Chapter 70-Part 1

So not long after Lin Xiao met Huangfu Jiquan again, they parted ways once more. But Lin Xiao was unconcerned. After all cultivators usually spent a lot of time apart from each other. There would be opportunities later to see Huangfu Jiquan. When Lin Xiao advanced to high-level, he could go to Xuan Huang country.

Why go to Xuan Huang?

It was the place where cultivators who wanted to be strong went. A gathering place for the geniuses and the powerful. Countless young talents, there were none who didn’t hope to stand out and excel there.

“My cultivation, if I went to Xuan Huang, where would I rank amongst the others?” Lin Xiao couldn’t help asking Huangfu Shan.

Huangfu Shan, silent for a moment, said: “Middle or lower.”

Lin Xiao quirked his mouth, asking: “What about Ling Luo?”

“Around the middle or higher. Ling Luo’s aptitude is very good. But keep working, you’ll move higher too.”

Lin Xiao: “…”

He’d have to find the heaven spirit grass first.

Using the sample Murong Tian had given, Lin Xiao carefully hunted for it. He suspected that deeper in the forest, the grass might be easier to find. But at his current cultivation level, and considering what beasts probably lurked there, that would be looking for death.

Therefore, Lin Xiao stuck to searching the outer rims of the forest. But after a few days, he was about to admit defeat. He had found no traces, and he was almost over the border of Xuan Huang.

Lin Xiao frowned. He couldn’t give up. He had to keep going even to the last minute.

In desperation, he continued his mission. Suddenly Huangfu Shan spoke to him, “I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”

“Good news.” How could he have forgotten he had a helper? He guessed that Huangfu Shan had already found traces of heaven spirit grass.

Sure enough…Huangfu Shan told him: “A little away, there is heaven spirit grass. And there’s yellow grass next to it.”

“Yellow grass?” Lin Xiao scowled. “What kind of grass is that?”

Huangfu Shan took a moment to respond. “Yellow grass is now a little-known spirit grass. But in my time, it was a godly-amazing grass, but also rarely found. People now still know it exists, but don’t know what it looks like. If you take some of it, your cultivation will advance a great deal. For example, if you’re rank xuan(low), eat the yellow grass, and you’ll directly jump to prefecture-level!”

As Huangfu Shan’s words registered, Lin Xiao’s eyes lit up and his heart began to pound. Be able to advance from xuan level to prefecture-level? Amazing! If others learned the mysterious yellow grass grew in this forest, they’d risk their lives to lay their hands on it.

After all, many cultivators stayed stuck at the ground level, not advancing even after striving for many years.

Lin Xiao took a few deep breathes, calming himself. Then he asked Huangfu Shan, “What is the bad news?”

“There are two people not far from where the two grasses are,” Huangfu Shan told him.

Two people? Lin Xiao furrowed his brow as Huangfu Shan continued: “Those two people, their cultivation level is not high, both at xuan level.”

Those words relieved Lin Xiao. If the two people’s cultivation level wasn’t high, that’d be manageable. But just because he knew the heaven spirit grass and the yellow grass were so close, still. He couldn’t act blindly without thinking.

Even if the two people were low cultivation, if he picked the spirit grasses, they might catch wind of him. If they became curious, it could be a problem.

After Huangfu Shan put a spirit covering over Lin Xiao, he clambered up a tree. Carefully crossing from tree to tree, Lin Xiao finally glimpsed on the ground the heaven spirit grass and another humble-looking grass growing beside it.

“Is that the yellow grass?” He asked Huangfu Shan.

“Hmmm,” Huangfu Shan replied. “The yellow grass’ appearance is unremarkable, so it’s not easily noticed or discovered. I saw it in an ancient book once, that’s how I know it.”

Lin Xiao nodded, then sprang to another tree. Two people stood underneath the tree he perched in. Wrapping an arm around the trunk, Lin Xiao peered down to get a closer look.

The face of one of the strangers tilted for Lin Xiao to see, and Lin Xiao’s eyes went wide…

Ling Luo’s father?! Why would he be on the border between Xuan Huang country and the refining country? Next to Ling Luo’s father stood a middle-aged woman, and Lin Xiao guessed she was Ling Luo’s mother.

Perking his ears up, Lin Xiao quietly listened to the conversation going on below him.

“Do you think our son will still be at Yunqi Academy?” Ling Luo’s mother asked her husband.

Ling Tian frowned, replying in an unsure tone: “Let’s go there first, to find out. If we don’t find Ling Luo in a month or two, it might be too late.”

“Hey,” Ling Luo’s mother squeezed her eyes shut, sounding distressed, “All the pressure, can our son bear it?”

“If he can’t bear the weight now, how can he be a strong man in the future? If he’s grown up, maybe he’s ready to come back home.” Ling Tian sighed. “I don’t want our son suffering under too many expectations either, but this matter I’ve been keeping in my heart for many years. Now your illness is cured, and our son is still running around. If I don’t achieve my cherished wish, it’ll be hard to shut my eyes when I die.”

Ling Luo’s mother tried to comfort her husband’s misery. “You’ve been to Ling house, but they wouldn’t open the door. You begged, and they said to wait for your son to have a son. Then you would be allowed to acknowledge your ancestors. Our son is sure to have matured, he will provide you with a grandson.”

