Chapter 60: The Mouth

Chapter 60: The Mouth

On this day, because of the Blood Curse Art, everyone was busy, no matter their stance.

Chu Jingxi was busy comprehending laws, the Immortal Alliance Leader was busy reporting safety, and Gold Immortal Xuanlu was busy going to his death.

As another poor soul spinning in circles, while Chu Jingxi endured a new wave of law pressure, Yan Zizhan was busy dealing with social pressure.

The Chu Clan Patriarch didn't say anything, just looked at him.

In the end, it was the Taiqing Sect Elder who asked, "So what's the deal with the Soul Contract?"

Through the Yin-Yang Sky Mirror, Yan Zizhan kept an eye on the realm gate out of the corner of his eye, replying casually: "At Cangwu Demon Town, we made it to deal with the Ghost King."

He didn't elaborate, but given the situation back then, everyone felt that forming the contract was indeed reasonable. Chu Jingxi's cultivation might have required expanding his Sea of Consciousness to increase combat power; otherwise, just the Ghost King's pressure alone would've been too much, leaving them no choice but to use the contract as a way out.

The Ghost Clan had been chasing Chu Jingxi relentlessly. If they knew that going after Yan Zizhan would work just as well, they'd probably be kicking themselves.

Then again, Yan Zizhan was there every time they got chased anyway, so it didn't matter.

A huge weight lifted off the Taiqing Sect Elder's chest. Compared to stuff like the Soul Contract, the real thing that mattered was that Yan Zizhan had finally transformed his Sword Bone, at least he wouldn't have to worry about his body exploding anymore.

If he kept cultivating along this path, he could hope to change his constitution even more. Once his sword body was perfected, he could completely solve the Devouring Bloodline problem.

Yan Zizhan was distracted, his eyes glued to the mirror.

The Taiqing Sect Elder said, "Don't worry, comprehending laws won't cause any issues."

Compared to the Blood Curse Art, this was nothing at all.

Fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. Chu Jingxi had forced his way through a chunk of the Illusion-Reality Law in the illusion realm, which would definitely sharpen his comprehension quite a bit. The Immortal Alliance Leader had told him to go comprehend laws right away, to strike while the iron was hot.

Yan Zizhan got that, so he made a point of thanking the Immortal Alliance Leader before stepping aside.

He was still mulling over other things.

The Blood Curse Art used the victim's blood as a medium, and it had to be built on a cognitive modification tied to some real-world cause and effect, which is why it was almost impossible to crack.

Chu Jingxi wouldn't just dream about someone else's life for no reason.

"Chu Clan Young Patriarch," Yan Zizhan muttered under his breath.

Before going back to the clan, Chu Jingxi barely had any contact with the Chu family, and from spending time with him, it was obvious he knew nothing about clan matters, often having to ask Yan Zizhan to double-check things.

Why would the Blood Curse Art cook up an illusion based on this identity?

"Forget this matter. Say nothing."

The voice came out of nowhere, and Yan Zizhan's expression turned sharp. It was that same voice, dripping with supreme authority.

The Heavenly Dao really wouldn't leave Chu Jingxi alone.

"He's already used to how things are now. Too many questions will just mess with his Dao heart."

The voice disappeared as fast as it came, like it had never been there at all. Not a single one of the Great Cultivators present noticed anything. Only the Immortal Alliance Leader vaguely felt something, turned his head, but found nothing wrong.

Everyone waited outside the Canglan Secret Realm for two whole days.

For cultivators, that much time was nothing but a snap of the fingers—except for Chu Jingxi, where every second felt like an eternity. He'd lost count of how many times he almost got lost in the endless sea of law comprehension.

Only when the secret realm was about to close did Chu Jingxi finally push himself over that last hurdle, finally getting a real grasp on the deep meaning of space and time.

Thunderclouds rolled in, and the Chu Clan Patriarch, who'd been watching closely, finally let his expression ease.

Tribulation lightning only showed up when law comprehension hit a certain level and went through a qualitative change. Everyone leaped back into the air, watching with satisfaction as Chu Jingxi got struck by heavenly thunder.

The little thunder had barely poked its head out, not even hitting the tribulation-crosser yet, when the Chu Clan Patriarch was already in full gratitude mode, saying to the Immortal Alliance Leader, "Thanks a lot this time, Fellow Daoist."

The Immortal Alliance Leader did not claim the credit. "The heavens help those who help themselves. Cultivators who can last that long inside a Blood Curse Art are pretty rare."

