Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure

Chapter 212: Rare is a Lifetime of Laughter; Drunk Must We Be When Friends Meet

Eastern Wasteland. Sacred Heart City.

Located 8,000 li from the Azure Mystic Sacred Land, this city was not always known by this name. It was renamed 300 years ago, inspired by a famous line of poetry: “A Sacred Heart as enduring as the heavens.”

Once an insignificant town, Sacred Heart City had blossomed into a metropolis of extreme prosperity over the centuries.

The reason was simple: this was the ancestral home of the Xu Clan.

The ancestral home of the Azure Mystic Divine Physician, Xu Wanqing.

500 years ago, after the Tantai Clan vanished into history, Xu Wanqing inherited the mantle of the “Divine Physician.” She traveled the world, practicing medicine and building a monumental reputation that echoed throughout the Eastern Wasteland. She was known for her benevolence, her miraculous cures, and her refusal to accept payment.

Many who received her grace, unable to repay her directly, turned their gratitude toward her roots. They flocked to Sacred Heart City to support the Xu Clan.

Even though Xu Wanqing had left home at a young age and maintained little contact with her mortal kin, the influence of her name was enough. With the backing of various powerhouses, the Xu Clan rose to become a wealthy and influential dynasty. Later, Xu Wanqing even passed down some medical techniques to them, cementing their status as the unrivaled overlords of the city.

Though rumors often circulated about the Xu Clan bullying men, seizing women, and tyrannizing the markets, no one dared to pursue the matter too deeply.

As long as the Divine Physician existed, the Xu Clan would remain untouchable.

Until today.

On this day, the people of Sacred Heart City witnessed a bizarre and terrifying phenomenon.

Every single member of the Xu Clan—regardless of where they were or what they were doing—was simultaneously struck by a crimson thread descending from the high heavens.

These threads appeared mysteriously and vanished just as quickly.

But in the wake of the threads, the members of the Xu Clan collapsed. One by one, they fell to the ground, weeping bitterly, wailing in agony, and screaming as if being torn apart!

Panic ensued. Physicians were summoned immediately.

Yet, without exception, every healer who examined the Xu Clan members left with a furrowed brow and a shaken spirit.

“Their bodies… they seem to be infused with an incomprehensible power. A power capable of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh and bone,” one physician muttered, trembling.

“But paradoxically, they are suffering the torture of Shattered Stars and Riven Souls. Every time their bodies are torn apart by the pain, that mysterious power heals them instantly, only for them to be shattered again.”

“We are powerless. You must send someone to Azure Mystic to beg Divine Physician Xu to return.”

For several days, the torture continued without a moment’s respite. Some Xu Clan members, unable to endure the infinite loop of agony, hanged themselves to escape.

The city was in an uproar. Rumors spread like wildfire, causing panic among the elite.

However, the reactions of the populace were starkly divided.

The wealthy and powerful families sat on pins and needles, terrified that the calamity might spread. They publicly distanced themselves while swearing performative oaths to help the “poor Xu Clan.”

But in the shadows, among the common people, there were tears of joy.

“Retribution! Their retribution has finally come!”

“A hypocritical clan like the Xu deserves to die! They deserve to die!”

“Little sister, are you watching from the heavens? This evil family is finally suffering the wrath of the gods!”

“The Xu Clan are demons. They deserve every bit of it!”

…

While the Xu Clan’s ancestral home was plunged into a living hell of karmic backlash, a very different scene was unfolding far away.

Cloud Firmament City. Listening-to-Rain Pavilion.

In the main hall, Gu Xiu sat composedly in the host’s seat. His gaze was gentle as he accepted a cup of tea from the small girl kneeling respectfully before him.

He took a sip, placed the cup down, and spoke softly.

“Rise.”

Little Ping’an scrambled to her feet. Gu Xiu reached out and handed her a writing brush.

As she took it with both hands, Gu Xiu said, “Since you have paid respects to me as your teacher, I shall teach you to read, to write, and to understand the world. This is the ‘Tranquil Heart Enlightenment Brush.’ I give it to you in the hope that you will walk a steady path, step by step, without reaching beyond your grasp or forgetting your roots.”

Ping’an looked at the brush, then at Gu Xiu, her large eyes filled with innocent confusion.

It was only when Xiao He, standing nearby, nudged her and whispered a reminder that the little girl reacted. She hurriedly knelt again and bowed, her voice small and timid.

“Thank you… Teacher!”

“Up you get. From now on, you will live here. Your Sister Xiao He will look after you,” Gu Xiu said with a faint smile.

Ping’an nodded repeatedly, though her eyes still held a trace of dreamlike daze.

