Chương 25: Old Friends

Ren stopped in front of the dreaded stairs. Although he no longer had trouble climbing them up, the fuckers had left an unforgettable scar in his mind. Heh, since I called you once, I think it's time to put you to good use, buddy. He felt the stirring answer him as his armor appeared. He lifted his feet and drew a sharp breath, holding it. Ren stepped into the air. There was no solid ground underneath, and he could sense he wasn't truly stepping onto something.

He caught a bunch of spiritual energy slivers floating in the air with his armor's help and then coated his feet with them. It felt a bit… sticky? Truly a strange feeling. One of humanity's greatest dreams, achieved so easily here, huh? He took another step, then another. He didn't fly away immediately, just trying and messing around like a curious kid. The soft breeze hitting his face reminded him of the times he rode a bike. I wonder how fast I can go? Stopping, his lips curved up.

The adult's thrill-seeking instinct took over as he exploded ahead without lingering on the thought. He could straight up test it after all! This time, his feet didn't move. The armor let out a soft hum and pulled him as he wished. Ren accelerated, accelerated, and accelerated until the very air in front of him started to bend around him. Moonlight energy erupted in reflex, blocking the wind.

"HAHAHA!" He couldn't help himself and burst into laughter. This feeling— It's fucking amazing! No bike could rival this. Only after a long while, Ren unwillingly came to a slow stop. He sighed, looking at the breathtaking scenery underneath. The sect stretched to the horizon and beyond, and the Mountain Peaks pierced through the skies. The ancient pavilions stood tall, carrying an elegance hard to put into words. They were beautiful, but he didn't know what to add other than that.

Up here, he had no responsibilities. No politics could reach him. And he felt free of worries. How he wished time would simply stop at this very instant. His eyes lingered on the majestic arenas a bit. They resembled rings— just on steroids. Then shifted to the wide peaks. His small smile slowly faded as he found his target. A mountain peak, lush with countless fields, stood before him. It was shorter than his peak, but much wider. Heck, he was sure he could fit a city or two in there and still have room to spare.

Even the land is much bigger, huh. …

"No, no way in hell am I risking my ass to steal you some fertilizer for your latest half-baked plan," Su Zhong snapped, slamming a jar onto the counter.

"Forget it, Ren." Ren plopped onto the counter like it was his, legs swinging. Instead of answering immediately, his eyes wandered around. The little room they were in was filled to the brim with bottles glimmering with various liquids. The smell of a sterile mix of herbs flooded his lungs, invoking not-so-good memories he spent in hospitals. He always hated them. And lastly, he turned to his soul brother's childhood friend. A brother of his, even. Su Zhong looked nothing like the scrawny tag-along he once was.

Broad-shouldered now, with sharp cheekbones and a neatly tied ponytail, he wore clean, expensive green robes of nobles. Nobles that he hated once.

"Come on, it's just some sacred soil, not a divine beast's cub. Don't be so dramatic," Ren said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips." You tried to steal a divine beast's cub!" Su Zhong exploded, jabbing a finger at him.

"You— damned bastard! Don't act all innocent! The Peak Master nearly flayed my skin because of you!" Ren struggled not to wince, though his smile only deepened. Yeah, that happened…

"Fair enough. But in my defense, I was adorable back then." Su Zhong started pacing, muttering under his breath.

"Adorable, my ass. You nearly got me demoted! And I had to scrub that beast barn for three fucking weeks!" Uhh, why were you a devil's spawn in your childhood, soul brother? Though acting like an arrogant prick is sometimes fun. Back in his glorious brat phase, his soul brother had decided that a majestic beast mount would be the least he could add to his legend. Yet as brazen as he was, he knew he couldn't touch the Divine Might Peak's divine beast Voiddevourer Dragon Emperor's cub.

Old Void would eat thousands of him in one bite, great decision. That being out of reach, his greedy hands reached toward the lesser peaks, and Alchemy Peak became the next best option. Su Zhong, poor fool, had been the 'logistics department' in the heist. Ah, I'd prefer not mentioning such embarrassing times— just a spoiled brat's little mistakes, nothing much!

"Fine," Ren said at last, stretching lazily.

"Then do something easier. Look into why your peak's disciples are targeting mine." Su Zhong froze. The silence was sharp, sharper than the cold face of a blade.

"You're accusing us now?" he growled.

"Are you really that desperate for attention, Ren? Think the world's still revolving around you? Why the hell would a few kids' petty squabbling cause you to come to my doorsteps otherwise?" Ren's smile didn't shift, but the temperature in the room dropped a little.

"Funny," he said lightly.

"I thought you knew me after all those times I saved your pathetic ass." Su Zhong's face twitched.

"Watch your tone."

"I am," Ren replied.

