Chapter 117: Journey to the Cultivation World

For the next few days, Tang Wei stayed in this small seaside village. The woman she stayed with was known to everyone as Sister Lin; her husband’s surname was Lin. Sister Lin had to care for her in-laws and look after three children—the eldest was only twelve, and the youngest was six. Her husband worked away from home year-round. Her father-in-law had injured his health fishing in his youth and was physically limited, and her mother-in-law could only manage to tend to the old man. Sister Lin handled everything inside and outside the house by herself, and at just over thirty, she already looked to be in her late forties.

Tang Wei grew fond of the youngest daughter, who was clever, well-behaved, and sweet-tongued. Tang Wei often thought how wonderful it would be if her own daughter were like her; it would save her so much worry. Thus, she wondered if she should simply take the girl as an apprentice, especially since she still owed a karmic debt to this family.

After carefully checking the girl’s constitution, Tang Wei discovered she was not suited for cultivation—she lacked spiritual roots and talent, and would achieve little even if she forced it. However, the twelve-year-old boy, while also lacking spiritual roots, was a natural talent for martial arts. Yet, thinking of his taciturn nature, Tang Wei hesitated. She already had two apprentices who rarely spoke; she feared she would die of boredom if she took on another. She decided to wait and see.

Tang Wei had only stayed in the village for two days before she felt the urge to leave. It wasn't that she wasn't accustomed to life there, but she feared Zixuan might track her down. Even though she had come to certain realizations, she didn't want to see him yet. As for where to go, she hadn't decided, planning only to take things one step at a time and stay hidden.

On her final evening, Tang Wei approached Sister Lin and explained her situation. To repay their hospitality and the life-saving kindness they had shown her, she offered to take the eldest son, Lin Haijun, as a nominal disciple, with the intent of making him a formal student once he successfully guided spiritual energy into his body. Because she was so fond of little Lin Yiyi, she decided to let her learn as well, though she would wait until the girl was older to decide if she would formally accept her. For now, she would let her train alongside her brother. In truth, Tang Wei wanted to see if Yiyi was suited for this path; if not, she wouldn't force it, but light training would still be beneficial for her health.

Tang Wei intended to seek Sister Lin’s consent first, but Sister Lin was stunned, unable to believe such things existed in the world and wondering if Tang Wei was joking. It wasn't until Tang Wei flicked a flame from her fingertip, instantly reducing a nearby table to ash, that Sister Lin was struck dumb. After a while, she regained her senses. Tang Wei had observed her over the past few days and felt she was a person with a strong capacity for acceptance, which is why she chose to start with her.

Once Sister Lin recovered, she prepared to kneel on the spot, calling Tang Wei an immortal. Tang Wei earnestly explained that if Lin Haijun trained diligently, he could reach such a level. Only then did Sister Lin begin to think seriously, hesitantly asking, "Can the second child join in too?"

Tang Wei pondered this; it didn't seem fair to exclude one of the three siblings. So, she decided to let all three join. If any of them manifested spiritual energy later, they could find her at the Tang residence. Sister Lin was overjoyed and hurried to bring the three children in to perform the apprenticeship rites. Children were easier to talk to than adults and had a greater capacity for acceptance. Lin Haijun, in particular, was at an age of strong competitiveness and curiosity about the "peerless martial arts" he saw on television; the prospect of walking on walls and flying was something he naturally longed for.

After swearing them to secrecy, Tang Wei tapped Lin Haijun’s brow, imprinting the first three forms of the technique. Because he was young and his spiritual consciousness was weak, he fainted on the spot. After carrying him to his room and giving Sister Lin some instructions, Tang Wei retired for the night.

The next morning, Tang Wei was woken by little Yiyi. Perhaps due to her youth, while the others in the house had become more cautious, she remained as cheerful as ever, which put Tang Wei in a good mood. She picked up Yiyi and asked with a smile, "Why is Yiyi up so early today?"

Yiyi opened her bright eyes and said, "Auntie Tang is leaving, so I want to see you off!" Since they weren't formal disciples yet, Tang Wei had told them not to call her "Master" just yet.

"If Auntie leaves, will Yiyi miss me?" Tang Wei patted the girl’s small face, noting that the supplements she had secretly given her over the past two days had improved her complexion. Although she was still thin, her face was much more rosy.

