Cheng Qian was stunned by his shout, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should also call him "Master" or something like that.

More than a year ago, when he first set foot on Fuyao Mountain, he was still ignorant of the faction and thought it was just a poultry sect that had no roots but had a bit of style.

Isn't it true? There are so many folk stories. Not to mention the wandering knights and independent cultivators, any sect that can be called a "sect" must have a bunch of gossip girls and uncles who are always competing for supremacy and scheming against each other, right?

A leader with a few young disciples - an organization of country boys who steal bird eggs and fight in groups is probably larger than this one.

But in these few days, Cheng Qian discovered that the sect not only had an uncle-master, but also a grandmaster, which did not make him feel honored.

They are from the same school. Compare him with his uncle who can turn the world upside down with ease, and his great-grandmaster who is the most evil in the world, and then look at his own master who "lives to be as good as a god". Could it be that the existence of Fuyao school is to explain to the world what "the higher the Tao, the higher the devil" means?

Furthermore, Cheng Qian was a little undecided about which of the two names, "Poultry Sect" and "Demon Cultivation Base Camp", would sound better.

After his identity was revealed, Bei Ming Jun sighed slightly. As the black mist around him gradually dissipated, his true face that had been hidden for a long time was revealed.

He has neither the appearance of an immortal nor a green face with fangs. Overall, he looks like a human being.

The slightly sunken eye sockets on his face made him look more handsome, but other than that, the legendary leader of all demons was just an unremarkable middle-aged man with a few white hairs on his temples and an unusually pale face in between - and a somewhat haggard middle-aged man.

Bei Mingjun put his hands in his sleeves, stood in front of his lonely corpse, waved his hands, and said: "Get up, Xiaochun - I never saw you kneel to me when I was alive, why are you pretending now?"

Master Mu Chun stood up and put Shuikeng down, asking her to go find Cheng Qian. He casually said, "Visiting the graves is different from usual. Kneeling in front of the ancestors is what we should do."

Cheng Qian: “…”

He discovered that being disrespectful to elders and not respecting teachers was a tradition of the Fuyao sect.

"I always thought that your body was destroyed and your soul was reincarnated. I even mistook Xiao Qian for you. After all, his birth date and horoscope matched yours, and his bad temper was similar to yours. But I didn't expect that you...didn't die, but instead attached yourself to three copper coins." Master Mu Chun paused here, then said with a bit of sadness, "Master, if you attached yourself to a body, why did you attach yourself to such a poor one? Even if you can't find gold ingots, can't you at least find a silver ingot?"

When Lord Bei Ming was covered in black fog and his face was half obscured by the pipa, he displayed the demeanor of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect to the fullest extent, worthy of being worshipped. But who would have thought that when they met each other openly at this moment, he was not the case at all.

He looked at Master Mu Chun, with the same rather sad expression that Master Mu Chun usually had when he looked at Yan Zhengming, and said with a smile: "If that were the case, would I still be able to see you? You would have already spent it to solve the urgent problem."

Master Mu Chun said, "Master, our sect is no longer what it used to be. We are no longer as poor as we were back then."

Bei Ming Jun said sarcastically without changing his expression: "I know, you are becoming more and more successful, and you have found yourself a disciple of the God of Wealth."

The two people who had been separated by life and death for many years exchanged a few words, looked at each other for a moment, and suddenly laughed out loud at the same time, to Cheng Qian's bewilderment.

Cheng Qian hugged the puddle and stared at the corpse with sunken eyes. He didn't understand the meaning of his elders' words at all.

After laughing, Mu Chun Zhenren asked, "One of your souls was scattered in the Valley of Monsters, and the other was scattered in the Soul Devouring Lamp. Is this the only soul left now? If your soul stays in the human world for a long time without anything to rely on, even if you are Bei Ming Jun, you will end up with both body and soul destroyed, right?"

Bei Ming Jun smiled and said, "Whether he dies or not, it doesn't matter."

Master Mu Chun: "Where is my brother? Is he dead?"

When he was in front of dozens of large ships and countless pairs of eyes, he could only call him "Jiang Peng". Now that he was speaking in private, he called him senior brother again. He thought that he didn't need to hide anything in front of Lord Bei Ming.

