Chi Peak as a Tomb

The attendants thoroughly scoured the ruins before stepping up to report to Zhou Changhe.

"Eldest Young Master, we found a total of eighty-two corpses. Around thirty belong to the Sun family, while the rest are our brothers and some villagers. We also uncovered Steward Shi's remains and numerous signs of a struggle," a burly guard reported in a low, muffled voice. "We suspect... the refugees mutinied. They killed the Second Young Master."

Zhou Changhe remained immersed in his grief, unresponsive for a long time.

Zhou Minghu stepped forward, his voice heavy. "Build a wooden cart. We are taking Second Brother home."

"Right away!" The guard scurried off, terrified of becoming an outlet for their anger.

Only eight guards from Zhou Changxi's escort were found among the dead. This meant some of their men had defected, or even turned their blades against the Zhou family!

"Eldest Brother, let us bring Second Brother home first."

Zhou Changhe finally reacted. He pushed himself up, his limbs devoid of strength, and spoke in an incredibly hoarse voice.

"Give these wrongfully slain men a proper burial. Our Zhou family will provide for their families and descendants."

The eyes of the Niu Family Village men among the attendants instantly lit up. They were farmers who scraped their meals from the dirt, living day to day. Who wouldn't want a future free from the fear of starvation?

"Also, gather the remains of Zhou Shi and the others. They died for the Zhou family. I want them buried in our Zhou family's ancestral graveyard."

The servants and guards reddened at the eyes. For a master to bestow such generous treatment upon mere servants meant they were highly valued.

Despite his profound sorrow, Zhou Changhe's words successfully won over the hearts of his subordinates.

Before long, several small carts were cobbled together. Even the wheels were makeshift replacements stripped from other objects. After all, they only needed to transport the bodies back to Baixi Mountain; they did not need to be sturdy, long-term vehicles.

The guards put in tremendous effort, pulling the carts forward with their bare hands, eager to prove their worth.

Zhou Minghu stood before a deep pit, gazing down at the dozens of piled corpses. Many belonged to the Sun family.

He had not taken his revenge personally, but nearly all the able-bodied men of the Sun family had died here, leaving behind only the old, the weak, the women, and the children. He could not help but wonder: was there still a need to slaughter them all?

Turning away, he followed the procession.

He did not intend to exterminate them. They were, after all, innocent women and children. Although the Sun family owed the Chen family a blood debt, these men had ultimately lost their lives because of the Zhou family. The cycle of cause and effect was now settled. Let it end here.

A few guards chased after the trail left by Ma Datou and his cohorts. The Zhou family had promised a heavy reward for finding the murderers, after all.

This place was not far from Baixi Mountain, a mere ten li away. Yet, it was a short journey that Zhou Changxi would never be able to finish.

Ming Peak

It was late in the eleventh month, naturally not the season for planting spiritual rice. Zhou Ping was currently leading Wang Dashi and Chen Fusheng to plant flowers, trees, and especially fruit saplings.

Spiritual Qi nourished all things. The richer the Spiritual Qi, the easier it was for rare treasures to be born.

Although Baixi Mountain's Spiritual Qi was not overly abundant, constant day-and-night nourishment could still elevate the quality of ordinary flora and medicinal herbs.

This was the livelihood of all cultivation forces. Planting precious trees and spiritual fruits within their clan lands improved the plants' quality, and in turn, the flourishing vegetation gathered Spiritual Qi from the surroundings. It was a mutually beneficial cycle.

The Pingyun Huang Clan, for instance, was famous throughout the surrounding counties for their mountains blanketed in pines and cypresses. They earned a substantial fortune each year simply by selling pine nuts. They even boasted a first-grade green pine tree, alongside numerous other extraordinary pines. Every single pine nut they bore contained Spiritual Qi, bringing in countless Spirit Stones for the Huang Clan.

Zhou Ping did not harbor extravagant hopes of possessing a graded treasure tree. As long as the quality of these mortal plants improved, it would still serve as a steady source of income.

In his early years, he had planted a great deal of foliage across Baixi Mountain's four peaks. However, the terrible drought had made it a struggle just to keep the spiritual rice alive, leaving most of his trees to wither and die.

Now that the drought had passed, he naturally revived the idea. As long as they planted in large volumes, decades from now they might develop a clan specialty, just like the Huang Clan.

He had also grasped the true function of his system. While it could not grant his family direct, immediate power, as long as he remained alive, it could ensure his family's legacy endured-perhaps even producing a peerless genius in the future.

Was the prosperity of a clan not built upon generations of relentless effort, one after another?

This was especially true for the unborn grandchild in Wang Shi's womb. Though he did not know whether it was a boy or a girl, its spiritual light measured two point six cun. It was destined to become a Qi Condensation cultivator in the future, giving him great peace of mind.

At this thought, Zhou Ping's mood lifted considerably.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed. He sensed someone stepping into the formation's boundary, someone who possessed the means to pass through the barrier.

"Could it be Minghu and the others returning?"

Thinking this, he turned to Chen Fusheng and the other boy. "You two head back and rest for a bit. I will return shortly."

With that, Zhou Ping vaulted several zhang into the air and soared toward the east.

Qi Condensation cultivators refined the world's Qi and possessed abundant Magic Power. At this stage of cultivation, they could harness the ambient energy to glide through the air.

However, without a specialized flight technique, Qi Condensation cultivators could not fly particularly fast-they were only somewhat quicker than a mortal sprinting on the ground.

Even so, it left the two half-grown boys staring up in sheer envy.

"Brother-in-law is amazing. When will I be able to fly?" Chen Fusheng sighed in admiration.

