Eternal Tale

”Sister Crane... It seems Brother Xun has grown stronger again.”

Little Chi timidly ran over to Little Crane, his imposing face instantly turning comical, ”You should just admit it.”

Black Bull mooed in agreement from the side, determined to stop Chen Xun from taking action.

Little Crane hung her head low, nudged by Black Bull, looking utterly dejected as she was carried towards the coast.

She felt weak all over, her black dress no longer fluttering, and her palms were almost sweaty.

Little Chi swallowed nervously, pondering how to explain to Brother Xun. He was the first to raise both paws in favor of planting the flower field, and half of the flowers were collected by him from the ancient forest.

By the coast, the waves roared and crashed.

Chen Xun sat in a chair, hands crossed, his sharp gaze fixed on Little Crane.

Behind him was a mountain of trash, with several piles nearby, yet none of them seemed to mind, as if they were used to being in such a place.

Little Chi wore an awkward smile, his mouth twitching, his belly full of words, but seeing Brother Xun’s expression, he couldn’t utter a single one.He gave Little Crane a look that said ”good luck,” and quietly squatted beside Chen Xun.

”Moo~”

”Ximen Black Bull, shut up.”

”Moo!”

Black Bull snorted and quickly shut his mouth, not daring to provoke Chen Xun at this moment, understanding the importance of the occasion, and lay down beside Chen Xun, staring at Little Crane.

Little Crane hugged her head with both hands, her eyes slightly misty, tightly pressing her lower lip.

”Nangong Heling.”

”Big Brother...”

”Show me the insights you’ve gained from reading.”

”Big Brother... I’m holding my head, I can’t take them out.”

”Use your mana!”

”Okay... Big Brother, please don’t scold me.”

Startled by Chen Xun’s sudden shout, Little Crane trembled all over, her voice tinged with tears, ”I’ll take them out right away.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a tender sprout emerged from Little Crane’s body, and a pile of booklets appeared from her storage ring, delivered to Chen Xun’s hand by the swaying sprout.

Chen Xun squinted slightly, beginning to flip through them. The handwriting was much more elegant than his own, flowing and graceful, and he felt a hint of satisfaction.

”Hehe, Brother Xun, you see, Sister Crane has been quite diligent in her studies over the years...”

”Beiming Red Lion, you shut up too. I’ll deal with you later. You have a part in the flower field, don’t you?”

”What?!”

Little Chi’s mane bristled, his features scrunched together, caught in the crossfire!

Chen Xun glanced at Little Chi, snorting coldly, ”Nangong Heling, I don’t oppose you planting the flower field, but there’s no need to hide it from me.”

”What? Big Brother, you agree!” Little Crane’s face lit up with joy, her hands unconsciously lowering.

”Lift them up for me!”

”Oh...”

Little Crane mumbled, putting her hands back on her head, looking pitifully aggrieved. In front of her big brother, any outward demeanor was useless, and she could only obediently endure the scolding.

Black Bull turned to Chen Xun, pleading on her behalf, ”Moo moo~”

”Bull, don’t spoil her. If Little Crane were a boy, I would have taken action long ago. A few words of guidance are nothing.”

Chen Xun’s expression remained cold as he continued to read the insights word by word, not even using his divine sense, ”She’s different from us. If we keep indulging her, it will only harm her in the future.”

Black Bull mooed softly, no longer interfering. Big Brother didn’t want their third sister to be as wild as them, nor did he want her to keep picking up trash. They could handle such matters.

Little Chi swallowed nervously, agreeing that Sister Crane being like them wasn’t ideal.

”Little Crane, stretch out your hand.”

”Ugh...”

Little Crane’s eyes brimmed with grievance, already extending her hand, ready to take the punishment, not daring to use mana to reinforce it.

She closed her eyes slightly, but instead of her big brother’s hand striking, she felt the touch of a flower. She opened her eyes in surprise, delighted by its beauty!

”This flower, your second brother and I picked it from the rocks, and brought it back for you. There’s nothing like it on Trash Island.”

Chen Xun leaned back in his chair, his eyes still stern, ”You can only play for an hour each day. If you exceed that, I’ll use the flower field to plant spiritual herbs. No next time.”

”Hehe, thank you, Big Brother, Second Brother!”

Little Crane jumped up in joy, exclaiming repeatedly, ”I understand, I won’t be greedy anymore, just one hour of play!”

”Bull, Little Chi.”