The Chu Clan Patriarch also clasped his hands to the others—opening the Canglan Secret Realm this time hadn't been easy.

A Great Cultivator sighed, "Great calamities always produce great talents."

Making breakthroughs in the Dao laws before even becoming an immortal—that kind of defiance of common sense was something you'd barely see once in a thousand years.

Amid the rumbling thunder, everyone got to talking about the current war situation, gradually moving on to swapping tips on how to train their disciples. High above, Chu Jingxi was almost struck into a whole new shape.

He'd already left the realm gate, and his expanded Spiritual Sense could easily pick up bits of conversation from below.

"..."

Don't pop the champagne early, alright?! Can't you read the room while you're chatting and laughing?!

He didn't even have time to gripe before the next bolt came slamming down. The tribulation lightning from law comprehension wasn't that strong, but that also meant his passive skills couldn't trigger—no cutting class.

Taking every single hit, Chu Jingxi was already dizzy by the time he survived the last thunderbolt.

As he slowly came down from the sky, before his feet even hit the ground, he was instantly launched back up.

Sending the Recording Stone to the realm barrier would definitely piss off the Ghost Clan. To guard against any other hidden tricks besides the Blood Curse Art, the Chu Clan Patriarch fired up the Warship, plowing through the tribulation clouds that hadn't dispersed yet as they officially headed back to the immortal domain.

The other Great Cultivators were about to leave too, but the Immortal Alliance Leader called them back: "Everyone, since you're all here, let's just have a meeting while we're at it."

The Dao Source was already polluted, that was a done deal—time to talk about how to divvy up strategic resources once war broke out.

The Taiqing Sect Elder waved a hand in refusal: "This old man will pass. With good news like this, I naturally need to celebrate properly."

He still had to personally tell his sect members the news that Yan Zizhan had successfully transformed his Sword Bone.

Everyone understood, but the Immortal Alliance Leader stopped him: "You're gonna celebrate without bringing the man himself back?"

Before the warship took off, Yan Zizhan had said goodbye to the Taiqing Sect Elder, who even told him to be careful on the road—basically saying "safe travels" outright.

At those words, everyone went silent. Not just the Taiqing Sect Elder—everyone had watched Yan Zizhan leave with the Chu family and hadn't thought anything of it.

It took a long moment before the Taiqing Sect Elder managed to squeeze out: "This Soul Contract... has some weight to it."

The warship was gaining more and more distance every second. While the group was still talking about the possible emotional effects of the Soul Contract, the warship had almost flown out of the Tianfeng Imperial Dynasty's territory.

Inside the cabin, Chu Jingxi finished catching his breath and spat out a mouthful of charred ash from getting hit by lightning.

After taking the harshest thunderbolts, he now looked at the hardest panel.

Nothing else had changed—only the law-related stuff had been updated.

"Dao Path: Space-Time Dao (once chosen, can't be changed)

Law Proficiency Level:"

1. Illusion-Reality Law: Level 1 (Don't waste your effort—it's not going any higher.)

2. Space-Time Law: Level 5.1

① Can shift where objects land in spatial dimensions within ten seconds.

② Has a 51% chance to dodge backlash damage from innate talents.

③ Combined with the Word Spirit talent, it can temporarily spike combat power, letting him fight a first-rank Earth Immortal for three seconds!

Cooldown: one year."

One year? That's long enough for weeds to grow over his grave.

But compared to before, when it never came back, this is a huge leap from nothing. The so-called qualitative change shows up elsewhere too, especially in dodging talent backlash—a big jump from the previous thirty percent.

The warship flew at a moderate altitude. Chu Jingxi, in a good mood, opened the window and saw a kaleidoscope of dreamy colors outside.

Every trip ends with a rainbow; what comes before it doesn't matter.

Chu Jingxi leaned back, let out a habitual exhale, and said, "Let the storm rage harder."

His voice reached Yan Zizhan's ears. Pondering where to start, he decided to skip the beating around the bush.

"Chu Jingxi."

He called the other's name, "Your background might be problematic."

Chu Jingxi was startled for just a second before quickly regaining his composure. An orphan who transmigrated from the modern world—what background did he even have to talk about here?

Giving him a moment to process, Yan Zizhan saw he seemed unfazed and finished: "It seems the Heavenly Dao secretly sent me a message, telling me not to tell you."

Hearing the second half, Chu Jingxi's eyes went wide instantly.

System: "..."

Yan Zizhan didn't think hiding things solved everything. Sure, it might spare Chu Jingxi some immediate trouble, but it was better than him finding out too late at a critical moment.

