BW Extra 7.2

Later (7.2)

In an instant, Ning Buwei and Chu Jun felt they had suffered a serious mental attack.

When these cubs were young years ago, they always thought once they grew up they would quiet down and wouldn’t be raising ducks at home every day. But more than ten years had passed, even the youngest was sixteen now, yet whenever they gathered together, it was like a flock of ducks holding a meeting, making enough noise to blow the roof off.

Each one looked calm and reliable when outside, able to handle things independently, but as soon as they entered the house, each one was smaller than the next, competing to see who could act more spoiled.

Before Ning Xiu could catch his breath, Ning Buwei grabbed his ear and scolded him again. He obediently and docilely begged for mercy.

“Dad, Yaoyao says she’ll come to our house the day after tomorrow. How should I prepare?” Feng Zizhang pestered him asking, “I heard her martial uncle and master are coming too. Her martial uncle seems to really admire dad, but when I said dad is easy to get along with, he didn’t seem to believe it. What should I do?”

The “easy to get along with” Chu Jun: “…It’s fine. When he comes, he’ll naturally know.”

“Should we go buy some things? What does sister Yaoyao like?”

“What time will they arrive? Fourth brother and I will go pick them up!”

“The last time I saw sister Yaoyao was three years ago. I almost forgot what she looks like…”

“I still have return gifts I haven’t given her!”

“Second sister, let’s sleep with sister Yaoyao when the time comes and show her around Chen City…”

“Big brother, hurry up and ask!”

…..

Everyone was very happy that Ning Xiu had awakened. Except for holidays, it was rare for everyone to gather so completely, so that evening they had dinner together in the courtyard.

Although everyone had already achieved fasting, because these cubs were each and every one food lovers, the family kept cooks from Linggu Sect year-round, so they often ate meals.

At the dinner table they chatted about trivial matters, like how Feng Zizhang had recently eliminated several more scourges of the cultivation world, how Jiang Yizheng planned to return to Wanxuan Academy to be Shang Nuanwei’s teaching assistant, how Yang Lingzhu had recently refined several medicinal pills including one that could help father regulate the evil qi in his body, how Cui Yuanbai and Little Black decided to travel together to Bingzhou for training, how Big Yellow could finally switch smoothly between human form and his true body… Even little mushroom had decided to boldly follow Big Yellow, wanting to transform into human form to eat food…

Ning Buwei took a sip of wine and said, “We’re planning to go into closed-door cultivation at Yijian Peak of the Wushi Sect for a few years. If any of you have problems, send word immediately. Anyone who dares to hide something, when we come out of seclusion we’ll break your legs.”

The group of cubs nodded obediently.

Chu Jun gave each one a Taiji Seal, even poking one onto little mushroom’s cap, smiling slightly. “If you encounter danger, crushing this can save your life.”

Ning Buwei tossed each one a Nine-Leaf Lotus. “If you crush the Taiji Seal and still don’t have the ability and are about to die, chew on this for a snack.”

“…”

Their real father.

Feng Zizhang, Jiang Yizheng and Cui Yuanbai accompanied Ning Buwei in drinking a whole jar of Immortal Drunk. The four of them had worse alcohol tolerance than the next, getting so drunk they were swaying all over.

Cui Yuanbai insisted on transforming into a sword for Chu Jun to carry, Feng Zizhang hugged Little Black wanting to eat dragon meat, Jiang Yizheng tearfully grabbed Ning Xiu’s hand and earnestly lectured him. “You must never learn from our father, fighting recklessly every day… wuwuwu, you don’t know how worried I was… Thank goodness dad finally controlled him wuwuwu—”

Ning Buwei propped his head up and dozed with squinted eyes, but his hands restlessly clasped Chu Jun’s hand. Chu Jun gently pulled, and he leaned to the side, his head drooping onto his shoulder.

“Alright, everyone rest early.” Chu Jun spoke up, rising and pulling Ning Buwei away from the table.

The several cubs called out to them in a jumble of voices, not sure what they were saying.

Little Black tore the sword-transformed Cui Yuanbai off Chu Jun’s back and pried off Feng Zizhang who was clinging to him. Big Yellow quickly helped.

“If others knew that Lord Chengping acts drunk at home, they’d probably die laughing.” Little Black said huffily.

Big Yellow laughed. “After all, it’s in his own home. Outsiders also don’t know that Little Dragon Lord likes to hold his own tail when sleeping at night.”

Little Black protested guiltily. “I do not!”

Ning Xiu and Yang Lingzhu helped Jiang Yizheng back to her room together. Yang Lingzhu saw Ning Xiu to his door.

“Second sister was worried sick during the months you were unconscious. She got drunk from happiness when you woke up.” She patted Ning Xiu’s shoulder. “Father and dad both damaged their cultivation quite a bit treating your injuries during this period… You should go see them.”

Ning Xiu unconsciously pursed his lips.

“Fate tribulations are inherently unpredictable. You don’t need to blame yourself.” Yang Lingzhu smiled gently. “After all, you have father and dad, plus us brothers and sisters protecting you. Whatever you want to do, just boldly do it. Don’t need to be timid…”

****

The door closed.

Ning Buwei squinted and leaned in Chu Jun’s arms, his hands restlessly reaching into his robes.

“If you’re not drunk, get up and drink some tea.” Chu Jun caught his hands and laughed softly.

