I'm quitting!

Chapter 18: Starting from a sect that can't even survive a fraction of a second, and taking les

Outside the door, a figure in a blue robe fluttered in the breeze.

Xianyunzi stood in the courtyard, his aura surging like a tide, but it subtly subsided the moment he touched the threshold of the woodshed. His fingertips trembled slightly; the murderous aura that had caused his dantian's true essence to stagnate for three breaths still left a chilling feeling in his meridians.

"The Nine Luminaries Dragon-Trapping Formation..." he murmured, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt. "To be able to hide such a fierce formation in a humble thatched cottage, senior's methods are truly heaven-reaching and earth-shattering."

He straightened his clothes and bowed respectfully: "Junior Xianyunzi requests an audience with Senior!"

The wooden door opened, and Lin Xiaofan's figure came into view.

A small, silvery-white animal perched on the boy's shoulder, happily munching on a sweet potato, its cheeks bulging.

Seeing Xianyunzi bow respectfully, Lin Xiaofan awkwardly touched his nose: "Sect Leader, has come to my humble abode on important business?"

"Senior, you are truly profound and unassuming, able to integrate the Dao of formations into nothingness. You are indeed... learned and knowledgeable." Xianyunzi praised sincerely, his tone becoming increasingly respectful.

Formation?

Lin Xiaofan was taken aback, then chuckled twice and waved his hand, saying, "Ahem... It's just a trivial skill, not worth mentioning... Sect Leader, please speak your mind."

Xianyunzi said solemnly, "The head of the Su family of Nanguan has come to our door, saying that he wishes to see you, senior."

"The Su family of Nanguan?"

Lin Xiaofan's heart skipped a beat, and the image of the Nine Heavens Cold Marrow Jade flashed before his eyes.

His Adam's apple bobbed, alarm bells blaring: I'm doomed... I'm doomed... They're definitely here to ask for the secret treasure. Are they going to tear me to pieces and turn me into a human magic weapon?!

He forced himself to remain calm: "What kind of force does the Su family have?"

"The head of the Su family only brought a few servants and three wooden boxes with him. I have left them to wait in the main hall for the time being."

Three wooden crates?!

Lin Xiaofan's pupils constricted sharply, and a bloody image immediately flashed through his mind: Hiss… they've even brought the boxes containing body parts! Maybe we should run away quickly…

He instinctively took a half step back, his fingers resting on the door frame.

Just then, a clear image appeared in his mind—Su Qingxue's clear, spring-like eyes looked at him with a hint of reproach and helplessness.

Fine, if I run away, she'll be the one who suffers. After all, she's been kind to us.

He let out a soft sigh of relief. Sensing the change in his mood, the sesame ball on his shoulder stopped gnawing, tilted its head, and looked around with its round eyes full of confusion.

"In that case, we shouldn't keep the guests waiting."

Lin Xiaofan straightened his back and tried to make his voice sound calm and composed, but his fingers still trembled slightly involuntarily.

Inside the main hall of Qingyun Gate, cloud-patterned golden pillars support the dome, and glazed decorations reflect the sunlight. Three sandalwood boxes stand quietly in the hall, their exquisite carvings emanating a subtle chill.

Su Lang, dressed in a brocade robe, stood tall and slender like a pine tree, his hands behind his back. The moment Lin Xiaofan followed Xian Yunzi into the palace, his pupils shrank—the chill emanating from the young man was perfectly integrated with the aura of the Nine Heavens Cold Marrow Jade.

"That jade seems to have completely merged into his bones and blood..." A storm raged in Su Lang's heart. "Could this person be a reclusive master of the Cold Vein, deliberately hiding here to bide his time?"

He immediately bowed deeply, his knees touching the ground: "Junior Su Lang pays respects to Senior Lin!"

Lin Xiaofan paused slightly: "You even know my surname?! You're quite well-prepared... But why did you call me 'senior'? Did Xianyunzi bewitch him?"

