NOVPUBTo avoid embarrassing others, the disciples must have all been convinced too.
At this moment, atop Heaven Origin Peak, everyone watched as Xu Zimei appeared and then departed.
A silence hung over the crowd inside the great hall.
No one knew what each other was thinking, probably as if a bottle of mixed flavors had been knocked over.
"Gentlemen, please excuse me for a moment," my son has returned and will probably go to Azure Mountain Peak to find me."
Xu Qingshan stood up and said, "That stinky boy hasn’t come home in years.
Now that he’s back and injured a fellow disciple, I must go and have a good talk with him."
People looked at Xu Qingshan, and although he said this, there was pride on his face and the expression of someone struggling to suppress a smile.
Everyone could only sigh and think, "Damn hypocrite, as if you’d really give him a lesson!"
"Let the children sort out their matters themselves, we should not interfere," Sect Master Xiao said from the side.
Watching Xu Qingshan’s receding figure, Sect Master Xiao turned his head to look at the silent core Elders again.
He inquired, "What do you all think?"
"When a fierce tiger returns to the forest, and a true dragon heads to sea, I reckon none of us old timers can match him now.
What else is there to think?" the second Elder said with a smile.
"Qingshan has a fine son," Sect Master Xiao remarked with a sigh.
..........
Xu Zimei left the martial arts arena and went straight to his father’s residence at Azure Mountain Peak.
It was still that tranquil mountain shrouded in deep mist.
Every flower, every blade of grass, every tree, every leaf.
Xu Zimei felt that he had been away for so long, everything had changed, but the only thing that remained the same was the scenery of his father’s Azure Mountain Peak.
The calm stream flowed gently down from the mountain top, and there the cypress wood cottage was situated by the stream’s edge.
When Xu Zimei climbed the mountain, his mother Wenren Yun and Xu Qingshan were both waiting for him at the peak.
His mother hugged him and burst into tears, and Xu Zimei’s eyes also reddened.
In this world, everyone will leave you, their relationships tied to interests, but only parents will give selflessly without expecting anything in return.
"You’ve grown up a lot. As a father, I feel like I can’t quite keep up," Xu Qingshan said wistfully.
Xu Zimei glanced at his father, who had also broken through the Saint Vein Realm and advanced to the Divine Vein Realm.
"Seeing one’s son grow up should be a comforting thing for a father," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
"But as a father, I couldn’t offer you much help on your journey to maturity,"
Xu Qingshan replied.
Indeed, Xu Zimei’s journey had seen him spend very little time at the True Martial Holy Sect, with most of his time spent adventuring outside.
"Giving me life and raising me is already enough," Xu Zimei said, shaking his head slightly.
Xu Qingshan suddenly felt as if his son had grown up a lot, matured to the point where he no longer needed him.
It was as if the pheasant had turned into an eagle, now able to soar into the sky on its own, and even become a support for others.
Xu Qingshan smiled, feeling a sense of passage in his heart: "Time flies so fast."
Wenren Yun pulled Xu Zimei to sit in front of the thatched cottage and started asking all sorts of questions.
Xu Zimei happily shared some of the things he had experienced, the trip to the Northern Continent, what happened at his maternal grandfather’s house.
Apart from some deeply secretive matters, he told his parents everything else.
In this world, there are too many cultivators, many of whom even have lived for over ten thousand years.
To them, descendants may no longer evoke feelings of kinship, but are merely a means to perpetuate the bloodline.
Xu Zimei felt that his mother must be one of those simplest of people, who put her whole mind into her husband and son.
As the three of them were talking, Wenren Yun suddenly asked, "Mo Er, do you have a girl you like?"
"Mom, you’re shifting the topic a bit too quickly," Xu Zimei replied, holding his forehead.
"Mom knows you have great aspirations and you’ll probably spend even less time at home in the future.
But you should at least leave a descendant behind, right? Mom could also help you take care of the child, I guarantee I’ll educate them to be even more outstanding than you."
Wenren Yun said with emotion, "With your talent, and with our True Martial Holy Sect still here,
which woman in this world could be worthy of you!"
"Mom, I suddenly remembered that Ruhu and Xiao Guizi are looking for me, so I should go," Xu Zimei hurriedly stood up and said.
"Among the three unfilial acts, having no descendants is the greatest. Before you leave the sect this time, you must give me an answer," Wenren Yun shouted towards Xu Zimei’s retreating back.
After she had finished speaking, as if feeling it was not secure enough, she gave Xu Qingshan a glare and said, "Aren’t you going to do something about your son?"
"The child has grown up and certainly has his own ideas," Xu Qingshan said, bringing Wenren Yun into his embrace, smiling as he spoke.
...…
Returning to his residence at Goose Southern Peak, Xu Zimei unexpectedly felt as if he had traveled to another world.
Time had passed so quickly that he felt both familiar and strange here.
The two maidservants, Chun Xiao and Xia Qiu, had been keeping Xu Zimei’s courtyard clean for him all this time.
Now, seeing Xu Zimei returning, they were very happy and prepared hot water for him to wash away the dust of travel.
Xu Zimei casually rewarded them with some cultivation items.
While these items were no longer of much use to him, they were very valuable to the two of them.
After being attended by Chun Xiao and Xia Qiu and taking a bath, Xu Zimei came out to find Lin Ruhu and Xiao Guizi sitting in the pavilion of the courtyard waiting for him.
Xiao Guizi hadn’t changed much but now seemed much more mature.
Xu Zimei still remembered their first meeting, when the other had introduced himself while attempting to curry favor.
As for Lin Ruhu, he had grown a lot taller, his muscles had become more defined, and he vaguely exuded a strong presence.
"Senior brother, Zimo bro," the two greeted him at once.
"You guys been doing well?" Xu Zimei asked as he slowly sat down inside the pavilion, smiling.
"Pretty good, but you must be very tired from being outside, Zimo bro," Lin Ruhu replied.
"After I leave this time, I might not return to the sect for a long time, perhaps not until my destiny has taken shape," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
"What are your thoughts about your futures? Let’s hear them.
I’ll do my best to help you."
"I don’t need any help," Xiao Guizi laughed, "Senior brother, Shengnan and I have already gotten married.
She’s pregnant too. The rest of my life, my only wish is to live well with her and our child."
Yao Shengnan was previously from the Heaven Clan, and it was she who gave the Tree of Life to Xu Zimei, to whom Xu Zimei had also promised to help annihilate the Extinct Heaven Sect.
"What about you, Ruhu?" Xu Zimei asked.
"Senior brother, I always wanted to follow in your footsteps, but I realized later that you were moving too fast, and I couldn’t keep up," replied Lin Ruhu with a laugh, a laugh of relief, "Now, I have my own insights about the Martial Path to Heaven, and no one can help you on the path you must walk for your entire life.
I want to complete this journey on my own. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again one day."
Hearing their words, Xu Zimei suddenly thought of a saying.
The peak of the Martial Path is solitude,
It is desolation,
It is an endless quest,
It is so cold at the top!
