The matters concerning Wei Hong were known to his disciples, though the full details had not been shared by his master. Decades had passed, and these disciples were no longer children; those who hadn't known by now surely did.

This nominal junior disciple had, in reality, received little guidance from Ye Wen, and there had been scant interaction between the two. However, judging by what Zhou Zhiruo had said, Wei Hong maintained a fairly close connection with the Shu Mountain Sect; otherwise, Zhou Zhiruo would never have spoken as she had.

"Speaking of which, your Master just remembered: how is Mu Yan doing now?"

Liu Muyan held a high and powerful position in the imperial court, reportedly highly valued by Wei Hong. Yet, Ye Wen had always felt that this fourth disciple was destined for calamity, though he hadn't known if that premonition had come to pass.

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Ye Wen had a rough idea: "I probably guessed right!"

Indeed, Nangong Huang’s subsequent words confirmed Ye Wen’s understanding of his fourth disciple’s situation. Once Liu Muyan grew increasingly dominant in court, he became a target for everyone. His entire foundation rested on Emperor Wei Hong, and once his existence began to threaten the Emperor, his downfall became inevitable.

"Junior Brother didn't seek to completely exterminate him, only relieving Senior Brother Liu of his official posts and sending him back to his hometown to retire. Furthermore, when the assembled ministers demanded the extermination of Senior Brother Liu’s entire family, it was Junior Brother who spoke up and saved them... However, Senior Brother Liu was deeply struck by the events, so upon returning home, he fell ill and passed away a few months later!"

Nangong Huang’s words brought Ye Wen some small measure of relief. Although he knew court politics were never simple and no one would grant leniency based on mere fraternal sentiment, he still held a certain resentment toward Wei Hong! If not for Nangong Huang's next remarks, Ye Wen likely would have sought out Wei Hong immediately.

"I see... Then, does Mu Yan have any descendants left behind?"

"After Senior Brother Liu lost his standing, most of his household dispersed. In the end, only his wife and a junior concubine accompanied him back to his hometown! After Senior Brother Liu passed, the two ladies scattered their family wealth and disappeared," Nangong Huang admitted with helplessness. He had specifically dispatched disciples years ago to bring Liu Muyan’s family back to Shu Mountain, but they were ultimately a step too late.

As for why Liu Muyan didn't return to Shu Mountain when he fell from grace, Guo Jing explained that Liu Muyan felt responsible for the deaths of the Third and Sixth Junior Brothers, as well as the injuries sustained by his disciples and Junior Brother Nangong, thus feeling too ashamed to return to Shu Mountain.

Hearing this, Ye Wen sighed once more. Since returning here, he had sighed far more often than he had spoken. How could the sights and sounds of today not elicit yet another long sigh?

"In the blink of an eye, decades have passed, and both people and affairs have changed drastically!" Ye Wen then inquired about other matters. His disciples initially assumed their master wished to hear about the martial arts world, but to their surprise, Ye Wen wasn't interested in those at all, only asking about acquaintances.

"The Tianshan Sect is no longer presided over by Li Xuan, but Senior Li is still alive, merely having stepped away from sect affairs to enjoy his final years in peace!"

"That fellow would be content to live out his remaining years so plainly?" Ye Wen felt deep suspicion upon hearing this. The domineering Li Xuan he remembered would never act this way.

However, calculating the time, when he departed, Li Xuan was in his prime and brimming with arrogance. But now? Fifty years had passed. Li Xuan was nearly a hundred years old; any lofty ambitions must have been worn away completely by now. Moreover, he had focused on achieving Void Shattering, yet one after another, Shu Mountain disciples had achieved it, while he hadn't shown any signs. It was unlikely he felt no frustration at all. Coupled with being at an age where half his body was already in the grave, he likely saw the bigger picture. The fact that he could let go of the Tianshan Sect himself indicated a great deal.

"The Tiandao Sect and the Chan Sect have largely recovered their vigor and have begun moving within the Jianghu again. Concurrently, the Tiandao Sect has gradually resumed contact with the imperial court. Fortunately, Master had significant cordial relations with the Tiandao Sect back then, so the relations between our two sects remain quite harmonious!"

Ye Wen listened to these things casually and didn't probe deeply, only asking with curiosity about the Sect?

