Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Wali Village.

The old granny looked at the old man who was still lying unconscious on the bed, her eyes filled with helpless fear.

Perhaps because they had relied on each other for so many years, an unusual connection seemed to exist between the two of them - she faintly felt that the old man's life force was constantly leaking away. As time passed, he grew closer and closer to death.

And today should be his limit.

The old granny's shivering hand held onto the old man's, her weak voice mumbling as if she were trying to speak to him.

In my lifetime, you never hated me or disdained me because I was a mute. You have always been kind to me and respected me. I feel nothing but gratitude for you in my heart.

Don't be afraid. Everyone must welcome death eventually. I won't have you walk on the road to the yellow springs alone. Please wait for me.

To live my life with you and die on the same day with you, there is nothing that would make me happier.

Tears flowed out from the edges of the old granny's eyes and her expression calmed down. She quietly sat in a wooden chair beside the bed, waiting for the old man's final moments to arrive.

Suddenly, the courtyard doors were shoved open from the outside, following by the rapid sound of footsteps. The old granny was left absent-minded for a moment. When she regained herself, she pushed open the door and looked outside.

All of a sudden, her eyes flew open.

Qin Yu smiled, "Granny, I'm back. Don't worry, nothing will happen to old sir."

Three days later.

A still weak Old Man Zhou sat down in a chair, basking in the sun with a blanket covering him. As Qin Yu was woodworking, he gave some directions from the side.

"The things that a person promises to others need to be completed. These things have been delayed long enough; they have to be sent out as soon as possible."

Qin Yu smiled and agreed. "You can rest assured. Although I have never done any woodworking, with your guidance I'm sure I'll do a great job."

"Of course. Hey, don't forget who the one teaching you is. Out of the eight villages in the surrounding ten miles, I am the most skilled carpenter there is. If you are able to learn my craftsmanship, you'll be able to eat and drink your life away without worries."

The granny carried some medicine over. Staring at the bragging old man, she opened her mouth and 'ahh'ed' a few times at him. Qin Yu didn't understand the meaning behind it, but the old man's face flushed red. "I know, I know, I won't go out and randomly take on work anymore. I've heard this dozens of times already. Aren't you tired of repeating the same thing?"

Even though he mouthed out some complaints, there was still some dread on his face. He took the bowl of medicinal soup and drank it all in a few gulps. The bitterness caused his eyes to widen as he chewed on some tea leaves to counteract the taste.

The granny glared at him and then took away the bowl. Soon, she came back with a cup of milk tea, laughing as she handed it to Qin Yu.

"Thank you, granny!" Qin Yu drank the hot and fragrant milk tea, a satisfied smile on his face. His life here had finally returned to normal. But just as this thought occurred, he was left stunned. Since when did he consider this a normal life?

Was this sort of peaceful and tranquil life what he always yearned for in his bones? But, reality was harsh. He knew that these kinds of ordinary and average days would soon come to an end.

After taking two blood flame fruits and restoring a portion of his mortal body's strength, he could now compare with an early Blue Sea realm. With the purpleback bluewing ants supporting him, he wouldn't be easily killed by anyone as long as he was cautious.

Qin Yu had to leave this place. He needed to return to the dangerous world of cultivators and figure out a way to heal his wounds and increase his strength.

…

"That pathetic whore, that damned whore! I'll kill her, I'll definitely kill her!" A youth lay back against a bed. Disregarding his pale face, he was undoubtedly a delicate and pretty young man. But right now his face was twisted with anger.

A physician cultivator was treating the lower half of his body. His face was covered in sweat. A long time after, the preliminary cleaning was finished. He let out a long sigh before standing up and retreating from the room.

"What's the situation like?" A cultivator with graying temples asked in a low voice, his expression dignified.

The physician cultivator bowed, "Elder, his condition isn't good. Because he was in a situation where he wasn't expecting to withstand the explosion of a tool, Young Master Feng's cultivation wasn't enough to resist it. The lower half of his body has suffered extreme injuries. I was only able to apply some simple treatments so that his injuries don't worsen."

The graying temples cultivator's lips twitched. If he could, he really wished he could choke the scoundrel in the room to death.

Playing around with women was fine, but he still needed to be careful. To end up in such a state because of a woman who had barely just stepped onto the path of cultivation, he was simply trash!

But this trash's background wasn't one that was easy to provoke. "No matter the cost, make sure to keep his injuries stable. I will try to figure out a solution."

The physician bowed.

"Teacher, it looks like we won't be able to conceal this matter. Should I inform them now?" A young man to the side respectfully asked.

