Chapter 870 - 305: The Divine Tomb Is About to Open! (Three Updates)
"I won’t leave the instructor!" Jing Hai shouted loudly, his eyes filled with excitement. He seemed worried that in the next moment, someone would forcibly take him away from Mu Qingge’s side.
"Child, we don’t mean that," the elder of the Jing family hastily explained. However, his explanation was directed at Jing Hai, not Mu Qingge.
"Hmph." Jing Hai snorted coldly, turning his head away, unwilling to listen.
Mu Qingge raised her hand to stop this meaningless explanation.
Jing Fengyu said to Mu Qingge, "City Lord Mu, you and I are old acquaintances. We truly mean well for Jing Hai, and don’t intend any harm. Why can’t you..."
Mu Qingge interrupted him, saying, "I mentioned before, whether to go to the Jing family or not is entirely up to Jing Hai."
Then, she turned her gaze to the elder of the Jing family and said, "I don’t want any of the things you mentioned. Jing Hai is my only disciple. How I train him is my responsibility, and it has nothing to do with your Jing family. There’s no need for your gratitude either."
Mu Qingge’s words left the elder of the Jing family uncertain of her intentions.
Was she agreeing to let Jing Hai return or not?
However, while he couldn’t quite grasp Mu Qingge’s intentions, he clearly heard one thing. He looked at Jing Hai and gently asked, "Child, don’t you want to return to your family and be with your clan members, or even find out who your father is? I’ve heard from Fengyu that your father left when you were very young. If you come back with us, you will know who your father is."
His words were extremely tempting.
A trace of struggle flashed through Jing Hai’s brows.
For everything else, he might not care. But for information about his father...
However, Mu Qingge remained calm and composed, with a faint smile on her lips, not stopping the elder of the Jing family from speaking.
Jing Hai pressed his lips tightly together, looking at Mu Qingge.
It seemed that he had once again handed the decision back to Mu Qingge. This made the elder of the Jing family a bit troubled. He clearly noticed that this child was already tempted, but at the crucial moment, he gave up the opportunity to decide for himself.
Mu Qingge slightly tilted her head back and smiled at the elder of the Jing family. Her right index finger was entwined with wisps of spiritual energy. Those in the know realized she was nurturing Yuanyuan’s essence, but others would think she was playing with a finger cover.
"Elder Jing, there’s something I’m not sure if I should ask," Mu Qingge suddenly said.
The elder of the Jing family was taken aback and immediately said, "City Lord Mu, please speak your mind."
Mu Qingge nodded almost imperceptibly and said slowly, "Jing Hai is my disciple and my only disciple. By staying with me, he can receive full training. If your Jing family wants him to return only to be treated as an ordinary disciple, I think it’s better for him to remain by my side."
"So City Lord Mu is worried about this!" The elder of the Jing family breathed a sigh of relief, "City Lord Mu can rest assured. Our Jing family has always nurtured talent based on innate abilities. Jing Hai, this child, has awakened his bloodline on his own even when away from the family. His innate ability is astonishing. After he returns with us, he will certainly not be mistreated in the slightest. If City Lord Mu is concerned, I can promise that if this child is wronged or bullied in our Jing family, City Lord Mu can hold me accountable!"
"No." Mu Qingge slowly shook her head, "That’s still not enough."
"Not enough?" The elder of the Jing family’s eyes narrowed slightly, somewhat unclear about Mu Qingge’s meaning.
Mu Qingge crossed her legs, then put them down. Her expression became serious, and her clear gaze met the elder of the Jing family directly, "I also want you to promise that one-third of the Jing family’s cultivation resources will be used on Jing Hai. In addition, I heard that the Jing family selects the Young Master every three years through a selection process, where the winner becomes the Young Master. After three consecutive terms, one can be considered the true Young Master. However, the candidates must be of the direct lineage. I don’t care about that, I want you to agree that Jing Hai can participate in this selection. Lastly, you cannot interfere with Jing Hai’s comings and goings or choices at any time."
"This..." The elder of the Jing family was shocked by Mu Qingge’s words and was unable to respond for a moment.
