He fell off a cliff but unexpectedly gained a cultivation inheritance.

The aroma of noodles in the kitchen grew stronger, mingled with the fresh scent of scallions, wafting into the nostrils and tempting one's appetite. Zhang Bufan sat on the sofa, but his gaze involuntarily fell on his parents, a wave of bittersweet emotions surging within him.

Mother Liu Fenglian was busy at the stove, her once jet-black hair now completely white, clinging tightly to her slightly hunched back, with a few strands of flour still clinging to the back of her head. Her back was no longer as straight as before, every movement noticeably slow. When she raised her hand to wipe away sweat, the loose skin on her arms revealed faint wrinkles, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were as deep as ravines, almost squeezing into a ball when she smiled. Father Zhang Guoqiang sat on the wooden chair opposite, his hands folded on his knees. His shoulders, which could once easily carry a hundred pounds of grain, were now slightly slumped, his white hair at his temples sticking out haphazardly, and the deep wrinkles on his forehead looked as if they had been carved by a knife, bottomless.

At their early sixties, they should be enjoying their golden years with their grandchildren, but their parents, because of their disappearance, have aged to the point of looking like eighty-year-olds. Zhang Bufan felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his heart, the pain almost suffocating him. He could imagine how his parents had spent the past year and a half weeping day and night, how they had searched everywhere for him, how they had tossed and turned countless sleepless nights worrying about his safety. His accidental fall off a cliff had brought his parents a devastating blow, and this guilt and heartache brought tears to his eyes again.

"Dad, Mom, I'll stay home and keep you company for the next two months." Zhang Bufan's voice carried a hint of determination. "I learned some methods for conditioning the body from that reclusive master, and I'll take this time to help you both take good care of yourselves."

Zhang Guoqiang was taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "No need, no need, we're perfectly healthy. You just got back, so you should rest well." In his opinion, his son's safe return was already a great blessing, and he couldn't bear to let him worry about him.

Liu Fenglian came out of the kitchen carrying two steaming bowls of noodles. Hearing their conversation, she smiled and said, "Yes, Fan'er, your father and I are in good health, so you don't need to worry. I'm just happy that you're back safe and sound." As she spoke, she handed a bowl of noodles to Yue Ling'er, "Ling'er, please try some of my noodles. They're just simple home cooking, so please don't be picky."

Yue Ling'er quickly stood up and took the noodles. The rich aroma of wheat filled her nostrils. She smiled and said, "Auntie, you're too kind. These noodles smell wonderful; I'm sure I'll love them." Back in the Immortal Sword Sect, she ate food made with spirit rice, spirit vegetables, and various rare and precious ingredients. While the taste was good, it lacked a certain warmth and comfort. This simple bowl of mortal noodles, however, piqued her curiosity.

Liu Fenglian placed another bowl of noodles in front of Zhang Bufan. Two golden poached eggs lay in the bowl, sprinkled with bright green scallions—exactly Zhang Bufan's favorite dish since childhood. "Eat quickly, it's fresh out of the pot, be careful it's hot."

Zhang Bufan picked up his chopsticks, took a mouthful of noodles, blew on it, and gently put it into his mouth. The familiar aroma of wheat filled his mouth, carrying the unique warmth of his mother's cooking—simple yet incredibly delicious. This was the first time in over a year that he had eaten such comforting food, and the first time he had felt such genuine warmth of home. He ate slowly, savoring each bite, his eyes slightly moist. He had been amazed by the sweetness of the immortal peaches and the tenderness of the silver fish in the Xuanqing Secret Realm, but now, this ordinary bowl of noodles tasted better than any spiritual food.

Yue Ling'er also picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. The noodles were soft and chewy, and the soup had a light salty and fragrant taste. Although it lacked spiritual energy, it had a unique, rustic flavor. Her eyes lit up, and she ate in small bites, quickly finishing the bowl of noodles and even drinking a lot of the soup.

