Chapter 58

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

The matter Old Bai requested was not difficult, and even if implicated by the Dongyang Prince, it wouldn’t lead to the extermination of his son-in-law’s family.

Within the nobility of Fengyang Country, each generation intermarried, to carry on such slaughter would leave very few remaining.

“Old Zhou, I’m deeply grateful; the people of Jiangnan say I have eight hundred friends, but you’re the only one I truly trust.”

As Old Bai spoke, his pupils gradually dilated: “This farewell… I fear we shall not meet again in this life. It’s a pity I can’t drink and sing with you till my last breath, such a pity!”

“When we meet again in the next life…”

Zhou Yi slowly said, “Tell me that the pear blossoms are white, and I’ll know it’s your reincarnation, and I’ll surely join you for a good drink once more.”

“That’s great, that’s great!”

Old Bai’s voice became fainter: “So let’s make that our promise, just say the pear blossoms are white, hahaha, how delightful…”

Zhou Yi remained silent for a moment, then with a hand, he helped Old Bai close his eyes.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

He took out a bronze mirror from his chest, activated it with mana, and a spiritual light flashed out, but found no ghostly presence. He sighed and turned to leave the room.

Outside in the courtyard.

Zhou Yi said to the men and women standing silently, “Old Bai is gone. Prepare for the funeral.”

After a long silence, sobbing sounds rose and fell. They knelt and kowtowed to bid farewell.

He then called the servants and maids to arrange the pre-prepared funeral items, and sent people to send funeral notices to every household in the Divine Capital.

Zhou Yi coldly watched all this, feeling neither good nor bad about it.

Some of his children were slightly saddened, while the grandchildren, upon hearing the news, burst into loud weeping, struck by inconsolable grief.

That’s just how people are; as they age, they only care about self-interest, with emotions growing colder!

Zhou Yi found Old Bai’s youngest son and whispered into his ear, “When the family divides the assets, remember to take the Blood Jade Token. I promised your father I’d protect your life if anything happened.”

The youngest son, Bai Siyuan, was born to the former leader of the Immeasurable Sword Sect.

A look of joy flashed across Bai Siyuan’s face, uncertain if it was the assurance of his safety or the fact that he was most favored.

“No more concerns.”

Zhou Yi stood in the courtyard and looked up at the cold moon in the sky.

The noisy clamor around him faded away, and he seemed to stand alone, removed from this world, as if about to become immortal and ascend to the heavens.

“My respects to you, my benefactor.”

A voice, both familiar and strange, rang out, bringing Zhou Yi back from his solitary state to the present world.

Zhou Yi responded, “Ah, it’s you, girl. I thought you might not be able to return.”

“My foster father has shown me kindness heavier than mountains. As soon as I learned of his illness, I left my military duties behind and rushed back day and night.”

Chen Jinyu was clad in dark armor, carrying a black iron long spear on her back, her appearance bold and valiant, with a fierce aura exuding from her.

Zhou Yi slightly nodded, not doubting Chen Jinyu’s filial piety, and looked down at the boy she was holding by the hand, about seven or eight years old, and asked, “Is this Li Yi?”

Before he passed, Old Bai had told Zhou Yi the story of Chen Jinyu disguising as a man to join the army on the Northern Border, accumulating military exploits to become a captain.

Li Hong, having discovered this, not only spared her from punishment but promoted her to become one of his generals.

Chen Jinyu confessed that it was Zhou Yi who had guided her to the Northern Border to join Li Hong’s command.

Both had cultivated the Guiyuan Technique, often discussed the Dao together, and over time, developed affections for each other, eventually becoming Dao companions and having a son they named Yi.

Old Bai had lamented over this matter several times; he had tried to matchmake his son with Chen Jinyu, but one after another, they fell short, not even matching up to a ten-year-old, ultimately letting an outsider seize the opportunity.

“For now, he can only bear the surname Zhou. My husband said it’s to honor you, and if one day comes… it must be Yi who succeeds.”

Chen Jinyi gently patted Li Yi’s head: “Quickly, call him grandfather.”

“Grandfather.”

Li Yi’s voice was soft, unlike his mother’s sharpness.

Zhou Yi paused upon hearing this; he had never been a father, and yet he was already being called grandfather. He chuckled and went along with it.

“Hmm. How old is Yi now? What grade is he in? Does he have a lot of homework? Grandfather has prepared a hundred sets of papers for you!”

“?”

Li Yi’s eyes were filled with bewilderment; he couldn’t understand what Zhou Yi was saying and only felt a great terror within, so he hid behind Chen Jinyu, not daring to show himself.

