The Weight of Blood Debts

Daoist Mu Xiao left for Anchan City that very same day. Before departing, he took Ji Ning aside and gave him a private admonition: "Ji Ning, your talent is extraordinary, and you are destined to tread the path of immortality. A cultivator's life is long indeed, but unless your family and friends also choose to cultivate, you will be forced to watch them age and die, one by one. This too can be considered a tempering of the Dao-heart. Since you have chosen the path of cultivation… you must prepare yourself for this. No matter how great the grief, you must find a way to transcend it. Otherwise, even the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations will claim your life in the end."

…

After Daoist Mu Xiao had departed, Ji Jiuhuo immediately headed towards the massive mountain where Beisheng had been lurking earlier. After all, there were still treasures like the Flood Dragon Dao-Soldier Armor to be recovered.

Ji Ning, however, went alone to Winged Serpent Lake.

"There is still hope. My mother can still live." Ji Ning sprinted through the desolate wilderness, occasionally using the Windwing Evasion technique to increase his speed. He was far swifter than a Blackjaguar mount. After consuming most of his divine power, he arrived at Winged Serpent Lake in a single hour.

"That ancient aquatic palace had several masters in the past. Celestial Immortal Juhua was its third master. Of all its past owners, Juhua alone was a Loose Immortal who had lived for millions of years. He must have possessed many pills, and among them there might be one capable of extending a mortal's lifespan." Ji Ning walked across the water's surface and stepped onto the central island.

"Master!"

"We pay our respects to the young master."

Many people were already on the island, constructing a manor. Qiuye and the young child Qingshi were also there. Seeing Ji Ning walking across the water towards them, they hurried forward to greet him.

"I have matters to attend to. All of you, withdraw," Ji Ning instructed. He turned into a blur of motion as he vanished from their sight, leaving Qiuye and the servants puzzled and confused.

He quickly arrived at the entrance to the monster's lair and delved deep into the tunnels. In a short time, he reached the location where he had been teleported from last time.

"Senior!" Ji Ning called out urgently. "Please allow me entry into the palace! I have a matter of life and death!"

The dark tunnels were silent, with no response at all. Ji Ning's anxiety grew. That black ox had said… once he refined the token talisman, he would be able to enter. But right now he was merely at the early Xiantian stage. How long would it take to reach the Zifu Disciple stage? His mother had only three months left! He had no other choice; he could only beg.

"Senior! I truly face a matter of life and death! I beg you, let me enter!" Ji Ning pleaded desperately.

Silence.

Hua~

The space around him suddenly twisted. A massive, illusory head of a black bear emerged in the cavern before him. The bear's mouth opened wide, and in a single gulp, it swallowed Ji Ning, who vanished from the tunnel.

Space twisted, and then everything was calm once more.

Ji Ning looked at his surroundings. Before him was the same majestic, ancient hall, filled with enormous prayer mats. A black ox walked over, letting out a sigh. "Ji Ning, didn't I tell you before? Once you refine the token talisman, you will naturally be able to sense the aquatic palace and enter it whenever you wish. You are still only at the Xiantian stage. Why have you returned?"

"Senior." Ji Ning hurriedly spoke. "My mother is critically ill. I have exhausted all other options, so I have come here to beg for your help."

"Your mother is critically ill?" The black ox shook his head. "Since you have set foot on the path of immortality, you must be prepared for such things."

Ji Ning shook his head. "Senior, my mother is still young. She should not die so early! I previously invited a Wanxiang Adept to examine her… that Wanxiang Adept said that in the past, my mother used a forbidden technique which consumed her life force to save me. Now, her life force is almost completely exhausted, and she has only three months left. To save my mother, I need a pill that can extend a mortal's lifespan. That Wanxiang Adept had only ever heard of such a pill. I fear only Immortals possess them. I had no other recourse, so I came to this aquatic palace."

"A pill to extend a mortal's lifespan?" The black ox sighed. "Those can already be called 'immortal pills.' Even a Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal would need to be fairly formidable to produce them."

"Cenestial Immortal Juhua was no ordinary Loose Immortal. He must have had such a pill, right?" Ji Ning pressed on.

The black ox looked at Ji Ning and shook his head. "Celestial Immortal Juhua lived for millions of years. His family and friends had long since died. He had no need for such pills, so he did not possess them."

Ji Ning's heart trembled.

"Then…" Ji Ning said quickly, "Celestial Immortal Juhua must have left behind many magic treasures. If I could take one treasure of equivalent value to exchange for the pill—"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ji Ning knew he had made a mistake.

His desperate desire to keep his mother alive had shattered his composure, causing him to lose all sense of propriety in his speech.

