Ye Tiansheng didn't quite catch the meaning, but he cheerfully helped Feng Zikang up, pointing at Miao Yuchun and laughing, "Zikang, Yuchun and you hit it off when he first entered the mountains. Later, when you were ill, among all your fellow disciples, only he visited you often. Look, do you still recognize him?"

Miao Yuchun was full of apprehension, yet his face lit up with joy: "Silly boy, you've truly recovered?"

Feng Zikang, hearing the tremor in his voice, grew even more suspicious. A smile also touched his lips, "Senior Brother Miao, I was foolish for several years, but I am finally well now."

"Good! It's good that you're well!" Miao Yuchun seemed to have gained control of his emotions. He strode forward two steps and clapped him on the shoulder, "We can cultivate together from now on. You must come visit me often on Crimson Stone Peak!"

Ye Tiansheng smiled with satisfaction, "You two brothers can catch up later. Yuchun, why have you come to the Bamboo Grove today?"

Miao Yuchun dared not delay and quickly reported, "Martial Uncle, I am here under Elder Qiu's orders to inform Martial Uncle to immediately proceed to Sunset Peak to discuss Martial Uncle Lu’s funeral rites..."

With General Lu fallen, the Military School of Dragon-Tiger Mountain had lost a major pillar, and naturally, a serious discussion on how to respond was necessary.

Ye Tiansheng knew the matter was urgent. Though he lived a leisurely life, he was still part of a branch lineage and had to share the sect's burdens. He hurried off immediately. Before leaving, he smiled and instructed Feng Zikang, "Zikang, I am heading to Sunset Peak, so you keep Senior Brother Miao company for a while longer. Bring out my Snow Bamboo Ginseng Tea to treat our guest; don't let people say our Bamboo Grove is stingy."

"Martial Uncle, I must return to report... this isn't necessary..."

Miao Yuchun seemed reluctant to be left alone with him, which only deepened the suspicion in Feng Zikang's heart. Before he had been possessed, the 'silly boy' was utterly simple-minded, possessing none of his past memories. Of course, he didn't remember any friendship with this Miao Yuchun; in fact, upon first sight, he felt only aversion—hardly the look of a friend.

"Senior Brother Miao rarely visits; I wanted to speak with him more. Master, could you persuade him to stay a while longer?"

Feng Zikang remained outwardly calm, but his intention was to use Ye Tiansheng to keep Miao Yuchun there.

"Yuchun, Zikang has just recovered from a serious illness, so stay and keep him company. Reporting back isn't immediately urgent; I can simply inform Elder Qiu myself."

Miao Yuchun dared not disobey his Martial Uncle’s words and agreed. Only then did Ye Tiansheng depart, satisfied. Feng Zikang retrieved the Snow Bamboo Ginseng Tea from the cabinet, steeped it with spring water from the mountain stream, and presented it before Miao Yuchun.

"Please, Senior Brother!"

"Silly boy, no need to be so polite... Ah, you remember names now?"

Miao Yuchun glanced at him sideways, a noticeable awkwardness lingering in his expression.

"Yes, I remember my name is Feng Zikang. Did Senior Brother not remember mine back then?"

If they were truly good friends, how could he not even know my name? Feng Zikang sneered inwardly, secretly observing Miao Yuchun's reaction.

Miao Yuchun looked somewhat embarrassed, "Senior Brother and I only spoke briefly in the main hall, and later I came to visit you here in the Bamboo Grove... but you happened to fall into the water and became ill right away, so I never got the chance to ask your name..."

"Fell into the water?"

Feng Zikang frowned slightly; Ye Tiansheng had never mentioned this detail to him.

"You forgot?"

Miao Yuchun seemed to exhale in relief, his demeanor growing warmer. This time, his tone held surprise, but the joy was clearly greater than the shock.

"Silly boy... No, I should call you Junior Brother Feng from now on. Back then, when I came to the Bamboo Grove to play with you, we were playing hide-and-seek, and you lost your footing in the water and got sick. I've felt guilty about it ever since, which is why I visited so often. I didn't expect you wouldn't remember anything."

Could a lie work before the Formless Heavenly Demon? Miao Yuchun was at least six or seven years older than the silly boy, and yet he didn't even know his name—how could they have been playmates? Feng Zikang knew it was a lie the moment he heard it, feeling contempt, but he feigned alarm and unease while thanking Miao Yuchun.

