Chapter 1053
The Wheel of Cause and Effect, The Seed Sprouts
A mountain peak on the north side of Chiyun Mountain.
Two figures strolled through the golden mountains and forests in the autumn wind. After passing through the woods, their vision suddenly opened up, and a stunning landscape shrouded in a sea of clouds soon appeared before them.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Yurong's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:
"I've been to many places over the years, but I never imagined that Chiyun Mountain would have such beautiful scenery. If I had known about this place earlier, I really should have come to see it sooner."
"When you left, Chiyun Mountain wasn't as good as it is now. The area around the mountain was built up little by little over the years."
I stumbled upon this place a few years ago; you're probably the second person to come here.
After more than a month of seclusion and recuperation, Song Yuanhao's injuries had not fully healed, but his complexion had improved considerably, and there were no longer any noticeable abnormalities.
"Oh! Senior Brother Song, you haven't brought anyone else here before? I'm truly honored!" Zhang Yurong was slightly surprised to hear Song Yuanhao's introduction, and a smile immediately appeared on her face.
On Song Yuanhao's side, after hearing the other party's somewhat pointed reply, he smiled slightly and then turned to introduce the surrounding scenery to Zhang Yurong.
The two stood there on the mountain peak, enjoying the afterglow of the setting sun as dusk approached.
Only after the dazzling red light in the sky faded, and as the two were about to turn and leave, Song Yuanhao suddenly looked at Zhang Yurong beside him and asked directly:
"Junior Sister Zhang, I heard some time ago that someone came looking for you in the market town down the mountain. Does Senior Brother Zhang want you to go back first?"
My injuries are mostly healed now, so Junior Sister, please go ahead and take care of what you need to do. There's no need for you to stay here with me any longer!
"Senior Brother Song, your injuries are largely due to me. It is only right that I stay here to take care of you. Please don't have too many concerns."
As for my grandfather, I've already sent him a message explaining the situation. Don't worry, nothing will happen!
"Yes! I know all that, but my injuries are really fine now, so there's no need for you to stay here and take care of me, Junior Sister!"
Besides, you just came back from outside and have been staying in Chiyun Mountain. If Senior Brother Zhang comes here looking for someone, the Ancestor might blame me for being ignorant.
My junior sister has now successfully formed her core, so she can come to Crimson Cloud Mountain anytime she wants.
"Senior Brother Song, we've already waited for almost two hundred years, I don't want to wait any longer!"
If you still don't want me to stay today, then I will never come to Crimson Cloud Mountain again!
Despite Song Yuanhao's persuasion, Zhang Yurong calmly expressed her thoughts and then looked at him seriously.
Back when she first went to the "Thunder Origin Sea" cultivation world, Zhang Yurong had already developed feelings for Song Yuanhao, a fact that Song Yuanhao was somewhat aware of.
Especially since Song Yuanhao happened to bump into her in the "Tower of Babel" last time, and the two went through another dangerous experience, their relationship became even closer.
Now that she heard that Song Yuanhao wanted to send her away, Zhang Yurong no longer hid her feelings and spoke her mind directly.
Upon hearing Zhang Yurong's direct confession, Song Yuanhao remained silent for a moment before smiling slightly and stepping forward to put his arm around her shoulder.
"If you've really made up your mind, then we won't wait any longer!"
As the sun sets and the moon rises, the lights of thousands of homes below the mountain gradually come on, and the moonlight shines on the two people on the mountain peak, illuminating the smiles on their faces.
".."
Inside the "Shangong Pavilion" on Guyang Mountain.
Song Qingming sat upright in the second-floor hall, with Wu Feng, a young Golden Core elder of the sect in charge of the "Good Deeds Pavilion," standing beside him, asking him something.
A moment later, a Foundation Establishment disciple quickly walked up from downstairs, interrupting the two, and then placed a cyan "storage bag" in front of Song Qingming and Wu Feng.
"Reporting to Ancestor and Martial Uncle! All these spiritual herbs have been packed according to your requirements."
