Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

But this was the most Chu Lingguang could do.

"HYA!"

He rode his Han Gao Steed and charged out of Wolf Valley Pass.

"Commander Chu!"

The soldiers shouted as they chased after him.

Chu Lingguang didn’t look back.

He quickly vanished from everyone’s sight. Only when he was far from Wolf Valley Pass did he pull on the reins, looking back toward the pass and then in the direction of the Turkic lands.

He had brothers in both places.

More than seven thousand men had been lost at the Turkic Headquarters.

Their bones were buried in a foreign land, and in return, their salaries were revoked and their death benefits withheld.

Over two thousand passionate young men were stripped of their military status and reduced to commoners. If not for the over two hundred thousand silver notes he carried, Chu Lingguang wouldn’t know how to face them.

’Brothers!’

’Little Red!’

’I’m leaving.’

Chu Lingguang stared toward the Turkic lands. His Little Red Horse and more than seven thousand of his brothers were still there.

’I, Chu Lingguang, swear that when my divine arts reach Great Success, I will get justice for my brothers!’

Chu Lingguang made a vow.

The Court was cruel and ungrateful, cowardly and incompetent. Regardless of whether Yuanchu Mountain was pulling the strings, he would one day get justice for their actions.

Justice for himself, for the more than two thousand soldiers, for the seven thousand-plus dead brothers, and for everyone who had ever served the Court!

「From this point on.」

Ascending Yuanchu Mountain was no longer Chu Lingguang’s goal.

Nor was achieving fame and fortune something he constantly thought about.

The Court and Yuanchu Mountain were in cahoots. A Great Yuan like this was not the nation he believed in. Yuanchu Mountain had sealed away all advanced cultivation Skills and branded anyone who merged with a strange object as a demon. A place that would resort to any means to do so was certainly not the sacred land for immortal cultivation Chu Lingguang had imagined!

He hadn’t been sure before if what Zhang Xuan said was true.

He had worried that Qin Yu would become a demon, lose his humanity, and bring disaster upon the world.

But now, having witnessed Yuanchu Mountain’s actions firsthand, Chu Lingguang was certain that merging with a strange object didn’t cause one to lose their humanity and become a demon, as Zhang Xuan had claimed.

Because if Yuanchu Mountain was truly eradicating demons in the name of justice...

...why would the Court repay kindness with enmity, using two thousand-plus soldiers and over seven thousand wronged souls as leverage, just to make him reveal the Wolf Demon’s identity?

’Sealing away the cultivation Skills is just a way for them to keep a tight grip on power.’

’Anyone who merges with a strange object has the potential to threaten that power.’

’That’s the real reason Yuanchu Mountain branded Qin as a demon!’

’Qin, you have to hide yourself well. Don’t let anyone find you!’

This experience had allowed Chu Lingguang to see through all the pretenses.

Yuanchu Mountain, the place everyone yearned for, was the greatest demon in this world of practitioners.

’Master!’

’Eunuch Liu!’

Chu Lingguang thought of Guo Wei and Liu Xun again. Both were so talented. If the world’s cultivation Skills weren’t controlled and hoarded by Yuanchu Mountain, with their aptitude, Guo Wei and Liu Xun would have entered the Qi Refining Realm long ago, with lifespans of three or four hundred years.

"Chu, someday, when you enter Yuanchu Mountain to practice, you must let me feel how strong the power of the Qi Refining Realm is!"

Liu Ziyun’s words were still fresh in his mind.

Lin Shirong had said something similar.

Even Eunuch Liu, before he died, had entrusted him with helping Xuanyuan Jinkang enter Yuanchu Mountain. The Qi Refining Realm was the greatest regret for every Practitioner whose progress was halted at the True Martial Realm due to the lack of cultivation Skills.

Unfortunately, Yuanchu Mountain had never opened its gates.

It left countless people seeking entry but never obtaining it.

It also branded those who achieved breakthroughs by merging with strange objects as demons.

At this moment, Chu Lingguang wanted to tell the world: Yuanchu Mountain wasn’t worth it!

’When my divine arts reach Great Success, I will pry open your gates and give the Immortal Techniques to everyone to practice!’

’The Qi Refining Art!’

’Just you wait!’

Chu Lingguang made up his mind. Once his cultivation advanced, he would find a chance to spread the Qi Refining Art, letting it appear in every corner. He would create Qi Refining experts within Yuanchu Mountain’s sphere of influence, people who could stand against them.

It didn’t matter if anyone thanked him.

It didn’t matter if he could get Favor Points. This was an obsession deep in Chu Lingguang’s heart. When the seven thousand-plus wronged souls were ignored by the Court, when the more than two thousand soldiers were mercilessly driven from Wolf Valley Pass...

...Chu Lingguang’s worldview was turned upside down.

He only hated that his cultivation was insufficient.

He was unable to get justice for himself and the others!

"HYA!"

Without sleep or rest, Chu Lingguang rushed toward West Warehouse at top speed.

