Feng Yingyue was holding Cao Yun's arm. He could tell that there was something, probably many things, she wasn't telling him. However, he trusted her. Most likely, they were things others wanted to tell Cao Yun first. Together, they walked slowly while talking. Feng Yingyue had very recently become a 3rd-grade Spirit Warrior. Compared to Cao Yun, her progress would be considered a bit slow. Compared to anyone else, she was progressing quite fast but not too fast either. With her knowledge of alchemy, this wasn't too unusual, especially now that Spirit pills could be made. Not only were they more effective, but they also contained fewer toxins. As one of the elite of the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute, Feng Yingyue was given the best pills to improve her cultivation.
Cao Yun had absolutely no doubt that she would be able to become a Sage in less than two centuries. However, there was almost no chance for her to achieve it before Cao Yun left. In his mind, he was very clear, he would remain on this planet for eight to nine decades. Although his calculations weren't complete, he knew that this would be the moment when he could get to the right domain.
The Withering Fusang Domains had this name because it was made of various worlds, different domains. From Emperor Nuwa's journals, he knew exactly which world he wanted to visit first. Unfortunately, he had no way of controlling the journey there, so he had to choose the right moment. Indeed, Emperor Nuwa had left only one path toward the Withering Fusang Domains. It was near the Everlasting Earth Palace, or rather, the ruins of the Everlasting Earth Palace. Obviously, Emperor Lixing had guards there, and all over the former capital. Because of the distortions of time and space, the doorway to the Withering Fusang Domains was always changing, and Cao Yun had to go through at the right moment.
To this day, Cao Yun was worried about other paths that could have been opened. After all, it was certain that Demon God Da Mo had come through a different doorway. Given his strength, he could have breached the veil between the two worlds. However, no one had found where he had come from yet. There was a possibility that the doorway had naturally closed itself. In fact, it would explain why he was able to only pass through as a soul. The doorway had been too small or too unstable for a large mass. Anyway, several demon spies were looking for this doorway.
Emperor Lixing had been able to recruit many spies among the demons. Some didn't even know they were actually working for the humans. She was using the division among the demon territories to increase the strength and influence of the Hongchen Kingdom. Although Cao Yun didn't want to be involved in politics, he still asked Feng Yingyue about the situation. Thankfully, everything seemed to be going pretty well. The Hongchen Kingdom was even stronger than before. Emperor Lixing had started far-reaching reforms that were actually improving things, while taking care of the demon territories through negotiations and subtle manipulations. To be fair, she had also ordered a few assassinations here and there. Emperor Lixing wasn't bloodthirsty, but when she decided to bite, she went directly for the jugular.
Finally, Cao Yun reached his personal quarters, where Cao Bei and Fang Shaolong were waiting for him. Before even stepping in, Cao Yun felt something that froze his blood. After entering the room, his fears were confirmed.
Fang Shaolong was a very old man. He appeared to be over eighty. For a cultivator like him, it would mean that he was several centuries old. However, Cao Yun knew why he looked so old. Deep in his abdomen, his Lower Dantian had been destroyed. From his senses, Cao Yun could tell without a doubt that it hadn't been an accident or an injury of any kind. Fang Shaolong had used his own internal Qi to destroy his Lower Dantian.
When Fang Shaolong saw Cao Yun, he immediately tried to kowtow. In an instant, both Cao Yun and Cao Bei grabbed his arms and stopped him. Fang Shaolong was too old to kowtow in such a manner.
"Uncle, what... why?"
With a few tears in his eyes, Fang Shaolong looked at his nephew's face.
"I'm sorry. Your uncle is a very selfish man. But you don't need me anymore. And I... I can't go on... I tried, I swear. But these old bones can't stand this life any longer. When my Meiying passed away, I decided that I would follow her. Seeing me like this would have hurt her, so I only did it after her passing. I'll still be able to spend a few years, maybe even more than a decade, with my family. I'm sorry for the pain I'll cause you all, but this is truly what I want. I want to go through old age like Meiying, then I'll join her. Hopefully, we'll find each other in the next life..."