Even Jing Fengyu appeared troubled, saying, "City Lord Mu, aren’t these conditions a bit too harsh? Though they are for Jing Hai’s sake, the Jing family is a large family with many young members. Not to mention him taking up one-third of the cultivation resources, but making an exception for the selection of the Young Master could cause dissatisfaction and trouble for him. Lastly, if the Jing family indeed spent so much effort nurturing him, but cannot even lightly interfere with his decisions, won’t that put the Jing family in an awkward position?"
His words made the elder of the Jing family nod in deep agreement.
However, Mu Qingge only smiled, "In Luoxing City, Jing Hai has access to all the cultivation resources. Are you saying Luoxing City’s resources can’t match a third of the Jing family’s? The selection qualification is merely an opportunity; whether he becomes the Young Master depends on his abilities. Those who achieve great things can’t crumble at a little gossip or envious instigation. If the other members of the Jing family are not satisfied, they can confront Jing Hai. Win or lose, it’s up to him. As for the last part, I am his mentor and have never bound his choices. The Jing family wants to benefit halfway and expects to tie him down for life? Besides, Jing Hai values relationships and loyalty. If you treat him well, he will naturally have feelings for the Jing family. Ultimately, it all depends on your choices, doesn’t it? How are my conditions harsh? If you find them too stringent, you both can leave now."
Her indifference left the two from the Jing family momentarily embarrassed.
When explained by Mu Qingge, those harsh conditions didn’t seem so hard to accept.
However, this was a significant matter, and they couldn’t decide on their own.
After much deliberation, the elder of the Jing family finally said, "Very well, I can’t make this decision. I can only report to the Family Head after returning, who will make the final decision."
Saying this, he looked at Mu Qingge and asked, "However, I have an impolite request: please consent, City Lord Mu."
"Please speak, Elder." Mu Qingge nodded.
The elder of the Jing family stood up and said, "Let me properly examine this child’s bloodline." The underlying implication of his words was quite clear to Mu Qingge.
To put it plainly, they wanted to first ascertain Jing Hai’s bloodline concentration to decide if he was worth the sizable investment to bring him back to the Jing family.
After all, where in a big family is there such a thing as blood being thicker than water?
If Jing Hai hadn’t awakened his bloodline today, or if he hadn’t inherited the bloodline of a Heavenly Communication Master, no matter how often he appeared before the Jing family, they wouldn’t have given him a second glance or gone to such great lengths to bring him back.
This point was clear to both the elder of the Jing family and Mu Qingge.
Hence, Mu Qingge didn’t stop him and readily agreed.
Following Mu Qingge’s instructions, Jing Hai stepped forward and extended his wrist. An elder from the Jing Family took hold of his wrist, while his other hand brought out a crystalline stone, placing it in Jing Hai’s hand.
"Child, don’t be nervous, just grip it tightly." He offered Jing Hai a gentle smile.
Jing Hai nodded and gripped the transparent stone firmly. Suddenly, the stone began to change color under his grasp, shifting from pale pink to deep pink, progressing to a blood-red hue.
The color was so rich, it appeared as if there was actual blood flowing within the stone.
The stone suddenly emitted a red glow that encompassed Jing Hai. He stood there, holding the stone with a bewildered expression, while the elder from the Jing Family and Jing Fengyu were so shocked that they took several steps back.
Mu Qingge narrowed her eyes slightly, observing any subtle changes in the expressions of the two men.
Finally, the blood-red glow retracted swiftly, vanishing into the stone, which returned to its crystalline clear appearance. Jing Hai handed the stone back to the elder from the Jing Family, turned around, and respectfully stood behind Mu Qingge with a calm expression.
Yet, Jing Fengyu and the elder were rattled.
They stared at Jing Hai, their eyes filled with disbelief. After a while, he murmured, "City Lord Mu, we will take our leave now. The day after tomorrow... no, tomorrow we shall return."
With that, they hurriedly left the courtyard with Jing Fengyu.
After the two left, Jing Hai asked Mu Qingge in confusion, "Instructor, what happened to them?"
Mu Qingge looked at him with a half-smile and said, "They were probably startled by your bloodline concentration."