Then, his gaze swept over the top of the person's head: "Su Lang; the current head of the Su family in Nanguan, who will die tragically in the family's internal strife five years later."

Ha, I also know that Lin Xiaofan must have died a tragic death here...

He made a self-deprecating remark, a stiff smile appearing on his lips: "Patriarch Su... there's no need for such formalities. May I ask what brings you here?"

Su Lang straightened up, his respect growing stronger: "I heard that you have completely refined the Nine Heavens Cold Marrow Jade, so I have brought a small gift to pay my respects."

After saying that, he personally opened the lid of the box.

In an instant, a chilling mist spread through the air.

In the first box, the thousand-year-old snow ginseng was crystal clear, with its roots curled up; in the second box, the star-patterned grass of the cold pool shimmered with a faint light, its leaves covered in ice; in the third box, the ice heart flower was fragrant and its stamens were covered in snow.

Even the well-informed Xianyunzi was stunned by the scene, his Adam's apple bobbing several times.

"These are thousand-year-old snow ginseng, cold pool star-patterned grass, and the ice heart flower unique to my Su family. They are all precious items for nourishing the cold meridians. I hope you will accept them, senior."

As soon as he finished speaking, Maqiu poked its little head out from Lin Xiaofan's shoulder, its nose twitching wildly: "Smells good! So much smells good! Maqiu wants to eat smells good!"

Lin Xiaofan's expression froze instantly, his mind racing: Wait! He's not here to kill me? Why is this old man bringing such an expensive gift?! Could it be... he's planning to fatten me up before refining me?

"Patriarch Su...actually I..."

Seeing this, Su Lang mistakenly thought that Su Lang's sincerity was insufficient, so he hurriedly stepped forward and took out a book from his sleeve: "This is the secret technique of my Su family, the 'Heart-Cleansing Mantra,' which I present to you today, senior!"

He lowered his voice, his eyes filled with eagerness: "I humbly request your guidance, senior! My Su family has cultivated the Cold Path for generations, yet we have never been able to break through the bottleneck. To witness your level of attainment today is truly a godsend!"

Lin Xiaofan was completely dumbfounded: Huh? What kind of trick is this now?

He stood frozen in place, but Maqiu couldn't contain herself any longer. Her little paws clung to his collar, her eyes fixed on the three boxes of treasures, her mouth practically watering.

Seeing that Lin Xiaofan remained silent, Su Lang assumed that the master was unwilling to impart his knowledge easily, so he immediately knelt on one knee and held up the book.

"Our clan has long been trapped in the 'extreme cold generates heat' condition. Every full moon night, the clan elders suffer from reversed meridian flow, experiencing excruciating pain..."

His voice trembled slightly, and his eyes reddened: "I beg you... senior, have mercy and guide me!"

Lin Xiaofan was shocked: Holy crap! This old man is crying so easily, could I have really misunderstood him? But my own Extreme Cold Dao Body is only just starting out, how could I possibly give pointers to others?

Just when he was in a dilemma, Maqiu suddenly leaped lightly off his shoulder, its little nose close to the Ice Heart Flower, sniffing intensely: "Warm! The flower smells warm!"

Lin Xiaofan grasped at a straw, suppressing his panic, straightening his back, and adopting an air of superiority: "Ahem...you may rise."

His gaze swept over the Ice Heart Flower, then caught a glimpse of the Hemp Ball's reaction. A sudden inspiration struck him, and he blurted out, "The pinnacle of the Cold Path is not in extreme cold, but in..." He deliberately paused, "...but in the warmth hidden within the cold, and the cold contained within the warmth! Your Su Clan has been pursuing extreme cold, but you have forgotten that beneath the millennia-old ice, there must be warm currents from the earth's veins nourishing it."

Su Lang's eyes widened, and he murmured, "Earth's warm currents?! The ancestral teachings never mentioned this! Such a profound and mysterious principle was so casually stated by our predecessor..."

