It wasn’t just him. The surrounding servants all watched on in a daze, their eyes filling with veneration as they looked at Meng Hao.
“Elder Brother Meng…” said Zhao Hai, kneeling again, his eyes filled with intense fear.
His face somber, Meng Hao looked at Zhao Hai coldly, wordlessly.
Zhao Hai’s heart thumped, and he clenched his jaw. He caught sight of his older brother standing next to him, and his eyes filled with rage. He didn’t dare to complain to Meng Hao, so he decided to vent his anger on his brother.
He waved his right hand, and once again the finger-sized Flame Serpent appeared. It slammed into the young Lord Zhao, who immediately began to scream shrilly. He fell to the ground, rolling back and forth. Within moments, he had turned into a twitching, charred corpse.
“I beg Elder Brother Meng to spare my life,” said Zhao Hai, ignoring his brother, kneeling before Meng Hao and kowtowing over and over again.
“It seems you are reluctant to leave the mortal world behind,” said Meng Hao coolly. “Therefore, from today on, you can set your mind at rest, and live as a mortal. He lifted a finger, and instantly, Zhao Hai’s face went pale and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His dantian shattered, and his second-level Cultivation base was destroyed. He was no longer a Cultivator, but a mortal.
He staggered up, saluting Meng Hao with clasped hands. Then he turned and left in anguish, supported by his men. He gradually disappeared into the distance.
“I didn’t discipline him well enough,” said Meng Hao, not watching as Zhao Hai left. “He was my servant who ran away from the Sect. He caused trouble for you, Uncle Li.” He bowed to Li Dafu with cupped fists.
“No harm was done, all is well,” said Li Dafu, shaking his head. “My thanks to you, Immortal.” He bent at the waist in a bow. His head was still spinning as he thought about the Immortal of the house of Zhao being Meng Hao’s servant.
“No need for that, Uncle Li,” smiled Meng Hao. “Fatty… Li Fugui is my closest friend in the Sect. I came here in his place to visit, so of course I would not turn a blind eye to a situation such as this.” He took a step back, cupping his fists again in salute. “I shall take my leave.” He departed in a flash. Within a few steps, he was gone, leaving Li Dafu looking a bit melancholy. He was thinking of his son. Then, he broke out in another smile, his eyes filling with pride and anticipation.
“My son has done well. He’s an Immortal! I will go burn some incense in the ancestral hall. This matter has brought glory to our family and ancestors.”
Meng Hao left Yunkai County. It was afternoon now, and his robe rippled in the autumn wind. The mountain wind grew stronger and stronger as he approached Mount Daqing.
He stood on the same place on the mountaintop where he had stood in a daze three years before. Emotion filled his face. Three years had passed so quickly. His face was no longer young and naive. He had matured, but Mount Daqing was the same as always. It would never change, nor would the great river which flowed ceaselessly beneath it.
Looking down at the river, Meng Hao thought of the gourd bottle he had thrown into it that year. He thought about how he had encountered Elder Sister Xu, Fatty, Wang Youcai and Little Tiger.
Silently, he leaped into the air and onto a flying sword. He flew down the mountain to the fissure in the cliff. He entered.
It was exactly the same as it had been before. Meng Hao stood inside, looking around. That year, Elder Sister Xu had been at the seventh level of Qi Condensation. And now, he was a Cultivator of the seventh level. It was as if the three years had been a giant circle, with this as the starting point, and the ending point.
“But if the three years really were a circle, then perhaps returning here means that I’ve reached a new starting point…. It’s like the sages said, if you don’t take a first step, you will never know which direction the road leads.” He closed his eyes for a while, then opened them.
“I’ve already taken my first new steps. That year, I lacked money, and now I lack Spirit Stones. It doesn’t seem much has changed.” Meng Hao shook his head, thinking about the scant amount of Spirit Stones in his bag of holding. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of pain as he turned and left the cave. Atop his flying sword, he shot down in the direction of the river.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he lifted up his head. Up on Mount Daqing, in the same position he had just been standing in, was a man wearing a golden-colored robe. He gazed down coldly at Meng Hao.
“So, you did come back here,” he said in a sinister voice which seemed to make the setting sun grow even darker, leaving behind only his eyes, filled with murder and greed.
It was Shangguan Xiu!
The day the Sect had been dissolved, he was the first person to flee. After a few days had passed, he reappeared. After some asking around, he learned about the dissolution of the Sect, as well as how Patriarch Reliance had ca