"Hmm! Have you calculated the total number of merit points?" After taking the "storage bag" handed to him, Song Qingming looked up and asked again.
Upon hearing Song Qingming's question, the Foundation Establishment disciple did not rush to answer, but instead glanced at Wu Feng, who was not far away.
Upon hearing this, Wu Feng quickly stepped forward, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Uncle-Master Song, these spiritual herbs are all low-level spiritual items and are not worth much merit."
"It's rare that my martial uncle has time to visit the Good Deeds Pavilion today, and he has resolved many of my doubts about cultivation. Just put these spiritual herbs on my person; it's my way of thanking him for his guidance."
"Since I address you as my senior uncle, it is only right that I give you some pointers. How could I let you spend money on this? That would be breaking the sect's rules."
Besides, you've only recently formed your core, and that's exactly the time when you need spirit stones and merit points to cultivate.
"I appreciate your kind gesture, but I can't accept your merit points. Use my sect token to pay for it!"
Faced with Wu Feng's well-intentioned suggestion, Song Qingming simply waved his hand and then tossed the token in his hand to the Foundation Establishment cultivator in front of him.
Seeing this, Wu Feng didn't say anything more. He nodded repeatedly and then gave a wink to the Foundation Establishment disciple in front of him. Soon, the disciple turned and left the hall.
After leaving the sect's "Good Deeds Pavilion," before Song Qingming could even get up and leave, two streaks of light flew over from afar; it was Huang Siyuan who had come looking for him.
"Husband, how is everything going on your end?"
"Hmm! We have most of the medicinal herbs you mentioned, so we've made some progress."
Qingyu has already sent word that she'll meet you at the mountain gate. If you don't have anything else to do, let's head back.
After attending Chen Xuanxin's funeral at Guyang Mountain, Song Qingming and the others did not rush to leave the sect and stayed at Guyang Mountain for another ten days.
During this period, Song Qingming not only visited some of his friends in the sect, such as Bai Yuxian, Li Mufeng, and Chu Fengping, but also took the time to give a lecture to the Foundation Establishment disciples on the mountain at the invitation of the sect leader, Xu Ziyan.
Seeing that he had almost finished his work, he decided to set off with Huang Siyuan and the others to return to "Chiyun Mountain".
Seeing that Huang Siyuan nodded slightly in agreement, Song Qingming immediately released a flying boat and took her away from the original spot.
When Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan arrived at the mountain gate, they were surprised to find that in addition to Song Qingyu and Wei Yunlong, there was also an eight or nine-year-old boy waiting for them.
"Hey! Qingyu, whose child is this?"
Seeing that there was a little boy with Song Qingyu, Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan were both a little surprised and asked another question.
Upon hearing this, Song Qingyu quickly explained, "Seventh Brother, Sister-in-law, Linxi specifically asked me to bring this child, saying that he would be sent to Chiyun Mountain to cultivate with us."
"Was it delivered from Linxi? Could he be from the Song family down the mountain?"
In recent years, thanks to the presence of Song Linxi, a senior Golden Elixir cultivator, the Song family's branch in the "Guyang Mountain" lineage has developed rapidly.
Now, not only has the number of mortals at the foot of the mountain increased several times, but there are also more than a hundred disciples with spiritual roots who have joined the sect, including several Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Since Song Qingming formed his core, he has made time to visit them and offer them assistance almost every time he comes to the sect.
This time, because Xu Ziyan had pulled him away to give a lecture to the Foundation Establishment disciples on the mountain, Song Qingming was unable to leave for the time being, so he arranged for Song Qingyu to go and check on Song Linxi and the others who lived in "Guyang Mountain".
Upon hearing Song Qingyu say that the child was brought by Song Linxi, Song Qingming immediately thought of Songjia Village at the foot of "Guyang Mountain".
Upon hearing his guess, Song Qingyu immediately nodded and stepped forward to continue explaining, "Seventh Brother is right. This child was brought from the Song family at the foot of the mountain by Linxi a few days ago."
