Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Chapter 77: Chapter 75 Things Have Changed (Please Subscribe!!!)

Ning Daoran and Big Stupid Deer were also taken aback.

The woman martial artist before them had a familiar air amidst her graceful features, vaguely reminiscent of Little Hehua’s appearance as a child.

The woman martial artist in the blue robe stood there dumbfounded. In her eyes, Ning Daoran was just like the young boy she remembered, only now dressed in a cultivator’s attire. Meanwhile, Big Stupid Deer beside him had changed appearance, having grown into a white deer with a coat of snowy fur.

“Brother Ning… Brother Ning!”

Her voice was as crisp and clear as it had been in the past.

“Little Hehua?”

Ning Daoran swept his Divine Sense over her, confirming that it was indeed Little Hehua’s Divine Soul. “Old Lu and I have come back!”

“Brother Ning!”

At that moment, Little Hehua finally confirmed that the person before her was indeed the one she had longed for. She dashed forward in a single leap, smashing her body, which was at the early stage of the Blood Qi Realm as a martial artist, into Ning Daoran’s embrace.

“Thump—”

Ning Daoran, with his profound cultivation base, stood unflinchingly as he caught Little Hehua, gently stroking the hair at the back of her head, he said, “It’s been many years, and our Little Hehua has grown up~~~”

“Brother Ning!”

Little Hehua’s pretty face turned red as she took two steps back and asked, “Is Brother Ning really one of those high and mighty immortals now?”

“Pretty much.”

Ning Daoran looked towards the martial arts academy and smiled, “It’s been twenty years since we last saw each other. I never expected Little Hehua to step onto the path of martial arts. What’s the story behind this martial arts academy? I remember there used to be no such place in the village.”

Speaking softly, Little Hehua explained: “You might not know, Brother Ning, but seven or eight years after you left, the number of low-level Demon Beasts in Dragon Valley started to increase. The Court sent men repeatedly to exterminate them. With the constant coming and going of people, more and more youngsters in the village took up martial arts, gradually creating a trend.

Later on, a Cultivation Family took interest in our Dragon Flying Village because of its location, so they funded the establishment of this Red Lotus Martial Arts Academy. The village children learn martial arts from a young age, and when they reach a certain level of cultivation, they join the Court’s missions to kill Demon Beasts, ensuring a reliable livelihood, so they no longer need to farm for generations like before.”

“I see.”

Ning Daoran mused for a moment: “What about Little Tiezhu, how is he now?”

“Come with me, Brother Ning.”

Little Hehua took Ning Daoran by the hand, with Big Stupid Deer following, and they stepped into the martial arts academy.

“The master of the academy, come out and meet the esteemed guest,” she called out loudly.

From inside the living room, a figure emerged.

He was a young man in inner armor, with an aura of thin Blood Qi Power emanating from him. With his cultivation already perfect at the early stage of the Blood Qi Realm, he was robust in form, except that his eyes involuntarily converged towards the center, exuding intelligence.

It was none other than Zhou Tiezhu, the grandson of the old clan chief from those days!

“Ning…”

Zhou Tiezhu was agape, staring at Ning Daoran who looked unchanged after so many years, disbelief filling his eyes: “Brother Ning Daoran… You… You’ve come back?”

“Little Tiezhu, not bad, you’ve fully reached the early stage of the Blood Qi Realm.”

Ning Daoran nodded with a smile, “Could it be that you are the master of this martial arts academy?”

“That’s right…”

Zhou Tiezhu was as simple and honest as he had been in the past, scratching his head in embarrassment and said with a smile, “Although I’m all brawn and no brains, when the academy was first built, our Zhou Family contributed most of the funds. Before grandfather passed away, he settled the position of the academy master for me.”

“Ah?”

Ning Daoran furrowed his brow: “The old chief passed away?”

“Mm.”

Zhou Tiezhu said: “It’s been more than ten years…”

With that, he stepped forward to hook his arm around Ning Daoran’s, smiling, “Since Brother Ning Daoran is back, come on inside quickly. I’ll have my wife cook a few good dishes. Tonight, I will have a drink with you and Little Hehua!”

“Ah?”

Ning Daoran asked, “You have a wife?”

“What??”

Big Stupid Deer also widened its eyes; Little Tiezhu was impressive—having a wife while even the big brother did not.

Within the martial arts academy, several other martial masters appeared, along with a group of apprentices.

“Master!”

A few female disciples approached and affectionately greeted Little Hehua, then widened their eyes at the newcomer.

Little Hehua patted one of the female disciple’s little heads and smiled, “Alright, go practice your horse stance and pushing hands. I don’t need to say more about these matters. I have something to do today so I won’t be guiding your practice. You all practice on your own.”

“Yes, Master!”

The group of children headed towards the back courtyard.

Ning Daoran glanced over and saw that the children were all well-dressed. They must be from wealthy families in the village; otherwise, they wouldn’t have the spare money to send for martial training.

A woman appeared in the front courtyard, Zhou Tiezhu’s wife—an ordinary-looking but honest woman.

“Little Hehua.”

After sitting down, Ning Daoran asked, “How is Aunt Bai doing?”

“My mother passed away six years ago from a severe illness,” Little Hehua’s expression darkened.

“I see…”

Ning Daoran felt a sense of the transient nature of life; in just a short twenty years, half of the people he knew in the village had passed away.

Fortunately, both Little Hehua and Zhou Tiezhu had made something of themselves. One was the master of the martial arts academy, the other a martial arts master—they were prominent people in the village and surely led decent lives.

Soon afterward, the first dinner upon returning to the village.

The meal was quite sumptuous, with chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, and even a slaughtered sheep, causing the apprentices to stand in the distance, unable to stop salivating.

