In the desolate, uninhabited back mountain, there was a mysterious person hidden within the stone wall.
Who exactly was this mysterious person?
Why did they want to speak with Dongfang Jian? And seduce him into opening the stone wall?
Although Dongfang Jian wasn't very smart, he still had a basic sense of caution, "If you are an elder of the Yin Yang Sect, why would you be afraid of finding a disciple of the sect?"
"I'm not afraid, I just don't want them to see in this disgraceful state," said the hoarse voice.
"That excuse seems pretty far-fetched."
"What I've said is true, young man. As long as you open the stone wall to let out, I will give you a trendous benefit."
"What benefit?"
"What kind of benefit do you want?" the hoarse voice asked in return.
"I want to cultivate immortality!" Dongfang Jian stated each word clearly, "Can you fulfill this wish of mine?"
"Sure can," the hoarse voice promptly agreed, "Just open the stone wall, and I will take you as my disciple and help you in your pursuit to cultivate immortality."
Dongfang Jian's eyebrows twitched, "Are you serious?"
"A gentleman's word, swift as a steed! Since I've promised you, I definitely won't go back on my word," the hoarse voice assured, "If you still don't trust , I can swear! If I deceive you, may I be struck by heavenly thunder and suffer a terrible death! Are you reassured now? Hurry over, remove the stones, and open the stone wall."
Dongfang Jian took two steps forward, then stopped, "Upon further thought, I'm still not quite reassured."
"Why are you so paranoid?" The hoarse voice was becoming impatient.
"That's right, I am paranoid; I've been this way since I was young," Dongfang Jian shrugged his shoulders, "Just to be safe, I'll go and ask my brother. If he says it's okay, then I'll help you. If not, well, then there's nothing I can do."
"Your brother?"
"Yes, my brother is a disciple of the Yin Yang Sect and has been with the sect for many years. He's a senior disciple and will surely know a lot. I ca to visit him and will be leaving after a while."
"Young man, if you tell your brother about , he will surely co to help himself, and then I won't take you as my disciple."
"Then don't take . It doesn't matter," Dongfang Jian said nonchalantly, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'm going."
"Don't go! Don't go!" Seeing Dongfang Jian set to leave, the hoarse voice suddenly beca anxious, "Let's talk it over, everything's negotiable; please, don't go."
Dongfang Jian was just putting on a show and had no intention of leaving. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the stone wall, "You are not an elder of the Yin Yang Sect at all!"
"I am..."
"Enough, stop pretending, I'm not an idiot!"
"Listen to ..."
"If you want to save you, you need to show so sincerity. If you lie to again, then I really will leave."
"... Alright, I'll tell you the truth," the hoarse voice said, "I am indeed an elder of the Yin Yang Sect, but..." here the hoarse voice paused, "for so reasons, I offended the Sect Leader, and he imprisoned here..."
"You indeed deceived ," Dongfang Jian snorted coldly, "If I rashly let you out, I'm sure to be punished by the Sect Leader of the Yin Yang Sect, and I might even lose my life."
"It's not that serious... Tang Shitian is in closed-door cultivation and won't be erging anyti soon."
"Tang Shitian? The Sect Leader of the Yin Yang Sect?"
"Yes, Tang Shitian is the Sect Leader of the Yin Yang Sect. He has lived for several centuries and seeing his lifespan about to end, he had no choice but to enter closed-door cultivation for life and death. If he's lucky enough to break through the bottleneck and step into the next realm, he could live a few more years. If he can't break through, then he will die," the hoarse voice slowly explained.
"Why are you telling this? What does Tang Shitian's life or death have to do with ?" Dongfang Jian said coldly.
"I just wanted to tell you not to worry about Tang Shitian's revenge. It's questionable whether he can even co out alive," the hoarse voice said.
"Hmph!" Dongfang Jian gave a light snort, "Even if Tang Shitian dies, there are other elders. They won't let off the hook either."
"Them? Even if all of them ca at once, they wouldn't be my match. I'm not making empty boasts; it would be as easy as flipping my hand to kill them."
"Are you that powerful?"
"Young man, have you ever heard the saying: Life is a constant gamble. Win, and you get a handso reward; lose, and you're ruined. Now there are two paths before you. First, open the stone wall, let out, and then I will take you as my disciple and help you cultivate. Second, leave this place, and tell the Yin Yang Sect disciples about seeking you. By doing so, you gain nothing.
Between these two paths, make your choice." The hoarse voice, having bantered with Dongfang Jian for so long, clearly lost patience and laid it all out straightforwardly for Dongfang Jian.
Dongfang Jian furrowed his brows, unsure of what to choose.
The hoarse voice didn't rush Dongfang Jian, just waiting silently.
As ti ticked away second by second...
Ten minutes flew by in a blink of an eye.
Dongfang Jian's heart gradually ford an idea, "This matter concerns my life and death, and it's difficult for to make a decision right now... I need a few days to think it over. Once I've figured it out, I'll co and give you my answer, how about that?"