"Believe me, if I weren't watching it, you'd be lying on the ground, whimpering just like the old days." Then he slid off the counter and walked closer, steps casual. But the height difference between them became immediately apparent as Su Zhong had to lift his head.

"Don't be like this, Little Green," Ren said with a drawl, "you and I both know they wouldn't act without permission. So who gave it?"

"Don't call me that," Su Zhong snapped, voice brittle.

"We're not kids anymore."

"No," Ren agreed.

"Back then, you had more spine. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. That one landed. Heavily. Su Zhong's face flushed. He turned sharply away, fists clenched so tight his knuckles paled. Ah, there it is. Guilt. You knew. Ren watched him for a breath longer, then exhaled.

"Forget it," he muttered, turning to leave.

"Looks like the reality had beaten you down too, old friend." Su Zhong didn't answer, but Ren didn't expect him to. The silence behind him said enough. His soul brother might have seen him no different than a real brother, but friendship was a fragile thing in the face of hardships. Ren only snickered. He continued to visit more faces on Alchemy Peak. So-called friends. So-called allies. It was a special sight— one that would shake the whole sect if it were in the past. But now?

Nobody cared, at least on the surface. Ren changed masks like skin. He acted still proud to some, carefree to others, and if they dared to turn arrogant, he 'gently' reminded them who he was. After all, he could throw his weight even in the Council, let alone in a small peak. Furthermore, when he found a weakness, he went so far as to resort to tricks he'd picked up in the cutthroat business world, nearly blackmailing them. Still, no one helped. Friends turned him away.

Alchemists put forward countless conditions for cheap resources, saying nowadays they got less jobs and no spare money to help him. Not even the elders who praised him as the future of the sect and stood behind him like mountains lifted a finger to help. Some even went ahead and called him unreasonable for a petty matter when he pushed them for who gave the permission to harass his disciples.

The only good news was that he managed to acquire a few critical poison ingredients thanks to all those 'harmless' blackmails and debts they owed to his soul brother. It wasn't that surprising for a lesser peak to support the strong person at the moment, but such a quick change? He had never expected it. No, I actually expected this to be the reality. The unexpected one was the Ancestor coming.

Taking a deep breath, Ren felt the smell of burnt herbs filling his lungs as he left another old friend's cabin and proceeded to the last place on the list. However, he didn't feel bitter. On the contrary, he actually felt relieved. The unconditional support he saw since coming to this world had shaken his view of life. But this— This was familiar. Cold, yet still more familiar. Of course, the important thing wasn't the resources or their refusal to help.

As per Ancestor's instructions, he knew he could use the sect's resources even if everyone went against him. So, someone's already plotting to bring me down, huh? The crooked smile of the Second Elder appeared in his mind. No, that old fool wouldn't do something so obvious. He isn't that daring. For others, the title of Great Elder meant they were a part of the highest echelon in terms of strength. But Second Elder, being a cultivator of fate and prophecy, had nearly no power in frontal clashes.

He had already moved against him once and got a harsh slap right in the face. Acting a second time? Just Yan Yuze was enough to scare him into lying low for a while. But if it wasn't him, then who? Ren ruled out Master Xue right away. No way someone like him would stoop to such a low-class move. Letting out a quiet sigh, Ren lifted his head and glanced at the doors in front of him.

Carvings of ginseng and cauldron holding alchemy masters turning stone into gold, making heavenly pills with crimson halos and reviving the dead, decorated every visible surface of them, with golden words on the top: [The dose makes the poison]"Fitting words, even in modern ages," muttered Ren. His mother's endless nagging about medicine filled his mind. She would refuse even painkillers as much as possible, let alone antibiotics without a doctor's permission.

And she had managed to hammer the same thought into every kid in the orphanage, including him, despite he knew her apprehensions were going above the normal, considering she had severe migraine. Can't even remember how many times the kids had to massage her head, he chuckled. But she always rewarded us with chocolate. Ren proceeded to raise his token and watched the doors open. A lavish garden's view greeted him, nearly as majestic as Celestial Veil Garden.

But instead of flowers, spiritual herbs and spiritual trees of various grades planted in strict order adorned the surroundings. A road made with marble separated herbs and trees, the former on the left side. As soon as Ren stepped in, he felt like hearing a cheerful laughter. He slightly shivered as the moonlight energy covering his body moved, drawing the atmospheric spiritual energy slightly. This was the second time the moonlight energy moved without his nudging. He quickly sat cross-legged on the ground.

What's happening? First, a cluster of moonlight tendrils circled his core. With every cycle, more and more tendrils joined, but unlike the first time, they weren't guiding the spiritual energy like shepherds, no, their aim should be something different… But what? Ren searched through his soul brother's memories, trying to find an answer. While he sank deep into thoughts, the aimless moonlight tendrils suddenly dispersed as if failed, letting the gathered spiritual energy dissipate.

