After Sheng Jun Chapter 71 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 71 All Old Friends Arrive (part 1)
The familiar tone made Jiang Xingzhi startle, "Master?"
The curtains stirred, and the figure inside walked out. Mist-gray gauze robes, a shining bald head. Wujie's appearance was exactly the same as it had been a thousand years ago, unchanged in the slightest.
Even the gold powder under his eyelids was still so bright.
Jiang Xingzhi looked at the person standing before the house, momentarily feeling as if it were yesterday, as though it had only been a brief separation. But he knew that in reality, a thousand years had passed.
Wujie saw the excitement in Jiang Xingzhi's eyes and smiled as he greeted the two of them, "Long time no see, Sect Master, Protector Bai."
"Master! It really is Master." Jiang Xingzhi looked at him with surprise and joy, "Master, have you been well lately?"
Wujie kept his eyes tightly closed, looking quite peaceful, "With no one to disturb me for several hundred years, how could I not be well."
"......" Jiang Xingzhi felt awkward, "Well, that's good then."
After saying this, he searched through the phrases from his little storybooks to comfort, "As long as you're well, it's a sunny day."
Hearing this, Wujie smiled slightly, "That's true as well."
Zhong Ming glanced at Wujie.
Jiang Xingzhi blinked his eyelashes: Hmm? What was that?
But this ambiguous response wasn't taken to heart by him, and he turned to ask, "Where is everyone?"
The gauze robes fluttered as Wujie stepped down from the doorstep, walking past the two of them toward outside the courtyard, "Come."
Jiang Xingzhi and Zhong Ming followed behind him, walking down the mountain steps. As they walked, the scenery along the way was also very different from before. White jade had been laid on the forest steps, with tall and lush spiritual plants on both sides, and precious thousand-year-old trees covering the mountains and fields.
The group soon arrived at what used to be the "training ground." The "training ground" had been transformed into a large pond, with the pool water reflecting the sky above, pure spiritual power contained within the water.
Wujie introduced, "This is Yaochi Pool."
Zhong Ming took in this large Yaochi Pool, his heart stirring: Water? Hmm, water is good. He thought as he nudged Jiang Xingzhi, discussing in a low voice, "We can hold our contract ceremony here."
Jiang Xingzhi: ???
He asked, "Then everyone will be floating in the water at that time?"
Zhong Ming, "That will be their business."
Jiang Xingzhi admired, "......You really know how to treat guests."
While the two were talking, they walked to the outside of Yaochi Pool, where they saw two figures standing by the pool, one tall and one short. Wujie called out, "Zhu Yan, Zhu Xu."
The two figures turned around at the sound, "Master......" Their voices faltered as their gazes fell on Jiang Xingzhi and Zhong Ming.
Unlike Wujie, the passage of a thousand years had left traces of time on Zhu Yan and Zhu Xu. Zhu Yan's appearance looked to be in his prime, while the originally tender Zhu Xu had also grown taller and looked much more mature.
When they saw Jiang Xingzhi, their eyes immediately reddened as they rushed over, "Sect Master!"
Jiang Xingzhi was moved in his heart: These two silly children, making it so emotional......
Zhu Yan rushed over in an instant, emotionally excited, "Can the mountain protection formation finally be opened?!"
Jiang Xingzhi, "......"
Zhong Ming glanced at him sideways, transmitting his voice: Were you just very moved?
Jiang Xingzhi firmly denied: You saw wrong.
He said seriously to Zhu Yan, "Of course it can." After speaking, he raised his hand and waved, and the mountain protection formation that had been running in the back mountain was triggered and finally stopped.
The layer of faint golden light above their heads gradually dissolved into the air.
With the lifting of the restrictions, Zhu Yan and Zhu Xu suddenly felt like caged birds set free, their whole beings radiating undisguised freedom and joy! In their joy, they glanced at Zhong Ming, "Sect Master, this person is......"
Jiang Xingzhi, "This is your Protector Bai."
Zhu Yan, Zhu Xu: ???
Zhong Ming lowered his eyes to look at the two of them. Zhu Yan hesitantly turned to his younger brother, "After a thousand years, my memory seems to have some problems." Was Protector Bai supposed to look like this?
Jiang Xingzhi explained, "Changed faces to give me some novelty."
Zhong Ming, "......"
Zhu Yan and Zhu Xu looked at each other in understanding: Oh... so it's for variety.