"You really are troubleso," the aged voice said. "Fine, I'll give you a few days. Once you've thought it through, co and find ."
"Okay." Dongfang Jian nodded and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute."
"Is there anything else?" Dongfang Jian stopped in his tracks, his face showing a puzzled expression.
"The conversation I had with you today must be kept a secret. You absolutely cannot tell the disciples of the Yin Yang Sect, and you mustn't let the elders of the Yin Yang Sect know either. Otherwise, both you and I will be in trouble," the aged voice cautioned. "Rember! This is our secret, not to be known by a third party!"
Dongfang Jian nodded, "Don't worry, I definitely won't speak of it before I've made my decision." After saying this, Dongfang Jian strode away, quickly disappearing from view.
"Is my eloquence deteriorating, or is the other party too vigilant?" the aged voice muttered to itself. "After all that talk, he still won't take the bait. It's really infuriating."
...
At night.
A family of three sat around a wooden table for dinner.
Dongfang Fengyun and Dongfang Dadao were having a lively conversation, their laughter echoing joyously from ti to ti. In contrast, Dongfang Jian was rather silent, bowing his head to eat without uttering a word.
"Brother, what's the matter with you?" Dongfang Dadao asked. "Why do you look so down? Could it be that the dishes aren't to your taste?"
"No," Dongfang Jian shook his head. "The food is delicious."
"Then what's wrong?" Dongfang Dadao continued to ask.
"I'm feeling hosick..." Dongfang Jian said depressingly. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to return to Bright Pearl City in this lifeti..."
"Look on the bright side," Dongfang Dadao patted Dongfang Jian's shoulder. "I'll be heading to Bright Pearl City in a couple of days to capture Gao Fei, to give you so closure."
"That's right, we must catch Gao Fei! I want to torture him intensely! To make him wish for death but be unable to die!" Just hearing the na Gao Fei would infuriate Dongfang Jian and drive him to madness.
"Don't worry, I'll grant your wish!" Dongfang Dadao slapped his chest as a guarantee. "Alright, let's eat."
Dongfang Jian shoveled a spoonful of rice into his mouth, then casually asked as if it were an afterthought, "Brother, is your master an elder of the Yin Yang Sect?"
"Yes."
"Do the elders hold a lot of power?"
"Of course, aside from the Sect Leader, the elders have the greatest power. The Sect Leader is busy cultivating most of the ti and rarely intervenes in the sect's affairs. As a result, the various responsibilities fall to the elders," Dongfang Dadao explained and then sighed.
"Since last year, the Sect Leader has entered closed-door cultivation for a life-and-death trial, and there's still no sign of him coming out."
The Sect Leader of the Yin Yang Sect really was in a life-and-death closed-door cultivation! This ant that the mysterious person hidden in the stone wall hadn't lied.
Dongfang Jian pondered for a mont before continuing to probe with different questions, "Brother, how many disciples does the Yin Yang Sect have in total?"
"Around two hundred or so."
"That many?"
"The Yin Yang Sect is very strict about accepting disciples. Without certain cultivation talent, one cannot join the sect."
"How many elders does the Yin Yang Sect have?"
"A dozen or so," Dongfang Dadao answered without a hint of suspicion, replying imdiately to whatever his brother asked.
"Only a dozen? Isn't that too few?"
"Not just anyone can beco an elder! One must reach the Inedia Stage to be eligible to beco an elder. The path of cultivation is incredibly arduous, and advancing to the Inedia Stage is even more difficult, which is why the Yin Yang Sect has so few elders."
"What is the Inedia Stage?"
"Cultivating immortality is divided into levels. It starts with the Qi Gathering Stage, then the Inedia Stage follows, and subsequently the Golden Core Stage... Once one reaches the Inedia Stage, not only does one undergo a complete transformation, but one's lifespan is also extended. Even without eating or drinking for a long ti, one will not die of hunger or thirst."
"That's amazing!" Dongfang Jian's eyes shone brightly. "It would be incredible if I could cultivate to the Inedia Stage!"
"I doubt you can," Dongfang Dadao shook his head. "You lack the talent and are not suited for cultivating immortality. You'd be better off being an honest, rich playboy."
Dongfang Jian was displeased to hear this, "How am I lacking in talent? How can you say I don't have the talent? Why am I not suited for cultivating immortality?"
"When master accepted as his disciple, he also examined your physical constitution as a convenience. His conclusion was that your constitution is poor, unsuitable for cultivating immortality! Father knows about this too," Dongfang Dadao said, then turned his head toward Dongfang Fengyun, who was quietly drinking, "Father, isn't that right?"
"Um... Yes, there was such an incident," Dongfang Fengyun nodded.
Dongfang Jian frowned, feeling a surge of anger. They all ca from the sa mother, so why could one cultivate immortality and not the other? It took a lot of willpower for Dongfang Jian to suppress the anger in his heart, for he needed Dongfang Dadao's help and couldn't afford to fall out with him.
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