In the courtyard of Fanjiang Residence, the destroyed evening mist flowers had all been removed by Wen Liubing, and new seeds had been sown to await germination.
Shen Gurong sat on a stone bench, tapping his palm absently with a bamboo flute.
Across from him, Wen Liubing sat upright, gripping a pen and writing furiously on a stone table, his brow furrowed. Beside him, Mu Zhe and Yu Xinghe sat obediently, each with a spirit fruit brought by Su Xiyan the previous day, occasionally picking one up and eating it cautiously.
Shen Gurong glanced at him, coolly asking, "How many times?"
Before Wen Liubing could speak, Yu Xinghe raised his small hand, offering to help his senior brother: "Reporting to Master, fifty-seven times!"
Wen Liubing frowned: "Nonsense, you underestimated it by a hundred times."
Shen Gurong looked at him: "Lying again? Hold out your hand."
Wen Liubing reluctantly held out his hand, and Shen Gurong tapped it heavily with the bamboo flute. A sharp crack echoed, startling the two little ones beside him.
Sword cultivators are tough and resilient; Wen Liubing was unfazed by the blow. Judging from his expression, he'd rather take a few more lashes than copy that damned book.
Wen Liubing, true to his word, said seriously to his master, "Master, let me go to the Discipline Hall to get whipped. I really don't want to copy books anymore."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Never seen anyone so eager to be beaten.
Shen Gurong tapped his shoulder and said, "Straighten your back and keep copying—are you this lacking in perseverance when practicing swordsmanship?"
Wen Liubing solemnly replied, "I can swing my sword tens of thousands of times a day without ever complaining of being tired."
Shen Gurong scolded him, "Then you can't even copy a book properly two thousand times?! Don't you feel ashamed in front of your junior brother?"
Wen Liubing was shocked: "Master, wasn't it nine hundred times?"
"You've squeezed your junior brother to copy for you, doubling the number."
Sanshui looked as if he had lost his parents.
Yu Xinghe and Mu Zhe were eating fruit nearby, watching their senior brother copying the book with sweat pouring down his face, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction.
Seeing Wen Liubing start copying again, Shen Gurong finally turned his gaze to Mu Zhe and Yu Xinghe, his voice immediately softening.
"What did you learn in morning class today? Was anything difficult?"
Yu Xinghe eagerly raised his hand. He always seized every opportunity to speak with his master, even creating opportunities if necessary.
Today's morning class was Lou Bugui's herbalism lesson. Yu Xinghe asked, "Uncle Lou taught us a formula for 'soul separation' today, saying that even a powerful cultivator in the Mahayana stage could easily separate their soul from their body. Master, what are the consequences if the soul separates from the body?"
Shen Gurong's face stiffened, his expressionless eyes thinking: The consequence is being mentally impaired for two days.
Mu Zhe lowered his head, concealing the smile in his eyes.
Shen Gurong didn't answer that, but instead raised an eyebrow slightly: "Did your Martial Uncle Lou teach you poison again?"
Yu Xinghe blinked: "Yes."
Shen Gurong said: "Don't attend his class next time."
Yu Xinghe was taken aback, and said timidly: "But if we don't attend morning class, the sect leader will scold us."
Shen Gurong thought for a moment: "I'll go talk to him."
Yu Xinghe nodded quickly.
As the two were talking, Wen Liubing began to get restless again.
Strangely enough, Wen Liubing had the patience and perseverance to practice his sword ten thousand times a day, but he had absolutely no patience for the simple task of copying books. After copying a few times, the characters looked like they were flying; the character "和" (hé) he wrote looked like "杀" (shā).
Seeing his almost restless state, Shen Gurong picked up the bamboo flute and said, "Since you can't calm down, then your master will play a tune for you to soothe your mind."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe was about to jump off the stone bench to take his leave without a word, but his master didn't give him the chance. Sanshui and Yu Xinghe were both full of anticipation.
Mu Zhe closed his eyes miserably, wishing he could close his ears too.
Shen Gurong tentatively placed the bamboo flute to his lips.
A moment later, Wen Liubing was completely dumbfounded, his face clearly saying, 'Who am I? What am I doing?'
Yu Xinghe was a complete idiot, probably just like his master, utterly clueless about music. He couldn't even remember the name of the bamboo flute, yet he clapped his hands excitedly, exclaiming, "Master's bamboo... bamboo flute is like heavenly music!"
Mu Zhe: "..."
Sanshui: "..."
