TGDS Chapter 76.3

The Good Dad System (Arc 10) Chapter 76.3: The Villain’s Dad in the Cultivation Novels (18)

“Okay, thank you for your trouble.” He lowered his head and could see her face clearly. It was rare to be this close, and Xiang Wentian felt a little dazed. In fact, he had seen similar scenes many times. Lin Lianxing would come looking for him, and Pei Mingzhen would find an excuse to leave. Back then, he had thought a lot about it, always feeling that they were deliberately avoiding each other because of his presence. But now it seemed that it was clearly just a case of unrequited love. And the degree of this love… Looking at Lin Lianxing, he always felt that it was more admiration than the intense love in his parents’ eyes.

So… what had he been hating all along? He shook his head, only to find himself ridiculous.

“Junior Brother Xiang, are you dizzy? Why don’t you take a calming pill first?” Lin Lianxing reminded him.

“No need, I’m fine.” He replied softly, his smile exceptionally frank.

At the entrance of Shengyun Palace, two figures appeared at the same time, walking slowly inside together. Behind them, the setting sun gradually dyed the surrounding clouds crimson, as if raging fire was burning them.

Pei Mingzhen brandished his knife, still pondering something: “Sect Leader, during my duel with Junior Brother Xiang today, I almost couldn’t catch his moves. I feel I still lack practical experience. However, this duel was indeed exhilarating and very satisfying. Maybe in the future, Junior Brother Xiang will be able to beat me!” He always spoke the truth in front of his father, and even had a slight tendency to be a chatterbox.

“Aren’t you afraid of losing?” Pei Naochun asked with a smile. “So many people are watching. Wouldn’t you feel bad if you lost to an outer disciple?”

“That’s not right!” Pei Mingzhen glared at his father with great seriousness, a rare instance of him defying his superior. “You yourself have told us that the difference between inner and outer disciples is merely a matter of aptitude. Outer disciples are relatively less talented, making it difficult for them to break through in the path of cultivation. They might as well learn something else. But in reality, aptitude doesn’t necessarily determine everything. Why can’t an outer disciple beat me?”

He spoke from the heart, and those listening understood his intentions: “If I lose, it’s because my cultivation isn’t good enough, or I’m not as good as others. That’s normal. Sect Leader, you often say there are always people better than you, and there’s always something beyond your understanding. Like Senior Brother He Shu, his summary is much better than mine. He’s an elder in weapon crafting, skilled in weapon crafting. If Junior Brother Xiang has good talent in cultivation, that’s normal too. Besides…” He suddenly smiled, “Hasn’t Junior Brother Xiang also attended my classes? Seeing him get to where he is today, although I can’t attribute it all to me, I’m still very happy for him.”

Pei Naochun’s gaze drifted over: “So you had Senior Brother He write your annual summary again?”

“…” Pei Mingzhen didn’t speak. Damn it! “Father is truly despicable! Wasn’t it he and several other sect leaders who conspired to ban and delete all the posts on the forum about summary templates and summaries of a hundred moves? People like them, who aren’t good at writing summaries, usually just write whatever comes to mind, and now they don’t even have a reference. How are they supposed to create something out of thin air? He’d rather practice swordsmanship for a month than write a summary for an hour.”

Pei Naochun just smiled and said, “But you really fought very well in today’s competition. Your swordsmanship far surpasses mine; you’ve surpassed your teacher.” He reached out and patted his son’s shoulder. The two were the same height, and it was like when they were children trying to pat each other’s heads, but it wasn’t so easy.

Pei Mingzhen just smiled, even a little dumbfounded: “No, I’m not even as good as the sect leader.”

“In terms of swordsmanship, none of us can teach you anything. At least in our Lan Yue Sect, your swordsmanship is number one; no one can say they’re second.” Pei Naochun continued to flatter him.

Pei Mingzhen was about to say something when he blinked, somewhat puzzled. “Sect Leader, what’s that?” He pointed forward, and in the middle of the hall, on the ground, lay a jade box. He had just seen a parrot fly by, and the jade box had simply fallen there.

Pei Naochun’s perception far surpassed his son’s. Without even opening it, he knew what was inside. That familiar yet exceptionally strong demonic power was something anyone who had ever come into contact with a demon’s inner core could sense. There was also a weak yet alive consciousness within it; if it didn’t come into contact with the demonic power again, it would probably dissipate.

“This?” Pei Naochun squatted down, picked it up, and smiled. He probably… or rather, he could accurately tell who had sent it. “It’s something I planned to sell to the Sect Leader of the Star-Seeking Sect.” The consciousness inside probably hadn’t been replenished for many years; even when he picked it up, it hadn’t awakened. He estimated that it would dissipate in a few months.

Pei Mingzhen looked helpless: “Sect Leader, please stop ripping off Sect Leader Ye.” He’d learned this phrase from the forum; his friends from the Star Seeking Sect had told him that every time Sect Leader Ye bought something from his father, he’d lead the entire sect in scrimping and saving for ten days to eight months to recoup the money. If they kept ripping him off, the sect would be in tears.

“Nonsense, do you think I’m that kind of person?” Pei Naochun had already put the items into his spatial storage and deliberately asked seriously.

… Pei Mingzhen chose to remain silent. If his father wasn’t that kind of person, why would Sect Leader Ye of the Star Seeking Sect be cursing him every day in the top-ranked thread of the Heart Demon Exchange Area? But a father is still a father; one can’t side with an outsider. Frugality is a good virtue, so they’d… just save some more money.

