Chapter 24: Leaving The Mountain

After observing the new disciple with the shijie, Kong Hou found Wang Tong and spoke about how she wanted to leave the mountain for a while.

"You want to leave the mountain?" Wang Tong was silent for a while and frowned. "Someone in the sect bullied you?" 

"Master," Kong Hou said helplessly, "no one bullied me. My cultivation has stagnated recently. I want to go down the mountain. For these years, I have not known what the outside world is really like. The first time I truly interacted with the outside was the year I was ten, and Master took me back to Lingyou World. That night was so beautiful I thought it was a dream.

"Master, I want to go out and see." Kong Hou pulled Wang Tong's sleeve, shaking it. "Please agree."

"You are a sixteen-year-old girl. Do not pout to your master." Wang Tong turned his head. "Mention this tomorrow; this master has to consider it." Finishing, he pulled away his sleeve and strode away.

 "Is this agreement or not?" Kong Hou propped her face on her hands and sighed. Turning back, she saw that Wang Tong's cave residence was empty. She went out and put two branches of plum flowers on the table before returning to her own cave residence.

"Wang Tong, what are you thinking?!" Qing Yuan glared at Wang Tong who was in his cave residence and did not leave. He said impatiently, "I do not welcome you here."

"You think I want to be here?" Wang Tong rolled his eyes. He picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. Then he took a sip and said disdainfully, "What taste you have—you've been drinking this for centuries and have not changed."

"If you dislike my taste, you do not have to drink it." Qing Yuan wanted to kick Wang Tong out. "Just say what you want."

"Remember seven hundred years ago, when you left the mountain to gain experience, you borrowed one hundred spirit stones from me?" Wang Tong put down his teacup. "So many years have passed—should you not repay me?"

"You still remember events from seven hundred years ago?" Qing Yuan looked with disbelief at Wang Tong. "Why don't you speak of how you bummed food and drink from me outside the sect in the past?!"

"They are not the same." Wang Tong brushed his beard. "We have to keep our accounts separate."

"Take it, take it." Qing Yuan threw a bag of spirit stones in front of Wang Tong. "Principal and interest, take it!"

Wang Tong wasn't angry. He picked up the bag of spirit stones. Humming a song he had learned from the mortal world, he slowly walked away. Qing Yuan gritted his teeth in anger behind him, and almost cursed.

If he had known that this bastard was so low, he should not have been so generous in throwing out five hundred spirit stones!

After visiting Daybreak Cloud Peak, Wang Tong went to Noon Sun Peak, Midnight Peak and Setting Sun Peak. He got a sum of spirit stones from each of his shidi and then went to the main peak. Since the shidi had no spirit stones, it was natural to go find his shixiong.

Heng Yan had been reading. Hearing Wu Chuan say that Wang Tong wanted to see him, he felt a headache. If these shidi came to see him without a reason, it would not be anything good. "Let him in."

"Shixiong." Wang Tong came in with a bitter expression and bowed deeply to Heng Yan. "I…"

"Speak, how much do you want?" Heng Yan threw the book onto the table and rubbed his temples. "Don't wail, I have a headache."

 "Shixiong, your words…" Wang Tong raised one finger.

"One hundred?"

Wang Tong shook his head. "One thousand."

"What did you damage this time?" Heng Yan's brow furrowed. "You want this much?"

"I haven't left the sect these years—where would I have damaged something?" Wang Tong sat down cross-legged in front of Heng Yan. "My little apprentice wants to go out and gain experience. While I am reluctant, the child has grown and should go roam. If I raise her to the point she does not know hardship, it would be my fault."

He sighed, his voice full of reluctance. "But she is so young, and she doesn't have any defensive seals and talismans. I'm worried. Fortunately, I have accumulated many defensive talismans in these years that she can take. But outside, everyone lacks for spirit stones to spend." When speaking of this, he smiled fawningly at Heng Yan. "Shixiong, you know that I am one who cannot save spirit stones, so I can only come to you and ask for spirit stones."

