"Master, I wish to go to Lingzhou."
Chu Lingwei knelt before Bei Chenfeng to request. She had made up her mind. No matter how angry her Master was, she would go to Lingzhou.
"Do you know how dangerous this journey will be?" Bei Chenfeng had anticipated that his little disciple would want to leave again.
"Disciple knows. My father and relatives are all in Lingzhou. I wish to advance and retreat with them." Chu Lingwei's expression was resolute. Cultivating spiritual energy required cultivating the heart. If she hid within the Spiritual Cultivation Academy, her future path of spiritual cultivation would be plagued by inner demons.
Bei Chenfeng sighed. The survival of the Phoenix Clan was not something the Spiritual Cultivation Academy could interfere with.
He represented the Spiritual Cultivation Academy. If he intervened, he would place thousands of disciples of the Spiritual Cultivation Academy in danger. He waved his hand, "Go."
"Thank you, Master, for your consent."
Chu Lingwei rejoiced and bowed solemnly to Bei Chenfeng. She knew that this departure meant she might not return for an unknown period. Bei Chenfeng had recognized her potential and shown her kindness in teaching and care. In the Xuan Tian Continent, the person Chu Lingwei respected most was her Master.
After three kowtows, Chu Lingwei stood up and left her Master's cave dwelling.
Stepping onto her spiritual sword, she looked down upon the entire Wuhui Mountain. This place had long since become Chu Lingwei's home. Leaving now inevitably brought a pang of sadness to her heart.
Bei Chenfeng watched his little disciple depart, standing atop the clouds, and sighed softly.
"This is her destiny," Ancestor Chonghua appeared.
"Let's hope she is that variable," Bei Chenfeng's eyes were as ephemeral as the wind, gazing at the clouds on the horizon. If no variable appeared in the Xuan Tian Continent, a catastrophe would befall it.
As Chu Lingwei returned to her cave dwelling, her second senior brother was already waiting outside.
"Little Junior Sister, are you leaving?" Nangong Luo seemed to have guessed it already. Dressed in red and holding a snow-white folding fan, his clothes fluttered in the wind.
"Yes, I will be leaving for a while." Chu Lingwei nodded. Her second senior brother must have already guessed that she would be going to Lingzhou again.
"Take care." Nangong Luo reached out and patted Chu Lingwei's head. "Your second senior brother is here, waiting for your return."
Hearing this, Chu Lingwei's nose tingled, and she managed a smile. "Okay."
Returning to her cave dwelling, Chu Lingwei did not linger. She sent a sound transmission talisman to her senior brother, and then, with Feng Ming and the Illusory Cat, prepared to leave the Spiritual Cultivation Academy.
"Wei Wei, are you leaving?" Leng Xingzhi flew towards Chu Lingwei on his sword, a smile in his eyes. "Aren't you going to bid farewell to your senior brother?"
"Didn't I send you a sound transmission talisman?" Chu Lingwei did not want to bid farewell in person, fearing he might be dragged into the conflict between the Phoenix Clan and those powerful figures.
"I have already informed Master, and I will accompany you to Lingzhou." Leng Xingzhi stepped onto Chu Lingwei's flying artifact, standing beside her. "I will go with you."
"Senior Brother."
Chu Lingwei's heart warmed. Her senior brother accompanying her to Lingzhou was a clear signal to everyone that the Leng family stood with the Phoenix Clan.
Her senior brother was currently the young master of the Leng family. Although he was in charge, she knew the Leng family was vast and prosperous, and some had long coveted its wealth.
"Wei Wei, it's more important that we get to Lingzhou first." Leng Xingzhi interrupted Chu Lingwei's unspoken thoughts and drove the flying artifact towards the outside of the Spiritual Cultivation Academy.
"Senior Brother, are you really going to Lingzhou with me?" A trace of sweetness overflowed in Chu Lingwei's heart. This feeling of being cherished made her heart begin to pound.
"Yes, you are my little junior sister. Of course, I must protect you." The doting in Leng Xingzhi's eyes turned into a gentle breeze, enveloping Chu Lingwei tightly.
Wuhui Mountain.
"They left together."
Bei Chenfeng stood beside Ancestor Chonghua, gazing in the direction of Lingzhou. His voice was almost imperceptible, a sigh, yet it also seemed to imply inevitability.
"Indeed, he cannot overcome the trial of love," Ancestor Chonghua stroked his white beard, a smile in his eyes. "Perhaps the variable will appear soon."
Bei Chenfeng turned his head. The scenery of Wuhui Mountain remained the same, yet felt different.
Perhaps, the Xuan Tian Continent would indeed see a change.
Five days later.
Leng Xingzhi received a secret letter from the Leng family and settled Chu Lingwei in a small town they passed, asking her to wait for him for two days.
If he did not return, Chu Lingwei could proceed to Lingzhou, and he would follow.
Chu Lingwei sat in the most exclusive private room of the Leng family's wine house, looking at the autumn scenery outside. "Winter is coming soon."
"Wei Wei, do you dislike winter?" A cute little girl, about four or five years old, took Chu Lingwei's hand, her eyes filled with confusion. She sensed that Wei Wei seemed a little unhappy.
"Winter is very cold." Chu Lingwei thought of the Phoenix Clan. Hadn't they been in perpetual winter year after year, never seeing the spring?
"But we are all cultivators. We are not afraid of the winter's cold."
The chill of winter did not affect cultivators at all. Feng Ming pouted, her eyes filled with doubt. Wei Wei wasn't even afraid of a place like the Ice Extreme Cliff, so why would she be afraid of ordinary winter?
Chu Lingwei chuckled, pinching Feng Ming's little face. Ever since Feng Ming had taken human form, she most enjoyed cultivating in human guise. "You'll understand when you grow up."
"I've already grown up." Feng Ming pouted. Although she looked only four or five years old, her cultivation had reached the Sky-Reaching Realm, making her a powerful cultivator.
"Alright, you two help me guard here. I'm going in to see Mother." Chu Lingwei instructed Feng Ming and the Illusory Cat to guard the room and to notify her immediately if anyone approached.
The Illusory Cat once again set up a barrier to isolate the room and kept a vigilant watch on the surroundings.
"Wei Wei, you're here."
Lan Yuexi sensed her daughter entering the space and immediately came forward, taking her hand. "Wei Wei, Mother feels that the Xiushui poison in my body has lessened considerably."
"That's good. With time, I believe Mother will fully recover."
The rapid elimination of a large portion of the Xiushui poison from her mother and the Phoenix Clan cultivators was thanks to Grandpa Yu and Uncle Li Chen. They had developed many detoxification pills, which were finally showing results.
"Not only that, Mother's cultivation has also greatly improved." Lan Yuexi's eyes were filled with excitement. During the detoxification process, her cultivation had rapidly increased, all thanks to the pills and spiritual medicines Wei Wei had provided them.
"Congratulations, Mother."
Chu Lingwei produced another storage bag and placed it in Lan Yuexi's hand. "Mother, these are pills refined by my second senior brother. They can help you improve your cultivation."
"Wei Wei, we can cultivate slowly ourselves. We don't need so many pills." Lan Yuexi frowned upon seeing her daughter giving her so many pills again.
The pills her daughter gave her were not ordinary. It made her worry about her daughter. Where did these pills come from?
"Wei Wei, are these pills..." Lan Yuexi was somewhat suspicious. "Did your senior brother give them to you?"
Although her daughter was Bei Chenfeng's disciple, she could not possibly provide them with so many pills.