Shen Gurong had secretly practiced beforehand, only showing off in public when he felt he was about ready. Seeing Yu Xinghe's enthusiastic praise, he felt a little embarrassed.
However, his embarrassment was only momentary. Soon, Shen Gurong's confidence soared.
'I really do have talent. I'll go find my senior brother later.' Shen Gurong thought smugly, hoping to get his tenth senior brother to replace his poison lesson with his music lesson.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe's pupils dilated sharply.
Under Shen Gurong's tormenting vocals, Wen Liubing's pen flew across the paper. What would normally take a day to copy two thousand times was completed in half a day.
Shen Gurong, who had been sleeping nearby, glanced at the illegible handwriting and barely considered it a passing grade.
Wen Liubing fled in panic, never wanting to touch a pen again.
But before he could get far, he heard his master say, "From today onwards, Sanshui will still attend morning lessons every day."
Wen Liubing turned around in shock.
Shen Gurong looked at his handwriting with disdain: "Your handwriting is too ugly. Even your junior brother writes better than you—Sanshui, did you hear me?"
Wen Liubing couldn't hear him and ran away.
The spiritual fruit was all gone, and Mu Zhe was quietly clearing the table.
Yu Xinghe, thinking his master was praising him, looked at Shen Gurong expectantly.
Seeing his gaze, Shen Gurong raised a hand and patted Yu Xinghe's head: "Xinghe, with diligent study and practice, I believe you'll soon have beautiful handwriting."
Yu Xinghe was startled, then realized his master wasn't praising him. He pouted, feeling wronged, and nodded: "Yes."
Mu Zhe stood to the side, unperturbed by praise or criticism, seemingly indifferent to both. However, in a corner unseen by others, his hands were clenched tightly in his sleeves, his knuckles turning white.
Shen Gurong glanced at the sky and said, "It's late, everyone should go back now."
Yu Xinghe nodded, returning home somewhat dejectedly.
Mu Zhe finished tidying up the fruit pits, bowed, and was about to leave when Shen Gurong suddenly called out to him.
"Mu Zhe."
Mu Zhe stopped and turned to look at him.
Shen Gurong asked the question that had been troubling him all day: "Do you still want to cultivate in the future?"
Mu Zhe seemed taken aback by the question, freezing in place, a look of confusion flashing across his face.
Since entering Liren Peak, his life had always been arranged by others. Even if he had objections, they hadn't made a ripple. This was the first time in over a year that Shen Gurong had asked him about his own wishes.
Mu Zhe murmured, "What if I don't want to?"
Shen Gurong said, "If you don't want to, then stay peacefully on Liren Peak until you come of age. Then I will send you to the mortal world."
What Mu Zhe had always wanted was to leave Liren Peak and live a peaceful life as an ordinary mortal.
Shen Feng Xue saved his life and gave him a place to settle down; he was grateful. Then, Shen Feng Xue forced him into cultivation against his will, causing him countless sufferings. Mu Zhe's still immature heart was filled with resentment.
However, after only a few days, Mu Zhe tried desperately to recall his previous resentment towards his master, but he couldn't remember it no matter what he did.
Those excruciating memories seemed to vanish without his noticing, replaced by the scene of him trapped in the inferno.
Surrounded by the scorching heat of impending death, in his despair, Shen Feng Xue, dressed in green, descended like an immortal, rushing into the flames to embrace him, covered in filth.
Shen Feng Xue's arms trembled slightly as he held him. Mu Zhe initially thought it was out of compassion for seeing children burned, but later learned that his master was simply afraid of fire.
Mu Zhe had wondered countless times, if he was afraid of fire, why did he rush in to save him?
This single thought kept him clear-headed throughout his year-long struggle, preventing him from becoming gloomy and betraying his master.
Now, Shen Gurong gently told him that he didn't need to cultivate, didn't need to suffer, and could peacefully live out his mortal life of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Yet, Mu Zhe felt no joy.
Seeing him stunned, Shen Gurong asked in confusion, "Mu Zhe?"
Mu Zhe shuddered, snapping back to reality, and looked at Shen Gurong with a complex expression.
Shen Gurong encouraged him, "It's alright, follow your heart. Whether you want to stay or not, I'll do as you wish."
Mu Zhe hesitated for a long time before stammering, "I... don't want to leave Liren Peak."
Shen Gurong blinked, seemingly surprised by the answer, but quickly smiled faintly and said, "Okay."
