Cultivation Nerd: Chapter 408

Chapter 408 - Baby Blocks

Jiang Yeming felt the wind brush her face and sting her eyes as Song Song stood at the front of a large crimson flying sword, with Jiang Yeming at the end of the sword as a passenger.

They were on their way to the Blazing Sun Sect to retrieve Liu Feng's family. 

Jiang Yeming applied Qi around her eyes as a protective measure because the way Song Song rode this flying sword would leave her passengers blind.

Jiang Yeming had thought Liu Feng had a good idea when he sent her and Song Song together for this task. But now that she was actually experiencing her companion's “care,” she felt it would have been easier to just do the job alone.

A thunderous boom rang out, followed by another, as the large red sword beneath them began to shake.

Jiang Yeming winced and covered her ears.

Song Song didn't even bother looking back to see how she was doing. Instead, she sped up the flying sword further and used Qi to somewhat combat the wind resistance and atmospheric pressure.

Damn it, was she doing this intentionally? Jiang Yeming complained internally.

She lifted one foot slightly from the sword, and the blood beneath her boot stretched like jelly before slowing her down a little.

Jiang Yeming sighed inwardly and thought about the overall situation.

Things had really gotten out of hand, and she no longer had much idea of what would happen next.

Wisdom Hall was being created decades ahead of schedule.

That alone threw a wrench into so many of her plans.

Did that mean Liu Feng would simply disappear much earlier this time? Leaving on his journey to search for a path to the Central Continent?

Everything was a mess. Not to mention the situation with Ye An.

She was originally supposed to become a Nascent Soul cultivator and stabilize the Blazing Sun Sect for a long time. But now she didn't look like someone who cared about the Blazing Sun Sect at all, and would likely follow Liu Feng instead.

After all, from what Jiang Yeming had seen so far, that girl clearly possessed some kind of Extreme Physique. It made far more sense for her to follow Liu Feng.

Now, the Nascent Soul cultivator who was originally supposed to balance the Blazing Sun Sect would never come.

After an annoyingly long period of concentrating on not falling off the sword and plummeting to her death, Jiang Yeming finally spotted the outer walls surrounding the Blazing Sun Sect mountain.

Those obnoxiously white marble walls had never looked prettier.

Song Song charged directly toward the barrier surrounding the mountain.

Normally, a sane person would have slowed down a little. Just in case the array failed to recognize their tokens immediately, and they ended up smashing into the barrier as though it were solid stone.

Thankfully, everything worked out.

Jiang Yeming immediately decided that she would never again agree to travel anywhere with this woman.

Song Song hadn't spoken a single word the entire journey, nor had she even asked if Jiang Yeming could hold on before accelerating.

Well, there was one thing the current generation of cultivators had over the future ones.

They were all insane.

Liu Feng.

Song Song.

Ye An.

Tingfeng.

Every single one of them was weird.

After passing through the barrier, Jiang Yeming expected Song Song to slow down.

She didn't.

Instead, she continued flying at absurd speeds straight toward Liu Feng's home like a crimson arrow.

Was she trying to blow up the place or what?

“Lady Song, can we stop somewhere close to the Liu family home before meeting them?” Jiang Yeming asked, keeping her voice soft and polite.

“Why?” Song Song replied without even turning around to acknowledge her existence.

Jiang Yeming felt an acidic sensation rising in her chest as annoyance threatened to boil over into anger. She knew that if Liu Feng were here asking the exact same thing, Song Song would have obeyed immediately like a loyal dog.

But Jiang Yeming kept those thoughts to herself.

Song Song was annoying.

She was also powerful and mentally unstable enough to kill anyone who bugged her.

“Liu Feng didn't leave his family without protection. His array teacher was the one watching over them while we were away,” Jiang Yeming explained, rubbing her hands together to hide the nervousness creeping up her spine. “The man is a Level 7 Array Conjurer. It wouldn't hurt to know whether he wants to join us.”

Why was she nervous while telling the truth? She had no idea.

An Array Conjurer at this point would be a massive boon to the newborn Wisdom Hall.

Song Song sighed, rubbed the bridge of her nose, and slowed the flying sword so dramatically that it almost seemed to stop. 

She guided it down toward the ground, and Jiang Yeming didn't need to be told twice before jumping off.

“I'll go explain the situation to Fu Yating,” Song Song said. “Don't take too long, and don't make me come looking for you. Because I won't, and you'll have to return to the Misty Mountains on your own.”

Then she shot away in a streak of crimson light.

The aftershock of her departure pushed Jiang Yeming's hair backward, and she raised an arm to shield her eyes from the dust.

“Dog bitch. I know you won't leave me behind,” Jiang Yeming muttered.

She immediately regretted saying it.

What if Song Song had heard her?

After a breath-halting moment, Jiang Yeming finally relaxed. Even a Core Formation cultivator would struggle to hear anything over the sonic booms Song Song generated.

Jiang Yeming closed her eyes and felt the wind brushing against her skin, carrying the soft, earthy scent of the mountain.

She spread out her senses and used special techniques from the future to search for hidden presences, methods that cultivators of the current era had not yet developed proper countermeasures against.