Nangong Huang sighed, "The Sect has already been annihilated. The last successor, bearing a letter from their master, sought refuge with our Shu Mountain Sect two years ago, asking for our acceptance!"

Ye Wen was momentarily stunned, then said nothing more. The conversation circled back to the imperial court: "Your Junior Brother, has he been in close contact with you these past years?"

This question fell to Zhou Zhiruo to answer. Although both Guo Jing and Nangong Huang knew that the Junior Brother was the current Emperor, Ye Wen had previously decreed that this fact must not be publicized; only the leadership of Shu Mountain needed to know.

Zhou Zhiruo replied, "He was quite close in the earlier years, but in the last two years, Junior Brother has aged, and his focus has become entirely occupied by state affairs, so..."

Ye Wen frowned: "What? Hasn't he had enough of that position after reigning for so long? Never mind, I will go speak with him personally in a few days!"

Ye Wen had originally not intended to visit Wei Hong, as he suspected Wei Hong had been involved in something previously. However, he now changed his mind. Looking at how Wei Hong treated Liu Muyan’s family, he felt there must be another hidden story behind the Yue Ning incident—though the Bai Jian had court backing, strictly speaking, the Court was not equivalent to the Emperor. He also planned to ask Wei Hong if he was willing to forsake all his wealth and status to accompany him; if so, he wouldn't mind bringing one more person along.

Next, Ye Wen inquired about other matters, learning that Li Sen, the most senior disciple of Xu Xian, had also passed away long ago. Yet, Li Sen had dedicated his talents to the Shu Mountain Sect throughout his life. In his old age, he even achieved enlightenment, comprehending a palm technique from the Cold Pool and creating the Ice-Cotton Palm, leaving a significant mark in the Shu Mountain annals.

Simultaneously, Ye Wen learned that after the birth of the Ice-Cotton Palm, a traitor had emerged from the Shu Mountain Sect, causing chaos in the Jianghu, relying on this palm technique and the Snow-Treading Without a Trace inherited from Xu Xian’s line. This traitorous incident conveniently coincided with Yue Ning’s recent death, Zhou Zhiruo being tied up, and Guo Jing being in seclusion—the most awkward timing possible—forcing Nangong Huang, despite his injuries, to descend the mountain and eliminate the traitor, letting the Jianghu know that Nangong Huang was not dead and should not be underestimated, even while wounded.

Waving his hand, he dismissed everyone. As Zhou Zhiruo was about to leave, Ye Wen called her back: "The Old Acquaintance in the Back Mountain... is she still there?"

Zhou Zhiruo paused, then understood who her Master was referring to: "She is!"

This time, it was Ye Wen who stood frozen: "She's still there? Hasn't she ever left?"

"She hasn't descended Shu Mountain in several decades," Zhou Zhiruo was unclear about the specific details, but she was deeply grateful that the senior, for decades, had refused to leave, continuously guarding the greatest secret of Shu Mountain. Over the years, many masters had come to Shu Mountain to cause trouble, and without that senior’s protection, that secret would likely have been publicized long ago.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhiruo suddenly said, "Master, besides that senior, there is also someone in the Huan Shi Water Pavilion whom you might wish to see."

Ye Wen was puzzled, unable to guess who this person might be. As for the Huan Shi Water Pavilion, it was a place Ye Wen had intended to build, similar to the Shaolin Scripture Repository, specifically for storing the sect’s secret manuals. At the time, he hadn't had enough leisure and had only mentioned it in passing, never expecting his disciples would actually erect the Huan Shi Water Pavilion.

Emerging from the main hall, Ye Wen had intended to head straight for the Back Mountain, but recalling Zhou Zhiruo’s words, he paused and turned toward the Huan Shi Water Pavilion instead.

In fact, Shu Mountain was vast, with much unoccupied space when Ye Wen left. Now, many new areas had been developed, and more structures built. The Huan Shi Water Pavilion was one such newly developed area: an artificial lake was created, spanned by a winding stone bridge leading to the sole structure in the water—the pavilion itself!

"The outside is the Huan Shi Water Pavilion, and in the Back Mountain is Lang Huan; it’s almost becoming the Murong family domain..."