Staring at Shen Gurong's rare smile, Mu Zhe's body moved forward uncontrollably, and he suddenly hugged Shen Gurong's slender waist.
Shen Gurong paused, then smiled, raising a hand to stroke Mu Zhe's soft hair, thinking: Children are cuter when they act spoiled.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe blushed, immediately releasing his hand and taking a half-step back, his ears practically turning bright red.
He was both embarrassed and couldn't help thinking: No wonder he's so good to Yu Xinghe; it turns out Master really likes children who know how to act spoiled.
Seeing his blush, Shen Gurong was about to tease him when he caught a glimpse of Xi Guxing leaning against the doorframe outside Fanjiang Residence, looking disgusted. He coughed lightly and patted Mu Zhe's head: "Go back."
Mu Zhe nodded, bowed, and left.
Shen Gurong walked over. "Why are you here?"
"Fifth Junior Brother said you were disturbing the peace, so he sent me to check on you." Xi Guxing frowned. "Weren't you very strict with Mu Zhe before? Why are you being so lenient now?"
Shen Gurong didn't mince words. "I don't need your interference in teaching my disciples."
Xi Guxing glanced at him, then with a flick of his wrist, he caught the bamboo flute on the table. "Weapon, confiscated."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong quickly stepped forward, reaching out to snatch it back. "Give it back!"
Xi Guxing smacked his hand with the bamboo flute. "Smack!"
Shen Gurong had just used the bamboo flute to hit Wen Liubing, and now he was getting his comeuppance. He winced in pain.
"Just you wait," Xi Guxing said. "I'll find you a teacher who knows how to play the bamboo flute. You can learn for a few years before you come back to cause trouble."
Shen Gurong glared at him.
Xi Guxing carefully put away the bamboo flute and said, "Come, we have something to ask you."
Shen Gurong stepped forward in confusion. "Us?"
Leaving Fanjiang Residence, they hadn't walked far before reaching Lotus Lake. Su Xiyan was sitting under a Bodhi tree, brewing tea, while Lou Bugui was squatting on the lake's shore, throwing plump fish into the water.
Chao Jiuxiao's demonic appearance was too great, and Xi Guxing had forbidden him from causing chaos in Lotus Lake; otherwise, he would have drained the lake of water in a few days.
Have no choice but to shrink his size, becoming a small green dragon about two people's length long, coiled on a rock in the water, tilting his head slightly to eat fish.
Seeing Shen Gurong approach, Chao Jiuxiao casually spat out a whole fish skeleton.
Shen Gurong stopped in his tracks, frowning. "Was he spitting on me?"
Su Xiyan quickly smoothed things over. "No, he was spitting out the bones."
Previously, Chao Jiuxiao ate fish, bones and all, but now that Shen Gurong was here, he spat out every fish he ate, his disgust obvious.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong didn't bother arguing with him, and sat down opposite Su Xiyan, lifting his robes.
Su Xiyan poured two cups of tea and placed them on the small table, saying, "This year's new tea from Youzhou, try some."
Shen Gurong recalled the things Su Xiyan had brought from Youzhou—either trinkets made from the jawbone of demonic beasts or strange, useless magical arrays. He looked at the tea in the cup, which seemed poisoned, and held it in his hand without drinking it, lest he be poisoned.
Xi Guxing was even more direct. Taking advantage of the moment Su Xiyan was serving tea to Lou Bugui, he casually tossed the tea aside, feigning an expression that said, "The tea is excellent, I'll drink it all in one gulp."
Shen Gurong: "..."
After Su Xiyan returned, she naturally poured Xi Guxing a cup.
Xi Guxing: "..."
Su Xiyan said, "Eleventh, do you know why we came to see you today?"
Shen Gurong hesitated for a moment, glancing sideways at Chao Jiuxiao, who was still spitting fish bones, and tentatively asked, "Because of the half of my yuandan?"
Su Xiyan nodded.
Shen Gurong also fell silent.
He remained silent for a long while before whispering, "I don't know."
Su Xiyan said softly, "Guxing told me that you suffered a qi deviation a few days ago, and your personality has changed a lot. You don't remember some things, but the matter of the yuandan is related to your Great Dao, Eleven..."
Before he could finish, Xi Guxing impatiently said, "He never left Liren Peak before, so the remaining half of the yuandan must be on the mountain. Since you don't remember, go look for it. You'll find it sooner or later anyway."
Shen Gurong instinctively refused, "No need."
He was stunned after saying it.
No need? Why not?
