81: Final arrangements, leaving

Late autumn had passed, and frost was drawing near.

A month had passed since Fan Wufeng's demise, and Chen Cuo had arranged a grand funeral for him. He wore white mourning clothes for a full month. Under his imposing presence as an Innate Expert, the entire city was filled with a sense of grief, whether genuine or feigned.

"Without longevity, one is ultimately just a handful of yellow earth. Speaking of which, I really took too many advantages."

Chen Cuo looked at the Iron Eagle Gang, which was draped in white mourning, a flicker of memory crossing his mind before he completely let go. He stood in a courtyard, but to anyone passing by, the place seemed empty.

Transcendent and ethereal, the True Qi within his body ebbed and flowed, completely concealed, without a single trace leaking out.

In the courtyard, noob (Xiao Bai) wagged its fluffy tail. A third tail had grown from the base of its tail, though it was much shorter than its usual two.

Xiao Ling transmitted a vague thought; it would probably take another year for it to re-Cultivate Medicine Spirit Energy. The little green snake on his wrist was still in a deep sleep, likely because it had devoured a portion of the Innate spiritual essence carrying the true meaning of the Snake Demon when he had a Breakthrough, which promoted its own evolution.

Listening to the thoughts of the three little ones also made him incredibly relieved; at least, his Dao path would not be solitary.

Within the Iron Eagle Gang, Lei Wu and Hong Feng possessed excellent talent. Lei Wu cultivated the "Indestructible Stone Scripture" released by Shi Potian, though it was a redacted version as he hadn't found the original. The "Earth Origin Skill" also had similar aspects. Under his guidance, Lei Wu successfully had a Breakthrough to the Acquired Realm.

Hong Feng was similar; the "Spirit Demon Five Animal Play" was barely at Perfection. Although he didn't deeply understand its Fist Intent, it possessed a true form, and he also successfully reached the Acquired Realm.

As for the others, Ding Xiang later surpassed them and was now at the Perfection of Organ Refining. Coupled with the "Seven-Colored Treasure Bottle True Force"'s effect of condensing internal force, a Breakthrough to the Acquired Realm was a certainty.

Gu Pang lagged a bit, and it was he who made Chen Cuo realize that Cultivation ultimately had Bottlenecks; not everyone had a Golden Finger and could Break through easily.

However!

Relying on the characteristics of his Cultivation Technique, Gu Pang only needed persistent effort; seven or eight years would be completely sufficient for a Breakthrough.

The Iron Eagle Gang, a Jianghu Gang, along with its original few Acquired Realm Experts, now had seven Acquired Realm Experts. Excluding him, an Innate Expert, they were even stronger than an average thousand-year-old aristocratic family.

"Perhaps, I should prepare…"

Although Chen Cuo possessed endless longevity and the talent for flesh and blood regeneration, he had not yet reached the Realm of immortality and indestructibility. The aging of his body was still ongoing, even at his current Realm, this body would take thousands of years to decay.

But the matter of cultivating to Immortality should be done sooner rather than later. The spiritual essence within his body was becoming increasingly abundant; even if he didn't Cultivate, his True Qi was slowly increasing. It was better to leave sooner.

Fan Wufeng's passing was a weight off his mind. As for Gu Pang, Hong Feng, and the others, he had cared for them appropriately. It was impossible to drag them along for a lifetime.

Before leaving, he would make arrangements. After thinking it through, Chen Cuo felt much lighter in his heart and pulled out paper and pen to write and draw.

In a short while, a book with illustrations appeared in his hand. He exhaled a breath, and the ink on the paper immediately dried.

Chen Cuo pressed it into a book, writing "Hundred Meridian Connecting Origin Skill" on the cover, and placed it on the table.

Then he glanced to the side and saw Ding Xiang quietly enter and sit calmly on a chair in the courtyard.

Her expression was unreadable, perhaps a little anxious.

"Why are you here?"

"Are you preparing to leave?" Now, she finally asked the question in her heart. Since Chen Cuo went into seclusion, he and Ding Xiang hadn't seen each other for a year.

