Free Web NovelChapter 100: Chapter 100: My Mind Is Unburdened
’Mo Zhaoli is coming?’
Lin Changheng paused, deciding to delay his departure from the family to assume his new post.
Thinking back, he and Mo Zhaoli had maintained a correspondence, exchanging one or two letters a year.
They mostly shared news and updates on their lives, occasionally reminiscing about the past.
After all, they hadn’t seen each other in a full twenty years.
When they had parted, Mo Zhaoli was only fourteen or fifteen, still just a young girl.
Twenty years was nearly three times as long as the time they had spent together.
Lin Changheng found it incredible that they could still maintain such a close relationship.
In the mortal world, such a long time would have diluted anything, even the bonds of blood.
It was hard to say if their connection would have lasted. It was likely only reinforced by their shared bond with Ink Master and the fact that Lin Changheng had revealed he was a Middle Grade Alchemist capable of refining Masterpiece Pills.
’After all, the human heart is the most unpredictable thing. There’s no need to make baseless assumptions.’
Lin Changheng firmly believed in the principle of "judging actions, not intentions." The wisdom of the sages from his past life was still proving its worth!
...
As for Ink Master,
Lin Changheng remained as close to Ink Master as ever. He would often stop to chat when they ran into each other in the Alchemy Room and would frequently visit Ink Master’s home for a meal.
Especially in recent years, Ink Master had grown old, and his old injuries were becoming difficult to suppress. They were beginning to flare up, so he had relinquished his alchemy duties and rarely appeared in the Alchemy Room anymore.
But Lin Changheng still made sure to visit often, bringing Spirit Fruits, Spirit Wine, and other items to replenish vitality and strengthen the blood. He just didn’t stay for meals anymore.
It wasn’t just because of Mo Zhaoli that the relationship needed to be maintained and deepened.
After all, Lin Changheng had been Ink Master’s apprentice for twelve years. He owed the man a debt of gratitude for his teachings, and being one to never forget his roots, he would not neglect him.
Mo Zhaoli was now returning to visit her grandfather.
For the old man, not seeing her for twenty years must have been a torment of longing.
From the Xu Family’s perspective, however, this "private matter" carried immense strategic weight. Mo Zhaoli was an Inner Sect Disciple of the Purple Extreme Sect, the True Inheritance disciple of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and was at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.
They had to maintain a good relationship with her, and especially while Ink Master was still alive, they needed to deepen and solidify that bond as much as possible.
It would be a huge boon for the Xu Family’s future.
Some of the Xu Family’s upper echelons even speculated that Mo Zhaoli’s visit was to resolve the inner demon born from her absence and lack of filial piety, all in preparation for Foundation Establishment.
This possibility made the Xu Family even more determined to make the most of the situation, sparing no effort to strengthen their ties with her.
Fortunately, the Xu Family’s general conduct was upstanding. They had never wronged Ink Master and, in fact, had taken excellent care of him. With this foundation already laid, their efforts wouldn’t seem like a sudden, desperate attempt to curry favor.
And as it turned out, the Xu Family’s upper echelons had guessed correctly.
Mo Zhaoli was a woman of considerable talent, extraordinary diligence, and a resolute Heart Nature. A true ascetic, she was indeed now preparing for Foundation Establishment.
Although her grandfather supported her with resources from his Alchemy, he could only help her through the Early and Middle Stages of Qi Cultivation. Once she reached the Late Stage, he was clearly unable to keep up, so she had to fight for most of her resources herself. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
As a Core Formation Sect, the Purple Extreme Sect had abundant resources, but the rate of consumption was also staggering. Resources weren’t handed out freely; they had to be earned through competition.
The best were served first.
The pressure was immense, as one might imagine.
She had fought tooth and nail for her status as an Inner Sect Disciple and a Foundation Establishment True Inheritance disciple.
Unfortunately, her Foundation Establishment Master had many disciples. While he wasn’t stingy, his own resources were limited. When divided among everyone, they were stretched thin, and he couldn’t offer much support.
