Mount Tai is a famous mountain range, standing over 1,500 meters above sea level. Those who reach the summit find that it is covered in perennial snow, the temperatures are extremely low, and the white clouds hang so low they feel within reach.
On a cliffside atop Mount Tai, a handsome young man in white robes knelt in the snow, facing an old man. The elder had a youthful face despite his white hair and possessed an ethereal, otherworldly aura, looking every bit like a celestial being.
This elder was no ordinary man; he was a cultivator, a master of Tribulation Transcendence known as Cang Qing. The young man kneeling before him was Qin Yan, his disciple from Earth. Ten years ago, while on Earth, Cang Qing had inadvertently discovered that Qin Yan possessed extraordinary natural talent and an innate spiritual body. He forcibly took Qin Yan as his apprentice and brought him to the summit of Mount Tai to study the path of immortality. They had stayed there for a decade, but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Now, it was finally time for Cang Qing to leave.
"Disciple, I am leaving today to return to the world of cultivators, which means you are now free. Over these past ten years, you have practiced diligently and reached the early Foundation Establishment stage. While this level is nothing in the cultivation world, here on Earth, you are virtually invincible; there is almost nothing left that can threaten you. Take this spatial ring; it is filled with weapons, treasures, and medicinal pills—a parting gift from your master."
Cang Qing gestured, and a jade-green ring flew into Qin Yan’s hand. He promptly slipped it onto his finger.
Looking up at his master’s aged face, Qin Yan felt a complex mix of emotions. Ten years ago, when he was just ten years old, he had been inexplicably brought to this mountain. His master had placed a restriction on the mountain path, preventing him from descending even a single step for the entire decade, which naturally made it impossible to contact his family.
However, the benefit was that Cang Qing had truly taught him everything he knew, holding nothing back. In these ten years, not only had Qin Yan progressed from an ordinary person to the early Foundation Establishment stage, but he had also mastered sword arts, alchemy, and numerous cultivation techniques and martial skills. As his master had said, with his current abilities, Qin Yan could walk sideways—fearless—across the Earth.
"Master, I have heard you say that all cultivators have titles—yours, for instance, is Cang Qing. May I ask you to bestow a title upon me as well?" Qin Yan asked, looking up at his master. Now that he was a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, asking for a title didn't seem unreasonable; it would certainly come in handy for showing off in the future.
"Ah, you have a point. Since you are my disciple, and the only one under the Beixuan banner, perhaps I shall name you Beixuan Tianzun, or simply Qin Beixuan!" Cang Qing mused for a moment before speaking.
"Beixuan Tianzun, Qin Beixuan—what powerful and majestic names. So prestigious! I’ll take that one!" Qin Yan was secretly delighted. He looked up to thank his master, but found that he had already vanished without a trace. In his dazed state, he seemed to hear his master’s voice lingering in the air.
"Disciple, after I am gone, you will be the only cultivator on this planet. Remember, you are Beixuan Tianzun. As you walk through the world, remember this: the Tianzun shall not be insulted. Do not bring shame upon my name." The voice faded until it, like Cang Qing himself, dissolved into nothingness.
"I can finally see my parents and little sister again. Ten years have passed; I wonder how they are doing? My little sister must be a grown woman now—she was only eight when I left." Watching the direction in which his master had disappeared, Qin Yan felt a pang of melancholy. He stood on the summit, lost in thought for a long while, before his mind turned to his family in Chuzhou, Jiangbei, especially his younger sister, Qin Fei.
An image of the little girl who used to follow him around with a runny nose immediately sprang to mind. He smiled with satisfaction, wishing he could return to Chuzhou at once. Unfortunately, he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage and had yet to master flight on a sword, so he had to rely on the methods of ordinary mortals: buying a train ticket.
After descending the mountain that day, Qin Yan bought a ticket to Chuzhou and began his journey home.
Following a day and a night of long travel, Qin Yan arrived back at his home in the northern district of Chuzhou at noon the next day. As he stepped out of the taxi, he recognized the familiar streets of his childhood. Ten years had brought many changes: the dirty dirt roads were now clean asphalt, and the small trees near his home had grown tall and lush.
He strolled leisurely toward his house. It was late autumn in 2008, and the ground was covered in yellowed, fallen leaves that crunched beneath his feet. He passed a few pedestrians along the way.