His ancestors were descendants of Xinyu. Linxi saw that he had good spiritual talent and wanted us to take him back to the family for training.
"A descendant of Xinyu!" Upon hearing this, Song Qingming immediately flashed and appeared in front of the little boy in white.
Upon seeing Song Qingming suddenly appear out of thin air in front of him, the still very young boy in white instinctively backed away in fright.
But just as he moved his feet, he suddenly felt an invisible force binding him, and could only watch helplessly as a large hand covered his head.
Immediately, a very gentle spiritual energy entered the white-robed boy's body directly from the top of his head, instantly easing his previously tense mood.
A moment later, as Song Qingming withdrew his hand, Song Qingyu stepped forward and smiled, saying to him:
"Linxi said that this child has the aptitude of both metal and water spiritual roots. She was afraid that keeping him in the sect would delay his development, so she wanted to send him back to her family for training."
This child was just brought from the foot of the mountain by Linxi a few days ago. He hasn't officially joined a sect yet, but I've already spoken to Senior Sister Xu about it."
"Okay! Now that you've taken care of everything, let's take him back."
"Now that the family has reached the generation with the character 'Shao' in their name, you will be called Shaoyu from now on!"
Upon hearing what Song Qingyu said, Song Qingming nodded slightly, and then quickly gave the little boy in white a new name to commemorate his ancestor, Song Xinyu.
When Song Xinyu first joined the "Xiaoyao Sect", it was Song Qingming who personally escorted him to "Guyang Mountain".
Although he was in a sect throughout his life, he never forgot his original intention. Whenever his family needed help, he would lend a helping hand on many occasions, and he did not become estranged from his family in Qinghe County.
Unfortunately, Song Xinyu's talent for cultivation was only average. Although he successfully established his foundation, he ultimately failed at the Core Formation stage and did not live to see this day.
However, although Song Xinyu has been dead for many years, he has left behind many descendants, and now Song Shaoyu, a promising young man with dual spiritual roots, has emerged.
Looking at Song Shaoyu standing on the flying boat, Song Qingming felt very gratified.
He had sent Song Xinyu to the sect back then, but now he was personally bringing his descendant back to the family. It was truly a matter of cause and effect.
"Qingyu, this child's spiritual root is similar to yours. Since you don't have any disciples yet, I think it's best to entrust him to you for training. It'll save Yuanfang and the others the trouble of worrying about this." "I!"
Song Qingyu, who had just arrived on the airship, was surprised when she heard Song Qingming's suggestion, and then quickly shook her head.
"Seventh Brother, as you know, I'm the kind of person who likes to run around all the time. I'm not really suited to mentoring disciples. Don't misunderstand this child's path in life."
If you really want to keep him at Chiyun Mountain, why not just hand him over to your sister-in-law?
Don't worry, if I have time, I can definitely give you some pointers.
Upon hearing Song Qingyu's reply, Song Qingming's smile vanished instantly, and he said somewhat displeasedly, "You silly girl, all I asked you to do was help me mentor an apprentice, and it sounds like I'm making things difficult for you."
Now that you've joined the sect, even if she's unwilling to actively accept disciples, Senior Sister Xu will eventually come knocking on your door.
Rather than letting others benefit later, it's better to take care of your own family first.
"This child is, after all, a descendant of Xinyu. Even for that reason, you, as an elder, should at least offer some assistance."
"Uh! Seventh Brother, don't be angry. It's not that I'm afraid of trouble, I'm just a little worried that I might ruin his path."
Since you think I'm suitable to teach him, then I'll take the child in.
When Song Qingyu first heard that Song Qingming wanted her to take Song Shaoyu in as a student, she was somewhat reluctant, fearing that she would not be able to teach the child well.
Seeing Song Qingming suddenly rebuke her, she was surprised, but she quickly nodded to Song Qingming and agreed to accept Song Shaoyu.
Seeing this, Huang Siyuan also chimed in, saying, "Qingyu has been cultivating for so many years, it's time to have a successor. That way, if anything happens in the future, there will be someone to help out."