Bei Ming Jun paused, lowered his eyes slightly, and replied: "He was not completely destroyed. I used the power of one soul to smash the soul fire in the Soul Devouring Lamp, which was considered a serious injury to him. But your brother fed the tiger with his own body, and he became one with the Soul Devouring Lamp. His soul also became the spirit of the ghost lamp. From now on, he will no longer enter the cycle of reincarnation and can no longer be considered a human. You can treat him as dead."

Master Mu Chun was silent for a while, then asked, "Did he recognize you?"

This time, Bei Ming Jun smiled but said nothing, and did not answer. It seemed that he answered him silently: So what if you can recognize it, so what if you can't recognize it, what difference does it make now?

Bei Mingjun turned to Cheng Qian and called out kindly, "Child, this is the third time I've seen you. Come here."

Cheng Qian took a few steps forward, but did not go forward as he was told. He just stopped silently beside Master Mu Chun and gave a lukewarm greeting to Lord Bei Ming. As he did not know what to address him, he did not speak rashly.

Although the Master and Bei Mingjun seemed very close after a few words, Cheng Qian instinctively felt that was not the case.

If the relationship between Master and Grandmaster was as harmonious as it seemed, Cheng Qian couldn't understand why Master never mentioned Grandmaster in all these years, and didn't come to collect his body.

Bei Ming Jun lowered his head slightly and asked patiently, "You dared to stay in meditation in the bloody storm. You are a daring little thing. What did you realize at that time?"

Cheng Qian hesitated for a moment, then answered politely, "Thanks to the guidance of the seniors and Master Tang, I have learned from you the spirit of 'not fearing the sky, not fearing the earth, and not fearing people'."

After hearing this, Bei Mingjun stared at Cheng Qian for a while with mixed feelings, and whispered: "Good boy, the bloodline of my Fuyao Sect has been renewed."

Cheng Qian was stunned when he heard this.

In an instant, he remembered his master's inconsistent appearance, the weasel that seemed to be dead just now, and the ghost Taoist Jiang Peng's words "half human and half human"... All the causes and consequences were connected quickly, and Cheng Qian almost understood the hidden meaning of this meaningful sentence in an instant.

He turned his head sharply, looking in disbelief at his master who had suddenly become as beautiful as a flower.

Master Mu Chun raised his hand and placed it on his head, sighing, "It would be better if you could share some of your kindness with your fourth junior brother - yes, Xiao Qian, you guessed right, the bloodline of my Fuyao sect was cut off more than ten years ago, and I am also a dead man."

Cheng Qian clenched his teeth so tightly that they made a clattering sound and he was unable to speak.

Master Mu Chun didn't care, and continued, "The leader at that time - my master was in seclusion and had no time to take care of other things. At this time, our eldest disciple Jiang Peng became possessed and fell into the ghost path. I followed him without knowing my own limitations and became the first resentful soul to die from the Soul Devouring Lamp. It was only because he had not yet completed his magic skills that I was able to escape with a wisp of my soul, which fell into the body of a little demon that was about to die from a thunderbolt. This can be regarded as the inheritance of the leader's seal of my Fuyao Sect."

Bei Mingjun looked sad: "You..."

Master Mu Chun smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with this little demon's body, it's just a little too greedy."

Bei Ming Jun whispered: "If you attach yourself to a dead body, aren't you afraid that your spirit will be exhausted and your soul will be scattered and you will never be able to reincarnate again?"

Master Mu Chun gathered his sleeves slightly, lowered his head and glanced at his toes, then smiled nonchalantly, imitating Bei Mingjun's tone, "It's okay."

Cheng Qian asked in a low voice: "Master, who tore the portrait in the Sutra Building?"

Master Mu Chun was stunned when he heard this: "Why, didn't you clean it up? Oh... that might be my fault. My soul was torn apart by hundreds of ghosts in the Soul Devouring Lamp, so I must have felt resentful after coming out. Plus, the little demon was a dead thing, so I wasn't used to it at first. I'm afraid I wasn't very clear-headed for a while."

