After leaving the “Giant Black Iron Cauldron” of the demon inspection department, the night wind across Penglai Prefecture became familiar and gentle once more.
Yun Heng gripped his brand-new identity token, which was still warm in his hand. He chose not to activate his communication jade slip to inform his family immediately.
Instead, he stepped slowly down the blue-stone stairs beneath Sword-Hanging Mountain, watching the distant, glowing silhouette of Qing City with a smile playing on his lips.
Six years away from home was but a fleeting moment for a cultivator, but for him, it felt as though several thousand cycles of reincarnation had passed.
Being hauled back like a little chick by Yun Wangji earlier didn’t count as “coming home.” After all, before he could even warm his seat, he had been rushed off to the demon inspection department.
This time, with all the preparations complete, his return felt like a true homecoming. It made Yun Heng poignantly realize the meaning of the phrase “homesick apprehension.”
He didn’t know if his father was already waiting in the study, putting on airs to scold him, or if his mother had already prepared a mental script to lecture him while pulling on his ear…
He only knew that he hadn’t experienced such a scene in a very long time.
Oh, right, there were also his younger siblings at home.
Yun Feng, Yun Qiuhong, Yun Qiuming, Yun Hao, Yun Zhi, Yun Shuo, Yun Lu, and Yun Sheng…
Including Yun Heng, these eight people were known as the Nine Sons of the Yun Family.
They were the youngest generation of the Changsheng Yun family and the “Dandy Brigade” that everyone in Penglai Prefecture despised.
They were the type to pick a fight with anyone—confronting those they didn’t like, and running away if they couldn’t win.
One could only say that, sometimes, one couldn’t entirely blame the public for their reputation.
When Yun Heng was younger, he had indeed been reckless enough; otherwise, he never would have become the “King of Kids.”
The good news was that, thanks to those examinees from earlier, Yun Heng had regained some of his old “dandy” feeling.
As he stepped into the territory of the Changsheng Yun family, he sensed familiar auras.
They were hidden behind stiffly layered arrays, their spirit beasts’ auras were restless but lacked killing intent, and they were dodging about, thinking they were well-hidden when they were actually full of holes. He couldn’t help but stretch comfortably.
It seemed the welcome ceremony was in place.
The amusement in Yun Heng’s eyes deepened. He didn’t stop walking, even intentionally taking a wrong step as he headed toward his old residence, Tingzhu Pavilion, where he had lived until he was 8 years old.
“Eagle-Owl, Eagle-Owl, this is Phoenix. Target confirmed. Requesting permission to terminate!”
“…Yun Hao, if there’s something wrong with your brain, go to Old Bai and get it checked. Where on earth did you learn all these nonsensical phrases?”
“Don’t the storybooks all write it like that…”
“Fine, fine, stop arguing. Everyone, be quiet. How is the warm-up going on Brother Feng’s side?”
In the [Nine Sons Private Communication Jade Slip Channel], a flurry of discussions rose and fell.
However, following a cold and emotionless reply of “Acknowledged,” the channel suddenly fell into a long silence.
“Holy hell… Brother Feng, would you die if you didn’t act like a poser? Just because you’re practicing the emotionless dao, you think you’re so great? Have you even fixed the broken sword I smashed with a stick last time? Stop pretending.”
The youth cut off the communication and leaned against a jade wall with his sword in his arms.
The moonlight was like water, happening to illuminate only his profile and the upper half of his scabbard. His lower body remained hidden in the shadows, giving him an air of aloofness and eccentricity.
Even though Yun Heng had seen countless storms and waves, he couldn’t help but want to laugh at this scene.
The good news was that he held it in.
“Thou hast come.”
The youth slowly opened his partially closed eyes, and a flash of sword light seemed to flicker within them.
He didn’t change his posture, merely tilting his head at a perfect angle so the moonlight could better outline the curve of his jaw.
“I have been here, waiting for thee for a long time.”