"We greet Protector Bai!"
Zhong Ming maintained an aloof attitude, "Mm."
Jiang Xingzhi coughed guiltily to change the topic, "By the way, where are the others?"
"The others all left, only the three of us remain in the mountains."
"Left?" His Kunlun, it couldn't have disbanded, could it???
Zhu Yan and Zhu Xu both sighed deeply, "Sigh......"
A look of wistful reminiscence appeared in their eyes, and they looked at each other with vicissitudes, then simultaneously turned their heads to gaze distantly at the horizon, their gazes seeming to travel through time and space back to several hundred years ago.
Zhu Yan, "This goes back to that day......"
Zhu Xu, "Sigh, that day......"
Jiang Xingzhi: Enough, these two parrots.
He patiently asked, "What happened that day?"
Zhu Yan then told the story of that day several hundred years ago when the mountain protection formation was forced to activate: Kunlun helped the world outside, so naturally it couldn't avoid offending some people. Those people found a day to launch a surprise attack on Kunlun, but were firmly blocked outside by the mountain protection formation.
The people of Kunlun were still cheering and admiring the formation left by the "Divine Lord," but the next day they happily went out to carry out their missions, only to find that they too had been blocked outside.
And that formation was so tight, its protection so comprehensive.
Never mind drilling through secret passages or digging three feet deep, even an ant couldn't crawl in through the mud......
Zhu Yan recounted this unforgettable past event with great emotion and vivid detail, as if he had directly recorded and replayed the "grand scene" of that day for Jiang Xingzhi to see.
Jiang Xingzhi listened with burning ears and a panicked heart, his hands fidgeting nervously, "Then, then what? Those people who invaded Kunlun, were they dealt with?"
At the mention of this, the expressions of Zhu Yan and the other became somewhat strange.
Zhong Ming frowned, "Speak directly."
"Yes! After the mountain protection formation blocked those people outside the mountain gate, Luo Chu was already leading people to prepare to leave the mountain for battle. But suddenly people from the demon realm appeared and cleared them all out for us."
Jiang Xingzhi's eyes widened slightly, "Could it have been Su You?"
"Yes, it was Demon Lord Su You who had already retired from the world. He said he was repaying a debt to us at Kunlun." Zhu Yan said with confusion, "But what debt were they repaying? Yu Wengong?"
Jiang Xingzhi shook his head, "It was a different debt."
His wrist was suddenly pinched. Zhong Ming's face suddenly drew close, his deep eyes burning bright, his whole being jealous, "What debt? How come I don't know about it?"
"......" Jiang Xingzhi slapped away his forehead, "The debt from when you used the Ancient Demonic Sword to suppress the Soul-Devouring Abyss."
Zhong Ming blinked: Is, is that it?
Jiang Xingzhi saw him showing a somewhat not-too-bright expression and quickly spoke to draw everyone's attention back to himself, "Then after Su You repaid the debt, where did he go?"
He still remembered the scene he had seen in the dream before returning home: several hundred years after they left, Su You became too bored and quit, passing the position of "Demon Lord" to someone else, then left the demon realm to live in seclusion in the world, no one knew where.
"After the demon realm came to clean up, they quickly disappeared again. But demonic cultivators have always been willful and carefree, perhaps Demon Lord Su You is enjoying himself somewhere?"
"That's true." Jiang Xingzhi wanted to ask more, but his hand was pulled again.
Zhong Ming held his wrist, "That's enough, more or less. He's not some important person, don't worry about him anymore."
Jiang Xingzhi, "......"
He indulged his future foolish dao companion and stopped talking about Su You, instead asking about the people of Kunlun, "Then what about everyone from Kunlun, why did they all leave?"
Zhu Yan replied, "Liu Chuan said, Kunlun was established to help all living beings, how could we not dare to step outside the sect just because we couldn't return to Kunlun Mountain? As long as one has the will to help the world, no matter where one stays, one is still a person of Kunlun."
"After Liu Chuan said this, he was the first to leave the mountain. After he left, the remaining people also left one after another. In the end, only we two subordinates and Master Wujie remained to guard Kunlun, and this watch has lasted several hundred years......"
Zhu Yan's trailing tone carried some vicissitudes and bitterness.
Jiang Xingzhi quickly clapped his hands to dispel his guilt, "All are aspiring young people! Yesterday you were proud of Kunlun, today Kunlun is proud of you."