"It's delicious! Auntie, the noodles you made are so good!" Yue Ling'er exclaimed sincerely.

Liu Fenglian smiled from ear to ear: "I'm glad you like it. If you like it, Auntie will make it for you every day." She looked at Yue Ling'er's well-behaved appearance and became more and more satisfied. She held Yue Ling'er's hand and kept asking her about everyday things, her eyes full of affection.

Lunch ended in a warm atmosphere. After the meal, Zhang Bufan took the initiative to wash the dishes. Liu Fenglian wanted to stop him, but he persuaded her not to: "Mom, let me do it. I haven't helped you with housework for more than a year. Let me be filial."

Watching their son bustling about in the kitchen, Liu Fenglian and Zhang Guoqiang exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with relief. Their son, once burdened by life's hardships and somewhat taciturn, seemed to have become more composed and considerate during the year or so he had been missing.

After washing the dishes, Zhang Bufan went to the courtyard and quietly channeled his divine sense into the secret realm space within his storage ring. Inside, the peach blossoms were still in full bloom, the stream flowed gently, and the peach trees on the banks were laden with bright red peaches. Silver fish darted merrily in the water, and the spiritual spring water emitted a faint aura of spiritual energy. These cultivation resources accumulated within the Xuanqing Secret Realm were invaluable treasures for cultivators, essential for enhancing their cultivation. While consuming them would waste most of their energy for ordinary people, their effects were equally extraordinary.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Bufan had an idea. He decided to start with the spiritual spring water, adding a small amount to his parents' drinking water each day so their bodies could gradually adapt to the nourishment of spiritual energy. The silver fish could be cooked like ordinary fish, such as steamed or in soup; they would be delicious and easily accepted by his parents.

In the afternoon, Zhang Bufan's mother, Xie Fenglian, handed him a somewhat worn black backpack. "This is what the police found when they were searching for you at the bottom of the cliff. Your ID and phone are still there."

Zhang Bufan was overjoyed and quickly took the backpack. It was the very backpack he had taken with him when he fell off the cliff years ago; he hadn't expected to find it again. He opened the backpack; his wallet and phone were still there. He took out his wallet, opened it, and saw that the cash inside, though slightly damp, was still intact, and several bank cards were also safe and sound. He carefully put the wallet away, placing it close to his body in his pocket. With this money, life in the mortal world would be much more convenient for the next two months.

Then, he took out his phone. The screen was cracked, as if it had been hit by a hard object. He tried pressing the power button, but there was no response; it was clearly out of power and possibly damaged as well. "It's probably out of power. I'll find a charger and see if it turns on," Zhang Bufan said.

Liu Fenglian quickly found an old charger at home and handed it to Zhang Bufan: "This is the charger you used before. I don't know if it still works."

Zhang Bufan connected the charger to his phone. Although the screen was cracked, the charging port seemed undamaged, and the phone quickly showed it was charging. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the sofa to wait patiently. Yue Ling'er curiously leaned over, looking at the small box she had never seen before, and asked, "Senior Brother Zhang, what is this?"

"This is a cell phone, a communication tool used in the mortal world, just like the communication jade slips in our cultivation world. It can be used to make calls, send messages, and even see what the other person looks like," Zhang Bufan patiently explained.

A hint of curiosity flashed in Yue Ling'er's eyes: "Is it that amazing? It's just as powerful as a communication jade slip." In her opinion, communication jade slips were already very convenient communication tools, but she never expected that there would be something similar in the mortal world.

About half an hour later, the phone was finally fully charged. Zhang Bufan pressed the power button, and although the screen was cracked, it still turned on successfully. After booting up, countless message notifications popped up instantly: WeChat, QQ, SMS, voicemail... thousands of unread messages from various social media apps densely filled the entire screen.

Zhang Bufan took a deep breath, circulated his divine sense, and his mental power instantly covered the entire phone screen. Now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his mental power far surpassed that of ordinary people, making processing these messages a piece of cake for him. He quickly swiped the screen, browsing through various messages.

