Three days later, Song Yuzhi emerged from the medicinal hut, his injuries mostly healed.
During these three days of recovery and recuperation, Song Shijun had kept vigil outside the hut without stepping away, dragging Lei Xiuming every two hours to peer through the window crack and check on his son’s complexion as he meditated. He nitpicked every bowl of restorative soup brought to him, insisting the ingredients weren’t precious enough.
Lei Xiuming, thoroughly exasperated, repeatedly complained to Qi Yunke to no avail. He was so frustrated he nearly resigned and retired to the countryside. Fortunately, the three-day period ended, and Song Yuzhi walked out of the meditation chamber on his own.
Overjoyed, Song Shijun immediately planned a grand banquet and even wanted to invite seven, eight, nine, or ten singing and dancing girls to vigorously boost the entertainment industry of Qingque Town. Thankfully, Qi Yunke managed to dissuade him, scaling the grand banquet down to a modest gathering.
"Calm down a little. Yuzhi has only regained his previous strength—he hasn’t fully recovered yet!" Qi Yunke urged earnestly.
Song Shijun: "What do you mean? If he’s recovered, how can you say he hasn’t fully recovered?"
Ning Xiaofeng couldn’t help but interject: "That ice jade was, after all, the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower. It shattered before you could fully exert your efforts. Brother Xiaochun said there’s still a trace of cold energy lingering in Yuzhi’s dantian—don’t you have any awareness of this at all?"
Song Shijun felt dizzy.
While treating his son’s injuries, he had noticed the cold energy in his dantian was scattered and elusive, like threads tangled in a pile of hemp. It was extremely difficult to expel all at once. With the combined efforts of himself, Qi Yunke, and Cai Pingchun, plus the aid of the ice jade, they had gradually dispersed the cold energy. Just as they were about to succeed, he had faintly detected a wisp of lingering cold energy drifting in his son’s dantian.
But then, the ice jade shattered.
Qi Yunke said, "Yuzhi has indeed recovered for now, but what about the future? With his talent, he would have surpassed both of us within ten years at his original pace. But now, with the cold energy not fully eradicated from his dantian, his future cultivation will inevitably require twice the effort for half the results."
"Then… what should we do?" Song Shijun was frantic, at a complete loss.
Song Yuzhi, however, remained remarkably calm. "Father, there’s no need to worry. As long as the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower still exists in this world, I will find it. Heaven never seals off all exits. Even without the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower, I believe there must be another way."
After being struck by cruel fate, Song Shijun lost all enthusiasm for merrymaking. In the end, the modest gathering was downgraded to a simple family dinner.
The sect members, unaware of the details, all raised their cups to congratulate Song Yuzhi on his recovery. Only Qi Lingbo and Dai Fengchi appeared awkward, their gazes evasive. Yin Qinglian didn’t even attend—it was said she had recently become obsessed with Taoist scriptures, burning incense and chanting sutras daily. The air above the Twin Lotus Pool Palace was now perpetually shrouded in incense smoke, almost turning it into a Taoist temple.
Feeling low-spirited and unable to dispel his sorrow, Song Shijun turned to Cai Zhao during tea in the quiet room after the dinner and abruptly asked, "Tell me about the defensive arrangements at the Demonic Cult’s strongholds. Who knows, we might just storm the Demonic Cult next."
Cai Zhao calmly held her teacup. "Sect Leader Song, have you forgotten? Third Senior Brother and I entered the Paradise Palace directly through a tunnel. We don’t know anything about the strongholds."
Song Shijun: "Then what about the layout inside the Paradise Palace?"
Song Yuzhi frowned. "Father, Junior Sister and I were together from the moment we entered the Nether Bamboo Path. If you want to know these things, you might as well ask me. Junior Sister has already risked entering the Demonic Cult to help me recover—how can you press her like this?" Even without Qi Yunke’s instructions, he had no intention of letting others know that Cai Zhao and Mu Qingyan had been trapped together in the underground palace.Song Shijun rolled his eyes. "Don't you two youngsters celebrate too soon. Someone will surely question you about this matter in the future."
"Question what? Who knows where they went?" Qi Yunke rarely spoke sharply. "Whether you say it or I say it, if all six of us say it, who would know that Zhao Zhao and Yu Zhi ever entered the Paradise Palace?"
