Chapter Eleven: The Old Mother of Wushan

  The territory of Zhongtu is vast, the land is fertile, and there are many countries large and small. Among them, the three strongest and largest countries are Tianwu State, Da Chu State, and Shuiyun State.

  Three major powers occupy nearly half of the land in Zhongtu, with Tianwu State bordering Xiyu to the west, Great Chu State facing the northern barbarians, and Shuiyun State situated in the south, separated from the nine departments of Nan Yi by the Yunmeng Marsh.

  Apart from the three major powers of Tianwu, Dachu and Shuiyun, there are many small countries in Zhongtu. However, compared to these three major powers, those small countries are far inferior in terms of national strength and territory, so they can only rely on the three major powers for survival and pay tribute to them every year.

  Among the three countries of Tianwu, Dachu and Shuiyun, Tianwu has the strongest military power, Dachu has the largest territory, while Shuiyun is the richest.

  As the Suīyuè nation did not need to guard against the invasion of the nine tribes of Nányí, the people of the country had enough food and clothing over the years, living a comfortable and peaceful life, much more so than the Tiānwǔ nation which needed to defend against the Western Regions, and the Great Chǔ nation which fought battles with the northern barbarian tribes every year.

  The Shuǐyún Guó has six cities, namely Tiānshuǐ City, Gāoyáng City, Tà'ān City, Luòhé City, Língyún City and Qīngyán City. Among them, Tiānshuǐ City is the capital of Shuǐyún Guó, located in the center of Shuǐyún Guó, surrounded by Gāoyáng City, Tà'ān City, Luòhé City and Língyún City.

  Lingyun City is located in the south, and Qingyan City is closely adjacent to it. Wushan is within the jurisdiction of Lingyun City. Qingyan City and Lingyun City are separated by 500-600 miles, and Wushan is located between Qingyan City and Lingyun City on the west side.

  Ji Wanyun rode a horse with Ji Changkong, and it took almost half a day. It wasn't until near dusk that they finally arrived at the foot of Mount Wu with Ji Changkong.

  The weather is gloomy, with dark clouds pressing down, as if it's going to rain at any moment.

  Wushan is much higher than Qingyan Castle, about 700 meters or more. At a glance, Wushan seems to be under the dark clouds, towering and majestic, with the gloomy weather giving people a sense of spiritual oppression.

  "Aunt, can the Old Mother of Wushan really help me gather the primordial energy of heaven and earth?" Looking up at the towering Wushan Mountain that pierced into the clouds, Ji Changkong's heart was filled with excitement, a question he had asked no less than ten times along the way.

  For three months, Ji Changkong, who had suffered the heaviest blow in his life, had made Wushan his last hope. The closer he got to Wushan, the more excited and urgent he became, unable to hold back.

  "Definitely! Auntie really wants to see the results of your cultivation after gathering yuan energy. Changkong, don't worry, no matter what method it takes, Auntie will make sure that Lao Mu of Wushan accepts you as her apprentice!" Ji Yuanyun's expression was firm, and these words were both a comfort to Ji Changkong and also seemed to be encouraging herself.

  "Aunt, as long as I can really gather yuan power, I will work harder than anyone else to cultivate. Sooner or later, I'll find a way to help you get rid of the scars on your face. If one day I become strong enough, whoever left those four scars on your face, I swear I'll kill him!" Ji Changkong's expression was solemn, and a cold, fierce glint flashed across his clear eyes.

  "Stop!" Ji Wanyun's expression turned anxious as soon as she saw him like this, and she hastily said: "Auntie only needs to see you become a celestial being, don't want you to take risks for Auntie. Auntie has been staying in the Ji family all these years, and has long forgotten what hatred is, from now on, I won't allow you to mention revenge again, do you hear me?" Her tone became unusually stern towards the end.

  Ji Wanyun's frightened and worried expression fell into Ji Changkong's eyes, so bewildered and helpless...

  At this moment, Ji Changkong hated the person who had hurt Ji Yuanyun to the extreme!

