Chapter 45: The Bright Sun Shines, A Good Day for Farewells
"Old Bull, Sequence 478, it's stable! 500 contributions, that's more than we've done in two years in just two days!" Chen Xun lay on the back of the big black bull, checking the yellow talisman in his hand. As soon as the grand competition ended, he could exchange it for contributions at the sect's main hall. "Moo~" The big black bull turned its head, looking at Chen Xun with concern. "Old Bull, what's the big deal? When we were in Pan Ning City, who had it easy? We've all been surviving in the cracks of society," Chen Xun said nonchalantly, laughing, "A few injuries for such a large contribution? We've struck gold, and we should thank the sect for giving us this opportunity." "Moo moo~" The big black bull nodded, thinking how nice it would be if it could help Chen Xun get hurt; its skin was tough and its flesh thick.
Back in the Medicine Valley, Chen Xun perked up, applying ointment to various parts of his body, while the big black bull stood by his side, doing nothing. "This fasting pill can only be used in emergencies; we're not short on time for meals," Chen Xun said, taking out a yellowish pill. He had refined pills once last year, and after taking it, he indeed felt no hunger, but there was no sense of fullness either—just blandness. "Moo moo!" The big black bull deeply resonated with this; how could this fasting pill compare to the wild flavors of the mountains? It felt like having a pile of hay in its stomach. "Old Bull, let's get to work and tend to the Medicine Valley," Chen Xun said, having finished applying the ointment, smiling, "They couldn't have really hurt me; I just didn't dodge on purpose." "Moo moo~" The big black bull looked back three times as it headed to the garden, which hadn't been tended to for two days. After it disappeared from sight, "Hiss," Chen Xun grimaced in pain; although he hadn't suffered internal injuries, the external wounds were indeed painful.
A few days later, the grand competition ended, and Chen Xun and the big black bull rushed towards the sect's main hall. The yellow talisman had not been taken by the sect, as it was left for disciples as a memento. "Junior Brother Chen!" A familiar voice called from behind him, and his face lit up with joy. "I didn't expect it to be you." "Senior Brother Ji!" Chen Xun was equally delighted, looking at Ji Kun, whose face had become a bit more resolute, though he still resembled a skinny monkey. Chen Xun couldn't help but feel a bit emotional; even within the same sect, it had taken them two whole years to meet by chance. "Didn't Junior Brother Chen go to the outer sect to be a steward?" "I went to manage the medicine garden; my family used to do this," they walked to a secluded tree and began reminiscing, while the big black bull lay down behind them as they paused.
"Junior Brother Chen, this medicine garden isn't a good place; they call it the land of lost ideals," Ji Kun said, somewhat frustrated, "It's filled with old sect members who feel they can never establish a foundation." "We still have plenty of time; we must not be slack, Junior Brother Chen!" "I appreciate Senior Brother's good intentions, but I really don't like fighting and killing," Chen Xun said, his expression troubled. He understood Ji Kun's meaning; being a steward in the outer sect offered many opportunities, which would undoubtedly be beneficial for strengthening one's abilities. "Ah, Junior Brother Chen, you don't know how the disciples in the sect view us loose cultivators, do you?" Ji Kun's face showed indignation, one hand behind his back, the other clenched into a fist. "I really don't know," Chen Xun shook his head; he thought those senior brothers and sisters were quite nice and had never experienced discrimination. "They say we are… stepping stones, and even the foundation-establishing elders look down on us." Ji Kun had spent the last two years as a steward in the outer sect, where factions were numerous and intrigue was constant; sometimes contributions were embezzled.
"Senior Brother Ji, what do you mean by that?" Chen Xun asked calmly. In the past, he would have pulled out three mountain-splitting axes and caused a ruckus. "In three years, the South Dipper Mountain secret realm will open, but most of those who go are loose cultivators." "Yes, I know this; otherwise, how would we have the chance to join the sect?" "Do you know how many people can go every twenty years and how many can survive?" Ji Kun took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Seven hundred people, and less than a hundred return. If you don't pick any foundation-establishing spiritual herbs, you'll get nothing." "So dark?!" Chen Xun exclaimed. Although he had long known they were going to be cannon fodder, he hadn't realized it was this grim. "Of course, we are the leftover loose cultivators after being filtered by the ten great sects. On the surface, it seems equal, but which elder would look up to us?" Ji Kun's eyes dimmed; many of his fantasies had been shattered over the past two years, and he had become more sullen. Those loose cultivators with the potential to establish a foundation had long been taken by the ten great sects; if they wanted to establish a foundation, they could only tread that bloody path.
"Senior Brother Ji means to go to the South Dipper Mountain secret realm?" Chen Xun scrutinized him; he was still at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, and his strength might be insufficient. "Exactly!" Ji Kun nodded firmly, "I have enough contributions now and plan to enter seclusion for intensive training. If I can break through to the ninth level of Qi Refinement, my chances of survival will increase." "Senior Brother Ji, you can wait for the next twenty years; you're still so young. You can improve your strength first." "Junior Brother Chen, in twenty-three years, my vitality will decline, and my strength will drop. What will I compete with?" Ji Kun's clenched fist tightened further; there was a look of unwillingness in his eyes. This statement shook Chen Xun's heart; indeed, the Qi Refinement period lasts only a hundred years, fleeting like a moment, and how many twenty years do cultivators have?
"Junior Brother Chen, today is indeed a bright sunny day, a good day for farewells," Ji Kun said with a peaceful smile. He liked Chen Xun very much, feeling that he had never harbored any ill intentions, and their interactions had always been easygoing. After two years of working in the outer sect's steward hall, he found friends like Chen Xun to be even more precious; perhaps his choice to go to the medicine garden was indeed the right one. "Senior Brother Ji, wait a moment." Chen Xun hurriedly took out his storage bag and pulled out two Heavy Feather Pills and a bottle of Fasting Pills. "Senior Brother Ji, these Heavy Feather Pills were bought by me in the Nine Star Valley; there are two left, and their medicinal properties are intact." He now understood the principle that great kindness is like great enmity and didn't dare to take out too much, fearing it would ruin their friendship. "Heavy Feather Pills?" Ji Kun exclaimed in surprise; these were precious pills for the Qi Refinement stage, expensive indeed. "Junior Brother Chen, I have no ulterior motives; please take them back. You need them too." "Senior Brother Ji, take them. You need them more than I do. We're managing the medicine garden well now, and we earn quite a bit of contributions each year," Chen Xun said sincerely, quickly placing them in Ji Kun's hands.
"Your kindness is hard to refuse, but I will only accept one Heavy Feather Pill; the rest you take back." Ji Kun accepted it solemnly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Sigh, fine," Chen Xun sighed softly, putting the other items back into his storage bag. "Junior Brother Chen, Bull Brother, I'll take my leave now. You both take care." Ji Kun cupped his hands and glanced at the big black bull, which promptly stood up on all fours, letting out a moo. Under the tree, Ji Kun left, and Chen Xun and the big black bull watched his figure fade away, so lonely yet resolute. "Senior Brother Ji will definitely establish a foundation; don't you think so, Old Bull?" Chen Xun murmured. "Moo~~" The big black bull nodded as well; within the sect, only Ji Kun treated it as a junior brother, and the merit on him would protect him. "Let's go, Old Bull, we should head back; the straw hat hasn't been woven yet." "Moo~~" The man and the bull made their way back to the Medicine Valley, a gentle breeze blowing, and countless fallen leaves danced through the air beneath the trees, a truly beautiful sight.