Chen Xun glanced around, speaking in a deep voice, ”If you dare deceive me again, I’ll take on both of you, and let you experience the shock of a great cultivator.”

”Moo?!”

”Brother Xun!!”

Black Bull and Little Chi sprang to their feet, their legs slightly bent, not daring to straighten. One could lift mountains, and a single move could easily subdue them, leaving them no chance to fight back!

Little Crane’s joyful expression instantly froze, lowering her head and clasping her hands behind her back, truly not daring to play anymore, fearing to implicate her second and fourth brothers.

”Little Chi.”

”Brother Xun!”

”Come here, let me see how your cultivation is progressing.”

Chen Xun’s tone shifted, a smile appearing on his face, ”You start cultivating with the Destruction Stone that absorbs yin and cold energy. Don’t worry about body-refining treasures, I’ll get you the best.”

Hearing this, Little Chi hurried over to Chen Xun, chattering excitedly, ”Brother Xun, when I advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, a legacy technique appeared in my mind. Advancing to Void Refinement is definitely not a problem!”

”Moo moo~~!” Black Bull seemed even more excited than Little Chi, snorting repeatedly.

”Haha, good!”

Chen Xun let out a sigh of relief, giving Little Chi a hearty pat, ”Once we have enough strength, we must find a way back, to see the Bai Li clan and the Five Aggregates Sect, and we must return to the Tian Duan Plains.”

Roar!!

Little Chi let out a low roar, nodding heavily. The days of picking up trash were quite happy and peaceful, not like the urgent obsessions of the past. He had grown a lot.

Chen Xun showed a warm smile, slowly standing up, looking at Little Crane, ”Third Sister, let’s see how much you’ve grown.”

Little Crane beamed with joy, running up to Chen Xun, tugging at his clothes, even standing on tiptoe, ”Big Brother, I’ve grown a lot taller.”

Chen Xun frowned slightly, placing a hand on her head, comparing it to his own height, feeling no difference!

He drew a line on his clothes, intending to use it to record Little Crane’s height in the future.

”Big Brother, drawing like that will make your clothes look bad!”

”Heh, back then, your second brother and I wore hemp clothes for over a thousand years. Which cultivator would care about this?”

Chen Xun was indifferent, even nodding towards Black Bull, ”Right, Bull?”

”Moo moo~~” Black Bull opened its mouth in a smile, its tail swaying slightly. Chen Xun never cared about his appearance, and it was used to it.

Little Chi shook his head; he didn’t like wearing clothes.

Sister Crane wanted to make him a set, but he refused, feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t understand how Brother Bull got used to it.

Chen Xun’s eyes held a thoughtful look. Asking about Little Crane’s height wasn’t a casual question.

Over the past century, he and Black Bull had spent fifty years of World Soul nurturing her true form.

Her true form should have aged at least fifty thousand years, yet her humanoid form had changed very little, still resembling a little girl, not even reaching adolescence.

This made Chen Xun feel that the Crane Spirit Yin Yang Tree was somewhat extraordinary, as if it hid some earth-shattering secret that even those who created it couldn’t fathom.

That Filthy Longevity Turtle also had a perpetually dying look, always sticking to Little Crane.

Chen Xun occasionally fed it his blood over the years, only for it to suddenly open its eyes in shock, as if it had seen something disgusting!

Chen Xun was infuriated, and if not for Little Crane’s intervention, he might have slapped it to death.

She pleaded, saying that no creature in the Qi cultivation phase could withstand Big Brother’s blood, and it wasn’t disdain but the overwhelming power in his blood.

Only then did Chen Xun let the matter go, leaving it to Little Crane to care for. That turtle truly didn’t know what was good for it.

He stopped dwelling on it, speaking calmly, ”You all go ahead and get busy. Bull, take care of those decomposition tasks.”

”No problem, Brother Xun. The garbage recycling plant is already piled high with discarded materials.”

”Moo moo~~”

”Big Brother, we’ll go arrange things now.”

They all straightened their expressions, Little Crane and Little Chi carried on Black Bull’s back, its four hooves tapping the ground, rising into the air.

Chen Xun looked up with a smile, waving gently.

Once they had completely left, the place grew quiet again, with only the sound of the waves rising and falling.

Chen Xun sat in his chair, pulling out a fishing rod made from the Crane Spirit Tree, with a fishing line made from the Thousand Silken Vine, without any bait, casting it ten miles away.

He leaned slightly, holding the fishing rod with both hands, gazing deeply at the azure sea and sky, as the sea breeze blew gently.