Cao Yun simply didn't know what to say. Seeing Fang Shaolong like this was tearing his heart. The sect leader was holding back his tears. He knew for a fact that his uncle would be dead the next time he left seclusion. Deep down, he understood why Fang Shaolong wanted this, but he still resented him nonetheless. However, Cao Yun also intended to leave the Piaolu planet in less than a century. He would be abandoning his family too. Wasn't Cao Yun's decision even more selfish?
Without saying anything, Cao Yun simply hugged his uncle. Feng Yingyue and Cao Bei remained silent.
After several minutes, Cao Yun finally realized that Cao Bei had changed a lot. First of all, he was bald. To be precise, his head had been shaved. Considering that he was wearing a red and brown kasaya, it was clear that Cao Bei had joined the Sutra Faith. Honestly, Cao Yun would have never imagined that one of his children would become religious. Even then, he would have never bet on Cao Bei. However, Cao Bei's face was more serene than before. He seemed to have found what he had been missing all those years.
Once the reunion between Cao Yun and Fang Shaolong seemed over, Cao Bei knelt before his father and apologized.
"This humble son is sorry for everything Father and Mother endured. I hope that Father will see the humble efforts I have made to improve myself. I joined the Ten Thousand Rivers Monastery for life."
Looking deep within Cao Bei, Cao Yun saw that his cultivation had greatly improved. Clearly, he had worked on it, and the monks had made him work on it. He could read Cao Bei's sincerity. However, Cao Bei had always been sincere when he promised to stop his behavior and to be better. His problem had always been to follow through with his sincerity. Apparently, it was finally the case. As such, Cao Yun could only encourage his son, hoping it was true this time around.
Cao Yun, Cao Bei, Feng Yingyue, and Fang Shaolong talked for a few days before Cao Yanmei arrived.
The very first thing Cao Yun sensed came from his daughter's womb. With his senses, it was easy to sense that her Qi was in disarray. Indeed, she was carrying a child. It hadn't been too long, probably two or three months at most. Contrary to his reunion with Fang Shaolong, Cao Yun had to hold back a smile, not tears. His daughter appeared with yet another surprise. When she stepped outside of her palanquin, she was holding a very small child, a baby, really, in her hands. This was a tiny girl.
By Cao Yun's side, Feng Yingyue was also holding back a smile, or a smirk to be accurate. She was pleased to see her husband at a loss for words.
"Father, this unfilial daughter is late to present your granddaughter. This is Cao Xinyi."
"Father, pardon this humble one, I could not honor you before."
While Cao Yanmei showed her baby to her father, a pretty young man also knelt before him. Cao Yun recognized him as Guo Wenxian. Obviously, he had met him before entering seclusion. Indeed, it was his daughter's husband. However, Cao Yun had not been present for the wedding because too much time had passed and he had to get into seclusion. More and more, Cao Yun realized that he had missed many important events. The most terrible feeling was that he didn't regret it. Even now, he wanted to go back into seclusion and cultivate. That being said, he truly cared for his family. Until he went back, he would make the most of the time he had with them.
The happy grandfather took Cao Xinyi in his arms. Immediately, he fell under her charm as she grabbed his finger.
-
Later, Cao Sheng finally arrived too. And he also had a surprise. Unlike Cao Yanmei, he wasn't married yet. However, he had found someone. With him was a very tall and muscular woman, Ji Xueqin. Clearly, she was a soldier. From her demeanor and her aura, Cao Yun could tell that she was powerful and she had been on actual battlefields. She was less than one year older than Cao Sheng. Like him, she had not known the war, not directly. Most of her family had suffered from it, though, like Cao Sheng in fact. However, she had fought a lot. Thus, Cao Yun could tell that she had been sent on various missions near the border. While they had been repairing the defenses of the Hongchen Kingdom, restless demons had been raiding human towns and cities.