With trembling hands, he turned to a page of the "Qingxin Jue" (a manual for purifying the mind): "What the senior said... could it refer to the phenomenon of 'cold marrow nourishing the body'? Our clan has tried to use cold to combat cold for generations, but all attempts have ended in failure..."

Taking advantage of the situation, Lin Xiaofan peeked out and saw that the yellowed paper clearly stated: "Ice Heart Flower must be boiled in boiling water until the heat dissipates and the medicinal properties return to purity, only then can it be used to counteract cold with cold."

He immediately shouted, "Wrong! Utterly wrong!"

He slapped the edge of the box, causing the treasures inside to churn and swirl.

"The cold marrow is like the heart; it needs to be nourished with warmth." His voice was firm, his gaze piercing. "Your Su family uses cold energy to suppress the cold poison, like using a knife to cut out your heart to stop the pain!"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, but then caught a glimpse of Maqiu's expectant eyes and quickly came up with a solution.

"We should use ventilation... no! We should use the method of harmonization! Just like brewing medicine, after a fierce fire, there must be a gentle fire."

As he spoke, he picked up a Ice Heart Flower from the box: "Here, try eating a few petals and leaves of this flower raw."

Su Lang hesitated, but thinking of the painful wails of the clan elders every full moon night, he gritted his teeth, grabbed the whole Ice Heart Flower, and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.

Wow… How did this guy swallow it all in one gulp?!

Lin Xiaofan's heart tightened.

Don't blame me if you get sick!

Just as he was stunned, Su Lang's body suddenly surged with cold energy, his veins bulged, his face turned from green to white, then from white to red, and finally subsided abruptly. He let out a long sigh of relief, and his eyes shone brightly.

The next instant, he knelt down with a thud, his forehead striking the bluestone slab heavily, three muffled thuds echoing throughout the hall: "The profound principles! This junior has immersed himself in the cold path for decades without finding the way, but senior has revealed the secret of the balance of Yin and Yang in a single sentence!"

He raised his head, his eyes filled with gratitude and reverence: "The suffering of my people can now be averted!"

Lin Xiaofan looked at the marks on the ground, his lips twitching slightly: What kind of miraculous medicine is this, working so fast?! I'm increasingly doubting whether my mouth is blessed, how can something I casually say become the truth?

Su Lang solemnly presented the "Qingxin Jue" with both hands: "This is the culmination of a thousand years of Su family's efforts. Please, senior, offer your corrections!" He suddenly lowered his voice and leaned closer, "I have another request... I wonder if senior could move to the South Gate? There is a cold stone tablet in the Su family ancestral hall, which was discovered a few days ago..."

"Second Uncle!"

A clear shout rang out like shattering ice, and the palace doors burst open with a roar.

Su Qingxue stood on the threshold, dressed in plain white, her black hair half-tied up.

Her gaze was like a knife, first sweeping over the box full of rare medicinal herbs, then over Su Lang, and finally fixing on Lin Xiaofan, her brows furrowed: "The Nine Heavens Cold Marrow Jade was a gift I gave voluntarily; it has nothing to do with him!"

Su Lang looked puzzled, then suddenly realized, and said gently, "Qingxue... Second Uncle is not accusing you." He turned to Lin Xiaofan, bowed again, and said, "Senior, please don't be offended. This child has had some misunderstandings about the family since her father... alas...."

"misunderstanding?"

Su Qingxue took two steps forward, her cold eyes piercing Su Lang.

"Back then, Father volunteered to guard the Cold Abyss to protect the Cold Marrow Mine, yet you altered the clan rules and seized the position of clan head on the third day after his disappearance!" Her voice trembled slightly. "You even... even used my status as an illegitimate child and impure bloodline as grounds to force Mother to her death and drive me away from home. And now..."

She sneered, her eyes growing colder: "You're trying to fool outsiders again, to shield the Su family from disaster?!"