After reading it, he gazed in the direction Chu Fan had left and bowed deeply.

Ji Chengding, meanwhile, opened the box Yun Keji was holding. Inside, besides a few books, was half a box of Spirit Medicine.

Then, Ji Chengding also bowed deeply in the direction Chu Fan had left and murmured, "Our Lingyun Sect owes you so much!"

In the end, when it came to the Lingyun Sect, with which he shared a lingering bond, Chu Fan’s heart had softened.

’Ever since the battle at the Cloud Horse Jade Mine, hadn’t the Lingyun Sect been suffering all these years? Hadn’t they, too, suffered great losses?’

’The score for his Master and senior brothers had been settled, and he no longer had any ties to the Lingyun Sect. Since he could give so much to the other sects, he couldn’t bear to see the Lingyun Sect fall too far behind.’

’So he had left behind a few Cultivation Techniques, Martial Techniques, and some Spirit Medicine. As for how the Lingyun Sect developed in the future, that was up to them. If they were still like mud that couldn’t be plastered to a wall, at least he, Chu Fan, had repaid their past grievances with kindness and could have a clear conscience.’

As soon as they left Yunmeng Mountain, Chu Fan sent Ji Bufan and the others to attend to their own business. With the Red Blood Mansion just having been eliminated, there were still many matters in Great Xia and the wider Eastern Domain that required their attention.

As for him and Yun Xi, they headed toward Shuoyue City, partly to relax and clear their heads, and partly to observe the current situation in the Eastern Domain.

After all, he had agreed to meet the various Sect Leaders again in Shuoyue City on the tenth day of the second month, and there were still more than twenty days until then.

Although Yun Xi had seemed to return to her old clever and lively self over the past few days, Chu Fan knew that she had simply buried the matter of her origins deep in her heart.

Besides, he had promised her that after his senior brothers were laid to rest, they would truly become husband and wife...