Volume One, Chapter Four: Upholding My Aspirations for Greatness
“Look! The sky is changing!”
“It’s Lady Ningxia! The Immortal has come to see the suffering of us common folk and is here to help!”
Outside the temple, someone shouted in alarm.
For a moment, everyone forgot their surroundings and hurriedly surged out, kneeling toward the heavens as the immortal descended.
After all, immortals were not beings one could meet at will; catching even a glimpse was a blessing.
“Immortal!”
“Hail the Immortal!”
The sound of kowtowing heads echoed like waves.
The figure stepping down from the clouds, Song Ningxia, remained utterly still.
The only visible sign was the slight turn of her face, as if searching for someone.
“No, no, it was my ancestor who witnessed this Zhao family uncle and nephew harming the clan elders and could not stand it, so he came to punish them!” Song Baoguo suddenly realized and shouted to the crowd.
The villagers quickly erupted into commotion.
“How detestable! No wonder disasters keep striking since the Immortal has been displeased.”
“How can we let the Immortal see such filth? Everyone, build a pyre; let’s burn them to appease the heavens!”
Members of the Liang and Chen families hurried into the temple first.
They had to curry favor with the Song family.
For a century, Tangkou Village had produced such a transcendent immortal.
If one could earn even a word of blessing for their clan, it might cure all ailments and repel evil.
Even more, if favored, the secret path to immortality might be passed on to one’s clan lineage.
Such a rare and supreme blessing could come once in a hundred or even a thousand years.
What an honor!
The two families grew all the more eager.
They bound Zhao Fusheng and Zhao Zhian with hemp ropes so tightly it rivaled the fiercest New Year bindings on cattle.
Thud!
Pushed and kicked!
“Hurry! You sinners, don’t make the Immortal wait!”
“Brother Song, we’ve brought the people to you!”
The two families shouted as they pushed the Zhao group toward the hillside where dry wood and hay had been laid out in advance.
In mere moments, the altar table, offerings, and sacrificial items were all impeccably arranged—a proper altar prepared.
These were usually items that never crossed the temple threshold in daily life.
Now, they scrambled at the last moment.
Though in pain, Zhao Fusheng strained his neck upward.
Only when clearly visible could Lady Ningxia see where he was.
“Look, the Immortal is looking over here!”
Someone pointed toward the pyre while gazing skyward.
“Brother Song was right!”
“Truly worthy descendants of the Song clan…”
Unbeknownst to them, Song Ningxia’s gaze was fixed on Zhao Fusheng.
Her brow eased slightly, then tightened again, especially focusing on the hemp bindings.
A gentle voice whispered in Zhao Fusheng’s ear: “I’ve found you.”
He smiled, his heart pounding wildly.
But before he could react further, Song Baoguo shouted, “Since you understand the will of our Song ancestor, burn them!”
Someone immediately retrieved glowing charcoal from the ancestral hall, blew it to spark flames, and threw it onto the grass pile.
“Wah! Wahwah!”
Zhao Zhian and his family cried out in panic, their faces paling.
Only Zhao Fusheng, small as he was, looked calmly upward, a faint smile curling his lips.
The flames surged like a wild beast’s gaping jaws, ready to devour everyone standing at the altar.
---
“Ah! Wahwah… wahwah…”
Zhao Fuping and his cousin reacted differently, rushing to their father’s side, crying and shouting.
Zhao Zhian’s eyes darkened.
It was Zhao Fusheng who had personally fed poison to the clan elders!
If he died, the Zhao family might be spared.
With a sudden move, Zhao Zhian charged at Zhao Fusheng while he was stunned.
But both lost their balance and tumbled into the roaring flames.
Sizzle!
“Ah!”
The burning quickly spiraled out of control, screams forcing people to step back in fear.
Yet Zhao Fusheng’s eyes, though scorched by the fire, felt no pain—only a gentle warmth.
The smoke didn’t choke his nose.
It drifted past like a fleeting dream.
But his fifth uncle was already engulfed in a stench of burning flesh; his skin cracked and charred black.
A horrific, tragic sight.
Whoosh!
A breeze swept by.
When Zhao Fusheng regained awareness, he found himself suspended midair beside a tall woman.
Her moonlit robes fluttered with ethereal grace.
Her appearance was nearly identical to the temple’s divine statue.
“Lady Ningxia?”
Zhao Fusheng murmured.
A ripple crossed Song Ningxia’s face, but she whispered softly: “No need to call me that anymore. From now on, just call me Senior Sister.”
At that moment, the villagers all stood aghast, their spines chilled.
Senior… sister?
“The secret path is known?”
“And it’s the Zhao family…”
Song Ningxia lightly pressed her sword finger.