Soon, he reached his home: a detached, three-story building. Built in the early years after the founding of the nation, the walls were mottled and had a history of over seventy years.
Inside the living room on the first floor, however, the scene was far from peaceful. Three people were seated at the dining table: a middle-aged man with glasses, a slightly plump woman, and a young girl of about seventeen or eighteen.
The girl was beautiful, with skin as fair and fine as milk, arched eyebrows, and large eyes. She wore her hair in two dark, long pigtails that made her look very cute. These three were none other than Qin Yan’s father, Qin Fang, his mother, Liu Lan, and his sister, Qin Fei.
Strange, however, was the atmosphere of profound gloom that surrounded them. On the round table sat a bottle of Dushuqian—rat poison.
"Dad, Mom, is there really no other way? I’m only eighteen. I haven't even been married yet; I don't want to die," Qin Fei sobbed, tears streaming down her face as she looked at her parents with a pitiful expression.
"Sigh, Xiaofei, your father is out of options. You know the company went bust and we owe ten million in debt. The bank has given us an ultimatum; if we don't pay in seven days, they’ll seize the house. Then, the three of us will be out on the streets begging for food. And those debt collectors... sigh. Your father thinks that if the three of us cross into the afterlife together, at least we’ll have each other for company," Liu Lan said, suppressing her own grief as she stroked her daughter’s hair, her heart aching. She didn't want to die either—even ants cling to life, let alone humans. But the ten-million-dollar debt was an insurmountable burden. If they lived, the money they earned working would not even cover the interest. Death seemed the only release.
"Alright, Feifei, listen to your mother. Actually, this poison doesn't hurt at all. Just bear it for a moment, and then it’s just like falling asleep. The three of us will be reunited below," said Qin Fang, the head of the family, with a bitter smile. He unscrewed the cap of the rat poison, and a pungent odor immediately filled the air, causing Qin Fei to cover her nose.
"It stinks!" Qin Fei fanned the air in front of her nose. Suicide was already painful enough; having to drink something so foul only made it worse.
"Stinks or not, we have to drink it! Good medicine tastes bitter. Once we drink it, all our troubles will vanish, and we won't have to pay back the money. Honestly, we’re coming out ahead—stealing ten million and not having to pay it back, haha! Let me go first!" Qin Fang laughed bitterly and raised the poison to his lips.
Just then, *clank*—the front door was pushed open, and a gust of wind rushed in. Qin Fang’s hand shook, and the poison spilled all over the floor.
The three members of the Qin family looked up to see a person standing in the doorway: a handsome and graceful young man. His clothes were rather worn, as if they hadn't been washed in years, yet they found his face strangely familiar, as if...
"Brother!"
"Son!"
"Xiaoyan!"
The three of them exclaimed in shock and joy.
The young man at the door was, of course, Qin Yan. Though ten years had passed, they were family, and it was easy to recognize him.
"Son, you’re finally back! Where have you been all these years? Mom missed you so much! I thought you were gone forever!" His mother, Liu Lan, was the first to rush over, hugging her son and weeping. Ever since Qin Yan disappeared without a trace ten years ago, she had spent every day in tears. She had called the police and reached out to countless people, but never found a clue. She had been in complete despair, never expecting her son to reappear suddenly.
"Brother, where did you go all these years? After you left, no one played with me! I’ve missed catching fish and shrimp in the river with you! I’ve missed hearing you tell me stories!" Qin Fei rushed over and grabbed Qin Yan’s hand. As a child, she had always followed him around to catch dragonflies and fish, and the days had been so happy. She used to pester him in his room every night for ghost stories, unable to sleep without them.
"Haha, Mom, Dad, Xiaomei, actually, I was abducted by a trafficker and later taken in by an old monk at the Shaolin Temple. The old monk wouldn't let me leave the mountain, so I could only return a few days ago after he passed away," Qin Yan said, touching his nose as he told a white lie. Cultivation was too unbelievable; even if he told his family, they wouldn't believe him.
"Oh, I see. As long as you’re back, that’s all that matters! But we... sigh!" Qin Fang nodded, but then remembered their debts. He sighed heavily, sank into the sofa, and lit a cigarette.