Bamboo Mound

"This must be the current head of the Xu family," Ning Chang thought to himself.

The middle-aged man arrived, stood in front of Young Master Xu's corpse, raised his hand, and then slowly lowered it, his whole demeanor becoming much more relaxed.

He asked the bodyguard who was waiting there, seemingly in a daze:

Where is that person now?

"They're having drinks at that restaurant and haven't come out yet," the bodyguard said, pointing in the direction of the restaurant.

The middle-aged man then walked slowly and deliberately towards the restaurant.

The location wasn't too far from the restaurant, but the middle-aged man had already composed himself before arriving at the restaurant.

He instructed two bodyguards to wait outside the door before stepping into the restaurant.

His gaze swept around and he saw the scarred man sitting in the corner, so he walked straight over to him.

Sensing someone approaching, the scarred man asked without looking up:

"You're that kid's father?"

The middle-aged man lowered his head and said respectfully, "That's right, I am Cheng'er's father, Xu He."

He himself was a cultivator at the Spirit Fusion Realm, so he naturally knew what the Scarface Man's Spirit Platform Realm represented.

“I have neglected to educate my son, which has disturbed the peace and quiet of the people in the city.”

The loss of my son is entirely my own fault; it's my fault for not having the time to pay attention. I've troubled you, sir, with your efforts.

Xu He continued, "But my son is already dead. I hope you will be merciful and spare the Xu family."

After speaking, he bowed deeply.

A hint of surprise flashed across the scarred man's face; he hadn't expected the head of the Xu family to be so humble.

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so reasonable, but well..."

Whether or not the Xu family is spared depends on the will of the people in this city.

Upon hearing this, Xu He breathed a sigh of relief. He believed that apart from his eldest son, Xu Cheng, the Xu family had a good reputation.

So he turned around, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the restaurant entrance, and said, "I hope everyone will be kind with their words."

Ning Chang was not a resident of the city, so he did not participate.

After a moment of silence, someone in the crowd spoke up: "The Xu family has never done anything excessive; on the contrary, they have been very kind to us."

Another person chimed in, "That's right. The Xu family only has one Xu Cheng. He does all sorts of bad things, but if he causes any damage, the Xu family will fully compensate him when he goes to visit them later."

"Besides, Xu Cheng is now dead, so I think we should just let it go," someone else said.

Xu He quickly agreed and bowed to everyone again.

"Thank you all for your kind words."

The scarred man looked puzzled. He stood up and said, "I will investigate the specifics myself. You all wait here."

After saying that, he vanished from the spot in a flash.

The scarred man came to the market and inquired about the Xu family.

"The Xu family does indeed often help everyone."

"Master Xu is a good man."

"It's a pity the Xu family produced a Xu Cheng, sigh~"

……

The reply he received was exactly the same as what he had received at the restaurant, which only confused the scarred man more.

Have we really wronged the Xu family?

He has been a chivalrous man for so many years, and he has never encountered such a situation before.

Recalling Xu He's humble attitude and the praise from others, he had no choice but to give up.

The scarred man spent the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn before he went out.

He randomly asked people in half the city, and the results were all pretty much the same.

Back at the restaurant, he waved to Xu He, who was still waiting there.

"Very well, this time you have indeed failed to properly educate your son, but considering your usual kindness to the people, I will forgive you this time. However, you are not allowed to do it again!"

Xu He nodded repeatedly, "Thank you, hero. I will certainly not let such a thing happen again."

The scarred man hummed in agreement. "That would be best."

He then looked at the crowd and said, "Now that this matter is settled, everyone can disperse."

People left one after another, but Ning Chang stayed where he was, stroking his chin and lost in thought.

He used to tug at his beard, but since he gained cultivation, his beard no longer grows for him to tug at, which he finds rather strange.

He had witnessed the whole farce today, but he felt something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

As he was thinking, he noticed a gaze fixed on him.

He snapped out of his daze and looked over there, only to find the scarred man staring intently at him.

Seeing that he had come to his senses, they beckoned him over.

He picked up a chair from the scarred man and sat down. Before he could even look up, the scarred man asked first:

"Is this fellow Daoist a disciple of the Qingyun Sect?"

Ning Chang was immediately puzzled.

"Indeed, may I ask you something, senior?"

After receiving Ning Chang's reply, the scarred man burst into laughter.

"Haha, if we're talking about seniority, you should call me senior brother!"

Seeing Ning Chang's confusion, he flipped his hand and took out a jade pendant, holding it in his hand.

Ning Chang glanced at the jade pendant and immediately understood the meaning behind the scarred man's words!

This jade pendant was exactly the same as his, and as the jade pendant spun, Ning Chang also noticed the name of the scarred man engraved on it.

Xiahou Yi!

Knowing that he was a fellow disciple, Ning Chang's wariness dissipated considerably.

"Junior Brother Ning Chang greets Senior Brother Xiahou."

"I didn't know you were my senior brother before, so I didn't go up to disturb you."

“It’s alright.” Xiahou Yi waved his hand. “I just happened to be passing by and came across this matter, so I took care of it.”

Ning Chang nodded, then asked, "May I ask what brings Senior Brother Xiahou down the mountain this time?"

Xiahou Yi smiled and said, "Going down the mountain? Haha, I didn't come down the mountain."

"Not going down the mountain?" Ning Chang asked, puzzled.

"That's right. I wonder if Junior Brother knows anything about the Qingyun Sect disciples at the Spirit Platform Realm leaving the sect for training?"

"I know a little, but not very well," Ning Chang replied.

Xiahou Yi then found a comfortable position to lean back in the chair and explained to Ning Chang:

"I left the sect three years ago, but when I returned to my hometown, I found that my parents had passed away. So I went around doing chivalrous deeds and doing whatever I wanted."

As for returning to the sect, I haven't considered it. As for the reason...

"Do you remember those two bodyguards from the Xu family?" Xiahou Yi suddenly asked.

Ning Chang nodded. "Of course I remember."

"Their treatment is several times that of the inner disciples of the Qingyun Sect, and similar to that of the personal disciples!"

Ning Chang opened his mouth in surprise.

"This is just a Spirit Fusion Realm cultivator who acts as a bodyguard for mortals! His cultivation level is about the same as yours."

Seeing that Ning Chang did not react, Xiahou Yi continued, "Outside, as long as you are willing to do it, spirit stones are the cheapest and easiest thing to obtain."

Upon hearing this, Ning Chang immediately fell into deep thought.

"In other words, the sect is fully capable of supporting the cultivation resources of the Spirit Platform Realm, so why does it intentionally control the amount of resources distributed to the Spirit Platform Realm and provide a tacitly accepted excuse, 'leaving the sect for training,' to allow disciples to leave on their own?"

Before Xiahou Yi could answer, Ning Chang suddenly seemed to have an epiphany, "That's it! Qingyun Sect is ultimately just a sect. The disciples come to seek immortality, and they should leave after attaining it!"