However, this child is too young now and may be difficult to teach. It would be better to send him to the Funiu Mountain Family School for a few years of training.
"It's not too late to formally formalize his apprenticeship when he's able to cultivate independently in the future!"
Hearing Huang Siyuan's words, Song Qingming, whose face relaxed, nodded slightly in agreement. He then steered the flying boat beneath his feet away from "Guyang Mountain".
Because they made a detour to "Funiu Mountain" first, Song Qingming, Huang Siyuan and the others stayed on the mountain for another day before setting off to return to "Chiyun Mountain".
After exiting the "teleportation array," Song Qingyu and Huang Siyuan, who rarely come together, arrived at the market town at the foot of the mountain. They were attracted by the many spiritual creatures on the street and wanted to stroll around the town for a while.
As for Song Qingming, he was preoccupied with cultivating his techniques, so he didn't linger with the two women and returned to his mountain cave first.
Just as Song Qingming returned to his cave and was about to prepare for secluded cultivation, a sudden disturbance from the restrictions outside the cave interrupted his plans.
After opening the doorway barrier, Song Qingming discovered that the person standing outside was actually his third disciple, Tang Muyan, who looked flustered.
Seeing this, Song Qingming assumed something had happened down the mountain and quickly asked, "Mu Yan, what happened?"
"Master, the seed has reacted!"
"The seed? You mean the seed I asked you to take care of before?"
Upon hearing what Tang Muyan said, Song Qingming immediately remembered something he had instructed Tang Muyan to do when he left the mountain, and quickly asked to confirm it again.
Upon hearing this, Tang Muyan quickly nodded and replied, "Master is right, it is the seed you asked me to take care of."
A few days ago, as you instructed, I went to water it with the spiritual liquid, only to find that a tender sprout had suddenly appeared on the seed.
"I was originally planning to go down the mountain to deliver a message, but I ran into my second senior brother on the way and learned that you have already returned!"
"Okay! We can talk about that later. Take me to see it first!"
The seed that Tang Muyan mentioned was the same one that Song Qingming brought out from Qinghe Cave back then.
However, after obtaining this object, Song Qingming never knew what it was, and for over a hundred years he used countless methods to study the seed.
Even after trying every method and spending a lot of effort inquiring, Song Qingming still couldn't find any information related to this item.
Unexpectedly, the seed that had baffled him for a century began to respond after being cared for by his disciple Tang Muyan for a period of time.
Upon hearing this news, Song Qingming disregarded his cultivation practice and immediately followed Tang Muyan to the herb garden.
This medicinal herb garden, located below the summit of "Red Cloud Mountain," was established with the help of Yun Nishang, who was skilled in spiritual plants, whom Huang Siyuan invited from the sect after she moved here.
In addition, Song Qingming spent a lot of effort to help set up a high-level "spirit gathering array", so the quality of spiritual energy in this herb garden is now comparable to that of the "Guyang Mountain" sect's herb garden.
In the "Red Cloud Mountain" herb garden, not only are many common spiritual herbs that Huang Siyuan needs to use for alchemy cultivated, but also some spiritual herb seeds that Song Qingming and his group brought back from outside are all planted and cultivated here.
In order to manage this "spiritual herb garden" well, Huang Siyuan specially transferred two second-level spiritual plant masters from her family to "Chiyun Mountain" to help her cultivate these spiritual herbs.
After the two arrived at the "Spirit Herb Garden", Tang Muyan cast a spell and released a magic seal, and the thick fog in front of them immediately dissipated, revealing a passage that people could pass through.
As soon as Song Qingming entered the "Spirit Herb Garden", two Song family cultivators stepped forward and bowed to him.
"Greetings to the ancestor!"
"You all go wait outside first, I'll go in and get some medicinal herbs!"
After waving to the two people in front of him, Song Qingming, led by Tang Muyan, arrived at a spirit-gathering array located at the innermost part of the "Spirit Herb Garden".
