All Grudges Finally Fade Away

As soon as Qin Yue saw this man, her muscles tightened instantly, then relaxed just as quickly. She spoke coldly, “It’s you.”

From the moment this man opened his mouth, Luo Yu understood who he was, and quietly began channeling his spiritual power for defense. The man looked to be in his thirties, remarkably handsome and refined, with a touch of unruly elegance—there was nothing in his appearance to suggest he was a cold-hearted, unscrupulous villain.

The man shook his head and said, “Judging by your expression, you must resent your uncle. You know well how arduous the path is; I had no choice but to take such drastic measures. Blinded by foolishness, I accidentally harmed your father. Now, I regret it bitterly, but it’s far too late. Seeing you safe and well brings me peace.”

After speaking, seeing that Qin Yue did not react, he continued, “I have come today to confess my guilt. Since you were a child, I’ve treated you as my own, our bond no less than that between your parents and me… I know my actions wounded you deeply… Ah, Yue’er, can you forgive your uncle?”

Qin Yue sneered, “You failed to break through to the Golden Core?”

Her uncle’s face stiffened, then he said, “Yue’er, you have sharp eyes… My lifespan is nearly spent, and the Golden Core is out of reach. Seeing you at the Celestial Gathering brought me great comfort, so I came to see you… If you could pity your uncle in these last days and spare him, I would care for you as before, as my own child, tending to you on behalf of your parents, so we could share a family’s joy.”

Qin Yue replied indifferently, “If I don’t spare you, what would you do?”

Her uncle’s expression froze a little. He turned to look at Luo Yu, saying, “This… is Yue’er’s companion? Truly extraordinary! Just seeing him brings joy; I imagine Yue’er cherishes him greatly… He’s suffered serious wounds and must be cared for properly, and… must not be harmed again.”

Qin Yue detected the threat in his words and snorted, “If I let bygones be bygones, you’ll let us go?”

Her uncle heard the hint of possibility in her words, his face showing pain. “Yue’er, you’re too suspicious. I truly repent. My stupidity back then caused a great wrong… Ah. Now, the only kin I have left is you. If you could let go, we could be as close as father and child once more.”

Qin Yue said, “Are you not afraid I’ll recover and go back on my word?”

Her uncle replied, “That’s easily solved. If we both swear the ‘Heart Demon Oath,’ that’s enough.”

The ‘Heart Demon Oath’ is a commonly used method of self-restraint in the cultivation world. Luo Yu had heard of it: those who break the oath suffer severe backlash from their inner demons at every breakthrough, which can destroy their cultivation or even kill them—none escape its effects. For cultivators, it’s even more binding than heavenly laws.

Out of curiosity, Luo Yu had studied this oath and concluded it was effective under normal circumstances. Cultivators have far stronger spiritual consciousness than ordinary people, amplifying its effects. At its core, the Heart Demon Oath is a form of self-suggestion: it strengthens one’s subconscious obsession with the oath. The more one fears being punished, the more intense the inner demon’s backlash, much like a guilty conscience causing fear at every knock on the door. Even the most wicked and irreverent person, seeing examples around them, is inevitably cautious, subconsciously thinking, “It can’t be that bad, right?” Yet that doubt only reinforces its power, and in the end, no one escapes.

This works well ordinarily, but for people like Luo Yu, who constantly wrestle with their subconscious, the effect is less pronounced. Knowing its mechanism and strengthening their conscious belief reduces its impact, though it still exists.

Qin Yue laughed coldly, “You certainly are sincere, willing to swear a Heart Demon Oath with me. It seems you truly wish to never harm me again…”

Her uncle replied bitterly, “Whether you believe me or not, I am deeply ashamed. When I tried to break through to Golden Core, I suffered backlash from my inner demon and barely escaped with my life. That was my awakening; I’ve come to fully understand my past mistakes and yearn only to make amends to you. When I saw you at the Celestial Gathering, I wanted to approach you, but feared you hated me too much to listen, so I could only follow in secret. It was only after you displayed great power and slew that villain that I dared to come forward. My earlier words carried a hint of threat, but it was out of desperation; I truly do not wish to harm you again. As the Buddhist saying goes: ‘Lay down your blade and become a Buddha on the spot.’ I have repented deeply and am no longer who I once was, enduring daily the torment of regret. I hope you will remember our past affection and forgive my madness.”

