Chapter 83

Song Qing shi slept soundly and woke up in the middle of the night. He found himself resting on the knee of Mr. Yue, who claimed to be an acquaintance, feeling somewhat embarrassed. For some reason, his lips were slightly swollen, and he quickly wiped his mouth to check if he had drooled.

Fortunately, such an embarrassing thing didn't happen...

His injuries, under the powerful effects of the Ten-Transmutation Golden Marrow Spirit Pill, had mostly healed. He tried to get up, moved his body, and discovered that the healing ointments on his wounds had been replaced with better ones, which contained pain-relieving components, making the unbearable pain disappear, leaving only a faint tingling sensation.

Seeing him awake, Mr. Yue opened his eyes from his pretended nap.

Song Qing shi smiled gratefully at him and then noticed Song Jin cheng kneeling in the corner, facing the wall as punishment. Although it wasn't appropriate to interfere in how others disciplined their apprentices, he felt a connection with this child and couldn't just leave him alone.

While pondering this matter, Mr. Yue took over his bag of holding and started pouring large piles of spirit stones into it. Song Qing shi was startled and quickly stopped him: "I've already received valuable pills; I can't take these."

After all, Mr. Yue wasn't his father or even a godfather; how could he accept so many spirit stones?

"These belong to you," Mr. Yue said, fearing that Song Qing shi might have some misguided thoughts. He handed him a token intricately carved with a magnificent phoenix pattern and explained, "You once entrusted some spirit stones to me, and I managed them for a long time. Now, there's a substantial return. You can present this token at the Medicine King Valley and any shop bearing this mark to access unlimited funds."

Song Qing shi took the token and asked in surprise, "How much money do I have?"

Mr. Yue thought about the power of Indestructible Peak. After he eradicated those corrupt sects, he confiscated their assets and wealth. If left unchecked, it would lead to chaos and the proliferation of darkness. So, he devoted some effort to gradually establish new rules and reinvigorate the industries.

For example, auction houses were not allowed to sell people or stolen goods, the social status of craftsmen, especially physicians, was raised, slave trading was prohibited, employment contracts were established, and penalties for keeping furnace cauldrons and killing for treasure were increased... There were also strict rules, such as no dirty garbage being allowed in public places...

The cultivators could not accept these rules and caused trouble for centuries. But as the heads of rebels and rule-breakers were hung one by one, the hard cases became the lanterns of Indestructible Peak, and the resistance gradually diminished. New generations of cultivators were born, and the rules became habits.

Although darkness could not be completely eliminated, it dared not flourish in the light. No one dared to openly provoke the terrifying existence of Indestructible Peak.

Now, the industries of Indestructible Peak span the world, and every year, various sects and towns offer various treasures and specialties to the Divine Lord, which has become a custom...

Mr. Yue hadn't counted his wealth or the contents of his treasure vaults for a long time, but if Song Qing shi was willing to accept it, everything could be given to him. However, he knew that Song Qing shi had a high sense of self-respect and disliked causing trouble for others, so he needed to find appropriate reasons to give him things gradually.

He deliberated, "You invested over two million spirit stones when the Medicine King Valley was in its most difficult times. Now it has grown to tens of millions, and I have also invested in some other businesses for you, which are increasing every year. I'll give you the ledger later."

He went back and had his subordinates create a fake account, devising ways to stuff it with money, making it seem like an inexhaustible fortune of tens of millions.

Before Song Qing's time travel, he had been a naive and affluent young man, yet still possessed some business acumen. Never had he encountered someone going to such lengths to falsify accounts merely to give money away. What was the purpose?

So, is this real?

Did he make a hugely successful venture capital investment during his amnesia?

Does that mean he won't have to worry about research funding for the rest of his life?

Song Qing was so elated he felt like a puppy, wanting to spin around on the ground and bark joyfully. His mind quickly listed a pile of medicinal herbs he had always wanted but couldn't afford, wishing he could kiss his benefactor twice.

He pulled Mr. Yue and asked, "What else did I do while I was amnesiac?"