He spoke lightly, but Cheng Qian felt as if his breath was stuck in his chest. He hugged Master Mu Chun's waist and buried his head in his arms.

It’s so warm...how could it be just a wisp of soul?

Mu Chun continued, "I just fell into the body of a weasel. I couldn't walk on four legs yet, so I tried to find my master by rolling and crawling. But..."

Bei Mingjun stood there motionless, becoming a lonely shadow.

"I saw the 'Four Saints' besieging Mount Fuyao," Master Mu Chun said to Cheng Qian, "Only then did I know that my master was actually a great demon that had never appeared in the world. The Four Saints were all great powers of the time, and they all landed on Mount Fuyao, and fought all the way from Mount Fuyao to Wangyou Valley, which is 200 miles away. The heavenly calamity that was triggered turned the valley into a sea of ​​fire, and no grass grew for the next three years. One of the Four Saints died and three were seriously injured. I guess if they hadn't attacked him at the critical moment of his retreat, who would have died under the ancient tree? It's just that I don't have much experience, and I didn't know that you, Master, have been ranked among the 'Northern Sea'. I'm so sorry for that."

Master Mu Chun was very selective in what he said. For some reason, he didn't mention any of the key points - for example, why did Jiang Peng become possessed? Why did he kill his master? Why did Bei Mingjun take this path? Who are the Four Saints? Why did they invite them to fight?

He only talked about the process from beginning to end, without mentioning the causes and consequences.

Under normal circumstances, Cheng Qian would have pressed the issue to the bottom of things, but at this moment he no longer cared. His chest seemed to be stuffed tightly with cotton wool, blocking his breath and making it impossible for him to breathe. He wished he could just burst into tears.

Master Mu Chun gently but unquestionably pushed him away, bent down, picked up a branch from the ground, and gradually transformed it into a wooden sword in his hand. He walked a few steps to the side, came to an open space, and said to Cheng Qian: "You have finished learning the second move. Today, I will demonstrate the next three moves to you. Watch carefully."

Cheng Qian always pestered Master Mu Chun to learn sword skills, but his master always sent him away with a bag of candy. Now, his master finally took the initiative to teach him, but he didn't feel happy at all.

He understood that his master was about to leave them.

Cheng Qian stood there in a daze for a while, and suddenly tears burst out like a flood. He couldn't hold back his tears even if he held his breath or bit his lips. Cheng Qian had never cried like this before. Even when his parents sold him for a few coins, he never shed a tear.

For the first time in his life, he felt such deep and unsolvable pain. He was unable to bear it and could not vent it for a while, and the face he had always maintained was completely lost.

Shuikeng carefully reached out and pulled at his clothes, but when Cheng Qian ignored her, she started crying too.

Bei Ming Jun couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Boy, weren't you fearless just now? Why are you crying again now?"

Cheng Qian tried his best to hold back his grief, but he found that he could hold back his joy and anger, but he could not hold back his tears. His vision was still blurry and clear. He choked for a long time and said, "Master, I don't want to learn anymore. Please don't teach me, okay? You...you don't want us anymore?"

Master Mu Chun lowered his wooden sword slightly, wanting to coax him a few words, but then he remembered that Cheng Qian was not Han Yuan, and he could not fool him easily. After a while, he said, "It's fate, Xiao Qian. Even if there is no coincidence today, I don't have many years left, and I still can't follow you forever."

Master Mu Chun shut up when he said this. He knew that no matter what he said, the child would get stuck in his own opinion, so he simply kept silent.

He held the wooden sword across his chest and made a quick and swift starting move. This time, he did not recite the ridiculous incantation, nor did he deliberately slow down.

The first one represents a bright future. The young man is full of vigor and has the ambition to reach for the moon in the sky.

The second move is a long and painful search, all contained in the rigid sword moves without looking away.

The third move goes against one's wishes. Even if one is omnipotent, he is still an ant in the ancient world. Even if one is as solid as a rock, he is still a sand house on the waves.

The fourth style rose and fell, and after three ups and downs, it still could not escape this long-standing fate.

The fifth form is to return to the basics...

