Watching the Mountain

Chapter 372: Chapter 204: Xiaohu (2)

Back when Jiang Ling’Er insisted on leaving the Sect, Senior Sister Yue suggested she go to the Overseas Archipelago. She even arranged for several Supreme Elders and Elders to escort her there. Only after Jiang Ling’Er was settled did the escorting Supreme Elders and Elders return.

But since then, there had been no news of Jiang Ling’Er.

With Jiang Ling’Er’s strength, self-preservation shouldn’t have been a problem. But with the Heaven and Earth Dao Concealment now in effect, Xu Ran wasn’t sure if she had managed to get a Dust-Sealed Stone. Even if she had, the Dust-Sealing process for a Loose Cultivator was ultimately less safe than for a Sect Cultivator. The slightest accident could interrupt it.

Therefore, Xu Ran thought, ’If I can find her, it would be best to have her return for her Dust-Sealing.’

Hearing Xu Ran’s words, Zhang Zhentian’s gaze flickered slightly. An image of Jiang Ling’Er standing in a pool of blood, which he had seen in the Demon Race’s territory, surfaced in his mind.

”Jiang Ling’Er, you mean? I understand.” He nodded in acknowledgment. After a moment of contemplation, he continued:

”It’s just that the Overseas Archipelago is simply too vast. In that boundless sea, it’s hard to say whether we’ll be able to find any news of her...”

Xu Ran nodded slightly and said, ”It’s alright. It would be best if you can find her, but if you truly cannot, then there’s nothing to be done. You don’t need to force it.”

Zhang Zhentian noted his senior brother’s reaction and gave a nod, not saying anything else. He simply set a goal for himself in his heart—to bring Martial Niece Jiang Ling’Er back before his senior brother, no matter what.

*

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Although the most significant changes from the Heaven and Earth Dao Concealment were only expected after a century, the process had actually begun the very day the great powers of the Cultivation Realm intentionally created the worldwide anomaly.

As time passed, the Cultivators of the Cultivation Realm began to feel some of the changes in the world.

For example, the Spiritual Qi had started to slowly diminish. When cultivating and seeking enlightenment, they would see only a stretch of chaos, and it was much harder than before to clearly perceive the Law Dao Rhyme.

Spirit Medicines and Spirit Fruits took gradually longer to mature. Some High Grade Spiritual Plants even showed signs of withering. The output of some Spirit Veins and Spirit Ores had also decreased slightly, and their yields continued to decline as time went on...

All these signs made many people understand that the heavens had changed.

For some ordinary disciples, they couldn’t actually say for certain how great an impact these changes would have on them.

Their most tangible feeling was simply that their already difficult cultivation had become even harder. Before, they could at least fantasize about stumbling upon some fortunate encounter that would allow them to go further on their cultivation path.

But now, with the start of the Dao Concealment, the fortunate encounters in the world would gradually dwindle until they disappeared completely, not to return until the Dao Concealment ended and the Great Dao’s prosperous age arrived.

But that prosperous age had nothing to do with ordinary people like them.

In truth, the ordinary disciples of the various sects were not without opinions regarding the distribution of the Dust-Sealed Stones; rather, they didn’t know at whom to direct their complaints.

The problem of the world’s malady, the subsequent Dao Concealment, and the Dust-Sealed Stones were all issues the entire world had to face, not the will of any single person or faction.

There were only so many Dust-Sealed Stones, and basically every faction’s distribution method was more or less the same. When this rule became the trend for the entire world, ordinary disciples could only accept it.

It was painful to be passed over, but they weren’t the only ones. A whole crowd of people around them had also been passed over. If they asked around a little, they’d find it was the same in the neighboring Sects or families.

Compared to those who were chosen, those who were not were the vast majority.

So what if they couldn’t accept it?

They still couldn’t change a thing.

Those who tried to resist or cause trouble would only become cautionary tales for others. Most people lacked the courage to fight back.

They could only be forced to accept their fate of being passed over.

