But before I tell you what favor I wish to ask of you… allow me to share my story first," the old man said, stroking his beard with a sorrowful expression.
"My name is Qing Mu. I was once the sect master of the Azure Sky Sect, a fifth-grade sect in the Heavenly Moon Kingdom. My sect was neither weak nor exceptionally strong, for its foundation rested upon the protection of my adopted mother and aunt—both of whom were the revered ancestors of the sect."
"I was considered a genius in my youth, born with fourth-level spiritual roots. By the age of one hundred, I had already broken through to the King Realm. Of course, without the resources and treasures lavished upon me by my adopted mother and aunt, such rapid progress would have been impossible.
Nevertheless, when news spread that I had stepped into the King Realm—making our Azure Sky Sect the home of three Kings—the other sects began to view me as a threat, fearing that our rise would shatter the balance of power within the Heavenly Moon Kingdom."
"So, they began to scheme against me," Qing Mu said with a long sigh.
"A great elder of my own Azure Sky Sect, a man who had reached the peak of the Qi Grandmaster Realm, secretly joined hands with the leaders of three rival sects. Together, they wove a treacherous plan.
At that time, I had just broken through to the King Realm, and in order to temper my surging strength, I ventured into a dangerous land to battle powerful beasts, and while I was locked in combat and my focus entirely on the battle, they launched their ambush. three sects leaders at the first level of king realm, with my own elder's betrayal striking deeper than any blade."
"We entered into a bloody battle that raged for two full days. Though I managed to wound them all heavily, the price I paid was steep. Having just advanced and facing three opponents of similar strength, my foundation was unstable and I stood no real chance.
When I felt death closing in, I seized a miracle to escape with my life.
Returning to the sect was impossible—the distance was too great, and my dwindling vitality gave me no hope of making it back. Knowing my end was near, I drew a map marking the location of my heritage and left it hidden at a random place.
Afterward, I wandered into this forest. When I felt my soul beginning to fade, I subdued a weak tiger and branded it with a slave seal, so that the one who inherits my legacy would at least not be completely useless."
"And seeing you now, I believe my plan has succeeded," Qing Mu said with a faint smile.
"As for the favor I wish to ask of you… could you please give a letter to my little girl . you will find it in the storage ring and if you can look after her ? Haha, though I suppose she is no longer little. The last time I saw her, she was only ten years old," Qing Mu said with a sad smile.
Qing Mu loved and married only one woman in his entire life. Yet fate was cruel—she passed away while giving birth to their daughter. From that day on, the child became his entire world, the sole source of his joy and reason to keep moving forward.
"You don't have to worry, Senior Qing Mu. I will look after her," jack said firmly, his voice carrying respect .
In this world of Xianxia, where even a father could kill his sons for a mere ounce of strength and power, Qing Mu never forgot his daughter. Finding a kind person in such a world was like finding a needle in a haystack.
And since he had already intended to join a sect, this was like hitting two birds with one stone.
hahahaha… thank you, little one, thank you. Now I can finally rest," Qing Mu said with a hearty laugh.
"Let me be greedy one last time, young one… Jack, if you ever become strong enough, I hope you will look after my mother and aunt," he said, without waiting for a response
"Forgive me, Mother… Aunt… Daughter… I was a failure of a son and a father." These were Qing Mu's last thoughts as what remained of his soul slowly dissolved into nothingness.
....
sigh… A King who could have crushed entire cities with a single thought had died like this—betrayed and alone, in such a remote place.Fate sometimes plays dark jokes.
After Qing Mu's soul completely faded away, Jack stepped out of the soul ring, removing it from the old man hands intending to bury the old sect master skeleton.
He purchased a gravedigger from the system shop for 100 MP and began digging. After half an hour of labor, the grave was finally ready.
He dragged Qing Mu's skeleton out from the cave and laid it inside the grave. Then, with steady hands, he began covering the body with soil until it was fully buried.
"Don't worry, old man. Even though I don't know you that well, I'll look after your daughter and your mothers. Consider it my repayment for the treasures inside this ring."
Jack said sincerely, never imagining how fate would interpret those words…..
At the next moment, he opened the storage ring once again — and this time, he was taken aback. What met his eyes was a dazzling trove of treasures, piled high and gleaming with spiritual light.