Old servant Zhou Buyi hesitated, then spoke the truth: "Killed two, seriously injured one—his injuries aren't easy to heal. Another is somewhat deranged from fear, and I'm preparing to have someone check if his soul is damaged."
Zhou Qiyun's eye twitched slightly. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the servant. His voice was like a tiger's low growl: "Killed two? He dares to kill in my Zhou family?"
Old servant Zhou Buyi bowed lower.
Zhou Qiyun snorted: "Buyi, you've been thinking too much. When you served at my side before, you were diligent and without fault. Now that your status is higher, complacency and arrogance naturally follow. You neglected him, underestimated him, resulting in casualties among my Zhou family's disciples."
Zhou Buyi's body trembled: "The Ancestor speaks truly."
Zhou Qiyun said: "You could have saved those disciples, but you harbored other intentions. Xu Ying offended you, so you let him kill Zhou family members, allowing him to commit a grave crime. This is borrowing a knife to kill—you wanted him dead without anyone knowing. In truth, with your abilities, saving them would not have been difficult."
Zhou Buyi dropped to his knees, kowtowing.
Zhou Qiyun asked: "You still have children at home, don't you?"
Zhou Buyi wept openly, wiping his tears: "Two sons, neither particularly promising. They were brought to the estate but couldn't become Nuo masters. The elder son's wife is pregnant but hasn't given birth yet. The younger isn't married but has claimed a peasant girl. She bore a boy who is already six."
Zhou Qiyun said: "Have him marry the peasant girl. Give her proper status—don't mistreat her. Bring the boy to the estate. Even if he can't become a Nuo master, the Zhou family won't mistreat him. After you return home, arrange your affairs."
Zhou Buyi kowtowed heavily, choking: "Thank you, Ancestor, for your mercy."
He looked up at Zhou Qiyun, wiping his tears: "Since the Ancestor grants me a clear death, what punishment will Xu Ying receive?"
Zhou Qiyun closed his eyes without looking at him: "When he is useful, there is no punishment. If he becomes useless, I will use him to sacrifice to you. Go."
Zhou Buyi rose and left in silence.
Zhou Qiyun closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. After a while, his qi suddenly became slightly disordered.
He sighed, opening his eyes: "Master of the Mud Pill Palace, I've waited for you so long. Why haven't you come? Are you hiding in the shadows, waiting for my mind to waver? But while I wait, aren't you waiting too?"
Over the next few days, the Zhou family members often saw Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the Great Bell assuming various strange poses on the roof. The floral fragrance had grown even more intense, and these three practiced even harder.
The crowd grew furious: "The Ancestor brought him here to decipher the Scripture of Tuoyu! This boy relies on talent to be arrogant—he kills several of our Zhou family members and doesn't even attempt to decipher the scripture, spending all day finding ways to sunbathe on the roof and bake the big snake!"
Even more infuriating, Xu Ying on the roof seemed to be sitting on their heads.
But during these days, the Ancestor Zhou Qiyun hadn't appeared, so Xu Ying and Yuan Qi grew even bolder, only emerging at mealtimes to gorge themselves before vanishing again.
"Is he here for a spring outing? The Naihe is right there—where's the spring?"
Someone raged: "When will Second Sister and Big Brother return? Once they're back, they'll teach this brat a lesson and restore our prestige! This is too much!"
Yuan Weiyang knew that the Scripture of Tuoyu had probably already been fully deciphered by Xu Ying. Not only the Scripture, but even the Zhou family's precious jade slip Dao text had been deciphered.
He could clearly sense the improvement in Xu Ying and Yuan Qi's cultivation. The speed of improvement was terrifying—even cultivating the Yuan family's ancestral *Celestial Resonance of the Yuan Dao* wasn't this fast.
He felt hesitant.
Over these days, he had deciphered more of the Scripture of Tuoyu but also recognized more flaws. It contained no explanation of yang and was vague about certain stages of qi refiners, with significant deficiencies.
This made the Great Yin Nurturing that Xu Ying possessed all the more precious.
"It's a pity Xiao Bo would never allow me to exchange the *Celestial Resonance of the Yuan Dao* with him. Xiao Bo wouldn't, and neither would Mother and the others." He sighed inwardly.
At this moment, mealtime arrived again. Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the Great Bell appeared on cue.
The dining area was separate from the scripture hall—a short walk away. The Zhou family maintained strict dining etiquette, and their meals were excellent, with proper nutrition and balance between meat and vegetables. They had hired imperial chefs from the palace.
Previously, Xu Ying and Yuan Qi had been especially eager, always at the front of the line. This time, though punctual, they soon disappeared.
Yuan Weiyang's eyes flickered: "The ancients said: if you're not eager to eat, there must be something wrong!"
He skipped the meal to search for Xu Ying and the others, finding them in the great hall as expected.