“I must blame my own uselessness, living for so many years, and my cultivation is still xuan level! And when I was young and frivolous, I made many mistakes.” Ling Tian exhaled heavily, adding: “It was only right that the house head Ling Zong drove me out.”

“That’s all in the past…” Ling Luo’s mother laughed reassuringly.

……

At that point Lin Xiao stopped listening to the conversation below him. Instead he pondered what Ling Tian had said about the Ling family and recognizing his ancestors…Lin Xiao’s mind flashed back to the old plot. He faintly recalled that Ling Luo did go to Xuan Huang country, and became involved in a lot of things with Xuan Huang’s Ling family. But Lin Xiao blanked on the specifics.

He couldn’t dredge up the reason for the original estrangement or how they finally reconciled.

But after listening to Ling Tian’s conversation with his wife, Lin Xiao had a guess.

So Ling Tian was a son of the Xuan Huang Ling family, but was kicked out for misbehavior? And since Ling Luo was Ling Tian’s son, Ling Luo was also a son of the Ling family?

The Ling family in Xuan Huang…a big family that would not lose to even the Huangfu family. Lin Xiao sat still in shock. Ling Luo actually had such a powerful family behind him. And Ling Tian’s hope of returning to his family relied on Ling Luo…well, Lin Xiao knew that Ling Luo would return to the Ling family eventually.

What family would refuse such a strong man as one of their own? With Ling Luo sitting next to them, the Ling family could be safe for a hundred years. And even surpass the Huangfu family to become the preeminent family in Xuan Huang.

It’s just…Lin blinked his eyes, still trying to digest the new information.

“Oh, I had guessed it a long time ago,” Huangfu Shan sounded strangely neutral, giving a clear laugh. Lin Xiao remembered when he had first encountered Ling Luo, how Huangfu Shan had been.

Why now, when learning this news, did Huangfu Shan talk as if it were nothing? Lin Xiao wanted to ask Huangfu Shan what her attitude towards Ling Luo was now. But after mulling it over, he didn’t say anything. It was Huangfu Shan’s private matter. If she wanted to tell, let her naturally open up in her own time.

Lin Xiao tightened his lips and turned his attention back to Ling Luo’s parents, still conversing with each other under the shade of leaves. Lin Xiao considered showing himself to them. After all Ling Luo had wanted to find his parents for a long time.

Lin Xiao hesitated though. Should he tell them? That Ling Luo was no longer at Yunqi academy, but studying in the Nebula country? Lin Xiao considered carefully. No, he should wait for them to leave, pick the grasses, then go find them.

Lin Xiao perched silently. After he’s harvested the grasses, he’ll look for them again, and share Ling Luo’s whereabouts.

After a while Ling Luo’s parents finally started ambling away. Lin Xiao stayed where he was. Not until he felt sure they would have gone far enough away, did he jump down to the ground.

He approached the grasses, asking Huangfu Shan to check and make sure no one around.

After Huangfu Shan affirmed that he was alone, he first carefully picked the heaven spirit grass, storing it away. He felt happy. He had found the grass before the end of his allotted three months, and he started indulging in a pleasing vision of a four-wave badge on his shoulder.

And not only had the heaven spirit grass been located, a special yellow grass was unearthed too. Was this his good luck? Lin Xiao blinked his eyes, a joyous gleam flickering. Should he bring the yellow grass back with him? He could give some to his father, or…he could give some to Ling Luo…Ling Luo could eat a little portion and presumably advance a great deal…

Lin Xiao reached out his hand to pick the yellow grass.

“Don’t pick it.” Huangfu Shan stopped Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao, startled: “Why?”

“You have to eat this grass fresh. Once you’ve picked it, if you try to save it, it just becomes waste.” Huangfu Shan dashed Lin Xiao’s thoughts of sharing the yellow grass with others.

Lin Xiao puffed his cheeks. The mysterious yellow grass was only for him? Not quite willing to abandon his previous idea, he asked, “There is no way to store some?”

“No.” Huangfu Shan’s reply was unequivocal

Lin Xiao’s mouth quirked. “All right. I’ll take it by myself.” He couldn’t help being excited. In just a moment, he would go from xuan level to advanced. He’ll have power!

One troublesome thought did intrude. Still grinning, Lin Xiao asked Huangfu Shan, “This yellow grass, are there any side effects to taking it?”

“Side effects?” Huangfu Shan searched her memory. She couldn’t recollect any description of side effects from that ancient book. So she told Lin Xiao: “No.”

It should be alright then. His advancement would help Huangfu Shan’s suffering too. Lin felt his spring had come, at last he would reach heaven in a single bound. All the adventures he used to be envious of, now he could experience them himself!

Reaching out his hand, he grabbed hold of the yellow grass. Swallowing his salvia, he examined the grass in his palm. Originally non-descript, now the grass morphed into an amethyst flower, a faint, sweet fragrance wafting.

It was truly godly-amazing. Lin Xiao put it in his mouth and swallowed.

An instant later, massive heat flowed through his body.

His whole body surrendered to the heat, and he felt he was melting away.

His eyes closed, the outside world vanished away. He thought he vaguely heard Huangfu Shan shouting. Had he taken out his sword? He was racing against the wind…he was brandishing…

A hot liquid splashed across his face. He opened his eyes. For a brief, lucid moment he saw the terrified faces of Ling Tian and his wife.