For a child of three, the last few days had been an earth-shattering upheaval. She had left the cage she was born in. Her mother was gone. Her ancestor was now a spirit in the jade pendant hanging around her neck. She had stepped into the “outside world” her mother had whispered about.

It was strange. It was frightening.

But fortunately… it was also incredibly gentle.

Just like now.

The moment the ceremony concluded, Lu Dongshan, who had been watching eagerly from the sidelines, practically jumped forward. He pulled out a shimmering, multi-colored vest and draped it over Ping’an.

“Little Ping’an, remember to call me Uncle Lu! This is the ‘Seven-Colored Treasure Vest.’ Wear this, and knives, spears, fire, and water won’t be able to touch you. If anyone bullies you, just tell Uncle Lu, and I’ll beat them into a pulp for you!”

“Senior Lu, you worry too much. Who could bear to bully such a cute child?” Wan Xiaobei laughed, stepping forward.

Despite her words, she stuffed a small, intricate bell into Ping’an’s hand. “I’m your Auntie Xiaobei. This is the ‘Phoenix Feather Bell.’ There’s a super, super powerful White Phoenix living inside! It can be your mount when you grow up, and it will protect you from bad guys.”

Although Gu Xiu had accepted her as a student rather than a formal disciple, his friends had rushed over to witness the occasion.

After the first two presented their gifts, Sang Shoudao—rarely seen without his massive longbow—stepped up with a chuckle. He handed over a small, embroidered sachet.

“Little Ping’an, you have to call me Grandpa Sang. I stitched this sachet myself. Wear it, and you’ll always sleep soundly and have sweet dreams.”

Once the humans finished, a black shadow flashed through the room.

Squeak, squeak!

It was Haiqi, the black monkey. It chattered excitedly in a language few could understand, then flipped its paw to reveal a meticulously crafted puppet doll shaped like a monkey. It looked like a toy, but the complex formation patterns and the indestructible material revealed it to be a powerful defensive artifact.

Next came the Carefree Jade Pendant and the Immortal-Crossing Sword.

The Jade presented a rattle drum. The Sword presented a small wooden toy sword. Both were magical artifacts Gu Xiu had helped select, disguised as toys but possessing potent protective abilities.

But the grand finale belonged to the Star Shattering Forging Platform.

The massive anvil seemed on the verge of gaining full sentience. It manifested a pair of stout legs and a large mouth, shouting boisterously, “Little Ping’an! The things they gave you are too simple. What Uncle Sui gives you will definitely be your favorite!”

As he spoke, the Star Shattering Forging Platform flipped its manifested hand and produced a gigantic tanghulu (candied hawthorn stick).

But upon closer inspection, these were no hawthorns.

They were high-grade Spirit Pills, coated in sugar and skewered on a stick.

In the blink of an eye, the formerly frail and ragged Ping’an was armed to the teeth with treasures that would make Cultivators weep with envy.

Though only three years old, Ping’an was sensible and polite. She thanked every elder seriously, addressing them by the titles they requested, which provoked rounds of warm laughter from the group.

However, she was still a child. Encouraged by the little monkey and the four artifact spirits, she soon scampered into the courtyard to play with her new treasures.

Before long, the sound of her innocent laughter drifted back into the hall.

Hearing that sound, Gu Xiu finally let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

When that tiny, solitary figure walked out of the cage, Gu Xiu had decided not to wait for Xu Wanqing at Awakening Spirit Valley. Instead, he took Ping’an and the spirits straight back to Cloud Firmament City.

She was a child who had known nothing but bitterness for three years. He wanted her to see the sunlight.

The pains of the past are hard to soothe, but may she face the wind with a smile for the rest of her life.

By taking her as a student, he didn’t intend to control her destiny. He simply hoped that her future would be true to her name—Ping’an. Peaceful and safe.

A life completely unrelated to Tantai Shi.

Accepting a student was a joyous occasion, so Gu Xiu set up a banquet in the Listening-to-Rain Pavilion. He invited his close friends to sit around a table and share fine wine.

Rare are the laughs in a lifetime; drunk we must be when we meet.

The banquet was a joyous affair, with both host and guests indulging to their hearts’ content.

Only after sending everyone off and ensuring Ping’an was sleeping soundly did Gu Xiu return to his own backyard.

He was slightly intoxicated tonight.

For a cultivator of his level, mortal wine could not truly intoxicate him unless he allowed it. A single thought could have burned away the alcohol and restored his clarity. But Gu Xiu chose not to. He held onto that rare, hazy warmth.

Leaning back in his chair, he casually tossed out a few talismans to activate the privacy formation.

Then, he took out the Green Bamboo Rod.

In the mortal world, it is a rare blessing to be muddled.

Today, he would borrow this drunkenness and fish with a pleasantly clouded mind.