Ren's face darkened as he let out a sigh and jumped to his feet.

"Huh, let's add this to my ever-growing list of problems," he muttered. He proceeded to a lakeside house. Compared to the majesty of doors, this one-floored, wooden… hut, combined with a gazebo standing over the waters, was a little bit too humble. It was low and windowless, fragrant with herbs that hung drying from the walls: Dragonmint Vine, Frost-dew Spirals, Bloodcandle Bark, Ashbone Pepper Stalks, Kingsfoil, and Moon-Bitter Lotus Husk. Never mind the humble part, just these fuckers are worth a kingdom or two.

"Hoho, so the mighty Eldest Brother graces my humble abode with a visit? To what do I owe this dubious honor? Another harebrained scheme, I assume?" said an old voice. There, Master Shu sat in the gazebo with a fishing pole, his feet dangling into the water. As one of the Masters, he too was a wizened man with a slightly hunched posture. His long silver hair was tied in a loose bun, and his scruffy beard seemed uneven like always. His robes were stained with herb remains and carried no insignia.

He wasn't that different from a farmer you could find in any village. And truth be told, this was the most fitting look for older elders. After all, even tending to yourself had to be bothersome after a few hundred years. His sparkling blue eyes, full of mischief and wisdom, were not something common. Yet behind the carefree air crouched a hidden weariness. Maybe that was why his soul brother never disrespected him, even though he always caused trouble under his domain.

The fact that his Master or other elders never hesitated to punish him— unlike this man who preferred to simply smile and ruffle his hair— might have had something to do with it, too. He always had a soft spot for my soul brother… Ren smiled, thinking about the box of spirit stones he acquired that let him activate his system. I can't repay what he did for me.

"Greetings, Master Shu. Hope you are doing well," Ren said, bowing his head. The arrogant air he put on vaporized in an instant, even his gaze softening.

"Who could do better than a bone loafer, wasting his life away, heh. Come, come, don't be shy and share a glass; a disciple of mine bought this Colddweller Wine from the accursed north," said the old man while gesturing for Ren to sit beside him.

"It must have been tough. I heard that underworld dwellers had goat-like personalities with uncontrollable drinking habits," said Ren, then slumped into the section extending over the river, and took out his leather shoes. Dipping his feet into the cold, crystal clear waters, the weariness piled together with every door closing in his face slowly dissipated.

"Truly a heavenly luxury you had here, Master Shu. I am quite envious, actually," he muttered, taking the ice blue bottle to pour drinks." Hah, says the most glorious manor's owner. Don't think I am unaware of your spiritual bath," grumbled Master Shu, though his smile remained.

"It even helps to nurse hidden wounds and cleanse meridians. Don't be greedy, for the things you took as granted might not be there the next day."

"People say only the strength you obtained is eternal." He let out a bitter chuckle instead of continuing. Though he knew the lie in that, that was something he couldn't mention. Master Shu's gaze drifted off into the distance for a moment, then he came to himself by the glass Ren offered.

"Anyway, are you disappointed nobody helped you to steal the Sacred Soil?" he asked, not dwelling on the topic. Ren chuckled.

"That little bastard already informed you?"

"Is there any need? You've practically made rounds at the peak, and scared some shitless," saying this, Master Shu burst into laughter.

"Ah, sure it tastes much better now with company." Ren rolled his eyes and chugged the chilly wine. He felt its cold quickly spreading in his chest, causing him to shiver a little. He half-expected his sapling to absorb it as it did to the tea, but unfortunately, it chose to stay silent. Maybe I fed it a little too much, or is it underage? Good boy, then. Master Shu gave him a casual glance.

"Well, did you come here to beg me now that your plan collapsed? If yes, don't forget you still haven't paid your debt back."

"Last time I even gave my precious sword as collateral, Master Shu. How can I even forget such a thing? But you are right, I planned to steal it if Shu Zhong had agreed," said Ren, shrugging.

"Surprising, you and admitting a scheme, this old man never expected to see such a day." Master Shu let out another stifled laugh.

"What did you want me to say? Or are you gonna use your disciples getting beaten up as a reason to squeeze some out of me?"

"Well, I have a few matters to talk about," Ren started, scratching his head.

"Let's go with the good one." He didn't need to help me, but he still did. And since Ancestor already knows, there's no need for me to fear. According to his soul brother's memories, Master Shu might be one of the few trustworthy elders in the sect, only coming after Master Gao. And since someone wanted to erase his soul brother's past influence in this peak, Ren wouldn't want to disappoint with a weak comeback, now would he? He refilled their cups, swirled the wine once, then finished in one sip.

"Haah! Great wine," he exclaimed as he gazed up at the clear sky. A faint, mischievous smile crowned his lips.

"Master Shu, have you ever heard of the Nascent-Moonfly Tree?"