They chatted idly for a while longer, but Miao Yuchun eventually excused himself, claiming urgent business, and left in haste, drinking only two sips of the rare Snow Bamboo Ginseng Tea, leaving more than half a cup behind.

Feng Zikang sneered. This incident of falling into the water years ago was definitely not as simple as it seemed. He would certainly investigate thoroughly, and if Miao Yuchun had truly schemed against him, he would not let him off lightly.

If someone intended to harm him, he would, without hesitation, crush them; he could never tolerate nurturing a threat to himself.

However, this was not the most pressing matter at hand. He tidied the tea set, sat cross-legged, calmed his mind and spirit, and probed the demonic essence within his body.

After the Formless Heavenly Demon successfully possessed a body, his outward appearance was no different from a normal person, save for the formation of a Demon Seed between his eyebrows.

To implant this Demon Seed into the Dantian, allowing it to absorb True Qi to strengthen itself and slowly nurture the Demonic Fetus, was the first step in cultivating the Demonic Path.

These past few days, Ye Tiansheng had been present, so Feng Zikang, despite his eagerness to plant the demon, dared not act rashly, lest he reveal his true nature. Coincidentally, Ye Tiansheng had gone to Sunset Peak to discuss sect matters, leaving the Bamboo Grove deserted—this was the perfect opportunity to cultivate the Demon Seed.

The Demon Seed in his brow was dim and lusterless; it was the foundation of demonic cultivation. By continuously strengthening the seed, planting it in the Dantian to nurture the Demonic Fetus and temper the Demonic Body, one had to pass through the three stages of Demonic Fetus, Demonic Offspring, and Demonic Lord before entering the Demon King realm. Upon achieving that, one attained eternal life and could roam freely across the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Feng Zikang’s Demon Seed was still in its weakest initial phase. Firstly, he had possessed little foundation when he first transformed into the Formless Heavenly Demon, and secondly, his fortunate success in taking this body had depleted the demonic essence almost entirely. Now, this seed rotated sluggishly between his eyebrows, looking weak and listless.

Feng Zikang awkwardly manipulated the Demon Seed, drawing it slowly downward, intending to plant it in his Dantian.

"Hah!"

Although this body was robust and its Daoist aptitude decent, it was ultimately an untrained mortal vessel. As the Demon Seed moved, the vital essence, qi, blood, and flesh of his entire body were drawn away like rivers flowing into the sea, absorbed by the seed. He felt as if ten thousand needles were piercing him simultaneously; the excruciating pain threatened to split him apart, nearly causing him to faint!

The Demon Seed had barely descended an inch, and Feng Zikang was already deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. He frantically forced it to halt.

"This mortal body is truly too weak!"

The Way of the Formless Heavenly Demon was truly an act against Heaven. Few individuals in the entire Myriad Worlds could truly cultivate it in the mortal realm. Just this first step of planting the demon was agonizingly difficult; this ordinary human body was utterly insufficient. If he forced the implantation, his entire essence and blood would likely be drained before success. When Ye Tiansheng returned, he would only find a desiccated corpse of his disciple.

Feng Zikang was even more frustrated. If his body were still that of General Lu from the initial possession, with his pure cultivation level at the Tribulation Crossing stage, let alone planting the demon, perhaps even nurturing the Demonic Fetus and forging the Demonic Body could have been achieved in a single, swift stroke. His resentment toward those meddlesome old fossils at the Soul Transformation stage only grew stronger.

With the Demon Seeding a failure, all subsequent cultivation became castles in the air.

Feng Zikang sighed. It seemed he would first have to improve this body's constitution. Fortunately, he was still a disciple of the Military School of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, and he could immediately begin practicing the Grand Dao of the Military School.

Once he reached the Qi Induction stage, introducing inner qi into the meridians and acupoints, slowly conditioning and tempering his body, and gaining some measure of cultivation, this grand demonic undertaking might finally begin in earnest.

"Master, please hurry back..."

At first, when Ye Tiansheng mentioned teaching him the Military School's cultivation techniques, Feng Zikang had been dismissive. It was only now that he truly began to look forward to the return of this convenient Master, Ye Tiansheng.