The man rubbed his forehead, a weary expression crossing his face. "Send a message and truthfully state how these injuries came about. This is a disaster he provoked himself, so it shouldn't be us who pay for it."

Although he said these words, when he thought about that young lady's cold and desolate eyes, he still felt a headache coming.

The youth's face darkened, as if he felt the pressure his teacher was feeling. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Junior-apprentice sister A'li is waiting outside the door. Would teacher like to see her?"

Yu Qing furrowed his eyebrows. He immediately said, "We'll go and see her first."

Outside the hall, a pale-faced A'li was still covered in blood. But, there was no fear on her face.

"Teacher."

She bowed.

Yu Qing said, "You were too careless. You know what kind of person Feng Yang is, so why give him the chance to be alone together with you?"

A'li bit her lips. "I apologize to teacher. I was too negligent."

Yu Qing let out a light breath. "It's too late to say such words. But you weren't the one who was wrong in this matter. I will testify on your behalf. Go back and rest for now. Don't feel pressured about this."

A'li's eyes reddened. She deeply bowed and said, "Thank you, teacher. I've troubled you."

She turned and left.

The youth in the back diligently tried to suppress the surprise in his eyes. In his impression, this seemingly conservative and fair teacher was far different in private.

"Have people look after her. Before the young lady arrives, nothing can happen to her."

The youth relaxed. Now this was the teacher he was familiar with. His sudden actions before this were difficult to believe.

"Yes, I will pass down orders now."

Yu Qing watched the youth leave. Dark clouds then appeared on his face and he couldn't help but curse beneath his breath. Feng Yang this idiot, he had ruined all of his preparations.

This newly accepted female disciple was originally prepared for himself. But with such a huge ruckus suddenly stirred up, others would definitely find out about this.

If it was impossible to monopolize her, then if he didn't want her to fall into the hands of the Sect Master and become the key for breaking through his boundary, he could only destroy this girl.

But he couldn't do this himself. Taking advantage of that young lady's hand was undoubtedly the best solution.

Throughout the entire sect, there was no one that would risk offending her by objecting to this.

With a flick of his sleeve, Yu Qing walked away. His waist was straight and his expression was serious. His bright eyes were filled with a determined perseverance.

This world was a splendid and wonderful stage. Every person was more or less playing out their own little role, all of them hiding their true personalities and plans. They were alligators in a swamp, only revealing their nostrils, their great jaws ready to open at any time and tear their prey to pieces.

…

Looking at her younger clan cousin lying back on the bed and drinking medicine to stabilize his injuries, Feng Qing's eyes flashed with a cold light. If Feng Yang wasn't the only male descendant of the Feng lineage, she would long have been unable to prevent herself from clearing him away.

Hu -

She let out a gentle breath and walked outside. When she appeared, her complexion had returned to normal. "Elder Yu Qing, I've troubled you with this."

Yu Qing had a respectful expression. "I am the one that should be apologizing to Miss Feng Qing. I was unable to look after Feng Yang well and allowed him to be tempted by my disciple and even suffer such a severe wound."

After a short pause he continued to say, "Miss Feng Qing, please do not worry. Regarding this matter, the sect will certainly punish the perpetrator and show no mercy."

Feng Qing's expression was faint. She knew that the origin of this incident, and all of the blame, should be from Feng Yang.

But as the only male bloodline descendant of the Feng Family, Feng Yang was destined to become the family's future patriarch and he couldn't shoulder such an ill reputation.

"Then I must trouble Elder Yu Qing."

Her voice had no fluctuations of emotion, as if she were simply speaking of a small and trifling matter.

Feng Qing mocked and ridiculed herself in her heart. Perhaps she, who was boasted of as always being noble and pure, was no different from these people.

Yu Qing looked across the hall. The Sect Master and several other Elders all had gloomy expressions. He lightly smiled and said, "Miss Feng Qing, please reside in the sect for some time. At the great sect meeting, we shall announce the final judgment."

This was another gift.

In front of every cultivator of the sect, they would use the sect's name to publically wash Feng Yang's reputation clean. Even if some people were still doubtful in the future, none of them would dare to say anything.

That would bring a conclusion to this event…as for Zhou Li, while her physique was special and she had potential, she could only blame herself for having a background that was far too ordinary. In this world, having an ordinary background was in itself a fatal flaw.

Feng Qing lightly nodded and didn't say anything else. She looked outside the window at the lush green scenery. It was clearly a vibrant scene filling with light, but in her eyes it was actually filled with a rotten and decaying flavor.