Zhao Fusheng landed gently, the flames on his body dissipating and swirling like mud being kneaded.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
In an instant, countless fine arrows shot forth, piercing the air to halt mere half an inch before each villager’s forehead.
“Ancestor…”
“What does this mean?”
Song Baoguo fell to his knees with a sharp thud.
“Yes, Immortal, we have paid you respect—why this treatment?”
“Is this what the immortals do?”
The crowd grumbled with resentment.
Song Ningxia’s gaze was cold and sharp.
She swept the area, her voice chilling as winter’s frost.
“Where are the clan elders of each family?”
“Reporting, ancestor, they were all harmed by the Zhao family scoundrels inside the temple! That’s why we removed the threat on your behalf!”
“Ancestor, you have been gone too long and are unaware of the situation!”
Song Baoguo glanced at Zhao Fusheng, teeth clenched with hatred.
“That Zhao Fusheng is a sinner. How could he be worthy of my Song clan’s secret path recommendation?”
Song Ningxia’s eyes flickered.
“Oh? How were they harmed?”
“Poisoning, most likely.”
“Poisoned? Ha, perhaps they died from hunger and cold instead?”
She raised her gaze slightly, and the crowd followed, seeing the imposing statue of Lady Ningxia inside the temple looming above them.
Those words silenced everyone like a cold wind.
Zhao Fusheng couldn’t help but recall the fates of his uncle and grandfather...
---
Unable to bear it any longer, he stepped forward a few paces, eyes cold and steely as he faced the crowd.
“My uncles starved every day, froze every night, living in fear that their children and grandchildren would sell them to black market traders!”
“They were sick for a long time, only able to watch the family prosper and wait quietly for death!”
“Do you not know how they died?”
Zhao Fusheng’s youthful voice no longer mingled with the cold wind; it rang out with resolute clarity.
The crowd lowered their heads, unable to refute.
Song Ningxia sighed deeply.
She had been cultivating in the mountain peak all along.
Had she not been summoned directly by the secret path scroll’s call, she would have searched a thousand miles in vain.
She never imagined the Tangkou Village she once protected had become such a hellish realm of cruelty.
“The elders of the four families are the appointed guides of our sect. To disrespect them is to disrespect the sect itself.”
“From today onward, Tangkou Village shall no longer enjoy the protection of Qingyun Mountain. Stand on your own!”
A trace of anger surfaced in Song Ningxia’s otherwise calm tone.
“No! The mountain is full of tigers, wolves, and demons. We cannot handle it…”
“Please forgive us, Immortal! We dare not repeat our mistakes!”
Wails echoed through the mountains.
Song Ningxia’s expression grew colder, yet she spoke no more.
She bent down, reaching out to take Zhao Fusheng’s small hand.
“Come, junior brother.”
With that, a gust of energy surged beneath Zhao Fusheng’s feet, whipping the air into a wind.
Around them, countless villagers felt their defenses shatter.
Just a slight touch of this energy could grant a mortal three years of good fortune within a year.
Holding onto it was even greater.
And from now on, they would walk the path of immortality, entering the way of eternal life.
But Zhao Fusheng withdrew his hand, lifting his gaze.
“Senior sister Ningxia.”
“There’s one more thing… my grandfather and uncles have not been laid to rest.”
Song Ningxia’s cold face softened with warmth, but she quickly glared around, her anger intensifying.
Even a child knows to respect their elders and never forget.
But these grown adults cared only for fame and fortune, seeking favor and power.
“I have not forgotten.”
Song Ningxia spoke softly.
She casually tossed a cloth sack, which caught a breeze and enveloped the four elders’ remains.
“This place’s feng shui is foul. Would burying them beneath Qingyun Mountain be acceptable?”
“Good!”
Zhao Fusheng smiled brightly.
Even Song Ningxia allowed a rare smile, like basking in spring’s gentle breeze.
Whoosh! They ascended, Zhao Fusheng and the cloth sack rising swiftly.
Below, the villagers kowtowed, their wails and pleas unceasing.
“We accept punishment. Please do not abandon us, Immortal!”
Song Ningxia halted halfway up the mountain.
She gathered her form and pulled Zhao Fusheng around to face the crowd, leaning close to his ear.
“Junior brother, today I will teach you the first rule of our sect.”
“In the future, if you see a fellow disciple wronged by villains, you must act as I have today.”
She formed a hand seal, pushed her palm forward, and spoke lightly.
The fiery arrows suspended in midair left the villagers’ foreheads, gathering into a massive blaze that erupted with a thunderous roar.
The century-old Lady Ningxia Temple turned to scorched earth in an instant.
Zhao Fusheng’s heart was calm.
“Grandfather, have you seen?”
“Your grandson has begun the path of immortality; his mortal ties are severed.”