Watching the Mountain

Chapter 54: Chapter 48: A Nameless Outer Disciple

On a country path, Little Xiyue wore an elegant, sky-blue dress. She looked like a young woman of seventeen or eighteen, but in reality, she was almost thirty.

Her words and actions had lost the unique liveliness of a young girl. Her gait was less light, more firm.

She turned her head. A gentle breeze stirred, lifting her long hair to reveal half of her delicate, fair face.

"Master, we’re still some distance from Wang Family Village. Would you like to rest for a while?"

She asked, her gaze full of concern as she looked at Xu Ran’s somber expression.

"I may look old, but I’m not. I’m still young—younger than you, in fact."

Hearing Xu Ran’s reply, Little Xiyue was taken aback. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ’Time really flies. Master has reached the age where he refuses to admit he’s old.’

She hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing. She simply stopped and waited silently. Only after Xu Ran caught up did she begin walking again, moving forward shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Xu Ran noticed her action but didn’t say anything. He just found himself wondering, ’Am I really getting old?’

’Have I really reached the age where that little girl—the one who once declared with a straight face that she wasn’t a burden, only to then lean against me and cry—is now worried about me?’

He had originally wanted to ask Little Xiyue if she really thought he was old.

But right now, he couldn’t muster the interest. His mind was completely occupied with thoughts of Wang Xingye and Hao Daniu.

Yue Qingyu hadn’t lied to him back then. When he had asked about Wang Xingye and his friend, they had indeed been alive and well.

According to Ye Xingchen, after Wang Xingye and Hao Daniu arrived on the battlefield, they had always been extremely cautious. They never acted rashly or on impulse, but carefully followed behind the main force, picking up some merits.

Thanks to this approach, they not only survived but also, tempered by several major battles, broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Wang Xingye and Hao Daniu had joined the sect in the same batch. Both were in their thirties when they went to the battlefield. To break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage before the age of forty was quite an achievement. Core Formation might have been out of reach, but they had a good chance of reaching the Purple Mansion Stage.

All they needed to do was wait for the war to end, return, and consolidate their cultivation for a while, and a bright future would have awaited them.

But just as the war was winding down, they suddenly heard that a fleeing squad from the Evil Domain was carrying Awakening Liquid. The squad was supposedly not strong, led by only three Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators with the rest at the Qi Cultivation Stage.

Normally, upon hearing such news, they would have done everything possible to confirm the intelligence before deciding to act.

But now, with the war in its final phase, they remembered the promise they had made to Xu Ran on the night before their departure. If they missed this chance, they might never get another opportunity to obtain the Awakening Liquid.

’We’ve made it safely through all these years. What could go wrong if we’re a little impulsive just this once, at the very end?’

With this thought in mind, they conferred and gathered some fellow disciples from Spirit Stream Peak. Assembling a group of eight Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators and several dozen Qi Cultivation Stage disciples, they set out together to ambush the squad.

They figured that even if the intelligence was flawed, eight Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators should be enough to handle any unexpected situations.

However, when they finally caught up to the squad, they discovered it actually contained a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator. They were severely wounded the moment they engaged the enemy.

If Zhang Zhentian hadn’t heard about their operation and rushed over, every single one of them would have perished.

But even though Zhang Zhentian arrived, he was still a step too late. Wang Xingye and Hao Daniu had already been killed by the enemy Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator.

When Xu Ran heard this news from Ye Xingchen, his heart lurched violently. He felt a pressure in his chest that made it hard to breathe, an awful feeling.

A host of questions suddenly rose in his mind.

’Why? They were so cautious throughout the entire war, so why did they throw all that caution away at the very end?’

’Why? We weren’t even that close. We were just ordinary fellow disciples who had barely even spoken to each other. How could they remember a few bold words spoken in jest while drunk, and then act on them regardless of the risk?’

’Why were they so careful when it came to their own affairs, but so reckless when it came to something for me, their fellow disciple?’

One question after another surfaced in Xu Ran’s mind. With each one, the weight on his heart grew heavier.

After a long time, he finally mustered all his strength to look at the one-armed Ye Xingchen and ask, "Xingye and Da Niu... did they leave any last words?"

Ye Xingchen fell silent for a moment upon hearing the question. "Senior Brother Xu," he said in a low voice, "it’s a battlefield. Not everyone is fortunate enough to leave last words."

Hearing this, Xu Ran stood there, stunned.

Ye Xingchen pressed the Jade Bottle into Xu Ran’s hand and said softly, "Perhaps it was just a jest at first, but now it represents the shared hope and blessing of all of us. We hope you can attain the Great Dao soon, Senior Brother, and look back on us from the end of the long river of time."

After speaking, Ye Xingchen turned and left. Though he had lost an arm, his steps were firmer than ever before.

Xu Ran stared blankly at his retreating back. Ye Xingchen had also lost his arm during the fight for the Awakening Liquid.

But Xu Ran could feel that he held no resentment toward him.

Perhaps it was just as he’d said. For them, it started as a drunken jest that no one took seriously. But once they took action, it became their promise, their wish, and their most sincere and beautiful blessing.

It was all their own choice. How could they possibly blame Xu Ran?

