The End of the Immortal Path

The Gao Family estate.

Patriarch Gao Cunfeng sat in the main hall, sipping his fragrant tea.

Below him sat Elder Chen.

"Patriarch, this business with Song Qing seems to have blown up," Elder Chen said, his voice laced with worry.

"Mm. It appears his friend colluded with an Evil God. Elder Chen, do you know anything about this Evil God?" Gao Cunfeng asked.

Elder Chen shook his head. "Very little. I’m afraid few in Luoyun City know about the Evil God. Perhaps only the director of the Yunqian Bureau knows a thing or two."

"But what’s certain is that it’s one of the Evil Demons and Outsiders—nothing good."

"Judging by the Sect’s reaction, the situation is quite severe."

"If this spreads, the people at the Yunqian Bureau will also become concerned."

"And I’m afraid the other families will use this as a pretext to target the Gao Family."

"Although it has nothing to do with Song Qing himself, it has become an excuse for others."

Gao Cunfeng set down his teacup. "Song Qing is a legend in his own right. We hired him on a whim, never expecting him to know Gao Yao. Then we found out he was recommended to be a guard at the Yunqian Bureau, and later still, that he knew a Golden Core Powerhouse."

"He was in the limelight back then, but now he’s an object of scorn for everyone."

Elder Chen spoke slowly. "He’s still officially employed by the Gao Family. The Patriarch could choose to remove him. Of course, we could still privately continue to provide him with Spiritual Source. I’m sure he would understand."

"He would understand, naturally, but it’s not the best approach. It’s a shame we can’t get any concrete information. Otherwise, we could speculate a bit and see if it’s worth taking a gamble," Gao Cunfeng said with some emotion.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Let’s leave it for now. It hasn’t reached that point yet. We’ll deal with it when it does."

’Can’t be impulsive. The incident with the secret manual was a lesson. I’ll just wait and see for now.’

Just then, a servant boy ran in from outside, flustered. "Patriarch."

Seeing the boy’s panic, Gao Cunfeng’s heart tightened. He couldn’t help but think of the recent matter of burning the secret manual.

’Then again, I haven’t made a move yet.’

’It can’t be too late, can it?’

He composed his Heart Spirit and said, "What is it?"

"There’s a visitor at the gate! Judging by his bearing, he’s no ordinary person," the boy said immediately.

Gao Cunfeng was puzzled. ’Who could be visiting? Someone with an extraordinary bearing?’ The thought made him very curious.

He then strode outside, deciding to see for himself.

A moment later, outside the estate gates, a man in distinctive attire stood quietly in the courtyard.

Though he stood silent and motionless, he seemed to be the center of everything, making it impossible to look away.

Even more peculiar were his calm, bottomless eyes. Though they met yours on a level gaze, they gave one the feeling of looking up at a towering mountain.

’It really only takes one glance to know he’s extraordinary,’ Gao Cunfeng thought. He immediately bowed respectfully and said, "I wonder, for what reason has this senior graced my humble abode?"

The man looked at him. "Gao Cunfeng?"

"That is I," Gao Cunfeng immediately nodded.

"Wuyun Sect, Law Enforcement Hall. My surname is He," the man stated his identity. "We have a transfer order from the Sect. The person in question happens to be employed here. We checked, and he hasn’t resigned yet."

"We hope the Gao Family will release him."

Gao Cunfeng was inwardly shocked. ’We have such a person in our household?’

’The Sect’s Law Enforcement Hall, coming in person to transfer someone.’

He immediately said, "The Gao Family will naturally cooperate with a Sect transfer. I just wonder, who is it you’re transferring?"

"Song Qing," the man said.

Hearing this, Gao Cunfeng breathed a sigh of relief. ’Good thing I played it safe and didn’t rush into anything. Otherwise... the regret would have been endless.’

「On the other side.」

A woman found the director of the Yunqian Bureau.

The director had, of course, heard about Song Qing’s situation today. But his reverence for Jiang Man made him decide to wait for news from the Sect.

If something really had to be done, he certainly wouldn’t stand in the way. But as long as the Sect remained silent, he would not get involved.

He had not expected someone to come looking for him.

But he was even more stunned when the visitor announced her affiliation.

’The Sect’s Law Enforcement Hall is here in person to transfer someone?’

’Such a high-profile move?’

"I wonder, senior, who is it you wish to transfer?" the director asked.

The woman said, "Song Qing."

The director’s heart leaped in shock.

’Isn’t everyone slandering his name?’

「In front of the guards’ quarters.」

The young guard had stir-fried a few dishes for Song Qing and Uncle Tong. "Not to brag, but my skills are nothing to scoff at. If it weren’t for this job guarding the gate, I’d be a famous chef."

"It’s a bit of a shame that ordinary people can’t afford much."

"So my cooking has never improved."

"What a pity."

As he spoke, he sat down and added regretfully, "I really do love cooking. I heard there’s a path for Spiritual Cuisine cultivation in the Sect. If I could have joined the Sect back then, I definitely would’ve had a future."

Uncle Tong said with a smile, "You have a future now, too."

The young guard nodded. "That’s true. A much better one than Song Qing has right now. You’ve got to keep your eyes open in the future, especially when it comes to women."

"I see you’re pretty good at planning for your future and earning Spiritual Source."

"It’s just that you act like you’ve never seen a woman before."

Song Qing was speechless.

After a pause, the young guard said, "No offense, but I just think you’re a bit of an idiot. Especially when she said she’d pay you back—you should’ve just accepted. I can’t believe you actually said you didn’t need it."

Song Qing was speechless.

They hadn’t been eating for long when a large group of people arrived outside.

The director was among them.

At the head of the group were two people in distinctive clothing.

As soon as they approached, they asked who Song Qing was.

Song Qing stood up immediately. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t afraid.

’With a group this large, the odds are not in my favor.’

’I’ve had a good run these past few years. It’s time to pay the price.’

’Since I have no future, I’ll return the Spiritual Source to Uncle Tong and the others.’

Just then, Cultivator He of the Law Enforcement Hall spoke. "Wuyun Sect, Law Enforcement Hall. By order of the Sect, we are transferring you to a post within the Sect."

"This is your identification token."

"You need only nod, and you can depart with us for the Sect tomorrow."