Song Shijun was momentarily stunned. "B-but we caught them at the foot of the Hanhai Mountain Range, at the entrance of a small town! And just now at the banquet, everyone congratulated Yu Zhi for obtaining a restored treasure from the Demonic Cult!"
"Youthful ignorance led them to attempt infiltrating the Demonic Cult to achieve glory, but they met with failure and only managed to seize a piece of icy jade," Cai Pingchun said calmly. "Or perhaps Sect Leader Song would prefer the world to know that the treasure restoring Yu Zhi was a gift from the Demonic Cult?"
"Gift? What gift!" Song Shijun immediately shook his head. "This piece of icy jade was exchanged for Yu Zhi's Snow Lotus Pill!"
He stroked his beard. "Hmph, but you two are right. The fewer people know about such matters, the better."
Qi Yunke and Cai Pingchun exchanged knowing smiles.
Ning Xiaofeng seized the moment to change the subject. "Enough of this messy talk. Let's discuss that stone wall—the one Zhao Zhao saw in a secluded corner of the Paradise Palace. Was Old Ancestor Bei Chen truly the master... or rather, the father of the first Demonic Cult leader?"
Song Yuzhi lowered his head slightly.
According to his discussion with his master Qi Yunke, since they were omitting the part about the hidden underground palace, they should also omit this stone wall. However, Cai Zhao insisted otherwise.
After Ning Xiaofeng's question, her curious gaze darted between the three sect leaders.
Qi Yunke smiled wryly. "I was the latest to join the inner sect and only received my master's teachings for a few years. I never heard of such secrets."
Cai Pingchun said leisurely, "I was still young when my parents passed away. Even if they were alive, I doubt they would have known much about such matters." After all, as a son-in-law, certain inheritances were inevitably lost.
"So none of you knew?" Song Shijun seemed surprised. "But I did."
The gazes of all five in the room turned to him.
Song Shijun chuckled. "I always say the right things. In the past, you all mocked our Song family for favoring relatives and valuing bloodline above all. But now, your two sects—one relies on sons-in-law, the other on disciples—many of the ancient tales have been lost, haven't they...?"
"Are you going to tell us or not?" Ning Xiaofeng grew impatient. "If you won't, we'll go ask Brother Zhou. The Jade Pendant Mountain Manor has an unbroken lineage. They might know even more than you."
"You're really..." Song Shijun sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you."
According to the obscure accounts passed down through the Song family, Old Ancestor Bei Chen initially had only a mute old servant by his side. After a great famine that swept the land, he found six orphans, two of whom bore surnames on their persons.
"That would be our Song family and the Zhou family!" Song Shijun said proudly. "The Zhou ancestor had the character 'Zhou' embroidered on his undergarments. The Song ancestor wore a small jade lock around his neck, engraved with the character 'Song.' The jade was of excellent quality, proving our Song family was once a wealthy household before the disaster!"
"You've got it backward," Ning Xiaofeng said skeptically. "I remember Ping Shu jiejie saying the highest level of the Zhou family ancestral hall enshrines a small sandalwood box containing a jade lock."
Cai Zhao burst into laughter.
Song Yuzhi looked up at the ceiling with an expression that said, "Here we go again with my father."
Song Shijun was embarrassed. "Really? Could Cai Pingshu have mistaken it?"“Auntie often made mistakes,” Cai Zhao suppressed a laugh. “She said that whenever she made a mistake as a child, she would be punished by cleaning the Zhou family ancestral hall. There were over a hundred tablets, and she had to wipe each one three or four times a year!”—especially since Cai Pingshu’s status at the time was the future daughter-in-law of the Zhou family. Cleaning the ancestral hall was practically a punishment tailor-made for her.
Qi Yunke turned aside, shoulders shaking with laughter.
Cai Pingchun hid his face behind a teacup, barely managing to keep from spilling the tea in his mirth.
“Father,” Song Yuzhi said helplessly to his own dad, “let’s just continue with the story.”
Those who could play the role of a playboy usually had thick skin. Song Shijun coughed twice, composed his expression, and resumed his tale—
The other four orphans were so young they couldn’t even remember their own names, so Old Ancestor Bei Chen casually assigned them surnames. Yes, those were Zhu (pig), Ma (horse), Niu (cow), and Yang (sheep).
