Chapter 268: Parting Gifts
’Junior Martial Uncle Zhang can control a Spirit Sword. Doesn’t that mean his Sword Control Technique has long surpassed mine? And to think I always believed I was the more powerful one at our level!’
’And for a prodigy like him, the Sect was going to send him to the Demon Abyss. No wonder he grew disheartened and chose to leave.’
Chen Bufan sighed to himself as he gazed in the direction Zhang Chi had gone.
Chen Ling’Er and the others present were all filled with equally complex emotions.
They had thought they understood Zhang Chi, that the talent he’d shown was the full extent of his abilities.
Only after this battle did they realize that what Zhang Chi had shown them before was merely the tip of the iceberg.
His combat power, his control over a Spirit Sword, the immense Power of his Divine Soul, his Body Refining Cultivation, and his skill with puppets—every single aspect had, without exception, far surpassed their imagination.
Chen Ling’Er also realized that Zhang Chi was practically an all-rounder, with no weaknesses even in Swordsmanship.
Shangguan Hui, on the other hand, realized that Zhang Chi could very likely craft puppets himself—and that his skill far surpassed her own.
Li Ruohai recalled how he had always wanted to spar with Zhang Chi back in the day, but Zhang Chi could never be bothered to indulge him.
At the time, he had assumed Zhang Chi couldn’t beat him and didn’t want to get crushed. Only now did he understand that Zhang Chi simply didn’t want to reveal his true strength.
They recalled their time guarding the Demon Abyss, when Zhang Chi had seemingly stumbled his way into killing a Golden Core Demon Cultivator and a Tier Three Demon Beast.
Back then, they had thought he was just lucky. Now they knew it had never been about luck at all.
Even the humanoid monster that had appeared so many times was obviously the Corpse Puppet Zhang Chi had released.
"That mysterious cultivator we encountered outside Golden Crow City... I’ll bet that was Senior Brother Zhang, wasn’t it?"
"It’s true. All these years, we were so dismissive of Senior Brother Zhang, but he never paid it any mind. I used to think it was because he knew his place, but now I realize he just couldn’t be bothered with us."
"Exactly! In the eyes of Senior Brother Zhang, who can match a Nascent Soul cultivator, we must seem like nothing more than children, right?"
The Cangwu Twin Sisters were similarly filled with shock and awe, and couldn’t help but feel deeply ashamed.
They had previously thought Zhang Chi had fled when the Sect was in peril, and had secretly looked down on him for it.
Now they realized that, compared to him, they were like two immature children.
They had acted rashly, rushing to fight alongside their sect-mates, completely oblivious to the true gravity of the situation.
Yet when Zhang Chi appeared, he single-handedly turned the tide.
And as for why he left the Sect, they could somewhat understand that as well.
After all, when they had been told to hide in the Grotto Heaven, Zhang Chi wasn’t among them, and the Sect Leader and the other elders hadn’t seemed concerned about whether he lived or died.
’No matter where you go, I hope you live a good life. I’ll be waiting for your return!’
Jian Jinfeng and the others silently wished Zhang Chi well in their hearts.
Qin Susu felt the same way, but her eyes were tinged with red, and she couldn’t suppress her overwhelming sadness and sense of loss.
In truth, Zhang Chi had been hinting for years that he was going to leave.
He had even told her to wind down her business a while ago. During this final period, he had been exceptionally good to her, spending as much time with her as he could.
She hadn’t understood why at the time, but looking back now, it all suddenly made sense.
WHOOSH!
Just then, a dark shadow descended from the sky. It was one of Zhang Chi’s Spirit Beasts.
The Spirit Beast flew to Qin Susu’s side and stayed there, protecting her as the battle continued.
At the same time, when no one was looking, the Spirit Beast passed a Storage Bag to Qin Susu.
The Spiritual Sense on the Storage Bag had long been erased. When Qin Susu finally took it out after the battle, she discovered it was filled with items Zhang Chi had left for her, along with a handwritten letter.
Among the items were several Tier Two Peak Puppets and even two Tier Three Low Grade Puppets.
There was also a vial of Tier Three Earth Milk Spirit Liquid, as well as two Core Formation Spiritual Objects—Blue Crystal Grass and Deer Horn Ganoderma—all of which were incredibly precious.
In the letter, Zhang Chi told her that he was going to a place very, very far away, but that he would certainly return one day.
