Green hills flanked the side, and the two-courtyard compound, surrounded by lush green fields, appeared so carefree and content in this early winter season.
Yan Jiuzhi stood blankly in front of the main gate at that moment, gazing at the dilapidated walls and the mottled plaque...
Here, it was identical to the Yunxiao Sect in his memories.
His hand rested on the door latch for a long time, yet he dared not push it open easily.
He was terrified that behind the door lay nothing more than a fleeting illusion conjured from his own imagination...
Before the overwhelming sense of homecoming and timidity in his heart could find an outlet, it was shattered by a crisp, girlish voice.
"Mister, who are you looking for?"
He turned his head to look, only to see a young maiden dressed in a pink quilted jacket, her appearance pretty and sweet, hopping down from a carriage.
A pair of bright, lively eyes were currently sizing him up with curiosity.
And behind her, five neat horse-drawn carriages followed closely in a row.
What... was going on here? Yan Jiuzhi was somewhat baffled.
Just then, with a creak, the main gate slowly opened from the inside.
Taowen caught sight of Yan Jiuzhi the moment he opened the door, a joyful smile instantly blooming across his face.
He turned his head and shouted toward the interior, "The Third Senior Brother is back!"
A rush of rapid footsteps instantly echoed from within the doorway, and a large group of people poured out in a flurry.
They surrounded Yan Jiuzhi tightly, words of concern overlapping one another, overflowing with delight.
So this person was her Third Senior Brother.
The handsome youth's brows and eyes seemed to hold ice and snow that could never quite melt, yet as he looked at his fellow sect members at this moment, his whole person was like the warm spring sun breaking through the ice—all the coldness vanished entirely, reserved and warm, even the corners of his lips curling into an unconscious arc.
He truly was the most handsome person she had ever laid eyes upon in both of her lives, without a single exception!
For a moment, Lixi was stunned into a daze.
It wasn't until the horse beside her neighed that Lixi snapped back to her senses in an instant, hurriedly calling out to everyone to start moving the things first.
Lin Shanlai called Lixi to his side and introduced her, "This is your Third Senior Brother, Yan Jiuzhi."
Then, stroking his beard, he introduced her to Yan Jiuzhi with considerable satisfaction:
"Jiuzhi, this is the master's newly accepted disciple, Lixi. She has dual water and wood spiritual roots, and now, just two months after entering the sect, she has already reached the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer."
"Greetings, Junior Sister," Yan Jiuzhi gave a slight nod in greeting.
"Greetings, Third Senior Brother," Lixi smiled, cupping her hands in return.
For some reason, catching sight of the new Junior Sister made Yan Jiuzhi suddenly think of the mysterious, amber-crystal-like bead he had obtained in the mulberry forest Secret Realm.
After a moment's thought, he still retrieved it from his storage pouch and handed it to Lixi.
"This is what I obtained from the Secret Realm this time; Junior Sister, take it and play with it."
This bead had quite an origin, yet it was not meant to be his. Presenting it to the Junior Sister now as a welcoming gift was quite appropriate.
Only... in his past life, did he ever seem to have a Junior Sister?
If he did, why would Second Senior Brother never mention a word of it?
"Thank you, Third Senior Brother," Lixi received it with both hands, expressing her sincere thanks.
This bead was exceptionally pretty, radiant with shifting colors and as translucent as crystal; holding it in her hand gave a warm, soothing sensation that seeped into her skin.
An urge to "swallow" it up unexpectedly welled up within her.
Of course, not literally swallowing it, but rather that intense, overwhelming feeling of wanting to make it entirely her own.
Lixi's eyes instantly lit up; this bead was definitely no ordinary item!
"Junior Sister, did you bring back this many comforters?!" the Eldest Senior Sister exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
"That's right, two per person, with ones to lay underneath and ones to cover up with. This winter is truly too cold; I even brought charcoal and padded cotton jackets."
Lixi looked up at the Third Senior Brother, smiling prettily and adorably, "Third Senior Brother, you have one too."
A crowd of people rejoiced as if it were the New Year, merrily moving all five carriage loads of items inside the gates.
Gazing at the abundance of food, utilities, and clothing before him, Yan Jiuzhi couldn't help but marvel at the thoughtfulness of the Junior Sister.
Though merely mortal goods, for the currently penniless and destitute Yunxiao Sect, they were undeniably immensely practical.
"Thank you, Junior Sister," Yan Jiuzhi offered a genuine, heartfelt salute.
"No thanks, no thanks, why is Third Senior Brother being so polite? I did it all for myself anyway; I simply cannot endure hardship."
Lixi waved her hand dismissively.
Enduring hardship was an absolute impossibility for her!
The corners of Yan Jiuzhi's lips curved slightly; this young maiden who claimed she couldn't endure hardship had brought items that took care of everyone in the entire sect, even including Granny Wu who cooked in the kitchen.
Watching the harmonious, lively, and vibrant scene before him, his heart softened involuntarily. This was the warm past time at the very bottom of his heart that he found hardest to forget.
Second Senior Brother was still a refined and handsome scholar, rather than the gloomy, ghost-haunted, and deeply brooding figure from his past life. How wonderful.
Master, Elder Gao, Senior Sister, and all his fellow disciples were still here too. How wonderful.
