Is It Reasonable for Me to Start a Sect at 12?

"As for needing three days of rest, it was simply because the pond had some interference that drained my soul force. I just needed some time to recover," Liao Pantu said calmly, taking another sip of tea.

Lin Xiao noticed how casually Liao Pantu spoke, but he could guess that it hadn't been as easy as he made it sound. However, since Liao Pantu didn't elaborate, Lin Xiao chose not to press the matter. Nevertheless, he mentally noted it down.

Lin Xiao then recounted how they managed to exit the ice cave, the fees he collected, the discovery of the old storage bags, and his purchase of the Heart-Testing Stone. As he spoke, something suddenly came to mind, and he asked Liao Pantu, "Oh right, do you know of a suitable burial site around Yuanling City?"

Hearing this, Liao Pantu immediately understood his intention. "You're planning to bury those storage bags?"

Lin Xiao shook his head. "That would be wasteful. Besides, those cultivators who perished in the ice cave likely expected their storage bags to fall into someone else's hands, treating them as a reward for handling their remains. However, since they discarded their last words, I can't know each of their final wishes. All I can do is give them a proper burial."

Once their bodies were buried, Lin Xiao felt justified in keeping the items from their storage bags as compensation.

Liao Pantu was somewhat surprised by this and looked at Lin Xiao with an expression that was hard to describe. "You collected all the remains from the ice cave?"

Lin Xiao nodded. After ensuring everyone was safely out of the cave, he checked each area to make sure no one had been left behind and took the opportunity to collect the scattered bones.

As a result, his private storage space was now filled with bones... a grim accumulation of years of deaths. Fortunately, many of the older remains had already decayed, or his storage space would have been even more crowded.

Seeing him nod, Liao Pantu didn't know what to say. After a moment of silence, he gave Lin Xiao a thumbs up. Then, recalling the question about a burial site, he thought for a moment and said, "To the south of the city, about a hundred miles west, there's a rather desolate place. It should be a fitting spot to bury the dead."

With that direction in mind, Lin Xiao left the city, carrying his cache of bones. He first bought several jars of wine from a street vendor, then set off toward the location Liao Pantu had mentioned.

After an hour of walking, Lin Xiao found the desolate spot and selected a suitable location. He began to dig.

It turned out that the same skills that worked for farming also worked well for grave digging. Lin Xiao quickly excavated a large pit and carefully buried the bones one by one. He even placed some of the more personal, seemingly significant items from the storage bags as burial goods alongside the remains.

Once he had finished burying the bodies, Lin Xiao found a nearby slab of stone and carved the words "Nameless Grave" into it. He also inscribed a brief explanation of how these cultivators had met their end. After completing the inscription, he set the stone firmly into the ground as a headstone.

Staring at the nameless grave before him, Lin Xiao remained silent for a moment. Then, he took out the jars of wine he had purchased, opened them, and slowly poured the wine onto the ground.

By now, it was almost dusk. The setting sun stretched Lin Xiao's shadow long across the grave. He took one last look at the resting place before turning and walking away, his shadow trailing behind him.

He hoped that those who had passed on could now rest in peace.

Liao Pantu peeked his head out from the Soul Nourishing Pendant, glanced back at the grave, then withdrew and transmitted a message to Lin Xiao, "Kid, I'm in the mood for some wine."

"Alright, let's head to Xianxiang Tower. I'll treat you."

Three days earlier, in Yuanling City...

After Yuan Zhiyun had been brought home, she woke up the next morning. Her father, Yuan Bi, checked her condition thoroughly and, upon confirming that she was fine, asked her in detail about what had happened.

However, Yuan Zhiyun was completely baffled by how she had gone from being trapped in the secret realm's ice cave to waking up a day later in her own room. When questioned by her father, she could only recount every detail she remembered before losing consciousness.

After hearing her story, Yuan Bi's initial worry eased. It seemed that his daughter had encountered someone kind-hearted who wanted to help but didn't wish to reveal their identity. Given the lengths this person went to avoid exposure, they must have been quite capable. Yuan Bi surmised that this person was either someone powerful who disliked attention or someone with little background who feared being targeted.

Lost in thought, Yuan Bi stared at a spot in silence for a long time.

Noticing his expression, Yuan Zhiyun asked, "Father, did you think of something?"

Snapping out of his reverie, Yuan Bi smiled warmly at her. "It's nothing. You should rest. By the way, where's that Heart-Testing Stone I asked you to keep? We need to replace the one on our Heart-Testing Platform."

Hearing this, Yuan Zhiyun reached into her storage bag to retrieve the stone. Just as she was about to hand it to her father, she suddenly paused, letting out a small "hmm."

"What's wrong?" Yuan Bi asked.

After rummaging through her storage bag, Yuan Zhiyun replied, "It seems like I'm missing fifty spirit stones..."

Despite being the Yuan family's young mistress, she was rather frugal and kept meticulous track of her possessions. Losing even a single spirit stone wouldn't escape her notice, let alone fifty.

Yuan Bi, knowing his daughter's frugality well, didn't doubt her memory for a second. "Don't worry about it. Losing some wealth can avert misfortune. You should focus on recovering. Once the Icefield Secret Realm closes and Shangpu returns, you two can settle your differences."

"I'm not stirring up trouble! He's the one with issues! If I hadn't been trapped in that ice cave, I would have found the Icefield Spirit and saved our ancestor!" Yuan Zhiyun protested, feeling aggrieved.

Her father always seemed to make it sound like she was causing unnecessary problems, even though Yuan Shangpu had been the one to provoke her.

Seeing her strong reaction, Yuan Bi sighed in resignation. "You don't need to worry about our ancestor. The Icefield Spirit isn't so easily captured, and one alone wouldn't solve the problem. Rest well; I'll leave you to it."