Zhang Chi urged her to make good use of all these items.
She was especially not to reveal the Core Formation Spiritual Objects or the Earth Milk Spirit Liquid lightly, lest she attract a fatal calamity.
If she ran into trouble, she could seek help from Jian Jinfeng, or even from Lan Xuan of the Spirit Control Sect.
If Lu Daoyi or the other sect higher-ups questioned her, she should simply answer them truthfully.
This wouldn’t pose a threat to him, but it could, to a certain extent, protect her.
The Storage Bag also contained other letters and items intended for her to pass on to Jian Jinfeng and the others.
However, while the items for them were practical, they were not, for the most part, excessively valuable in comparison.
After all, Zhang Chi didn’t truly owe anyone anything.
He gave things to Qin Susu because she was his woman.
He gave things to Jian Jinfeng and the others because they were his master, his senior brothers, and his senior sisters.
For a cultivator, such people were akin to family.
Chen Bufan, however, also received a gift from Zhang Chi: a letter and a Jade Scroll.
The Jade Scroll contained the Top Grade Cultivation Technique: the Star Sword Manual.
"Zhang Chi, you have to come back. I’ll be waiting for you..."
After reading the letter and seeing the gifts, Qin Susu finally broke down and cried.
"Qin Susu, are you willing to become my disciple?"
That same day, after reading the letter Qin Susu had delivered, Jian Jinfeng’s eyes reddened slightly, and she immediately made the offer.
She hadn’t intended to take on any more disciples, as Zhang Chi was her closed-door disciple. But since he had asked her to look after Qin Susu, she decided to make an exception.
In the letter, Zhang Chi had also mentioned that if the Sect gave any of them trouble, she could seek help from Xiao Yunhong and his son at the Profound Yin Sect; he would speak with Xiao Yunhong before he left.
"This disciple is willing!"
Naturally, Qin Susu would not refuse.
Even if Jian Jinfeng didn’t have much of her lifespan left, she could still provide shelter for several decades. And with the precious gifts Zhang Chi had left her, she was confident that in a few decades, she would be on the verge of forming her Golden Core.
"Congratulations, Junior Sister! Congratulations, Master!"
Zhong Yu, Shangguan Hui, and the others all offered their congratulations, warmly welcoming Qin Susu as their new junior sister.
They were already quite familiar with Qin Susu, and now that she was formally a disciple, they would certainly treat her as one of their own.
Especially since Zhang Chi had also left them letters and gifts—and had explicitly stated his intention to return—it was even more certain that they would look after Qin Susu.
Li Ruohai, for instance, received some insights on Body Cultivation and some Elixirs.
Shangguan Hui, in turn, received a legacy of puppet-crafting techniques and insights.
If they could assimilate these gifts, both would benefit immensely.
"The Star Sword Manual? Heavens, Junior Martial Uncle Zhang..."
Meanwhile, Chen Bufan received his letter and gift from Zhang Chi. He was so overjoyed he could hardly believe it, even suspecting he might be dreaming.
Helping Zhang Chi obtain the Wind and Thunder Sword Control Skill back then had been a trivial matter for him. Although he had been righting a wrong, he’d also used it as an opportunity to strike a blow against the Xie Family.
But in return, Zhang Chi had repaid a drop of kindness with a gushing spring, gifting him such a massive opportunity.
This was far beyond anything he could have imagined.
He possessed an Innate Sword Bone, but it didn’t significantly increase his cultivation speed. Under normal circumstances, he would have peaked at the Golden Core Early Stage in his lifetime.
But with the Star Sword Manual, he now had the confidence to strive for the Nascent Soul Realm within his lifetime.
"Hmph! That Zhang Chi! After all our years of friendship, he leaves without so much as a goodbye, and doesn’t even leave me anything!" Chen Ling’Er couldn’t help but say in a huff after she found out.
In truth, she wasn’t the least bit dissatisfied, only sad that he was gone. Since Chen Bufan had received such a great opportunity, she would naturally benefit from it as well.
Besides, Zhang Chi had also left some Swordsmanship Insights for Chen Bufan, and she would get her share of those as well.
After she and Chen Bufan read the Swordsmanship Insights, they realized that Zhang Chi’s mastery of the Sword Control Technique was truly profound, far exceeding anything they had imagined.