Chapter 300: The Previous Generation

Chu Liang sat down for a while and calmed down, letting his heartache dull a little. Then he figured out who the real culprit was.

The idea that the disciples of a diabolical sect had taken advantage of the attack on Mount Shu to steal some fruits to eat was pretty absurd. Chu Liang thought about it for a moment and concluded that it was very unlikely that had been the case.

An even more ridiculous possibility was that an eighth-realm cultivator had brought a seventh-realm cultivator to Silver Sword Peak to eat the fruits in secret... But it was highly likely that was the truth.

After all, there had been stories going around the past few days about an adult and a child robbing people of their berries. It wouldn't be surprising if they had stolen from Silver Sword Peak today. However, if it were truly those two who had stolen the berries, it wouldn't really be considered stealing.

The Whale-Riding Immortal had just helped Chu Liang, completely changing the course of the entire battle. In a sense, it could even be said that the Whale-Riding Immortal had saved Mount Shu.

Even without that as the reason, the Whale-Riding Immortal was suspected to be Jiang Yuebai's father... Could Chu Liang really ask the Whale-Riding Immortal to pay for the berries?

Hmm... Even if I were to ask for payment, it would certainly have to be a discounted price.

There was one more reason that made Chu Liang certain it was the work of the Whale-Riding Immortal and the little girl—the Golden-Furred Hou.

Big Head was now a sixth-realm vicious beast. That meant only Eminent Ones could make it behave obediently. If the thieves were of a lower cultivation level than an Eminent One, the Golden-Furred Hou wouldn't have been so docile.

Thinking of the Golden-Furred Hou, Chu Liang shifted his gaze to it and found it lying on the ground, sound asleep. He got the feeling that there was something different about the Golden-Furred Hou.

Chu Liang used his divine sense to examine the Golden-Furred Hou carefully and found that its aura had gotten denser and the divine light around its body was gentler than before.

It seemed that the Golden-Furred Hou had made another breakthrough.

Chu Liang wasn't sure if it had anything to do with Whale-Riding Immortal, but it was certainly a good thing. Now that the Golden-Furred Hou was stronger, it would be able to do a better job of guarding their home.

The commotion on Mount Shu continued for another hour before Chu Liang's teacher returned, enveloped in a blaze.

Di Nufeng landed heavily on Silver Sword Peak, sending a loud rumble through the earth.

She laughed heartily and said, "How satisfying! It's been so long since I felt this good."

The Golden-Furred Hou was startled awake with its fur standing on end. Its eyes flitted around warily, then it quietly slinked away.

"Esteemed Teacher," Chu Liang called out.

He had never seen Di Nufeng this happy before, not even during New Year's. She was so happy that she was practically beaming with joy.

"You did pretty well, you little rascal. You actually managed to complete the dual sword combination alone. That's unprecedented in Mount Shu." Di Nufeng grinned, patting Chu Liang's shoulder. "How did you do it?"

Chu Liang didn't mention his dual meridian systems; he just said that both the Violet Sword and the Azure Sword had selected him. He then focused on how the Whale-Riding Immortal had used Voice Transmission and assisted him.

When Chu Liang returned from his trip to the Immortals' Marsh previously, he'd told Di Nufeng about his encounter with the Whale-Riding Immortal. So, when he mentioned this person again, Di Nufeng remembered who it was.

"The Whale-Riding Immortal..." Di Nufeng muttered. "When you mentioned him previously, I didn't think much of it. But I saw that name in

The Seven Stars Gazette

after that. His style of doing things is quite familiar... There aren't many people in the nine provinces who can reach or have the potential of possibly reaching the eighth realm. Moreover, he has attained immortality... Could it really be that guy?"

"

Hm?

" Chu Liang uttered, looking up at her. He asked, "Esteemed Teacher, do you know that esteemed senior?"

"It's just a guess. Hang on."

Di Nufeng glanced in the direction of Azure Falling Peak. She darted out and then swiftly returned in a flash with a painting. It vaguely depicted a high-spirited young man with beautiful thick hair. He was dressed in long robes and standing with a sword in hand.

"Is this him?" Di Nufeng asked.

Chu Liang took a close look at the young man in the painting.

Perhaps if some bead stubble and that knife scar were added to the young man's face...

The young man in the painting truly did look around ninety percent similar to the Whale-Riding Immortal. The most striking similarity was the wild look in his eyes.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

People will mature over time, but the light in their eyes will never dim.

[1]

It shouldn't be difficult for an eighth-realm cultivator to change their appearance. Nevertheless, it was likely the Whale-Riding Immortal probably hadn't disguised himself as someone else, so Chu Liang was able to confirm quite quickly that the young man in the painting was indeed the Whale-Riding Immortal.

Chu Liang nodded. "It's him."

"As I expected." Di Nufeng grinned. "I knew someone who would help our sect at such a critical time couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere."

"Does this esteemed senior have a connection with our sect?" Chu Liang asked curiously.

Di Nufeng laughed and answered, "It's not just a connection. He was a disciple of Falling Waterfowl Peak."

"

Eh?

" Chu Liang uttered in astonishment.

So, it turned out that this was why Senior Sister Jiang's father had sent her to Mount Shu. However, if he's Senior Sister Jiang's father, that means he's a descendant of the Jiang family.

Why did he become a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect when his family's clan was still an influential immortal sect?