This was not just the helplessness of the ordinary disciples, but also the helplessness of the upper echelons of every faction. If they could, everyone in every faction would wish for their own people to have as many Dust-Sealed Stones as possible—so many that they couldn’t use them all, enough to just pile up and gather mold in the treasury.

But such a wonderful thing would never happen.

Ever since the distribution of the Sect’s Dust-Sealed Stone quotas had concluded, Xu Ran could clearly feel a change in the Sect’s atmosphere.

Before, every day he passed the Martial Arts Arena, he would often see disciples training. Passing by the various halls, he would see disciples hurrying to and fro—accepting missions, returning from missions, all kinds of activity.

Everyone was busy, working hard to earn contribution points for cultivation resources.

But now, the people he met on the paths were gathered in twos and threes with nothing to do, laughing and joking, chatting about everything under the sun, drinking tea, playing chess—all sorts of leisurely entertainment.

As for those diligently cultivating or carrying out missions, they had become a rare sight.

It wasn’t that the disciples had no complaints; they were simply powerless to resist. So they used this method of slacking off as a form of silent protest.

Perhaps it was more than just a protest; it was also a lament for their own misfortune.

In short, it was a mix of complex emotions that couldn’t be articulated in a moment. Even they themselves couldn’t clearly describe it.

Emptiness and confusion—that was the truest reflection of their inner state.

If it were only this, it would still be manageable. After enough time, everything would return to normal.

But today, on his way to the Scripture Pavilion, he came across a group of disciples gathered together, emotionally complaining about the Sect’s method of distributing the Dust-Sealed Stones.

From a distance, he could hear snippets of their conversation. ”The geniuses already enjoy all the resources, all the benefits. Why should everything go to them?”

”We ordinary disciples have also given a lot to the Sect. Why can’t we enjoy all this?”

”Just because our talent and aptitude are average, does that mean we deserve to just grow old and die in obscurity after the Dao Concealment?”

Seeing this scene, Xu Ran stopped in his tracks, watching from a distance.

He wasn’t surprised by this scene; in fact, it was predictable. When something cannot be distributed to everyone, a scene like this is bound to happen.

In terms of talent and aptitude, he himself should have been one of this group of ordinary disciples. It was only because of his own fortuitous circumstances that he had become one of the vested beneficiaries.

Therefore, faced with this situation, he didn’t know how to comfort those disciples, or rather, he wasn’t sure what kind of stance he should take when approaching them.

However, just as the atmosphere in the crowd was growing more and more heated, a sudden, exceptionally jarring cough cut in, interrupting the disciples’ discussion.

Then, an aged voice drifted out.

”Alright, so you won’t get to live to see the prosperous age. It’s not like anyone’s asking you to die right this second. What’s there to get so worked up about?”

Following the voice, an old man with a full head of white hair and a gaunt figure walked out. His entire body exuded an aura of death.

When he saw the old man, Xu Ran was slightly taken aback. He recognized him at a glance.

Wang Xiaohu.

He was incredibly surprised. He’d never expected that the one to step forward and say such things would be him.

He still remembered how Wang Xiaohu had stood up during Li Daoyi’s lecture on the Laws to the disciples, proclaiming that the Sect was unfair.

After that, he had sought Wang Xiaohu out for a conversation, leaving him with a question: ”Think back carefully. In the Sect, have you received more goodwill, or have you given more? I’ll be waiting for your answer.”

Afterward, he never received an answer from him.

He had originally thought Wang Xiaohu would go to his grave with that resentment still in his heart.

But today, he had stepped forward. Perhaps, in his heart, he had finally found that answer.

Thinking of this, Xu Ran couldn’t help but feel a little curious and wanted to see what Wang Xiaohu would do.

”Who are you?”

The disciples gathered there clearly didn’t recognize Wang Xiaohu.

This wasn’t surprising. After all, they were not of the same generation, and Wang Xiaohu was already old and rarely active in the Sect on a normal day.

Facing the many gazes of the disciples, a smile spread across Wang Xiaohu’s wrinkled face. He watched them calmly and began to speak in a faint voice:

”I, like all of you, am someone who is not qualified to live until the prosperous age.”