Chapter 51: Six Years
\n\u201cCome back.\u201d
\nThe Three Dog Demons, ready to seize their \u2018prize,\u2019 froze. The leader\u2019s body suddenly shrank into a small yellow puppy, while the other two trembled. Abandoning their prey, they bolted toward Qing Stone Alley and vanished.
\nThe Officials and the wounded Dragon Guards\u2019 expert Si Mo exchanged stunned looks. Why had the victorious demons fled so abruptly?
\nQing Stone Alley.
\nThree puppies now cowered at the doorstep of a rundown shop, their earlier ferocity gone.
\n\u201cNo leaving without my permission.\u201d
\nWhimpering, the pups wagged their tails pitifully.
\nZuo Meng ignored them. Lately, he\u2019d been noting every change in himself, preparing to break through once he awoke. The world\u2019s laws had shifted rapidly since the second upheaval. Now, a third loomed as spiritual energy surged. Though he\u2019d driven off the golden shadow once, it would return. To keep his \u201cfarmers\u201d \u2014 the golden shadow, Huang, and Xuan Gui \u2014 tending their crops without fear, he\u2019d push Xue Chuan, this body\u2019s original identity, into the open. Let them focus on their roles while he waited to reap.
\nAfter dealing with the demons, Zuo Meng shut his door and returned to his quiet life.
\nGood harvests take time.
\nSix years passed.
\nMartial Arts faded as spiritual energy reshaped the world. Obscure clans reinvented themselves as immortal sects, thriving amid the chaos caused by the Heavenly Demon. The Great Chu royal family remained dominant, but new powers rose, ruling like lords behind thin veils of loyalty.
\nSuzhou stayed unchanged. A clan once tried replacing its governor, but the Immortal Palace crushed them quietly. Now, neighboring forces feared this rising power.
\nZuo Meng, forgotten by the world, spent years tending his metaphorical field. His shop now displayed only a few paintings, frequented by regulars sipping tea.
\nTime changed everyone.
\nJie Nian grew hair and became Zhang Tu. Li Yuanyuan matured into an aloof Immortal Palace leader. Even Zhi Hua, the once-energetic girl, now bore a fearsome reputation. With Zuo Meng\u2019s subtle nudges and Yu Ruyi\u2019s cunning leadership, they\u2019d all reached Golden Core stage, transforming the Immortal Palace from a shell into a real force.
\nAs for Zuo Meng? Their former \u201creclusive master\u201d turned out to be just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Disappointed, they visited now out of habit, not respect.
\n\u201cI envy Mr. Xue\u2019s lazy life,\u201d Yu Ruyi mused, her youthful face unchanged by six years.
\n\u201cUncle Xue\u2019s always been a lazy fish,\u201d Zhi Hua laughed, shedding her cold demeanor only here.
\nZuo Meng brewed tea, unbothered. Six years here felt like decades elsewhere, blurring his real-world memories.
\n\u201cWhat of Tianya Pavilion?\u201d Zhang Tu asked, bored of discussing the shopkeeper.
\n\u201cRestless. I sent Luo San,\u201d Yu Ruyi swirled her tea.
\nThey rose to leave as newcomers entered.
\n\u201cElder Zhang Tu,\u201d a man blocked the exit, \u201cstay and chat.\u201d His gaze shifted to Yu Ruyi. \u201cDon\u2019t you agree, Palace Master?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 51: Six Years \u201cCome back.\u201d The Three Dog Demons, ready to seize their \u2018prize,\u2019 froze. The leader\u2019s body suddenly shrank into a small yellow puppy, while the other two trembled. Abandoning their prey, they bolted toward Qing Stone Alley and vanished. The Officials and the wounded Dragon Guards\u2019 expert Si Mo exchanged stunned looks. Why had the victorious demons fled so abruptly? Qing\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1430","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1430"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1430"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1430"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1430"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}