Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 111 A Thousand Miles Away
After leaving the house, the group walked along the steep mountain path for about half an hour. Suddenly, a large flat area appeared before them, with many grave mounds piled up on the ground. Incense sticks were still burning beside the tombstones, indicating that people often came here to pay their respects.

“This is where the Zhang family is buried. Your family is buried right across from here,” Zhang Tiegong said. “We brought the deceased up from the mountain valley and put them in the coffins. Now they have a peaceful place to rest.”

Sister Zhang Yao added, "It's a pity that your family members were burned beyond recognition, so we can't recognize anyone. We can only put up a tombstone, but there are no words on it. Come on, we'll get there after we go around the mountain stream ahead."

“No, it’s the same for us to watch from here…” A-Jiu murmured as she walked to the edge of the flat area, below which stood a towering rock wall. Opposite them, there was another flat area protruding from the mountain, slightly lower in elevation, with the two sides separated by a stream. The burial site was nestled against the mountain, seemingly suspended in mid-air, with lush green grass growing beneath its feet and no large trees to obstruct the view. Anyone who saw it would know that this was an auspicious location with excellent feng shui.

Chen Xuan came up behind the siblings and could see at a glance that there were twelve graves piled up on the opposite side, with a blank stele standing at the very front of these graves.

Looking further into the mountain valley, the ruins of a house can be faintly seen.

That should be the courtyard where the Wei family lives.

Chen Xuan scanned the surroundings with his mental cultivation technique and, not sensing the presence of any cultivators, patted the two on the shoulders and said, "Go ahead and worship if you want, it's safe here."

Ah Jiu and Ah Hua, suppressing their grief, knelt down and bowed three times and nine times in the direction of their family.

The Zhang family members stood behind them, their expressions slightly saddened. From now on, there would be one less household remaining on the border of Feng County.

After kneeling and bowing, the two wiped away their tears and returned to the crowd.

"Brother Tie Gong, excuse me... are all the Wei family members here?" Ajiu asked in a low voice.

“Everyone we could find is here.” Zhang Tiegong quickly realized, “What, is the number wrong?”

"Hmm... Ah Hua and I thought about it carefully, and apart from the two of us, the Wei family had a total of thirteen people at that time."

“But we’ve searched every room, so we shouldn’t have missed any of the dead.” Zhang Tiegong thought for a moment, “Was your rogue cultivator master tall, maybe half a foot taller than your father?”

“Yes. Master Ji is indeed very tall.” Ajiu nodded.

“That’s not surprising. None of the dead we found were that tall.” Sister Zhang Yao curled her lip. “He must have abandoned you and run away alone. Cultivators… always value their own lives more.”

“Master Ji wouldn’t do that!” Ajiu immediately retorted. “Even while he was fighting the enemy, he didn’t forget to remind us to quickly hide in the well! If he wanted to run away, he could have done so from the very beginning!”

"Could Master still be alive?" Ahua exclaimed excitedly. "If he's not dead, then he must have been caught by the murderer!"

"But why do they want to capture Master? Master has never mentioned having any enemies..." Ajiu clenched her fists and looked at Chen Xuan, "Immortal Master, you are all-powerful and know everything. Can you help us find Master Ji's whereabouts?"

"Well... I can give it a try." Chen Xuan pondered for a moment, "But do you remember what you said to me when we first met?"

"Disciple remembers!" Ajiu said solemnly, "I want to improve my strength and avenge my family!"

“That’s right, so your most important task right now is to cultivate diligently. Don’t let this news disturb your peace of mind,” Chen Xuan instructed. “Otherwise, even if you find the other party, you’ll only be able to watch helplessly.”

"Yes! We understand!" the brother and sister replied in unison.

He then turned to the eldest brother of the Zhang family and asked, "You said before that taking in wandering cultivators wasn't a good thing... was there a reason for that?"

"Ah, actually, you often see rogue cultivators around near the Qinling Mountains," Zhang Tiegong replied truthfully. "These people aren't skilled enough, and sects aren't willing to accept them, so they have to find their own ways to cultivate. That's why they don't miss out on all sorts of crooked and evil methods. Don't be fooled by the fact that this mountain range stretches for thousands of miles; many places are actually owned by certain sects. When rogue cultivators come here to kill demons or search for caves with abundant spiritual energy, they inevitably clash with sect disciples, and it's not uncommon for one or two people to die."

Upon hearing this, Ajiu bit her lip, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

Zhang Tiegong noticed the change in his expression and quickly said, "I don't mean to slander your master, but Ajiu and Ahua... tell me honestly, did that rogue cultivator master ever mention his specific background to you?"

The brother and sister were speechless.

Despite having spent five years together, they knew very little about their master's past.