"Grandpa Bell, I told you this pillar was extraordinary! I struck it twice with the realm-breaking technique, and it didn't even leave a mark."
When Yuan Weiyang looked into the hall, she saw Xu Ying, the great serpent, and the Great Bell whispering around a bronze pillar. The serpent said: "Dig out the pillar, carry it out, melt it into copper to repair Grandpa Bell. The slap mark on his face still hasn't faded. That female ghost hit too hard."
Yuan Weiyang's heart pounded: "They're stealing from the Zhou family!"
She had never seen such a thing before, let alone experienced it.
She peeked in and saw Xu Ying and the great serpent prying at the pillar's base. The serpent wrapped around the pillar and pulled while Xu Ying performed the Dragon-Serpent Awakening Art, channeling the dragon-serpent's strength to push outward.
Even the Great Bell was leaning against the pillar, straining to push it out.
In the center of the hall, the thirteen Zhou family elders still sat around the jade slip Dao text, turning a blind eye to the brazen theft.
"I've read the sages' books since childhood—how can I watch them go astray, making mistake after mistake?"
Yuan Weiyang struggled internally, not wanting Xu Ying to sink into depravity but fearing that if she shouted "thief," the Zhou family would harm Xu Ying. As the internal battle raged, Xu Ying suddenly spotted her. Overjoyed, he waved: "Brother Yuan, come here! Lend a hand!"
Yuan Weiyang walked over as if in a trance: "Demon King Xu, what you're doing isn't right..."
"Good brother, push this way."
"Okay."
With Yuan Weiyang's help, the bronze pillar's base was finally dislodged. The hall trembled slightly as the two humans, one serpent, and one bell finally pried the pillar free.
"Quick, go! Go!"
Xu Ying and the serpent hurriedly lifted the pillar and slipped out. Yuan Weiyang's heart raced as she followed, cheering inwardly: "I've made a mistake! I've finally made a mistake! So this is what it feels like to make a mistake—how exhilarating!"
She caught up with Xu Ying, helping carry the pillar, feeling a rush of satisfaction.
They hurried to the base of the great scholar tree. Yuan Weiyang looked back and saw that blue-robed elder Xiao Bo hadn't followed—he was probably eating.
The Yuan family's rules dictated no speaking during meals, sitting upright with eyes forward. He likely hadn't noticed her departure.
Yuan Weiyang felt relieved, thinking she could probably run while carrying this bronze pillar.
"Let's climb the tree!" Xu Ying called.
"Climb?"
Yuan Weiyang looked up. The scholar tree's size and height were beyond reckoning, towering into the sky. Its bark was split open like dragon scales covering its entire form.
These dragon scales were all inverse scales, each as large as a mat!
Though the tree had a slope, climbing it wasn't easy—carrying such a massive bronze pillar up would be even harder.
Xu Ying, however, seemed to have considered none of these difficulties. This irrational act that Yuan Weiyang would never consider, he pursued with enthusiasm.
While visualizing the Ba Serpent to coil around the pillar and drag it upward, he climbed using both hands and feet: "Brother Yuan, a couple days ago we found something fun up there. You should come too!"
Yuan Weiyang followed, performing Nuo arts to help, making things easier for Xu Ying and Yuan Qi.
They climbed over a thousand zhang, reaching only the tree's midsection. After a brief rest, they climbed another thousand zhang to reach the first major branch—the crown was still far away.
Resting and climbing seven times, they finally reached a flat area.
This was where the crown branched, extending in all directions. A small city housing ten thousand could be built in the center, with room for farming on the sides—there was thick soil and even some flowers and grass!
Yuan Weiyang also noticed a nearby stream flowing from another massive trunk, the current surprisingly swift.
She was curious where they intended to carry this bronze pillar. Suddenly, a wave of heat rushed toward them, the air carrying a scorched smell.
"We're here!"
Xu Ying and the serpent set down the pillar. Yuan Weiyang quickly did the same. Before them was a fire pit, emitting crimson-blue flames. The pit wasn't large—only three or four zhang across—but the heat was terrifying. An ordinary person approaching too closely would be instantly carbonized.
Even Yuan Weiyang, a Nuo master of the Yuan family, found it hard to bear.
She pressed against the heat wave and approached the pit's edge, looking down—nearly dizzying enough to fall in.
The pit was hollow, penetrating deep into the great scholar tree's trunk. Its walls were brilliant crimson, blindingly bright, plunging thousands of zhang into the depths.
This great scholar tree had somehow ignited from within and was still burning after all this time.
Then the object they called "Grandpa Bell" flew into the air, slowly growing larger. Its spirit sense formed words that reached Yuan Weiyang's ears: "This is heavenly fire left from a tribulation. You can collect a flame and refine it into your Hidden Realm. Though not as good as A-Ying's pure yang异火, it's still remarkable and will greatly benefit your cultivation."
