575: Chapter 575 Interlude: Welcoming the Gods Festival

The news of Duanhu Stronghold's overnight collapse spread across Qingzhou before long.

A behemoth that had entrenched itself for decades, one that even Fuyao Tower had to fear by three parts, had simply vanished from the mountaintop.

The surviving bandits scattered like birds and beasts, and no one dared to mention that signboard ever again.

As for who was responsible, opinions varied, but no one could say for sure.

Only a few people knew that the one who acted that night was a youth in white holding an umbrella.

Fan Yuan followed orders to clean up the aftermath; some survivors were taken into custody, while those guilty of heinous crimes were executed on the spot.

The bodies were buried in a chosen location.

After this incident, the prestige of Fuyao Tower grew even greater.

On this day, Zhou Heng came to find Qin Wangchuan to bid farewell.

The blood feud that had weighed on his heart was finally settled, and he had no more attachments.

He was leaving to venture out and train with Fuyao Tower.

When he entered, Qin Wangchuan was standing in the courtyard holding his sword.

The sword momentum had not yet been unleashed, but just by his starting stance, that composure and ease already made him seem unlike an ordinary person.

Zhou Heng watched, mesmerized, and it took a long while for him to snap out of it and remember the purpose of his visit.

"Qin Wangchuan," his eyes burning bright, "they say one defies for Immortal Ascension and follows for humanity. I want to strive for that 'defiance,' to become a true Cultivator in the future."

Qin Wangchuan sheathed his sword.

"Wrong."

Zhou Heng was stunned.

"What following, what defying?" Qin Wangchuan looked at him. "Every step you take, every event you experience, belongs to you. There is no such thing as following or defying."

He paused.

"If you really must say something, I have a phrase for you—"

"Immortal Ascension begins with the person."

"Immortal Ascension begins with the person?"

Zhou Heng chewed on these four words, and a layer of confusion gradually surfaced in his clear eyes.

He didn't understand what these words meant, but he kept them in his heart anyway.

Before leaving, his gaze fell back onto the sword, and Zhou Heng couldn't hold back after all.

"By the way, your sword-drawing posture just now was even better than my Master's."

As he spoke, he even mimicked the motions a couple of times.

"How long do I have to practice to get that feeling?"

"Can I do it in one afternoon?"

Qin Wangchuan glanced at him.

"Of course you can."

"You have an afternoon every single day."

Zhou Heng froze in place.

The words sounded like an agreement, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't quite that simple.

Yet, in the moment he was stunned, he suddenly caught a different meaning.

That bit of confusion gradually faded, replaced by a cluster of bright light in his eyes.

"I understand."

Just like that, Zhou Heng practiced with Qin Wangchuan for an entire afternoon.

What he practiced wasn't some profound sword technique; it didn't even count as holding a sword.

It was truly just the simplest thing: drawing the sword.

After practicing, he packed his bags and set off on his journey.

In his retreating figure, there was a spirit of pressing forward without looking back.

The young man's road was still long.

Days just flowed by like that.

The landscape of Qingzhou didn't change much, but the three major powers had inexplicably quieted down quite a bit.

Instead, storms were rising in the Jianghu.

Yet, these earth-shattering events could not stir up the small world of Liuxi Town.

Qin Wangchuan continued to keep watch over the blacksmith shop, forging iron, treating illnesses, and occasionally being dragged by Qin Zhaoer to taste some new snacks she had concocted.

One afternoon.

All the orders were finished, and there were no customers, so Qin Wangchuan had a rare moment of leisure.

A dose of medicine was simmering on the medicinal stove, bubbling and steaming. With the scent of the medicine, he sat to the side, flipping through an old medical book, completely engrossed.

Qin Zhaoer brought in a plate of snacks, placed it on the table, and spoke as if unintentionally.

"By the way, the town is going to hold the God-Welcoming Festival in a few days."

"It happens once every three years, you remember, right?"

"Mm." Qin Wangchuan responded, his gaze not leaving the book page, merely reaching out to check the heat of the medicinal stove.

He knew about the God-Welcoming Festival.

While it was called a festival, the rules were unique to the three neighboring towns in their area; it couldn't be seen anywhere else.

The three towns took turns, once every three years.

This year, it happened to be Liuxi Town's turn to host.

On that day, the town would select one person to dress up as a deity descended to earth, starting from Liuxi Town, and tour through the other two towns.

Wherever they passed, every family would set up altars and burn incense, with believers following along. The crowd would grow larger and larger, and finally, they would escort this "God" back to Liuxi Town in a grand procession.

For a day and a night, the lights would not be extinguished, and the incense would not cease; it was the liveliest grand event in this area every three years.

Being chosen as this "God" was a great honor, and there was also a generous reward afterward.

But this honor didn't come for free.

From the moment one dressed as the God, no matter how others kowtowed or prayed, the "God" could not utter a single word.

"Do you still remember the ones picked in the previous sessions?" Qin Zhaoer pouted, stuffing a snack into her mouth. "Sitting on the stage one by one, looking shifty-eyed—they didn't have even a shred of a deity's appearance."

"It makes me angry just looking at them."

Qin Wangchuan just assumed she was nitpicking again, didn't take it to heart, and casually replied.

"People are chosen by the town. If it makes you angry to look at them, just don't go see them."

"How can that be! It's a lively event that only happens once every three years." Qin Zhaoer waved her hand, then shifted the topic, her eyes darting over. "I'm saying, this 'God' needs to be someone decent to sit in that spot."

"If you were to sit on that stage, it would actually look the part."

"Do you want to go try?"

Qin Wangchuan finally raised his head from the pages and glanced at Qin Zhaoer.

Now he understood what kind of medicine she was selling in her gourd.

"No." He answered decisively.

"Why!"

"Boring." He said indifferently. "And not being able to speak for a day and a night is very troublesome."

Qin Zhaoer was not annoyed at all.

She had long expected Qin Wangchuan would have this reaction.

Given his temperament, he would definitely not rush to join in such excitement on his own.

But so what.

She propped up her chin, eyeing him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, and spoke slowly, her tone revealing a hint of triumph as if victory was already hers.

"Whether you go or not, it's not up to you now."

Qin Wangchuan felt something was off and looked up at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Hehe." Qin Zhaoer put her hands behind her back, lifted her chin, and looked triumphant.

"When registration opened a few days ago, I already submitted your name!"

Qin Wangchuan: "..."

"It's too late to go back on it now." Qin Zhaoer looked triumphant, as if watching a good show. "I heard the list was finalized yesterday."

Changing her tone, she suddenly adopted a different demeanor.

She leaned in half a step, tilted her face up, and her voice softened, the tail end of her words sticky and sweet, carrying a hint of pleading.

"Go, please—"

"I just want to see how you look sitting on that high platform."

Qin Wangchuan looked at her coquettish appearance and, for a moment, didn't know what to say.

After a while, he shook his head helplessly.

"There are so many people for the town to choose from, it might not be my turn."

"Not your turn?"

Qin Zhaoer's eyes widened, and she put her hands on her hips. "If they dare not to choose you, then their eyes are just for show; they might as well gouge them out!"

Her confident appearance made it seem as if the matter was already set in stone, leaving no room for anyone else to disagree.