"The only part of your entire life that is worthy is how you teach your apprentices." Heng Yan raised his chin at Wu Chuan. "Wu Chuan, get two thousand spirit stones for your Wang Tong *Shishu."

 "Shixiong, you are generous. I thank you for my young apprentice." Wang Tong rubbed his hands. "If you have some seals and talismans you do not need, you can give them to my young apprentice as well."

Heng Yan looked at him for a moment and took out a storage bag from his sleeve to give to Wang Tong. "Take it, take it, have Kong Hou be safe outside. Our Splendid Cloud Sect is kind, but what is most important is to know one's strength. No matter what situation, she should only act after making sure she is safe."

"I will warn her." Wang Tong quickly put the storage bag in his own sleeve before saying, "That girl is smart, but just innocent. It is good for her to gain experience."

"It's good you can think this." Heng Yan nodded. "If you forced her to stay on the mountain, that would be harming her."

Wang Tong smiled and didn't speak. All three apprentices were like children to him. As a father, he hoped that his children would be outstanding, but also hoped they would have peaceful lives, even if they were not accomplished. But no matter how reluctant he was, when the children grew up, he could only let go and let them choose the road they wanted to walk.

 Master had treated him like this back then, and he would treat his apprentices the same.

The next morning, Kong Hou looked at the spirit stones and storage bag on her table. After reading the letter on the table, she smiled with red eyes. What "too lazy to send her off?" He clearly did not want her to leave, so he would not appear. Folding the letter carefully and putting it in her robe, Kong Hou put everything on the table into her storage ring. She stood and walked out of the cave residence.

"Shimei." Cheng Yi who had been waiting for Kong Hou outside saw Kong Hou walk out and smiled at her. "You are going out today?"

Kong Hou nodded. She looked down, afraid to look at Cheng Yi. "If Second Shixiong comes out of seclusion before I come back, tell him I went out to gain experience. Maybe when I return, I will be going for Core Formation."

"So confident?" Cheng Yi laughed softly and gave his already prepared storage bag to Kong Hou. "Go early and come back soon. Remember that your master and shixiong are waiting in the sect for you."

"Thank you, Shixiong." Kong Hou took the storage bag and hugged Cheng Yi. "Eldest Shixiong, wait for me to return." Releasing Cheng Yi, she flew down the mountain without looking back. She was afraid that if she looked back, she wouldn't bear to leave.

After being treasured by her master and shixiong for six years, Kong Hou felt she had to work hard and be more successful to pay them back. Because they thought her important, they treasured her; because they treasured her, she had to work hard.

"The training grounds here are where you will exercise and practice. Two days from now, you will be studying here every other day…" A clear bell sounded. The supervisor stopped taking and bowed towards the entrance of the sect.

"Supervisor, what does this mean?" the heavyset youth who had put on the robes of Splendid Cloud Sect's outer disciples asked. "Why did the bell suddenly sound?"

"This is to send off disciples on their journey." The supervisor had a grave expression as he turned and said to the disciples, "When you reach Base Building, you will all leave the sect and gain experience. But if you want to get to Base Building, you have to work hard now, understand?"

"Disciple understands."

Kong Hou went down the mountain. When she passed the bookstore, she hesitated and walked in. The bookstore owner saw her and said with a smile, "Honored Transcendent, you came at the perfect time. This shop just received Talented Author's new book—do you want it?"

 "Yes." Kong Hou nodded and gave the bookstore owner the spirit stones. "I will be travelling for a while. If Talented Author's new books come out in this period of time, keep them for me. I will take them from you when I return."

 "Honored Transcendent, do not worry. I will keep them for you," the bookstore owner responded. Other than this honored transcendent, no one else asked about this author's books.

"Owner, this place has Talented Author's books?" A deep male voice sounded.

The bookstore owner looked back and saw a man standing against the light of the doorway. His hair was in a topknot, his white brocade robes clean and untouched. His hand covered his mouth as he coughed, his complexion sickly.