Chapter 14
The light on the communication jade slip flickered—on the verge of going out.
Wei Houming’s heart clenched.
“Master!” he shouted, voice sharp with urgency. “If you go in, I’ll follow you into the Netherworld Sea!”
The streak of light surrounding Elder Wei Tu faltered mid-flight, dimming as if struck. He turned his gaze toward the jade slip, his expression shifting into something between exasperation and disbelief—like an elder staring down a reckless child.
“Ming’er, don’t be foolish.”
With Wei Houming’s Golden Core cultivation, entering the Netherworld Sea was no different from walking into death.
“You don’t have to hide it from me anymore—I know everything.” Wei Houming’s voice tightened, raw with emotion. “I don’t care about the Netherworld Flower. I don’t care if my cultivation stagnates. But I can’t lose you.”
His hands trembled slightly around the jade slip, fear laid bare for the first time.
“…Ming’er.”
Elder Wei Tu let out a long sigh. What should have been a simple, solitary venture had suddenly turned complicated.
“Have you forgotten what I taught you?” His tone hardened. “A cultivator must pursue the Dao with unwavering resolve. You cannot give up so easily. How do you expect to live up to my teachings?”
The rebuke was firm—uncompromising.
Wei Houming had always been obedient, diligent, nearly flawless in his discipline. Rarely had he ever been scolded like this.
But this time—
He didn’t budge.
“I remember,” he said quietly, then lifted his head, eyes steady. “You also said blind cultivation isn’t enough. That there are things more important than cultivation.”
His voice sharpened with resolve.
“If curing me costs your life, then I’d rather have died that winter.”
Silence fell.
On the other end, Elder Wei Tu said nothing for a long while.
Being countered with his own words was one thing.
But what unsettled him most was the boy’s stubbornness.
Once Wei Houming made a decision—he never wavered.
If he entered the Netherworld Sea… this child would follow.
That was not a risk Elder Wei Tu could accept.
Even if he had prepared everything, even if the odds were in his favor—this was still one of the continent’s forbidden zones. Death lingered there like a certainty.
And if Ming’er followed him in…
It would defeat the entire purpose of this journey.
“Master,” Wei Houming pressed, voice low but unwavering, “I’m already satisfied with Golden Core. Cultivation was never the most important thing to me. Without you… what am I?”
The words struck deep.
Elder Wei Tu felt something stir in his chest—warm, complicated.
At least he hadn’t raised this boy in vain.
But that only made the decision harder.
If he turned back now, years of preparation would be wasted.
If he went forward… he might drag his disciple into death with him.
After a long pause, he exhaled.
“I can’t win against you, can I?” His tone softened, tinged with resignation. “But Ming’er… are you prepared to accept that your cultivation may never progress again?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. “You don’t need to worry, Master.”
“You brat,” Elder Wei Tu chuckled despite himself. “You’re exactly why I do worry.”
Shame flickered across Wei Houming’s face. “This is my fault.”
Only now did he truly understand how much his master had sacrificed—quietly, without ever asking for recognition.
“Why blame yourself?” Elder Wei Tu waved it off. “Did you know I was going to the Netherworld Sea? Did that Medical Sage leak it again?”
Wei Houming: “….”
Ah.
So that’s where the blame was going.
“It really was him,” Elder Wei Tu concluded instantly, utterly convinced.
Wei Houming could only accept the injustice on the Medical Sage’s behalf in silence.
At least… it solved the problem.
Just as the tension eased—
A voice suddenly slipped into his mind.
“Tell Wei Tu to go find Zixiao.”
Wei Houming froze.
That voice—
He snapped his head up, eyes locking onto Gu Buqi.
Gu Buqi met his gaze calmly… then gave the slightest nod.
Understanding hit like lightning.
“You—”
Recognition surged.
That faint sense of familiarity he’d been ignoring—
The resemblance.
The bearing.
The sheer, effortless indifference toward everything—including the revered Zixiao Immortal Venerable.
There was only one explanation.
“Grandmaster Zixiao… is that you?” Wei Houming transmitted cautiously, reverence instinctively rising in his tone.
Gu Buqi seemed mildly surprised—then didn’t bother denying it.
“It’s me. Tell Wei Tu to return. I’ll go to the Netherworld Sea in his place. With the Netherworld Flower, your condition won’t be an issue.”
Wei Houming’s breath hitched. “Grandmaster…?”