Qin Yue nodded, “You’re betting that I’m so badly injured I can’t harm you, so your decision is somewhat careless?”

Her uncle replied frankly, “If striking me helps you let go, I willingly accept it… All I ask is that you spare my life. I am afraid of death, and if you insist on vengeance, I fear that in my escape, I might accidentally harm you again, compounding my mistakes.”

Qin Yue said coldly, “You think well, but unfortunately, I am not broad-minded! A child’s revenge for their parents is irreconcilable—I only know that blood must pay for blood! The mistake of yesterday, the consequence of today—let’s settle it all at once!”

Her uncle replied bitterly, “I know my wrongs, Yue’er, must you be so relentless? The sea of suffering is endless; turn back and you reach the shore. Will you not remember our past and show some mercy? The departed are gone—what good comes of killing your uncle?”

Qin Yue answered coldly, “It pleases me.”

Her uncle shook his head, “Since you insist on vengeance, I shall leave now and never appear before you again.” With that, he rose to depart. He had just moved about ten feet when his figure suddenly faltered, staggering. Qin Yue surged forward in a flash, stabbing through his chest with a blade, then cast a golden flame that burned both his body and soul to ashes. The entire exchange ended in mere seconds.

Luo Yu stared dumbly at Qin Yue, at a loss for words.

Qin Yue stood in silence for a long time before moving. He bent to pick up a ring from the ground, clutching it tightly in his hand, his silhouette desolate.

Luo Yu took out a Ninefold Rejuvenation Pill and popped it into his mouth. He stood up, walked to Qin Yue, and handed him another pill. Suddenly, Qin Yue turned, embraced him tightly, burying his head in the crook of Luo Yu’s neck, unmoving. Luo Yu let him hold on, secretly pleased: Cry, it’s no sin for a man to cry! My shoulders are broad—surely you’ll feel safe and warm! Damn, look how good your brother is! When you’re sad, you can rely on me to soothe your sorrow!

Luo Yu raised his hand and gently patted Qin Yue’s back, comforting him, “Don’t be sad, be strong—look ahead! You still have me, your brother! You have Dad and Cat, Grandpa… hmm, Lampas counts too… and many others; none of us will leave you… Ow! Why are you biting me?”

Qin Yue lifted his head from Luo Yu’s neck, his face expressionless, “I’m not sad.”

Luo Yu pursed his lips: stubborn! Kindness gets no reward!

He kicked Qin Yue resentfully, “Quick, pack up the phoenix meat! Newly born phoenixes must be tender… Uh, I think this one’s Huang Yu… Do you dare eat it?”

Qin Yue replied calmly, “Appearance follows the heart. If you see it as Huang Yu, then it’s Huang Yu; if you see it as roast chicken, then it’s just roast chicken.”

Luo Yu grumbled inwardly: After hearing just a few words from that uncle, he’s quoting monk riddles—if he became a monk, he’d probably be quite professional!

Bounding over to the phoenix’s remains, Luo Yu rummaged and found a necklace around its neck, with a pendant resembling amber, adorned with intricate, exquisite patterns—wow, high quality! It can be bound by blood! I wonder if it can be used now? Let’s try!

Luo Yu sent a surge of power inside and drew out a book: it worked! Hmm, what book is this?

“Heavenly Phoenix True Blood Refinement Art?” Luo Yu wondered: Is it what I think—refining phoenix true blood?

He quickly flipped through it, discovering the author was indeed Huang Yu. Luo Yu skimmed the contents: it taught how to extract phoenix bloodline from descendants and refine it for one’s own use.

Luo Yu clicked his tongue, “Amazing—look at this!” Qin Yue packed away the phoenix and took the book, browsing through it, “Huang Yu was ruthless.”

Luo Yu said, “According to this, extracting bloodline for oneself—who knows how many phoenix descendants he killed for his true blood… No wonder Huang Xuan forbade this method! Tsk tsk… Hey, could we refine his blood too?”

