Chapter 1355: A Decade
Life in the soul cultivator world was different after news of the Soul Refining School’s eradication was made known. The blight that had harmed their world for hundreds and hundreds of years was finally gone. Their execution and complete destruction had brought joy to the hearts of many.
The world of soul cultivators was forever changed now. The Beast Taming and the Soul Refining Schools were wiped from the continent, the Wind Lightning School had ‘sealed’ itself off, and even the Tianhun School was in a semi-broken state. Many of the other schools and sects affected in the conflict were equally worse-off, some of them even closing up for good…
The Ten Great Schools were similarly affected. Three were gone from the ranks for good and the strife between the schools for each of the five elements was resolved. In the end, the schools decided to put aside their differences and formed a great alliance, unifying the five of them into one new school known as the Five Elements School.
The Crafting School was one of the few schools that had benefited more from the conflict than lost. Ushered into a golden era, the school began to receive many guests and hopeful students. Bai Yunfei was the continent’s newest ‘Hero’ and so countless individuals came by to pay their respects to him and the Crafting School.
……
Bai Yunfei wasn’t one to care about the ebb and flow of the soul cultivator world. Once the eradication of the Soul Refining School was done, he returned to the Capital and returned to his happy and carefree life.
Another month passed and Zheng Kai’s marriage with Kou Tingting took place. The Zheng, Crafting School, and the entire Capital was subsequently thrown into a whole three days and nights of festivities to celebrate the occasion.
After that came Bai Yunfei’s return to the Great Plains Province. ‘Placed’ back in it’s rightful place, Mt. Crimson and the Crafting School made a ‘return’ to the world with the Fate School situated nearby it as a neighboring school.
The next power to be resituated was the Yao clan. As per their request, Bai Yunfei traveled to the Soulbeast Forest to retrieve Yao City and placed it near Mt. Crimson.
As such, the Great Plains Province became a holy land for soul cultivators from all over the continent to make a pilgrimage.
With time healing all wounds, the Tianhun Continent gradually returned to an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity.
There was no longer a need to run off to X province for Y reason anymore. No longer was there some person coming after his life with some kind of nasty scheme. Bai Yunfei could finally live out the peaceful life of his dreams with Tang Xinyun. Together, the two could travel the continent in hopes of attaining a higher realm…
…………
……
Ten years later.
The Azure Cloud Province. The outskirts of Talus City.
One family: two males and two females, toured down the small beaten path in a forest grove where two burial mounds were.
At the front of the group was a young man; Bai Yunfei. The past ten years had done nothing to Bai Yunfei’s appearance. He still looked the same as he did as a twenty-something year-old, and Tang Xinyun was the same.
Walking up to the burial mound, Bai Yunfei and Tang Xinyun began to clean them up. Dirt was brushed away and the mounds were cleaned before the two turned their attention to the weed and grass that were growing around them.
It’d be an extremely trivial matter for Bai Yunfei to clear the unwanted weeds with a single snap of his fingers, but he didn’t want to do that. Cluster by cluster, Bai Yunfei meticulously cleared up the area without leaving behind even a single blade of grass.
Once cleared, Tang Xinyun began to lay out the offerings. Joss sticks were lit and platters of food were placed before Bai Yunfei and Tang Xinyun knelt in front of the gravestones. Bowing his head thrice, Bai Yunfei began to address the mounds.
“Mother, grandfather…we’ve come back to see you again…”
Tang Xinyun turned to the two younglings behind her, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Ya, come kowtow to your grandmother and great-grandfather.”
“Okay…”
The two replied dutifully. Kneeling beside their parents, the two kowtowed thrice to the tombs. “Grandma, great-grandpa, Xiao Yi (Xiao Ya) is back to see you again…”
They were the children of Bai Yunfei and Tang Xinyun. An eight-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter and the treasures of their parents.
Every holiday, such as memorial day, Bai Yunfei would bring his wife and children here to pay their respects. It filled Bai Yunfei’s heart to see just how dutiful his children were…
The words his mother spoke to him as a baby echoed in his mind.