Yun Heng’s lips twitched slightly. He silently recited the *Heart-Clearing Incantation* twenty times in his mind.
The youth, however, seemed quite satisfied with this “solemn” atmosphere.
He continued in a voice so steady it was devoid of any emotion, “This array is called ‘Dust-Tangled Ties.’ To be immersed in the past is to be lost.”
He paused for a moment, seemingly wanting to let the philosophical weight of the sentence ferment. “There are two ways to break this array.”
The youth raised one finger, the tip of which was clouded with sword intent. “First, enter the array with skill, see through the illusions, find the array core, and destroy it.”
Next, he chose not to raise a second finger. Instead, he finally deigned to change his body’s posture, lowering his left hand to hold the scabbard naturally while his right hand settled firmly on the sword hilt.
It was a movement full of ritual.
“Second, break skill with power.”
His gaze suddenly sharpened as he locked onto Yun Heng. His robes fluttered despite the lack of wind, and dozens of sword intents sliced through the air, emitting a terrifying hum.
“I, Yun Feng, mid-Nascent Soul stage, practitioner of the emotionless sword dao, hold ‘Silent Snow’ in my hand. It is 3 feet 7 inches long, and once drawn, it will surely… *cough*.”
That was close; he almost said “see blood.”
Thankfully, Yun Feng braked in time. Remembering that this was just a welcome ceremony, he made a stiff transition. “…It will surely be met with my full strength. Brother Yun, please.”
After speaking, Yun Feng lifted his chin slightly and added, “If thou chooseth the former, thou must face thy ‘inner demon’; if thou chooseth the latter…”
With a flick of his wrist, Silent Snow clanged as it left its scabbard, letting out a crisp sword cry. “Then come and see if thou canst allow my sword to… gather dust.”
Although there were slight flaws, the lines and his improvised performance just now were cold and cool enough. Yun Feng was very satisfied.
He didn’t care if others thought he was acting like a poser; as long as he felt he looked handsome, that was enough.
Besides, Big Brother was clearly intimidated by him. He hadn’t said a single word for a long time. So, my method was correct… Wait, Big Brother, why are you smiling?
“I surrender.”
However, Yun Heng’s crisp and clean action of raising both hands almost caused Yun Feng to lose his composure again.
Fortunately, his cultivation and state of mind had improved over the years, so he didn’t reveal any weakness.
Yun Feng sheathed his sword and let out a cold snort. “Hmph, a commoner.”
Thinking about it, this was actually normal. After all, Big Brother was currently only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and most of the artifacts on him were defensive.
If he insisted on going head-to-head with a sword genius like himself, the only outcome would be death… er, defeat.
Thinking about how he used to be hung up and beaten by Yun Heng when they were children, and how the tables had turned now that he was so majestic in front of him, Yun Feng couldn’t help but let out a soft hum.
But before Yun Feng could enjoy his pride for more than three seconds, a gong-shaped artifact suddenly flashed before his eyes.
With a loud *BOOM*, the intense strike sent stars dancing before Yun Feng’s eyes, and he staggered back 5 steps.
If Yun Feng hadn’t reflexively unleashed a sword intent to resist the sudden sonic attack, that single blow probably would have forced out the defensive artifacts on his body.
After all, those were the world’s most unique, top-tier artifacts gifted by Yun Wangji himself; their power was no joke.
“The gap in our cultivation is too large; fighting isn’t fun. Next time I come back, I’ll definitely spar with you properly.”
Yun Heng, who had appeared in front of Yun Feng at some unknown moment, flicked his forehead with a smile.
“But when you’re out and about, it’s better to be careful. Don’t assume the battle is over just because the opponent surrenders.”
Having said that, Yun Heng didn’t continue lecturing. He turned around and walked straight into the so-called “Dust-Tangled Ties” array.
Yun Feng stood frozen in place for a full 1 minute, clutching his still-ringing ears.