Qin Yue’s eyes narrowed, “Let’s try when we get back!”

The two soared through the clouds and returned home, using various spiritual medicines to recover for several days. Luo Yu still had ugly scabs on his back, and Qin Yue’s chest was pitted and scarred, causing Father Chu and Grandpa deep heartache. But these injuries wouldn’t leave marks; once the scabs fell off, their skin would be flawless again.

When the vampire saw their wounds, she shuddered, “Oh my, never provoke the Eastern Peacock clan again—too frightening!”

During their recovery, they studied the Heavenly Phoenix True Blood Refinement Art several times. From the book, they learned that “true blood” differs from ordinary blood—it is the essence of a divine beast’s blood, enabling the use of certain ancient divine abilities. Huang Yu, as a peacock, burned vast quantities of true blood to achieve nirvana and become a celestial phoenix, abandoning his peacock body; his phoenix form was entirely new, a purebred phoenix, a kind of acquired regression to ancestral form.

Luo Yu and Qin Yue hesitated: humans could refine and use this true blood, and a whole phoenix’s worth was enough for one nirvana. But… after nirvana, wouldn’t they become a phoenix? Would they remain human? Would they count as demon cultivators?

They set aside these doubts for now, deciding to refine the phoenix true blood first.

This time, Luo Yu took the lead. Qin Yue first used solar true fire to purify the foreign fire toxins in Luo Yu’s body, then used that purified fire to refine the true blood. This clean fire Luo Yu called “Ghost Blood Fire,” while the toxic one from the vampire he dubbed “Poison Blood Fire.”

They went to the old house, closed the second courtyard gate, and began refining the true blood.

After setting up several arrays, the two sat facing each other. Before starting, Luo Yu picked out a few beautiful feathers, planning to keep them in his father’s “Blood Rose Castle” as mementos—though the feathers were nice, the fledgling’s power was weak, and it was a pity to use them for forging. Of course, that was just the thinking of these two nouveau riche—with solar true fire and phoenix true blood, the feathers were nothing special.

The bald phoenix between them slowly floated upward. Luo Yu released a stream of gray flame, enveloping the phoenix and refining it. Ghost Blood Fire was perfect for refining flesh and soul; Luo Yu’s gentle spiritual roots were ideal for alchemy and refining true blood, but the phoenix’s body was much harder to refine than spiritual herbs, so Qin Yue had to stand by, replenishing his power.

Three days passed. The phoenix body gradually shriveled, as if air-dried; golden-red essence blood oozed from its surface.

Another three days, the phoenix’s flesh had fused to its bones, forming a layer of dry skin, and nothing more could be extracted. Luo Yu finally stopped, gathering the phoenix true blood into a walnut-sized mass and storing it in a jade vial.

Once finished, both let out a breath of relief.

Luo Yu said, “Would these bones make a good soup?”

Qin Yue replied woodenly, “Give them to the vampire as a wedding gift.”

Luo Yu protested, “They’re not getting married!”

Qin Yue said indifferently, “The gesture matters.”

Luo Yu said, “If we give the vampire a gift, Dad should get something too… What should we give? Oh, right!”

He pulled out Huang Yu’s necklace, delighted, “This is beautiful—Dad will love it! It’s imbued with power now, so it should work!”

Qin Yue nodded.

Luo Yu played with it for a while, reluctant to part, “I haven’t even used it yet and I’m already giving it to Dad.”

Qin Yue was silent, then suddenly took out a jet-black ring and handed it to Luo Yu.

Luo Yu stared blankly for a while, then his face reddened, “Are you… proposing to me?”

Qin Yue replied woodenly, “It’s my father’s ring.”

Luo Yu stammered, “Your father’s… keepsake, how can I use it… It should be treasured.”

Qin Yue said indifferently, “Things are meant to be used. I already have ‘Zhao Mu,’ so I’ll give you ‘Zha Yu.’”

Author’s note: nuo001 tossed a landmine

Mwah mwah squeak squeak creak creak~``Keep working hard!!

Cultivator Chronicles of Friends 69_Complete free reading of Cultivator Chronicles of Friends_69 Past Grievances Settled, update finished!