Chapter 97

Feng Jun pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Perhaps he owes Mr. Yue money."

Song Qingshi suddenly understood, feeling much more at ease.

The Tianwu Sect, a venerable school of sword cultivation, was led by Yu Wenyan, a cultivator who had attained the Nascent Soul stage. He was known for his dignified appearance, upright conduct, and sterling reputation.

During the Dark Era, the renowned sects had united to quell the atrocities of the Indestructible Peak. After a thousand years of conflict, they were ultimately defeated. All great cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage perished, and the remaining disciples either surrendered or fled, leaving the sects in ruins. Many smaller, less prominent sects seized this opportunity to flourish, aligning themselves with the Indestructible Peak, either as vassals or subordinates. The Tianwu Sect was one such example.

Though the Indestructible Peak had many rules, they were not difficult to follow once one grew accustomed to them. If anyone violated these rules—committing acts such as murder for treasure, sect massacres, slave trading, or oppressing the innocent—a report to the Indestructible Peak would prompt the Divine Lord to dispatch someone to handle the matter.

Gradually, malevolent cultivators were eliminated, and those who abided by the rules increased. With fewer opportunities for illicit gains or shortcuts, innate talent, diligent effort, and good fortune became paramount...

Now, an emissary of the Divine Lord had arrived at the Tianwu Sect, bearing the Phoenix Token. This signified the Divine Lord's personal presence, usually portending grave misfortune. It meant someone within the sect had committed a heinous crime, and the divine envoy was there to reclaim their soul for punishment at the Indestructible Peak.

Yu Wenyan's heart pounded. Both of the sect's Soul Division ancestors were in secluded cultivation, and the elders were not away. Could it be that some unruly disciple had broken the rules? While sincere repentance and handing over the culprit might spare the sect from implication, if word spread, the Tianwu Sect's millennium-long reputation would be shattered...

Fortunately, the Divine Lord's messenger also brought good news: the envoy was traveling incognito and wished to remain discreet. Cooperation was all that was required.

Yu Wenyan composed himself. He looked at the youthful Song Qingshi, then at the exquisitely beautiful Feng Jun beside him. Though both were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, his unease deepened. The Divine Lord could manifest in countless forms, even disguising himself as a mortal. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator could not possibly possess the Divine Lord's Phoenix Token. Coupled with the divine bird's message, it was clear that one of these two must be the Divine Lord's incognito incarnation.

Seeing the middle-aged cultivator's increasingly troubled expression, Song Qingshi felt a pang of sympathy but could not unilaterally waive Mr. Yue's debt. He offered reassurance, "Don't worry, I'm just here to find someone."

Hearing the expected reply, Yu Wenyan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and declared with resolve, "Tell me. I will bring him to you."

He had already discussed the matter with the elders beforehand: no matter which scoundrel was responsible, the Tianwu Sect would immediately hand them over for severe punishment, ensuring justice and preserving their reputation.

Song Qingshi, finding him reasonable, stated frankly, "I'm looking for Yu Wenyu."

"What?" Yu Wenyan couldn't believe his ears. He asked for the name again, and upon receiving confirmation, felt as if struck by lightning. He could no longer stand, collapsing into his grand armchair, gasping for breath, unable to speak for a long time. Yu Wenyu was not only his only son but also a rare lightning-aligned single spiritual root, a sword prodigy with exceptional meridians and an unyielding Dao heart.

The entire Tianwu Sect held immense expectations for him, hoping he would become the sect's third Soul Division ancestor, or even advance further to the Unity or Soul Projection stage. With sufficient fortuitous encounters, his future might be even brighter. But now...

Seeing his reaction, Song Qingshi feared he was having a heart attack and panicked, frantically searching his Mustard Seed Bag for heart-protecting pills.

When Yu Wenyan finally regained his composure, tears streamed down his face. "My son may not be exceptionally talented, but he was raised with strict family discipline, adhering to tradition and honest in character. How could he commit such a heinous act?"