The yuandan is the foundation for a cultivator's Dao. To lose half of it for no reason—anyone else would have searched the entire world for it. How could someone like Shen Feng Xue be so indifferent?
Or perhaps, Shen Feng Xue willingly gave away that half of the yuandan?
That would make sense.
But to whom did he give it?
Thinking of this question, one name immediately came to Shen Gurong's mind. Mu Zhe.
It's extremely difficult for mortals to enter the Dao. If Shen Feng Xue really insists on forcing Mu Zhe to enter the Dao for some reason, is it possible that he might actually give him half of his yuandan (original core)?
Shen Gurong was lost in thought when Su Xiyan asked, "Eleven?"
Shen Gurong snapped back to reality: "I'm here."
Su Xiyan said, "Why not? Have you figured it out?"
Shen Gurong glanced at Xi Guxing, who was impatiently tapping the short sword hanging at his waist, as if he was about to draw it and kill someone at any moment.
Previously, when Mu Zhe was possessed by the plague demon, even though he injured Li Suo in a state of uncontrollable rage, Xi Guxing wanted nothing more than to kill Mu Zhe. If he knew that Shen Feng Xue might have given half of his yuandan to Mu Zhe, would he just rush over and destroy Mu Zhe's yuandan?
Shen Gurong said, "No."
Su Xiyan said worriedly, "Without a yuandan, your soul is easily unstable. Eleven, do you know that if this continues, your Great Dao will be mostly destroyed?"
Shen Gurong thought to himself that this should be Shen Feng Xue's choice; he wouldn't take the blame.
Xi Guxing secretly spilled another cup of tea, frowning, and said, "I told you to go to Xianyun City to see Sixth Junior Brother, but you wouldn't listen."
Shen Gurong remained silent.
Lou Bugui finished feeding the fish in the basket before catching up with the three's conversation. He whispered, "So what should we do now, Eleven?"
Xi Guxing pondered for a moment before saying, "Choose a day for seclusion."
Shen Gurong looked up.
"The place where you secluded yourself during the eleventh month has a spirit-gathering array made by Master, and it's backed by the icy plains and has a natural spiritual eye, which is best for stabilizing the soul and improving cultivation," Xi Guxing said. "Before finding the yuandan, you can only rely on the spiritual eye to stabilize it."
Shen Gurong said doubtfully, "I think it's alright..."
Xi Guxing sneered, "Just a little bit of soul-separation, and you were mentally impaired for two days. Is that alright?"
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong didn't remember much about those two days, only vaguely hearing whispers in his ear, and what sounded like suppressed laughter—it was obviously Xi Guxing.
Shen Gurong asked expressionlessly, "These past two days, you didn't do anything to me, did you?"
Xi Guxing replied without blinking, "No, are we that kind of people?"
Shen Gurong didn't believe him, because Su Xiyan was already covering her mouth and chuckling beside him.
Shen Gurong took a deep breath and coldly looked at the culprit, Lou Bugui.
Lou Bugui sensed the murderous intent in Shen Gurong's eyes and timidly buried his head in the basket, feigning death.
The seclusion was thus settled. Shen Gurong returned to Fanjiang Residence, pondered for a long time, and then took out paper and pen.
Since entering the book, everything he encountered seemed closely related to the plot ten years later. Knowing his memory wasn't very good, Shen Gurong worried that he might forget some details during his long seclusion, so he picked up a pen and wrote them down.
Bamboo slips: Foresight.
Water ghost: What is the connection between the demonic cultivators in the burial mound?
Mu Zhe: A plague demon who traveled a thousand miles, attempting to seize his body.
Divine artifact: Shen Feng Xue's hundred-year promise.
Sanshui: Death in the original book.
Most importantly, the whereabouts of half of Shen Feng Xue's yuandan, and his relationship with Mu Zhe.
After finishing his calligraphy with flowing strokes, Shen Gurong blew on the ink to dry it, then folded the paper and placed it in the storage ring on his wrist.
The next day, Shen Gurong informed his three disciples of his impending seclusion.
Wen Liubing was the first to express his joy and respect, as he would no longer be punished for his outspokenness by having to copy books.
Yu Xinghe, with tears in his eyes, asked, "Master, will you be in seclusion for a long time? Will Xinghe not see you for a long time?"
Shen Gurong patted his head, "I will come out of seclusion as soon as possible. You must listen to your senior brothers and uncles."
Yu Xinghe nodded, sobbing.