“Did the goods arrive?” Xiang Wentian had recovered after taking a few Spirit Gathering Pills. He squatted in the corner of the Spirit Beast Garden and looked up at Clever Egg—the name the Fiery Parrot had given itself. Years ago, after being tricked by this scoundrel parrot, he had always been thinking about how to teach this parrot a lesson. Sooner or later, he would pluck its feathers, roast it, and eat its meat. Although he didn’t know if parrot meat was tasty, he wanted to vent his anger first!

But the old fox spirit really doted on this parrot. He couldn’t get close to it no matter what, and was tricked by it several times. There was this supposed spiritual spring in the back mountain, where bathing would increase his cultivation level. When he got there, he found out it was where the outer sect female disciples bathed. Luckily, he ran away when he heard the noise, or he would have almost become the number one hooligan of the Lan Yue Sect. There was also the supposed ten-thousand-year-old ice lotus on the mountain wall. He was covered in injuries and finally got his hands on the ice lotus, only to have this clever little thing eat it in one bite. The old fox spirit even praised him, saying that the clever little thing loved to eat ice lotus the most, and that others were not diligent and afraid of hardship, so they didn’t help pick it… So many times, the number of times he was tricked could be compiled into a book.

Only recently did he finally accumulate enough contribution points to exchange for the Fiery Parrot—yes, this parrot is incredibly valuable, even more so than the Illusionary Moon Tiger. It’s said to have been personally selected by the Spirit Fox Elder, but due to a change in his state of mind, he hadn’t exchanged it until after leaving the healer’s place. The first thing he did was to send that demon away—why destroy the world? Demons are the enemies of humanity.

No matter how many people he hates, there are also those he’s grateful to. His senior brothers in the Contribution Hall always secretly give him extra lessons; Senior Brother Li Dahai protected him in the secret realm, almost injuring his hand in the process; the Spirit Fox Elder occasionally teaches him how to tame beasts… Even Pei Mingzhen isn’t bad to him. Would he be happy or satisfied if he destroyed the world? No.

As for this demon, let it go where it belongs. He believed the sect leader could handle it—Xiang Wentian found it amusing; he’d been secretly brainwashed too. The Lan Yue Sect was his home, the sect leader was their heaven, and if there were problems, he’d seek help from his senior brothers and sisters; his junior brothers and sisters relied on them for protection. Once he understood this, even the parrot seemed much cuter.

“Fool, you’re really foolish.” Clever Egg was preening his feathers, slowly and methodically launching a practiced personal attack.

…Hmm, he was wrong. The parrot wasn’t cute at all; he might as well kill it and eat it.

…

For cultivators, the common goal is ascension. Even though Pei Naochun had repeatedly suppressed his cultivation, after accompanying his son for over four hundred years, his cultivation had reached the peak realm, and he could no longer suppress it.

Saying goodbye is a simple matter for cultivators.

When mortals are chosen to enter the cultivation world, they must sever their worldly ties. Similarly, when cultivators ascend, they must relinquish their attachments to the cultivation world. The vastness of the upper realm is unknown to anyone. The unwritten rule of the cultivation world is to bid a proper farewell. If fate allows, they will meet again when ascending to the next realm; if not, they should not seek each other out. This may sound harsh, but everyone can accept it. The path to immortality is inherently lonely. Mortals live only a fleeting few decades, while cultivators can spend hundreds or thousands of years with their families and partners, which is enough.

Above the Ascending Cloud Palace, thunder rumbled, and thick, ink-like black clouds coalesced, obscuring everything around them. Almost all the disciples of the Lan Yue Sect stood there, ready to see their sect leader off.

“Mingzhen, I’m leaving.” Pei Naochun had already straightened his robes and turned to look at his direct disciples and his son in the palace.

After so many years, Pei Mingzhen had become a capable Sword cultivator in the cultivation world. He felt sadness, but he could control himself: “You… be careful on your journey.” His father’s Dao heart was stable, his cultivation was sufficient, and ascension wouldn’t be difficult.

“From now on, the Lan Yue Sect is in your hands.” Pei Naochun instructed them one by one: “He Shu, you are now the head of the Lan Yue Sect…”

” Sect Leader, you must work together with your fellow disciples to lead the sect forward… Second Brother, it’s alright if you don’t like managing sect affairs, as long as you’re happy…” He gave his instructions, finally returning to Pei Mingzhen.

“Mingzhen, your swordsmanship has reached the pinnacle. With you and the Nameless Blade in command, I believe you can continue to protect the Lan Yue Sect for me. As your father, I’ve always been proud of you.” Pei Naochun paused, then reached out his hand, “Squat down a bit, let your father pat your head.”

Pei Mingzhen didn’t say anything, silently approaching, bending down, and then, just like he always experienced as a child, his father’s hand stroked the top of his head. He said, “Mingzhen, with a son like you, I have no regrets in this life.”

He looked up, for the first time in so many years not calling him Sect Leader: “Father, take care on your journey.”

“Alright.” Pei Naochun didn’t look back, heading straight out to face the heavenly lightning. In life, everyone must learn to say goodbye, whether it’s a separation in life or death. The nine layers of heavenly lightning rolled down, but Pei Naochun showed no fear, facing it calmly. One man, one sword, nothing more. The evening glow of the sky cast golden light, as if only his figure could be seen. He turned and waved: “The road ahead, the road of the Lan Yue Sect, depends on yourselves.” Then he disappeared into the clouds.

Pei Mingzhen didn’t cry. He gripped his sword, standing straight as always. “Father, as your son, I also feel very happy.”

Four or five hundred years later, He Shu, Pei Mingzhen, and the others ascended to the upper realm. They cultivated a group of disciples who could replace them. The Lan Yue Sect remained the undisputed leader of the Nine Sects.

[Passed the Tenth World Assessment.]