The daily life of a max-level immortal cultivator

Chapter 35 Summer Cicadas

Liu Xingxing followed Xuanwu back with some unease.

"We've arrived. I remember you live on the next peak, right?"

As they approached Qiwu Peak, Liu Xingxing finally spoke listlessly.

Xuanwu smiled and said, "Uncle, don't you plan to invite your junior nephew up for a seat? It's been so long since I've been to Qiwu Peak that I've almost forgotten what it looks like."

yeah?

In Liu Jun's memory, this guy hadn't come to Qiwu Peak more than five times, which was indeed quite a long time.

"There's nothing particularly new about it. If you'd like to come, feel free to join us."

So much had happened in just half a day, from going up the mountain to coming down. Liu Xingxing missed her secluded life; today had been truly wonderful.

After a brief moment of dejection, Liu Xingxing returned to her energetic self.

Once they reached their own territory, Liu Xingxing withdrew her illusion and returned to her original appearance. Xuanwu followed behind, glancing at her every now and then, but remained silent.

Because of what she said that day, the four younger ones all went to cultivate every morning after finishing their work. There was no one in the main courtyard now, and only the cooing of one or two small creatures could be heard.

The afternoon sun was so bright that it made people feel a little dizzy.

Xuanwu asked with slight doubt, "Why is no one here to serve us?"

There are clearly several auras here, and their cultivation levels are not high, so they should have been left by the menial disciples.

"It's alright, I've already acquiesced. My Qiwu Peak is no match for your Shuilin Peak. Please go inside first."

The two walked in together, and Xuanwu looked around as he went.

The layout and furnishings remain unchanged; it has been a long time since I last visited this place.

Walking to the front hall, Liu Xingxing skillfully took out a tea set, brewed and steeped the tea in one smooth and effortless motion.

It wasn't until a cup of spiritual tea was placed in front of Xuanwu that he realized that this was something he, as the junior, should be doing. However, Liu Xingxing's tea-making movements were so smooth that he was so engrossed in watching that he forgot about the difference in seniority.

Xuanwu felt a little embarrassed: "It is my fault, nephew. It should be the junior who brews tea for his master."

"...It's alright, there's no reason to make guests do the work."

Liu Xingxing paused again as she spoke, having forgotten that some things etched deep in her memory had become habits that were not easily changed.

Those distant memories...

In a rare moment of leisure, sipping tea, the two remained silent for a while.

Liu Xingxing rested her chin on her hand, staring absently at the tea in her cup. The afternoon sun made the cicadas chirp incessantly, their calls going on and on.

On any other mountain peak, such annoying little creatures would not be allowed to appear, but in her courtyard, these little creatures were making a lot of noise.

It instantly transports you back to that summer.

That summer, the cicadas chirped just as merrily.

In order to make her presentable in high society, her father enrolled her in many classes taught by renowned teachers, including tea tasting, ancient painting, and etiquette, which she had grown up with.

If you lose focus and don't study well, you'll be punished—stood in the corner, forced to copy texts, and sometimes for most of the day.

A punishment that's neither too severe nor too lenient, if too many are imposed, will eventually drive someone to the brink of collapse, like the "dripping water torture."

After the breakdown, just keep learning, learn until you satisfy your father and everyone praises you.

Just for the sake of saving face, her father pushed her to the brink, and Liu Xingxing was also pushing herself to the brink.

Summer comes again and again, and the cicadas outside the window continue their incessant chirping.

But this time, finally... no one pressured her anymore.

That day, the weather was sunny and the sun was blazing. Liu Xingxing held the death notice in her hand and stood at the entrance of the municipal hospital for a whole day.

Even after the person was buried and the seventh day after death had passed, Liu Xing did not shed a single tear, and even handled all the funeral arrangements with extreme calmness and rationality.

That year, on that day, eight days after Liu Xingxing's sixteenth birthday, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. The cicadas were still chirping incessantly. Liu Xingxing hid in the house that was about to be mortgaged and auctioned off and cried from day to night until she fainted.

After that day, Liu Xingxing was reborn and began an extremely boring new life.

"Chirp, chirp..."

"Uncle Master?"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"The tea's cold."

"It's alright, the weather is hot, the tea will cool down perfectly."

"It's getting late, and I should head back now. I'll come to bother you again another day when I have time."

"Ah."

……

The sky was clear, and Xuanwu had nothing else to do but cultivate. However, having observed Liu Jun's changes in such a short time, it was not advisable to ask him anything more today.

Watching the person walk away from the courtyard little by little, without using any dodging techniques, Liu Xingxing remained stunned for a while until she vaguely heard Miao Xiaohua call out "Grandpa" and brought her back to reality.