Yuan Qi said proudly: "I collected a flame the other day too. You didn't exchange techniques with A-Ying. If you had, we could cultivate and play together, and you could have collected heavenly fire sooner."
Yuan Weiyang asked: "You mentioned the Hidden Realm—is that the world inside the body?"
Yuan Qi was surprised: "You know about the inner world?"
Yuan Weiyang said: "I accidentally opened it once and flew into it, but didn't know its name. Now I know it's called the Hidden Realm. 'Hidden' refers to the Dao's profound mystery—the Hidden Realm is the realm of Dao's subtlety. It fits perfectly."
Yuan Qi glanced at Xu Ying, probing: "Is that what it means?"
Xu Ying nodded slightly: "You could say that. The Yuan family's secret treasury is the Purple Court, which contains spirit sense. As a Yuan family member, your spirit sense must be extraordinarily powerful. Opening inner observation allows access to the Hidden Realm, seeing the organs within. For Yuan family members, opening the Hidden Realm shouldn't be difficult."
Yuan Qi was on alert: "This person named Yuan is as knowledgeable as I am—I seem to have competition."
The Great Bell grew larger, mouth facing sky, nose pointing down, slowly blocking most of the fire pit: "I'll cover most of the heavenly fire so you can collect some for refining."
Yuan Weiyang thanked it and carefully approached to collect heavenly fire: "Grandpa Bell, you said this is heavenly fire from a tribulation. Who underwent tribulation?"
She followed Xu Ying's lead in calling the bell "Grandpa Bell."
The Great Bell replied: "Who else? The great scholar tree, of course. Zhou Qiyun said it's a born immortal, but to become an immortal, one must undergo tribulation without exception. This great scholar tree either committed great evil or exists like an immortal. It was struck by heavenly lightning, burned by heavenly fire—it will eventually perish."
It paused: "Another eight thousand years of burning, and it will be dead."
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi carried the bronze pillar forward. Yuan Qi called: "Grandpa Bell, hold on!"
The human and serpent shoved the bronze pillar into the bell's interior.
Xu Ying clapped his hands: "Grandpa Bell, you won't be melted by the heavenly fire, will you?"
The Great Bell laughed proudly: "Do you know my master went to extraordinary lengths to create me, stealing immortal fire from the Heavenly Dao World to forge me? I withstood immortal fire—how could mere heavenly fire harm me?"
As it spoke, the bell's base glowed red from the heat. Its voice began to shake: "A-Ying, something's not right. I just remembered my injuries haven't healed. This is making me hurt—lend me some qi and blood..."
Xu Ying pretended not to hear, walking toward a thick tree trunk.
The Great Bell quickly called: "Yuan Qi! Seventh Master! Don't go! Lend me some qi and blood!"
Yuan Qi hurried after Xu Ying and vanished in a flash.
Yuan Weiyang asked curiously: "Where are they going?"
The Great Bell couldn't sit still under the heavenly fire's heat: "To pick scholar flowers! Those two beasts have been picking and roasting scholar flowers for days—such a waste."
Remembering Yuan Weiyang was nearby, it said smoothly: "That is, Young Master Yuan, isn't it? Could you lend me some qi and blood? In return, I can teach you how to refine heavenly fire!"
Yuan Weiyang immediately agreed.
The Great Bell breathed a sigh of relief, borrowing qi and blood from her to resist the heavenly fire, then taught her the technique for refining it.
Yuan Weiyang tried it and found collecting heavenly fire remarkably easy.
She stored the heavenly fire, feeling that more would endanger her Hidden Realm, and stopped. Just then, Xu Ying and the serpent returned with scholar flowers.
A single flower on this great scholar tree was a foot long, with hundreds hanging from each branch—clusters upon clusters. Xu Ying and the serpent carried a branch, its fragrance intoxicating.
Scholar flower fragrance wasn't cloying—besides the floral scent, there was a hint of fresh grass, very elegant.
Xu Ying and the serpent each took a dozen or so flowers and roasted them over the heavenly fire. They quickly turned golden, crispy on the outside, soft and fragrant inside, wrapped in honeyed sweetness.
Yuan Weiyang, who hadn't eaten, heard her stomach growl at the smell.
Xu Ying tossed her a roasted flower. Yuan Weiyang quickly sat upright, eyes forward, sampling daintily—perfectly refined.
Meanwhile, Xu Ying rolled up the foot-long flowers and stuffed them whole into his mouth before reaching for more.
Yuan Weiyang grew hungrier, abandoning etiquette. Following his example, she rolled the flowers into balls and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing vigorously. Her small mouth couldn't contain them all, and honey juice ran down her chin.
She quickly sucked it back, finding the taste refreshingly sweet—a flavor she had never experienced.