At that time, Old Ancestor Bei Chen was alone, accustomed to a carefree life, and had no intention of taking disciples. Nine Conch Mountain had only a few simple thatched huts. After handing the six orphans over to a mute old servant to raise, he set off to wander the world again.
But the following year, he changed his mind.
He brought back a seventh orphan—a sickly, frail boy on the verge of death.
Old Ancestor Bei Chen showed extraordinary affection for this orphan covered in sores, abandoning his previous carefree and indifferent demeanor. He formally held a disciple-acceptance ceremony and even unearthed his long-hidden treasure trove, sparing no expense to have the mute servant lead hundreds of craftsmen in constructing the magnificent Dusk Micro Palace. From then on, he deliberately befriended heroes across the land and devoted himself to building the sect’s reputation.
"According to my grandfather, the original Dusk Micro Palace used the character 'Mu' (admiration) as its first character," Song Shijun lowered his voice, "which is also the 'Mu' of the Demonic Cult's Mu family.”
“Old Ancestor Bei Chen must have found his long-lost flesh and blood,” Ning Xiaofeng understood. “The grand construction and meticulous efforts were all to leave more for his kin.”
“What happened next is just like the legends say,” Song Shijun continued. “The Demons broke through the heavens and wreaked havoc on the mortal realm. The Old Ancestor led the heroes of the world in fierce resistance. In the end, we won the battle, but the Old Ancestor’s beloved disciple fell into the demonic path.” Song Shijun shook his head with an air of immortal detachment.
“The Demons devoured people, and his followers did the same; the Demons spread plagues and bred poisons, and his followers did likewise, only on a smaller scale… How was his behavior any different from the demons the Old Ancestor fought so hard to exterminate? Our six sects have had their share of internal strife, but such heretical acts are absolutely unforgivable.”
“My grandfather heard from his grandfather that the Old Ancestor and his beloved disciple argued fiercely back then. The Mu family ancestor believed that as long as one’s heart was righteous, even a demonic sword could be used for good. By containing those demons and raising them properly, they could be driven to fight future crises. But the Old Ancestor insisted that demonic ways were demonic ways—no justification could change that.”
“The Old Ancestor was already severely injured, and his beloved disciple’s defiance nearly killed him with rage. Of course, he didn’t live much longer. On his deathbed, before the heroes of the world, the Old Ancestor expelled his disciple from the sect.” Song Shijun suddenly grew solemn. “Let me make this clear—the ancestors of our six sects did not usurp anything. After the Old Ancestor passed, they were the only remaining descendants of Dusk Micro Palace.”
Ning Xiaofeng picked at her nails. “Sect Leader Song, you explain so quickly, as if afraid someone might suspect you.”
“Even good words sound bad when you say them,” Song Shijun grumbled."I actually believe this to be true," Song Yuzhi suddenly remarked. "Although the ancestors of the six sects spent many years by Old Ancestor Bei Chen's side, they were ultimately servants with limited access to his teachings. In contrast, the Mu family ancestor was personally and meticulously trained by the Old Ancestor, becoming a peerless talent of his generation. Even if it were one against six, the ancestors of the six sects likely couldn't match him, which is why..."
"Which is why they hid on Nine Conch Mountain and didn’t dare leave?" Cai Zhao interjected.
"Exactly," Song Yuzhi gave the girl an approving glance. "After the Old Ancestor passed, the Mu family ancestor not only possessed countless secret manuals and treasures left behind by him but also had craftsmen like the mute servant who knew the terrain of Nine Conch Mountain intimately. Even with the natural barrier of Myriad Waters, Thousand Mountains Cliff, it wouldn’t have been impossible to conquer Dusk Micro Palace."
"Yet, in all my searches through the archives of the library, I’ve never found any record of the first Demonic Cult leader attacking Nine Conch Mountain. I believe it wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he didn’t want to. And why wouldn’t he? There’s only one reason—the Mu family ancestor must have felt guilty in his heart."
—After all, his mentor and possible father figure had been driven to his death by him.
Qi Yunke slammed his palm on the table in admiration. "Yuzhi speaks well! That’s precisely the reasoning!"
"Right, right! If our six sects’ ancestors had truly usurped their place, that fellow would have been obsessed with reclaiming Dusk Micro Palace. He wouldn’t have accepted it so meekly," Song Shijun nodded repeatedly.
