Sword Arrives

Unlike Cai Jinjian, who saw the youngster in straw sandals as a mere insignificant ant, Fu Nanhua not only felt a sense of closeness to Song Jixin but also held an inexplicable sense of awe for this area, the Mud Bottle Lane, something he couldn't quite explain.

So, Fu Nanhua genuinely regarded the young man before him as a fellow cultivator.

On this great path, the further one went, the less meaning there was in distinctions like status, gender, or age—everything was a mere illusion, utterly meaningless.

Song Jixin jumped down from the courtyard wall and murmured, "Let's talk inside."

Fu Nanhua nodded. "Alright."

As Song Jixin crossed the threshold, he casually asked, "Just out of curiosity, what's your relationship with that young woman, the one who looks like she'd be good at raising children?"

Fu Nanhua answered without hesitation, "For now, we're on the same side, but we're not of the same path."

Song Jixin gave an "oh" and said something that seemed odd, "You guys sure take your sweet time with things. Not at all decisive. I've heard that out there in the world, among immortals and demons, it's a bizarre and strange place, but when cultivators have grudges, shouldn't they just eliminate them completely, without leaving any future trouble?"

The young master of the Fu family, a cultivator born and raised in Old Dragon City, used to seeing all kinds of storms, didn't show any emotion on his face upon hearing this.

He asked with a smile, "Do you two have a grudge?"

The youg man widened his eyes and feigned surprise, "What are you talking about?"

It seemed that he realized the man before him didn't believe him, so Song Jixin dropped the exaggerated expression on his face. He took the initiative to sit down in a chair at the hall and gestured for Fu Nanhua to sit as well. Then, he said seriously, "I've been neighbors with Chen Pingan, the youngster next door who lost his parents when he was young, for many years. We've never had a fight. Believe it or not."

Fu Nanhua instantly understood the young man's subtle hint.

The youngster next door was nothing more than a drifting weed, without any roots, without anyone to care.

If he died, so be it—no one would come after him.

The young master of Old Dragon City was both amused and helpless, suddenly realizing that the drama unfolding in this alley was a bit absurd and comical.

The poor youngster next door, in a bid to hide the address of Song Jixin and his maid, had inadvertently caused a catastrophe for himself. He would pay with his life for this.

And now, this young man from the prosperous Song family, who seemed to come from a house of great wealth, was using someone else's hand to kill, to send another to his death.

One strike wasn't enough—another strike would come.

Fu Nanhua couldn't help but be filled with emotion. No wonder the "Corpse Book" says: "The son of a tiger or leopard, though not yet a beast, already has the aura of devouring cattle."

 ————

In Gu Can's family courtyard, the child had already been locked in the inner room by his mother. The woman and the old man who called himself "True Lord" sat facing each other.

The old man withdrew his palm, its intricate lines crisscrossing, and smiled. "The major events have been decided."

The woman, puzzled, asked, "May I ask, what did the you, Immortal Master, do just now to make that Chen Pingan..."

Before she could finish, she noticed the old man's gaze suddenly sharpen, causing her to quickly fall silent.

The old man looked towards the courtyard gate, gently waved his sleeve, and a breeze stirred, swirling through the small courtyard, reluctant to leave. Only then did he speak, "People of my status, once involved in this place, the deeper one sinks, the more one becomes a helpless mud Bodhisattva crossing a river. Though I can't say I'm in immediate danger, the longer it drags on, the more... hmm, as that young man Song Jixin said, it's a mess, only leading to a tangled fate covered in cause and effect. The good part is that man is hated by all. Even though he's already taken a step back, it's too late to save his reputation. He won't escape his doom. How tragic. Originally, he had the chance to enjoy the incense of countless generations, but now the situation has turned sharply downhill, almost unbearable to witness...Now, I have the opportunity to make some plans for your son, to see if we can end that youngster's life and cut off any future pursuit by certain saints or immortals. This way, your son won't have to worry about future retribution, and I can help my newly accepted disciple rise with the power of wind and thunder, eventually transforming into a dragon..."

The woman sat by, intermittently listening, drenched in sweat.

The old man smiled and asked, "Isn't it strange? Clearly, I'm someone who drinks the morning dew and has no interest in worldly affairs. Yet, after years of cultivation, what I've gained seems to be nothing but this kind of scheming and bitterness?" I'm no better than a foolish village woman with shallow understanding, am I?"

The woman quickly lowered her head and trembled, "I would never dare to think such a thing!"

The old man merely smiled and dismissed her, quietly waiting for Cai Jinjian of Rosy Cloud Mountain to knock on the door.

On the path of cultivation, there are no bounds to spells, no limits to divine powers. There are differences in principles, and in the heights of the Dao.

Cai Jinjian may look down on you all as ants, but I, True Lord, also regards her and Fu Nanhua as mere ants.

Why speak of reason with the ants beneath your feet?