Chapter 242: Going Home, Though He Has Long Since Had No Home

Hearing that name, Changsun Li froze for a moment.

Then dozens of Wood Spirit Vines burst from the ground around them, weaving into a dome at astonishing speed and cutting them off from the Demonic Creatures outside.

Wen Yun clicked his tongue. While the Wood Spirit Vines had yet to close overhead, he tried to dart out through a gap.

Two vines did not block him. Instead, they yanked hard on Changsun Li. A tearing pain ripped through Changsun Li’s waist.

Irritated, Wen Yun simply let him go.

“You take him.”

“Yun’er, I have been very worried about you.” A moon-white figure stepped out from the lattice of Wood Spirit Vines.

Melding body and spirit vine into one was something only high‑level wood Spiritual Root cultivators could achieve. Under Ji Xiuyuan’s pressure, the Demonic Creatures did not dare approach for the moment.

Ji Xiuyuan looked at Wen Yun. His eyes seemed to hold many unspoken words. He choked them back for a moment and only said, “As long as you are safe.”

Wen Yun said coldly, “Who told you to come?”

“When the Black Tide arrived, I feared something would happen to you, so I came to find you,” Ji Xiuyuan said. “Do not worry. With me here, I will not let them hurt you.”

“With you here is the greatest threat of all,” Wen Yun said, voice icy. “There is only one outsider here. You do not need to put on such a false show. Even if you expose yourself, with your cultivation, you can easily silence him.”

Changsun Li said, “What are you talking about, is he not your dad?”

Could he be a demon race impostor?

Changsun Li looked him over carefully. He did not seem like one. Although Ji Xiuyuan was a Clear Thought Sect elder, Changsun Li had seen him before. The spiritual power emanating from him was very clean, without any taint of Demonic Qi.

Seeing the guarded look on Wen Yun’s face, a hint of desolation flashed in Ji Xiuyuan’s eyes. “Yun’er, when the Immortal Sect Grand Competition began, I saw you getting along well with Mingyue. I thought you had already let it go…”

“She is her, you are you. You may both be surnamed Ji, but she and you are nothing alike,” Wen Yun said.

Ji Xiuyuan smiled faintly. “If she can help you let go of your prejudice against the Ji Family, that is a good thing. I know you cannot forgive me, but in a moment like this, when life and death hang in the balance, I do not want anything to happen to you.”

“You certainly do not want me dead. After all, if I die, you will no longer be able to rightfully control the Wen Family,” Wen Yun said.

Changsun Li blinked, stunned.

“Ji Xiuyuan, has holding the Wen Family’s power filled in that hollow pride of yours?” Wen Yun also smiled. “Watching those who once looked down on you being forced to bow to the backer behind you, you pretend you cannot bear it on the surface, but in your heart you must be quite pleased, right?”

Ji Xiuyuan frowned. “Yun’er, these things are not suitable to say in front of outsiders.”

“You dared to do it but are afraid of others knowing?” Wen Yun said. “I have long wanted to tear off your mask in public. I only held back for the sake of the clan Elders and did not expose you. Since you have already taken your benefits, why are you still here picking a fight with me, what exactly do you mean by this?”

Ji Xiuyuan glanced at the Demonic Creatures outside the dome. They were restless, staring fixedly at the people within. He said, “I only want to protect you. Ever since you ran away from home, I have been searching everywhere for news of you. Back then you were too young to bear the responsibilities of clan head. If you wish to return now, everything in the Wen Family still belongs to you.”

“You think everyone cares about power as much as you do?” Wen Yun said. “Back then you schemed to delay the rescue, caused my mother to die in Shifang Nether Soil, then used your despicable gu arts to control her corpse to seize the Wen Family. After it was exposed, you even wanted to use the same trick on me, did you not?”

Changsun Li’s eyes widened. He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

So Wen Ya had not died suddenly at all, she had already fallen in battle in Shifang Nether Soil.

No wonder Wen Yun had abruptly run away from home after her death. He was originally the heir to the clan head’s position. Once he left, the seat of clan head was left vacant and could only be held by a proxy.

But if Wen Yun did not return, the proxy could never fully grasp all of the Wen Family’s authority.

If Wen Yun had truly broken with Ji Xiuyuan, then the Wen Family must now be split into two factions. It might be even more chaotic than he had imagined.

He had always thought Wen Yun had defected from his clan because he was bored and went mad. He had never expected the real reason to be this.

There had in fact been rumors in the past that the Wen Family clan head’s death was caused by her dao partner, Ji Xiuyuan, but it had never been confirmed, and Ji Xiuyuan’s attitude toward the rumor had always been vague.

Changsun Li pressed his lips together. As an enemy of the Wen Family, learning this was naturally favorable to the Changsun clan. However…

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Ji Xiuyuan suddenly lifted his hand. A Wood Spirit Vine lashed out and struck Changsun Li’s head, knocking him unconscious.

Seeing this, Wen Yun could not be bothered to pretend anymore. “Ji Xiuyuan, since you insist on pestering me, I will not show any more mercy.”

He shattered the Wood Spirit Vines around his feet with a shock of spiritual power, then drove his fist straight toward Ji Xiuyuan’s face.

Ji Xiuyuan had not been guarding against him at all. He took the punch squarely, staggering back a few steps. The face that shared six‑tenths of Wen Yun’s features was instantly bruised.

“I have wanted to hit you for a very long time.”

Ji Xiuyuan did not strike back. Instead, he gripped Wen Yun’s shoulder. “Yun’er, after the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, come home. The Wen Family needs you, and I…”

“Go back so I can become your new puppet to control the Wen Family?” Wen Yun cut him off. “Rest assured, until the day you die, I will not set foot in the Wen Family.”

