After the path was cut off

Chapter 12 Old things turn upside down

The place where Li Wangxiang lived was called Xiaohuanshan.

This mountain is not known for its height, but it possesses a mysterious and profound charm.

Around the mountainside, a ring of pale white pumice stones hangs silently in mid-air. From a distance, it looks like a silent white ring encircling the entire mountain, hence the name Little Ring Mountain.

This is no ordinary spectacle.

Deep within the mountain's veins lies a primordial magnetic essence. This primordial magnetic essence is adept at attracting and shaping objects. The light and delicate floating stones in the mountains are drawn by this essence, detaching themselves from the mountain and remaining there year after year. Over time, they have gathered to form this floating stone belt that encircles the mountain.

The nature of primordial magnetism can separate gold from earth and draw evil back to dust. This is somewhat in line with Li Wangxiang's intention of "returning to the earth."

As Gu Xiangyang watched, a sense of envy welled up in his heart.

It stands alone on a single peak, or perhaps it is a peak that benefits the path of enlightenment.

In the Tianxuan Sect, only true disciples receive such treatment.

Li Wangxiang was waiting for him in a small pavilion.

The pavilion sits on the mountainside cliff, shrouded in mist, with white floating stones silently swirling around it. Gu Xiangyang stepped onto the stone path and immediately spotted that figure.

Li Wangxiang sat alone in the pavilion, dressed in a simple Buddhist robe. His aura was calm and almost imperceptible. Just sitting there quietly, he exuded an aura that commanded respect.

Gu Xiangyang slowed his pace and stopped a few steps outside the pavilion, not daring to go forward rashly.

The mountain breeze was very gentle, and the mist flowed slowly along the corner of the pavilion.

Li Wangxiang never opened his eyes.

Gu Xiangyang stood there for a while, his heart gradually tightening, and he almost couldn't help but wonder if the other party was intentionally giving him the cold shoulder. But as soon as the thought arose, he suppressed it—given Li Wangxiang's current status, if he really wanted to embarrass him, why would he need to use such a method?

In fact, Li Wangxiang had already noticed Gu Xiangyang when he stepped onto the mountain path.

He didn't open his eyes immediately, wanting to see how much of his old acquaintance still resembled him from back then.

He was also thinking of trying out the magic mirror to observe people.

But as soon as the thought arose, his mind suddenly went cold, and he was once again pulled into that familiar dream.

I never imagined there were such taboos.

Fortunately, the dream was fleeting.

Once the chill subsided, Li Wangxiang opened his eyes, stood up, and said:

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Senior Brother Gu."

Gu Xiangyang was stunned for a moment.

He almost thought he had misheard.

Senior Brother Gu?

In that instant, the speech he had rehearsed countless times in his mind—how to greet the guest, how to exchange pleasantries, how to subtly steer the conversation toward the spiritual land and the Yunmeng Great Swamp—seemed to dissipate almost entirely with the slightest touch of this one sentence.

Many old sounds that had been forgotten were suddenly awakened by this call of "Senior Brother".

Those harsh words spoken in my youth, the fists thrown, and the defiant sneers on my face all seem to remain as if they happened yesterday.

Gu Xiangyang opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

Looking at his expression, Li Wangxiang's lips twitched slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips, and he said:

"Senior brother, would you like another match?"

Gu Xiangyang's face flushed instantly, and he quickly cupped his hands in greeting:

"Li...you're joking. Those are old stories from our youth, how could I take them seriously?"

Liu Ruyan had reminded him for a long time to say "Senior Brother Li," but he still couldn't bring himself to say it.

Seeing his flustered appearance, Li Wangxiang felt a slight sense of relief.

Although Gu Xiangyang has changed a lot over the years, some things have not changed completely.

He raised his hand in a gesture:

"Please sit down."

The two sat down, and for a moment the only sounds in the pavilion were the wind and the aroma of tea.

Gu Xiangyang was still thinking about how to start the conversation when Li Wangxiang spoke first:

"Senior brother, do you still remember that one winter, Liu Yuequn and the others laughed at me behind my back in the courtyard, saying that I was always holding onto letters from home, just like an ordinary boy who couldn't be weaned."

Gu Xiangyang was taken aback.

Li Wangxiang spoke in a calm tone, as if he were recounting someone else's past:

"I was coming back from the backyard at that time, and I happened to see my senior brother corner them in the corridor and give them a good beating through the half-wall."

"You insult them, saying you're a bunch of orphans who can't stand seeing others have families, so you make fun of them behind their backs. What kind of skill is that? If you're really not happy, then fight them to their faces. Don't gossip like this."

Gu Xiangyang was completely stunned.

This was originally a very minor old story.

By then, Li Wangxiang was beginning to make a name for himself. Those who had bullied him before dared not do anything openly anymore, but they still couldn't help but gossip behind his back. And then, on that particular occasion, he happened to run into Gu Xiangyang.

He only went up and punched a few times because he couldn't stand it, and then forgot about it afterwards.

Unexpectedly, Li Wangxiang knew about it.

He was silent for a moment, then lowered his head, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said:

"Liu Yuequn failed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage later; he was no longer alive."

"Most of those people from the same academy back then are still stuck in the Qi cultivation stage; very few have actually made it out."

Li Wangxiang hummed in agreement and said:

"My senior brother has helped them a lot over the years."

Gu Xiangyang was now genuinely uncomfortable.

He originally only wanted to mention the current situation of those people to test whether Li Wangxiang still remembered the old grudges. He never expected that the other party had already found out who had taken care of them all these years.

He waved his hand and forced a smile:

"It's hardly any kind of assistance. They're all good-for-nothings, a bunch of Qi cultivators. I give them some pill powder and talisman money every day, which doesn't delay my cultivation much."

Li Wangxiang glanced at him and suddenly asked:

"If Senior Brother really intends to leave the sect and establish his own, does he plan to take them with him?"

Gu Xiangyang shook his head without even thinking.

"No."

He answered quickly, clearly having thought about it many times in his mind.

"They're not cut out for fighting. They should stay in the sect, find a job, and live a peaceful life. There's no need for them to go out and cause trouble with me; they don't have the ambition for it."

The pavilion was quiet for a moment.

Li Wangxiang picked up his teacup and said calmly:

"Senior brother, are you bringing this up because you're afraid I'll hold a grudge and seek revenge later?"

Gu Xiangyang paused for a moment, his hand holding the teacup. In the end, he couldn't smooth things over immediately and could only give a wry smile.

"...A little bit."

"It's not that I think you'd really do anything. It's just that with the past there, it's hard not to think a step further."

Upon hearing this, the coldness that had been pressing down on Li Wangxiang's eyes eased slightly.

"Don't worry, senior brother."

"I don't care about the past."

He paused slightly, then continued:

"If they continue to live peacefully within the sect, I will naturally not make things difficult for them. If they ever find themselves in dire straits in the future, I will not hesitate to offer them assistance."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiangyang finally felt a slight relief from the tension that had been hanging over him since he entered the mountains.

He looked up at Li Wangxiang, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

After a long while, he murmured:

"...Thank you."

Li Wangxiang, however, seemed unconcerned about the thank you. He simply placed the teacup back on the table and changed his tone accordingly:

"Let bygones be bygones."

"Since you're here, senior brother, let's get down to business."