This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 396 The Place Where Yan Xuanhe Passed Away

Upon hearing the devastating news, Xiao He was overcome with grief, tears streaming down his face as he burst into loud sobs.

Thirty years later, my pure and innocent little sister Xiao Lingyue was taken advantage of by Xiang Yuan, that black-hearted wild boar, and had several children, and those children even had children of their own.

The more I thought about it, the sadder I became, and I cried so hard!

As heartbroken as Xiao He was, Xiang Yuan was overjoyed, though he maintained a straight face, his heart was bursting with happiness.

This world is nice, quite joyful.

Xiao He wailed for a while, then, seeing that Xiang Yuan seemed to be losing control, he let out a loud cry to stop crying, and said unwillingly, "You're lying to me, aren't you?"

Please, I'm begging you, I'm kneeling down, tell me you're lying!

"Brother-in-law, don't you even look at my current cultivation level? I'm a Grandmaster of the Profound Realm. Is that something you can achieve in just two or three years?"

Xiang Yuan swayed slightly, releasing his aura and putting some pressure on Xiao He. With a serious face, he raised a finger: "Thirty years of genuine products, not a year more, not a year less. The facts are right in front of you. With your intelligence and vision, do you think I could fool you?"

"..."

Xiao He's wishful thinking died on the spot, and he cried even harder.

Xiang Yuan felt relieved and ignored Xiao He's loud crying. He put his arm around Xiao He's shoulder and said to him, "Brother-in-law, you do have some talent. When did you reach the Nascent Soul stage? Your strength is quite good, almost catching up with Xiang He."

Upon hearing the name Xiang He, Xiao He felt utterly devastated; at home, Xiao He was truly dead.

Even if he goes back now, he can never go back to this home.

"Hey Xiang, did you really marry Lingyue?"

"Brother-in-law, why won't you give up?"

Xiang Yuan was greatly dissatisfied and said inhumanely, "Don't you think it would be difficult for me to marry Lingyue with my methods?"

"It's as difficult as climbing to heaven; your character speaks for itself!"

"Alright, then I'll tell the truth and tell my brother-in-law."

Xiang Yuan cleared his throat with a fist: "It was indeed difficult at first, but since you, my brother-in-law, died, my mother was in tears, and Lingyue was also secretly wiping away tears. I took the opportunity to show my filial piety to my mother and coax her to stop crying, while also relentlessly pursuing Lingyue. When my mother saw how filial I was, she asked Lingyue about it. Lingyue didn't want to go against my mother's wishes and was afraid that she would continue to be sad, so she reluctantly married me..."

At this point, Xiang Yuan lowered his voice and whispered in Xiao He's ear, "Brother-in-law, you died at just the right time. If you hadn't died, how could I have married Lingyue?"

"Asshole, I'll kill you!"

boom!
With a single straight punch, Xiao He fell to the ground.

Xiang Yuan looked down at Xiao He with disdain, his words and actions like those of a villain: "Brother-in-law, don't be like this. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Regardless of my intentions, my filial piety towards my mother is genuine, and my respectful relationship with Lingyue is even more genuine. For thirty years, this entire branch of the family has been supported by me. You are the most disappointing one, having let down both my mother and my sister."

Xiao He was overwhelmed with grief, regret, and self-blame, and cried out in despair.

After crying for a full half hour, Xiang Yuan finally squatted down and said, "Brother, I was just teasing you. There's no such thing as thirty years, and Xiang He doesn't exist either. Use your brain. With my talent, how could it take me thirty years to cultivate to the level of a Grandmaster?"

I was just joking around, just teasing you!
If one doesn't act like a human being, then one truly isn't human. Xiao He, manipulated at will, experienced extreme highs and lows in his emotions. In a fit of rage, he channeled his grief and indignation into strength, raising his fist and charging into the distance.

Crackling!

Bang bang bang!
The scene shifts to Xiao He, whose face is bruised and swollen, and whose speech is slurred. He tries to splatter blood on Xiang Yuan's trouser leg but fails, and then he calms down completely.

He silently comforted himself, trying to think positively: if it hadn't been thirty years, there wouldn't have been a person named Xiang He, there wouldn't be a memorial tablet for him in the family, and his mother wouldn't be crying her eyes out...

Most importantly, my sister remains pure and innocent, unmarried, and has not been taken advantage of.

He's better!
Xiao He, pleased with his newfound sense of self-deception, grumbled, "Brother, you can't just say things carelessly, and you can't joke around like that. What you just said, was it even human language? I'll give you more than ten slaps today as punishment, hoping you'll realize your mistake and correct it, and not do it again next time."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xiang Yuan's fist.

