As the saying goes, someone else's dirt is your entertainment.
Chu Xingchen sipped his spirit wine little by little, then began recounting Yuankong's embarrassing moments from the past, as well as stories about Yuankong's senior brother—the still somewhat regrettable Yuanjing.
Qian Qing's originally cold, guarded gaze gradually softened.
She'd initially thought Chu Xingchen was a cultivator who abused his power or bullied Yuankong for being too honest.
But in truth, the Chu Xingchen before her had practically watched Yuankong grow up.
Young Yuankong had been pretty much the same as the grown-up version.
In their casual conversation, Chu Xingchen never mentioned what debt Yuankong actually owed him, and he spoke with great humor, putting on no airs—his teasing of Yuankong always felt measured.
There was nothing remotely immortal-like about him.
Yunxiao, on the other hand, looked every bit the immortal—holding his wine bottle, drinking alone under the moon, neither joining in nor looking their way.
Yuankong was no longer the somewhat dense young monk of before. Now he could participate in the banter with reasonable wit, and even find some of Qian Qing's embarrassing moments to tease her with.
The long moon gradually waned.
Wine bottles emptied silently.
Qian Qing finished her entire bottle, then slowly slumped onto the table.
Chu Xingchen glanced at her with an amused look, then turned his gaze to Yuankong and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Martial artists knew far too little about cultivators. Whether she was feigning sleep—Chu Xingchen didn't even need to look. At this level, forget about him, even Yuankong at Golden Core could tell.
Yuankong gave a slight nod, signaling they could continue.
Chu Xingchen turned to Yunxiao:
"Fellow Daoist Yunxiao, could I trouble you to go outside and check the surroundings?"
Yunxiao set his bottle back on the table, said nothing, and turned to walk out—if he wasn't meant to listen, then he wouldn't.
"Little Yuankong, now I can finally say it's been a long time." Chu Xingchen stretched lazily, then propped his face on his hand. "Didn't expect you had a thing for raising daughters."
"What kind of thing is that?" Yuankong smiled bitterly. "I just saw her so pathetic she couldn't walk, and thought of how my senior brother was with me back then."
Chu Xingchen chuckled:
"Immortals' heartlessness isn't true heartlessness—it's that the immortal's river of time flows on, and there's no room to hold onto fleeting moments."
"By mortal standards, at thirty-something, if you haven't started a family or career, you should at least be out from under your master's wing."
Yuankong glanced at Qian Qing. "Jiangyue City is the final stop. There are few cultivators here and no spiritual energy—it's the best place for a pure martial artist like her to settle, and the best chance for her to make something of herself."
"After all, after raising her for so many years, saying there's no attachment would be a lie. If she's going to leave, naturally I should find her the best home."
Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow. "Well, you can't put it that way. Keeping her with you isn't really a problem. If you can't bear to part, you don't have to. You're a cultivator, after all."
"Forget it—her having no spirit root is the answer. Every encounter has its end." Yuankong let out a slow breath. "I've learned to let go. After all, when she's old and withering, I'll probably still look like this."
Chu Xingchen's gaze rested on Qian Qing:
"The heartless one isn't the cultivator—it's the time that never stops."
Yuankong looked even more dejected:
"Then why are you looking for me?"
"The sect needs a sweeper."
"I admit I'm dumb. Be more direct."
"Bow first."
"Huh?" Confusion and shock filled Yuankong's face.
Chu Xingchen's expression was serious: "Don't ask why. Bow, and then I'll leave. If you want to find me, come to Tianyan Sect. If you want to send Qian Qing to Tianyan Sect, that's fine too. Her affairs are none of my business, and yours don't have to be either."
Yuankong stared at Chu Xingchen's serious face for a long moment, then finally sighed again in resignation:
"Every time I think I understand you a little, you always make me realize I don't understand you at all…"
"If you say bow, then I'll bow. At least it's better than taking your pills. No idea what use a monk bowing to you is."
Yuankong stood up as he spoke, looked at Chu Xingchen with palms together, then prostrated himself fully, calling out with a tone of genuine sincerity:
"Master."
If the person who'd influenced Yuankong the most was Yuanjing, then the second was Chu Xingchen.