When she opened her eyes again, she began moving forward, occasionally hopping into the air and hovering briefly above the ground as she traveled.

When she finally came into sight of the distant home, she noticed an old man leaning against a tree, his eyes closed and his arms folded.

His white hair was slicked back, and his beard was neatly trimmed.

This was Cai Hu. The old man who had taught Liu Feng high-level arrays. A Level 7 Array Conjurer was already rare during this era, especially one whose talent for arrays had far surpassed his cultivation.

“Greetings, Master Cai Hu. This junior pays her respects,” she said, clasping her fist into her palm and bowing slightly.

She truly couldn't wait for the era of the Wisdom Hall. An era where she wouldn't have to perform such drawn-out greetings every time she met someone slightly stronger than herself.

“You're Liu Feng's apprentice,” Cai Hu said as he opened his eyes.

He looked at her as though searching for how she had found him while he was hidden behind an array designed to suppress his Qi signature.

But even if the old man had his doubts, he didn't ask.

“Master, Liu Feng is leaving the Blazing Sun Sect due to some dire circumstances, and I was wondering if you would like to come along with us,” Jiang Yeming offered.

Cai Hu remained silent for a few seconds. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened as his gaze drifted toward Liu Feng's home.

“How is Liu Feng doing?” he finally asked.

Jiang Yeming considered whether she should reveal his injuries, but decided against it.

Judging by the old man's tone, he clearly wasn't keen on leaving. Besides, Jiang Yeming had originally belonged to the faction within Wisdom Hall led by Liu Feng's son, the faction that rejected outsiders.

Anyone who wasn't part of Wisdom Hall was an outsider. Revealing critical information to outsiders was never a good idea. 

“He is doing well, but some problems have reared their heads,” Jiang Yeming replied, intentionally leaving her words open to interpretation. “He plans to carve out his own piece of the cake in this chaotic world and establish an organization of his own. He wanted me to ask whether you would join him.”

“Heh.”

The old man snorted.

“I doubt Liu Feng said that,” Cai Hu replied. “But tell him I wish him the best of luck out there. And if he ever grows tired, then for as long as I'm alive, he will always have a home here.”

Jiang Yeming smiled, nodded, and thanked him.

Her words came out like poetry she had practiced a thousand times.

But in her mind, she had already stopped thinking about Cai Hu.

After that, she left. This had only been a small detour she thought of while traveling here.

Jiang Yeming had never heard of anyone named Cai Hu in her original timeline. So in her eyes, he was an unimportant figure who would likely die and be forgotten, his name never even making it into the history books.

She ran toward the house, her thoughts already focused elsewhere.

How would Liu Feng organize Wisdom Hall this time?

The thought excited her.

She could finally contribute something meaningful and help bring actual progress into a world that hoarded knowledge only to lose it over and over again.

And with Wisdom Hall being founded earlier, how many people from her previous life would she meet sooner?

Even though she hadn't gotten along with many of the Nascent Soul powerhouses within Wisdom Hall, she still wanted to see them again.

Besides, now she was technically their senior.

And she would likely remain their senior for a very long time.

Just imagining those arrogant bastards, who used to look at her like a useless puppy, addressing her as Senior made her feel better already.

Jiang Yeming arrived at the house in a good mood.

Then she suddenly worried about whether Song Song had said something inappropriate to Fu Yating.

However, when she stepped inside, she found the two women talking normally.

“Are you sure Speedy will be fine inside that mirror?” Fu Yating asked.

“Don't worry about it. That fat turtle isn't going anywhere. Neither are the rest of Liu Feng's pets. Didn't realize he had so many,” Song Song replied, patting the large silver mirror beside her a little too roughly for Jiang Yeming's liking. “This mirror can store living beings. That alone makes it a thousand times more useful than a storage ring.”

Fu Yating nodded.

At the mention of storage rings, her fingers unconsciously brushed the ring on her index finger.

Knowing Liu Feng, that was probably something he had prepared for her in case she ever needed to flee.

The relationship between Song Song and Fu Yating wasn't particularly close despite knowing each other for years. They spoke more like awkward acquaintances than friends. 

But that was none of her business. 

Song Song turned toward Jiang Yeming and smiled.

“Finally, you're here, slowpoke.”

Jiang Yeming ignored the insult.

“I asked the old array master to join us, but he didn't want to come.”

“What did you expect?” Song Song shrugged. “Those old fools have already made this place their grave. Fuck him. He can spend the rest of his days shuffling around here.”

“Please don't use vulgar language around the children,” Jiang Yeming frowned.

The two-year-old twins were sitting on the couch, trying to catch a butterfly that had wandered inside.

She could tolerate insults directed at herself. But she didn't want Liu Sha filling his ears with Song Song's foul language.

What if he started swearing whenever things didn't go his way? He sometimes did that in her original timeline. 

Jiang Yeming would rather eliminate such bad habits early.

God.

She was really starting to feel more like an aunt to Liu Sha than someone who had once been his equal.

“Sure, sure,” Song Song replied with a yawn.