"Foolish!" The black ox bellowed. "You just said yourself that even that Wanxiang Adept had only heard tales of such an immortal pill. Who do you plan to exchange it with? A mere Xiantian lifeform carrying a treasure like that—the moment you reveal it, those powerful cultivators will simply kill you and take it for themselves. Exchange? On what authority would you dare to negotiate such an exchange?"

"Furthermore! You haven't even refined the token talisman. You can only stay in this main hall of the aquatic palace and cannot go anywhere else. On what basis do you expect me to fetch one of Celestial Immortal Juhua's treasures for you?" The black ox shook his head. "Nor is this something I have the authority to decide."

"You don't have the authority?" Ji Ning was stunned. "Then…"

The black ox sighed. "I am merely the artifact spirit of one of Celestial Immortal Juhua's personal magic treasures! The one who truly controls this entire aquatic palace is the Palace Spirit!"

"Palace Spirit?" Ji Ning was puzzled.

The black ox said, "This aquatic palace was forged by its first master. It is deeply mysterious. Even Celestial Immortal Juhua felt that this palace held secrets he had never uncovered. The Palace Spirit… has always strictly adhered to the rules set down by the first master, without the slightest deviation."

"It can teleport outsiders in. It can allow you to enter the main hall. But to allow you to go to other parts of the aquatic palace? Without having refined the palace itself, that is absolutely impossible." The black ox said, "It also cannot take out one of Celestial Immortal Juhua's treasures to give to you. It is, after all, the Palace Spirit, and it obeys the commands of the first master without question."

Ji Ning was dumbstruck.

"Even if the fourth master died outside, the palace would simply search for the next master," the black ox said, shaking his head. "We artifact spirits are not like you humans. You can bend the rules. We, however, absolutely obey the will of our master."

Ji Ning understood. Magic treasures were inscribed with countless runic seals and restrictions. Puppets that were refined—even long after their master's death—must obey the master's orders. The same held true for residence-type magic treasures. After the owner of a residence died, the rules they set down would be absolutely obeyed by the structure's spirit.

Understanding this, Ji Ning felt a deep, suffocating despair rising from the core of his being.

The black ox looked at Ji Ning. "On the path of cultivation, you will watch your family grow old and die. You will watch your friends and comrades fall in battle… All of this, you must learn to endure. Go!"

Hua!

A phantom of a enormous bear head appeared and swallowed Ji Ning in a single gulp.

…

Ji Ning returned to the Western Prefecture city and went back to his mother's side. It was already dark.

"Ning'er." Yuchi Snow, who was lying in a chair, saw her son, and her eyes lit up. "Where did you go? I couldn't find you earlier."

"Mother." Ji Ning quickly stepped forward and knelt beside his mother's chair, taking her hand. "I had to go out for a bit, but I won't go again. I'll stay with you. I'll always be with you."

Yuchi Snow gently stroked her son's hair and smiled. "It's fine. If you have things to do, go ahead. Just remember to come see your mother."

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded gently, forcing himself not to cry.

All he could do was stay by his mother's side for these final three months. It was the greatest filial piety he could offer.

…

Night.

His mother had already fallen asleep. Ji Yichuan and Ji Ning, father and son, sat together in the main hall.

"Father," Ji Ning said, looking at him. "It's time you told me. What really happened back then?"

Ji Yichuan looked at his son. He recalled Meng Yu and the others describing Ji Ning's actions in that massive mountain. He understood that his son had grown up. He let out a sigh and said, "Your mother was pregnant with you back then. Your mother and I decided to return to the Ji Clan. Your maternal uncle was uneasy about the journey and insisted on escorting us."

"Uncle?" Ji Ning had never heard of having a maternal uncle.

"Your uncle's name was Yuchi Shan." A look of remembrance appeared in Ji Yichuan's eyes. "Your uncle was exceptionally intelligent. He knew how to get along with people and had many friends. He had already become a Zifu Disciple at a young age. If it weren't for having to escort your mother and me… I believe your uncle might have had the chance to restore the Yuchi Clan. But alas… your uncle died. He died to save our entire family, the three of us. The lives of your mother, myself, and you—all were bought with your uncle's life! This debt of gratitude… is impossible to repay."

Ji Ning felt a heavy weight settle within him.

Uncle! Yuchi Shan!

A name he had never heard before was now seared into the depths of his heart.

"I only know that your uncle had a daughter, your cousin. Sadly, I don't know where she is now," Ji Yichuan said with a shake of his head and a sigh. "There's no way to repay him. No way."

"What exactly happened back then? Who killed my uncle and left my mother with this hidden injury?" Ji Ning pressed urgently. "Who was it?"