Chen Cuo successfully had a Breakthrough to the Innate Realm, no longer a mortal. After coming out of seclusion, he happened to catch up with the old man's passing. Tonight was the first time the two of them had a proper face-to-face conversation. Ding Xiang looked at Chen Cuo and found that he was like an Immortal, far removed from the Mortal World, untouched by worldly affairs.

She could probably guess that Chen Cuo had already made a decision.

"Mm!"

Chen Cuo did not deny it. The so-called coming and going of edge (yuan) was like flowing water. With his eternal lifespan, all his past experiences would probably eventually become just a memory.

Since reaching the Innate Realm, he had understood the pure essence of absorbing Spiritual Roots: it was not about completely isolating oneself, but about having no burden on the Soul.

Therefore, simply cultivating bitterly was useless; one had to let go, or rather, come to terms. In any case, it was a profound spiritual Concept; once one reached that Realm, one would naturally understand.

Ding Xiang's body sagged, and two lines of clear tears streamed down.

"This Cultivation Technique was personally compiled by me. It is a Cultivation Technique that leads directly to the Innate Realm, suitable for any Martial Artist to Cultivate. This method emphasizes Concept over form; no matter who Cultivates it, they can choose the most suitable meridian for themselves to Cultivate and integrate it."

"It will be my Innate Legacy left in the Iron Eagle Gang. Inside, there are true meaning diagrams drawn by me. Tomorrow, I will announce the details of its exchange qualifications and formulate some development goals, and then…"

The Iron Eagle Gang's purpose for Chen Cuo had been fulfilled, but so many subordinates still relied on this large ship. Chen Cuo, as the helmsman, also had to plan the ship's direction to truly have a clear conscience.

As for the future, it was no longer within his predictions. Whether it prospered or declined, it no longer concerned Chen Cuo.

"Brother Chen, you know what I want to say, and you know what I want. If you hadn't saved my life back then, I would probably be in some pleasure boat or brothel, or even a rural inn…"

Ding Xiang called out to Chen Cuo. When Chen Cuo bought her, Ding Xiang had always addressed him this way.

"Ding Xiang, you don't have to thank me for this. I saved you simply because I couldn't stand those beasts at the time, and besides, I also had other motives."

At that time, Chen Cuo's courtyard still lacked a maid to serve him. Coupled with the novelty of his Golden Finger having recently Awakened, he couldn't bear to see those human traffickers forcing people into transactions, so he conveniently saved Ding Xiang.

Chen Cuo turned to leave; he was still very busy, but why did he feel a surge of Qi stifled in his heart, and for a moment, he didn't understand why.

Ding Xiang trembled, crying out, "You can be close to them, why can't you even look at me…"

Ding Xiang finally spoke her mind. Chen Cuo's Cultivation of the "Yin and Yang Harmonization Art," and his nightly conversations with the courtesans, had long been seen by her.

His steps suddenly halted. Chen Cuo was silent, then sighed softly, turned around, and embraced Ding Xiang, entering the house.

The sound of the Phoenix flute resonated, the light of the jade pot turned, a night of dragon and fish dance.

It should be so: longevity is emotionless, but people are emotional. If Chen Cuo only looked forward on his Dao path and ignored those around him, his heart would probably eventually fall into dead silence.

Although the story was not a perfect ending, at least there were no regrets or shortcomings for either party. Only then could he truly let go and walk towards the Great Dao alone.

After arranging the matters within the Gang properly, Chen Cuo directly entrusted the Iron Eagle Gang to Lei Wen, with Gu Pang and Ding Xiang assisting him. He similarly left layer after layer of contingency plans. Regardless of the final outcome, he had no further objections.

However, he still held some hope for Ding Xiang and the other two. Relying on the arrangements he left, they at least had a chance to Cultivate to the Innate Realm. Perhaps there would even be a day they would meet again in the future.

According to Yue Wudao, after a Breakthrough to the Innate Realm, it was best to go to a certain place as soon as possible, where there would be further possibilities for advancement. However, he did not explicitly say where, only telling Chen Cuo to seek him out after having a Breakthrough to the Innate Realm.

So he planned to go to Yue Du first, to attend the founding ceremony of the Yue Kingdom and fulfill their agreed-upon transaction.