The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 17: Hengwu Small World | Chapter 331: Xuanwu Invitation

After the burly elder left, the joyous atmosphere in the wedding hall had been completely disrupted.

The guests first fell silent, then turned their gazes to the Xuanwu¹Black Tortoise; in Daoism, is the God of the North Sky Invitation, realizing the malicious intentions of Wu Ao Sect. Yet, they couldn’t quite find anything wrong to say.

In the Hengwu Small World, martial prowess was held in the highest regard, with no cultivators to be found; the strongest were merely Xiantian experts.

The world comprised several nations, where power was measured by military strength. Naturally, countries with a greater number of innate experts could command higher benefits.

This Xuanwu Invitation was intended to select talent; it was an invitation to the Xuanwu Conference.

Those who received the invitation were all exceptional individuals with immense potential. Among them, the top candidates could receive personal guidance from Xiantian experts of the fifth or sixth level, or even be taken as disciples. This demonstrated the fierce competition involved. Some even resorted to ruthless methods to eliminate rivals, leading to a considerable number of deaths each year.

If an outstanding disciple capable of taking on multiple opponents could obtain the Xuanwu Invitation to gain experience, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. However, while Yun Tiangang possessed remarkable skills, he lacked true power. How could he continuously compete at such a grand conference? The inevitable outcome would be…

The Xuanwu Invitation, which Wu Ao Sect somehow acquired, was indeed a bold move.

Thus, this Xuanwu Invitation was a grand gift for talented youths with power, but for Yun Tiangang, it was akin to a death warrant.

As a result of this disturbance, the guests had little desire to stay. They only nibbled at the carefully arranged feast before bidding farewell, leaving the occasion to the host.

Yun Zhenhai forced a smile as he saw off each guest with Yun Tianyou, feeling extremely heavy-hearted.

It was unfortunate that Yun Tianyou’s promising marriage could not leave his family behind to enter the bridal chamber; he could only lift the bridal veil and take his new wife along to the clan meeting for discussion.

The Xuanwu Invitation stated that the Xuanwu Conference would take place in two months in Xuantian City.

With a journey that would take over a month, the time left for Yun Tiangang was naturally limited; he needed to pack quickly and set off as soon as possible.

After the clan meeting, many members of the Yun clan sighed in disappointment.

Yun Tianyu, always poised and elegant, couldn’t help but shed tears: “It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, how could we have attracted that wolf!”

Seeing this, although Yun Zhenhai felt pained for his son, he consoled him, saying, “It’s the fault of those lecherous rascals; how can you take the blame? Don’t dwell on it.”

Many clan members echoed similar reassurances, and Yun Tiangang didn’t speak, showing no sign of displeasure.

The harmonious atmosphere among the Yun clan members certainly caught Xu Ziqing’s attention, warming his heart. He had seen many great clans in the cultivation world fighting openly and covertly over status and resources, but he had not witnessed such petty schemes within Yun Family. The people in the estate were all sincere and simple. The fact that his Shixiong had such a supportive family after his reincarnation brought him some comfort.

As night fell, after the Yun clan members dispersed, Yun Zhenhai invited Xu Ziqing to join him.

Xu Ziqing had no objections and stood side by side with Yun Tiangang as they walked into the inner courtyard together.

Yun Zhenhai and his wife exchanged glances at how close the two were, and their expressions were somewhat unusual. Yun Zhenhai sighed inwardly but didn’t show any hint of it on his face.

In the inner courtyard, many trees had already been removed, making the area appear quite clear compared to ten years ago.

Only outside one of the side rooms remained lush with vegetation, where the wood essence seemed to coalesce, appearing even more vibrant than before.

Xu Ziqing suddenly understood that Yun Tianheng must be in closed-door cultivation within. He was somewhat surprised; Yun Tianheng had truly remarkable talent. Judging by the aura seeping out, even without the aid of any elixirs, he had already achieved the fourth layer of Qi Refinement in this small world. It was worth noting that even those who had just entered the Xiantian level would only be comparable to the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Refining. Though wood-based cultivation methods were somewhat weaker in the early stages compared to other attributes, a fourth layer of Qi Refining could still be on par with those at the seventh layer of the Houtian stage. With this in mind, Xu Ziqing didn’t ask any further questions, merely taking a glance before shifting his gaze away.

Seeing his expression, Yun Zhenhai understood that he had seen through it and didn’t say much.

Soon, Meng Qingxiao returned to her room, and Yun Zhenhai tentatively asked, “Shall I arrange a guest room for Master Xu?”

Xu Ziqing was taken aback. Previously, he and his Shixiong had shared a room, but times had changed; since there was no need for close treatment, he indeed should move out. However… he had just reunited with his Shixiong, and since he was unsure what opportunity would allow his Shixiong to recover his primordial spirit, he truly did not wish to be apart for even a moment.

Before Xu Ziqing could find an excuse, Yun Tiangang had already said, “He will stay with me.”

Yun Zhenhai sighed even more deeply but did not reprimand Yun Tiangang. Instead, he immediately turned to Xu Ziqing, asking, “What does Master Xu think?”

Xu Ziqing felt a bit happy and nodded, saying, “It’s been many years since we last met; it’s perfect for a candlelit talk with Tiangang tonight.”

Yun Tiangang then entered the room with Xu Ziqing, while Yun Zhenhai shook his head at their retreating figures.

After Master Xu had left all those years ago, he had been deeply worried about his son’s injuries. Later, when he accidentally witnessed his son perform such exquisite swordplay, he saw his health gradually improve, making him increasingly grateful to Master Xu. However, as his son grew older, he remained exceedingly aloof, showing warmth only toward his parents, while others were completely ignored. Over time, this led to other concerns for the couple. Especially after their son came of age, how could someone with such a disposition marry and continue the family line? It was only one day that Yun Zhenhai discovered his son had developed feelings for Master Xu.

