You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

Qi Fei took a deep breath, aligned the token in his hand with the recessed pattern, and gently pressed it down.

The token fit perfectly and silently, as if it had always been there.

The next moment, the back of the cabinet suddenly turned into a bottomless shadow, rippling out like water.

The token hung high, and a crack slowly opened in the center of the water-like shadow, which then turned into a downward staircase, deep and winding, leading to an unknown destination.

Qi Fei was stunned.

He had lived here for several years and had never known that such a hidden mechanism was in his home.

After hesitating for a moment, he still stepped inside.

The steps descend one by one, with luminous pearls embedded on both sides of the passage, emitting a faint glow that barely allows one to see the path beneath one's feet.

After climbing about several dozen steps, the view suddenly opened up to reveal a huge underground chamber.

In the center of the secret room was a small, pitch-black pool.

The pool was still and undisturbed, so black it seemed capable of swallowing all light.

Scattered around the pool were rows of white bones, clean and tidy, as if they had been devoured by flesh, fascia, fat, and the like.

The skeletons included those of adults and children.

This is... the place where my cheap old mother actually lives!

He suppressed his surprise and fear of the skeleton, and glanced at the side of the pool. There was a wooden table there, with a letter on its surface.

Qi Fei stepped forward, picked up the letter. It was a very simple letter, slightly yellowed, and seemed to be a few years old.

Upon opening the letter, the handwriting on the paper was delicate, clearly the work of a woman.

"With one heart, seeing this letter is like seeing you in person."

"Thirty years ago, after we parted at Fanghua Pavilion, did you ever miss me?"

Huh?

This is way too ambiguous!

Qi Fei raised an eyebrow. It seemed that there was something fishy about his adoptive mother and Zhu Yixin.

He continued reading.

"Knowing you were coming, I left the Shadow God Technique behind."

"This is the very first text in the teachings, obscure and difficult to understand, even I cannot comprehend it. Thirty years ago, if it were up to you, with your level of understanding, you might have already achieved mastery. I have misled you."

"The thirty-year agreement was not broken by me, but rather by the appearance of a sword immortal's residence in Nanshan. Sword energy soared into the sky, visible for hundreds of miles, like a rainbow or a ribbon, ceaselessly day and night."

"Over the years, the sword energy of Nanshan has grown stronger and stronger, and it will soon be unleashed. I left in haste, and I didn't even finish the 'Heart-Piercing Blood Stab'."

"If you are interested in the Sword Immortal's Residence, you can find me in Nanshan."

"I'm waiting for you!"

Qi Fei was stunned for a long time after reading it.

What kind of mountain is Nanshan?

He had lived in Tianlan City for so long, and had never heard of this mountain.

And this letter... based on his past life experience, no matter how he read it, it felt like something out of a teahouse.

She was the one who broke her promise, but she made it seem like she had no choice.

She clearly wanted to help, but she insisted on waiting for him.

Furthermore, Zhu Yixin arrogantly claimed that he was the son of an old friend and would not bully the weak or steal his "Shadow God Technique".

He strongly suspected that Zhu Yixin and his cheap mother might be a story of an old simp and a green tea b*tch.

The problem is, this letter was written to Zhu Yixin.

It seemed that the old woman had long anticipated that it would be Zhu Yixin, not her son, who would find the secret room.

What's even stranger is that he wasn't mentioned at all in the entire letter.

It's as if... he doesn't exist at all.

Under what circumstances would a mother suddenly leave without leaving any message for her son, but instead leave a message for her lover?

eccentric.

That's really strange!

He searched the secret room carefully, and even opened the cabinets. Inside, he found only some black hair, which, judging from its style, looked like it had been cut from the bodies of the dead.

The only thing worth exploring is that pitch-black pool.

Qi Fei pondered for a moment, and the light of "Shadow Recognition" shone on his hand.

The strange, bright light of "Shadow Observation" shone on the pool. The black layer on the surface of the pool receded, revealing a deep, dark red that was so intense it seemed to be mixed with blood and other substances.

This is a pool of blood.

The light continued to shine, allowing Qi Fei to see a box lying at the bottom center of the blood pool.

Qi Fei didn't reach out to retrieve it rashly. He turned back to the ground, found a long wooden stick in the yard, and then carefully pushed the box from the blood pool to the shore.

The box was extremely heavy, its surface covered with strange runes, and it exuded a strong bloody stench.

The box was opened.

It was completely empty; there was nothing inside.

Qi Fei stared at the empty box, his brows gradually furrowing.

If this is where my cheap old lady crafted the magical artifact "Heart-Piercing Blood Thorn," then this pool must be the material used to craft the artifact, and the white bones around me are the raw materials.

Then... what am I?

He felt that his background was not as simple as it seemed.

After thoroughly searching the secret room and finding nothing suspicious, Qi Fei returned to his bedroom.

He took down the token that was floating in the downward passage, and the shadows that had parted receded like water, and the cabinet instantly returned to its normal appearance.

Only the pattern remained quietly embedded there, as if no secret had ever been revealed.

It was already dark, and the last ray of light coming through the window was swallowed up by the night.

Qi Fei ate something to fill his stomach, then sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

He took a deep breath and, following the method of "discerning the spirit and discerning the shadow," calmed his mind and eliminated distracting thoughts.

First, focus on that one point of "shadow spirit" clarity, and then try to distinguish between the "object shadows" and "true nature" that are omnipresent around you.

With a thought, the misty spiritual energy outside the window seemed to be summoned, slowly flowing into his body with his breath.

This is his daily practice: unhurried and patient, like grinding water.

It has now been going on for three full years.

The next day, Qi Fei didn't set up his storytelling stall. Instead, he wandered around the city, inquiring about "Nanshan" and his adoptive mother.

After running around all day, I can't say I gained nothing, but I can only say I got nothing.

Of the people he asked, nine out of ten had no recollection of Nanshan. Occasionally, one or two would pat their chests and claim to know it, but their words were full of nonsense.

As for his cheap old mother, she's nowhere to be found.

Qi Fei specifically asked a few old neighbors, but after recalling for a long time, the old people could only remember that a taciturn couple had lived in the courtyard. The woman was very beautiful, but she rarely went out and didn't talk much when she saw people.

Besides that, we couldn't get any more information.

If anyone in Tianlan City knew what Nanshan Mountain was, it would probably be one of the city's powerful families. But those families had strict access restrictions; how could a street storyteller like him possibly get close?

However, besides the large family, there was one other person.

Kong Mingyun, the teacher of Mingchun Academy.

The old master had taught in Tianlan City for decades. He was well-versed in the classics, history, philosophy, and literature, and knew about all walks of life. He was recognized as the most learned person in the city.

He was also the one who taught Qi Fei to read!