*

*

*

Xu Ran retrieved the records of all the disciples who had lost their lives in the operation to seize the Awakening Liquid from the Internal Affairs Hall.

He didn’t know what he could do for them, but he felt he had to do something.

Wang Xingye was born in a village called Wang Family Village, which was under the jurisdiction of the Profound Pure Sect.

Like his own birthplace, Xu Family Village, it was a remote mountain village far from any town.

When Xu Ran was preparing to leave for Wang Family Village, Little Xiyue insisted on coming with him. She said she couldn’t rest easy with him going alone and was worried he might run into danger.

At first, Xu Ran refused. He had come from the Mortal Realm himself and knew that the Mortal Realm of this world held no real danger. Besides, his emotions were a mess, and he preferred to be alone.

But Little Xiyue wouldn’t take no for an answer, pointing out how long it had been since he’d last left the sect. She was uneasy.

Xu Ran retorted that as her master, he didn’t need his disciple worrying about him.

Little Xiyue, however, put on a stern face and said, "You’re the one who said a disciple isn’t necessarily inferior to their master. My skills have long surpassed yours. I have a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, I’m a Tier Three Array Master, and I also teach other aspiring Array Masters. I’m stronger than you in every way."

Seeing her resolute expression, Xu Ran could only sigh and helplessly agree to her request to accompany him.

*

*

*

After arriving at Wang Family Village, Xu Ran found their Clan Leader and explained the purpose of his visit.

The Wang Family Patriarch was an old man with white hair. After listening to Xu Ran’s detailed explanation, he remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. He raised his hands, clasping them in a formal gesture of respect, and said:

"Immortal Master, please return. There is nothing in Wang Family Village that requires repayment from an Immortal Master. Besides, that child, Xingye, was removed from our family registry long ago. He is no longer a member of Wang Family Village. Whatever he did, be it good deeds or bad, has nothing to do with us."

Hearing this, Xu Ran and Little Xiyue were shocked. They then asked the Wang Family Patriarch for the reason.

It turned out that a thousand years ago, Wang Family Village had been a Cultivation Clan of considerable strength. An ancestor had even been a Golden Core Cultivator. However, that Clan Leader was too proud and offended a powerful enemy, implicating the entire clan and forcing them to live as fugitives.

Eventually, their ancestors could no longer bear such a transient life. Thus, witnessed by various powerful factions, all the clan members crippled their own cultivation and descended into the mortal world forever. Only then were they able to live a peaceful life.

The Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm has one of its oldest rules: no matter how chaotic the Cultivation Realm becomes or how deep the hatred runs, no one may disturb the Mortal World. Its peace must be guaranteed.

There are no records of when this rule originated, but the Cultivation Realm has always consciously abided by it. Of course, the "Mortal World" here refers to worlds with scarce Spiritual Qi, completely dominated by mortals. Sects would dispatch people to guard and manage them to ensure peace. Mortals living within the Cultivation Realm itself were not included in this protection.

After finishing his story, the Wang Family Patriarch sighed and said to Xu Ran, "Too much time has passed. Our clan has lost many things, but this one matter has been passed down as an ancestral decree that must never be violated."

"Cultivation and long life may be good, but for our Wang Family Village, peace and stability are what’s best. We are very satisfied with our current lives."

"So, please, Immortal Master, return."

After listening to the Wang Family Patriarch’s tale, Xu Ran didn’t know how to describe his feelings. He was struck by the ruthlessness of cultivation—a once-glorious Golden Core Clan now forced to huddle in this small mountain village, seeking only a corner of peace.

But the choice made by Wang Family Village had an even greater impact on him. He had never imagined there were people in this world who genuinely sought only peace and stability, not cultivation and long life.

In the end, after much persuasion, Xu Ran managed to press a token into the Wang Family Patriarch’s hand, telling them they could bring it to the Profound Pure Sect to find him if they ever needed anything in the future.

When leaving Wang Family Village, he took a different path, as he still needed to go to Hao Daniu’s hometown, which was in another direction.

As he walked through Wang Family Village, he saw terraced fields lining both sides of the path, all planted with golden stalks of rice.

He soon recognized it. The rice was the very same Spirit Rice he had developed and taught Yue Qingyu how to grow in ordinary fields.

He saw many people from Wang Family Village tending to the Spirit Rice in the fields, their faces filled with smiles.

Then, as he reached the village entrance, he saw a statue standing there.

The statue was strange. It depicted a very ordinary-looking figure, but it had no facial features carved on it.

Next to the statue stood a stone stele, on which was inscribed:

Of the Profound Pure Sect there was an Outer Disciple, his name unknown. Unlike ordinary cultivators, his heart was devoted to the common people.

Dedicating his life’s work, he devised a method to control plagues of locusts and developed a high-yielding spirit grain, so that all people could be fed and warm.

Yet his nature was humble, and he hid his great deeds from sight.

The people, moved by his virtue, erected this faceless monument to his eternal memory. The inscription reads: "His deeds benefited the world, yet his identity remains obscure. His grace nourished the lands, yet he claimed no fame."

After reading the inscription on the stele, Xu Ran was instantly frozen in place.