160: Chapter 16 A Descendant of an Old Friend, a Simp?

Jiang Hao suddenly thought of a place called Earth from his past life. He had seen some videos of old houses in the countryside that were bustling and full of Life Qi just a few years ago, inhabited by a large Family.

A few years later, perhaps because the elderly passed away and the children moved out, the houses quickly fell into ruin and desolation. Even though they had only been uninhabited for a few years, they looked as if they had been abandoned for decades.

The sense of contrast was extremely strong.

He was also from the countryside himself, so he knew that such situations truly existed.

With development, this situation occurred more and more in the countryside, resonating with countless people.

Many were puzzled and discussed, asking why a house where people lived seemed to deteriorate so slowly?

But once no one lived there, it fell apart so quickly? A few years of vacancy felt like more than a decade had passed.

Someone answered, saying it was perhaps because of human presence.

This viewpoint was agreed upon by many.

At this moment, standing before his parents' graves and looking at the nearby Sect with its flourishing incense and cloud-like crowds of Disciples, Jiang Hao had a deeper feeling about the words "human presence."

It was something vague yet very real.

Where there are people, there are concerns, warmth, trivial troubles, and ordinary hopes.

Where there are people, the house is nurtured, and memories are continued.

In the heart of any living being, perhaps a way home is needed.

A place that still feels warm and grounding when remembered, no matter how far one has traveled or what one has experienced.

Many people like returning to their old homes, not because the old home is particularly good or fun, but because that land holds childhood memories.

Returning to one's old home, one unconsciously lets down all defenses.

The old home is the paradise in the depths of many people's hearts. Even if the old house is now just broken walls and ruins, standing in the courtyard and looking around, or walking around the village entrance, will bring a long-lost peace.

I stand in the alley of my childhood and look back, but I can no longer see the young lad I once was.

No one feels an attachment to a piece of earth until they personally bury a loved one there.

To Jiang Hao, in this vast world where the strong stand in forests, his way home might be this land beneath his feet, this place called the Dao Seeking Sect.

This place carried his purest joys and sorrows of this life, those brief yet incredibly real encounters and partings.

Those long-gone voices and smiles constituted an indispensable part of Jiang Hao.

The blue smoke gradually dissipated, and the fragrant incense slowly burned to its end.

Jiang Hao took one last look at those two simple tombstones.

"But it is precisely these brief yet real existences that constitute a part of life."

He murmured in his heart, then turned around. Following the path he came by, his steps remained slow and steady as he quietly left the graveyard.

Walking aimlessly, Jiang Hao unknowingly arrived at the Cliff of Reflection.

This was a cliff located behind the main peak of the Dao Seeking Sect, with over a dozen simple stone caves carved into it.

Disciples who committed errors would be punished to face the wall and reflect here. They were not allowed to use spiritual power and could only have simple food while they quietly reflected on their mistakes.

Jiang Hao looked at those stone caves and remembered that he had also stayed here for three months when he was a youth.

At that time, he had just first showed his brilliance, and during a struggle for an Opportunity, he had injured a management Prodigy from a Great Sect.

The other party had a deep background, and the Sect, forced by pressure, had no choice but to punish him by sending him here to reflect.

He was full of anger at the time, but thinking back now, wasn't that also a form of protection from the Sect?

With the strength of the Dao Seeking Sect at that time, there would likely have been even greater trouble if they hadn't done so.

"Perhaps, this is what growing up is."

Jiang Hao shook his head with a laugh and was about to leave when he heard someone coming from nearby, sighing in frustration as they walked.

"Sigh..."

Jiang Hao paused and walked to one of the stone caves.

Inside the cave sat a young man who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was slightly chubby with a round face, and at this moment, he was resting his chin in his hands, looking at the stone wall with a miserable expression.

Jiang Hao recognized this Daoist robe; it was the clothing of an Inner Sect Disciple.

"Little kid, why are you sighing at such a young age?" Jiang Hao spoke, his voice aged and gentle.

The youth was startled and turned to see a white-haired old man standing at the cave entrance. He hurriedly stood up and bowed: "Disciple Su Mo greets the Senior?"

Su Mo couldn't figure out the situation of the old man before him. Although the old man seemed to have no cultivation, since he could walk freely in this back mountain, he was likely a reclusive Elder of the Sect.

