Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng’s expression eased slightly. ’That’s more like it.’

”It’s so late, and he rarely stays on Vast Mist Peak. I hope nothing happened to him. I’ll go look for him.”

With that said, Song Changsheng turned and headed back.

By now, everyone had already left the cemetery.

Song Qingxing slowly emerged from the darkness, coming to a stop before Song Luhuai’s grave. His aloof face remained utterly devoid of any particular expression.

He was uncharacteristically dressed in plain mourning clothes, his hair meticulously tied back. He stood perfectly still, silently staring at the gravestone.

After a long while, he slowly reached out and drew the Traceless Sword. This was only the second time he had unsheathed it since obtaining the blade.

The Steward from the Divine Weapon Pavilion once claimed this sword couldn’t be refined. He had scoffed at the idea. ’As long as it’s a Magical Artifact, there’s no such thing as being impossible to refine,’ he thought. ’Failure only proves one’s own incompetence.’

After all, while a person chooses a Magical Artifact, the artifact also chooses its wielder.

After obtaining this sword, he had managed to refine it in a single night. That was also the first time the Traceless Sword had been drawn.

He still remembered the terrifying might of that first unsheathing as if it were yesterday.

Therefore, he rarely drew his sword. He believed that using it to slay mediocre fools would be a defilement to the blade. He also didn’t show it off, because a Sword Artifact was no mere plaything.

As the Long Sword left its sheath, the aura around Song Qingxing changed dramatically. An invisible Sword Momentum began to gather along the blade.

SWISH—

A flash of Sword Light, and the Sword Momentum swept outward. With Song Qingxing at its center, all the weeds within a hundred-zhang radius were turned to dust, yet the gravestones and tombs remained completely unharmed. Such exquisite control was staggering.

”This strike is called Sword Three. You taught it to me, and I’ve never forgotten.”

Song Qingxing sheathed his sword, performed a swordsman’s salute toward Song Luhuai’s gravestone, and then turned to leave.

Watching all this from the shadows, Song Changsheng nodded in satisfaction. ’It seems all those years of effort weren’t in vain,’ he thought. ’The crooked bamboo shoot is finally showing signs of straightening out.’

”’He does have a heart after all. Now I can finally rest easy,’ Song Changsheng murmured to himself, feeling the exhaustion on his shoulders lighten considerably.”

Song Changsheng returned to the courtyard a step ahead of Song Qingxing. The moment he stepped inside, a slender hand grabbed his ear and twisted it a full one hundred and eighty degrees.

He knew Xia Yunxue was behind the door, but he hadn’t expected this. He quickly begged for mercy, ”Hey, Mother, what are you doing? It’s going to come off! It’s going to come off!”

A stunned Song Qingxi, who was standing to the side, rushed forward to intervene. ”Grandmother, what are you doing?”

”Where did that child come from? Tell your mother the truth.”

With a junior present, Xia Yunxue felt it was inappropriate to continue her tirade. She released Song Changsheng’s ear and pulled him aside to question him in a cold tone.

Her words made everything click into place for Song Changsheng. ’So that’s what this is about.’

He had left Song Qingxi and the others in the Mortal Realm because he had to go to war. He’d been busy for the past several days and hadn’t had time to go get them.

In the end, it was Song Changxuan who brought them back when he returned for the funeral.

That was why, upon returning after the funeral, Xia Yunxue had seen Song Qingxi holding a baby. The sight nearly made her faint. A teenage girl goes on a trip and comes back with a child? Anyone would be horrified.

She had jumped to the wrong conclusion from the very beginning but, considering the young girl’s delicate feelings, she couldn’t bring herself to ask directly which bastard was responsible for this ”good deed.” That’s what led to the scene by the door.

The ear-pulling was her way of blaming Song Changsheng for his failure to discipline his family.

Once he understood the situation, Song Changsheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He quickly explained, ”I’m the one who adopted the child.”

He quickly explained the whole story from beginning to end.

Only after hearing his explanation did Xia Yunxue realize her mistake. She looked at Song Changsheng’s ear with concern and said, ”Sheng’Er, your mother was wrong to blame you. Does it still hurt?”

”I’m fine,” Song Changsheng replied, then decided to strike while the iron was hot. ”Mother, I feel a bond with this child. He has no family left. I want to adopt him as my son. What do you think? That way, you’ll have a grandson to dote on, won’t you?”

He had expected Xia Yunxue to agree, but to his surprise, she fell silent. After a long moment, she sighed. ”Sheng’Er, don’t make a rash decision. There is a vast divide between cultivators and mortals. It would be one thing if this child has a Spirit Root, but what if he doesn’t?”