Forces are reciprocal. One throws a punch to the face, the other throws a punch. From another perspective, it's as if Xiao He is hitting Xiang Yuan in the face.

as long as you are happy!
Whether Xiao He was happy or not is another matter, but Xiang Yuan was certainly happy, having fulfilled his long-cherished wish and given the first cunning strategist a good beating.

Xiao He was the first, and he won't be the last. These are the riddle-makers who only say half of what they mean. Xiang Yuan will beat them all up sooner or later.

"By the way, brother-in-law..."

"Stop shouting!"

"Brother Xiao, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, let's tell it as we walk..."

The two moved forward on the wind. Xiao He had a lot to say, so he didn't move the space to continue their journey.

Last June in the southern border region, Xiang Yuan killed Ana Heiyan, the wife of the leader of the Five Poisons Sect, in Yundou City. Because Xu Jixian had revealed everything that could not be said, Xiao He, just in case, disbanded the Imperial City Division's office in Fengxian County, and the group went their separate ways.

Xiang Yuan went to the southern border and became the Left Envoy of the Underworld, and then traveled all over the world; Xu Jixian went to the capital and worked diligently day and night; Wang Wenxu went to Zhen Dian Prefecture and continued to teach in a different place.

Xiao He couldn't stay idle, so he chose an undercover mission and went to the Heavenly Blade Sect.

At that time, Ji Wuzhou had already joined the Heavenly Blade Sect. He won people over with virtue and crushed all the dissent from the six branches of the Heavenly Blade Sect. He only needed the sect leader Shen Hanyi, who was in seclusion, to seize power through his fists.

After Xiao He joined the Heavenly Blade Sect, he quickly gained the favor of Ji Wuzhou with his clever mind and his eloquence in speaking to people in a way that suited them, and became one of his lackeys.

Ji Wuzhou couldn't figure out Xiang Yuan's lineage, but he could figure out Xiao He. Knowing that Xiang Yuan had a close relationship with his disciple, he didn't take Xiang Yuan's undercover identity seriously.

Xiao He probably guessed that he had been exposed, but since Ji Wuzhou didn't say anything, he continued to act. When he advanced to the Nascent Soul stage at the Heavenly Blade Sect, he went from being Ji Wuzhou's lackey to his dedicated lackey.

Originally, everything was fine.

Unexpectedly, Shen Hanyi suddenly emerged from seclusion, chose a quick and painless way to die, and readily engaged in a one-on-one duel with Ji Wuzhou.

No one knew the details of the duel, and the result was as expected: Ji Wuzhou won without injury, and Shen Hanyi never appeared again.

“After that, your cheap master changed.”

Xiao He said quietly, "I sensed something was wrong with him, so I investigated in secret. Sure enough, the real Ji Wuzhou has been imprisoned, and the current Ji Wuzhou is Shen Hanyi... possibly Shen Hanyi in disguise."

Xiang Yuan: "..."

No way, the lifelike broken sampan is actually fake?
Ji Wuzhou's character has changed drastically, which is indeed a bit strange. Xiang Yuan had also considered the possibility that he was being impersonated, but after meeting him and taking a look, the possibility of him being impersonated is unlikely. It seems more like his cultivation level has improved and his temperament has changed accordingly.

It turned out to be fake!

Life is already hard enough, so don't always look for reasons within yourself; learn to forgive yourself.

Xiang Yuan quickly forgave himself. It wasn't his fault for not recognizing his second master; it was the broken sampan's fault for not showing up in front of him enough times.

Counting the number of times, Xiang Yuan has only met Ji Wuzhou twice in total, and today's meeting was with a fake...

I'm so unfamiliar!
Xiang Yuan expressed that the situation was understandable. Ji Wuzhou was an elder, and even if he had made a mistake, he, as a student, could not criticize him too much. He hoped that Ji Wuzhou would correct his attitude as a teacher in the future and show his face in front of his students more often.

As a master, if your apprentice doesn't come to you, don't you know to go find your apprentice?

That's not how you act as a master!
Furthermore, the broken sampan was actually imprisoned.

As expected of the least skilled of the three masters, he did not disappoint.

"I found the location where Ji Wuzhou was imprisoned and contacted two masters loyal to him, one named Liu Pojun and the other Lü Xun. I plan to protect them and see if I can get Ji Wuzhou out..."

Xiao He recounted the situation at the time, saying that Shen Hanyi, who was impersonating Ji Wuzhou, was extremely ambitious, regarded the common people as pawns, and was ruthless and cold-blooded, which gave him a very bad feeling. So he thought about bringing Ji Wuzhou out and giving him a chance to redeem himself.

As it turned out, everything seemed to be within Shen Hanyi's calculations. As soon as Xiao He and the other two entered Ji Wuzhou's place of imprisonment, the world spun around them, and they fell into this realm.

