The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 20: Affairs of Frozen Snow Plains | Chapter 378: Past (2)

At that moment, the young man in purple looked down at him from above, exuding an aloof demeanor, with a hint of impatience in his eyes as he said, “How foolish! Can’t you get up?”

Zhuang Wei was taken aback for a moment before realizing that a refreshing energy was circulating within him, with a pleasant fragrance lingering on his lips and teeth. It dawned on him that this person had likely fed him a medicinal pill, which was why he felt such effects. Furthermore, his internal spiritual power had surprisingly been replenished. He truly had been saved by this young man, who had helped him recover significantly from his injuries.

Afterward, Zhuang Wei learned that the man’s name was Le Zheng Hezhi. Although his temperament was not particularly gentle and he had few kind words for Zhuang Wei, for some unknown reason, he took him under his wing and protected him all the way.

Zhuang Wei also realized that the location connected by the spatial rift was actually a small secret realm within the Qianyuan Greater World. Le Zheng Hezhi was out traveling and happened to arrive here, just in time to witness Zhuang Wei being attacked by a demon beast, leading him to take action and save him. Because of this incident, Zhuang Wei felt that this person, despite his cold demeanor, had a kind heart, making him seem a hundred times more righteous than anyone he had encountered in the small world or the Qingyun Great World.

Thus, Zhuang Wei continued to follow Le Zheng Hezhi, witnessing him slay countless demon beasts—those beasts that could suppress Zhuang Wei merely by their presence fell easily to Le Zheng Hezhi’s techniques after just a few exchanges.

Gradually, Zhuang Wei understood that this person’s cultivation level was likely beyond anything he could imagine; even the fleeting glimpses he had of some Nascent Soul ancestors couldn’t compare to the pressure this man exerted.

Xu Ziqing, contemplating their interactions, couldn’t help but smile slightly. “So, Brother Zhuang followed Master Le Zheng all the way to this point?”

Zhuang Wei chuckled, “There are still some stories in between.”

A life-saving grace was as heavy as a mountain. Given Zhuang Wei’s inadequate cultivation, he felt he should repay Le Zheng Hezhi in some way, so he took care of everything within his capacity.

As they spent time together, Zhuang Wei unknowingly became quite diligent, and within that diligence, many familiar feelings arose.

Particularly, Le Zheng Hezhi sometimes found Zhuang Wei’s actions to be too slow and would instruct him. Though not overly detailed, his guidance was quite attentive. However, whenever he became slightly impatient, he would always call Zhuang Wei “foolish.” In those moments, Zhuang Wei would inadvertently recall memories from his childhood upon seeing the figure of this young man in purple.

Those past memories had faded over the years, leaving only faint images and distant warmth, but after spending time with Le Zheng Hezhi, they began to clear up slowly.

The way Xu Ziluo smiled and moved back then overlapped with the figure of this man.

This line of thought startled Zhuang Wei while also making him feel he had overstepped in front of his benefactor.

The benefactor was a man, while Xu Ziluo was a woman; how could he possibly see them as one person?

Yet, regardless of demeanor or tone—even the impatient reprimand of “foolish”—left him feeling “confused.”

When Zhuang Wei reached this point, his expression turned quite joyful, as if he found it very interesting, and his smile deepened.

At this moment, Xu Ziqing said, “So… this Master Le Zheng is the one who occupies Brother Zhuang’s thoughts about Miss Ziluo?” As he said this, he couldn’t help but glance at his own shixiong.

If this had been in the past, Zhuang Wei might have been “confused” and puzzled. However, after experiencing his shixiong’s reincarnation and the separation of his primordial soul, he had some suspicions.

Just like his shixiong, for whatever reason, Master Le Zheng must have entrusted part of his Divine soul to the young Xu Ziluo at that time. Naturally, his interactions with Zhuang Wei also involved Le Zheng Hezhi. Later on, for some unknown reason, Le Zheng Hezhi left, and Xu Ziluo, who remained, was no longer the one Zhuang Wei longed for.

Constrained by his shallow knowledge of the small world, Zhuang Wei couldn’t comprehend such extraordinary happenings and assumed that Xu Ziluo had forgotten him and that her temperament had drastically changed as she grew older.

However, despite enduring much pain, if there was one piece of good fortune, it was that Zhuang Wei had merely mistaken the person, rather than misplacing his affections.

Sure enough, Zhuang Wei began to explain the subsequent events.

He was so “confused” that his mind wandered. After spending many days with Le Zheng Hezhi, the time came for Le Zheng Hezhi to depart.

At that moment, Le Zheng Hezhi said, “After many years apart, would you rather cultivate alone, or would you still like to return with me as a book boy?”

Upon hearing these words, Zhuang Wei felt as if struck by lightning. In his daze, he agreed to return to the Bingxue Immortal Palace with him.

Xu Ziqing laughed heartily, “That Master Le Zheng is indeed interesting! He must have recognized you long ago but kept you in the dark, only to drop a bombshell like that to frighten you!”

Zhuang Wei could only laugh helplessly, “I also asked Hezhi about this. He did recognize my aura, which is why he saved me. He initially thought I would recognize him too. Who would have guessed that I wouldn’t even ask him about it after our journey together? So he decided to give me a scare as a form of punishment.”

As for why Le Zheng Hezhi entrusted his Divine Soul to Xu Ziluo, there was a story behind it.

Le Zheng Hezhi was born to two ordinary disciples in the Bingxue Immortal Palace. Although his parents’ qualifications were only mediocre, he was born with a rare Ice Element single spiritual root. While those with Water Element spiritual roots in the Bingxue Immortal Palace could cultivate its techniques, having an Ice Element spiritual root was certainly preferable.

