Chapter 823: Don’t Think What You Did Was Wrong

Chapter 823: Chapter 823: Don’t Think What You Did Was Wrong

Central Continent, Tianyan Sect.

San Dong hummed the little tune Cui Hao had taught him while tending to a small spirit field alongside Qian Qing.

It was a patch they’d cultivated on Loving Family Peak.

Nobody objected. The seeds had even been provided by Yanyun.

Following San Dong’s instructions, Qian Qing carefully trimmed the branches, then scattered what looked like luminous, expensive material around the spirit plants as fertilizer.

The world of immortals truly felt like something else entirely.

No rush, no urgency. It was as though there were no sense of time pressure at all.

They would spend months — even years — working on a single task until it was done.

Qian Qing had already been on Loving Family Peak for over half a year. She’d grown so accustomed to the place that it was almost familiar.

But in San Dong’s eyes, those half a year felt like yesterday.

Whenever Qian Qing grew uneasy, San Dong would tilt his head in puzzlement and say — It’s only been half a year. You should be even more patient.

These months had left Qian Qing in a kind of daze. Immortal life was indeed tranquil and serene.

But in casual conversation with San Dong, she’d also heard of a very different side to immortal existence.

Someone had once burned an entire mountain peak — a gorgeous expanse of blooming flowers — just to capture San Dong. The fire had blazed for days on end.

Even San Dong’s meeting with Li Yingling had come about because San Dong coveted an unremarkable piece of Moon Stone.

San Dong admitted that if the person he’d encountered back then hadn’t been the kind-hearted Eldest Senior Sister, his fate would have been no better.

Qian Qing was beginning to understand — the cultivation world possessed transcendent kindness, but also transcendent methods of evil.

When immortals did evil, they were even more merciless and unhesitating than mortals.

Perhaps only a great sect like this could guard this hard-won peace amid a world in chaos.

San Dong had cultivation. A light raise of his hand and spiritual power would handle cutting and fertilizing, with spirit ores dancing through the air into place.

Qian Qing was a martial artist — fast in movement, but she had to do everything step by step. Naturally she couldn’t match San Dong’s speed.

One field, and San Dong had handled most of it.

"All done~" San Dong clapped his hands together, nodding with satisfaction. "That’s enough care for today."

Qian Qing wiped the dirt from her hands and gazed at the neatly tended spirit field.

San Dong raised a hand and summoned a ball of water with a spell. Qian Qing washed her hands in it with practiced ease — clearly not her first time.

"Qian Qing did wonderfully." San Dong settled comfortably onto her shoulder, praising her. "Tonight, San Dong is treating you to a big meal!"

Qian Qing let out a relieved breath and smiled softly:

"San Dong’s hospitality has been wonderful lately. Let me treat you tonight instead — I’ll cook. How about that?"

San Dong’s face lit up with a radiant smile:

"Sure! Qian Qing is a great person too!"

Qian Qing laughed, then began walking up toward the peak’s summit.

This peak was usually quiet. Besides San Dong and herself, there was an elderly man with half-white hair named Ning Kun.

The sect’s building superintendent — though there wasn’t much to build these days.

Ning Kun always found things to do on his own — fixing things here, crafting little trinkets there.

Qian Qing would chat with Ning Kun now and then, though he always brought up how Chu Xingchen had once saved both his and his daughter’s lives, sighing with gratitude that Chu Xingchen was truly a good person.

Ning Kun’s daughter was Ning Qianqian, who visited the sect occasionally.

Ning Qianqian was already a cultivator, but upon learning Qian Qing was a guest, her attitude and words became extraordinarily humble.

This left Qian Qing flattered and somewhat overwhelmed — she was only a mortal, hardly worthy of being called a guest of the immortals. It was just a polite way of putting things.

But Ning Qianqian said she was merely the humblest caretaker in this small sect, and being respectful to guests was respect for the Sect Master — the most basic standard.

These two had made the deepest impression on Qian Qing, perhaps because they visited most frequently.

The rest were outer disciples — equally friendly, but each busy with their own cultivation and rarely around.

Thinking back, in over half a year, those outer disciples had only returned once or twice.

San Dong said that was because the Sect Master wasn’t here. If the Sect Master were present, everyone would gather on Loving Family Peak without being asked.

There would be Yanyun, Lu Xuan, Bai Xuanling, Xie Lingyu — perhaps even Xu Jin and Daoist Yuyang.

So many people, so many friends.

Hearing this, Qian Qing understood. The Chu Xingchen she’d shared a drink with was the core that bound all these people together.

The mountain path wasn’t very long.

A brief chat with San Dong on her shoulder and she was almost there.

She walked through a corridor that had grown familiar.

Qian Qing’s steps suddenly halted. She stared in disbelief at the two people sitting on a bench.

One wore white robes, holding a teacup with an expression of perfect calm.

The other was Chu Xingchen — the man she’d met once before.

San Dong on her shoulder reacted fastest. He darted off, his voice bright with joy:

"The Sect Master is back~! Bai Xuanling big sister is back~!"

Chu Xingchen caught the flying San Dong, then produced a pre-prepared high-grade Moon Stone and placed it in San Dong’s arms.

"I must say, I didn’t expect our reunion to happen here. Life’s fortunes are truly wonderful beyond words." Chu Xingchen gently patted San Dong’s head, then turned to look at Qian Qing with a smile. "Living here all right? I can rest easy knowing how San Dong treats people."

Qian Qing walked closer and gave a decidedly martial-style cupped-fist salute:

"Sorry to impose, Senior. San Dong has been extremely kind to me."

"No need to be so formal. By seniority, you can call me Grandmaster." Chu Xingchen chuckled lightly. "I’ve already passed your message along to Yuankong."

"I asked him to first undergo Daoxuan Temple’s trials as a mortal, so he understands just how difficult your journey to this point has been."

Qian Qing’s lips pressed together softly. She suddenly felt that Chu Xingchen really was a good person.

Sometimes the hardships one couldn’t put into words would be brushed aside with a single light remark.

She’d given so much for it, yet others only needed to say — That’s not what you were supposed to do — and all of it crumbled.

But one had to understand that what was truly being given was the willingness to endure despite how hard it was.

Qian Qing didn’t hesitate to change her address: "Thank you, Grandmaster."

"A sincere heart deserves to be seen." Chu Xingchen gestured for her to sit, then continued. "Besides, this was Yuankong’s failing, not yours."

"If I left my disciples hanging like that, they’d probably handle it even worse than you did."

"Some things aren’t settled with just one sentence."

Chu Xingchen pushed a cup of tea toward Qian Qing:

"I’ve been far too busy these days. Only today did I finally have a moment’s leisure. I felt I had to come see you first — without me here, you’d always feel your position was unofficial."

"Stay a few more days. Give it thought for Yuankong’s sake, and give yourself some time to think as well."

"Also, if you want to stay here for the rest of your life, there’s nothing wrong with that."

"I’ve always believed that life, if it can be helped, shouldn’t include painful partings."

"Isn’t that what all our efforts are for?"

"So don’t hesitate in your heart. And don’t think what you did was wrong."