West Warehouse was in the Northwest Territory, a land crossed by a vast, five-thousand-li stretch of snowy mountains.

It was the most barren place in the Great Yuan.

Wolf Valley Pass, where Chu Lingguang had been stationed, was within the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the Northern Territory.

Chu Lingguang had to first exit the Hundred Thousand Mountains, pass through Chaojiang City, travel west across Mazhou Prefecture, and pass through a dozen small towns. Even at full speed, it would take him ten days or so to reach West Warehouse.

The Court had ordered him to report to his post at West Warehouse within three days, but Chu Lingguang didn’t want to stay at Wolf Valley Pass for a moment longer. He even wanted to leave the Great Yuan, go overseas, and focus on his cultivation.

But the Court’s decision to demote him to a Captain was clearly intentional.

Chu Lingguang worried that if he left, others would be implicated.

He still had his master and his brothers.

He also had his Second Aunt, his cousin, and the familiar faces of his hometown.

He buried his simmering rage deep in his heart.

This grievance would one day erupt with ten times, a hundred times the force.

And so, Chu Lingguang quickly left the Hundred Thousand Mountains and entered Chaojiang City. He didn’t rest, charging straight for Mazhou Prefecture.

Yunchuan City was not on his route.

But upon entering Mazhou Prefecture, Chu Lingguang recalled the time Guo Wei had led him and Hei Hu out of Yunchuan City on their way back to Qiling Prefecture.

He, Guo Wei, and Hei Hu had passed through some of the small towns in Mazhou Prefecture.

He galloped along the official road, one man and one horse. Bandits and robbers were intimidated by his aura; none dared to block his path. The journey seemed dashing and carefree, but in reality, his heart was filled with loneliness.

He longed to go to Yunchuan City and confide in the four brothers of Mo Shan, but in the end, to avoid implicating them, he buried all his frustrations in his heart, hoping to forget his unhappiness as he rode onward.

This was the most chaotic his Mental Realm had been since he began to practice.

...

"Where is Chu Lingguang now?"

Just as Chu Lingguang had expected, he felt that someone was watching him. Zhang Xuan had been keeping an eye on his movements.

"He’s entered Mazhou Prefecture. Other than stopping at post stations to change horses, he has barely paused."

Yun Hong replied.

"Why must he make things so difficult!"

Zhang Xuan was somewhat annoyed.

He had thought that after being treated so unjustly, Chu Lingguang would come to him for help at the first opportunity. Instead, Chu Lingguang left Wolf Valley Pass that very day and galloped all the way toward West Warehouse, never once looking back.

"What about that group of his subordinates?"

Zhang Xuan asked again.

"Chu Lingguang left them a sum of silver taels. They’ve all left Wolf Valley Pass in the last two days."

Yun Hong said again.

"Silver taels? How much?"

Zhang Xuan was curious.

"Over two hundred thousand taels. It was his savings from when he wiped out the pirates."

Yun Hong replied.

With their status, finding out the source of the silver was child’s play.

"Hmph. Does he think doing that can make up for all his mistakes?"

Zhang Xuan sneered.

"Senior Brother Zhang, rather than forcing Chu Lingguang to name the Wolf Demon, why don’t we go to the Turkic lands again and investigate properly?"

Yun Hong suggested.

"Take back every last tael. Then return the notes to him."

Zhang Xuan was unmoved and commanded.

"Chu Lingguang will go mad if you do that."

Yun Hong reminded him.

"I want to see just how long he can remain stubborn."

Zhang Xuan was dead set on doing it.

Yun Hong couldn’t bear it. His mind raced, and he thought of someone. "Chu Lingguang always listens to his master," he said. "Why don’t we have Guo Wei write him a letter? As long as Guo Wei tells him to reveal who the Wolf Demon is, Chu Lingguang definitely won’t disobey."

"I don’t need you to remind me."

Zhang Xuan said with a scornful laugh.

Yun Hong froze.

He realized someone had already gone to find Guo Wei.

「Baiyang County, Guo Wei Martial Arts Hall.」

"WHOOSH!"

Lin Yuanfu had married into the Guo Family, becoming Guo Wei’s prized son-in-law and receiving the true teachings of his Martial Arts. At this moment, he was in the Inner Courtyard practicing the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear. Guo Wei sat in a chair, watching Lin Yuanfu execute each and every move.

Lin Yuanfu’s talent was far inferior to Chu Lingguang’s.

But his strength lay in his diligence and willingness to listen. Guo Wei didn’t expect him to bring glory to the school’s Martial Arts; he only hoped Lin Yuanfu could master them all and, together with Chu Lingguang, pass down every technique to the next generation.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, a whirlwind appeared in the Inner Courtyard.

It disrupted Lin Yuanfu’s Spear Technique.

Guo Wei sensed an unusual aura and stood up from his chair.

"Dad!"

Guo Fang, who was already pregnant, had just finished brewing some medicinal tea. She was carrying two bowls over for Guo Wei and Lin Yuanfu to drink.