Ning Buwei dissatisfiedly pinched his waist, straightened up and skillfully took the teacup he handed over. “That bunch of little cubs thought they could get me drunk. Dream on.”

Chu Jun took his wrist and regulated his meridians.

These years Ning Buwei rarely used evil qi anymore. Yang Lingzhu and Chu Jun had been using pills and spiritual power to treat him in turns. Most of the evil qi that had been wrapped around his body had dissipated. Chu Yi and others had also sent several cultivation methods, and through various efforts, Ning Buwei’s deviated cultivation path had finally been painstakingly corrected. The previous life-draining and luck-consuming techniques had been explicitly forbidden by Chu Jun.

But occasionally when emotionally agitated, he would still unconsciously resort to them – such as when Ning Xiu nearly got struck to death by tribulation lightning.

“That Gu cultivator fled to the mortal realm. This person is cunning and changeable – Ning Xiu will probably suffer more at his hands.” Chu Jun said.

“Hmph, if he doesn’t suffer some hardships he won’t learn his lesson. Before saving someone he needs to see clearly whether that person is worth saving.” Ning Buwei scoffed.

“Zizhang wanted to help resolve this karmic debt for him. I didn’t agree.”

“Let him resolve what he brought upon himself. We’re spoiling him.” Ning Buwei agreed with him. “Don’t tell Xiao Jiang about this. She and Ning Xiu are both unlucky – every time they try to help each other they just make things worse, turning small problems into big ones and big ones into unsolvable ones, and they never listen to advice.”

Chu Jun laughed helplessly. “Those two really don’t have Zizhang’s good luck.”

Two unlucky people together just meant more bad luck.

“What did Senior Cang Gui say?” Ning Buwei asked.

“Cang Gui said the next great fate tribulation is in ten years, but he still hopes Ning Xiu can cultivate the Path of Severing Attachments…” Chu Jun said. “I didn’t agree.”

“Senior brothers went through such trouble to invite Senior Cang Gui out of the mountains, yet this kid still doesn’t believe.” Ning Buwei said helplessly. “Should have just introduced them directly from the start.”

“Xiao Shan is stubborn. If we introduced them he’d run even farther.” Chu Jun said. “Since he doesn’t like the Path of Severing Attachments, let him slowly find his own way. There are still ten years.”

“Is ten years of closed cultivation enough… This time you…” Ning Buwei looked at him hesitantly.

“It’s fine. I can just consolidate my previous realm properly.” Chu Jun said.

Ning Buwei propped his head up staring at him, slowly saying, “Anyway, I’ll accompany you.”

The two smiled at each other.

“…Clearly he was just that tiny when he was young, but in the blink of an eye he dares to fight tribulation lightning with his sword… I wasn’t this reckless when I was young…”

“…Looks steady, but actually still has a child’s temperament. He was probably truly enraged… “

“…He even dared to make Senior Cang Gui call him master. His brain must have been fried by the lightning… We should visit sometime…”

“Senior Cang Gui has a good temper and won’t hold it against him… I had someone bring back a warming jade from Wuji Realm, just right…”

“Was I a bit too harsh scolding him today… The little cub was so scared he didn’t dare look at me…”

“…You were indeed quite intimidating…”

“….”

Ning Xiu listened at the door for a long while before the door was suddenly opened from inside.

Ning Buwei said lazily, “What are you eavesdropping for? Come in.”

Ning Xiu obediently entered and properly greeted them, “Father, dad.”

Outside the window the cold moon hung high, inside the window candlelight flickered. Low voices faintly leaked through the window cracks, then scattered in the endless night wind.

Ning Xiu didn’t know when he fell asleep. Occasionally opening his eyes, he would see Ning Buwei and Chu Jun playing chess on the couch. Warm hands reached over to pull up the blanket he had kicked off, occasionally speaking in low, soothing tones.

‘Someone disregards life and death for you, ignoring consequences to protect you, yet still lets you roam the world freely and unrestrained… Kid, this is the good fortune that countless people beg for but can’t obtain.’

Cang Gui’s previous words echoed in his dreams.

He seemed to hear someone chuckle softly. Supporting his heavy eyelids, he drowsily saw the blurred figures of the two people, both looking down at him with smiles.

“How did he end up sleeping in this position?” Somewhat helpless – that was Chu Jun.

“Four legs to the sky, little turtle.” A teasing voice – that was Ning Buwei.

“Father… mother…” He mumbled a sentence, then sank back into reassuring darkness.

No matter how Immortal Lord Ning Xiu of several hundred years later would stir up storms across the upper, middle and lower realms with his Qiankun sword, shaking the Ninth Heaven, right now he was just a carefree young boy snuggling beside his two fathers, dreaming sweet dreams from secretly drinking a sip of Immortal Drunk.

The brothers and sisters accompanying him, his three to five close friends and two or three enemies were still scattered across the seventeen states experiencing joys and sorrows over their own trivial matters. The close friends who would later roam the three realms with him and fight their way to Jiuzhou had not yet met from their scattered locations across the realms. His true destined sword still slumbered suppressed under the Eight Trigrams Formation—

“One sword sweeps the universe, three formations to pacify Jiuzhou” – for him these were still stories made up in storybooks.

The young little Immortal Lord was soaring spiritedly in his dreams, waving goodbye to his teachers with his good friends, riding flowers on the wind as they left, dashingly leaving behind several vivid and unrestrained silhouettes.

Gratitude and enmity in the pride of youth, traveling the world with sword in hand.