Chen Jinyu also couldn’t grasp the meaning behind the words, but it seemed normal for a revered and eccentric expert like Zhou Yi to have peculiar ways of speaking.

“Loneliness, alas!”

Zhou Yi clicked his tongue a few times, and the sadness from old Bai’s passing faded somewhat.

Having seen many dead over the years, Zhou Yi had grown accustomed to it, bidding farewell to the dying without letting it unduly sadden him.

Chen Jinyu sent a telepathic message, “Revered sir, are you using the Jinyiwei to look for clues about the path to immortality?”

“How do you know?”

Zhou Yi’s voice was indifferent, tinged with a hint of coldness. Harboring great secrets, he would show no mercy to those who dared to pry into his privacy.

“I beg your reverence’s forgiveness; it was not my intention to probe,”

Chen Jinyu hurriedly explained, “My husband has spies planted within the Jinyiwei. We only learned of it recently and suspected it might be related to your reverence.”

Zhou Yi did not conceal the truth and nodded in admission, “Indeed, it was I.”

With great solemnity, Chen Jinyu said, “My husband and I will certainly do our utmost to assist you, revered sir, in finding the path to immortality and wish that your reverence may enjoy eternal blessings and live as long as the heavens!”

Zhou Yi expressed surprise, “From your words, it seems you both do not wish to pursue immortality?”

Chen Jinyu replied, “My husband and I are determined to avenge our clansmen and are busy managing military affairs. Our time for cultivation grows ever shorter, and we are destined to have no hope of advancing on the immortal path.”

Zhou Yi did not express agreement or disagreement. Given Li Hong’s talent, he could seek revenge while wholeheartedly pursuing immortality, but it was a personal choice and not for others to persuade.

“What is the situation on the Northern Border these days?”

“In recent years, the Zhao family has been too busy with their internal strife to manage the armies at the Northern Border, and several Great Generals have already become like warlords.”

Chen Jinyu confidently stated, “However, the Mysterious Armor Army under my husband’s and my command is the greatest of these warlords!”

Zhou Yi advised, “Don’t become obsessed with expanding your troops; you cannot vie for supremacy over the world with just that.”

“What your reverence says is very true,” Chen Jinyu agreed.

Chen Jinyu continued, “Currently, the Northern Border lacks individuals capable of governing people and the country. This time, upon my return to the Divine Capital, I also intend to draw in some talented individuals.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi thought of Yu Su, imprisoned in the cell, “I can recommend someone to you, someone with the talent to govern a nation.”

Chen Jinyu said excitedly, “Anyone who catches your reverence’s eye must be highly talented. May I know their surname and name?”

“Yu Su, Yu Shouzhuo!”

“Oh, Yu Qingtian. I have also heard of him in the Northern Border.”

“You may initiate contact with him beforehand, but if you want to draw him to the Northern Border, you must wait for his third rise and fall, after another defeat.”

“Yu Qingtian has risen and fallen twice, amassing great fame. If he rises again, how could he face another defeat?”

“What he seeks is destined to end in failure.”

Zhou Yi and Chen Jinyu talked for a long time, setting up a future method of communication. After ensuring they could exchange information, Zhou Yi left the Bai household.

…

Having returned to the courtyard.

Zhou Yi savored a few cups of tea to calm his emotions and then took out a jade slip from his bosom.

The jade slip originated from a tomb in Jiangnan. Other accompanying gold and silver relics had no spiritual nature, but this jade slip, once activated with mana, allowed the soul to read its content.

Inside, it contained a scroll of the Qingmu Technique, an Introduction to Array Paths, and the travel notes of Daoist Lingyun.

The Qingmu Technique, similar to the Guiyuan Technique but more complete in content, spanned from the first to the thirteenth layer of Qi Cultivation. The very beginning clarified that one required a Wood Spirit Root to practice it.

Only then did Zhou Yi confirm that the pursuit of immortality indeed required a Spirit Root, which he lacked.

“Heaven evolves with forty-nine cycles, man escapes one. In all matters and all things, there is a slim chance of survival; even without a Spirit Root, it doesn’t mean one can’t cultivate. For instance, breaking through to Innate in martial arts can attract the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth.”

“However, how many in this world can achieve Innate through the martial path?”

Zhou Yi revisited the Introduction to Array Paths, recognizing each term individually, but when they came together, it all turned bewildering.

“Repeating and pondering it along the way, I’ve only grasped a mere thousandth or two. It requires slow and careful contemplation.”

“Back then, I acquired lecture notes from Yu Jie. Looking back, it was a windfall. I actually got an introductory primer on talismans and runes, which may take who knows how many years to master.”