Chapter 391: Assassination (Part 2)

The courtyard gate was shut tight, but the yard inside was clean and tidy. Someone had clearly been cleaning it regularly.

Liang Cheng pushed the gate open and walked in.

Inside the courtyard, a figure stood with their back to him, bent over and pruning an old plum tree.

Hearing the gate open, the figure slowly straightened up and turned around.

Lie Mountain.

Master and Disciple, their eyes met.

Neither of them spoke.

After a long moment, Lie Mountain smiled.

“You’ve gotten thinner.”

Liang Cheng smiled back.

“I’m sorry for making you worry, Master.”

Lie Mountain let out a laugh, then stepped forward and clapped Liang Cheng firmly on the shoulder.

“As long as you’re back.”

The four simple words carried more weight than any others.

“For this trial in the Demon Suppression Array, your results won’t be counted since you went missing. Don’t lose heart. You’ll just have to wait another thirty years to make a name for yourself.”

Seeing Liang Cheng’s calm and composed expression, Lie Mountain grew even more satisfied.

He continued, “Your mother and your master, Yang Wei, don’t know you were missing. I only told them you were out on a Sect mission and that everything was fine. Remember not to let it slip.”

Liang Cheng nodded, his face full of gratitude.

“Thank you, Master.”

…

The West Courtyard.

The courtyard was swept clean.

By the courtyard entrance, Lady Ning was sitting on a low stool, a needle and thread in her hands as she mended an old piece of clothing.

Sunlight bathed her in a peaceful, serene glow.

Liang Cheng stood a short distance away, his steps halting as he gazed at the figure.

Lady Ning looked older. Her hair was beginning to turn white, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had deepened, but her gaze was as gentle as ever.

Liang Cheng took a deep breath and walked forward. The sound of his footsteps startled Lady Ning. She looked up at the approaching person.

Then, she froze. The needle and thread in her hands fell to the ground.

Liang Cheng walked over and crouched down, meeting her gaze.

“Mother, I’m home.”

Lady Ning looked at him, her eyes slowly turning red. She raised a trembling hand and caressed Liang Cheng’s face.

“You’ve gotten thinner.”

Liang Cheng smiled.

“You have too.”

Lady Ning couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. She pulled Liang Cheng into a tight embrace.

“As long as you’re back, as long as you’re back…”

She repeated those four words, as if pouring more than a year’s worth of worry and longing into them.

Inside the courtyard, Yang Wei heard the commotion and pushed the door open to step outside. A little brat with bright, darting eyes followed behind him.

The moment he saw Liang Cheng, his steps faltered. Then he smiled, and as he smiled, his eyes turned red as well.

Liang Cheng released Lady Ning, stood up, and cupped his fist toward Yang Wei. “Master.”

Yang Wei nodded, his voice a little hoarse. “As long as you’re back, as long as you’re back.”

…

「That night.」

After having dinner with Lady Ning and Yang Wei, Liang Cheng sat in the courtyard. Moonlight, like water, spilled into the garden. He closed his eyes and looked inward at his Sea of Consciousness.

There, the Divine Soul Liquid lay dormant, the seal on it firm.

The illusory phantom of his Blade Intent floated quietly, emitting a faint golden light, while his Fist Intent and Sword Intent remained at the Middle Level, dim and lackluster.

The Three Talents had collapsed, leaving only the Blade Intent supreme.

Liang Cheng opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. He stood up and walked to the old plum tree in the center of the courtyard.

He raised his hand.

He clenched his fist.

And threw a punch.

The wind from his fist whistled as it struck the plum tree.

The tree didn’t move an inch; not even a leaf trembled.

But from within the trunk came a faint, muffled THUD.

Liang Cheng withdrew his fist and gently stroked the trunk.

A moment later, a single withered, yellow leaf drifted down from the top of the tree.

Liang Cheng watched the falling leaf, lost in thought.

He had used pure Fist Intent for that punch, without channeling any of his Cultivation.

His Fist Intent was still at the Middle Level, but the power of that punch was more than twice as strong as it had been a year ago.

His insights into Blade Intent had allowed him to extrapolate and apply the principles, advancing his Fist Intent as well.

‘I will use my Blade Intent as the foundation to reverse-engineer and improve my Sword Intent and Fist Intent.’

‘It will just take time.’

‘But I don’t need to think about that for now. Last year, I fell into a spatial rift and missed the New Year’s reunion. This year, I’ll just relax and spend a proper New Year with my family.’

‘After the New Year, I’ll be twenty-three.’

‘A twenty-three-year-old Golden Core Powerhouse is unprecedented in the history of the Penglai Sect, and likely never to be seen again.’

‘But thanks to my Perfection in the Turtle Breath and Spirit Concealment Technique, not even Lie Mountain knows I’ve advanced to the Golden Core Realm.’

‘For now, I won’t think about anything else. I’ll just enjoy the New Year.’

The New Year passed quickly.

Liang Cheng ate New Year’s Eve dinner with Lady Ning, offered a toast to Yang Wei, gave Yang An a hug, and caught up with Li Mu and the others. Yun Jinghong wasn’t in the Sect, still out on a mission gaining experience.

After Liang Cheng’s return, he had a constant stream of visitors throughout the first month of the new year. He turned them all away, claiming to be in seclusion, only taking the time to visit First Peak to give Lie Mountain his New Year’s greetings.

Lie Mountain didn’t ask many questions, only patting him on the shoulder and saying, “Spend some quality time with your mother.”

Liang Cheng stood in the courtyard, watching the fireworks light up the sky, and thought of the Cold Pool Wanderer.

‘Come back when you have reached the Nascent Soul Realm.’

Those words had been turning over in his mind for days.

‘Why did the Cold Pool Wanderer want me to wait?’

‘What secret is hidden in the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda?’

‘And what is the secret connecting the stone tablet and the cowhide paper?’

He recalled how back at the Main Courtyard, Chen Xuanfeng had once mentioned that Elder Huang and the Cold Pool Wanderer had a past together.

Moreover, Elder Huang had also been a Disciple of the Penglai Sect. Later, he left the Sect and returned to Lin Wu City to live in seclusion, focusing on Alchemy, and had never come back.

‘Thinking about it now, Elder Huang might know something.’

‘More importantly, why did Elder Huang leave the Penglai Sect?’

‘With his skill in Alchemy, his status would only have been higher if he’d stayed in the Sect. Yet he chose to return to a small place like Lin Wu City.’

‘And about the Secret Realm in Lin Wu City—how did Elder Huang know there was a stone tablet inside?’

Chen Xuanfeng had said that Elder Huang’s real name was Huangfu Qi.

Liang Cheng had made special inquiries and learned that Elder Huang had been a genius Disciple in the Penglai Sect back in his day. His talent for Alchemy was astonishing, and he had entered the Inner Sect at a young age.

But later, for some unknown reason, his Cultivation stagnated. He gradually faded into obscurity, and finally, disheartened, he requested to leave the Sect and returned to Lin Wu City.