The spot on his forehead where he had been flicked was still faintly burning, but his face was even hotter—it was flushed red from his ears down to his neck.
He stiffly and slowly reopened his communication jade slip.
Almost instantly, the jade slip exploded. Various voices mixed with wild laughter, screams, and the sound of hands slapping the ground nearly broke the spiritual energy limit of the jade slip:
“Hahahahahaha!!! Brother Feng!!! Your ‘Silent Snow’ is 3 feet 7 inches long, and once drawn it will surely… see what?! See Big Brother’s finger?! Hahahaha!! ‘Thou must face thy inner demon’—and it turns out the inner demon is a gong?! Hahahaha, help, my stomach hurts!!”
That was Yun Hao.
“Brother Feng, I advise you to stop trying to learn the emotionless dao. Switch to the ‘Lightning Bolt Dao’ instead. After all, those drum beats almost blasted you stupid.”
That was Yun Qiuming.
“Brother Feng, Brother Feng, you tilted your chin so high earlier. Were you trying to catch Big Brother’s artifact with your jawline? Your posture was great, but you fell back a bit fast~”
That was Yun Zhi.
“‘To be immersed in the past is to be lost.’ Brother Feng, you got lost pretty fast. Those 5 steps back looked like a dance, complete with sound effects. I won’t watch the next family festival unless you’re performing.”
That was Yun Shuo.
“Is it funny? All I saw was a desperate, emotionless swordsman.”
That was Yun Lu.
“Alright, everyone say less… (couldn’t hold back a laugh) *cough*, Brother Feng, actually, your aura was in place, and you memorized your lines well.”
“It’s just… well, you still need to learn more from Big Brother about combat experience. Look at Big Brother.”
“He doesn’t strike often, but when he does, it’s an artifact to the face. Crisp and clean—that’s the ‘Practical Dandy Style’ passed down through our Yun family!”
That was Yun Qiuhong.
“Look at the recording stone! The array has started! I wonder what illusion Big Brother will see. Will it be when he used to take us to peek at the neighbor female cultivator bathi—OW! Yun Zhi, why did you hit my head?”
“Yun Hao, shut up! You were the one who did that! At most, Big Brother helped us cheat or took us to raid bird nests!”
“However, Brother Feng, I bet 3 high-grade spirit stones that Big Brother recorded your performance just now with a recording stone, and he’ll play it in public the next time you bring a girl home—”
Laughter echoed.
“Everyone… SHUT UP!!!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Yun Feng roared.
The communication jade slip fell silent for a moment.
Then, an even more earth-shattering collective burst of laughter erupted.
“Hahahahaha, Brother Feng lost his cool!!”
“He’s acting out of embarrassment!!”
“Where’s your emotionless dao? Where’s your heart as clear as ice?! Brother Feng, your dao heart is unstable!”
“Quick! Record this! Yun Feng’s ‘Social Death’ moment of the year! I want to see this story circulating through all of Penglai Prefecture tomorrow!”
Yun Feng viciously cut off the communication and stuffed the jade slip into the deepest part of his storage bag, as if that could block out the voices that made him want to dig a hole and crawl into it.
He hugged his Silent Snow sword tightly.
His image as a tall, cold, and aloof swordsman had shattered into pieces, leaving only a red-faced youth who had been easily taught a lesson by his older brother and ruthlessly mocked by his younger siblings.
He looked up toward the array, where light and shadows shifted, and Yun Heng’s figure was no longer visible. Only that annoying gong-shaped artifact still floated in the air, as if continuing its silent mockery.
“Big Brother, you just wait.”
Yun Feng ground his back teeth and muttered under his breath, “Next time… next time I will definitely…”
His voice grew smaller and smaller.
Because he suddenly remembered Yun Heng’s smiling promise before he left: “Next time I come back, I’ll definitely spar with you properly.”
He couldn’t help but shiver.
Yun Feng suddenly felt that his mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivation was, perhaps… not as secure as he had imagined.