318: Farewell banquet

[Watching Qin Han's voracious eating style, like a wind sweeping away clouds, Cao Ruide's expression gradually shifted from initial curiosity to heartache.]

[Eating like this... he was afraid he would eat the Cao Family out of house and home.]

[If it were the past, it would be fine, but now—the City Lord's Mansion was in ruins, and most of Tianyang City needed rebuilding; resources were needed everywhere.]

[Moreover, he had only recently made a Breakthrough to Soul Transformation, and many years of savings had already been largely depleted...]

[Cao Ruide shot a look at Cao Qingyi sitting next to him and sent a voice transmission: "Qing'er, if that little beast keeps eating like this, our Cao Family's future days will..."]

[Cao Qingyi gave her father a troubled look and replied via voice transmission: "Father, how much can a little beast eat? Besides, Senior Piaomiao and Hus... Young Master Qin should be finishing their talk soon."]

["Sigh..." Cao Ruide sighed inwardly. "This daughter isn't even married off yet, and her heart is already with an outsider."]

[He couldn't help but recall his daughter's childhood—whenever she had something good, she would immediately think of him, her father, and stuff it all into his hands.]

[Later, he handed Tianyang City over to her to manage precisely because she had always been frugal, reluctant to even use those Heaven And Earth Treasures for her own cultivation.]

[If it were the daughter of the past, how could she allow a little beast to gorge itself like this?]

["Sigh... my little quilted jacket is leaking air."]

[An indescribable bitterness welled up in his heart, mixed with a faint sense of loss.]

[At the same time,]

[After exchanging a few pleasantries with you via voice transmission, Perfected Lord Piaomiao finally got to the point.]

[He sent a voice transmission: "Little friend, I suspect... that the Immortal Palace's artifact spirit already has a master behind it. Its true purpose is likely to find an excellent body for Possession."]

[You replied via voice transmission: "Why do you say that, Senior?"]

[Perfected Lord Piaomiao: "I have asked the other two Fellow Daoists, and neither of them spread the word about obtaining Spirit Treasures and Cultivation Techniques. Yet this matter... has already spread throughout Tianyang Star."]

[You understood in your heart—the "other two" he mentioned were naturally the Old Ancestors of the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty and the Divine Dragon Cult.]

[No wonder these three always remained hidden behind the scenes, not daring to appear in their true forms.]

[In fact, Perfected Lord Piaomiao even suspected... whether you were also bait thrown out by the Immortal Palace.]

[Once their original bodies acted against you, the person behind the scenes might take the opportunity to appear and perform a Possession.]

[Therefore, for this trip to the Immortal Palace, they only dared to go as primordial spirit clones.]

[Of course, this was just one of his many speculations. As for what the truth really was, he could not say for certain.]

[You had already guessed about seventy or eighty percent of his concerns.]

[You sent a calm voice transmission: "Regarding this matter... it is best for you and me to pretend we don't know. Otherwise, unpredictable changes might occur."]

[Perfected Lord Piaomiao: "Naturally. The other two Fellow Daoists and I have all had this consideration since the trip to the Immortal Palace."]

[Before you could respond, he sent another voice transmission: "Little friend, would you be willing to join my Piaomiao Sect? If you nod, within Tianyang Star... no one will ever dare to touch you in the slightest."]

[You politely declined: "Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but I still need to make a trip to Kunlun Dao Academy."]

[This was not a lie—you indeed needed to find your sister Qin Yu, and even more so, you needed to return to the Tianhuang Continent to take a look.]

[Hearing this, Perfected Lord Piaomiao raised his cup and smiled at you: "Little friend, meeting today has been very congenial. If you have any spare time in the future, you must come to my sect as a guest."]

[You also raised your cup: "I am honored by your invitation, Senior. If there is an opportunity, I will certainly come to pay my respects."]

[Cao Ruide and Cao Qingyi also raised their cups. The atmosphere at the table was harmonious, starkly different from the chilling and messy state of the outer area of the banquet.]

[In the outer area of the banquet,]

[Guards were silently clearing the battlefield, burning corpses, and picking up scattered Magical Artifacts and resources.]

