NOVPUBTaihe Palace.
Within the secluded palace hall belonging solely to Elder Du Wei.
In the simple hall, Du Wei, dressed in a plain robe, held two Spirit Beast Bags in his hand, his expression a picture of excitement:
"Where on earth did this come from?!"
Qi Yan in front of him dared not withhold any information and quickly revealed their origins.
Upon learning that they were obtained from Wang Ba, beyond his astonishment, Du Wei couldn’t help but stare intently at Qi Yan.
Feeling uncomfortable under the gaze, Qi Yan couldn’t help but ask in confusion:
"Master, what’s... what’s this about?"
Little did he know, that question seemed to trigger something.
Du Wei couldn’t help but exclaim in heartache and frustration:
"Are you foolish?!"
Qi Yan’s face darkened in an instant.
This again, it had been more than a decade, yet whenever Wang Ba was mentioned, he still got scolded.
He clearly regretted it deeply too.
Unable to help himself, he said:
"Master, I know I made a mistake before, but can you please not always..."
"You know nothing!"
Du Wei scolded his own disciple, showing no mercy despite him being a peak master now:
"Our Shou Peak has produced many who achieved Immortal Ascension but none could figure out anything special about the Ghost-pattern Stone Lizard. Wang Ba, an Elixir Cultivator, managed to easily obtain a mutated descendant of a Ghost-pattern Stone Lizard... Use that mushy brain of yours and think, what does that represent!"
Qi Yan furrowed his brows slightly, then his face changed subtly as he looked at Du Wei with caution:
"Master, you’re not thinking of doing something to Wang Ba, are you?"
"I..."
Anger made Du Wei’s white beard tremble:
"I’ll beat the life out of you, you ingrate!"
"Is that what I am in your eyes?!"
Qi Yan stepped back subtly, annoyed, "Then tell me, what does it represent?"
"Fate! Opportunity!"
Du Wei shook his head, "But none of that is important. We all made it to where we are today because we had fate on our side and countless opportunities... The important thing is, Wang Ba was born to be a disciple of our Shou Peak, yet you, the ingrate, sent him off to Yao Wudi..."
There it was, back to the same point.
Qi Yan felt a headache coming on.
Fortunately, after Du Wei rambled for a while, he finally got back to the point.
Looking at the Spirit Beast Bags in his hand, there was a hint of sentiment in Du Wei’s eyes:
"These two Spirit Beasts, especially the descendant of this Ghost-pattern Stone Lizard, can certainly test my bloodline reverting method... but for you, it’s an even rarer opportunity."
"Opportunity?"
Qi Yan was somewhat puzzled.
Suddenly, his figure stiffened, and realizing something, he looked at Du Wei with surprise:
"You mean…"?
"Indeed."
Slowly, Du Wei nodded:
"This beast has a complex lineage within its body. Although it’s not like the original Ghost-pattern Stone Lizard, it’s still quite remarkable, encapsulating myriad aspects yet not completely unchanging... You could use this to consolidate your Cultivation and, perhaps, form the foundation of your path..."
"But Wang Ba asked me to enhance this Stone Lizard…"
Qi Yan hesitated slightly.
Du Wei immediately glared at him:
"Foolishness!"
"The two aren’t mutually exclusive! Without understanding this Stone Lizard, without a bit of experimentation, how can you enhance it?"
Qi Yan suddenly became enlightened.
"Besides, I’ve heard that the lad is in the Spirit Food Department and even became a vice head," Du Wei said frowning, "That place has no real skill to speak of, it’s truly a waste to leave him there."
This time, Qi Yan clearly understood Du Wei’s words and nodded.
...
Returning to Wanfa Peak.
The sky had already darkened completely.
Bu Chan had prepared the meal, waiting for his return.
Actually, it didn’t matter to either of them if they had one meal more or less, but Wang Yi’an, still young and not yet embarked on the path of Cultivation, was different.
"Dad, when will you let me begin Cultivation?"
Wang Yi’an tugged at Wang Ba’s sleeve with a droopy face.
"Let your dad rest a bit first, come and eat."
Bu Chan glared at Wang Yi’an.
Wang Yi’an had no choice but to sit obediently at the table, took a handful of spiri rice for Boli on his shoulder, and then listlessly began to eat his meal.
"Squash again..."
He muttered under his breath.
Wang Ba smiled and patted his son’s head:
"Wait a few days until my days off, I’ll take you to see what it’s about then."
"But Fatty Xi has already gone to Shixian Peak to become a disciple."
Wang Yi’an couldn’t help but grumble once more.
"Shixian Peak?"
At the mention of this name, Wang Ba felt a bit of a momentary daze, recalling memories of Tao Ruyi and her somewhat plump figure, along with her cooking skills.
Besides her, there were Ji Yuan, Zhen Boen, Zhou Lve, and others.
After the trip to West Sea Country, he had been busy with his Cultivation and had not been in touch with these former companions, and now the thought of them brought a touch of nostalgia.
After all, the mission in West Sea Country was his very first real outing with his peers, and having faced life and death together, they indeed became friends bonded through adversity.
However, he had many tasks at hand right now, and still no time to spare.
"We will wait for the days off then."
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
After eating, Bu Chan took Wang Yi’an to learn to read.
Wang Ba then took out the written messages that Cui Daqi had given him.
After opening them, he realized they were records of monthly resources’ inflows and outflows from departments such as the Spirit Plant Department, Beast Control Department, Fireseed Department, Tool-refining Department, and Spirit Material Department, including details on the actual use of materials, wastage, the quantity of defective products, disposal of defects, and remaining quantities, etc.
The Spirit Food Department seemed only to process Spirit Plants or Spirit Beasts into spirit food, but in actuality, since the mixture of the treatment liquid often needed to combine several types of materials and utilize the spirit fire and Magic Tools for the treatment, the departments involved were quite numerous.