“There’ll be a day when my little Yunfei will grow up to be like the clouds in the sky. Drifting freely without a care in the world…”
“Mother…I’ve finally done as you wished…”
……
The family of four returned to Talus City after their visit. They lived in the old ‘home’ of Bai Yunfei in the city, but newly-renovated now that Bai Yunfei had the means to do so. It was a nice summer home of sorts to stay in whenever they visited Talus City.
“I wonder how Xiao Bai and Xiao Qi are doing…” Tang Xinyun mentioned as they walked.
Essentially ‘married’, Xiao Qi and Xiao Bai left two months ago for the Soulbeast Forest. After the last decade, Xiao Qi was able to help Xiao Bai grow stronger and become a Peak late-stage class seven soulbeast. She was on the cusp of becoming a class eight soulbeast and so the two decided to head to the Tomb of the Emperor Beasts so she could breakthrough. Xiao Qi had even prepared a great deal of class seven and class eight soulgems for her—and the class nine soulgem from the Abyssal Snake Saint. The way he went all out for Xiao Bai made even Bai Yunfei sweatdrop.
Tang Xinyun was only a Mid-stage Soul King and hadn’t the qualification to enter the Tomb of the Emperor Beasts. Thus, she remained with Bai Yunfei and awaited for news from Xiao Bai to reach her.
“Haha, let me see.” Bai Yunfei laughed before taking out the Soul Seeker’s Mirror. Peering at its surface, he let out a small exhale of surprise once he realized where they were. “Oh? They’ve reached the Tomb already? Haha, doesn’t seem like there’ll be any other problems, so rest easy, Xinyun…”
“Is that so?” Tang Xinyun smiled, “That’s good then…”
“I’d say they’ll be back in a month or two…hm, that means we’ll have time for Zheng Xuanwu’s one-month birthday—we should prepare to head to the Capital soon. I don’t want to hear Ah’Zheng call me ‘disloyal’ again if I don’t look after my little nephew…”
A smile broke out on Tang Xinyun’s lips, “Then what gift have you prepared for your new nephew?”
“That’s what I’m worried about!” Bai Yunfei sighed dramatically, “I think I should spend the next few days trying to craft a suitable soul armament. I fear I’d have to part with a Regalia if I can’t make one—Ah’Zheng that brat, how many children does he have to make to take my soul armaments away? Is he doing this on purpose?”
To say Bai Yunfei was disgruntled was an understatement. His own marriage with Tang Xinyun saw only two children—a ‘normal’ number. In the past ten years, Zheng Kai had essentially one child per year. The tenth child had only just been born, meaning they had nearly enough to form a soccer team. And every time a new child was born, Bai Yunfei would have to worry about getting a suitable gift for his newest nephew. And how did he know that the newest child was a male, and not a female? Li Chengfeng. With his divinations, Bai Yunfei was able to learn even the birthdate of Zheng Kai’s newest child.
The past few years had done his friends well. Zheng Kai’s family was prospering with each addition to the family; Li Chengfeng was traveling around the continent nonstop; and Jing Mingfeng’s nickname as the ‘Handsome Thief’ was well-known throughout the continent. Scurrying from province to province, he’d rob the rich and give to the poor non-stop. The Royal Family would often dispatch Soul Emperors out to catch him, leading to a game of cat-and-mouse throughout the entire continent.
There was also Hong Yin. After establishing the Familiar School, a new school where soulbeasts and soul cultivators were brought together for mutual cooperation, he managed to elevate the school to prosperous heights.
Instead of returning to Yao City, Dan Teng resumed business in the Soothing Heart and continued his residency in the Capital. Bai Yunfei’s ‘sworn sister’, Chu Yuhe, became an outstanding student of the Wood branch of the Five Elements School. In fact, she was a newly-married woman to Zhao Xiluo from the Water branch…
There was still so many people to name: Wu Dijian, Yue Feng, Nangong Yuexia, Ye Zhiqiu, Ye Ming, Fang Tianmeng…everyone was living life to their fullest.
……
“Hey—Lao Sha! Where are you! Come back! I want a piggy-back ride…”
Xiao Ya’s bubbly voice broke the serene silence in the forest as she and Xiao Yi ran after a barking shar-pei dog…
“Slow down, Xiao Ya…”
Tang Xinyun called out after her before quickening her pace while Bai Yunfei chuckled.
And so the family slowly, but surely, continued their way back to Talus City…