Despite the intimidating aura and physique of Ji Xueqin, she was polite, and even a bit elegant before Cao Yun. Immediately, he could tell that she had been trained in the military to follow protocol and etiquette. Indeed, this didn't appear natural at all to her. Despite what she would have wanted, she was an open book to Cao Yun. She was a mere commoner. She was afraid that the sect leader of the Wubei Sect would refuse the relationship between his oldest son and a commoner. That being said, Cao Yun couldn't care less. Ren Chao was a commoner, and he was his brother. He would need some time to truly get to know her, but she seemed a perfectly suitable wife for his son. The main criterion was that his son and she wanted it to happen.
-
Cao Yun spent some time with his children, with his granddaughter, with his wife. He also gathered his brothers to enjoy their company. On this occasion, he realized how vast his inner circle had grown. Sun Liao had married Long Huafang and had a child of his own. Ren Chao's children had grown and were adults with children themselves. Only Mei Hua had stayed single. That being said, she had known a few other cultivators if rumors were to be believed.
Anyway, the brothers and their extended families got together. This was a very rare occasion, but so was Cao Yun's exit from seclusion. Besides, they all knew that he would eventually get back into seclusion. Honestly, this hurt Cao Yun as he wanted to see Cao Xinyi grow up like he had seen his children grow up. But he wouldn't wait years, let alone decades. Even while he was enjoying his family's presence, Cao Yun had ideas about his cultivation. And he wanted to try them out on the spot. Even without being in seclusion, he did try a few things, but the days seemed too short.
One day, he tried something out. Three days later, he realized how much time had passed. He forced himself to stop.
Before going back into seclusion, Cao Yun traveled across the Hongchen Kingdom with Hongyu. He also visited the demon territories and helped deal with a few things. When he was there, he watched over Lan Duoyan. He was pleased to see that the young man had truly improved, both in his cultivation and in his demeanor. Lan Duoyan had become a teacher, and he was helping younger demons around him.
During all this time, Cao Yun visited Baziyun City to pay homage to his dead family. He went there with Fang Shaolong and his own children. Among all the tablets honoring the Cao family, he saw Fang Meiying's name as well. Indeed, Fang Shaolong wanted to join his sister in death, but he didn't want to leave his wife, so his stone would also be placed here. Like most humans in the Hongchen Kingdom, he would be cremated, but his name would join his family in death so he could find his way toward them in the next life.
-
It took Cao Yun almost a year. Cao Xinyi grew a lot. As she had only been a baby, she had a lot of growing up to do. Her grandfather was sad to let her go, but he wanted to go back into seclusion. Although he had almost a century before him, it still felt too short. After all, in an entire century, he would not even be able to break through to the Reborn Demon realm. However, he had to at least forge the second floor of his inner pagoda. Indeed, in the world of the Withering Fusang Domains he wanted to visit, he knew where he would find the treasure that would be the foundation of his third floor. At the moment, he already had the treasure that would form the foundation of the second floor, so he had to succeed.
At long last, Cao Yun returned to seclusion. He was confident that everything was fine in the Hongchen Kingdom. He even chose someone to become the acting sect leader while he was cultivating. In case of emergency, his wife or the acting sect leader could take Cao Yun out of seclusion. Hopefully, it wouldn't happen. But if someone was insane enough to attack the Wubei Sect, Cao Yun would gladly come out to eradicate them all.
Once again, he locked himself in his seclusion room. Immediately, he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. He worked on his Dao of Fire through Fire Silk and Tyrannical Flame. Then, he manipulated his Black Heart Flame and went from the Dao of Fire to the Dao of Death.
Finally, he focused on his asura cultivation and his human cultivation. He could tell that the first floor of his inner pagoda was halfway complete. Hopefully, it would be done before the end of his current seclusion. Indeed, he had chosen to seclude himself for ten more years.