Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure

Chapter 235: This is a Heaven-Shattering Immortal Fate!

“Was it you lot knocking just now?” Little Ping’an asked, tilting her head. She looked at the three adults with a gaze full of wide-eyed curiosity.

“Indeed!” Yin Wenshu was the first to speak. “I am Yin Wenshu, and this is Gang Leader Yu Sihai. We have come to offer our sincerest apologies for our previous transgressions. We hope the Little Immortal Maiden will find it in her heart to relay our message.”

Though she was but a three-year-old child, Yin Wenshu dared not treat her with the slightest negligence. He kept his posture low and humble. Beside him, Yu Sihai—a man who usually stood at the apex of Cloud Firmament City’s power—wore a beam of smiles so thick it was almost sycophantic.

“Apologies?” Little Ping’an seemed puzzled. She turned her clear eyes toward the disguised Qin Meran. “Are you here to apologize, too?”

“Not quite,” Ning Yuan replied with a gentle smile. “I am Ning Yuan. I have come simply to pay my respects to the master of this residence, hoping to make a formal acquaintance.”

“Oh, I see…” Little Ping’an nodded solemnly, then suddenly held out her small, open palms.

The three adults froze. They stared at her hands, completely bewildered.

“A visit requires a meeting gift,” Ping’an explained matter-of-factly. “And an apology requires a compensation gift. You didn’t come empty-handed, did you?”

The trio blinked. Her logic was sound, but her delivery… wasn’t a three-year-old supposed to be a bit more subtle about asking for bribes?

“Haha! Of course, we have prepared gifts for our visit,” Yu Sihai was the first to recover. He moved with practiced speed, producing a Storage Ring and pressing it into the girl’s small hand.

When dealing with experts, the greatest fear wasn’t them accepting a gift—it was them refusing it.

Ning Yuan was close behind, handing over her own Storage Ring. “Inside is my handwritten visiting card. Please, Little Immortal Maiden, make sure it reaches your elders.”

To their shock, the moment Little Ping’an felt the weight of the rings, she nodded and said, “Alright, you can go back now.”

The trio stared at her.

“The Uncles and Grandpas aren’t home,” she added helpfully. “Sister Xiaohe went to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. I’m the only one here today. I’ll tell them you stopped by when they get back.”

The silence in the alley was deafening. They aren’t even home? Then why did you take the rings so quickly? Even the greediest bandits have better manners than this!

“Little Immortal Maiden,” Qin Meran spoke up, trying to keep her ‘Ning Yuan’ persona steady. “Would it be possible for us to sit inside for a moment while we wait for the elders to return?”

The gift was a secondary concern. She needed to get inside that gate to confirm if this truly was the seat of the Ink Chill Tower.

“Brother Ning, it seems your training in the way of propriety is lacking,” Yin Wenshu interjected, shaking his head. “To respect is to follow the rites. Since the master is absent, a guest should know their place and wait patiently. To presume to make oneself at home is… well, improper.”

He gave Ning Yuan a pointed look, then turned to Ping’an with a saintly smile. “Little Immortal Maiden, we shall wait here by the gate. We only ask for your favor in relaying our message later.”

Yin Wenshu stood to the side, hands clasped respectfully. He was convinced this was an Immortal’s dwelling. After his previous ‘Night Illuminating Nail’ blunder, he was determined to show the most impeccable manners possible to earn the Immortal’s favor.

Qin Meran realized she had been a bit too eager. She adjusted her scholarly robes and bowed deeply to Yin Wenshu. “Thank you for the correction, Brother Yin. I was indeed too impatient to glimpse the master’s esteemed face. I nearly committed a grave discourtesy. Little Immortal Maiden, I shall wait here with Brother Yin and listen to his wisdom, so I do not repeat my error.”

It was a sharp exchange of verbal barbs, both sensing that the other was a formidable rival.

“It’s boring standing out there,” Ping’an interrupted their posturing. “I’ll let you in.”

“Is that… truly alright?” they asked in unison. Their hesitation was mere theater; the chance to investigate the interior was exactly what they wanted.

“Of course,” Ping’an nodded. “Uncle Sui says that visitors are guests, and we shouldn’t neglect them. If you want a cup of tea, it’s no problem.”

“Then we shall trouble you, Little Immortal Maiden.”

“It’s no trouble. But don’t call it ‘trouble’—just pay the tea money.”

The scholars nearly tripped over their own feet. Is this child possessed by a money-grubber? Still, they followed her through the gate of the Listening-to-Rain Pavilion. It was not a sprawling mansion, consisting only of a front and rear courtyard, but the moment they crossed the threshold, all three of them simultaneously sucked in a breath of freezing air.

What in the heavens…

“That’s Dragonhead Grass! A supreme treasure! Why is it growing by the path like a common weed?”

“White Dew Flowers, Dreamweaver Grass, Jade Splendor Leaves… every single plant here is a rarity that would drive the outside world into a frenzy!”