After that, every now and then a Grandmaster or a Nascent Soul stage expert would fall. With many people, there was great strength. They worked together to find a way to leave this world, but they never succeeded.

Some people choose to keep working hard, while others choose to give up.

Xiao He chose to have it all, working hard on one hand and slacking off on the other, so as not to waste time on either.

He relied on his status as a lackey of Ji Wuzhou to exploit a group of grandmasters, allowing him to advance rapidly in the Nascent Soul stage.

He was simply giving up because he had no other options. He figured if the sky were to fall, the taller ones would hold it up, and the grandmasters would be busy while he idled away his time, searching for divine artifacts and opportunities.

Believe it or not, this godforsaken place may be a complete wasteland, but it's full of unexpected opportunities.

Especially since others weren't as naive as him and there were no competitors, he quickly collected all four walls.

At this point, Xiao He chuckled and said something about how a loss might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

"Brother, how did you get in?"

"Come save my brother!"

"Tell the truth."

"Come save Master!"

"Make it even more real." "I wreaked havoc on the Great Ascension Mountain of the Heavenly Sect, crushed a group of grandmasters, fought against the peerless expert who impersonated my master, withstood three thousand lightning tribulations, and fought him to the edge of the universe, even obliterating the Great Dao. When he saw that he could not do anything to me, he used a dirty trick to banish me here."

"This is too fake," Xiao He complained.

"See, you're not happy to tell the truth."

Xiang Yuan shrugged. What he said was the truth, but people only believe what they believe. Xiao He, with his petty mind, couldn't stand seeing his brother's cultivation level rise. He ignored the facts and forcibly treated the truth as a lie.

Xiang Yuan's attitude towards such people is also clear: put aside the desire to help others and respect their fate.

Therefore, we will not go into his love story with Xiao Lingyue here. We hope that Xiao He has a keen eye and can calmly vomit blood when he sees his younger brother and sister enjoying their time together.

They've all reached the Divine Transformation stage; two pounds of blood won't kill them.

Le.JPG
The two flew through the air and soon arrived at a mountain stronghold of considerable size.

Each detached villa is built against the mountain in a staggered manner. In addition to the wooden houses, there are also some artificial mountains and gardens created by master craftsmen. The green tiles and white walls are hidden among the green pines and cypresses. Each courtyard has its own independent garden and is connected by bluestone paths.

This gave Xiang Yuan the feeling that in a hundred or two hundred years, the mountain village would become a town and the population would soon become wealthy.

From afar, Xiang Yuanda saw a familiar flower garden. The maple leaves inside were like fire, the peach blossoms were dazzling, and the flowerbeds had the winds of all four seasons. It was clearly the temporary little nest of the Sword Master Mingxia.

The question is, according to Xiao He, the Sword Master of Mingxia has been here for several days, so who is the female grandmaster who was just defeated by him three times?

If someone is impersonating someone, then what about masters like Nirvana Sword Master and Liu Pojun? Where do you find so many high-quality actors who can convincingly portray any role?

He could only mimic someone's appearance and figure without having a matching technique; a matching technique was required to truly replicate them perfectly.

A newcomer fell from the sky, but didn't attract much attention in the stronghold. He was just a grandmaster; there was no shortage of grandmasters here.

Xiao He led the way into a separate courtyard, and soon brought Xiang Yuan to find Ji Wuzhou.

This time it is true.

The fake Ji Wuzhou had eyes as bright as the sun and moon, indifferent and ruthless. He was in charge of the Heavenly Sect, wielding the power of heaven and earth, and possessed earth-shattering abilities, befitting the illustrious name of the Heavenly Sect Master.

The real Ji Wuzhou had listless eyes, an unshaven beard, and was unkempt. He would scribble and draw on paper. Whether he had any extraordinary skills was hard to say, but his body was covered in ink stains.

There's no mistake, this is definitely true.

"Boss, look who I brought here!"

Xiao He let out a loud cry, startling Ji Wuzhou so much that his hand trembled, and he missed a stroke, turning the entire white paper black.

Ji Wuzhou was not startled by Xiao He's shout, but by Xiang Yuan's sudden arrival. As if he had thought of something, his eyes immediately lit up, and he swept away his dejected air, instantly becoming heroic and spirited.

"Wonderful! I shouldn't have died here!"

Ji Wuzhou waved his hand, scattering the drawing paper and chairs, and strode forward: "My worthy disciple, what brings you here?"

“My worthy disciple…”

Xiang Yuan's lips twitched: "Master, if I remember correctly, I am only a nominal disciple."

When you first took me as your apprentice, you were quite dismissive, not nearly as enthusiastic as you are now. Please revert to your previous attitude; I still prefer my rebellious, dilapidated boat master.

"A disciple in name only is still a disciple!"