Yet the sect-annihilating crisis from his past life had not yet been averted; in just a few more days, the 7th-rank Snow Soul Fox would come to trample the Yunxiao Sect to the ground.
In his previous life, he returned far too late, catching sight only of the ruined walls of his sect.
The Snow Soul Fox had thoroughly transformed the Yunxiao Sect into ruins before charging toward the outer walls of Ang City.
Master, covered in blood, struggled bitterly to fend it off, while behind him stood the numerous commoners of Ang City.
Master dared not retreat, nor could he retreat.
In the end, several disciples of the Changyue Sect arrived just in time to capture the Snow Soul Fox.
Yet the tragic deaths of his fellow sect members and the demise of Master bought nothing in return save for a few sighs from that woman.
Why had the Snow Soul Fox appeared here?
Who had driven it to madness?
And how, in the end, did it become her spirit pet?
To actually bully his Yunxiao Sect to such an extent!
Heh... Regardless of past life or present, even if this were merely an illusion today, he would make them pay the price!
"Third Junior Brother, come quickly and carry your comforter back," Lin Ruo directed everyone in distributing the goods.
"Oh my, I wonder if this padded jacket will be too short? Junior Brother, you look like you've grown a lot taller."
With that, she picked up the padded jacket and held it up against Yan Jiuzhi to measure, muttering that the sleeves would need to be let out a bit.
This padded jacket was merely worn by ordinary mortals, without the blessing of any Dharma Formations, falling far short of a cultivator's Dharma Robe.
Yet Yan Jiuzhi felt supremely warm.
How long had it been since he last experienced this life brimming with the warmth of mortal existence?
There was still time.
In his past life, he had already attained the cultivation realm of the Void Refinement stage; although his cultivation was currently limited to the Qi Condensation 10th Layer, his Divine Sense remained.
Even if restricted by his current body and cultivation being suppressed to the strength of the Golden Core stage, it was still sufficient for him to set up formations.
When necessary, he was quite capable of forcibly breaking through the restrictions to launch an attack with his Divine Sense.
Suppressing the lingering anxieties deep in his heart, Yan Jiuzhi stepped forward to help carry the items.
Listening to his fellow disciples chattering back and forth about their experiences during free clinics, along with those mortal anecdotes that high-and-mighty cultivators would never care about.
With Yan Jiuzhi's return, today's dinner was exceptionally lavish, the table laden with fine dishes.
Lin Ruo and Taowen had also hunted a low-grade spirit beast on the mountain, which, combined with the cured meat Lixi brought back, formed the main dish of the day.
Having eaten nothing but radishes or salted vegetables day after day recently—to the point where everyone's taste buds had nearly gone bland—the entire group ate with extreme satisfaction.
For the first time, Lixi tasted spirit beast meat; feeling the faint spiritual energy within the meat, it indeed seemed different from ordinary meat.
She was already a cultivator; if there were opportunities in the future, it would best to eat more spirit beast meat. Once she grew stronger, perhaps she could go hunting on the mountain herself?
To her surprise, there was even a surprise awaiting them after the meal: the master and disciples all received gifts sent by Yan Jiuzhi.
Yan Jiuzhi had sorted through the items acquired from the human traffickers and distributed them among everyone.
Lixi received a low-grade Dharma sword and a storage pouch.
"Thank you, Third Senior Brother," Lixi's small face was radiant with light at that moment, her eyes shining brightly.
She had been yearning for a storage pouch for a very long time, and now having finally achieved her wish, she happily returned to her room to play with it.
Once the disciples had all departed, Yan Jiuzhi had no intention of keeping things hidden; he went straight to the point and spoke to Lin Shanlai:
"Master, I have calculated that a great calamity will soon befall our sect. Let us temporarily relocate to live in Ang City for a period of time."
Lin Shanlai was greatly shocked: "A calamity?! Then when do we leave?!"
Displaying not an ounce of doubt toward his own disciple, he chose to believe him outright.
Yan Jiuzhi lowered his brows and eyes: "As soon as possible. I feel very uneasy."
Elder Gao furrowed his brows, pondering where it would be appropriate for the disciples to stay; staying at an inn would simply be far too expensive.
The three of them deliberated throughout the night, ultimately deciding to send the junior disciples down to stay at an Ang City inn first, after which they would return to set up the formations.
Lin Shanlai was at the Golden Core early stage, but his golden core was damaged, rendering him completely unable to display his proper strength.
Elder Gao was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment late stage, Eldest Disciple Lin Ruo at the Qi Condensation 9th Layer, and Third Disciple Yan Jiuzhi at the Qi Condensation 10th Layer.
Second Disciple Taowen had the poorest aptitude, having barely reached the Qi Condensation 5th Layer even now.
Not to mention Lixi, who had just entered the sect.
Lin Zewu was still young, and the other disciples were merely mortals; remaining behind would only make things more perilous, so it was better to send them into the city to seek refuge.
Ang City was merely a small city with thin spiritual energy, lacking any stationed cultivators; their Yunxiao Sect, duty-bound, had to guard this city well.
Yan Jiuzhi understood his master—he would never abandon the commoners of Ang City to flee for his life alone.
Even if he tricked his master into escaping, his master would inevitably feel overwhelming guilt afterwards, giving rise to inner demons.
In this lifetime, he would fight alongside them to the very end.
He was no longer that incompetent kid who could only stand by helplessly and watch his sect be destroyed.