However, this Ice Element spiritual root was not ordinary; it was not easy for even dual or triple spiritual roots to exhibit such a phenomenon, let alone a single Ice Element root. The current palace master calculated and discovered Le Zheng Hezhi’s presence, then promptly brought him back, and accepted him as a direct disciple. Even his name was personally chosen by the palace master.

Being treated with such importance, Le Zheng Hezhi was naturally pampered and grew up under countless favors. His talent and comprehension exceeded those of many, and within just over two hundred years, he had already reached the stage of Nascent Soul stage.

However, despite being such a remarkable figure, his temperament was extremely volatile.

As everyone knows, anyone cultivating immortality must learn to endure; otherwise, how could they endure days or even years of meditation? At first, Le Zheng Hezhi relied on his innate talent without much hindrance, but after achieving the Nascent Soul stage, problems began to arise.

Le Zheng Hezhi practiced the Bingxue Immortal Palace’s favored technique called the “Ice River Great Technique,” which was a mid-tier heavenly-level cultivation method, already among the best in the world. It matched perfectly with his single Ice Element spiritual root, allowing for rapid progress. However, as the name suggested, Ice Element techniques typically required calmness, but he, having studied it, became easily agitated and quick to anger…

It’s easy to imagine that this not only led to bottlenecks for Le Zheng Hezhi but, over time, could cause him to be overwhelmed by inner demons, hindering any progress or even causing him to fall in rank.

Thus, the situation became extremely severe.

The palace master of the Immortal Palace could not tolerate the waste of his direct disciple like this. Yet, Le Zheng Hezhi remained oblivious and showed no restraint in his temperament. Eventually, he could not focus on his practice; after meditating for only half a day, he would immediately rise and seek someone to spar with.

Seeing him gradually lose control and become increasingly likely to be overwhelmed by inner demons, the palace master of the Immortal Palace grew furious and seized Le Zheng Hezhi, extracting his Divine Soul and placing it into a semi-immortal artifact. This artifact was used to send him into a small world, forcing him to temper his temperament.

Clearly, that semi-immortal artifact was quite capable; it sent Le Zheng Hezhi’s Divine Soul down to the mortal realm. That faint essence attached itself to the young girl Xu Ziluo, who was merely seven or eight years old, suppressing her will.

Yet, Le Zheng Hezhi, a distinguished Nascent Soul ancestor and a nine-foot-tall man, was forced to live in the identity of a young girl. With his Divine Soul bound, he possessed no strength and was utterly weak, relying solely on this small body to survive… He had no choice but to forcibly suppress his temperament to avoid revealing any abnormalities that could cost him his life.

That period of time was truly unbearable for Le Zheng Hezhi.

Zhuang Wei recalled the past, his gaze becoming distant: “The first time I saw Miss Ziluo, I was just a beggar.”

Xu Ziqing’s expression shifted, and he listened more intently.

Zhuang Wei originally came from a small family, a branch of the Zhuang clan. That branch had few members and had long since declined, resembling ordinary farmers who knew nothing of cultivation. Before his father passed away, he left him a token and told him to seek refuge with the main family. Alone on the road, he was deceived out of his money due to his naïveté, suffering much hardship and nearly freezing to death on a snowy day. Luckily, he found himself lying near the side gate of the Xu family.

Le Zheng Hezhi had been surrounded by snow and ice since birth. Whenever it snowed, he would venture out to enjoy it. However, in the form of a young girl, he was not allowed to roam freely and often had to stay indoors. Even when he suppressed his temperament, he was still used to being a person of high status, so how could he heed the words of lowly cultivators from minor families? Naturally, he went his own way and ended up crossing paths with Zhuang Wei.

Perhaps it was a moment of compassion or perhaps the dullness of tempering his temperament bored him too much, but Le Zheng Hezhi sensed Zhuang Wei’s pulse and realized he had a spiritual root, so he saved him.

What followed was just as Zhuang Wei remembered.

After Zhuang Wei was cleaned up and fed a hot meal, he was no longer in any serious danger. He was immensely grateful to the young girl who had saved him and decided not to seek refuge with the main family. Instead, he stayed behind, becoming a playmate for the girl in the role of a book boy.

Le Zheng Hezhi, having no way to pass the time, made use of Zhuang Wei. Zhuang Wei had an exceptionally good temperament, obeying Le Zheng Hezhi’s every wish. As they spent time together, Le Zheng Hezhi found it hard to harbor any anger toward him. During their leisure moments, he taught Zhuang Wei how to read and write.

This young palace master possessed remarkable insight; even in the body of a young girl, his demeanor surpassed that of others, and his actions and behavior showed no signs of childhood. In the eyes of the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Zhuang Wei, there was nothing unappealing about him, and even his temperament was considered quite charming. As time went on, Zhuang Wei developed feelings for this girl.

Le Zheng Hezhi treated Zhuang Wei much better than he did others, and his guidance proved quite useful for Zhuang Wei’s future cultivation.

After a year, the palace master of the Bingxue Immortal Palace felt that Le Zheng Hezhi had learned to temper his temperament and decided to summon him back.

Before leaving, Le Zheng Hezhi managed only to have someone send Zhuang Wei back to the Zhuang family. His Divine Soul was drawn away, and he and Zhuang Wei never met again.

At that time, Zhuang Wei, though confused, was quite compliant, thinking only of completing his studies and repaying Miss Ziluo in the future. He indeed worked hard, and since the Zhuang family was originally affiliated with the Xu family, he ultimately succeeded in cultivating with the Xu family’s main clan.

Later on, as the younger branch Xu Ziluo grew up, she was sent to the main clan, and he took care of her, leading to many subsequent events.

Translator: Lynn

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

Support me on ko-fi if you like what I do^^