14: From this day forward, all worldly ties are severed!

To him, the dirt wall was as good as non-existent.

Gu Changsheng's figure moved slightly, and his whole body drifted into the courtyard silently, like a weightless fallen leaf.

He landed without a sound.

His Divine Sense had already scanned the entire courtyard countless times; the hiding place of the Spirit Stones was as clear in his mind as the lines on his palm.

Under the bed in Fatty Wang's bedroom, the third floor tile from the left.

Without a moment's hesitation, Gu Changsheng walked straight toward the pitch-black room. The door lock was an ordinary brass lock; he didn't even bother to pick it, simply wrapping a faint wisp of True Qi around his fingertip and giving it a gentle poke.

Click.

The lock cylinder popped open.

He pushed the door open and entered, met with a murky smell of sweat mixed with cheap incense. Gu Changsheng held his breath and walked straight to the bedside.

He crouched down and lightly traced the gap between the floor tiles with his finger; a loose tile was easily pried up by him.

Beneath the tile was an iron box.

Gu Changsheng took it out and opened it.

Fifty or sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones were neatly stacked inside, emitting a faint and enticing spiritual glow in the darkness.

These were all ill-gotten gains obtained by sacrificing countless mine slaves; it was only right that they now returned to the hands of the son of a mine slave.

He put all the Spirit Stones into his Storage Pouch, then replaced the empty iron box and the floor tile as they were, smoothing over all traces.

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, without making a single unnecessary sound.

Having finished all this, he turned and left, once again transforming into a blurred shadow and silently leaving the courtyard as if no one had ever been there.

Returning to the guest room his uncle's family had prepared for him, Gu Changsheng closed the window and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He wasn't worried at all about his movements being detected.

Especially by Gu Changyue.

A Cultivator at the second level of the Fetal Breathing Realm who had not even broken through the Yujing Pass had a perception range of no more than three feet around them.

Whereas he was at the fifth level of the Fetal Breathing Realm; his Yujing Pass was broken, and his Divine Sense had naturally manifested.

The gap between the two was as different as heaven and earth.

If he wished, he could even walk right past Gu Changyue without her being able to sense his presence.

This was the suppression of a higher Realm.

He sank his mind into his Storage Pouch and looked at the extra fifty or sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, his heart completely calm.

This was what he deserved in the first place.

For the next six days, Gu Changsheng lived an incredibly "regular" life.

Every day he "bitterly cultivated behind closed doors" in that guest room; no matter how warmly his uncle's family called for him, he refused to come out, using the excuse that "cultivation had reached a critical juncture and he should not be disturbed."

In reality, he spent most of his time using his Divine Sense to observe this brand-new "home" with interest.

Gu Dashan and Mrs. Li circled around Gu Changfeng and Gu Changyue every day, asking after their well-being and trying to please them in every way.

"Yue'er, is it hard practicing at the immortal Sect? Drink more of this chicken soup; Mother simmered it for you all morning!"

"Feng'er, when will that Manager of yours from the Menial Service Courtyard let you become a small leader too?"

Gu Changyue was floating on the flattery, often putting on the airs of an Immortal Master and lecturing others.

"Mother, I told you, we Cultivators do not value the mundane desires of the palate. This chicken soup contains Turbid Qi, not Spiritual Qi!"

Gu Changfeng appeared more composed, but the smugness between his brows could not be hidden.

"Father, matters of the immortal Sect have their own laws; it's not as simple as you think. However, the Manager Senior Brother said that I work diligently, so next month I might have a chance to be transferred to the Spirit Medicine Garden."

This family was playing out a comical and ridiculous scene of "when one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

Gu Changsheng watched coldly from the sidelines.

He even saw more interesting things through the daily intelligence.

[Intelligence: Because Mrs. Li secretly took one of her 'Heart-Clearing Pills' for Gu Changfeng, Gu Changyue and Gu Changfeng had a massive argument in their room. Gu Changyue cursed Gu Changfeng as a 'worthless menial for life.']

For a single unranked mundane pill, biological siblings could turn against each other.

These were his blood relatives.

Gu Changsheng only found it boring.

The Spiritual Qi here was thin and not conducive to cultivation, so he decided to return to the Taiqing Sect early.

In the early morning, he finally pushed open his room door.

When Mrs. Li saw him, she immediately greeted him with a face full of smiles.

"Oh, Changsheng, you've finally come out of seclusion! Quick, the food is kept warm for you!"

Gu Changsheng did not take a seat, but simply took out a plain porcelain bottle from his robe.

A few days ago, he had quietly gone to a nearby town, exchanged one Low-Grade Spirit Stone for a hundred taels of silver, and then used a few taels of silver to buy the most ordinary "Body-Strengthening Pills" at a pharmacy.

To a Cultivator, these pills were no different from mud balls, but for Mortals, long-term consumption could indeed strengthen the body and reduce illnesses.

"Uncle, Aunt."

He handed over the porcelain bottle.

"I will be returning to the Sect today. This item is something I obtained at the immortal Sect; it may help Uncle regulate his body, and it can be considered repayment for the kindness of raising me all these years."

Gu Dashan and Mrs. Li's breathing instantly became rapid.

Their hands trembled as they took the small porcelain bottle, as if it contained not a Medicinal Pill, but an Immortal Pill for eternal youth.

"Immortal Pill! This... this is an Immortal Pill!" Mrs. Li's voice changed pitch, and she shook all over with excitement.

"Changsheng, you... you really are your uncle's good nephew!" Gu Dashan was even more moved to tears, his face a mess of snot and tears.

To the side, Gu Changyue and Gu Changfeng also cast incredibly burning and jealous gazes.

Obtained at the immortal Sect!

These words carried immense weight in their ears.

Gu Changsheng looked at their greedy and fanatical appearances, his heart completely unruffled.

A bottle of mundane pills that weren't even worth a Spirit Stone made them so grateful.

Truly cheap.

"From now on, Mortal ties are severed."

He muttered to himself in his heart.

This debt of gratitude, he had repaid.

"I'm leaving."

He didn't say another word, nor did he give them any time to react, as he turned and walked toward the outside of the courtyard.

"Hey, Changsheng, eat before you go!"

"Changsheng, when will you come back next time?"

The shouts of Mrs. Li and Gu Dashan rang out behind him, but neither of them chased after him; all their attention was focused on that small porcelain bottle.

Gu Changsheng's footsteps did not pause for a second.

He walked out of that blue-brick courtyard, passed that bumpy dirt road, and walked past the mine slaves who bowed to him in awe.

He did not look back.

One step, two steps.

When his feet stepped across the invisible boundary of the Mine Slave Camp and onto the mountain path leading to the outside world, the world behind him, permeated with the smell of rust and dust, seemed to be completely cut off.

Gu Changsheng raised his head and looked at the rolling green mountain range in the distance.

That was the direction of the Taiqing Sect.

The corners of his mouth curled into a cold arc.

In the mundane world, there were no more attachments.

His immortal path had only just begun.