Chapter 197 : I Only Hope My Son Can Succeed

Chapter 197: I Only Hope My Son Can Succeed

Niu Yuanshan stood outside the bamboo house, watching as Chu Huaixu bowed and turned to enter.

He stood there dazed for quite some time before finally starting to head back toward his own courtyard.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

This thick-eyebrowed, big-eyed man wore an expression of mixed amusement and helplessness.

‘Never expected this kid to be so skilled in the art of persuasion.’

‘In just a few short sentences, he called me “Steward” so many times, and referred to himself as “disciple” just as often.’

‘All in the identity of a Dao Gate disciple, huh!’

Old Niu raised his head toward the cloudless blue sky and let out a heartfelt sigh.

Elsewhere, Chu Huaixu casually picked up a spirit tangerine gifted by Old Niu and began peeling it.

After tasting one segment, his expression immediately changed.

‘F*ck, that’s sour!’

As expected, so-called spirit fruits merely aided cultivation.

Didn’t mean they tasted any better!

‘I’ll save this for Big Ice Block later,’ thought Chu Huaixu.

Girls seemed to handle sour stuff better than guys, didn’t they?

At that moment, he stood up and tidied his appearance in front of the mirror, preparing to pay respects at the Liu household.

After stepping out of his bamboo house, he went to knock on Han Shuangjiang’s door, planning to bring her along.

After all, both of them were involved in Liu Tianfeng’s death.

Since it was a mourning visit, Han Shuangjiang would surely want to come.

When they arrived at the Liu residence, they found Liu Chengqi’s cousin, Liu Chenggong, managing all the affairs.

Chu Huaixu happened to be on familiar terms with this Deputy Captain of the Enforcement Team.

Back then, Liu Chenggong used to show up daily to be his sparring partner—basically a tool man—so Chu could rack up experience points.

Back then, Liu Chenggong barely used any of his spiritual energy during spars.

Yet not much time had passed since then, and now even if he went all out, he might still not be a match for Chu Huaixu.

He’d always flattered Chu Huaixu back then, going out of his way to curry favor. Now that Chu was the Xuanhuang Champion, he naturally became even more eager, coming from afar to greet him.

But with his uncle’s recent passing, his face was solemn, absent of cheer.

After a few polite exchanges, Chu Huaixu remembered the true purpose of his visit.

So he asked, ‘Where’s Liu Chengqi?’

Liu Chenggong looked at him, at a loss for words, and finally let out a long sigh.

Logically speaking, the Liu family affairs weren’t his to preside over.

The deputy captain hesitated, then replied, ‘Junior Brother Chu, my cousin Chengqi is still struggling to accept the loss of his father. He’s avoiding reality. If you have matters to discuss, speaking with me is just the same.’

‘No. I was entrusted with something. I have to see him in person,’ said Chu Huaixu.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly why the Second Elder had specifically reminded him to deliver the Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill in private.

In fact, he felt it best if even Liu Chenggong didn’t know.

At least, not on the surface.

Let him speculate however he liked later.

Hearing this, Liu Chenggong gave him another look, then finally said, ‘Very well. Come with me.’

As his cousin, he wanted to preserve some dignity for both the Liu family and his disappointing relative.

Soon, he led Chu Huaixu to Liu Chengqi’s room.

As soon as they entered, the stench of alcohol was overwhelming.

Chu Huaixu frowned as he saw wine jars scattered across the floor, and a drunken figure slumped over the table.

‘Don’t tell me I have to wake him up the same way I did with Zhao Qianfeng?’ he thought.

But this was the Liu household, and the mourning hall was close by.

Fortunately, a method came to mind. He channeled a bit of his Heart Sword power with precise control—just enough to sting Liu Chengqi’s divine sense, without causing harm.

The sudden tremor in his Sea of Consciousness jolted Liu Chengqi upright with a scream.

‘Senior Brother Liu, I’d like to speak with him alone,’ said Chu Huaixu, glancing at Liu Chenggong.

The deputy captain hesitated for a moment, then nodded. ‘Alright.’

He closed the door and went off toward the mourning hall.

Still bleary-eyed and drunk, Liu Chengqi raised a finger toward Chu Huaixu, frowning.

‘You… what are you doing here?’

‘What did you just… hic—do to me again?’

Chu Huaixu looked down at him and said, ‘Just a little divine sense trick to wake you up.’

Looking at this man who once sought him out to learn martial arts, Liu Chengqi suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

‘Yeah… now you’re powerful, already the Xuanhuang Champion.’

‘I still can’t figure it out…’

‘You—!’ He jabbed a finger at Chu Huaixu, raising his voice. ‘You’re just a False Spirit Embryo!’

‘So why?! Why do you get to have all this?!’

‘And me? I’m a Top-grade Spirit Embryo! Yet now I can’t even cultivate, can’t even step into the First Realm!’

Chu Huaixu looked at him coldly and replied with a calm voice, ‘So you think everything that happened to you is because of me?’

With a loud crash, Liu Chengqi flung the wine jars and cups from the table and shouted:

‘Chu Huaixu, don’t act so high and mighty!’

‘I admit it! I was jealous of you! I thought you stole the chance that should have been mine!’

‘I used to wonder—if I had gotten that fortune at the bottom of the Cold Pool, would I be in your position now?!’