Wang Dashi jiggled the fat on his belly and said naively, "We've got a long way to go. Anyway, we don't have anything else to do. My dad sent me a bunch of good food. Wanna come over and have a bite?"

They had been living on the mountain for two or three years now. Between their duties planting spiritual rice and their youthful inability to sit still, Wang Dashi had only just gathered his third wisp of Spiritual Qi. Chen Fusheng's aptitude was slightly better; he had already condensed five wisps.

However, Wang Dashi's talent was fixed. Without a massive Fated Chance, he would never exceed eight wisps even if he cultivated until the day he died. Chen Fusheng fared much better. He should be able to reach twelve or thirteen wisps, and a true breakthrough was not entirely out of the question.

"Forget it. I'm going back to cultivate," Chen Fusheng said, shaking his head before heading home.

The little fatty pouted. "Fine. I'll go find Zhou Bai and the others to play. They're probably bored anyway."

Muttering to himself, he waddled toward the Zhou family estate.

As Zhou Ping flew over the mountain path, he spotted Zhou Changhe and the others pulling several crude carts laden with corpses.

His mind buzzed with a sudden roar. He involuntarily unleashed a powerful aura, whipping up a fierce gale in the narrow mountain pass and startling the people below.

He plummeted like a falling star, landing heavily before the group.

"Changhe, Minghu, what happened?" Zhou Ping demanded anxiously.

He was terrified of hearing dreadful news regarding Zhou Xuanya. For a moment, he hardly dared to listen.

Zhou Changhe remained utterly silent. It was Zhou Minghu who finally answered, "Father, Cousin Changxi was murdered by bandits."

Hearing that it wasn't Zhou Xuanya, Zhou Ping exhaled a quiet breath of relief. Yet, this was still his own blood nephew. How could he not feel anger and sorrow?

"What exactly happened? He was perfectly fine! How is he gone?"

Zhou Minghu sighed and recounted the general sequence of events.

Zhou Ping fell silent. He knew his second nephew suffered from a naturally indecisive temperament, which was why he only assigned Changxi tasks after giving explicit, step-by-step instructions.

Yet, the mission was merely to occupy three villages. In less than two days, it had devolved into such a catastrophe. He could not help but feel a flare of anger at Changxi's sheer incompetence.

"Have those bastards been found?" Zhou Ping asked sternly.

No matter how incompetent his nephew might be, he was still a member of the Zhou family. He was not someone outsiders could casually humiliate and slaughter.

"We only found traces heading north."

Zhou Ping went quiet. In the next instant, he transformed into a streak of flowing light, shooting northward.

He scoured the land for over ten li, but there was no sign of Wu Siliu and his crowd. Left with no choice, he regretfully turned back to guard against any unforeseen disasters.

After all, during times of great calamity, rogue cultivators might take the opportunity to raid. Leaving for a brief moment was manageable, but a prolonged absence would place their clan lands in grave peril. A blood debt had to be repaid, but he could not jeopardize the family's survival for the sake of vengeance.

Historically, great disasters bred great scourges, giving rise to vicious bandits and rebels. Once the famine stabilized, the imperial court would dispatch forces to exterminate these heinous outlaws. Given the Zhou family's rising influence, they might be able to borrow the court's blade to slay those villains and offer their heads as a sacrifice to his nephew.

In his heart, Zhou Changxi was indeed his blood nephew, but he would never outweigh the safety of the entire Zhou clan.

"Let us go," Zhou Ping said upon his return. "We are heading home first."

Zhou Changhe looked at Zhou Ping, feeling a wave of desolation. He knew his uncle's decision was the most rational one, yet how could he not feel bitterly disappointed at failing to avenge his younger brother?

"If only our family had one more Qi Condensation cultivator, would we be forced to swallow this?"

When the procession finally reached the mountaintop courtyard, a chorus of agonized wailing erupted.

Lady Lin collapsed beside the wooden cart. Trembling, she reached out to touch the pulverized mass of bloody flesh. Tears cascaded down her face as she nearly fainted on the spot.

"My son!"

Zhou Hong was overcome with agonizing grief. He slumped to the ground, old tears streaming down his face, unable to gather his wits for a long time.

They dared not inform Zhou Dashan and his wife in the rear courtyard. The two elders were simply too frail to endure such a horrific shock.

Mu Lushi crumpled beside the wooden cart in absolute despair. Her delicate body trembled violently. She could not bring herself to believe that the bloody mass of meat mud lying before her was Zhou Changxi. Tears welled in her eyes before shattering against the ground.

"Zhou Lang... Zhou Lang..."

"You promised... you would never leave me..."

Mu Lushi murmured, her gaze turning utterly vacant.

"Second Young Madam! Second Young Madam has fainted!"

A sharp-eyed servant shrieked in panic. Mu Lushi had fully lost consciousness, plunging the main hall into further chaos.

As the Zhou family estate was draped in white mourning silk, numerous households in Baixi Village followed suit. The surviving women, children, and elderly of the Sun family wept endlessly, filling the entirety of Baixi Mountain with the sounds of mourning.

Chi Peak possessed incredibly thin Spiritual Qi, and its spiritual fields combined amounted to less than half a mu. It was tasteless to cultivate, yet a pity to abandon. Thus, Zhou Ping buried Zhou Changxi with full honors at the summit of Chi Peak. The bodies of the eight loyal guards were interred at the foot of the mountain to stand vigil over Zhou Changxi's soul.

He officially designated Chi Peak as the clan's ancestral burial ground, harboring the hope that all future generations of the Zhou family might one day find peaceful slumber here. Fallen leaves returning to their roots.

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