  Ji Changkong understood in his heart that Ji Wanyun was afraid he would be blinded by hatred and lose his rationality, afraid that he would be killed by the other party. He didn't say anything more, but silently made a vow in his heart...

  I swear to pursue strength with all my might! I vow that one day, I will take Ji Wan Yun and find that person, skin him alive and extract his bones! Let him suffer ten times the pain!

  "Aunt, let's go, we're heading to Wushan!" Taking a deep breath, Ji Changkong endured the pain and stopped looking at the panic-stricken face of Ji Yuanyun. With some stubbornness, he walked ahead of Ji Yuanyun, firmly heading towards Wushan.

  Ji Wanyun sighed softly and shook her head helplessly, then hastily followed after him.

  Why wouldn't she want revenge?

  Any woman who is treated with such vicious means will certainly think of ways to seek justice, no matter how good her temper is! - let alone that she has been a victim from start to finish.

  However, the other party was too overbearing, and the entire Ji family could only swallow their anger. A child who couldn't even gather a bit of yuan force, what kind of storm could he stir up?

  ……

  A strong wind howled and dark clouds pressed down, just as the heavy rain was about to fall, Ji Wanyun and Ji Changkong finally reached the top of Mount Wu.

  At the top of Wushan Mountain, there are some tall and short wooden houses, as well as some elegant small buildings made of bamboo. In front of those small buildings, there is a wide martial arts arena, with various weapons placed on the surrounding weapon racks, including swords, hooks, copper hammers, iron clubs...

  There are many stones around the martial arts arena that are even taller than people, and they seem to be frequently rubbed and used. Those stones are all very smooth and clean.

  "Who is it?"

  Before they even approached the martial arts arena, a warning cold hum came from behind a large stone on the left side, and a middle-aged man in blue clothes also appeared.

  "I've long heard of the great reputation of the Old Mother of Wushan, so I've brought my nephew from Qingyan City to pay respects. I hope the Old Mother can accept my nephew as a disciple. Would you kindly inform her for me?" Ji Yuanyun's face was solemn, and she bowed slightly before presenting a bag of yuan stones with both hands.

  Yuanshi, a peculiar stone that contains the primordial power of heaven and earth.

  Ordinary yuan stones can be used to temper divine weapons. Special yuan stones allow Tian Shi to directly absorb the yuan force within, increasing their own power.

  There are also some precious yuan stones with strange effects, such as the Flame Yuan Pearl that Nie Yuanshan gave to Ji Wanyun when he was in Qingyan Mountain. In fact, it is also a kind of yuan stone, which can enhance Ji Wanyun's communication with the sacred beast Zhuque. This kind of yuan stone is extremely precious.

  The Ji family was not wealthy, so the yuan stone in Ji Wanyun's bag was also the most basic yuan stone, which could only be used as "fuel" for refining divine weapons and was not very precious.

  However, Ji Changkong knew that the bag of yuan stone was Ji Wanyun's savings for many years.

  She had been keeping it, hoping that one day she could use it to temper her divine weapon when she reached the Six Harmony Heaven Boundary. Unexpectedly, Ji Yuanyun took out years of savings all at once and used them as a doorstop to seek an audience with the Old Mother of Witch Mountain.

  "Auntie!" Ji Changkong was somewhat excited, his heart skipped a beat, and he reached out to grab the bag of yuan stones, trying to stop Ji Yuanyun.

  Ji Wanyun reached out with one hand and pressed down on Ji Changkong, rendering him immobile. She glared at him fiercely, signaling him to remain silent. Only then did she turn to the middle-aged man and resolutely handed over the bag containing her years of savings.

  "It's already late today, and according to the rules, I shouldn't be disturbing Mother at this hour. However, considering how sincere you are, I'll reluctantly make an announcement for you. But whether or not Mother is willing to see you, I dare not guarantee..."

  The middle-aged man quietly took away the savings that Ji Yuanyun had accumulated over the years, and his cold face, which had been stiff all along, finally relaxed slightly. Without waiting for Ji Yuanyun to say anything, he walked straight past the martial arts arena and headed towards those elegant small buildings.