At this moment, Song Qingming saw a tiny green sprout emerging from the gray soil in front of him.
Seeing this, Song Qingming quickly smiled and turned to ask Tang Muyan, who was standing to the side.
"Do you remember which of the elixirs I gave you you used?"
“Master, these past few days I have been sprinkling some spiritual liquid every few days as you instructed. I have used a total of four kinds of spiritual liquid that you gave me so far.”
At first, I didn't notice anything amiss; it wasn't until two days ago that I saw it suddenly sprout.
After saying that, Tang Muyan immediately took out four ready-made porcelain bottles from his person and handed them to Song Qingming.
These porcelain bottles containing spiritual liquid were actually handed over to the other party by Song Qingming himself when he left earlier, and he was also very clear about the types of spiritual liquid inside.
When his gaze fell on one of the porcelain vases, a hint of surprise flashed in Song Qingming's eyes, and a slightly solemn expression appeared on his face.
"Could it really have been cultivated using this?"
The spiritual liquid contained in these porcelain bottles included some low-grade spiritual liquids that Song Qingming had collected from the market, as well as a bottle of high-grade spiritual liquid, the Ice Green Spiritual Liquid that he brought from the "Tongtian Pavilion".
Since receiving a reminder from his senior sister Li Xuanyi years ago, Song Qingming has tried hundreds of spiritual liquids in the cultivation world to cultivate this substance.
Song Qingming had tried everything from low-grade spiritual herbs (levels one and two) to high-grade spiritual liquids (levels three and four).
However, high-grade spiritual liquids of level four are extremely rare in the cultivation world. Song Qingming has only tried a few so far. This is the first time he has used a high-grade level four spiritual liquid like "Ice Green Spiritual Liquid," which is extremely precious.
Unexpectedly, after he used a little "Ice Green Spirit Liquid," the "Mysterious Green Bean" actually reacted and started to sprout, which really surprised Song Qingming.
After confirming that it was most likely due to the "Ice Green Spirit Liquid," Song Qingming dismissed Tang Muyan and then used his divine sense to cover the green sprout.
To his disappointment, although a trace of spiritual energy faintly appeared on the green sprout, the concentration of this spiritual energy was far less than that of other immature high-grade spiritual herbs.
Faced with this result, Song Qingming felt somewhat troubled.
Although he had brought this seed out of the "Qinghe Cave" with great difficulty, he still couldn't determine its purpose based on just this sprout.
Before he could ascertain the true value of this substance, Song Qingming was genuinely unsure whether he should continue to invest in nurturing it with spiritual liquid.
After all, what they need to use is the extremely precious "Ice Azure Spirit Liquid," which can help mid-Nascent Soul cultivators improve their cultivation level and is not something that can be found just anywhere.
Moreover, based on Song Qingming's experience in cultivating spiritual plants, it takes at least a thousand years for a high-grade spiritual herb of level four or above to mature in the cultivation world.
Even if he uses the remaining bottle of "Ice Green Spirit Liquid" to nurture it, he still doesn't know when he'll see it mature.
Whether this investment is worthwhile is also a problem that Song Qingming is currently struggling with.
After standing in the "Spirit Herb Garden" for a while, Song Qingming still couldn't make a decision immediately. He turned around and left, intending to see how things went after a while.
Before leaving, Song Qingming took out several bottles of spiritual liquid he had used before and handed them to Tang Muyan, asking him to try them out and see if they had any effect on cultivating the "Azure Seed".
After all, everything that just happened was just my guess. If I was wrong, the loss would be quite significant.
After returning to his cave, Song Qingming temporarily put aside his thoughts and went back into his secluded stone chamber.
Now that he has no shortage of spirit stones, Song Qingming's top priority is to seize the time to cultivate, improve his cultivation technique, and increase his overall cultivation level as soon as possible.
These were all crucial to his future path.
Just as Song Qingming resumed his cultivation, on a high mountain countless miles to the west, a long-sealed cave suddenly and slowly opened its doors. (End of Chapter)