"Speaking of this guy, he really is quite legendary," Di Nufeng began. "His name is Jiang Tiankuo, a collateral descendant of the Jiang family[2]. His father died early, and his mother wasn't a member of the Jiang Family, so the mother and son were outcasts in the Jiang Family. When Jiang Tiankuo was just a young boy, he didn't want his mother to suffer in silence for the sake of his future, so he joined the Mount Shu Sect on his own, vowing that the Jiang family would one day beg him to return.

"For thirty years, the Yellow River flows to the east, and for the next thirty years, it flows to the west. Do not treat the youth with disdain just because he's poor, for times are ever-changing, and you never know what the future holds!"

"Wow!" Chu Liang exclaimed in admiration.

"At the Mount Shu Summit that year, he used some despicable methods to defeat me..."

Di Nufeng got rather angry as she talked about that.

Although Chu Liang didn't know what had happened, he could guess that what his teacher meant by "despicable methods" was probably just Jiang Tiankuo using his brain and strategizing.

Like Jiang Yuebai, Jiang Tiankuo had a Transcendent Spirit, so he probably had a similarly diverse range of divine abilities and skills in his repertoire. Back then, Di Nufeng had yet to fully develop her Samadhi True Fire, so it's quite possible she had been outplayed and defeated.

"But later on, he lost to Yan Zi, and Yan Zi became the head disciple of our generation," Di Nufeng continued. "After that, we represented our sect in the Assembly of Immortal Sects in the capital of Yu.

"There was pretty much no suspense at all as to whether we were going to win the Assembly of Immortal Sects. After we won, the top painter in the capital painted this just for Jiang Tiankuo," Di Nufeng said, pouting in annoyance. "Back then, he was the most popular disciple in our sect, and half of the young ladies in the capital were his fans."

Although Di Nufeng didn't say it outright, her tone was laced with jealousy.

Chu Liang wasn't surprised to hear this.

Daoist Yan was the head disciple, but she kept a very low profile. Meanwhile, Esteemed Teacher is beautiful and a powerful fighter, but she has a coarse demeanor.

As for Uncle Jiang, he was handsome, cool, and powerful. It makes sense that he was popular.

Looking at this vivid painting, Chu Liang could imagine just how dazzling the most talented and handsome young man in the capital of Yu had been that year.

Di Nufeng continued, "Jiang Tiankuo stood out a lot back then. The Jiang Family didn't have any outstanding young members in his generation, so the head of the Jiang Family personally came to invite Jiang Tiankuo back to the Jiang Family, fulfilling a wish he'd had for a long time.

"At first, Jiang Tiankuo didn't want to go back. But the Jiang Family must have offered him some generous terms, including grooming him to become the successor of the Jiang Family. The terms were so good that even the elders of our sect advised him to return to the Jiang Family. Consequently, he did just that..."

"Yan Zi was heartbroken for quite some time." Di Nufeng grinned slyly. "She thought I didn't know, but I knew everything,

hehe.

"

Did something happen between Senior Aunt Yan and Uncle Jiang?

Chu Liang glanced toward Azure Falling Peak.

Senior Aunt Yan has remained unmarried all her life and has even been raising someone else's daughter...

If what Esteemed Teacher is saying is true, then Senior Aunt Yan must have loved Uncle Jiang deeply.

"In the following decades, we didn't see each other much. After all, the Jiang Family and Mount Shu are quite far apart, and we all had our own things to do," Di Nufeng said with a sigh.

What Di Nufeng was feeling was probably similar to the feeling of when good friends graduated from school and went their separate ways, seldomly keeping in touch.

Chu Liang sighed deeply as he mocked his teacher in his mind.

You all had your own things to do...? Uncle Jiang was working hard for the Jiang Family, and Senior Aunt Yan was focusing on her cultivation on Azure Falling Peak.

And you? Were you that busy getting drunk every night on Silver Sword Peak?

All three of you had such bright futures...

"The last time we met was probably at his wedding banquet." Di Nufeng recalled the scene with a sheepish grin. "I drank too much and caused a bit of a scene."

Of course, that means she must have made a pretty big scene...

Chu Liang thought.

Di Nufeng explained, "You can't really blame me. Yan Zi insisted on going to the wedding banquet. When I saw her sitting there, I knew she was definitely feeling really sad, so I couldn't stop myself from drinking a few more cups of wine than I should have."

Chu Liang silently continued ridiculing her.

Stop making excuses. You caused trouble even when Senior Aunt Yan wasn't sad...

"His bride was pretty amazing though. I only met her once, but she left a deep impression," Di Nufeng remarked. "Not long after that, a major event shocked the cultivation world. The Jiang Family was wiped out overnight, reportedly by the mysterious Divine Ruins Monastery. One day, Jiang Tiankuo suddenly returned to Mount Shu and entrusted baby Jiang Yuebai to Yan Zi before vanishing without a trace."

Chu Liang had heard a bit about the subsequent events from Jiang Yuebai. Her mother had emerged from the Divine Ruins, but the legendary Divine Ruins Monastery had targeted her. Ultimately, disaster had struck the Jiang Family.

Even until now, Jiang Yuebai had never met her parents.

Chu Liang asked puzzledly, "Didn't you say the wedding banquet was the last time you saw him?"

Di Nufeng shook her head and explained, "When he came to Mount Shu for the last time, I had drunk too much and missed the chance to meet with him."

Oh,

Chu Liang thought.

I see.

1. Not true, but I'll let you have your positivity, dear author. ☜

2. He's not part of the main line of descendants, i.e. he's like a relative as opposed to being part of the immediate family. ☜