“Old Lu, the taste is not bad at all!”

Ning Daoran ate with gusto, the sound of him sucking on chicken bones was so loud. While watching the group of children swallowing saliva in the distance, his mouth was full of smiles, showing none of the demeanor expected of a cultivator.

As a child, when someone in the village hosted a banquet, Ning Daoran could only watch from afar, smelling the aroma of the food and the wine.

Now that the tables have turned, it was finally the turn of these little rascals to be envious; let them crave.

“Brother Ning.”

Little Hehua smiled and said, “I’ve cleaned up a new room for you; you can stay in the martial arts academy tonight.”

“Uh-huh.”

Ning Daoran nodded his head; he could not go up the mountain and dig out a cave to spend the night.

“Little Hehua, I’m going to pay respects to my parents, the old clan chief grandpa, and Aunt Bai with Old Lu early tomorrow morning.”

“Uh-huh!”

As night fell, the wind howled.

In the guest room where Ning Daoran stayed, neither Little Hehua nor Zhou Tiezhu had left. Both were too excited to sleep and wanted to stay a little longer.

Big Stupid Deer lay at the door on watch duty, showing a lazy demeanor.

“Brother Ning, can you do an immortal’s spell? I want to see…”

Little Hehua propped up her round chin, full of anticipation.

“What’s there to see? Cultivation is not a juggling act!”

After scanning both of them with his Divine Sense, Ning Daoran immediately stood up and lightly patted Little Hehua’s left shoulder and right leg, saying, “All these years of martial training must have been tough. These two old injuries of yours are quite serious.”

“Ah?”

Little Hehua was dumbfounded, “How did Brother Ning know I was hurt in these two places?”@@novelbin@@

“Hmm~~”

Ning Daoran smiled faintly, “Did you think my twenty years of learning spells in the mountains was a waste?”

Saying this, he slowly placed his palm on Little Hehua’s shoulder and instructed, “Relax your mind and body and don’t resist. I’ll use a minor immortal spell to heal your wounds; it should help your old injuries heal.”

“Okay!”

Little Hehua sat up straight, her chest puffed out with earnest.

A strand of the Eleventh Layer Evergreen Technique’s power flowed in, immediately infusing robust vitality into the depths of Little Hehua’s body, gradually nurturing and repairing those old wounds.

In less than half an hour, her old injuries had mostly healed, leaving the rest to be naturally nourished by her own Blood Qi.

Afterward, Ning Daoran also used the Evergreen Technique to heal the numerous old injuries Zhou Tiezhu had sustained. His injuries were even more numerous.

Probably because Zhou Tiezhu’s natural talent and understanding were actually not as good as Little Hehua’s but, due to his strong personality and to maintain the face of the martial arts master, he often overtrained, leading to many old injuries. If left untreated, they would not endure for long.

“Brother Ning Daoran…”

Zhou Tiezhu was moved, “Your spell is so incredible; I really don’t feel the pain in my old injuries anymore…”

“It’s just a small technique for a cultivator.”

Ning Daoran lightly tapped his Storage Bag, and six Jade Bottles floated out, saying, “These six bottles contain Blood Strengthening Pills, Solid Color Pills, and elixirs for healing wounds.

You might find them useful for your future training. Each of you takes one Solid Color Pill to maintain your current appearance for life without aging.”

“Thank you, Brother Ning!”

Little Hehua was overjoyed as she received the gifts, then repeatedly examined the Solid Color Pill.

Zhou Tiezhu felt a bit embarrassed.

“When I left the village, the only thing I had related to cultivation were two Spirit Stones. Those were given to me by the old clan leader, and their kindness I’ll never forget.”

Only then did Zhou Tiezhu accept them.

…

That night, Ning Daoran slept peacefully in his homeland.

In the insignificant Dragon Flying Village, a Foundation Establishment Stage Great Cultivator was practically a divine presence, ensuring maximum safety!

The next day, in the early morning.

Ning Daoran slowly woke up, washed up with Big Stupid Deer, and went to the martial arts academy courtyard to practice a set of True Yang Furnace Technique stances. Then he waited for breakfast.

“Bang!”

Just at that moment, the gate of the martial arts academy was suddenly kicked open.

A group of people appeared at the door, led by a middle-aged man with Qi Refining Fourth Level cultivation.

“Master Lu, what is this…”

Zhou Tiezhu turned pale as soon as he saw the visitor.

“Stop playing dumb, Zhou.”

Master Lu scoffed, “You’ve owed tribute money for two years. If you don’t pay up, either hand over the martial arts school or sell your ancestral land. Our Luo Family will not make it hard for you.”

“Tribute money?”

Ning Daoran frowned.

Little Hehua whispered beside him, “Originally, the Immortal Family of Luo invested in the village, helping to build the martial arts academy, hostel, guesthouse, and so on. As compensation, the village needs to pay tribute money to the Luo Family each year. Recently, with fewer people going to the mountains, the village has been in arrears for two years.”

“I see…”

Ning Daoran’s lips curled into a smile, “Fellow Daoist Lu, would you be able to take me to the Luo Family?”

“Who do you think you are to call me ‘Fellow Daoist’?”

The middle-aged man glared fiercely, laughing at the plainly dressed Ning Daoran, “You think you can go to the Luo Family? Just a dung beetle that crawled out of the mud, really overestimating yourself!”

Ning Daoran felt somewhat helpless.

He stepped forward, instantly releasing the terrifying spiritual pressure of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator. The Cultivator Lu’s eyes widened in shock, and he dropped to his knees with a thump:

“Turns out you are a Foundation Establishment…”