Ji Wuzhou looked solemn and stepped forward to grasp Xiang Yuan's wrist. It was unclear what he had done, but his solemn expression showed a hint of surprise, even bewilderment and disbelief.

"Why is this happening?"

"Master, is there a problem?" Xiang Yuan frowned.

"no no……"

Ji Wuzhou looked Xiang Yuan up and down, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "My good disciple, how are you doing with the three paintings I gave you back then?"

"I've learned it all."

Xiang Yuan took out three paintings and handed them to Ji Wuzhou.

Xiao He peeked out and saw three large sheets of white paper. He was puzzled and suspected that the master-disciple transmission had been prevented from being handled by outsiders.

Only Xiang Yuan can see the writing on the drawing paper; everyone else can't see anything.

This is outrageous! Even a wise person would be wary!
"I've really finished learning..."

Ji Wuzhou took the three sheets of white drawing paper, confirmed that they were all blank, and looked at Xiang Yuan with even more disbelief.

“Master, you might as well speak your mind. If you feel there are outsiders present, Xiao He is very sensible and will leave on his own without you having to say anything,” Xiang Yuan said understandingly.

Xiao He rolled his eyes, grumbled, and left.

Ji Wuzhou stared at Xiang Yuan with suspicion for a long time before saying, "My worthy disciple, after you obtained the three paintings, did you feel any changes in yourself?"

"Master, your disciple is changing every moment," Xiang Yuan complained. The broken sampan was still as eccentric as before.

"So, after you learned the opportunity that your master left you, did you encounter any powerful figures?"

"a lot of."

Xiang Yuan glanced at Ji Wuzhou: "For example, before I became your disciple, I did have a master in the Qianyuan Realm, and you couldn't figure out who he was back then."

"who is it?"

Ji Wuzhou asked directly.

“Northern Qi, Benxindao, Quexindaoren.”

"What? You're a successor of the Original Heart Dao, or a disciple of the Heartless Old Daoist?" Ji Wuzhou stood there, his eyes wide and mouth agape, looking utterly comical.

Xiang Yuan nodded self-consciously, his face slightly flushed. After all, it wasn't something to be proud of, and if possible, he really didn't want to talk about it.

Ji Wuzhou sighed deeply: "Oh well, it's just that my surname, Ji, is not good enough. I'm not capable enough either. Ji Wuzhou, I've encountered all these bad words."

Then comes a series of complaints. Sometimes they complain, sometimes they want it when they don't have it, and only regret it when they lose it. They are fickle, indecisive, and unlikely to achieve great things.

Xiang Yuan didn't know what Ji Wuzhou was muttering about. Considering that this guy had always been crazy and that when they first met, he was full of philosophy, pondering questions like "Who am I?", "Where did I come from?", and "What do I want to do?", he didn't join in the conversation.

It wouldn't be good if they were led astray and became crazy themselves.

"Master, Xiao He has told me about the situation in this world. What about you?"

Xiang Yuan asked in confusion, "Ji Wuzhou crushed the Heavenly Blade Sect, and Feilong was right on top of him, yet he still lost. If you're not ashamed, please recount the details of what happened so as a warning to him, the newcomer."

"It's my fault for being too confident, which led to me falling victim to their schemes," Ji Wuzhou sighed.

"Shen Hanyi?"

"He doesn't deserve it."

Ji Wuzhou looked at Xiang Yuan and sneered repeatedly, "Since you were able to enter this place, you must have suffered a calamity at Mount Dacheng. Do you think the person impersonating me is Shen Hanyi?"

Master, you might not believe it, but I didn't even realize you were being impersonated!
“Master, I think you’re already imprisoned here, so stop putting on airs. A defeated general shouldn’t boast about his bravery. Losing is losing,” Xiang Yuan said bluntly.

Ji Wuzhou's face immediately turned red, and he stammered, saying that the thieves had planned their attack on him, that he hadn't expected it, and that it wasn't a fault of his own...

Blah blah blah, it's all sophistry.

"Master, what is the situation in this realm?"

"Yan Xuan disappeared in the river, and this is where he passed away peacefully," Ji Wuzhou replied.

"..."

The place where Yan Xuanhe passed away is so similar to the place where the Heavenly Emperor fell; the layout is almost identical. Could they be the same person?
How many Heavenly Emperors are there in the Three Thousand Worlds, and which one is the real one?

Xiang Yuan was puzzled and then asked, "Master, you've been writing and drawing here all day, have you found a way out?"

"Originally there was nothing I could do, but now that you've come, I'm absolutely certain of success."

Ji Wuzhou looked at Xiang Yuan with a deep gaze. He had originally given up, but who would have thought that there was always a way out and the only possibility had come to pass.

It's too much of a coincidence. Was he set up?

For example, that clueless old Taoist priest!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

10,000 words, please vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)