"Of course I will! I like Auntie the most, because you give me delicious apples!" Children’s feelings were the most sincere; if you were kind to them, they would keep it in their hearts.

Tang Wei pinched her cheek teasingly, "You only remember the apples. Is that all you miss?"

"No, no! I miss Auntie the most!" Yiyi’s face scrunched up as she hurriedly denied it, clutching Tang Wei’s clothes.

"Alright, alright, Auntie knows. Don't worry, I was just teasing. If you miss me, you must practice with your brother every day. The sooner you learn, the sooner you'll see me again." Tang Wei comforted her. She loved children, provided they weren't as mischievous as her own daughter, Yaya.

"Okay!" Yiyi nodded earnestly, then asked, "Auntie, where are you going? Why can't you stay with Yiyi every day? Please stay!"

"Auntie has a father and mother too, so of course I must go home. If you weren't with your mother, would you miss her?"

Yiyi thought for a moment and asked, "Oh! I understand! Is Auntie missing her mom?"

"Yes, I am!" Tang Wei smiled and produced two jade bottles from her spatial storage. "Yiyi, I'm leaving. Take these to your mother. The white one is for your grandfather, and the green one is for the three of you—one pill each, remember?" Tang Wei decided to heal the old man; for her, it was merely the effort of a single pill. She also left pills for the children to help clear their impurities, which would benefit their future training.

"I know, I'll take them now!" Yiyi jumped out of Tang Wei’s arms and ran off.

Tang Wei didn't want to say individual goodbyes, so as soon as Yiyi ran out, she vanished from the room. Standing on the peak of the small mountain opposite, she looked down at the village with a hint of regret: "It's better this way. Now that Sister Lin knows the truth, she won't be able to nag me like she used to!"

As long as she didn't enter her spatial storage, Zixuan couldn't find her easily, but because their souls were linked, he could still sense her presence within a certain range. Tang Wei felt conflicted and didn't want to see him. Sitting on a rock, she wondered where she should go.

She sat there for the entire morning, reflecting on their past—from being dumped by someone else, to falling off a cliff and finding the Purple Pearl space, successfully birthing Yaya and Chongchong, seeing Zixuan gain his physical body, and their journey to find Yaya. Every detail flashed through her mind. Occasionally, a sweetness flickered in her heart, but then the image of the two of them embracing in the courtyard returned, and the pain returned with it.

Hadn't Zixuan said he only loved her? How could he whisper sweet words to her while holding another woman? Were all men the same? Her heart ached. Tang Wei clutched her chest and frowned: "No! I won't think about it anymore. Whether Zixuan betrayed me or not, he has his choices." She was torn. She wanted to believe he wasn't that kind of person, but the thorn in her heart remained, and dwelling on it only deepened the wound.

"Sister Lin was right. If I can't forget, I should give myself something to do." Tang Wei let go of the burden. But what should she do? In this life, her favorite things were sleeping and eating well. Sleeping was the same anywhere, and as for food, she had eaten everything imaginable at the Xuan family’s, and it had lost its charm. A sudden thought struck her: "I wonder what the cultivators of the past ate?" This led her to think of the cultivation world and the legends of the Tianshan water monster.

"That's it! I'll go to the cultivation world and see for myself! There's no Zixuan there, and no Ouyang Qianru!" Tang Wei was impulsive; once she had an idea, she acted immediately.

Her anger last time hadn't been entirely useless; at least she had learned to fly on a sword. She immediately summoned her flying sword and headed toward Changbai Mountain. Halfway there, she remembered the Tang family lacked cultivation resources, so she turned back to deliver some treasures and left a note saying she was going to the cultivation realm for a while and they shouldn't worry.

Tang Wei was no swimmer, and the Heavenly Lake at Changbai Mountain was deep and cold, which made her want to retreat. However, she possessed the Water Spirit treasure, which allowed her to take on the form of a mermaid and provided minor water-repellent abilities. Waiting until nightfall when no one was around, she warmed up by the shore and channeled her water spiritual energy throughout her body before stepping into the water. As it rose over her head, she realized the spiritual energy had formed a large bubble, shielding her within.