  ……

  "Aunt..." As soon as he left, Ji Changkong immediately became anxious, his eyes turning red.

  "Sky, as long as you can gather yuan energy, Auntie can give up anything, let alone these basic yuan stones?" Ji Wanyun's face was resolute, and she loosened her grip on Ji Changkong's left hand, solemnly saying: "Don't be impulsive! As long as you can gather yuan energy to become a Tian Shi, one day you will definitely have even more precious yuan stones. At that time, just return them to Auntie and it'll be fine? Now, behave yourself for the time being! Later, without my signal, don't dare speak!"

  "I..."

  "Promise me, don't speak carelessly for a while!" Before Ji Changkong could finish speaking, Ji Yuanyun suddenly let out a stern and lovely shout, with an expression that didn't allow him to refuse.

  "I understand......" Ji Changkong suddenly lost all his strength, and responded with a gloomy face. However, the hands behind him that were holding onto Ji Wanyun's hand were clenched tighter and tighter, his fingernails deeply embedded in the flesh of his palm, yet he couldn't feel any pain...

  "Come over here, the old lady wants to see him before saying anything." Just then, the middle-aged man who had received the cloth bag from Ji Yuanyun shouted loudly from a distance.

  Ji Wanyun hastily whispered a few words to Ji Changkong, telling him not to talk nonsense for the time being. Only then did she pull on Ji Changkong's arm and head in that direction.

  An old woman who was slightly plump came out of the wooden house, she was leaning on a long snake-headed cane, her eyes were bright and shining, full of spirit. She wore a large black silk dress with white star patterns at the cuffs.

  "Haven't you greeted your mother yet!" Before Ji Wan Yun and Ji Chang Kong could approach, the middle-aged man immediately shouted.

  "Nice to meet you, Mother," Ji Wenyun said with a respectful bow, then tugged at Ji Changkong's sleeve, hinting that he should also greet her politely.

  Under Ji Wanyun's urging, Ji Changkong reluctantly bowed and said, "Greetings, Mother!"

  "Hmm..." The old mother of Wushan's face was pale and indifferent, lightly nodding her head. A pair of bright eyes fell onto Ji Changkong, starting to size him up from head to toe.

  Ji Changkong felt a chill in his heart, and suddenly he didn't feel at ease all over. The gaze of the old mother of Wushan was like a substance, her eyes moved on Ji Changkong's body, making him feel as if there was a poisonous snake crawling on his body, giving him a creepy feeling.

  Enduring the discomfort in her heart, Ji Changkong did not cower and lower her head. Her clear eyes first stared straight at Lao Mu of Wushan, then scanned her body back and forth, as if trying to dispel the discomfort through this method.

  ……

  "His aura is extraordinary, but unfortunately his physical body is too weak and doesn't have any foundation for cultivation. I'm afraid he's not even as good as an ordinary person's physical condition. Moreover, his age is also a bit too old..." Wu Shan Old Mother's gaze, like a poisonous snake, slowly swept up and down Ji Changkong's body before she furrowed her brow and made this assessment.

  She looked at him with an attitude, seemingly dissatisfied with Ji Changkong.

  "My nephew has been clever since he was a child, although his body is a bit weak. However, I believe that with your guidance, Elder Mother, once he has the support of his vital energy, he will be able to recover quickly." Seeing Wu Shan's Old Mother's attitude, Ji Wan Yun felt anxious and hastily spoke up for Ji Chang Kong.

  After Ji Wanyun finished speaking, her face was uncertain, as if she was hesitating about something.

  She didn't hesitate for too long, just a breath's interval, then, Ji Wanyun's arm slightly trembled as she took out a fiery round bead from her close-fitting small pocket, lowered her head and handed the bead over, softly saying: "This is the Fire Flame Source Bead that I unintentionally obtained, hoping it can enter Old Mother Fa's eyes."

  ……