Mr. Yue smiled, "You taught me how to raise white mice. I've done very well, breeding many special strains. If you come back to the Medicine King Valley with me, I'll give them all to you as... gifts."

He mumbled a couple of words in between.

Song Qing didn't hear clearly, but he noticed something odd: "Special mice take a long time to breed and improve into various strains... How long have we known each other?"

He felt that the memory he had lost was more than he had imagined.

Mr. Yue laughed, "We have only been together for a few decades, but we were apart for over a thousand years. I remained in a narrow world, unaware of what you experienced..."

Song Qing was stunned. The length of his lost memory far exceeded his imagination. Could it be that his body in this world failed to break through a closed retreat somewhere, leading to his soul crossing over from another world?

Thinking about this, he fell into confusion again, unable to understand why he could naturally merge the memories of two bodies into one new self without any sense of rejection... Was it because they looked too much alike?

The system crashed, and he had no way to get an answer.

"Senior Uncle Ancestor is joking," Song Jincheng couldn't help but speak up, "Who would take so long to reach the Foundation Establishment stage?" He was such a talentless person, yet he managed to succeed at eighteen. Foundation Establishment cultivators could only live for three hundred years. Mrs. Qing Luan used rare treasures to extend her life, passing away at five hundred and being buried in the Medicine King Valley. Minghong Sword Immortal achieved the Great Perfection of the Golden Core and built a cottage by his beloved wife's grave, guarding the Medicine King Valley for a thousand years. Now, male cultivators in the Medicine King Valley often invite their sweethearts there to confess their feelings, making it a famous scenic spot.

Mr. Yue felt that the punishment wasn't severe enough and smiled gently, "Qing Shi's cultivation level dropped due to injury. There are many similar cases in the medical books you've studied... Clearly, you haven't memorized any of them. Tomorrow, when we return to the valley, you will be confined to the back mountain. You can only come out after reciting all one hundred and eighty volumes of the basic medical texts left by Qing Luan."

Song Jincheng's face turned green. He didn't want to stay with his great-grandmother anymore, and besides... he really wanted to visit his good friend at the Tianwu Sect. So, he crawled to Mr. Yue on his knees, crying and bargaining, "Senior Uncle Ancestor, let me go to the Tianwu Sect just once, and then I'll go into confinement..."

Mr. Yue's smile grew even gentler.

Song Qing Shi looked at Mr. Yue, inexplicably feeling that this child was in danger. He steeled himself and tried to intervene, "Do you have a reason to go to the Tianwu Sect?"

Song Jincheng sobbed, "I suspect something happened to Yu, I want to check on him..."

Yu's real name was Yuwen Yu, the son of an elder from the Tianwu Sect. He was born frail and spent several years recuperating in the Medicine King Valley when he was young. Song Jincheng took him up the mountain to steal bird eggs, caught turtles in the water, taught him how to climb walls and skip classes, and they became very close friends.

After Yuwen Yu's health improved, he left the Medicine King Valley and wrote letters every month. However, he hadn't received any news from Yuwen Yu in the past three months, which made him uneasy. Taking advantage of his poor exam results, he decided to run away to the Tianwu Sect to check on the situation. On the way, he met Song Qing Shi and was delayed...

"Perhaps he's in seclusion," Song Qing Shi rubbed his forehead, thinking it was normal for busy friends to ignore each other for years or decades, but he felt he might have made a big mistake in friendship and lacked confidence, "Why don't you ask his elders?"

Song Jincheng hesitated, "His father dislikes me and forbids me from getting close to Yu. We communicate secretly."

Mr. Yue said, "The Tianwu Sect recently held a major examination for disciples; he should have gone to the Yuanming Secret Realm..." He suddenly stopped, remembering some unusual movements in the Tianwu Sect recently, with frequent appearances of demonic creatures. Perhaps he should send someone to investigate.

"He might be injured and doesn't want to worry you," Song Qing Shi thought of a win-win solution, "I'll go to the Tianwu Sect to check on him." He remembered that a book mentioned a metal-attribute grass in the Yuanming Secret Realm, with leaves as sharp as blades. Although it wasn't very useful, its properties were unique, and he had always wanted to collect some for research.

