Watching the Mountain

Chapter 33: Chapter 28: A Sigh

Qing Xuan Master still needed some time to sort through his thoughts, so he entrusted Xu Ran with handling Wang Xiaohu’s situation in his stead.

Faced with a request from Qing Xuan Master, to whom he owed a debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain, Xu Ran naturally wouldn’t refuse. He agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Afterward, Qing Xuan Master summoned Wang Xiaohu and told him to go with Xu Ran to the Law Enforcement Hall.

Xu Ran looked at the gaze Wang Xiaohu directed at him, thought for a moment, and said, ”Since this is to treat your father’s injuries, how about I give you a Healing Elixir instead? The quality and effect will certainly be better than a Thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng on its own.”

”This...” Wang Xiaohu lowered his head slightly, shrinking back without a word.

Just then, Qing Xuan Master, who was standing to the side, his face livid, snorted coldly and scolded him,

”Playing your little tricks again. You’re like a cowardly old turtle, always pulling your head in, only thinking about not offending people. A Cultivator dares to contend with the heavens and struggle against the earth! With an attitude like yours, how can you even speak of Cultivation?”

Qing Xuan Master shot Xu Ran a vicious glare. He had been displeased with Xu Ran for a long time.

Although Xu Ran appeared older than him, he was, in fact, only a little over a hundred years old. At this age, within any of the Major Sects, he was still unequivocally part of the younger generation.

For a Sect like the Profound Pure Sect, which was overseen by Cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage or higher, as long as one’s Cultivation had not reached the Purple Mansion Stage, they were considered a junior, no matter how old they were.

In the Cultivation Realm, seniority was determined more by one’s Cultivation Realm than by age. After all, ”the Dao does not speak of age.” Wasn’t talking about age in the Cultivation Realm just asking for a beating?

’In a junior like Xu Ran,’ Qing Xuan Master thought, ’steadiness is acceptable, but not being as slippery as an old loach. He’s far too slick.’

It really annoyed him, but because Xu Ran handled matters so smoothly, he had never found an opportunity to lecture or reprimand him.

Now that he had an opportunity, he certainly wasn’t going to let it pass. He immediately unleashed a tirade on Xu Ran.

Seeing this unfold, Xu Ran copied Wang Xiaohu, who was standing beside him. He shrank back, lowered his head slightly, and stood there silently to receive the lecture.

”You...” Seeing Xu Ran’s posture, Qing Xuan Master’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. His mouth hung open, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

He was just that furious.

Finally, with a flick of his sleeve and a cold snort that turned into a long sigh, he said, ”Ah, forget it. Do as you please.”

’This student is truly impossible to teach.’

’He has a full head of white hair, yet he’s mimicking Wang Xiaohu. How does he have the gall to act like that?’

Seeing Qing Xuan Master’s reaction, Xu Ran hurried forward to support him by the arm, an awkward, placating smile on his face.

”Teacher, don’t be angry. I can’t help it. It’s just my nature. I’ve been like this since I was born. I can’t change it even if I want to.”

Xu Ran wasn’t lying about that. At least in this world, he truly had been born with this personality.

Qing Xuan Master shot him a look but didn’t take the bait. He calmed himself and said with a serious expression:

”That Thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng is something Wang Xiaohu found after going through innumerable hardships.”

He stared at Wang Xiaohu’s scarred hands, took a breath, and continued,

”That is a precious medicine a child painstakingly sought out for his father. No matter how effective your Elixir is, can it replace the feelings of a child for his father?”

He then shook his head. ”Besides, there’s a matter of justice here. If you just take out an Elixir and heal his father, what about justice? Who will give him the justice he is owed?”

”This...” Xu Ran was rendered speechless. He had only been thinking about resolving the matter with the least cost and without offending anyone. That was his nature, his principle for handling things.

’What Qing Xuan Master mentioned... perhaps that’s how a kind person who holds justice in their heart considers things. That’s something I don’t have.’

Xu Ran took a deep look at his teacher. His master had just said that with new attachments in his heart, he didn’t know how much further he could go on his path.

’But a man like him,’ Xu Ran thought, ’even with attachments, will never betray his principles. He can continue walking his path, always following his heart.’

Xu Ran was certain of this.

He then raised his hands and bowed formally to Qing Xuan Master with a serious expression. ”Thank you for your lesson, Teacher. This student will take it to heart.”

Then he turned to Wang Xiaohu and said, ”Let’s go. Senior Brother will help you get justice.”

Watching Xu Ran’s departing figure, Qing Xuan Master nodded slightly, a smile touching the corners of his mouth. Then he turned to look at the room before him. The smile gradually faded, and his expression shifted, but the one thing that remained unchanged was his eyes, which were as clear and gentle as ever.

*

*

*

Xu Ran took Wang Xiaohu directly to the relevant Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall and bluntly stated his purpose.

The Elder looked at the Honorary Elder’s Identity Jade Talisman in Xu Ran’s hand and immediately declared with a solemn expression that he was deeply grieved such a thing had happened. The fact that the perpetrator was his own descendant, he claimed, made him burn with shame.

He beat his chest and vowed that he would show no mercy and that anyone who violated the Sect’s rules and undermined its unity would be severely punished.