Cheng Qian couldn't help but recall what his master had said to him - is there any difference between "dead" and "ascended to heaven"?

Both places are vast and invisible. Just come from where you came from and go to where you are going.

When Cheng Qian watched the entire set of Fuyao Wooden Sword for the first time, the tears on his face had not yet dried.

Master Mu Chun asked gently, "Do you understand?"

Cheng Qian pursed his lips and said loudly and stubbornly: "No!"

"Nonsense, I couldn't understand it any more." Mu Chun stretched out his hand and flicked him on the forehead. Then, he restrained his smile and looked at Cheng Qian and said, "Xiao Qian, do you remember the sect rules? What does it say about cleaning up the sect?"

Cheng Qian glanced at Bei Mingjun with his red eyes and did not answer.

Master Mu Chun said softly, "Those who have committed unforgivable crimes must be cleared out by fellow disciples themselves - this is why there are many traitors in our sect, but they still have a place in the immortal family."

Cheng Qian wiped away his tears vigorously.

Master Mu Chun said calmly: "Although the great way is clear and one should be quiet and inaction, a cultivator should not go against his original intention. Since a great disaster has been caused, the law of nature is clear and there must be a disaster."

The sleeves of his robe suddenly moved without wind, his face turned pale, and there seemed to be a faint flash of fire between his eyebrows.

Bei Ming Jun looked calm and said, "I have been in charge of the sect for eighty years. I really feel ashamed of my ancestors and you brothers. Therefore, I swear a poisonous oath that my body and soul will be destroyed. I will use my three souls to protect the sect from three disasters. Xiao Chun, you don't have to do it yourself."

After hearing this, Master Mu Chun showed no gratitude nor any emotion. He just replied calmly, "Master, if I let you die of old age, what about justice for the resentful souls who died at your hands?"

His voice was steady, gentle and polite as always, but Cheng Qian felt that these were the most chilling words he had ever heard.

It was as if Master Mu Chun had, with his own strength, immersed all his joys and sorrows under the cold water. Through the water, he was no longer happy, nor was he in pain.

A row of extremely complicated talismans suddenly flashed in the air, and then emitted a golden light. It was the magical "secret talisman" that Li Yun mentioned.

Bei Ming Jun did not dodge or evade, but stood still, squinting his eyes at the talisman that disappeared in an instant and merged into the world, and whispered: "Seal the soul with the soul."

Mu Chun smiled and said, "Being able to seal Bei Mingjun's soul means that my life is worth it."

Cheng Qian opened his eyes wide, and the next moment, he was pushed away by a huge force. He staggered and fell to the ground. His eyes went dark and he almost fainted for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, Bei Ming Jun had disappeared. Cheng Qian saw a thin wisp of black mist surrounded by golden light, pressing down on the old copper coin in Master Mu Chun's hand.

Except for the hand holding the copper coin, Master Mu Chun's whole body had become transparent. He knelt down and buried the copper coin next to the corpse under the ancient tree. Then he waved at Cheng Qian with a smile.

Master Mu Chun: "There is a small seal on the weasel's body. You take it off."

Cheng Qian seemed determined to go against him and did not move.

Master Mu Chun's smile gradually faded, and he seemed to want to raise his hand to touch his head, but he found that his hand had passed through Cheng Qian's head.

Master Mu Chun said, "That is the seal of the leader of the Fuyao Sect. Go back and give it to your senior brother, and let him take care of you in the future. As for the swordsmanship... Xiao Qian, you should practice the second form well."

Finally, he looked at Cheng Qian deeply, and said in an almost inaudible voice, "Master is gone."

After saying this, he disappeared on the spot, like a piece of shattered light, crashing into the earth and disappearing without a trace.

It is said that "in ancient times there was a big cypress tree, which had a spring of eight thousand years and an autumn of eight thousand years". People used "the endless age of the cypress tree" to wish their parents a long life. Unfortunately, people are not plants after all.

Master Mu Chun buried the copper coin in the soil, as if he was personally sending Cheng Qian to a beginning - the quest of every generation begins from the moment they bury their fathers in the soil.

Author's words: End of Volume 1