Since the emergence of mahjong, the entertainment level of the people in the Wei residence had directly taken a big leap forward.
Especially Liang Jin, who had indeed reached the point of being unable to stop. Every day, he would either practice his knife skills or play mahjong, and later even taught this “national treasure” to Liang Zhen. It was said that a “mahjong storm” had been stirred up in the Qingbao Army.
Good grief, even the army had fallen prey to it.
Wei Changtian himself wasn’t too obsessed with it, mostly because Liang Jin would drag him into playing a few rounds under the pretext of “three lacking one”.
However, compared to poker, his mahjong skills were really not impressive, and he started losing more often than winning after just a few days.
A great man should have lofty aspirations, how could he be indulgent in this small card game!
This was Wei Changtian’s heroic speech after a streak of seven consecutive wins, although his lofty aspirations were unknown, but after that, he indeed rarely participated in card games again.
Time passed, and the New Year’s atmosphere in Shuzhou City gradually faded away, with street vendors reopening their businesses.
For Wei Changtian, he could do whatever he wanted every day, as long as he was willing, and he could even play mahjong for a whole year at home.
But for ordinary people who were “not in control of their own lives”, the pressure of life forced them to continue their daily labor and busy schedules, repeating themselves endlessly, until they became a wisp of yellow dust in the universe.
This was an inescapable cycle.
It was in this cycle that a new year, seemingly no different from the past, silently began.
……
……
Tianji 16th year, first month, 12th day, Jiudingshan.
In the majestic main hall, Qin Zhengqiu was smiling broadly as he looked at Wei Changtian sitting beside him, his expression extremely kind.
“Changtian, have you felt any changes in your luck recently?”
“That day you killed Xiao Feng, I seemed to see a surge of majestic aura entering your body, I reckon it’s the remaining half of the Heavenly Dao aura!”
“……”
What did you see? Where did you see it?
Wei Changtian was taken aback, thinking that if he told Qin Zhengqiu about the other 13 Heavenly Dao sons, this old man would probably slap himself to death……
After a moment of hesitation, a mysterious smile spread across his face.
“Grandfather, to be honest, transcending the mortal realm and becoming an immortal doesn’t count for much in my book, it’s already a done deal.”
“I estimate it’ll take at most 50 to 60 years of effort.”
Blowing hot air, whether it could be achieved or not didn’t matter.
50 years later, who knew what he would be like, but Qin Zhengqiu would definitely have passed away.
From noble mtl dot come
“50 years……”
Qin Zhengqiu’s face showed a hint of disappointment, as if he regretted not being able to see the true appearance of an immortal with his own eyes.
Wei Changtian was quite willing to satisfy his curiosity, but unfortunately, the original story’s power ceiling was only a “half-immortal” at the first realm, with no mention of a “true immortal”.
Or perhaps, in this world, no one could become an immortal.
His grandfather was probably going to be disappointed……
Shaking his head, he coughed to change the subject.
“Cough, Grandfather, how’s your injury?”
“It’s nothing serious.”
Qin Zhengqiu composed himself, smiling as he shook his head: “It was just a few minor injuries, anyway.”
“That’s good.”
Wei Changtian nodded slightly, his tone surprisingly sincere this time.
In the battle at the Smoky Mountain, although no one on their side had died, everyone had been injured.
Others were fine, but Qin Zhengqiu seemed to have been injured quite badly. He had been recuperating in seclusion since returning from the Smoky Mountain, only emerging yesterday.
“Grandfather, if you have any hidden injuries or illnesses, you can tell me. I might be able to help.”
After thinking for a moment, Wei Changtian added another sentence, still somewhat worried.
Qin Zhengqiu burst out laughing, his energy and vitality evident.
“Hahaha, I know my own body best.”
“On that day, the few experts on the other side may have reached the second rank, but I’m afraid they hadn’t fought anyone in a long time. Their moves were rusty, and I wouldn’t have been severely injured by them!”
“Don’t worry about me, Changtian. You can rest easy.”
“……”
Qin Zhengqiu had already reassured him, so Wei Changtian didn’t know what else to say.
However, as they chatted, he suddenly remembered something.
The sword-wielding talent, Chang Shu’an; the white-robed, Wu Tianqing; the poetry ghost, Li Mingchun……
He had already investigated the identities of the five experts on the other side, and from the original content, he knew they belonged to an ancient, mysterious organization called “Jiulong”.
The problem now was that he knew too little about Jiulong.
“Grandfather, have you heard of Jiulong?”
“Jiulong?”
Qin Zhengqiu furrowed his brow, asking, “Is it some kind of monster?”
“No, it’s the name of the organization Chang Shu’an and the others belong to.”
Wei Changtian explained, “Grandfather, although we didn’t find anything useful on them that day, I later discovered through other means that they all belonged to a mysterious organization called Jiulong.”
“This organization has probably existed for over a thousand years, operating very secretly. Apart from the name, I couldn’t find out anything else.”
“Jiulong……”
Qin Zhengqiu murmured the name again, his expression not particularly surprised.
After all, five second-rank experts appearing at the same time – even an idiot would know there was a powerful force behind them.
“I’ll send someone to investigate. As long as this organization exists, no matter how secretive they are, they must have left some traces.”
After thinking for a while, Qin Zhengqiu said seriously, “Before we thoroughly investigate, Changtian, you should be more cautious in your daily life.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Wei Changtian nodded, knowing Qin Zhengqiu was worried about his safety.
However, he himself wasn’t too afraid.
He still had over 2,000 system points, which could be exchanged for at least four “Divine Strikes”.
No matter how powerful Jiulong was, even if they sent the Jade Emperor himself to cause trouble, the outcome would still be a single “death” character.
“……”
As the sun gradually set, the sky turned into a colorful tapestry.
The two chatted for a while longer about other things, and when Wei Changtian saw that the sun was already low, he stood up to bid farewell and leave.
Qin Zhengqiu didn’t retain him, instructing two inner disciples to escort Wei Changtian down the mountain, while he himself strolled back to his bedroom.
However, as soon as he entered the room, the usually spirited Heavenly Lord Qin Zhengqiu suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, his entire body swaying unsteadily.
Taking a deep breath, he sat down on the cushion with a slight tremble.
It took half a day for Qin Zhengqiu’s breathing to gradually stabilize, but his face remained deathly pale.
No mistake, his injuries were indeed severe, though not fatal, but he probably only had a few years left to live, and his actual strength had dropped from late second-grade to early second-grade.
Killing four second-grade cultivators would certainly come at a cost.
As for his nonchalant demeanor earlier… that was forced out through internal energy and blood circulation.
Qin Zhengqiu didn’t tell anyone about his severe injuries, because he was well aware that if this got out, especially to those so-called righteous sects… the Heavenly Lord Teachings would face catastrophic consequences.
He could keep it hidden for one more day.
Exhaling a turbid breath, he slowly opened his eyes.
He suddenly thought of that “Dreaming of Immortals, Contending for Heavenly Fate” story and Qin Zhengqiu couldn’t help but laugh.
After all, he had lived for nearly a hundred years, still the number one expert on the surface of Da Ning, how could he really believe such a fantastical story?
His grandson did indeed harbor a shocking secret, but it wasn’t what he had said… This was Qin Zhengqiu’s judgment from the start.
However, even so, Qin Zhengqiu didn’t regret the price he paid to help Wei Changtian.
“Family ties” only occupied a small part of the reason.
More importantly, he had a vague feeling—
Even without the “Immortal in the Dream,” his grandson might really be able to become an immortal, and the Heavenly Lord Teachings would thus reach unprecedented heights.
This was what Qin Zhengqiu truly desired.