"Leaving? Where to?" Nan Gong Jie Ming suddenly remembered that he had missed the disciple trials these past two days and didn’t know how Huan’er had performed.
"The Feng Xuan Royal Academy," Nan Gong Huan replied with a smile.
Beside her, Nan Gong Jing Tian chimed in, "Xiao Huan took first place in the disciple trials and caught the attention of Lord Yue Zun."
Nan Gong Jing Tian’s attitude toward Nan Gong Huan had done a complete 180-degree turn. The entire city was now abuzz with the news that Nan Gong Huan had become Lord Yue Zun’s disciple. Coupled with Nan Gong Jie Ming’s recent breakthrough, he could no longer look down on this junior as he had before.
"Xiao Huan is so impressive," Nan Gong Jie Ming smiled with pride, his heart filled with joy. Lord Yue Zun was renowned throughout the world, and to have earned his favor was indeed an honor for Huan’er.
"So, Grandfather, you don’t need to worry. I’m planning to set off now," Nan Gong Huan took Nan Gong Jie Ming’s hand in hers. His hands were as rough as ever, but they were warm.
With Lord Yue Zun’s protection, Nan Gong Jie Ming felt much more at ease. He took out a storage bag and said, "Then be careful on your journey. This storage bag has some spirit herbs and treasures for you to use. If it’s not enough, just send a message back to Grandfather."
"Thank you, Grandfather!" Nan Gong Huan smiled sweetly as she took the storage bag. She probed it with her spiritual sense and was shocked to find a staggering 500 million spirit herbs inside!
There were also spirit stones and magical herbs for cultivation, all of considerable value. Of course, there were also plenty of snacks.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Nan Gong Huan bid farewell to Nan Gong Jie Ming and the others. They escorted her to the main gate, watching her leave.
The affection in Nan Gong Jie Ming’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by a sharp, piercing gaze.
"Steward Yan, what has happened these past few days?" Nan Gong Jie Ming summoned Steward Yan as he walked toward the main hall. The atmosphere in the residence was very different from before, as if it had undergone a thorough cleansing.
Steward Yan naturally recounted everything that had happened in detail.
Soon, Nan Gong Shui Xie, now cleaned up, arrived in the hall. His beard was shaved off, making him look much younger. His face was resolute and handsome, exuding an air of righteousness.
The elders sat upright, discussing something.
"Shui Xie, you’re back," Nan Gong Jie Ming nodded at him. From the earlier conversation, he had already learned everything that had happened in the Nan Gong residence these past few days.
Nan Gong Shui Xie, however, took out a letter and said, "Uncle, on the day I was captured, Brother Yi Lü sent me a letter. He... might still be alive."
Nan Gong Jie Ming’s body trembled, and his eyes widened. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Nan Gong Shui Xie, eagerly opening the letter. His old hands shook uncontrollably. The news that his son was still alive hit him hard.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
He had always thought, always believed...
As he read the contents of the letter, tears streamed down Nan Gong Jie Ming’s face—
"Shui Xie, I am safe. When you read this letter, I am still in this broken secret realm, searching for my wife. The exit can only allow one person to leave, so I’ve asked Brother Ye, who is with me, to deliver this letter. I don’t know how long I’ll be trapped here—maybe ten years, maybe a hundred—but I will definitely find her. Please don’t tell my father about this; he will worry. Just tell him I’m still in seclusion, cultivating—Nan Gong Yi Lü."
"Yi Lü..." Nan Gong Jie Ming stroked the elegant handwriting on the letter, reading it over and over again.
At the bottom of the letter, he found a leaf. The leaf was purple and needle-like, with serrated edges. It glowed faintly in the dark. This was a special leaf found only in the Silent Mountains.
"Brother, Yi Lü is a fortunate man. He’ll be fine," Nan Gong Jing Tian comforted him. His own son had been missing for many years and had just returned, so he understood Nan Gong Jie Ming’s feelings.
But it was impossible not to worry. This letter was from over a decade ago. So much had changed since then, and they still didn’t know his current situation.
"Second Brother," Nan Gong Jie Ming wiped away his tears and called out to Nan Gong Jing Tian.
"I’m going to find Yi Lü. I’ll leave the affairs of the residence... to you," Nan Gong Jie Ming continued to stroke the letter. He missed his son every moment.
As he traveled forward, he could occasionally visit Huan’er at the academy. Being the family head was too exhausting. Let someone else take the role!
"Brother, are you serious?" Nan Gong Jing Tian felt a complex emotion rise in his heart. In the past, he had indeed been swayed by Shen Yerong’s provocations and had thought about seizing the position of family head.
But now, he felt that his brother was the backbone of the family. Without him, everything would fall apart.
Nan Gong Jie Ming turned and patted Nan Gong Jing Tian’s shoulder. "Your abilities have always been strong. Besides, Shui Xie is back now. He can learn alongside you and take charge of the Nan Gong residence in the future."
With that, Nan Gong Jie Ming carefully put the letter away and took out the family head’s seal from his storage ring, placing it in Nan Gong Jing Tian’s hand.
Nan Gong Jing Tian was deeply moved. He stared at the family head’s seal in his hand, then looked up to see Nan Gong Jie Ming striding away.
"Brother Yi Lü will definitely be fine," Nan Gong Shui Xie murmured. He looked down at his hands, clenched them into fists, and felt the strength in his palms. Although he was only at the early stage of the first spiritual life, his unyielding spirit gave him the courage to start over!
A flash of dark energy passed through his eyes.
"Father, I’m also heading to the academy," Nan Gong Shui Xie said, disregarding any objections as he walked out.
He had previously served as a mentor at the academy and hoped that they would still accept him.
......
Nan Gong Huan, along with the Ye siblings, had already boarded the Cui Gu Heavenly Bird, soaring through the sky toward the Feng Xuan Royal Academy.
To better locate spirit veins, Nan Gong Huan bought a map. Following the directions on the map, she charted a route that avoided the territories of high-level spiritual beasts, searching for spirit veins along the way.
The three of them were quite lucky. After just one day of flying, they found a cluster of spirit veins.
The emerald peaks stretched endlessly, with picturesque mountains and rivers.
Standing atop the mountain range, Nan Gong Huan used her earth spiritual energy to sense the flow of spiritual power underground. Her face lit up with joy. "There are twelve spirit veins here."
Hmm, twelve delicious buffets.
"With so many spirit veins, will there be people guarding them?" Ye Sang looked around but didn’t see anyone coming to stop them.
"Who cares? Let’s absorb them first," Nan Gong Huan took out an engraving knife and began carving a spirit-gathering array on the ground.
The siblings watched her actions in astonishment.
"Ah Huan, you can also engrave arrays?" Ye Wan Jun exclaimed in shock. How many more surprises did Ah Huan have in store?
"This is just the most basic and simple array. You can learn it by drawing it once," Nan Gong Huan paused for a moment, then continued engraving.
Freak! Ye Sang’s eye twitched uncontrollably. She had seen disciples in the talisman class who said that this kind of spirit-gathering array was complex and would take at least a month to barely master...