"Ah?" Jing Hai looked completely puzzled, without a hint of pride or arrogance.
"Instructor, are you really sending me to the Jing Family?" Jing Hai asked reluctantly.
Mu Qingge raised her eyebrows and asked him, "Haven’t you always wanted to find your parents? This might be an opportunity. Besides, the Heavenly Communication Master’s abilities can be better learned at the Jing Family."
Jing Hai said hesitantly, "But... I also don’t want to leave the instructor; I want to stay by your side and help."
"You can only be helpful once you’ve mastered your skills. Going to the Jing Family doesn’t mean you have to stay there. As I said, once you’ve honed your skills, the decision to stay or leave is yours." Mu Qingge replied.
’You can only be helpful once you’ve mastered your skills.’ Jing Hai repeated this sentence in his heart, finally gritting his teeth and resolved.
He asked, "But what if the Jing Family doesn’t agree to the instructor’s conditions?"
Mu Qingge confidently smiled, "They will agree." If there was hesitation before, now after personally witnessing Jing Hai’s potential in the test, they won’t turn him down. Because, in this generation of the Jing Family, besides Jing Fengyu, there is no other promising talent. And Jing Fengyu, who was injured in the past years, has been living quietly, with slow progress in power. The Jing Family, they must be anxious for talent by now.
"Instructor, do you hope for me to become the Young Master of the Jing Family?" Jing Hai asked. He had no interest in this, but if Mu Qingge desired it, he would strive to achieve it.
Mu Qingge slowly shook her head and for the first time said to Jing Hai, "Little Hai, it won’t be long before I leave here. You must watch over Luoxing City for me, the position of Young Master of the Jing Family is merely pressure for you. Being able to assume it and then leaving freely far surpasses being unable to obtain that freedom."
When she leaves the Middle Ancient Realm, she will surely take the Mu Clan’s loyal subjects and the Dragon Tooth Guards away. Luoxing City will be entrusted to Jing Hai to manage, along with the tens of thousands of personal troops cultivated over the years, they will all be Jing Hai’s trump cards. Thus, before she departs, Jing Hai must grow up independently and rapidly.
"Yes, I understand." Jing Hai felt a deep sense of reluctance in his eyes, yet he understood that the day was inevitable. Regardless of whether he continued by Mu Qingge’s side, he would execute every task she entrusted to him.
Luoxing City, he would defend it with his life!
...
The next day, just as dawn broke, the Jing Family arrived. This time, without further discussion, they expressed their intentions and took Jing Hai away.
Shortly after Jing Hai was taken away, Ji Yaohua and three others reached the Central Continent and followed the information from Mu Qingge straight to the courtyard.
The four gathered once more, this time facing Mu Qingge in women’s clothing, at first none felt quite comfortable.
However, as they adjusted, Ji Yaohua and Ying Ze returned to their usual selves, while Yao Xinghai occasionally stole glances at Mu Qingge, slightly dazed.
"It seems like all of you have made remarkable progress during this time." Mu Qingge said with a smile.
Ji Yaohua sighed, "No matter how much we progress, it can’t compare to you. I am now Golden Realm Fourth Layer cultivation, ready to break through to Fifth Layer at any moment, yet I still can’t grasp your strength."
As he spoke, he leaned close to Mu Qingge’s ear, mischievously asking, "Qingge, tell me, what is your current strength?"
Mu Qingge lowered her gaze and smiled, picked up the teacup in her hand, brought it to her lips, and casually said, "Golden Realm Sixth Layer Peak." She then calmly began to drink her tea.
However, her few words caused the other three to inhale deeply, stunned as they looked at her and fell into silence.
If they remembered correctly, before entering the Ruishui River, Mu Qingge was at Golden Realm First Layer cultivation, with not much of a gap between their realms.
How in just four years, had her cultivation rapidly progressed to this level?!
They didn’t know, Mu Qingge’s current cultivation had been achieved a year ago when she emerged from the Ruishui River. This past year, she had been honing combat experience, refining and compressing her realm, rather than hurriedly advancing.
"I’m only at Golden Realm Third Layer." Yao Xinghai murmured.
"The same goes for me." Ying Ze also spoke.