On WeChat, there were messages from relatives and friends, mostly from the early stages of his disappearance, inquiring about his whereabouts and expressing their concern. There were also some work group messages, but he had already left the company, so these messages were meaningless to him. QQ messages were similar to WeChat, mostly greetings and expressions of concern from relatives and friends. Text messages were mostly bank bill reminders, mobile phone bill notifications, and some from Google. His voicemail contained countless missed calls from his parents, as well as caller ID messages from relatives and friends, all filled with anxiety and worry.

With his extraordinary mental strength, Zhang Bufan finished processing all the unread messages in about half an hour. He replied to each of his relatives and friends, informing them that he had returned safely and that they didn't need to worry. In the process of replying to messages, he also gradually learned about some of the events that had occurred in the mortal world over the past year, slowly reconnecting with it.

Just as Zhang Bufan finished replying to the last message and was about to put his phone down, it suddenly vibrated, and a video call request popped up on the screen. The caller ID showed the name "Ye Qingxue".

Upon seeing this name, Zhang Bufan's body stiffened slightly, a complex mix of emotions welling up within him. Ye Qingxue, his ex-wife; they had been in love for ten years, married for five, and divorced for over three years—meaning they had known each other for eighteen years. He hadn't expected that Ye Qingxue would call him so soon after he logged onto the computer, clearly having discovered his social media account was online.

Zhang Bufan had already learned from Yue Shouren that Ye Qingxue was from a family of cultivators. This news made him suddenly realize why Ye Qingxue had been unwilling to have children. Cultivators' lifespans far exceed those of mortals, and having offspring would consume a large amount of spiritual energy, affecting their cultivation progress and potentially even causing a regression. As a member of a family of cultivators, Ye Qingxue inevitably bore the expectations of her family, making cultivation crucial to her. Her decision to marry him, a mortal, was already under immense pressure, so her unwillingness to have children was perfectly understandable.

Having figured this out, Zhang Bufan's last trace of resentment towards Ye Qingxue vanished. For a cultivator to be willing to spend fifteen years with a mortal like himself was enough to demonstrate the sincerity of her feelings for him. Moreover, even two years after their divorce, when he had disappeared, she was still working tirelessly for him; this devotion deeply moved Zhang Bufan.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Bufan swiped the screen and answered the video call.

The screen lit up, revealing a beautiful face that was both familiar and unfamiliar. Ye Qingxue wore a simple white dress, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, her skin as white as jade, and her features still exquisitely beautiful—almost unchanged from eighteen years ago when they first fell in love. Zhang Bufan had once thought her youthful appearance was due to regular exercise and good skincare. Only after learning she was a cultivator did he understand that it was all because of her cultivation.

Ye Qingxue, on the other end of the video, was instantly stunned when she saw Zhang Bufan's appearance, her eyes filled with disbelief. She clearly remembered that when Zhang Bufan fell off a cliff and went missing more than a year ago, he was a hunchbacked, overweight, and slightly weathered middle-aged man nearing forty. But the Zhang Bufan who appeared on the screen now was tall and straight, with fair skin and handsome features, looking only in his twenties, even more handsome than when they first fell in love.

Ye Qingxue, being a scion of a cultivation family, possessed far greater insight than ordinary people. She instantly realized that Zhang Bufan must have encountered a fortuitous event after falling off the cliff and had now become a cultivator. Thinking of this, a joyful smile instantly appeared on her face, and her eyes brightened. But the next second, as if suddenly remembering something, her smile froze and vanished, replaced by worry and confusion in her eyes.

A thousand words welled up in my heart, but in the end, they all turned into a slightly trembling greeting: "Bufan, are you alright?"

Watching Ye Qingxue's complex expression change on the screen, Zhang Bufan guessed that she had probably encountered some trouble. He smiled gently and said, "I'm fine. I had some unusual experiences after falling off the cliff, which delayed me for more than a year. I just got home today. Thank you for your hard work in helping me with my disappearance over the past year. You've worked very hard."

