196: Chapter 196: The Night at Hengchuan Peak Before Departure

That night on Hengchuan Peak, there were no strict rules, no meditation or Qi cultivation, only the overwhelming scent of meat and the smell of alcohol mixed with sweat.

For this "Survival Feast," the Disciples in the logistics department had practically emptied the entire warehouse. Although there were no rare spirit beasts or birds like those in the Central Continent, those bowls of solid, tenderly stewed red-braised pork, and those jars of aged liquor that hit the nose the moment they were opened, were more invigorating than any nectar or jade liquid to this group of people who had just skirted the gates of Hell.

Several dilapidated wooden tables were pushed together and scattered across the plaza. The Disciples no longer cared about seniority or status, crowding together tightly.

"Come, bottoms up!"

A Foundation Establishment Stage Disciple with a full beard stood up, banging his large bowl against the corner of the table. "We actually didn't die! Not only did we not die, but the war debt actually went down! We have to finish this wine!"

"Bottoms up!"

"No one expected that we could crawl out of that death list."

Some laughed until tears fell into their wine bowls, but they quickly wiped their faces and started laughing again. "From now on, we must gather every year on this day. Even if we ascend in the future, we still have to come back for a meal of red-braised pork!"

"That's a must! This is our 'Survival Festival'!"

The uproar was enough to nearly lift the roof. In these sounds, there were no hypocritical slogans, only the raw, most primal celebration of life.

Shen Xingzhou sat at a small table in the corner, holding a bowl of clear tea, watching this group of noisy "subordinates" before him. A faint smile hung on his face, though his fingers were tapping lightly in the Void Realm.

The System interface quietly unfolded in the night.

"System, make a note on the calendar."

Shen Xingzhou thought silently.

[Operation Confirmed: New Special Anniversary Added]

Name: War Debt Liquidation Month · Survival Feast

Time Setting: The day the War Debt Liquidation Month cases are closed each year.

System Remarks: Unlike the traditional Sect's "Founding Day" or "Martyr Memorial Day," this day does not commemorate Ascension, nor does it commemorate sacrifice.

It only tracks one thing: this year, who managed to survive.

You are attempting to establish a new culture—a way of remembering that doesn't rely on "martyr tablets," but rather on "pay stubs" and "living people."

Shen Xingzhou looked at that remark and took a light sip of tea. That's right, the world of cultivation was too accustomed to death, too accustomed to turning the dead into monuments. But what he wanted to do was to make the living feel more like the living.

At a table not far away, the atmosphere was slightly subtle.

Those were the Disciples of the "Lingjian Combat Division" who had just been acquired through a merger. Wearing robes that still bore the old emblems of Lingjian Peak, they sat among the Disciples dressed in the servant uniforms of the Qingheng Sect, appearing somewhat out of place. Some held wine cups, wanting to drink but afraid to let go, after all, their status was still "the absorbed ones," and they always felt a bit inferior.

"Smack!"

A rough, large hand slammed onto the table, causing the wine to splash everywhere.

Senior Sister Xie Handeng had walked over at some point. She wasn't wearing those flashy ceremonial robes, still dressed in her capable short-sleeved attire, carrying a jar of wine in her hand.

"What are you dilly-dallying for?" Senior Sister Xie Handeng glared at the reserved Lingjian Disciples. "Once you've entered the gates of Hengchuan Peak, you're Hengchuan Peak's ghosts... no, that's not right, you're Hengchuan Peak's people! If you can eat and drink, don't think so much!"

Saying this, she filled everyone's cup with wine. "I didn't see you being cowards when you were bayoneting on the battlefield, so why are you being cowards over a drink? This round is on me, no one leaves until it's finished!"

"Yes! Deacon Xie!"

The Lingjian Disciples were roused by this shout, their spirits instantly soaring, and they all lifted their wine bowls and gulped it down.

Nearby, Su Ciyao was holding a recording stone, weaving through the crowd. She didn't go to film the big shots; the lens was full of these oil-stained, flushed, smiling faces.

"This is the best material." Su Ciyao muttered to herself while filming. "Those aloof immortal charms are everywhere, but these... the smiling faces of workers who survived... look better than any war merit, and can prove the meaning of our existence better than any scripture."