Song Qingshi tried to understand his meaning: "Are you saying... your son did something wrong, was punished, and therefore couldn't reply to Jincheng's letters?"

The two exchanged bewildered glances, remaining silent for a long time, both sensing something was amiss.

Feng Jun, unable to bear it any longer, tapped the table. "Yu Wenyu hasn't committed any offense. A friend simply wishes to see him. We request the sect leader's convenience."

In recent years, the Phoenix Token had rarely appeared in the cultivation world, leading to this significant misunderstanding.

Yu Wenyan didn't understand why they would go to such lengths to see his son, but he dared not inquire further. His old face flushed slightly as he rose from the grand armchair and apologized to the group. Then, he suddenly remembered the name the divine envoy had just mentioned... something like Jincheng? His heart skipped a beat. Slowly, he cast his gaze behind the two, discovering a shadowy figure attempting to conceal himself, dodging and weaving as if he wished to bury his head in the ground.

Who else could such a scoundrel be?

Yu Wenyan angrily exclaimed, "Song Jincheng? You dare show your face here?"

With nowhere to hide, Song Jincheng hunched his shoulders and stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Greetings, Uncle."

"Who's your uncle?" Yu Wenyan wanted nothing more than to beat this shameless brat and keep him far away from his son. But considering he had entered with the divine envoy and seemed to be on good terms with them, he suppressed his anger and forced a benevolent expression. He explained, "Yu Wenyu recently went to train in the Yuanming Secret Realm. He made a mistake, was injured by a vicious beast, and fell into a river valley—only to stumble upon a serendipitous encounter. He found the Mo Yuan Sword Sovereign's sword and a relic left behind by the Sword Sovereign. The relic bears a strange formation, and he's sequestered himself in his chambers for over two months, poring over it relentlessly but still unable to figure it out..."

Song Jincheng immediately understood and snapped, "What mistake did A-Yu make? He was injured, and you still locked him up?"

Yu Wenyan's expression flickered as he looked at this lively, healthy brat. After a moment, he exhaled slowly. "Recently, you wrote to him, weeping that you were facing a life-or-death crisis, that you wouldn't live much longer, and begged him to eat buns with you at Ronggui Fang, asking for his help. So, during a training expedition with the elders to the secret realm, he ran away, trying to reach you at the Medicine King Valley. On the way, he encountered a vicious beast—but fortunately, misfortune turned to fortune..."

"Jincheng had a serious illness?" Song Qingshi was shocked. He had traveled with Song Jincheng all this way and hadn't noticed anything wrong with his health. Had his medical skills deteriorated?

Feng Jun, roughly guessing the truth, frowned. "Tell the truth."

Song Jincheng, terrified, spilled everything like beans from a basket. "My father said if I failed this exam again, he'd beat me to death with a stick. I studied for half a month but couldn't memorize anything. I knew I wouldn't pass, so I'd definitely get beaten. Ronggui Fang is in Jinshan City, near the Tianwu Sect. I... I wanted to run away from home to see him, then return after my father cooled down... Wait, I did write at the end of the letter, telling him not to run off after leaving the Yuanming Secret Realm, to wait quietly at home for my signal..."

Yu Wenyan's face turned even grimmer. "I burned half of that letter."

Song Jincheng's letters were never good news—either luring Yu Wenyu into slacking off or encouraging him to talk back to his elders... corrupting the Tianwu Sect's future into disorder. Furious, Yu Wenyan had burned every letter he intercepted. But the two exchanged letters under false names, making it impossible to stop entirely.

That day, seeing Yu Wenyu skip sword practice to sneakily read a letter, Yu Wenyan knew it was from Song Jincheng. Unable to contain his rage, he snatched and burned it. As a result, Yu Wenyu only read the first half—and being serious-minded, took it at face value. Believing Song Jincheng was truly in peril, he sneaked away during the expedition, hoping to see his friend one last time. On the way, he encountered a vicious beast, narrowly escaped death, and fell into a river valley, breaking several bones and suffering severe internal injuries.

The Tianwu Sect's future had nearly been lost.