Song Jincheng was deeply moved, "Brother, you're a true friend, I didn't save you for nothing."

Mr. Yue crushed the corner of the table.

"I'm sorry, I forgot your age," Song Jincheng quickly admitted his mistake, trying to please, "Qing Shi, you're my big brother."

Mr. Yue reminded him, "Qing Shi is many generations senior to you."

Song Jincheng frowned, reconsidering what to call him.

Seeing his expression, Song Qingshi felt something was wrong and quickly stopped him, "Don't call me grandpa!"

Half of his soul was still that young, vibrant college student, and he couldn't bear the thought of being called grandpa by someone who looked his age.

"I'm not from the Medicine King Valley; even if I retook the entrance exam, we'd be classmates. I can't accept such a high generation gap," Song Qingshi seriously considered his future, "I think we should divide generations based on cultivation level, not age."

Song Jincheng looked at Mr. Yue pitifully, "Great Uncle Master..."

Hearing this title, Mr. Yue felt chest tightness again.

He decided to put this incarnation into seclusion upon return, and send another one of the same age to accompany Song Qingshi's new growth, so as not to be mistaken for an ancient ancestor, making it hard to act.

Song Qingshi happily decided on his journey to the Tianwu Sect and discussed with Song Jincheng how to meet Yuwen Yu and gather information.

The entrance examination for the Medicine King Valley was still three years away, and even if they started special recruitment now, it would take a few months to prepare.

Song Qingshi was unwilling to use connections to enter.

Mr. Yue knew that once he made up his mind, he wouldn't give up. It wasn't the right time to drag him back either. However, the new incarnation needed some time to prepare, and he was worried that Song Qingshi might suffer or be wronged due to his lack of understanding of the current state of the cultivation world. After much hesitation, he decided to go along with his wishes and allowed Song Jincheng to accompany him to the Tianwu Sect, ensuring that the elder wouldn't be wronged along the way.

Song Jincheng wasn't good at studying, but he was very attentive in serving his elders and guessing their intentions. He suspected that Song Qingshi wasn't just Mr. Yue's adopted son but perhaps an illegitimate child. He vowed to treat Song Qingshi like an ancestor.

He cheerfully blessed, "Brother Qing Shi, you're so lucky, I'm not jealous that you have a goddess."

Song Qingshi smiled and said, "I hope I can meet her on the way."

Mr. Yue became alert: "A goddess?"

"Qing Shi is looking for a girl, but unfortunately, he lost his memory and can't recall her name or appearance," Song Jincheng, now perked up after receiving permission, noticed his grandmaster's interest in his future daughter-in-law and immediately went on and on about Song Qingshi's beloved, to make sure she'd meet his approval later. "She's gentle, virtuous, beautiful, adorable, kind, innocent, lively, considerate, filial, and also great at cooking."

Song Qingshi said shyly, "Her health is a bit delicate and needs some care..."

Mr. Yue forcibly suppressed the jealousy churning in his heart and asked, "Wait, you... you like that type of girl?"

He knew many cultivators didn’t care about gender, but he hadn’t expected...

Song Qingshi thought about the way his heart raced when he thought about that notebook and declared, "Yes, I like her. I will find her."

Mr. Yue asked gently, "What if she doesn’t like you? Will you treat her well?"

"That's okay," Song Qingshi’s eyes were filled with determination as he vowed, "As long as I can find her, I’ll give her all the best things, do my best to treat her well, and try to make her like me."

He would give his all to pursuing the one he loved.

Mr. Yue saw the determination in his eyes and smiled in blessing: "You will definitely find her."

Though the role in this mission was not what he'd expected.

But... it wasn’t difficult.

He imagined using this guise to do shameless things, making Song Qingshi cry in bed, and the idea... intrigued him.

Mr. Yue gazed greedily at the innocent treat before him, his lust leaving him parched...

Patience. Now was not the time to reveal himself.

He would carry out his plan flawlessly.

He would take back everything he'd lost.