There were disciples patrolling near the water pavilion, but upon Ye Wen’s arrival, none dared stop him—they recognized this Grand Master. All Shu Mountain disciples had been present in the main hall today; who would dare forget their own Grand Master’s appearance?

They bowed in greeting one after another, and before Ye Wen could ask, they directly threw open the doors. Ye Wen noticed then that the Huan Shi Water Pavilion was not locked.

"Does this mean our Shu Mountain Sect is so skilled and bold that we aren't afraid of theft? Or do these people simply lack any sense of security?"

Shaking his head, Ye Wen strode inside. He observed rows upon rows of bookshelves laden with numerous volumes. Each shelf had a cataloging label nearby, such as: Fist & Palm, Sword Techniques, Saber Techniques, Internal Arts, and so on.

In reality, the martial arts manuals of the Shu Mountain Sect were not numerous enough to justify such extravagance. It was the inclusion of many Taoist scriptures and various miscellaneous studies that filled the shelves completely—Ye Wen had only casually placed some books there initially to fill space, thinking his disciples could move them later if their martial arts collection grew, as the Scripture Repository needed to house many volumes too. He hadn't expected his disciples wouldn't dare remove the books he placed there. How they were arranged then, they remained now; rather than clearing out his volumes, they chose to add more shelves or expand the pavilion.

Rubbing his nose, Ye Wen felt a flicker of pride. But then his gaze shifted to a figure just becoming visible, sweeping the ground with a broom in hand. He mentally cursed, "Which bastard is playing the Sweeping Monk here?"

He knew perfectly well in his heart that this person must be the one Zhou Zhiruo mentioned, who had also been secretly protecting Shu Mountain. He guessed that the lack of defense at the Huan Shi Water Pavilion was also related to this person. After a brief assessment, Ye Wen was quite surprised to find this person's martial arts were not weak; their internal energy cultivation was absolutely no less than Zhou Zhiruo's or Guo Jing's.

"How long have you been here?"

At this moment, the figure also noticed Ye Wen, turning around to reveal an ancient, deeply wrinkled face. His snow-white hair and beard were stained with dust, likely from the sweeping. He immediately bowed to Ye Wen.

"Replying to the Master, it has been forty years..."

Ye Wen calculated: forty years meant he began cleaning here ten years after Ye Wen achieved Void Shattering. "What is your name?"

"Zhang Gui..."

Ye Wen was startled. He hadn't expected this incredibly aged man to be an acquaintance: "It's you?"

Staring closely at Zhang Gui, a sudden realization struck him, and he laughed: "It seems you are a man blessed with great fortune. You must have found and mastered that picture scroll!"

Zhang Gui had only learned the Quán Xīn Heart Method from Ye Wen back then. While consistent practice of the Quán Xīn Heart Method could lead to decent power, it certainly wouldn't reach this level. Moreover, the aura surrounding Zhang Gui was not concealed—and in Ye Wen's eyes, it couldn't be concealed—so after observing for a moment, Ye Wen grasped the key: it must be the picture scroll of the Longevity Secret that Ye Wen had interspersed among those books. Only that Taoist cultivation method could allow Zhang Gui to reach his current level.

"Where is that picture scroll?"

"Since discovering that the scroll depicted a profound cultivation technique, I reported it to Elder Zhou. The scroll is now properly stored on the upper floor!" Elder Zhou referred to Zhou Zhiruo; although Zhou Zhiruo held the position of Master, nominally she was still just an Elder of the sect.

Ye Wen nodded and looked around, finally noticing that the first floor contained only more rudimentary techniques. It seemed the advanced skills were kept upstairs. Thinking of the upper level, Ye Wen suddenly grew curious: "Who is upstairs?" Since entering, he had detected two people in the pavilion. One was Zhang Gui, whose breathing was steady and silent, and whose steps were weighty—his power level placed him among the very best in this world. The other was peculiar: his breathing was sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, feeling like an internal injury, yet his footsteps were incredibly light, almost imperceptible. If Ye Wen’s own power hadn't been so overwhelmingly abnormal to them, no one would have noticed the other person in the pavilion.

This made Ye Wen very strange; it seemed Shu Mountain wasn't devoid of masters, they were just operating in the shadows!