At that time, he was filled with rage. Not to mention that romantic relationships between men were already rare, but Master Xu was a benefactor to their family and should not be subject to such defilement! Yet, after calming down a bit, he couldn’t bear to oppose it, so he went to inquire.

To his surprise, Yun Tiangang admitted it openly and without reservation.

He stated that he didn’t know why he had such thoughts, but after meeting Master Xu, it just felt right.

Yun Zhenhai was ultimately left helpless.

His son had been bedridden for many years, and Master Xu was indeed a dragon among men. However, having observed the peculiar sights in the back mountains, he had guessed that Master Xu was in closed-door cultivation there, yet he had no idea when he would emerge. If Master Xu didn’t come out, would his son have to wait indefinitely?

However, since Yun Tiangang was obstinate, Yun Zhenhai could only compromise.

And thus, ten years passed. Today, during Yun Tianyou’s wedding, Master Xu unexpectedly emerged from seclusion, leaving Yun Zhenhai unsure whether to feel joy or worry.

It was only when Yun Tiangang insisted on sharing a room with Master Xu, and the latter readily agreed, that he began to sense something unusual.

His son seemed to hold a place in Master Xu’s heart that was far from ordinary.

As for how complicated Yun Zhenhai’s feelings were and how he recalled his son’s past matters, that was another story.

After Xu Ziqing entered the room with Yun Tiangang, he noticed that the interior looked exactly the same as it had ten years ago, and he smiled.

Yun Tiangang nodded slightly to him before heading to the bathing room first. When he came out, his hair was wet, but his expression still remained cold.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqing recalled that his Shixiong was different now; without true essence, his meridians couldn’t hold any power, so he couldn’t dry himself. After a moment of thought, he stood up, took down a square towel, and said, “Tiangang, come here.”

Yun Tiangang looked up and walked over, sitting in front of the bed.

Xu Ziqing placed the towel over Yun Tiangang’s long hair, feeling a warmth in his heart.

He had shared many intimate moments with his Shixiong in the past, but this kind of closeness was entirely new.

It reminded him of his mortal days, when there were many things he couldn’t do, and how after becoming an immortal, he had forgotten many of those finer details.

Now, revisiting those memories, he increasingly realized the rarity of the present moment.

Before long, his long hair was half-dried. If he continued to rub it, it would likely do more harm than good.

With a flicker of green light from his fingertips, a gentle aura enveloped each strand of hair, instantly whisking away the remaining moisture. Only then did he release his hold, allowing the hair to cascade down like a black waterfall.

Xu Ziqing said softly, “All done.”

Yun Tiangang replied, “Go to sleep.” Having spent over a year together, he knew that Xu Ziqing was always clean and tidy, but he never asked and there was no need for Xu Ziqing to answer.

Xu Ziqing smiled gently and responded, “Alright.” After that, he also removed his outer robe, leaving only his inner shirt, and sat by the bed.

Then, Xu Ziqing waved his sleeve to extinguish the candle flame. The two lay down together, closing their eyes.

The night was very quiet, with only their shallow breaths flowing through the darkness.

Xu Ziqing didn’t need sleep, but he was willing to be close to his Shixiong like this.

Yun Tiangang closed his eyes and remained silent. Suddenly, he called out, “Ziqing.”

Xu Ziqing’s eyes opened wide, “…Shixiong?” When he didn’t receive a response, he realized he had been too hasty.

Yun Tiangang said, “You can call me Tiangang.”

Xu Ziqing sighed, “Tiangang.”

The two fell silent again.

Yun Tiangang furrowed his brow slightly before relaxing. He clearly heard that this person was calling for him, yet he had lived for twenty years without ever having a master or this disciple. But why did he feel a sense of familiarity when he heard the word “Shixiong”? There was no trace of unwillingness at all.

If this person was by his side and referred to him as someone else, he should have felt unhappy. Yet, rather than feeling displeased, he felt a sense of guilt. Though he had little interaction with this person, he harbored affections for him, and upon first meeting, he had felt a connection; it couldn’t have been for no reason.

Yun Tiangang recalled his previous speculations, feeling somewhat puzzled yet also enlightened.

Over the course of more than ten years, if this person had come for him… perhaps there was some truth to it.

If he truly had forgotten, then he should have recalled it sooner… so as not to let it go to waste.

Thus, Yun Tiangang and Xu Ziqing went in and out together, sharing the same bed, and soon enough, Xu Ziqing would adjust him again, after which he would observe Yun Tiangang practice swordplay.

Unbeknownst to them, nearly ten days had passed.

Every time Yun Zhenhai saw the two together, he would sigh inwardly.

And so, Yun Tiangang was preparing to set off.

Xu Ziqing also expressed his willingness to accompany him, to look after one another.

Previously, Yun Zhenhai had seen Xu Ziqing receive the full power of a senior elder from the Wu Ao Sect, which put him somewhat at ease. Now, seeing their closeness, he was at a loss for how to feel. Sighing, he finally said, “Then I’ll leave Tiangang in Master Xu’s care.” The seriousness in his tone needed no further elaboration.

Xu Ziqing responded solemnly, “Please rest assured, Master.”

Afterward, the two bid farewell to the people of Yunjia Village and mounted their steeds, heading toward Xuantian City.

The two traveled day and night. With Xu Ziqing constantly looking after him, although Yun Tiangang’s meridians were still weaker than those of ordinary people, he was able to endure the journey without too much difficulty.

However, even so, it took nearly a month for them to finally reach Xuantian City.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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• 1Black Tortoise; in Daoism, is the God of the North Sky