Su Mo stood up straight, his hands respectfully folded in front of him, his round face filled with nervousness and a sorrow he hadn't fully managed to hide.

Jiang Hao looked at him with a gentle gaze. That respectful attitude and his appearance made him feel somewhat familiar.

Thus, Jiang Hao asked seemingly at random, "Your surname is Su? Are you a descendant of the Su Family? Then do you know Su Ming?"

"Su Ming?" Su Mo suddenly lifted his head, his eyes widening as his voice unconsciously rose, "This Disciple naturally knows. That is the Disciple's Old Ancestor."

After Su Mo finished speaking, he asked with some confusion, "Senior, you... how do you know the Old Ancestor's name?"

One must know that his Old Ancestor had passed away a very, very long time ago, and not many in the Sect knew of him now.

Jiang Hao looked at the sudden light in the young man's eyes and smiled slightly without answering.

Because Su Ming was precisely one of his companions from that generation in the Sect, and he was also an extraordinary Genius.

He was one of the twin Prodigies of the Dao Seeking Sect at that time, second only to Jiang Hao. Unfortunately, an accident occurred when he was in the Saint Realm and he passed away; otherwise, becoming a Quasi-Emperor would have been no problem.

This is the cultivation world; there are always various dangers, and many Prodigies do not necessarily get the chance to grow up.

He hadn't expected to encounter the descendant of an old friend here. No wonder there was a resemblance to his old friend in his features.

These thoughts flashed through Jiang Hao's mind. Seeing Su Mo's excited expression, it was as if he saw another figure through this young face, one who always loved to stand silently by his side.

"It's nothing," he said slowly, his voice still calm, "just a casual question."

A casual question? Su Mo couldn't help but carefully observe the old man before him again. His hair was as white as snow, and his aura was as calm as a deep pool; he truly had the air of a high expert.

But... the Old Ancestor had passed away over a hundred thousand years ago. What old friend could live for so long?

Unless it was that legendary Ancestral Master who transcended everything and ranked as a Heavenly Emperor, who else could live through such ages?

And while this Senior was unfathomable, he did not possess the majesty of the legendary Heavenly Emperor that could make even the stars of the heavens grow dim.

Moreover, this Senior truly did not look like the Heavenly Emperor.

Presumably, this Senior was of a great age and had read through the Sect's ancient records, thus knowing of the Old Ancestor's heroic name from years past.

Su Mo thought this in his heart, and his excited mood calmed down slightly.

Then he replied respectfully: "So Senior also knows of my Old Ancestor. Our Family teachings often use the Old Ancestor's diligent Cultivation and his glory in bringing honor to the Family to inspire us younger generations."

"Mm, you indeed should learn from him."

Jiang Hao walked into the stone cave and sat down on a flat rock opposite him. "What mistake did you commit to be punished here?"

Su Mo's face turned red as he stammered, "It... it's nothing much. I just had a bit of a conflict with a Senior Brother and we fought..."

"A conflict?" Jiang Hao observed him. "Your temperament doesn't seem like that of a combative person. Why did you fight?"

Su Mo hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he was young and impulsive, and being cooped up on the Cliff of Reflection made him restless, so he couldn't help but complain:

"It's all because of Junior Sister Liu. Our two families are on good terms, and the two of us are practically childhood sweethearts. She... she clearly promised me that when I returned from this trial, she would go moon-watching with me.

But as soon as I returned, I saw her and Senior Brother Li in the peach forest on the back mountain... talking and laughing, behaving quite intimately!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hao understood instantly.

"Oh, jealousy and infighting. According to the Sect rules, you should be punished. However, if that Disciple surnamed Li knew of your special relationship with Junior Sister Liu and intentionally seduced her, then according to the rules, he should be punished even more heavily. Wouldn't it be better for you to report it?"

Hearing this, Su Mo's expression slumped even further as he slumped onto the ground. "But Junior Sister Liu hasn't agreed to me yet... she's not my Dao Companion yet. I just... I just normally find whatever she lacks for her Cultivation, like Source Stones and Magical Artifacts... I thought that by doing this, I could..."

Jiang Hao's eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing this, and a half-smile appeared on his face.

"Oh? This old man understands now. You weren't fighting over jealousy; you haven't even succeeded in becoming a Simp, you're just being led on like a fish."