"What's the matter?"

Liu Xingxing gathered all her thoughts.

Miao Xiaohua lowered her head, and stammered, "Ancestor, well, a few days ago, I went to the back mountain to watch Brother Qin Wen practice his sword..."

It's just sword practice, so what?

Liu Xingxing asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Miao Xiaohua recalled the scene from that day, her face filled with conflict as she pondered whether or not to tell anyone.

Liu Xingxing glanced at her expression, her eyes half-closed, her expression turning slightly cold: "If you don't tell me, I will find out soon enough."

If we were to say that most cultivators use something to record a past event, that would be a recording stone.

However, this photo-recording stone has significant limitations, and it's not impossible for someone to deliberately forge the authenticity of the photo.

However, Liu Jun also possesses an even more advanced mirroring technique, which can directly recall a person's past actions at a particular location, although this technique consumes a great deal of spiritual energy.

Even if you teach the incantation to a cultivator with insufficient spiritual power, they might not be able to use this technique.

It just so happens that she has never lacked that little bit of spiritual power, but Liu Xingxing still wants Miao Xiaohua to tell her.

“I… Ancestor, that day I went to watch Brother Qin Wen practice his sword, and I happened to see him slaying several demons in the back mountain. But, but those didn’t really look like demons to me, but Brother Qin Wen said they were!”

"Moreover, moreover, at that time... I saw those slain demons emitting black smoke. Brother Qin Wen should be right, those were indeed demons. I had seen the demons that the elders dealt with at the Demon Suppression Field before, and they were also emitting black smoke. Brother Qin Wen said that there was no need for you to know about such small demons that even he could handle."

"But... Xiaohua thinks she still needs to tell you."

After Miao Xiaohua finished speaking haltingly, she glanced cautiously at Liu Xingxing, feeling somewhat at a loss as if she had done something wrong.

"...Which day was that?"

Five days ago, just three days before you came back.

"Okay, I understand."

Liu Xingxing paused for a moment, smiled slightly and told her to go and do her work, then returned to the main seat and sat down.

Zhu Jincheng and Ding Tian have finished looking after the spiritual plants today and are currently meditating and cultivating somewhere.

"Come to the front hall."

A few light words passed by, and the two of them suddenly opened their eyes from their meditation and rushed to the front hall without saying a word.

Only one person on Qiwu Peak, no, even in the entire Xuanshan Sect, could send a message without using a transmission talisman.

Before long, the two arrived at the front hall.

The two were surprised when they saw each other, and felt a little uneasy.

I don't think I've done anything wrong.

"Ancestor."

"Ancestor."

The two knelt down together and spoke in unison.

"Well, here we come."

Liu Xingxing remained calm as she brewed herself another cup of the spiritual tea she hadn't finished drinking.

As she took a sip of tea, Liu Xingxing said, "Tell me everything that happened in the four days since I came back, down to the smallest detail."

The two exchanged a puzzled look, and seeing the old ancestor's expression, it seemed as if they had really done something wrong.

Zhu Jincheng stood up shakily, swallowed hard, and said, "Reporting to Ancestor, before you returned..."

……

As dusk fell, the afterglow of the setting sun painted the sky a deep red, and the cicadas were no longer chirping as loudly as they had in the afternoon.

“…That’s it.”

After Ding Tian finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

The sky outside was a beautiful red, making every mountain peak look golden and magnificent. Every inch of land as far as the eye could see looked as if it were covered with warm jade, as if a god had descended to earth.

But every summer evening, such a scene is quite common in Xuanshan Gate.

The tea in the pot had gone completely cold. If she wanted, she could boil it right away, but she didn't.

"Oh, by the way, is there anything wrong with the puppet I made?"

Liu Xingxing suddenly asked an unrelated question.

Before going to the Shangyuan Secret Realm, Liu Xingxing specially made a puppet to teach the four of them. When making the puppet, she also put a trace of her divine sense into it.

The puppet knows most of what Liu Jun knows. Since he had promised to teach it, he couldn't go back on his word. Liu Xingxing knew his own nature; he was always running around, so having a puppet would solve a lot of problems.

Ding Tian said, "The puppet is very good, it's no different from you, Ancestor."

Those with lower cultivation levels naturally wouldn't be able to see the puppet's wooden movements, but Liu Xingxing had already achieved her goal.

"Alright, there's nothing else to do today. Go and cultivate properly."

"Yes!"

The sun has set, and the crescent moon is now visible.

"Ah, Qin Wen..."

Liu Xingxing gazed into the distance.