Chapter 108: Matters of Adulthood Past

Through the exchange between Gu Zhiheng and Yu Zidu, everyone finally understood some of the questions that had long baffled them.

Ye Zheng and Gu Mojiang were master and disciple. Ye Zheng was the master, while Gu Mojiang was his first disciple. The man now arguing with Gu Zhiheng was Ye Zheng’s second disciple, and one of those involved in the events of five hundred years ago.

That was why Gu Zhiheng’s expression had been so strange the moment he saw him. He had even seemed to be silently gathering his strength, as though he might attack at any moment.

If Ye Zheng were still alive, he would surely have slapped himself several times over Yu Zidu. He would certainly have regretted taking in such a disciple—wild, insolent, and completely lacking in respect for anyone.

Born into nobility, Yu Zidu had been utterly defiant and impossible to tame.

If Ye Zheng had not possessed overwhelming strength at the time, Yu Zidu would never have willingly accepted him as his master. He might even have openly resisted the matter.

Back then, Yu Zidu had possessed extraordinary talent, and his cultivation had been among the best of his generation. Unfortunately, excessive maternal indulgence can ruin a child.

Yu Zidu’s mother doted on him deeply. From childhood onward, she granted his every request and used every possible means to spoil him. That became the chief reason for his rebellious nature later on.

The other members of the Yu family had tried to stop her, but Madam Yu’s cultivation was simply too powerful. None of them were her match, and they could only allow her to continue indulging Yu Zidu.

Everyone said that spoiling a child was no different from destroying him, but Madam Yu had never believed that. She thought her son should be cherished in the palm of her hand, for only then could he grow properly.

Because of this, Yu Zidu gradually went astray. Before long, no one in the Yu family could restrain him—not even his own mother.

It was only after Ye Zheng appeared that the Yu family felt as though they had seized a lone boat amid a stormy sea. At last, they believed the family might be saved.

“Zidu, the Elder is willing to take you as his disciple. You ought to feel honored. Why do you look so unwilling?” Madam Yu pleaded earnestly with her son, her face filled with helplessness.

Yu Zidu did not even spare her a glance.

“You’re Ye Zheng? Since you want to take me as your disciple, I suppose I can reluctantly accept you as my master.”

Hearing those words, Madam Yu was nearly frightened into unconsciousness.

She knew she had been wrong. Truly, an overindulgent mother could ruin her child, and spoiling a child really was no different from destroying him.

“I am Ye Zheng. Since you have agreed, follow me in cultivation from now on.”

Although Ye Zheng’s tone was indifferent, he still accepted the ceremonial tea Yu Zidu offered him.

For this several-hundred-year-old child, Ye Zheng was remarkably patient. During the years they lived at Severing Heaven Cliff, he taught Yu Zidu many things.

Yu Zidu did not disappoint him. His cultivation advanced greatly, and he became far more mature and steady.

Just when everyone believed Yu Zidu had completely changed, he began causing trouble again.

After losing a bet with someone else, he refused to honor it and was hunted by that person for several months.

Too ashamed to return and face Ye Zheng, yet eager to increase his cultivation, he began taking dangerous shortcuts.

When Yu Zidu was nearly at the end of his rope, he encountered Gu Mojiang, who had come to bring Ye Zheng back to Mistbrow Mountain.

The moment Gu Mojiang realized that Yu Zidu was his junior disciple, he showered him with enticing promises. Sure enough, Yu Zidu walked straight into his trap.

Seeing how easily Yu Zidu had been deceived, Gu Mojiang took advantage of his position as the senior disciple and granted him many benefits. Those favors later became the greatest excuse for demanding Yu Zidu’s help.

Yu Zidu was still young at the time, but Gu Mojiang was even younger. As a human, Gu Mojiang’s schemes and depth of mind were far beyond anything Yu Zidu could match.

In those days, nearly all humans cultivated, so their lifespans were also very long. Even so, five hundred years was the limit.

Gu Mojiang was already over two hundred and nearing three hundred, but thanks to his cultivation and ageless appearance, he still looked like a handsome young man barely in his twenties.

Yu Zidu believed Gu Mojiang’s nonsense and took it for truth. He practiced with the cultivation method Gu Mojiang gave him for nearly half a month, and nothing went wrong.

But on the night of the sixteenth day, Yu Zidu suffered cultivation deviation and lost control. In his madness, he slaughtered several nearby cities.

When Ye Zheng learned what had happened, he was furious. Not only did he seal Gu Mojiang’s cultivation, he also suppressed Yu Zidu’s cultivation by several major realms.

To take responsibility for the massacre, the Yu family fell from the prestigious Heavenly Horizon Pavilion of Severing Heaven Cliff to the status of an ordinary household. Yu Zidu was also exiled to the northwest as punishment.

Several hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. Yu Zidu had become an entirely different person, and his cultivation had risen by who knew how many realms.

Judging by his appearance now, he was indeed worlds apart from the person he had once been.

“Master, I admit that I was wrong back then. Could you give me a chance to redeem myself?”

Yu Zidu stood obediently before Gu Zhiheng, seeking his forgiveness.

Unfortunately, the man before him was not his master, Ye Zheng, but Gu Zhiheng of the Gu family. He had yet to recover his former identity as Ye Zheng.

“Yu Zidu, do you know why we came? We came for your gallbladder.”

Since Ye Zheng had expelled him from the sect, Qing Xiu spoke with complete bluntness.

Having such a senior brother was more than she could bear—especially when the first senior brother was Gu Mojiang, who was also the ancestor of the family belonging to the body her master currently inhabited. The relationships were truly chaotic and complicated.

“Junior Sister, that joke of yours isn’t funny at all.”

Yu Zidu glanced awkwardly at Gu Zhiheng before replying to Qing Xiu.

In truth, he knew perfectly well why they had come. He had merely persisted for a while, hoping to see whether his master might give him one more chance.

Unfortunately, his master was as cold and unyielding as ever. He had never offered forgiveness to those who had committed wrongs, especially not to someone like Yu Zidu, who had committed such a grave offense.

It did not matter. It was only one gallbladder. If his master wanted it, he would give it to him.

At worst, he would spend another century of cultivation and grow a new one.

The White Python clan possessed the power of regeneration. As long as they were not completely dead, they could regenerate and return to a normal state.

However, very few could cultivate that ability to its highest level. Among Yu Zidu’s generation, it seemed that only he and his younger sister, Yu Xile, had achieved it.

With one swift motion, Yu Zidu cut open his own body and removed his gallbladder. Still dripping with blood, he held it out to Gu Zhiheng.

“Master, I truly know that I was wrong. I should never have believed my senior brother so easily. I do not ask you to forgive me. I only hope that you will restore my status as your disciple.”

When he finished speaking, Yu Zidu knelt before Gu Zhiheng.

Unfortunately, Gu Zhiheng could not make that decision on Ye Zheng’s behalf. He accepted the gallbladder, but did not agree to Yu Zidu’s request.

“I have accepted the item. As for your request, wait until Ye Zheng returns and let him answer you personally.”

Gu Zhiheng handed the gallbladder to Chu Xingran, then raised his hand and sent out a stream of black-gold mist. It entered Yu Zidu’s wound with perfect precision.

Gu Zhiheng did not want to use Ye Zheng’s identity to gain any advantage, so he used his own unique spiritual energy to heal Yu Zidu’s wound. What happened next would depend on Yu Zidu himself.