Mu Zhe pursed his lips, his eyes lowered, remaining silent.
Shen Gurong looked at him, realizing that even he himself couldn't detect the presence of his yuandan within Mu Zhe. If the yuandan wasn't in his body, then Shen Feng Xue must have placed some kind of restriction, meaning Xi Guxing probably couldn't find it either.
He sighed, patted Mu Zhe's head, and said softly, "Just cultivate as you please, don't take it too seriously."
Other masters all hope their disciples will become successful, but Shen Gurong was actually advising him not to take it so seriously.
Mu Zhe mumbled, "Mm."
Shen Gurong knew he rarely showed his emotions, so he didn't say anything more. He casually waved his hand, signaling Wen Liubing to take him to find Xi Guxing.
He had only taken a few steps when Mu Zhe suddenly said, "Master..."
Shen Gurong turned around and felt a little bundle of joy rush towards him, throwing himself into his arms and causing him to take a slight step back.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Mu Zhe's small hands tightly clung to Shen Gurong's waist, murmuring, "Master, please come back soon."
Shen Gurong's heart softened, and he softly promised, "Okay."
Seeing this, Yu Xinghe also rushed over, wailing and squeezing into Shen Gurong's arms with tears in his eyes, "Take care, Master! Xinghe will miss you!"
Shen Gurong was both amused and exasperated, thinking: It's not like we're parting forever.
Mu Zhe had originally planned to turn back, but seeing Yu Xinghe constantly squeezing him, he inexplicably felt a competitive urge and pressed himself into Shen Gurong's arms, clinging to his slender waist and refusing to let go.
Shen Gurong almost had his waistband loosened from the pulling. After soothing him for a while, he finally managed to tear the two little bundles off his waist.
Unable to withstand this scene that felt like a separation of life and death, he didn't dare say anything and hurriedly ran away.
Xi Guxing had been waiting for a long time. Seeing him approach, he disdainfully tossed him the cloak he was holding: "Wear this. Your senior sister gave it to you."
Su Xiyan adored red robes and always felt that her eleventh junior brother, who wore white or blue robes year-round, looked rather somber and dull. Every time she returned, she would bring him some brightly colored clothes.
—However, every single one was kept at the bottom of Shen Feng Xue's trunk, never even touched.
Shen Feng Xue didn't like them, but Shen Gurong loved them. This time, when Su Xiyan gave him the cloak, he pretended not to want to offend his senior sister and put it on.
The other senior brothers had never seen him in red before. The first time they saw Xi Guxing, they stared at him curiously for a long time, commenting, "You look like a butterfly."
Lou Bugui took a whole day to process this, and only when they met the next day did he ask in surprise, "Eleven, are you going to register with someone?"
Shen Butterfly: "..."
Shen Gurong reached out and took the cloak, draping it over his shoulders, casually asking, "I still don't know where the secluded cultivation place is?"
Xi Guxing smiled at him, his expression full of ill intent.
Shen Gurong suddenly didn't want to know anymore.
A moment later, Xi Guxing carried Shen Gurong on the wind to Yuxu Mountain, where a blizzard blanketed Shen Gurong's face.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong's face was pale, and he said expressionlessly, "I need to return to Fanjiang Residence."
Xi Guxing pressed his shoulder to stop him from leaving, raising an eyebrow slightly, "Have some self-respect, will you? This spiritual eye in seclusion was specially brought here by your master. It's best for stabilizing the soul and improving cultivation. If you don't want to die, go in and stay."
Shen Gurong pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders, remaining unmoved.
Xi Guxing raised his hand, brushing away the surrounding snow and wind, revealing a stone door engraved with dense runes.
The door slowly opened, and Xi Guxing said, "Go."
Shen Gurong was startled. This door… seemed to be the place where Wen Liubing had died tragically in his dream.
Xi Guxing said, "What are you standing there for?"
Shen Gurong took a deep breath. Now that things had come to this, he couldn't back down. He pulled his wide sleeves tighter and slowly walked inside.
"The Spirit Eye is in the deepest part. Proceed with caution, and don't get too close at first," Xi Guxing instructed him. "Make as little noise as possible when you emerge from seclusion, to avoid an avalanche."
The place of seclusion resembled an exquisite cave. Shen Gurong took a few steps inside, and the luminous pearl embedded in the cave wall above his head slowly lit up, illuminating the surroundings.
Shen Gurong turned back and said, "Okay, I understand. You can go back now."