“I don’t like being disturbed,” Gu Buqi said flatly. “But this situation? Wei Tu is being unnecessarily rigid. It’s a waste of your potential.”
“…But the Netherworld Sea is a forbidden zone—” Awe and concern tangled in Wei Houming’s chest.
“It’s fine.” Gu Bugai’s tone was casual. “Just a bit of trouble.”
The so-called danger—the soul-piercing howls—only threatened unstable Nascent Souls.
But he had long surpassed that level.
To him… it truly was just trouble.
“Ming’er?”
Elder Wei Tu’s voice came again, pulling Wei Houming back.
Thinking his disciple had fallen into despair, he softened unconsciously.
“You don’t need to take it so hard—”
“Master!” Wei Houming cut in, voice suddenly bright with relief. “Grandmaster has agreed to retrieve the Netherworld Flower for me. You can come back now!”
“…Which Grandmaster?”
The question slipped out instinctively.
Then Elder Wei Tu paused.
There was only one.
“…Uncle-Master Zixiao?!”
“Yes!”
Silence.
Then a low chuckle.
“You’ll say anything to trick me back,” Elder Wei Tu said, amused. “When I left, my master was still in seclusion. Besides, why would he bother with a junior like you?”
“Master, it’s real! I wouldn’t lie about this!”
For the first time, Wei Houming felt utterly clumsy with words.
Elder Wei Tu clicked his tongue, about to scold him—
When the jade slip flickered again.
“…Wei Tu.”
The voice that came through—
Familiar. Calm. Unmistakable.
Elder Wei Tu stiffened.
“…Master?”
“Wei Tu,” Gu Buqi repeated evenly. “I know what’s going on. The Netherworld Sea isn’t a place you should enter. Return to the sect. I’ll bring back the herbs.”
For a heartbeat—
Elder Wei Tu simply stared.
Then—
Joy exploded across his face.
“Uncle-Master! With you here, there’s nothing to worry about! I—Ming’er can continue cultivating—thank you, Uncle-Master, I—”
“Calm down.”
“…Right. Right.” He rubbed his head sheepishly. “Got a little carried away.”
The emotional whiplash was too much.
One moment, he was prepared to gamble his life.
The next, everything was solved.
“…You’re getting worse with age,” Gu Buqi added coolly. “You’d rather risk your life than ask for help?”
Elder Wei Tu flushed. “Uncle-Master, you were in seclusion. It didn’t seem right to trouble you over something that wasn’t life-threatening…”
Gu Buqi scoffed. “Wei Houming isn’t just your disciple, he’s a pillar of the sect. If your stubbornness ruins that, it becomes your fault.”
“…Understood.”
There was no arguing with that.
“Still…” Elder Wei Tu couldn’t help smiling. “Ming’er’s quite lucky, running into Uncle-Master like this.”
Gu Buqi’s gaze flickered faintly. “A coincidence.”
“Then… how many Netherworld Flowers do you need?” he asked.
“How many?” Elder Wei Tu blinked, stunned by the casual phrasing.
“…One is enough.”
“Mm.”
With that settled, Elder Wei Tu sent another message.
“Ming’er, I’ll return soon. Tell me about your parents.”
Only now did he turn to that matter.
Wei Houming fell silent.
Then, quietly—
“Master… I regret it. I always thought we were separated by the calamity. But now I know…” His voice tightened. “They abandoned me.”
“What?!”
Elder Wei Tu shot to his feet, fury blazing.
What kind of parents—?
Even beasts protected their young.
“Keep them there. I’m coming back right now—”
“I haven’t met them.”
“…What?”
Wei Houming explained everything, omitting only the source of his knowledge.
Elder Wei Tu frowned. “Uncle Zixiao told you this?”
“…Yes.”
(Somewhere nearby, Gu Buqi endured the blame in silence.)
“Then it must be true.” Elder Wei Tu’s voice turned cold. “Wait for me. I’ll get justice for you.”
“No.” Wei Houming’s expression hardened. “I don’t want to see them.”
“You must.”
The refusal came instantly.
“If you don’t face them, this knot will stay in your heart forever. Even if you’re cured, you’ll never move forward.”
Wei Houming faltered.
He knew his master was right.
But, before he could decide—
A faint voice drifted through the room.
[There seems to be a sound around that corner?]
Lou Yuqing’s thought landed lightly—
Yet in that moment, it shattered the fragile calm.