The warship kept moving without pause. Throughout the trip back, Yan Zizhan meticulously pointed out every inconsistency.

Any change is built on cause and effect. In the karmic thread dug up by the Blood Curse Art, Chu Jingxi was living the life of the Chu Clan's Young Patriarch.

Chu Jingxi hung his head, staring at one spot for a long time, his fingers occasionally tapping the table.

"Cause and effect weave into fate, so in one of my fate paths, I could have lived that life, right?"

Yan Zizhan nodded, which meant his parents couldn't be ordinary.

Chu Jingxi's thoughts were a mystery, but his whitening fingertips showed he wasn't as calm as he looked.

The System stayed silent, playing dead and keeping its mouth shut, which said a lot already.

As an ad planner, he never lacked imagination. The most cliché possibility immediately popped into Chu Jingxi's mind.

Family infighting, his bloodline forcibly transplanted into someone else, him cast out, and then, through a twist of fate, swept into a space-time rift and transmigrated to another world.

But he scrapped that idea as soon as it formed.

There probably wasn't a second Space-Time Dao body in the world, let alone one worth a switcheroo for the Chu Clan Young Patriarch's identity... because the turnover was too fast.

Taking a light breath, Chu Jingxi was shaken inside but didn't sink into confusion or anguish.

Seeing this, Yan Zizhan relaxed.

Throughout their time together, one thing had been proven time and again: Chu Jingxi never dwelled on tangled emotions for long; he just kept looking for a way out.

"Figured out how to handle it?"

Chu Jingxi nodded: "Looking into this won't be hard."

**

They arrived safely in the immortal domain. The warship's landing drew a lot of attention.

"It's the Patriarch." Some disciples on training saw him: "Chu Jingxi's here too—did he go out?"

Chu Jingxi caught the chatter, fully aware of what they were thinking, and turned back with a deadpan look: "No one died."

The ghost clan had attacked across the realm wall this time; even if he wanted to fight back, there was no way.

Just thinking about it pissed him off.

Seeing his slightly dirty hem and torn sleeve, with the Patriarch right there and this still happening, it was clear they'd run into trouble.

Everyone paid respects to the Patriarch and offered Chu Jingxi a few words of comfort. In the middle of it, someone asked: "Any gains from this trip?"

Chu Jingxi shook his head: "The ghost clan isn't dead, so that's no gain. Personal improvements mean nothing against the bigger picture."

The Chu Clan Patriarch paused mid-motion while retrieving the warship. Yan Zizhan didn't see anything wrong with the statement, especially the first part—Chu Jingxi had always been noble and selfless.

The family scions felt even more ashamed. Look, this was the level of a genius.

They took the initiative to invite Chu Jingxi to hang out and discuss the Dao.

"Next time. I've got some personal stuff to handle."

After the pleasantries, Chu Jingxi called Yan Zizhan and left. The Chu Clan Patriarch watched where he was headed and narrowed his eyes.

That direction only led to the Council Hall and the Myriad Message Platform.

Without slowing his pace, Chu Jingxi made no secret of where he was going, stopping outside the Council Hall.

He gently knocked on the red pillar sealed with a flood dragon at the entrance: "Senior."

As the legendary patriarch's war beast, the dragon-like figure swimming inside ignored him.

"..." In my dreams, you called me an immortal emperor.

Unfortunately, in reality, Chu Jingxi couldn't pull rank as the Young Patriarch. He smiled to himself: "Please, Senior, ask the Patriarch for me—what's wrong with my background?"

The flood dragon whipped its tail hard. What kind of talk was this, out of nowhere?

At the same time, sensing Chu Jingxi acting strangely, the Chu Clan Patriarch, who had followed, stopped. The voice from ahead hit his ears almost involuntarily.

"..."

Chu Jingxi stayed calm, not hiding his questions from anyone.

Investigating privately was too slow. He wasn't anything shameful, so there was no need to skulk around.

When he saw the Patriarch arrive, Chu Jingxi clasped his hands in greeting.

The Chu Clan Patriarch could tell he had more to say and stayed put.

No one could possibly be indifferent to their own origins, yet there was no urgency in Chu Jingxi's tone.

"The outside world says I carry great fortune, and by all rights, I should have been born with a silver spoon in my mouth." Memories of poverty came flooding back, and Chu Jingxi unconsciously furrowed his brow slightly. "But the reality is that shortly after birth, I was cast out to fend for myself. Doesn't that strike you as strange?"

