Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Judging Right and Wrong, Meng Han at the Foundation Establishment Stage

Hu Wan Zhi approached with her head lowered. This was not her first time in the presence of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, but timidity was etched into her bones; she did not dare lift her eyes to the person seated above.

Behind her, Fang Er Lang trembled even harder. Fear hollowed his face, and his lips were so pale they looked bloodless. One glance was enough for Xu Feng to see guilt written all over him. He sized the man up briefly, then withdrew his gaze.

Zhao Chun spoke first. “This is my Senior Sister, Hu Wan Zhi. Though she belongs to the Outer Sect, to me she is like a sworn sister.”

Xu Feng noted at once that Hu Wan Zhi’s cultivation was only at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage, and yet she was already over twenty. He understood what sort of position she held in the sect. Hearing Zhao Chun call her a sworn sister, his expression eased a fraction, and he gave Hu Wan Zhi a small nod.

Hu Wan Zhi almost tripped over her words. “I’m no more than a blade of grass,” she said hurriedly. “How could I dare trouble my lord to look my way?”

Xu Feng waved a hand, cutting through the empty humility, and asked directly, “I heard my son’s conflict with Junior Sister Zhao has drawn you in as well. Tell me what happened. I want the facts, so I can deal with this as his father.”

Xu Feng’s courtesy only made Hu Wan Zhi more flustered. She glanced up, caught Zhao Chun’s steady nod, and forced herself to organize her thoughts. Then she explained, piece by piece, how Xu Kuang Rui had bribed a menial to lace the fields with a drug that would reduce their yield.

Xu Feng had risen from the bottom; when he first entered the sect, he had suffered his own share of hardship. He understood, better than most, how precarious life was for those scraping by at the lowest levels.

He let out a slow breath. Xu Kuang Rui’s method was vicious. It might not kill Hu Wan Zhi outright, but over time the steward of the Spirit Plant Garden would certainly grow resentful. When that resentment finally boiled over, Hu Wan Zhi would lose her post—and for someone like her, losing that position was the cruelest knife of all.

There was a witness, and the unused drug itself remained as evidence. Xu Feng’s face darkened, anger gathering in the lines around his eyes. For years he had been forced to clean up after Xu Kuang Rui’s messes, and the tension had been piling up like dry brush before a spark. For a moment, he seemed unsure whether to rage or to sigh.

Finally, he steadied himself, his voice controlled. “On another day, I will order my son to come and apologize in person. From now on, I will restrain him properly.”

That was already more than most would have offered. Zhao Chun was satisfied. Xu Feng was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator; for him to handle this matter personally was rare. Xu Kuang Rui might not have been punished openly, but from Xu Feng’s tone alone, Zhao Chun could tell it would not end with empty words behind closed doors.

Hu Wan Zhi looked as if a boulder had finally rolled off her chest. She hurriedly bowed, thanking Xu Feng over and over, the gloom that had clung to her at last fading from her face.

With the matter resolved, Zhao Chun should have taken the two of them and left. Instead, Xu Feng spoke again, keeping her behind.

Zhao Chun had no choice but to summon the Mist Skiff first and send Hu Wan Zhi and Fang Er Lang back. Then she remained alone at Lookout’s End Cliff and asked, “Senior Brother, is there something else?”

Xu Feng’s expression softened into a calm smile. “Since I reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, I’ve received more visiting cards than I can count. Many came before you, some far more eager and courteous. Yet I still met you first. Do you know why?”

Zhao Chun had wondered about that herself. Xu Feng had achieved Foundation Establishment at a young age and even earned an Upper Yi in the grand examination. In the Inner Sect, those who wanted to befriend him were countless. That he had chosen her petition among so many could not be an accident.

She met his eyes. “Please speak plainly, Senior Brother.”

Xu Feng rested his hands on his knees. “Do you still remember Meng Han?”

Zhao Chun blinked. “Senior Brother Meng? Of course. If he hadn’t helped me, I’d have died in Wind-Halt Forest.”

Xu Feng burst into laughter. “Both of you insist he saved your life. At this point, I’m not sure who saved whom.”

His tone was notably more intimate now, as if an invisible distance had shortened between them. Zhao Chun understood at once: this was because of Meng Han.

Xu Feng did not keep her guessing long. “Meng Han and I have known each other for years. We’re like brothers. This time, we traveled together to seek a spiritual treasure for his Foundation Establishment. Along the way, he spoke of you—said your insight was unusual, that you had real promise. That’s why I remembered your name.”

Zhao Chun offered a few modest replies, and Xu Feng continued, explaining the delay.

Meng Han had once considered using the spiritual fruit from Hui Ming Manor as his foundation. It suited the earth element, steady and balanced; it would have made the breakthrough easier, and the resulting Spiritual Foundation would have been respectable, if unremarkable. But after what happened with Yue Zuan, Meng Han’s ambition had sharpened. He refused to settle for “good enough.” He insisted on finding something better suited to him—a Rock Jade Stone Root—and would only enter the Foundation Establishment Stage with that as his base.

Rock Jade Stone Root was among the rarest earth-element spiritual treasures. To obtain it from the sect would have required trading an unknown number of valuables. Meng Han, short on resources, invited Xu Feng to hunt for treasures outside. By sheer luck, they found enough. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Meng Han’s breakthrough.

Zhao Chun leaned forward slightly. “Then Senior Brother Meng…?”

“He broke through half a month ago,” Xu Feng said. “He’s in the grand examination now. His foundation is solid. An upper-middle B Grade is almost guaranteed—he might even earn a Lower Jia.”

Zhao Chun was quick to smile. “Please pass along my congratulations.”

“I will,” Xu Feng said. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “There’s one more thing. I heard you’ve been asking around about an earthfire forging furnace. Are you planning to learn the Fire-Forging Furnace Art?”

Asking about someone’s techniques was ordinarily a serious breach of etiquette. Even if Xu Feng was Meng Han’s closest friend, they had only met today. Zhao Chun kept her expression composed, waiting to see what he meant.

Xu Feng seemed to read the caution in her eyes. “I won’t dance around it,” he said. “I have three spiritual roots and mainly cultivate metal techniques. Methods in that attribute are already scarce. I happen to know this art, and seeing that you’re at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage, I wanted to warn you.”

“An earthfire forging furnace consumes an enormous amount of spiritual energy. If you’re careless, it can harm your body. With a fire spiritual root, the backlash can be even harder to withstand. Wait until you’ve fully perfected the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage before you attempt it.”

Such cultivation pitfalls were rarely shared. Xu Feng’s willingness to speak was clearly out of regard for Meng Han.

Relief and shame rose together in Zhao Chun’s chest. She stood and bowed. “So that’s how it is. I was ignorant. Thank you, Senior Brother.”

If she had rushed in blindly, she might have damaged her cultivation before she even understood what went wrong.