The words my master said most often were: don't trust sects. The bigger the sect, the more terrifying it is. And the Immortal Alliance is just as unreliable.

“I only found out about this when I went to the Wei family to deliver meat during the New Year. I advised Uncle Wei to make the other party leave as soon as possible, but your father felt it was not good to drive people away in the dead of winter. In addition, the rogue cultivator was still recovering from his injuries and was very weak, so he planned to make a decision next spring. As a result, it was delayed for several years…” Zhang Tiegong said with regret, “If he had listened to me at that time, he might have been able to avoid this calamity.”

Since flying at night was inconvenient, everyone stayed overnight at the Zhang family's house. The Zhang family slaughtered pigs and sheep and served everyone their most sumptuous dishes and drinks.

The next morning, the two said goodbye at the foot of the mountain. Chen Xuan also specifically reminded Zhang Tiegong that if anything unusual happened here, or if the Zhang family encountered difficulties, they could come to the manor in the southern suburbs of Chang'an City to ask him for help.

The Zhang family was extremely grateful for this.

Upon returning to the manor by helicopter, Xu Xuanling was already waiting at the main building entrance with large bags and packages. Chen Xuan had Ajiu and Ahua show her around the manor to familiarize her with the surroundings, while he discussed cultivation matters with Liu Shuyue.

It's not feasible to go to the Great Wilderness of Wanshan for the time being. Xu Xuanling is not a customer of the shop, and Chen Xuan doesn't want the Immortal Alliance to know that he owns a vast, undeveloped territory.

But to truly treat the manor as a place for cultivation would be far too haphazard and a complete waste of these people's talents.

The "Supreme Sovereign Sect" should at least live up to its name.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Shuyue said, "How about... we use my room as a meditation room for now? I'll find some furniture to block the back door, and outsiders will think it's just a small sanctuary."

The small sanctuary within the manor is quite amazing, but it is certainly much better than the vast wilderness of Wanshan.

"Just how abundant is the spiritual energy in room 201? Is it inferior to the room of the talisman-horned deer?" Chen Xuan asked curiously. He had also visited the latter's room, which maintained an almost authentic rural style, with a thatched roof, handcrafted wooden tables, and walls covered with various animal head decorations.

"It's similar to the sea of ​​clouds at the summit of Kunlun Mountain, but it can always be kept full, so it's actually more useful than the meditation room of the Lotus Cloud Sect," Liu Shuyue praised without reservation.

"In that case, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you for a while."

"It's alright, the sofa is very comfortable if I want to stay overnight." She smiled slightly.

The thought of Liu Shuyue, fully clothed and asleep on the sofa, sent a jolt through Chen Xuan's heart.

"Uh... not really. You can sleep with Lin Qing. I've seen her room; her bed is huge."

The only downside is that it causes some light pollution.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the direction of the manor gate.

Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue arrived at the gate together and found that a dozen or so cultivators had gathered there. They all had jade tokens hanging from their waists, so they were obviously not there to apply to join the sect.

"What brings you all to our sect?" Chen Xuan asked.

Soon someone recognized him, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Sect Leader Chen. We have come here to inquire about the news of demons and monsters wreaking havoc on the human world in the west."

“That’s right. We have confirmed your origins with the Immortal Alliance. The map of mountains and seas has also been updated with the territory of the French Kingdom. So we would like to know how far it is from Chang’an to the western world overrun by demons?”

Hearing this, Chen Xuan felt very gratified. It seemed that the publicity he had given for the previous arena battle had worked, and now some cultivators were even willing to try their luck in the west.

“I see.” He said with a smile, “As far as I know, there are caravans traveling between Chang’an and the Western Regions every year, going for half a year and returning for half a year. France is even further west, so it would probably take a whole year.”

Upon hearing this, the cultivators all showed signs of backing down.

It would take a year to get there, and then they would have to wander around for years afterward. There was no immortal alliance to protect them there, and if they died at the hands of demons, wouldn't they be left without anyone to collect their bodies?

Even spiritual practitioners are human beings; they still hope to return to their homeland after death and be buried next to their families.

Chen Xuan was clearly aware of this problem as well.

Or rather... the journey itself is the biggest obstacle preventing the Immortal Alliance from supporting France.

He originally planned to address the difficulty of the long journey after the sect competition, but since the publicity progress was faster than expected, he could naturally adjust his plans and put the "teleportation portal" project on the agenda.

"There's no need for you to worry," Chen Xuan said calmly. "Our sect has a way to save you the long journey." "Then, let alone a year or two, you'll be able to reach the demon-infested Far Western Sea in just a few breaths, and fight for the peace and tranquility of all mankind!"

(End of this chapter)