The night wind picked up, and the noise carried far into the night.

Shen Xingzhou put down his teacup and walked alone onto the roof of the main hall.

Someone was already sitting there.

Peak Master Luo Qingyi had her back to him, sitting on the very edge of the eaves, her two legs dangling in mid-air. The wine flagon in her hand was more than half empty; she tilted her head back and took a gulp, the spicy aroma of the wine diffusing into the night wind.

"What? Not down there celebrating, running up here to catch a breeze?" Peak Master Luo Qingyi didn't turn her head, her voice somewhat distant.

"It's too noisy down there, looking for some peace and quiet." Shen Xingzhou sat down on the tiles beside her, mimicking her posture, stretching his legs out, looking at the brightly lit Hengchuan Peak beneath his feet.

At this moment, they weren't Deacons, weren't War Gods, just two slightly peculiar ordinary people.

"Lord Bai Heng has left, and the invitation from the Central Continent has arrived." Peak Master Luo Qingyi shook the wine flagon. "What's your next step? Where do you plan to take this group of people?"

She turned her head, and in those eyes that had seen life and death, there was a trace of unfamiliar confusion and inquiry.

"Into a bigger vortex? Or to go die?"

Shen Xingzhou looked at the distant, pitch-black skyline, where the Central Continent lay, the destination that countless Cultivators dreamed of.

"I don't care where we go." Shen Xingzhou's voice was very soft, but very firm. "I only care about that ledger."

He pointed to his own chest.

"As long as the ledger can write the words 'alive,' even if it's Hell, I will take them there."

"What if the ledger says 'dead'?" Peak Master Luo Qingyi pressed.

"Even if it's the Immortal Realm, I'll flip the table."

Shen Xingzhou laughed, a reckless energy in that smile.

Peak Master Luo Qingyi looked at him, silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled too. She raised the wine flagon and toasted the moon: "A good 'flip the table.' Then I'll follow you, this crazy accountant, and see if the ledger of this Heavenly Dao can really be smashed through."

Just as the two looked at each other and smiled, the System interface before Shen Xingzhou refreshed again.

[Team Status Assessment Updated]

Hengchuan Peak Core Team Binding Degree: High

Composition Analysis:

Shen Xingzhou (Core/Brain): Sets the rules.

Senior Sister Xie Handeng (Blade/Execution): Ensures the rules are implemented.

Su Ciyao (Mouthpiece/Public Opinion): Builds momentum for the rules.

Peak Master Luo Qingyi (Shield/Deterrence): Prevents the rules from being broken by violence.

Risk Warning:

This is a fate-bound entity.

If a "Team-wide Liquidation" event occurs in the future, the loss will be devastating, and no one will be able to stay out of it.

*Note: This is no longer doing business as partners; this is a life-and-death contract formed on the same boat.*

Shen Xingzhou looked at that red warning of "devastating loss," but his heart was unusually calm.

In this man-eating world, if you don't bind yourself into a bundle of dynamite, how can you blast open a path?

The night grew deep, the feast gradually dispersed, leaving only a few unextinguished lanterns swaying in the wind.

Shen Xingzhou stood up and brushed the dust off his body. The System interface suddenly popped up a brand new window; it was a checklist for the next stage of preparations.

That urgency of the "night before departure" instantly overwhelmed the previous relaxation.

[System Prompt: Central Continent Pilot Mission About to Begin]

Preparation Checklist:

[Asset Packaging]: Digitally seal all movable resources (Spirit Stones, loot, ledgers) of the Qingheng Sect.

[Personnel Adjustment]: Screen the list for the trip to the Central Continent (core members accompany, some remain stationed).

[Memory Archiving]: Perform a holographic scan and archive of the current "Old Mountain Gate" state.

On the screen, the Qingheng Sect, originally dilapidated but full of the bustle of life, was being scanned bit by bit into the database by the System.

[Generating: Qingheng Sect · Old Era Memory Capsule]

Storage Complete.

The last line of the System's text, carrying a trace of fatalistic mockery, hung quietly under the moonlight.

[You are about to leave this mess you just saved, to take over a bigger mess. Pack your bags, Deacon Shen. The accounts of the Central Continent are ten thousand times harder to calculate than here.]