He paused, then continued, "You don't look quite right. Have you run into some trouble?"

Hearing Zhang Bufan's greetings and concern, Ye Qingxue's eyes reddened slightly. She hesitated for a long time, her lips moving as if she had something difficult to say. After a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Bufan, do you have time to come to Pengcheng? There are some things that are inconvenient to say online, and I want to talk to you in person."

Zhang Bufan's heart stirred. Pengcheng was where he had worked and lived, and it was also the city where he and Ye Qingxue had lived together. He thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go there tomorrow. Shall we meet at our old home?" That home was the house they bought when they got married. After the divorce, the house belonged to Zhang Bufan, but it had been empty ever since he disappeared.

"Okay, I'll wait for you there tomorrow." Ye Qingxue nodded, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible relaxation.

Afterwards, the two chatted briefly, mostly about Zhang Bufan's general situation over the past year. Zhang Bufan didn't go into detail about his cultivation, only mentioning that he had met a reclusive master and had been following him in his cultivation. Ye Qingxue didn't ask any further questions, simply listening quietly.

After hanging up the video call, Zhang Bufan fell into deep thought. He could sense that Ye Qingxue was facing considerable trouble, and it was very likely related to cultivation. After all, she was from a family of cultivators, so her troubles were probably not related to the mortal world. However, he was now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he also possessed the inheritance of Xuanqing Daoist and the status of a core disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect, so he figured he should be able to help.

"Senior Brother Zhang, who was that you video chatting with just now?" Yue Ling'er asked curiously. She could sense that Zhang Bufan's emotions were somewhat complicated when he was talking to that person.

"She's my ex-wife, Ye Qingxue," Zhang Bufan said truthfully without hiding anything. "She comes from a family of cultivators. She must have encountered some trouble and wants me to go to Pengcheng to help her."

Yue Ling'er paused for a moment, then nodded: "Then does Senior Brother plan to take me with him?" After all, this was her first time in the mortal world, and she was unfamiliar with everything here, so she naturally didn't want to be separated from Zhang Bufan.

"Of course I'll take you with me." Zhang Bufan smiled and said, "Tomorrow we'll go to Pengcheng together to help her resolve her troubles first, and then I'll show you around the mortal realm so you can experience its customs and culture."

A hint of anticipation flashed in Yue Ling'er's eyes as she smiled and said, "Okay! I really want to see what the mortal world is like."

Zhang Bufan nodded, secretly making plans. Going to Pengcheng tomorrow would be a good opportunity to take care of the house matter. He had originally planned to sell the Pengcheng house after settling his parents in, and buy them a larger, more comfortable house back in their hometown so they could enjoy their later years. Now it seemed like this was a perfect opportunity to complete the necessary paperwork.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Zhang Bufan drove Yue Ling'er to the county town to go shopping, buy some daily necessities, and also buy some ordinary clothes for Yue Ling'er. After all, it would be inconvenient to wear the Immortal Sword Sect's clothing all the time while living away from home for two months. Yue Ling'er naturally liked these different styles of beautiful clothes very much and was very happy. Before going home, he took out a silver fish and a few immortal peaches from the secret realm space to nourish his parents' health. He told Yue Ling'er in advance that when they got home, they should say that they bought them in the county town.

At dinner, the silverfish was given to her mother to steam. The silverfish had tender flesh and emitted a rich aroma after steaming. Liu Fenglian and Zhang Guoqiang ate it with great relish, and Yue Ling'er also enjoyed it very much.

Seeing his parents enjoying their meal, Zhang Bufan felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He knew this was just the beginning of making amends. Over the next two months, he would do his utmost to help his parents recover and let them feel the long-lost happiness and warmth. At the same time, he also looked forward to going to Pengcheng tomorrow to find out what trouble Ye Qingxue was facing and help her solve her problems—a way of repaying her for her hard work and efforts over the past year.