Though they rarely interacted, whenever Yuankong was truly in trouble, Chu Xingchen always managed to show up with exactly the support needed.
And those casual, offhand remarks Chu Xingchen sometimes made about the world—through the years, Yuankong had found quite a few of them proven true.
As a youth they'd just seemed funny; as he grew older, they'd become bittersweet.
This one word of "Master" was, for Yuankong, at least sincere.
After all, in a way, Chu Xingchen had taught him quite a few truths.
[Recruit Disciple Success]
[Target: Yuankong]
[Cultivation: Late Golden Core]
[Golden Line: Born Buddha Son]
[Purple Line: Penetrate the False]
[Purple Line: True Self Is Me]
[Blue Line: Heart Surpasses All Hardships]
[Blue Line: Intelligent]
[Blue Line: Compassionate Heart]
[Mission Complete]
[Mahayana Early Stage → Mahayana Mid Stage]
[Complete All Recruit Disciple Tasks]
[Mission Reward One:]
[Mahayana Mid Stage → Tribulation Transcendence Early Stage]
[Mission Reward Two:]
[World Map True Board]
[Note: Mountains and rivers have their limits; mountains and seas have their far shore.]
[Fate is determined from the start—all is contained in this map.]
[Technique Granted: Mahayana Cause-Effect Total Heart Sutra]
[Spirit Treasure Granted: Gilded True Dragon Cause-Effect Dharma Staff]
[Obtain Line Upgrade Opportunity]
Chu Xingchen looked at Yuankong for a moment, then decisively chose [Penetrate the False].
[Penetrate the False] line upgraded to [All Things' True Nature].
Yuankong suddenly sensed something was off, raised his eyes toward Chu Xingchen, then turned his head back and forth.
Soon, Yuankong confirmed this wasn't an illusion.
He scrambled to his feet, looking at Chu Xingchen with a complicated expression. After a moment's hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth and spoke:
"This… you…"
"Keep it secret. You'll understand later." Chu Xingchen cut him off, then produced the technique and spirit treasure staff from his system space and thrust them into Yuankong's hands without explanation. "Memorize the technique first—I need to take it back. When your cultivation is right, I'll give it to you again. This spirit treasure is a gift for becoming my disciple."
"If you find someone truly worthy of passing the technique to, you may do so. You don't need my permission."
"If anything strange happens, just think of it as a gift from the Heavenly Dao."
Yuankong looked down at the golden staff radiating gentle Buddhist light in his hands, then at the equally golden technique manual.
Obviously, his expression screamed that he wanted to ask, but he forced himself to hold back.
Yuankong was a Golden Core cultivator after all. A somewhat convoluted Buddhist cultivation heart sutra was no difficulty for a Buddhist cultivator like him.
Chu Xingchen only felt at ease once Yuankong could truly recite it backward, and instructed him not to blindly cultivate if he forgot—just come find him at Tianyan Sect.
The sun was just rising.
Chu Xingchen took his leave of Yuankong and departed.
Morning light touched the courtyard in this unremarkable corner of Jiangyue City.
Yuankong watched Chu Xingchen's retreating figure, then suddenly heard a faint sound from behind.
He turned around.
He saw Qian Qing's shoulders trembling, the movement growing stronger.
In this world, perhaps nothing is more despairing than having something taken from you…
It never belonged to you.
And you can't hold on.
[
Dear Readers,
I need your help. My financial situation is critical, and I can't continue without support.
Despite this, I'm still posting multiple high-quality, human-polished chapters daily because I love what I do—but I can't sustain this alone.
Support Tiers (All tiers receive a guaranteed 150+ chapters/month across all fics!):
• $6/month: 20+ chapters ahead + high-speed daily updates
• $8/month: 40+ chapters ahead + exclusive character images
• $10/month (Best Value): 60+ chapters ahead + character images + Community Chat access
Important: Subscribe through your web browser (not the Apple App) to avoid a 30% fee and payment delays.
Even a small contribution helps immensely. If you can't subscribe, please share my work with someone who might enjoy it.
Thank you for reading and considering support.
Patreon: patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
]