Xi Guxing didn't linger, closing the stone door and leaving with a flick of his sleeve.
Shen Gurong stepped forward on the bluestone slabs. On either side, a babbling brook flowed to the left, and frost covered the ground to the right. The surroundings didn't resemble a cave at all, but rather a secluded mountain retreat.
In the book, Shen Feng Xue went into seclusion again after being injured, and in his dream, Shen Feng Xue was also bound by chains here, unable to move an inch.
Shen Gurong took a deep breath, feeling the bone-chilling cold around him. He retrieved information about his seclusion from Shen Feng Xue's memories before finding a place to sit cross-legged and circulate the spiritual energy from the half-formed yuandan in his dantian.
***
After Shen Gurong went into seclusion, Yu Xinghe and Mu Zhe began cultivating under Wen Liubing.
Wen Liubing was a rough swordsman, his cultivation method being direct and brute force. Yu Xinghe, a delicate young master who hadn't suffered much hardship, couldn't bear it after only a month of training with his senior brother and went to complain to Xi Guxing.
Because of Shen Gurong's seclusion, Xi Guxing paid extra attention to his two disciples. Hearing this, he said directly, "You two should cultivate with me."
Yu Xinghe's eyes lit up, and he obediently nodded.
The next day, Yu Xinghe ran back to Wen Liubing crying and screaming.
No other reason than that Xi Guxing's cultivation was even more reckless.
Mu Zhe had no demands for cultivation; he had endured too much hardship, so neither Wen Liubing's nor Xi Guxing's arduous training was anything to him.
Wen Liubing tapped Yu Xinghe's brow, saying, "Is it hard? Tell me honestly, is cultivating with me hard?"
Yu Xinghe was on the verge of tears, coaxing his senior brother, "It's not hard. Following you isn't cultivation, it's like a spring outing."
Wen Liubing was delighted and continued teaching his two little disciples swordsmanship.
Children often grow rapidly, and within two years, the two little ones, who used to struggle to even climb onto stools, had grown considerably taller. Yu Xinghe, at ten years old, had barely broken through to the Qi Refining stage, thus entering the Dao.
After gaining spiritual power, whenever Yu Xinghe missed his master, he would huff and puff his way to the entrance of Shen Gurong's secluded cave on Yuxu Mountain, placing two delicate flowers on the door with trembling little hands.
The first time he delivered flowers, Mu Zhe found out and, with a sullen expression, chased him all over the mountain, wielding a small wooden sword.
Yu Xinghe ran while shouting, "Junior Brother, spare me!"
Mu Zhe showed no mercy, overwhelming him with his superior cultivation and giving him a sound beating.
Yu Xinghe didn't hold a grudge. Whenever he missed Shen Gurong, he would still sneak off to Yuxu Mountain to deliver flowers, sometimes even placing his favorite pastries at the cave entrance.
Xi Guxing, who frequently came to check if Shen Gurong had emerged from seclusion: "..."
Which brat made this?
Yu Xinghe would cause trouble every year until the flowers and plants at the entrance of Shen Gurong's secluded cave had been replaced six times, and the door, now frozen solid, finally loosened slightly.
The stone door slowly opened, and frost and snow swept in, but before they could touch the person entering, they melted into water droplets, then froze into ice beads that crackled and fell to the ground.
The oppressive aura of a Mahayana cultivator slowly spread across Yuxu Mountain. Xi Guxing, who was practicing his sword at Changying Mountain, flashed his eyes, quickly sheathed his sword, and rode the wind towards Yuxu Mountain.
When Xi Guxing arrived at Yuxu Mountain, Shen Gurong had already emerged from the cave, lazily gathering his sleeves and looking down at the few flowers at his feet, enveloped by a magical artifact.
A hint of joy appeared in Xi Guxing's eyes, but his words remained merciless: "I thought you died in there."
"How long have I been in seclusion?" Shen Gurong casually asked, "Feels about three months."
Xi Guxing: "..."
Xi Guxing said speechlessly, "Ten years. Did you sleep yourself silly?"
Shen Gurong was stunned, surprised: "Ten years?"
He only felt like he had fallen asleep, and when he woke up again, it felt like about three months had passed. He hadn't expected that ten years had actually gone by in the outside world.
Truly worthy of the cultivation world, ten years pass like flowing water, gone in the blink of an eye.
Shen Gurong sighed.
"Who made this?" Shen Gurong raised his sleeve and pointed to the flowers and pastries at his feet, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Are you here to pay respects at my grave?"
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