After clapping, he asked, "Can we find them back now?"
Zhu Yan said, "If everyone still carries Kunlun's tokens, it wouldn't be difficult to summon them back. It's just that everyone has had their own encounters over these several hundred years, so we don't know how many people can be summoned back this time."
Jiang Xingzhi nodded, then asked about his chosen successor, "Is there any news of Liu Chuan?"
"None. The people of Kunlun all operate outside under Kunlun's name. Moreover, if they breakthrough to higher realms over these several hundred years, they should change to honorary titles and no longer use their real names."
Jiang Xingzhi's heart stirred: Change to honorary titles...... No wonder he had no impression of hearing names like "Liu Chuan" and others, could it be they all go by honorary titles?
What about Su You, Langhao, You Suqing?
He vaguely felt there was a gap in the thousand years he had skipped, until he went back to a thousand years ago and returned again, only then was it filled in.
Just like a broken link that was repaired and reconnected.
Just as he was thinking, he heard Wujie beside him speak, "All things are cause and effect."
The voice reached his ears distantly, and Jiang Xingzhi was suddenly stunned.
His mind fell into blankness, and the small sounds around him suddenly flooded into his consciousness------ the rippling light of Yaochi Pool not far away flickered in his eyes, mountain winds rustled through the forest, spiritual birds chirped in the back mountain woods, and gurgling spiritual springs flowed down.
A butterfly flew past in front of the mountain steps, stirring up a gentle breeze......
Until a low call brought him back to his senses, "Xingzhi."
Jiang Xingzhi responded with an "Mm?" and looked at Zhong Ming. Zhong Ming looked down at him, then frowned as he looked at Wujie.
Wujie's expression was natural, even the curve of his smile hadn't changed.
"Nothing, I was lost in thought." Jiang Xingzhi said.
Forget it, he wouldn't think about such complicated things. The cause and effect had already been formed, and he didn't need to worry about the rest.
He said to Zhu Yan and the other, "First try to contact the people of Kunlun."
"Yes, Sect Master!"
This topic was temporarily set aside.
Jiang Xingzhi glanced at the cultivation levels of Zhu Yan and the other------ Zhu Yan had just broken through the threshold of Spirit Division, and Zhu Xu had also cultivated to Out-of-Body stage. A thousand years sounded very long, enough for the two to advance their cultivation. But with their talents, being able to cultivate to their current realm was already breaking through their limits.
"Your cultivation has improved greatly, it seems you've worked hard in your practice."
"Thank you for the praise, Sect Master." Zhu Xu said shyly, "Actually, it's also thanks to Master's excellent teaching, improving our talents for us."
"Marrow cleansing and meridian changing?"
"No, just cultivation techniques."
Jiang Xingzhi's jaw dropped, looking puzzledly at Wujie beside him: What kind of cultivation techniques could actually change talents???
Zhong Ming also stared at Wujie, squinting slightly.
Wujie, locked onto by both their gazes simultaneously, showed no flaws in his smile, only opening his mouth to let out two dry laughs, "Ha, haha."
Then he waved his sleeve and turned around, preparing to walk up the mountain, "The Sect Master and Protector Bai came to find this poor daoist this time, you should have business, right?"
Oh right, the contract, the forming of contract!
Jiang Xingzhi perked up immediately, throwing the doubt he'd just had to the back of his mind as he pulled Zhong Ming to follow, "Yes, Master, please divine our fortune!"
"Please follow this poor daoist."
****
The three walked up the mountain together.
Jiang Xingzhi looked at Wujie's back ahead: So to speak, Master Wujie is Lord Huan Ji's mysterious master?
Thinking this, he asked, "Master, have you taken disciples?"
"Several hundred years ago, this poor daoist once took a fancy to a seedling with excellent talent." Wujie's voice came from ahead, "Personally taught for some time."
"What happened later?"
The figure ahead stopped, and Wujie turned his head with a smile, "Later, the mountain protection formation was activated."
Jiang Xingzhi, "......"
This topic that put him in the wrong was quickly turned over. As Jiang Xingzhi followed Wujie back to the courtyard, he thought to himself: Then wouldn't Lord Huan Ji have been self-taught after leaving Wujie, to be so capable?
The three soon returned to Wujie's small courtyard and entered the house.
Layer upon layer of curtains were drawn back, and light from outside fell in.