“Even the stones on the garden path are spirit-infused!”

Whether it was a Peak Master of a Sacred Land like Qin Meran or a gang lord like Yu Sihai, they were people of vast experience. Yet the sights in this courtyard left them reeling. The flower beds were packed with divine medicines that were clearly thousands of years old. Such things couldn’t be bought with mere Spirit Stones; they required centuries of careful nurturing. Here, they were scattered about with the casualness of a vegetable patch.

“Truly an Immortal’s abode,” Yin Wenshu whispered.

“Does the Ink Chill Tower really have this much wealth?” Qin Meran wondered.

They had no idea that the ‘Four Ancient Sages’ had spent the entire night ‘staging’ the yard, using treasures Gu Xiu had brought back from the Falling Rain Valley. They had essentially emptied the household coffers to create this facade.

“Please, have some tea,” Ping’an said, leading them to the front hall.

She served three cups of fragrant brew. They reached for the cups, eager to savor the spiritual essence, but Ping’an held up a hand.

“Guests, you need to settle the tea money first.”

The trio felt a surge of resentment. Again?

“Uncle Sui says that we won’t be staying in this world for much longer,” Ping’an explained with innocent, clear eyes. “We cannot afford to be entangled in too much karma. Trading money for tea keeps the accounts settled. It’s better that way.”

The offhand remark hit the trio like a bolt of lightning.

Not staying in this world for long? Avoiding the entanglement of karma?

Hiss—! Immortals! They were definitely Immortals!

“Hahaha! Well said, well said!” Yu Sihai laughed, his eyes wide.

“Indeed. Those words contain the very essence of the Great Dao,” Yin Wenshu added, his voice trembling.

Without a moment’s delay, all three produced Storage Bags stuffed with Spirit Stones. To give money to an Immortal wasn’t a payment—it was a Fated Chance.

“Little Immortal Maiden,” Yu Sihai asked, unable to contain his curiosity. “You keep mentioning ‘Uncle Sui.’ Who is he?”

“Do you want to know?” Ping’an asked.

“Yes!”

“Then pay up.”

“…”

They had already paid twice; a third time was nothing. They opened their purses once more.

After pocketing the stones, Ping’an whispered conspiratorially, “Uncle Sui is incredibly, incredibly powerful. He has lived for at least thirty thousand years!”

The three of them stood frozen, their hearts skipping beats. They stared at the girl, looking for any sign of a lie. But her eyes were like clear mountain springs—calm, innocent, and utterly devoid of deceit.

Thirty thousand years… At least! What kind of primordial entity was that?

“My Big Brother Black is powerful, too!” Ping’an added.

“Oh?”

“Spirit Stones.”

“Of course! Here!”

“Uncle Sui says that Big Brother Black is the one and only Great Terror in this world.”

“A Great Terror?”

“And there’s another big brother who is even more impressive,” Ping’an said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “He once slew an Immortal.”

“Slew… an Immortal?!!”

By now, the trio was in a state of permanent shock. Every bag of Spirit Stones they handed over bought them a new, soul-shattering revelation.

In Ping’an’s telling, this house was inhabited by four terrifying beings: a primordial who had lived for thirty millennia; a ‘Great Terror’; a man who had hunted gods; and a fourth who looked down upon Supreme Beings as mere playthings.

It was more than enough. Their imaginations ran wild, filling in the terrifying details.

“Oh, I just remembered,” Ping’an said suddenly, looking at them with a spark of realization. “You wouldn’t happen to be the ‘Fated Ones’ Uncle Sui mentioned, would you?”

The term ‘Fated Ones’ made their hearts leap into their throats.

“Yes! Fated Ones!” Ping’an nodded seriously. “Uncle Sui said he wanted to find a Fated One. If they pass his test, he will give them a few Talismans in the future.”

Talismans? A test? Fortunately, Ping’an didn’t charge for this bit of information. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of papers. “Do you want to buy some? The price is a bit high, but it’s part of the test.”

Yin Wenshu and Qin Meran were experts in the Talisman Path. Their eyes locked onto the papers in her hand instantly.

Perfect Dao Talismans.

These were the exact same peerless talismans that had recently appeared in the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Confirmed! The ‘Homage of Ten Thousand Rhymes’ was born here. This was the work of an Immortal.

They quickly pieced together the ‘truth’ in their minds: The Four Ancient Sages had descended to this world to refine their hearts. They used trade to avoid the shackles of karma. And now, they were looking for an heir to leave their legacy with before they ascended once more.

The hearts of the three guests burned with a white-hot passion. This was the opportunity of a thousand lifetimes. A heaven-shattering Immortal Fate was reaching out to them!

Simultaneously, they turned to look at one another. Their previous camaraderie vanished, replaced by cold, sharp vigilance.

The greatest obstacle to their path to immortality sat right next to them.