Song Changsheng sighed. ”If he doesn’t have a Spirit Root, then we’ll follow the clan rules and send him to the Mortal Realm. If it’s the rule for other people’s children, then it applies to my child as well.”

”Since you’ve already thought it through, then your mother has nothing more to say. Just remember our clan’s rules. While the family permits adoption, the child must completely forget his past. Furthermore, he must marry a woman of the Song Clan in the future to be officially recorded in the genealogy,” Xia Yunxue reminded him.

”Those are painful memories. With his enemies dead, there’s no need for him to bear that heavy burden any longer. I just want him to grow up happy.” At the thought of Song Lingyun’s round, chubby face, a look of warmth softened Song Changsheng’s expression. ’This child and I... we were truly fated to meet.’

”Very well. Once the Grand Elder awakens, I will go and speak with him myself.” Since Song Changsheng was so resolute, she felt reassured.

By the time the two of them emerged from the corner, Song Qingxing had already returned. He had, at some point, changed out of the plain mourning clothes and back into his usual black robes.

He walked straight up to Song Changsheng and said, ”I’m going into seclusion.”

Song Changsheng was taken aback. He knew that Song Qingxing had condensed a Sword Embryo. He also knew that with Song Qingxing’s disposition, he would soon prepare to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm. He just hadn’t expected him to be in such a rush.

Song Qingxi, standing nearby, also frowned. ”How long has it been since you reached Qi Refining Great Perfection?” she said, displeased. ”And you’re already preparing for Foundation Establishment? Besides, you don’t even have a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

Xia Yunxue chimed in to persuade him as well. ”That’s right. The Second Elder is already in seclusion refining Foundation Establishment Pills. Just wait a little longer. With your talent, the clan will certainly prioritize you.”

”Exactly. You’re one of the clan’s Purple Mansion Seeds, so you have priority for Foundation Establishment.”

Deaf to their pleas, Song Qingxing remained unmoved. He looked at Song Changsheng with his usual indifference and said, ”If you could do it, so can I.”

Hearing this, Song Changsheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ’This guy is really dead-set on competing with me.’

He shook his head and gave up trying to persuade him. He knew Song Qingxing’s personality—once his mind was made up, wild horses couldn’t drag him away from it.

「The next day」

Song Qingxing officially began his seclusion. Meanwhile, Song Changsheng wasn’t idle either, convening the first clan meeting since he became the acting Clan Leader.

Once everyone had assembled, Song Changsheng announced the latest personnel changes.

The position of Third Elder would be filled by Xia Yunxue. She would no longer preside over the Law Enforcement Hall, instead becoming the Instructor Elder, responsible for teaching the clan’s younger members.

The position of Fourth Elder would be filled by Song Lutong.

The position of Fifth Elder would be filled by Song Chang’an. He would take charge of the Law Enforcement Hall and rebuild the Clan Law Enforcement Team.

The position of Sixth Elder would be filled by Song Changxuan, who would temporarily stand guard over the Mortal Realm.

As for himself, Song Changsheng would personally oversee the Minor Affairs Hall and the Wind Language Hall.

These appointments were largely conventional and followed expectations. The only arrangement that seemed improper was for Song Lutong. As the clan’s Fourth Elder, he held no actual authority.

If not for Song Changsheng’s upstanding reputation, many would have suspected him of making a power grab.

Faced with their confusion, Song Changsheng merely smiled without saying a word. He and Song Lutong were practically sworn brothers; how could he possibly be trying to sideline him? The reason he hadn’t given him the Wind Language Hall was simple: Lutong was a hot-headed brawler, completely unsuited for the delicate work of intelligence gathering.

He wasn’t being given a post now because Song Changsheng had a much more important use for him later.

Song Lutong himself was a simple man. If there was a job to do, he’d do it. If not, he’d go into seclusion to cultivate. He wasn’t bothered by it in the slightest.

After announcing the personnel changes, Song Changsheng immediately followed up with a shocking order: ”I have decided to dispatch the Black Star Ship to intervene in the Liuyun Battlefield and crush the remaining Demon Wolves in one fell swoop!”

The moment he said this, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically. Xia Yunxue and Song Chang’an were the first to voice their opposition.

”Young Clan Leader, it is truly inadvisable for the clan to rush into another war,” Song Chang’an said, rising to his feet to object. ”Besides, allowing the Demon Wolves and the Liuyun Sect to wear each other down is far more beneficial to our clan’s interests.”

Song Changsheng just smiled. ”This move of mine is also for the clan’s benefit.”

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