He then summoned the descendant who had stolen the Blood Ginseng from Wang Xiaohu. He harshly berated the boy, made him apologize to Wang Xiaohu and return the Blood Ginseng, and then personally produced a Second Grade Healing Elixir as compensation, placing it in Wang Xiaohu’s hands.

Finally, he declared that the members of the Law Enforcement Team who had concealed the matter and acted as accomplices would also be strictly disciplined.

With that, the matter came to a close. Xu Ran didn’t care whether the Elder’s inner thoughts were as sincere as his words. For him, as long as the matter was resolved on the surface, it was enough.

The Profound Pure Sect had its share of darkness, but on the whole, it was still a decent place. He wasn’t worried that he would be resented for this.

After leaving the Law Enforcement Hall, Xu Ran personally accompanied Wang Xiaohu to his home at the foot of the mountain. Once Wang Xiaohu had given his father the Blood Ginseng and the Elixir, Xu Ran, adhering to the principle of seeing a good deed through to the end, asked if Wang Xiaohu wanted to transfer to Spirit Stream Peak. That way, he would be by Xu Ran’s side and wouldn’t have to worry about retaliation.

Wang Xiaohu gratefully accepted, and Xu Ran went to the Internal Affairs Hall to personally handle the paperwork for his new Identity Jade Talisman.

Coincidentally, Little Xiyue had just turned twelve. She had been allowed to stay in the Sect as his disciple, but the official Identity Jade Talisman and enrollment procedures could only be completed after reaching a certain age. So, he decided to get hers done at the same time.

Little Xiyue was ecstatic to receive her Identity Jade Talisman. It was as if she finally had a true sense of belonging. She held it, looking at it again and again, her expression one of deep reassurance.

Seeing this, Xu Ran couldn’t help but say, ”Even without this, I wouldn’t have kicked you out.”

Little Xiyue looked at him and replied very formally, ”I know. But with this, I can be acknowledged by everyone and openly and honorably say that I am your disciple.”

Xu Ran opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.

When the Instructor Hall held its class another month later, he walked in holding Little Xiyue’s hand.

Previously, when Qing Xuan Master was on leave, he had asked Zhang Zhentian to substitute for him. Now that Zhang Zhentian had voluntarily applied to go to the battlefield, the one substituting for him was none other than his grandfather, the Grand Elder of Celestial Sea Peak.

It was a case of a grandfather paying his grandson’s debts. Who else was to blame when his grandson ran off so quickly, failing to properly hand over his duties or even find a replacement before he left?

He had left so freely, leaving his poor grandfather to clean up his mess.

Because of this, Flowing Clouds Master, the Grand Elder of Celestial Sea Peak, was so angry he started cursing. ”He’s completely unreliable! How old is he now, still so rash and impetuous?”

But for all his scolding, the pride between his brows was impossible to hide.

Xu Ran also brought up the matter of Ye Shan, voicing his concern that it might be too dangerous for Zhang Zhentian to go to the battlefield so early.

To this, Flowing Clouds Master replied calmly, ”When young people reach the age to venture out, they should go. They can’t always grow up under the protection of us old folks. As for what the future holds, that is for him to grasp himself.”

”Besides, the situation now is different from what happened in the Secret Realm more than a decade ago. No matter how outstandingly he performs, he won’t bring disaster upon himself.”

Speaking of the situation in the Secret Realm back then, he looked up slightly, his expression complex as he let out a sigh.

”Ye Shan was born at the wrong time. If he had appeared a dozen or so years later, that tragedy would never have happened. But alas, it was just those ten-odd years that made all the difference.”

Hearing this, Xu Ran also fell silent. It was just as Flowing Clouds Master had said. If Ye Shan had been born a dozen or so years later, or if he had revealed his brilliance and dazzled the Cultivation Realm a dozen or so years later, appearing only when the Evil Demon Battlefield erupted, then no matter how brilliantly he performed, no one would have moved against him. Instead, they would have been pleasantly surprised and welcomed his appearance.

For the Cultivation Realm, the Evil Domain and the Demon Realm were the greatest enemies. The emergence of an invincible prodigy on their side would have been a blessing for the entire Cultivation Realm.

Just look at Flowing Clouds Master. He wasn’t the least bit worried about his grandson, Zhang Zhentian. No matter how dazzlingly he performed, it would only be a source of pride for him.

But unfortunately, it came down to those ten-odd years. At a time when the entire Cultivation Realm had been at peace for several hundred years, and the Evil Domain and Demon Realm had been quiet, Ye Shan appeared.

His appearance struck fear into the hearts of certain people, which led to his tragic fate.

A mere dozen years or so—just a blink of an eye in the Cultivation Realm, shorter than the time many spend in seclusion—was enough to cause a peerless prodigy who could have illuminated an entire era to fall from the heavens.

At this, Xu Ran could only sigh at the fickleness of fate and silently lament for Ye Shan.

The mention of Ye Shan soured the mood for both Flowing Clouds Master and Xu Ran. The two fell silent for a long time, neither in the mood to talk further.

The past was the past; no amount of lamenting or regret could change it. But life in the present had to go on.

With that, they both let out a long sigh and began the day’s lecture.