When the person upstairs was mentioned, Zhang Gui’s face twisted in distress: "That was a young man sent by Elder Zhou to assist me, considering my age. However, he accidentally flipped open a book. Since it was taken from the Taoist scriptures and didn't state it was our sect's martial art, he assumed it was some ordinary Qi refining technique. But upon practicing it, something went wrong..."

"Elder Zhou, Elder Nangong, and Elder Guo couldn't discern the problem. They only felt the technique he practiced was quite peculiar, speculating that the incantations in the manual might be incomplete, causing this situation!"

Ye Wen was stunned, then remembered. It wasn't just the single scroll of the Longevity Secret he had deliberately mixed into the Taoist scriptures; the Heavenly Demon Art was also included. If it was the Heavenly Demon Art, it wouldn't be surprising. The Heavenly Demon Art was inherently difficult to master, and achieving it granted extremely high Qinggong (Lightness Skill). It was likely this unfortunate youth had cultivated it incorrectly, leading to the strange symptoms.

With a wave of his hand, Ye Wen instructed Zhang Gui, "Take me up to see!" Then, he ascended with Zhang Gui. Upon looking, he saw a very delicate and pretty face, slick with cold sweat, lying down and gritting its teeth, seemingly enduring immense pain.

Seeing this, Ye Wen immediately extended a finger, and the Innate Violet Qi surged forth, intending to first stabilize the true energy within the body. Then, he produced a Violet Lotus and placed it on the youth's lower abdomen Dantian, before taking his pulse.

"Hmm?"

Upon checking, the true energy was incredibly bizarre. Ye Wen scrutinized him, even lifting the youth’s chin to look a few times. After observing for a long time, he finally exclaimed in shock: "This is a boy?"

Zhang Gui didn't understand why Ye Wen was so surprised, assuming he was taken aback by the child's appearance: "Ling Zhu is indeed a boy, but in the last two years, his features have become increasingly delicate, and his Adam's apple is getting smaller..."

Ye Wen wiped his cold sweat. He finally understood the problem! His pulse check revealed that Ling Zhu's Heavenly Demon True Qi was knotted into a mass, yet the execution of the technique showed no flaw, which confused him greatly. He hadn't expected the root cause to be this: a man practicing a technique meant only for women—it would be strange if nothing went wrong!

"Damn it, how did this brat manage to cultivate the Heavenly Demon Art to this degree?"

This question left him completely baffled. He could only conclude: "I don't know if you're lucky or ill-fated!" Then he turned to Zhang Gui: "Besides the Adam's apple and his features, have there been any other changes?"

Zhang Gui shook his head, indicating he didn't understand. Ye Wen had to ask directly: "I mean, have there been any feminine physical changes?" In his mind, he cursed: Could a man practicing the Heavenly Demon Art have the same effect as the Phoenix Nirvana Art?

But then he heard Zhang Gui reply, "Other than the Adam's apple shrinking, there have been no other strange phenomena..."

Ye Wen looked again. Because his true energy was suppressing it, Ling Zhu’s internal energy had stabilized, and he had fallen into a deep sleep. However, Ye Wen still had no clue how to solve this boy's trouble. He decided to set the matter aside for the moment. After exchanging a few words with Zhang Gui, he exited the Huan Shi Water Pavilion.

Walking toward the Back Mountain, Ye Wen pondered: "If all else fails, I’ll just abolish his cultivation!" Shu Mountain had countless techniques; finding a suitable one wasn't impossible. Ling Zhu, capable of cultivating the Heavenly Demon Art while being male, was a genius; his skills couldn't be wasted!

As he mused, Ye Wen, after many years, saw the steep mountain cliff again. But to him now, it was no different from a single step on a normal staircase. With a gentle lift of his foot, the next second he stood atop the cliff.

Traversing the winding, narrow path, Ye Wen once more saw the scenery of the eternally spring-like beautiful valley. But what was vastly different from before was that upon entering the valley, the first thing that greeted his eyes was an exquisite wooden cottage. In the large tree before the house, a swing made of vines and planks was gently swaying.

A woman in a pink long dress was sitting slightly curled up on the swing. Seeing Ye Wen enter, she offered a smile that could eclipse a hundred flowers: "You're here?"