Chu Huaixu looked at him and replied blandly, ‘Don’t flatter yourself.’

Forget Little Xu, even Big Ice Block or any of the top geniuses from the Four Great Sects could crush you like a dog.

Liu Chengqi’s breath grew heavy. He tried to speak several times, but eventually only managed to say:

‘Yes… I was deceiving myself.’

‘I’ve watched every one of your matches. I know… I couldn’t do what you did.’

‘Do you know? Even my father… even my father…’

His voice started to tremble, eyes turning red.

‘Even he thought you were better than me!’

‘Before I left the mountain, our last meeting ended in a huge argument.’

‘Even he believed that you’d still achieve greatness even without that Cold Pool fortune!’ he yelled, his eyes growing bloodshot.

Chu Huaixu listened without much emotion.

Because he knew it was true.

He was a transmigrator, carried a system, and had long formed bonds with the world protagonists of two realms.

Just riding on Big Ice Block’s coattails could keep him flush with chances for a lifetime.

That Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill at the bottom of the Cold Pool? Purely an accident.

But this Liu Chengqi?

‘I don’t even remember this guy from when I played Borrowed Sword,’ he thought.

That alone was proof the guy was never meant for anything big.

Even without him, Liu Chengqi probably wouldn’t have cleared the illusions in the Cold Pool secret realm or obtained the pill.

Truthfully, he had been trapped in an Illusion Realm the entire time.

When Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang left, they deliberately didn’t wake him, letting him continue dreaming.

You and I… were never the same.

What caught Chu Huaixu off guard was that Steward Liu’s final meeting with his beloved son ended in conflict.

And the cause at the center… turned out to be him.

That left a somewhat complicated feeling.

At this moment, Liu Chengqi kicked an empty wine jar beside the stool and pointed at himself with a distorted expression.

‘And me?! Look at me! I’ve become a damn… a damn cripple! A cripple!!’

Chu Huaixu glanced at him and cast an Information Probe.

As expected, even after all this time, Liu Chengqi’s cultivation hadn’t advanced at all—still stuck in the Qi-Opening Stage.

From the looks of it, his Spirit Embryo was likely severely damaged.

He might never even touch the threshold of the First Realm in this lifetime.

Not stepping into the First Realm meant one was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person.

What made it even harder to accept was that he originally possessed a rare Top-grade Spirit Embryo—specifically, a Blazing Fire Spirit Embryo.

Chu Huaixu studied the basic information displayed by the Information Probe and gained some understanding of this Spirit Embryo.

‘If one cultivates fire-type techniques, a Blazing Fire Spirit Embryo could yield twice the result with half the effort.’

‘Though it probably wouldn’t be as exaggerated as a Pure Yang Body or a Body of Profound Yin.’

As for the person before him, Chu Huaixu certainly didn’t feel any fondness.

The first impression was already poor, and they had previous conflict.

Now, seeing him in this state of total self-abandonment, he found it outright irritating.

‘Do you know, I was actually a little jealous of you,’ he confessed, recalling the man in his memories who would lash out with fists and sticks at both him and his mother over the smallest disagreement.

Liu Chengqi, naturally, couldn’t understand.

He pointed at himself and let out a bitter laugh. ‘Jealous of me? You, the mighty Xuanhuang Champion, jealous of me? A cripple like me?’

Once more, he spiraled into self-pity.

‘Why?! Why is fate never on my side?!’

‘First my Spirit Embryo gets damaged by some accident, then I miss every single opportunity for fortune!’

‘Even Heaven… even Heaven hates me!’

‘Luck is never on my side!’

Chu Huaixu looked at him, unsure whether this person was beyond saving.

In truth, he had come here with some worry—afraid that Liu Chengqi would lash out like a mad dog and blame Steward Liu’s death on him. Thankfully, the man still had a shred of reason left.

So instead, Chu Huaixu retrieved a Spiritual Pill Treasure Box containing the Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill from his Storage Token, placed it on the table, and said calmly:

‘At the very least, your father always stood on your side.’

Having said his piece, he turned and left.

As he opened the door, he glanced once more at the floor littered with wine jars and added a final reminder:

‘I came at your father's request. He petitioned the sect for this. You must keep this secret on the surface.’

With that, he strode away without so much as a backward glance.

Liu Chengqi stared blankly at the Spiritual Pill Treasure Box before him and slowly opened it.

Inside was a pill the size of a longan.

Its fragrance rushed forth!

Just smelling the medicinal aroma lifted his spirits.

Even the Spirit Embryo that often caused him physical discomfort seemed to ease a little.

Such was the terrifying power of a Top-grade Spiritual Pill.

‘Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill,’ he pronounced each word with solemn clarity.

The Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill he had dreamed of.

The one his father had promised—promised to obtain for him even in death…

He no longer wanted it.

He didn’t want it anymore.

‘Why?! Why?!’

He shut the Spiritual Pill Treasure Box, collapsed onto the table, and began to sob.

In a daze, he seemed to hear that familiar line once more—words he had heard countless times.

Back then, Liu Chengqi had often grown tired of hearing it, annoyed every time it was spoken.

A gentle voice echoed in his ears, saying:

‘“I only hope my son can succeed.”’

……

That very night, Liu Chengqi, enrolled disciple of the Dao Gate, had his Blazing Fire Spirit Embryo fully restored and returned to the path of cultivation.

……