After interrogating his son and learning the reason for his desertion, Yu Wenyan flew into a rage, confining him to his room to recuperate, reflect, and study the Mo Yuan Sword Sovereign's relic. Until he figured it out, he wasn't allowed to leave.

Yu Wenyu had thrown tantrums for a long time before finally calming down.

Yu Wenyan glared at Song Jincheng, gripping his sword hilt several times, barely restraining the urge to draw his blade and cut down the root of all this trouble.

Song Jincheng shrank behind Song Qingshi, then decided that wasn't safe enough and ducked behind Hao Long, curling into a ball. He attempted to reason, hoping to defuse the danger. "Uncle, we've both made mistakes here. Let's call it even, alright? Brother Qingshi, say something fair for me."

Song Qingshi was torn. As someone who took things seriously, he couldn't stand the idea of the Medicine King Valley harboring such an unscholarly slacker, one who even tried to corrupt a diligent scholar from another sect. Yet their friendship was genuine... After much deliberation, he proposed a compromise. "Sect Leader Yu, how about letting Jincheng see Yu Wenyu to clear up the misunderstanding? Then I'll take him back to the Medicine King Valley and hand him over to the elders for strict supervision and proper study, so he can become an outstanding physician."

A slow sparrow should make an early start—diligence can compensate for shortcomings.

He and Mr. Yue would keep a close eye on Song Jincheng, making him do practice tests every day. Surely, they could mold him into a top student!

Once both became diligent scholars, they could be proper friends.

Feng Jun nodded. "A good proposal."

Song Jincheng paled but gritted his teeth and accepted.

Yu Wenyan, recognizing his own fault in the matter, felt his resentment ease slightly. He led the three to see Yu Wenyu.

Yu Wenyu was a handsome youth. After days of recovery and worrying about his friend's fate, he had grown thinner, his face pale and haggard. He sat on a soft couch, wrapped in a black fox fur cloak, his complexion ashen as he fiddled with the relic in his hands. The artifact was a thick, dark-gold ring, its material resembling both metal and iron, engraved with intricate formations and nearly extinct ancient script. It was just wide enough to slip a hand through, yet it didn't seem like jewelry—when shaken, it emitted a crisp, ringing sound.

He was certain this relic belonged to the Mo Yuan Sword Sovereign. The formation was masterful, yet after months of study—trying blood-binding and other methods—he still couldn't figure out what kind of weapon it was.

Song Qingshi found the ringing sound familiar. He stepped forward, took one look at Yu Wenyu, and froze in shock. Gripping Feng Jun tightly, he rubbed his eyes and whispered, "Do you see anything unusual about him?"

Feng Jun studied Yu Wenyu carefully before hesitantly asking, "He looks a bit pale?"

Song Qingshi felt even worse after hearing that.

To him, Yu Wenyu radiated a towering golden aura, like a glowing billboard, so bright it nearly blinded him. No one else seemed to see it—as if the system teacher, fearing the idiot student would mistake the person, had stamped "PROTAGONIST" directly onto Yu Wenyu's head, hammering it into his consciousness so hard it was impossible to ignore.

Song Qingshi sullenly recalled his mission.

He was certain his task was to eliminate the most evil villain in the cultivation world—some unknown figure from the Indestructible Peak...

Yu Wenyu had no connection to the Indestructible Peak and wasn't a villain. This was probably someone else's mission?

Song Qingshi pondered deeply.

Then it struck him—the system teacher had exploded. There was no one to collect homework anymore. Why was he still worrying about missions? As for others' tasks, let them handle it. He had plenty of Filth Demons to study, and Feng Jun was a super-genius academic god. Nothing was more joyful than studying together. With their combined efforts, they could surely unravel the fascinating mystery of the Filth Demons.

As for the Indestructible Peak's target... he'd deal with it if he happened to encounter them after solving the puzzle.

After careful consideration, Song Qingshi made his choice, tossed the mission aside, and regained his cheerfulness.

Feng Jun observed his shifting expressions thoughtfully.