The immense resources required for Foundation Establishment left a considerable deficit of Spirit Stones and sect contribution points that she still needed to make up.
Only then would she have a chance to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect.
...
「That night.」
The moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and the cool, clear moonlight poured like water onto the bluestone path outside the courtyard gate.
Lin Changheng was hunched over his desk, studying the principles of Upper Grade Alchemy, when he suddenly heard three soft knocks at the door—KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. The sound was as light as dewdrops on bamboo leaves, yet it carried a hint of deliberately suppressed joy.
Lin Changheng rose and opened the door to a tall, elegant figure. He was met with a lovely face, complete with pearly teeth and bright eyes, that looked beautiful whether pouting or pleased.
"Feiyue, when did you get back?"
Surprised, then pleased, Lin Changheng immediately stepped aside to let her in.
"If I hadn’t come back soon, I’m afraid I would have missed Chief Lin yet again." freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Tantai Feiyue didn’t answer directly, glancing at the man before her with a teasing smile.
But Lin Changheng guessed that since she had arrived at night, she probably hadn’t been back for long.
"It’s only Cyan Spirit District, not the ends of the earth. It’s not that hard to meet."
Lin Changheng just shook his head, unconcerned. He looked into her starry eyes and chuckled. "If you missed me, you could have just come and found me."
"Alright!"
He had expected Tantai Feiyue to blush, give a light "hmph," and say something like, "Have you no shame?" Instead, she simply replied, "Alright!" Her eyes, curved into a smile as she looked at him, held a touch of shyness but didn’t waver, revealing a hint of determination.
Hmm?
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere instantly grew a little strange.
"Ahem..."
Lin Changheng gave a deliberate cough, trying to break the awkward tension.
But in the next instant, a sweet, feminine fragrance washed over him. With a faint rustle of her dress, a warm, soft body pressed into his arms.
Her wide sleeves, embroidered with a golden phoenix pattern, fell across his wrist like a flowing cloud suddenly enveloping a mountain crag.
’Since it’s already come to this, why hold back?’
’If Cultivation was only about severing desire and abstaining from worldly pleasures, rather than pursuing a free mind and a clear Dao Heart, then it would be nothing but torture.’
’Some are born cold and with little desire, suited for the path of heartlessness.’
’Some are born wild and unrestrained, and can walk the path of Joyful Union.’
’Some are social butterflies, some are cautious and cherish their lives, some love Magical Combat...’
’All are valid Daos!’
’All are valid paths!’
’The quest for immortality is not set in stone, and Cultivation is not a one-size-fits-all template. It varies from person to person, with each unfolding their own Immortal Path.’
’But one principle is universal and crucial for all cultivators: one’s thoughts must be free and unhindered.’
’Acting against your conscience and true nature might be fine for a moment, but over the long and arduous Immortal Path, it is utterly unsustainable.’
And so,
Lin Changheng’s hands, which had been frozen in mid-air, followed his heart’s desire. They descended, coming to rest on the soft waist of the Commandery Princess in his embrace.
The two were now inches apart. Where a pair of large, restless hands now roamed, on a part of Tantai Feiyue’s waist that had never been touched before, a subtle tremor was instantly sparked.
’Interesting.’
Lin Changheng felt the Commandery Princess’s faint tremor. Seeing that she made no move to pull away, he lowered his head amid her soft cry of surprise, capturing her red lips and tasting them with abandon.
Tantai Feiyue had once told him that in the mortal empire, within the vast Capital City, there were twin peaks known as Jade Mist Mountain. They were said to be majestic, magnificent, and breathtakingly beautiful, wreathed in clouds and mist, rivaling any celestial paradise.
She had lamented that Lin Changheng had never had the chance to see them.
Lin Changheng had immediately expressed his desire to see them one day.
But at this moment, in this scene, with the moonlight like a silken veil and a romantic mood filling the air...
Immersed in the sweet fragrance and the soft, supple feeling in his hands, Lin Changheng was in a daze. He heard a delicate moan and suddenly realized that it seemed he had already ascended...