At that moment, Liu Sha noticed Jiang Yeming.

The toddler immediately smiled, showing off his newly sprouted teeth, and clapped excitedly.

Jiang Yeming smiled back. She couldn't help herself.

Walking over, she picked the little rascal up from the couch.

“How have you been doing, little feller?”

She set him down again, and Liu Sha immediately wobbled toward her on unsteady legs, wrapping himself around her leg like a baby koala and making excited toddler noises.

He was so cute.

Jiang Yeming scooped him back up and tickled his stomach with her nose.

Liu Sha burst into laughter.

Then she smelled it.

The odor of a completely full diaper.

She was used to that by now.

“Oops. Looks like someone laughed a little too much,” Jiang Yeming teased.

Liu Sha only laughed harder and grabbed at her hair.

She remembered what this boy would become, and reality felt disappointing.

She remembered Liu Sha's broad scarred back.

The man who made her knees weak.

The monstrous son.

The Level 8 Array Conjurer.

But whatever feelings she carried, and no matter how badly she wanted to turn him into someone more open with his emotions...

Jiang Yeming had long since accepted the truth. The Liu Sha she loved no longer existed.

That realization had shattered her heart. Even now, despite the smile she wore, she felt it ache every time she looked at him.

By the time they became lovers, they had both lived for centuries.

This...

What a life. 

She would never meet that man again.

But she could raise this Liu Sha.

The child they had always promised to have one day.

One day.

Another day.

A day that never came.

Jiang Yeming's smile never faltered. She didn't even mind the smell of the diaper as she hugged Liu Sha close.

“You silly kid. You're already two years old. You need to learn how to use the toilet yourself,” she scolded him playfully.

As for allowing Liu Sha to live the same life he had in her original timeline?

Never.

Jiang Yeming loved him too much for that. She had already accepted that this would be a lonely life. She was probably going to become one of those centuries-old virgins in Wisdom Hall that she used to make fun of.

Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was the same child who would one day practice demonic techniques behind his father's back.

Of course, Jiang Yeming wasn't going to allow that this time. She would also stop Liu Feng from becoming someone like the Bookworm Immortal.

That reminded her of another troubling thought: the Time Traveling Rabbit hadn't recognized the title Bookworm Immortal.

Why? She doubted he would lie about something like that. There would have been no reason to.

Then again, he might have done it simply because he possessed a bizarre sense of humor.

What had really happened in her original timeline?

Jiang Yeming wondered as she stared at baby Liu Sha before finally setting him back down.

Yeah. Someone like the future Liu Sha probably would have known. But he wasn't exactly the type to share his worries with a lover.

Sure, Jiang Yeming had always liked the mystery surrounding him. But right now, less mystery would have been incredibly useful.

“Anyway, let's get going. Liu Feng can't wait to see his cute family,” Song Song said sarcastically as she pulled a wooden boat from her storage ring.

It was a flying artifact large enough to comfortably transport several people.

“This is slower than usual, but it's more stable,” Song Song explained. “You can even change diapers on it and throw them overboard.”

Jiang Yeming almost reached over to cover Liu Sha's ears.

Sadly, she was too slow.

Her Liu Sha's ears had already been tainted by such barbaric nonsense.

She silently promised herself that once Wisdom Hall was established, she would keep Liu Sha far away from this vulgar monster.

…

Days later, Jiang Yeming stood at the bow of the floating wooden boat as it drifted through the sky.

The vessel creaked softly beneath her feet as Fu Yating and the children moved around. Below, the world stretched beneath a pale sun.

She stared at the Misty Mountains.

The mist was gone. Almost.

Thin strands still lingered in distant valleys, but the endless sea of white that had once swallowed the region had receded.

The mountains stood exposed.

Jagged peaks pierced the sky like broken spears, their slopes scarred by age-old landslides and impossible cliffs. Without the veil concealing them, they somehow looked smaller.

The sight brought back memories.

Fu Yating sat nearby, keeping an eye on the children. Song Song remained at the stern, dark hair shifting in the wind as she watched the landscape below.

As the boat crossed the former boundary of the Misty Mountains, activity came into view.

Hundreds of workers.

Temporary roads cut through the wilderness. Wooden scaffolding climbed rocky slopes. Entire camps had sprung up across the landscape, smoke rising from cookfires and forges.

Mortals hauled carts. Surveyors hammered stakes into the ground. Teams moved back and forth carrying maps and measuring tools.

The entire area looked less like a forbidden land and more like a massive construction project.

"...Of course," Jiang Yeming muttered.

The moment an ancient mystery spanning countless generations became accessible, Liu Feng had apparently decided to hire an army of workers.

Forests were being cleared. Wooden towers already stood in the distance.

Even further away, she spotted the beginnings of a settlement.

Warehouses.

Barracks.

Research halls.

Array platforms.

People everywhere.

Jiang Yeming stared.

Damn, he worked fast. It had barely been over a week.

Workers below began pointing upward. Some waved while others hurried to inform their supervisors.

Somehow, she suspected the future she remembered would arrive much sooner than anticipated.