[In a slightly quieter open space among them—]

[Hu Yanfeng carefully examined Cao Jun's severed leg injury, pondered for a moment, and asked seriously:]

["Young Master Cao, there are currently two ways to treat your legs. One is limb Rebirth, and the other is limb reattachment. Which one do you wish to choose?"]

["What... what is the difference?" Cold sweat dripped from Cao Jun's forehead, his voice trembling.]

["Limb Rebirth takes time to nourish, but the newly grown limb will be no different from the original, with absolutely no hidden issues," Hu Yanfeng explained slowly.]

["Limb reattachment is faster, but the Meridians will inevitably be sluggish. Your movements might be slightly less agile in the future, and there will be a minor impact on your cultivation... though it's not severe."]

["Rebirth... how long will it take?" Cao Jun asked urgently.]

["About two or three years," Hu Yanfeng replied. "During that time, you can use crutches to get around. For Cultivators like us, whether we have legs or not actually has limited impact."]

[Cao Jun looked down at his legs, which were severed at the knees, and gritted his teeth: "I choose... limb Rebirth!"]

["Good," Hu Yanfeng nodded. "Bear with it."]

[He flipped his palm and took out a spiritual item—a section of vine stem that was crystal clear like jade and faintly shimmering with green light, called the "Green Jade Bone-Mending Vine."]

[This item contained majestic vitality and was the core treasure for limb Rebirth.]

[Then Hu Yanfeng closed his eyes to concentrate and chanted an ancient incantation: "Heaven and Earth share the same root, Qi and blood share the same source. Flesh and bone grow together, limbs extend once more... With the green vine as a guide, the spiritual mechanism returns!"]

[As the incantation ended, the Green Jade Bone-Mending Vine spontaneously ignited without fire, turning into a wisp of green spiritual flame that slowly enveloped the site of Cao Jun's severed limb.]

[The flame's light was gentle and did not burn; instead, it brought waves of itching and warmth.]

[Cao Jun groaned, veins slightly bulging on his forehead, but he forced himself to remain silent.]

[At the severed end, the flesh squirmed slightly, and bone and flesh buds as thin as hair slowly poked out, extending toward the missing part like newly sprouted plants...]

[Time passed,]

[Rising Sun,]

[Perfected Lord Piaomiao had long since departed.]

[Hu Yanfeng stayed behind to assist the Cao Family in clearing out the remnants of the Qi Family and restoring order in the city.]

[Tianyang City was in a state of post-war recovery, and Cao Qingyi became busy accordingly.]

[You bid farewell to Cao Ruide and Cao Qingyi.]

[Cao Qingyi's eyes were filled with reluctance, and she whispered that she would definitely go to Kunlun Dao Academy to find you in the future.]

[Cao Ruide, however, did not speak to ask you to stay, nor did he even say a single polite word.]

[From his flat tone, you could discern a layer of meaning—he did not wish to see you again.]

[In truth, you didn't have much of a favorable impression of Cao Ruide either.]

[From the moment he hid behind the scenes and placed the burden of the entire city on his daughter's shoulders, allowing her to fall into danger multiple times, it was hard for you to feel any respect for him.]

[This was also Cao Qingyi's "fate"; from the day she was born into the Cao Family, this path of hers... was already destined.]

[Moreover, when his two sons faced a life-and-death crisis, he showed no intention of protecting them at the cost of his life; he probably even harbored the thought of fleeing at that time.]

[But on second thought—if you were in his position, you would probably find it hard to choose as well.]

[Having descendants stand at the forefront while one remains hidden behind the scenes is the norm for the continuation of countless cultivation families.]

[This move is also out of necessity; otherwise, once the Family head appears, it is very easy for the opponent to wipe them all out in one go.]

[And an Old Ancestor hiding in the shadows is a deterrent in itself, making others afraid to completely exterminate the Family.]

[Just like this time, Qi Zhengyang's body and soul were extinguished, and the entire Qi Family was wiped out.]

[If Qi Zhengyang had managed to escape, the Qi Family might have still had a sliver of hope.]

[Nothing in this world is perfect; perhaps this is "fate."]