"That makes sense," Ning Xiaofeng conceded, rarely agreeing with the Song family.
Cai Pingchun added, "Yuzhi’s deduction is quite logical. The earliest records of conflict in Fallen Blossom Valley stem from the second leader of the Demonic Cult. Presumably, upon learning of past events, he resented his father’s expulsion from Dusk Micro Palace. During his tenure, he repeatedly led attacks on Myriad Waters, Thousand Mountains Cliff."
From there, the logic flows smoothly.
Being of servant origin, the six ancestors had no real confidence in their own abilities, constantly fearing they’d be bullied if they ventured out. Thus, they remained on Nine Conch Mountain, honing their skills in seclusion.
Over decades, they developed the unique martial arts of their respective sects based on fragmented teachings from the Old Ancestor and remnants of cultivation methods left in the palace. It wasn’t until their descendants grew up and sneaked down the mountain that they realized their martial arts could easily overpower the heroes below.
Only then did the six families dare consider branching out.
"But even if we know the Demonic Cult originated from Old Ancestor Bei Chen, what does it change?" Cai Zhao suddenly asked. "Would the two sides suddenly lay down their weapons and reconcile?"
The other four, excluding Song Shijun, were startled.
Cai Pingshu and her husband exchanged worried glances, Qi Yunke frowned, and Song Yuzhi quickly glanced at the girl.
Only Song Shijun nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Well said, niece! It’s been two hundred years. Countless generations have passed in both the six sects and the Demonic Cult. As for the other factions in the Martial World, who knows how many have risen and fallen?"
"Exactly," Cai Zhao murmured. "What matters isn’t whether we were once one family two hundred years ago, but that over these two centuries, we’ve fought relentlessly, accumulating blood feuds that can’t be undone."
"You’ve spoken straight to my heart!" Song Shijun exclaimed, feeling deeply understood. "Take our Vast Heaven Gate, for instance. My great-grandfather’s three brothers died at the hands of the Demonic Cult. My grandfather was orphaned young, and even in old age, he’d weep remembering it! And Yuzhi’s grandfather—my own father—was fatally wounded by the Demonic Cult!"He slapped Qi Yunke on the back: "And my old father-in-law, Old Sect Leader Yin—ah, also Yunke’s brother-in-law—hacked to death by random blades, head separated from body! Tsk tsk, truly tragic."
Qi Yunke was caught off guard and nearly knocked off his seat.
"And Sister Pingshu, and Zhuge Lie and the others, all dead..." Ning Xiaofeng murmured, her eyes clouded with sorrow as she remembered old friends.
Cai Pingchun gently patted his wife's shoulder.
"Chang Haosheng foolishly protected Mu Zhengming's son just because Mu once saved him, but can we of the Big Dipper Six Sects do the same?" Song Shijun declared loudly. "Yuzhi, you remember this too—don’t think that accepting a piece of jade from someone means you owe them leniency. One matter is one matter. In any case, we and the Demonic Cult cannot coexist under the same sky!"
"Your son understands," Song Yuzhi replied, but his gaze remained fixed on Cai Zhao.
Qi Yunke and the Cai couple also exchanged uneasy glances.
Cai Zhao noticed the cautious concern in their eyes and suddenly let out a light laugh.
"What’s so funny, niece?" the oblivious Song Shijun asked.
"I just remembered something amusing," Cai Zhao said with a smile. "Because Nie Hengcheng held power in the Demonic Cult for decades, sidelining three generations of the Mu family, most of the blood feuds between us and the Demonic Cult in recent decades were actually the doing of the Nie Clan. What’s more—"
Song Shijun was confused. "So what? Nie Hengcheng didn’t fall from the sky—he was a foster son of the Mu family."
Cai Zhao replied, "Though Nie Hengcheng was a foster son of the Mu family, his foster brothers and their sons were all killed by him and his nephew."
"Well then, the Mu family really raised a wolf in sheep’s clothing," Song Shijun said with some schadenfreude, then frowned. "What’s the point of saying all this, niece?"
"No particular point." Cai Zhao shrugged. "Just making conversation. My throat’s dry from talking—I’ll go fetch some pastries for everyone to try."
"Eh?" Song Shijun didn’t understand and stared blankly as the girl walked out.
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