Unsure why he'd suddenly bring up his background, the Chu Clan Patriarch nonetheless answered: "The clan divined this long ago, but your past can't be traced—something's covering it up. But bloodline aura can't be faked. You're of Chu blood, no doubt about it."

Only a handful of peak-level Great Cultivators could hide past karma, or maybe the Ghost King.

The latter was out of the question—the Ghost King wouldn't hide anything; he'd pay any price to go back before Chu Jingxi was born and kill him.

Chu Jingxi was silent for a moment, having too many questions to know where to start.

While he mulled it over, Yan Zizhan, who had been standing quietly at his side, spoke up. Butting in as an outsider on a clan patriarch's business was a bit out of line, so he first brought up his first meeting with Chu Jingxi.

Yan Zizhan said, "That day, I figured the Chu family would run further checks on his identity."

Any other faction, faced with someone seeking kin who had a mixed spiritual root but a bloodline totem, would inevitably watch them for a while. But Chu Jingxi had performed extraordinarily in a very short time, and the Chu family had never once dug deeper.

Being too accepting was suspicious in itself.

Yan Zizhan didn't believe the Chu family would harm Chu Jingxi, but on the way back, while Chu Jingxi was meditating, he'd still used a transmission talisman to tell his master they'd arrived safely with the Sword Bone, hinting that there might be some trouble with the Chu family.

No matter what happened, with his sect backing him, he could get Chu Jingxi out safely.

The Chu Clan Patriarch ignored Yan Zizhan's presumption. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Chu Jingxi's wary look, and his tone softened, signaling Chu Jingxi didn't need to feel burdened.

Asking right away was way better than stewing in silence.

"Not looking into this was also to protect you." The Chu Clan Patriarch paused. "The clan mostly thinks you actually know where you came from and have some secret you can't tell."

Yan Zizhan subtly moved to stand a little in front of Chu Jingxi.

Anyone could tell Chu Jingxi was clueless about cultivator life—how could he know his origins and hide them?

The Chu Clan Patriarch noticed the small move and said flatly, "Ask him this: since returning to the clan, has he ever once sought out his parents?"

Yan Zizhan was startled, and Chu Jingxi, behind him, froze too.

After a moment, Yan Zizhan turned his head, his tone unusually uncertain: "Not even once?"

Chu Jingxi gave an awkward smile. "...Seems so."

A transmigrator would never think to look for parents in another world—it was a blind spot.

He realized too late that in the eyes of the Chu family's higher-ups, he clearly hadn't even bothered to fake it.

They both went quiet at the same time.

A family that raised someone whose past couldn't be divined—versus an orphan who, after being brought back, never once wondered who his parents were. The latter was more suspicious than the former.

Thinking about it, his earlier question had been totally ridiculous.

As Chu Jingxi tried to smooth things over, the Chu Clan Patriarch raised a hand to stop him.

Then he looked toward the flood dragon in the pillar: "Please relay his exact words from earlier to the Ancestor."

The family's training of Chu Jingxi had partly been guided by the Ancestor's will; otherwise, it was impossible that none of the higher-ups had ever looked into the kid's origins.

Once he learned Chu Jingxi really didn't know his own background, the Chu Clan Patriarch also didn't want to waste time investigating.

Chu Jingxi tested the waters: "What if the Ancestor doesn't respond..."

The Chu Clan Patriarch said calmly, "No matter. I'll take you to the Ancestor's secluded cultivation site."

Go straight to the door and ask; if you get turned away, deal with it then.

"Worst case, you throw a fit there and cry a little."

"Would the Ancestor go soft?"

The Chu Clan Patriarch: "The Ancestor would get annoyed with you."

And being annoyed might just get him to talk.

"..."

With that, the Chu Clan Patriarch shot a subtle glance at Yan Zizhan. An outsider tagging along for family matters wasn't appropriate—a smart person would know to make an excuse and step aside.

Yan Zizhan didn't like the idea of Chu Jingxi going alone. The next second, he did speak, but with no intention of backing off: "Senior, I'm involved in this too."

Even the flood dragon couldn't help staring at him—what could you possibly have to do with this?

Meeting their looks, Yan Zizhan said, "I'm the one who told him something was off about his origins."

"..."

Author's note:

That day, the Chu Clan Patriarch suddenly realized that behind all of Chu Jingxi's seemingly ridiculous situations, Yan Zizhan had a hand in plenty of them.

Much later, Chu Jingxi suddenly realized that while Yan Zizhan seemed to follow his lead every time, in truth, a lot of the time, Yan Zizhan was the one who started it.