Chapter 99: Two Choices

By Jiyuan’s usual temperament, he would not deliberately display his powers in front of others. However, this situation was different. All the artisans of the Yan family forge were clearly united in their hostility, treating Jiyuan as an ill-intentioned martial artist seeking to exploit the descendants of the Zuo family.

Whether the term "ill-intentioned" was debatable, the best way to protect the Zuo family was to make others believe the Zuo lineage had died out, regardless of whether the visitor was good or bad.

Although the artisans of the Yan family forge constantly spoke ill of the Zuo family, even cursing them to extinction, Jiyuan was not merely a martial artist who had benefited from Zuo Li; he was also a cultivator, someone who could perceive auras with his divine vision.

While merely observing auras might not reveal whether a person was lying, he could see there was no true anger, and their auras shifted in a remarkably consistent manner.

Jiyuan found this situation deeply admirable. If this group of respectable people were to easily trust an outsider’s promise of "no harm to the Zuo family" and then boldly reveal the whereabouts of the Zuo descendants, the Zuo family would likely have gone extinct long ago.

The best approach was to elevate himself to an absolute height, a height from which it would be impossible to covet the Zuo family’s interests.

An immortal, clearly, fit that height!

Seeing the immortal sword dance, the surrounding crowd had long fallen silent. The closest middle-aged blacksmith swallowed, asking carefully and reverently,

"Guest… are you the immortal Zuo Jianxian… no, the immortal senior Zuo Li was so desperately searching for?"

Back then, Zuo Li was peerless in the martial arts world. In his later years, his desire for breakthrough had reached a state of obsession. Though many myths and legends existed in the world, seeking them out often led to chasing shadows. "Seeking immortality, becoming a demon"—that was the state of Zuo Li in his twilight years.

"An immortal…"

Jiyuan answered calmly,

"More accurately, a person cultivating toward immortality and the Tao."

With a wave of Jiyuan’s hand, the Azure Vine Sword slowly floated to the tabletop and lay still. He then looked at the middle-aged artisan, then at several older master artisans, dispelling his illusion to reveal a pair of ancient, unperturbed eyes.

"Are there still any Zuo family descendants alive? If there truly are none, I shall depart Juntian Prefecture. The next time you wish to find me, perhaps it will be another Zuo Li…"

His voice carried a touch of lament, and the content of his words naturally invited speculation. This time, truly no one dared to dismiss his words.

Jiyuan’s words even subtly hinted at a hypothetical past for everyone: Zuo Li had indeed encountered an immortal, and very likely received guidance, which led to his martial arts making rapid progress and becoming unparalleled. In his later years, he sought the immortal again, but the immortal’s whereabouts were elusive, and he never saw them again, dying with regret.

And now, this immortal had arrived, just decades too late!

Everyone suddenly recalled the earlier remark about "giving Zuo Li an explanation decades late."

Among the blacksmiths, two trembled, their throats quivering as they stared at the "immortal" with pale eyes, their hands gripping their trousers so tightly their nails dug into their flesh.

An old blacksmith in the crowd took a deep breath and finally spoke the words Jiyuan had anticipated.

"I wouldn’t dare deceive you, Venerable Immortal. The Zuo family does have descendants. Youtian, Youxin, come out and meet the Venerable Immortal. Yan Hua, go call Yuniang and your Uncle Boran and Aunt!"

The bare-chested middle-aged blacksmith near Jiyuan calmed himself upon hearing this, squeezed past the people outside, and ran towards the residential area.

From this, Jiyuan understood that there seemed to be quite a few Zuo family members.

***

A quarter of an hour later, the sounds of hammering resumed in the smithy. In a riverside hall behind the forge, Jiyuan finally met the tense and excited Zuo family members, who now all bore the surname Yan.

They included a couple over fifty, two robust men (one around thirty, one around twenty) and their wives, an eighteen-year-old married woman, and the thirty-year-old man's children: an eight-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, all held nervously and curiously by their mothers.

Besides them, the married woman’s in-laws waited outside the hall.

Jiyuan and the obviously most senior blacksmith sat on opposite sides of a table in the hall, with two cups of tea.

"Mr. Ji, these are all the Zuo family descendants. Of course, whether there are any illegitimate offspring elsewhere is unknown. Back then, with internal and external strife and continuous disasters plaguing the family, we did our utmost to save just one or two."

Jiyuan preferred being called "Mr." over "Immortal," and had long since advised others not to misuse the title. In the eyes of others, however, this became an immortal's humble way of experiencing the mortal world.

Jiyuan’s blurred vision swept over the Zuo family members standing in a row, afraid to speak. The pressure leading up to this moment must have been immense.

The Zuo family members, meeting his pale gaze, all avoided eye contact.

‘Their sharpness is gone… but perhaps that's for the best.’

Jiyuan waved his hand, and the Azure Vine Sword flew off the table, hovering before the Zuo family members.

