Chapter 428: Han Zhou Transmitting the Scripture
The towering Jade Steel Mountain stood lofty and grand, its cliffs rugged and steep, with verdant hues so vivid they seemed ready to drip.
The mountain soil, rich with Jade Tempered Mysterious Steel, gleamed in a deep jade color. From afar, it resembled a colossal giant clad in jade armor, magnificent and resplendent.
Streams flowed through the mountain, murmuring like the gentle strumming of an ancient zither, crisp and melodious.
The mountain stones were hard and crystalline, shimmering with radiant brilliance.
Open-air mines layered the mountainside, the veins of ore crisscrossing in abundance. The tunnels ran deep and complex, sprawling through the mountain’s belly like a massive web. The flickering mine lamps resembled countless stars, and miners, like ants, toiled tirelessly in the dim light.
Halfway up the slope stood Yugang Mountain Town, its walls towering and watchtowers densely packed. Ever since Meng Zizhong’s defeat at Mist-Hidden Mountain, the balance here had undergone a complete upheaval.
Now, many cultivators patrolled day and night, standing guard in shifts, and the defenses were far stricter than before.
At this moment, Han Zhou sat in a small courtyard within the mountain town, gazing toward the billowing smoke rising into the sky—smoke born from the furnaces that burned without pause day and night.
The fires roared, never ceasing, blazing endlessly.
“Daoist Friend Han Zhou, everyone has arrived.”
An elderly man pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard.
Han Zhou nodded. “Please, invite them in.”
A large group of Ning Family branch members poured into the courtyard.
Han Zhou swept his gaze around. There were twenty to thirty of them, all cultivators of the Qi Refining Stage. Some were young, some aged, but regardless of age, there was a gleam in each of their eyes.
Han Zhou, who had endured hardship and seen many levels of cultivation, particularly liked that gleam.
Because he knew—it was the light of hope for the future, the yearning for happiness.
He sat cross-legged directly upon the grass.
The Ning clansmen exchanged glances, then quickly followed his example, one by one sitting cross-legged as well.
Han Zhou said, “Next, I shall impart to you the Bitter Cold Sutra.”
He was straightforward—direct and unpretentious.
The Ning clansmen immediately perked up their ears, focusing all their attention.
When Han Zhou finished his transmission, silence filled the courtyard. Some kept their eyes tightly shut, straining their minds to comprehend what they had heard.
At the side, Ning Youfu, who had watched the entire process, could not help but smile.
Han Zhou had generously passed down both the Qi Refining Chapter and the Foundation Establishment Chapter—thorough and unreserved.
Though Ning Youfu himself had no intention to change his cultivation method, from listening, he knew that this Bitter Cold Sutra was exquisite—no weaker than the Ice Heart Sutra, the top-tier cultivation art of the Ning Family’s main branch.
When the branch family members had lived under the main family, they would have had to devote half a lifetime to meritorious service just to be granted the right to study such a method.
But here, in the branch family, they had easily received such a privilege.
“Ning Zhuo truly has means,” he thought.
“This time, he even sent such a powerful expert solely to teach cultivation scriptures to our Ning clansmen.”
“Moreover, even Ancestor Ning Jiufan himself has come to Jade Steel Mountain, warmly received day and night by the town chief. With him lending his presence, our branch family’s reputation here will soar, and many matters will become far simpler.”
Ning Youfu felt deeply invigorated.
Ning Zhuo’s actions had far exceeded his expectations.
In truth, ever since Ning Zhuo became patriarch of the branch family, he had brought one surprise after another.
Originally, Ning Youfu had been worried when Ning Zhuo left Huoshi Immortal City to travel the world. But now, it was clear that true geniuses could never be judged by common reasoning.
“I was blind in my old age to have underestimated our patriarch,” Ning Youfu thought, gazing at the azure sky, letting his mind wander toward the future.
“With such a gifted and brilliant young patriarch, what worry can our family have about not prospering?”
“To think that even in my twilight years, I can follow such a man and witness such a life.”
Ning Youfu was content, and Han Zhou too felt satisfied.
“What Young Lord Ning Zhuo said to me was indeed true,” he mused.
“Sometimes, choice is far more important than effort.”
“This time, I’ve easily taught more than twenty or thirty people.”
“As agreed, with Young Lord Ning Zhuo’s assistance, I’ll be teaching even more in the future.”
At the thought of Ning Zhuo, Han Zhou felt both admiration and a faint sense of guilt.
“No, that won’t do.”
“Young Lord Ning Zhuo’s magnanimity surpasses ordinary men—truly noble in both spirit and character. I cannot just think of myself.”
“In principle, the Bitter Cold Sutra should indeed aid miners in their labor. But to be certain, I must personally test it in the mines before I can truly rest easy.”
Thinking this, Han Zhou voiced his request to Ning Youfu.
In Ning Zhuo’s letter to Ning Youfu, he had already mentioned that Han Zhou, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had been sent to teach techniques and help stabilize the town.
Unexpectedly, Han Zhou himself was so proactive, eager to test the Bitter Cold Sutra’s application in mining.
Ning Youfu immediately expressed his gratitude, suggesting that Han Zhou rest for the day—after all, teaching was taxing—and that they could visit the mine the next day. After all, Han Zhou would be staying in the area for quite some time, and there was no rush.
Han Zhou shook his head decisively. “Elder Ning, I was born a peasant, and before entering the Dao, I was but a beggar.”
“Young Lord Ning Zhuo, though a noble, treated me as a close friend, never once despising my origins. From our very first meetings, he even lent me the Comprehension Diagram to help me study frost-based arts.”
“So, don’t be overly courteous. Teaching cultivation is no burden. If it’s convenient for you, Elder Ning, let’s go now!”
Han Zhou’s decisiveness made Ning Youfu beam with joy.
This man’s temperament and straightforwardness were truly to Ning Youfu’s liking.
Ning Youfu said, “Daoist Friend Han Zhou, before you, how can I still be called Elder Ning? Just call me Daoist Friend instead. Since you are willing, let us go to the mine now.”
The mine was not far from the mountain town—or rather, numerous mines were encompassed within its surrounding area.
When the guarding cultivators saw Ning Youfu display his token, they immediately let them pass.
Unlike the first time when Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong entered the mine and had to pay a fee, now the Ning branch family had been granted partial mining rights—practically half-owners.
Han Zhou entered the mine tunnel and proceeded deeper.
Activating the Bitter Cold Sutra, he began to mine.
Soon, he discarded his tools and started digging bare-handed.
Under the empowerment of Suffering Body, the more exhausted and wounded he became, the more his strength and stamina increased, his movements growing ever faster.
Watching from the side, Ning Youfu quickly grasped the principle and exclaimed excitedly, “What a marvelous technique! Truly marvelous!”
“Our clansmen generally lack magical tools and have meager mana, but with this cultivation art, they can mine and cultivate simultaneously—killing two birds with one stone! Simply brilliant!”