As he finished speaking, he sent another punch flying at Ji Xiuyuan.

This time, Ji Xiuyuan caught it. He sighed. “You are still too young. Aya left too early. She only had time to teach you integrity and righteousness, but not how important backing and influence are. This move of yours is very good, but if you had not left the Wen Family and had its resources to support you, your progress would be far greater than it is now. You would even be enough to surpass Ying You of Azure Profound Sect.”

Unfortunately, Wen Yun never listened to him. From childhood onward, their relationship had never been close. Later, it had only grown worse.

“So what?” Wen Yun shot back.

Ji Xiuyuan’s frown deepened. Spiritual power erupted from him and countless Wood Spirit Vines broke through the soil.

“What, you cannot keep up the act anymore?” Wen Yun said.

“I did not want to treat you like this, but this place is too dangerous. I have already lost too much. I do not want to lose you again.”

As soon as he finished, the Wood Spirit Vines surged forward together, binding Wen Yun’s hands and feet.

He was just about to coil Wen Yun up and carry him off when fire spiritual power descended from above, burning away the vine dome. Taking advantage of his brief distraction, the flames severed the Wood Spirit Vines wrapped around Wen Yun.

An arm came around Wen Yun’s shoulders. He turned and saw Senior Sister Qiu Heng and Senior Brother Xiao Jin.

Qiu Heng said, “Who are you, and why are you binding someone from our Returning Immortal Sect?”

Ji Xiuyuan pressed his lips together. “…I am his father.”

Qiu Heng raised a brow and looked between them. She had to admit, they did look somewhat alike.

“He is really your dad? Then why are you two fighting?”

Wen Yun brushed off the broken, dangling vines, his expression regaining its calm. He said, “It is nothing. Senior Sister, let us go.”

“Yun’er, you must come with me,” Ji Xiuyuan said. “They are only two disciples. I will not be at ease.”

“I do not need you,” Wen Yun said. “I did not need you before, and I do not need you now.”

Ji Xiuyuan was just about to move when Xiao Jin stepped between them.

“My junior brother said he does not want to go with you.”

His tone was even harder than Wen Yun’s, carrying a natural air of overbearing arrogance, cold and proud.

Ji Xiuyuan said, “I am an elder of the Clear Thought Sect, you can come with me as well.”

Xiao Jin said, “Senior, I am not going to say the same thing twice.”

Ji Xiuyuan: “?”

He had not expected this junior to be so arrogant, as if no one else in the world existed.

A spark of anger rose in Ji Xiuyuan. He was about to take action and teach this ignorant junior a lesson. Spiritual power gathered at his fingertips, but out of the corner of his eye he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.

“Sect Master?”

As soon as Ji Xiuyuan spoke, Shen Minglu, who had been hiding in the dark, scattered the spiritual power he was gathering.

When Xiao Jin saw Shen Minglu, his expression finally eased a little. He also called out, “Sect Master Shen.”

It was obvious that Shen Minglu had been here for quite some time. He had simply never revealed himself and had been observing them from the shadows.

“I was entrusted by someone to look for you. Wen Yun, even if you do not trust him, you should at least trust me, right?” Shen Minglu said.

Wen Yun replied, “If it is Sect Master Shen, of course I believe you.”

Shen Minglu glanced at Ji Xiuyuan. “Ji Xiuyuan, I will take them. You find another route and look for the other disciples.”

Hearing this, Ji Xiuyuan had no choice but to comply. With Shen Minglu’s level of strength, he could feel at ease.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and, before leaving, called Wen Yun by name. “Wen Yun, I will ask you one last time. Are you going home or not?”

“I have no interest in the power you gained by wallowing in the mud with them, and I will not let you have your way,” Wen Yun said.

Ji Xiuyuan fell silent for a long time. In the end, he walked off into the distance, leaving behind only one sentence. “One day, you will need it.”

After he left, Shen Minglu let out a sigh, but he did not comment. This was, after all, someone else’s family matter. It was not his place to judge.

He did not bother explaining anything more to Wen Yun and the others and directly led them toward the teleportation portal.

Wen Yun turned to Xiao Jin to thank him. “We really have Senior Brother Xiao to thank for what just happened.”

Xiao Jin’s face was still cold and arrogant, as if it did not know how to form any other expression. “It was nothing.”

Wen Yun: “…”

Xiao Jin said, “If you really want to thank me, you can tell me more about Lian Mu on the way.”

“Lian Mu? Why do you want to know about her, Senior Brother Xiao?” Wen Yun asked.

Without even thinking, Xiao Jin said, “I think there is something wrong with her.”

Wen Yun could not help becoming curious. “What makes you say that?”

If he was only saying that some of Lian Mu’s actions were baffling, that would actually be quite normal. She hardly ever did things the usual way.

“She came back to the Returning Immortal Sect once. I ran into her then,” Xiao Jin said coolly. “I really wanted to hit her.”

Qiu Heng: “?”

“She even provoked you?” Wen Yun asked.

“No. It was just an instinct, wanting to hit her. In the past, I have only ever had that kind of instinct toward people from the demon race,” Xiao Jin said.

Wen Yun finally understood. “You mean you suspect she is from the demon race? Senior Brother Xiao, your information is a bit outdated. The doubts about Lian Mu’s identity were cleared up long ago.”

Xiao Jin half narrowed his eyes. “Is that so? I do not know why, I just find her an eyesore.”

After he spoke, he did not notice that Shen Minglu, walking in front of them, had paused and turned his head to give him a sideways look. Shen Minglu’s gaze swept over Xiao Jin and finally came to rest on the scar on his neck.

He looked at it twice, said nothing, then silently withdrew his gaze.