"Those of Zuo lineage, lightly touch the sword hilt. I will know if you are true Zuo family members."

Jiyuan was not unprepared. The Clear Shadow Sword had accompanied Zuo Li for decades, developing a spiritual essence in his later years. It would react specially to Zuo family blood, immediately exposing any imposters.

He watched as everyone, from oldest to youngest, carefully touched the Azure Vine Sword. The sword rang with clear chimes, confirming that these were indeed Zuo Li's descendants.

Just then, Jiyuan suddenly hesitated about whether to give them the Zuo Li Sword Manual. Though living incognito, their lives were now stable. Wouldn't giving them this peerless manual drag them back into the martial arts world?

However, reality proved Jiyuan’s overthinking. The old man, now known as Yan Boran, who was a Zuo family elder, suppressed his excitement, stepped forward, and pulled a booklet from his robe.

"Imm… Mr. Ji… this is the secret manual passed down by our great-grandfather, called the Zuo Li Sword Manual. Please examine it, Venerable Immortal! It was this that brought ruin to our Zuo family. In earlier years, our elders always wanted to master this peerless sword art for revenge and never gave it up despite the hardship… But none of us later Zuo descendants possess our great-grandfather’s talent; none could achieve such accomplishments…"

Well, Jiyuan had indeed overthought it, falling prey to the "lamp under darkness" fallacy. Even if rumors said the Zuo family declined because Zuo Kuangtu (Zuo Li) didn't pass down his peerless secret manual, and the Zuo family had spread this story, Zuo Li, however obsessed with seeking immortals, wasn't foolish. How could he not favor his own children?

So, the truth must be that Zuo Li did pass down the manual, but no matter how many Zuo family members there were, there was only one Zuo Li. Even the best martial arts depend on the practitioner. As a result, the later Zuo family had no one capable, and were tragically forced to their ruin.

At that time, the Zuo family was also resentful. How could they swallow such humiliation? They must have thought of revenge. A series of complex events followed, leading to their current situation.

Jiyuan accepted the manual, but it was clearly not Zuo Li's original handwriting and held no lingering intent. Jiyuan couldn't make out many of the characters, but flipping through it was enough for an inspection. The thickness and approximate number of characters seemed similar, and while the illustrations were blurry, they appeared generally the same.

Zuo Li had left the manual, so he wouldn't have sabotaged the content for his descendants; that would be truly insane.

After a blurry perusal, Jiyuan pulled out the manual in Zuo Li's handwriting from his robe and placed it on the table alongside the one given by the old man.

"This is the sword manual handwritten by Zuo Li. It should be virtually identical to your family’s inherited manual. I now return it to you. As for the Clear Shadow Sword…"

Before Jiyuan could finish, the hovering Azure Vine Sword let out a clear chime and immediately flew back behind him, only revealing its hilt. A continuous, subtle hum emanated from it, as if it greatly feared Jiyuan would return it to the Zuo family.

"Haha, what are you afraid of? You are the Azure Vine Sword now…"

Jiyuan lightly chided it, and the sword settled down. He shook his head with a smile, looking at the Zuo family again.

"As for this sword, I cannot return it to you. Zuo Li nurtured my sword for decades; ultimately, I owe him this favor… How about this, I’ll give you a choice."

"Firstly, I will exert my full power to establish a decree. As long as this decree remains, it will ensure peace in your household, free from disaster and evil for your entire lives. Furthermore, I can humbly meet the City God of Juntian Prefecture to ensure he looks after your Zuo clan. If you accumulate good deeds in life, you might even become an attendant in the Underworld after death!"

Jiyuan spoke very solemnly, indicating his words were binding. After stating the first option, he paused for a moment before continuing.

"Secondly, I can stay in Juntian Prefecture for a period to instruct members of the Zuo clan in learning the sword manual and imparting divine intent!"

After saying this, Jiyuan opened his pale eyes wider, looking at everyone.

"What is your choice?"

Jiyuan gave them a direct choice rather than asking their wishes, fearing they would all want to become immortals. Not only could he not grant that, but his debt to Zuo Li wasn't that profound. This "either-or" approach was much simpler.

Seeing several people among the old and young about to speak, Jiyuan immediately raised a hand to stop their hasty decision.

"No need to answer immediately. Consider it overnight and tell me tomorrow!"

With that, Jiyuan stood up. The old artisan beside him slightly bowed.

"Thank you, Master Artisan, for your hospitality, and thank you, Yan family, for your great righteousness. I will return tomorrow!"

The old artisan quickly rose to return the bow.

After speaking, Jiyuan nodded and smiled at the Zuo family, then took a few steps and exited the hall.

No one dared stop an immortal from leaving. To their astonishment, Jiyuan neither flew nor burrowed into the ground; he simply faded from their sight over a dozen steps until he disappeared.