Volume 1 Volume 5 Chapter 151

Volume 5 Chapter 151: Changes and Responses (Part 1)

"Deacon Xu, the sect leader and martial uncle asks you to come over. He has something important to discuss."

Hearing the voices outside, Xu Qingfan frowned. It had been less than a month since his rest, but it seemed that his break was already over.

With a slight sigh, Xu Qingfan stood up from his bed and walked toward the outside.

He opened the courtyard door and saw a Jiuhua disciple with a handsome face standing respectfully outside, hands at his sides. When the disciple saw Xu Qingfan, his eyes showed a strong and passionate admiration.

Xu Qingfan’s name had become a legend in the Righteous Alliance. Whether it was the miracle of reaching the Golden Core Stage in less than two hundred years as an ordinary person, his flawless leadership of the Jiuhua Team after joining the Righteous Alliance, personally killing "Ying" of the "Ming" organization to cut off the source of "Beast Madness," or his heroic performance in saving the Righteous Alliance from the demon beasts in the Southern Wasteland, Xu Qingfan had unknowingly gathered many glowing achievements around him.

The Jiuhua disciple felt especially proud and respectful because Xu Qingfan, who had become a legendary figure in the righteous path, was not only a Jiuhua disciple but also the future sect leader of Jiuhua. Every time he heard others recounting Xu Qingfan’s deeds, this disciple felt a sense of honor.

Remembering how others would politely ask about Xu Qingfan when they learned he was a Jiuhua disciple, the disciple’s attitude toward Xu Qingfan became even more respectful.

"No need for so much formality. You are my junior brother, not my junior. I have said this before."

When Xu Qingfan saw the "Qing" character, the Jiuhua disciple had to show respect to him as a junior. A hint of helplessness crossed Xu Qingfan’s lips, as he had told this disciple several times, but every time they met, nothing changed.

From feeling tense to being relaxed, if Xu Qingfan had to say what he felt the least comfortable with during this time, it was undoubtedly the huge change in his identity. Initially, Immortal Zizhen praised Xu Qingfan just to give Jiuhua and Mr. Liu an explanation and to uplift the spirits of the Righteous Alliance. However, it turned out that Xu Qingfan did not die, ultimately making him a heroic figure, a living hero. Suddenly, his reputation was on par with the great masters of the Righteous Alliance.

At this moment, Immortal Zizhen must also be deeply regretting this situation.

Having been used to others’ malice, indifference, and fear, suddenly becoming a hero felt strange. Those who once took pleasure in slandering Xu Qingfan now bowed respectfully from a distance. To be honest, Xu Qingfan felt quite uncomfortable, especially since he knew he was not as brave and fearless as everyone said. His actions were motivated solely by self-preservation.

However, after interacting more and experiencing more, Xu Qingfan gradually learned to be insincere. He realized that this fame could bring benefits to him and Jiuhua, so even though he felt guilty, he would humbly accept compliments instead of denying them.

If pretending continues, it will become a habit. Sometimes Xu Qingfan thought back to the anxious young man who first joined Jiuhua, feeling as if it were just yesterday. Yet, that young man and the so-called "hero" Xu Qingfan now were like two different people.

It had nothing to do with skill or fame; the young man just wasn’t so worldly-wise and hypocritical yet.

After feeling sentimental for a while, these thoughts faded, and Xu Qingfan suppressed all his emotions deep in his heart. As he walked with the Jiuhua disciple toward Liu Huaxiang’s courtyard, he nodded and smiled back at the unfamiliar cultivators who were either nodding or bowing to him. He quietly asked, "How is Little Black?"

Before, when Xu Qingfan was about to be killed by the nine-tailed demon fox, Little Black bravely tried to save him but was easily knocked unconscious. Little Black had remained in a coma ever since. Before Xu Qingfan revived, Li Yuhan took Little Black back to "Ronghua Mountain." When Xu Qingfan returned to "Ronghua Mountain," he only saw Little Black for a moment because he was busy recovering. He entrusted the task of caring for Little Black to this Jiuhua disciple.

The excited disciple was feeling the special attention he received while walking with Xu Qingfan. After hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, he quickly replied, "Martial Uncle Yang said that Little Black will wake up soon, so you don’t need to worry, Senior Brother."

Xu Qingfan let out a small sigh of relief. How many times had Little Black saved him? He couldn’t remember, but he hadn’t even had time to take care of Little Black. He felt a strong guilt, and now he finally heard some good news.

The Jiuhua disciple talked a lot, asking Xu Qingfan various questions along the way, from confusion about training to how Xu Qingfan had led missions over the years. Although Xu Qingfan felt helpless, he didn’t want to be rude, so he kept answering. As they chatted and laughed, time flew by, and soon they arrived at the area near the mountain top arranged for the masters and sect leader.

However, when this Jiuhua disciple brought Xu Qingfan to the front of Zhang Hualing’s courtyard, he didn’t stop but instead continued to lead Xu Qingfan deeper into the courtyard area.

"Isn’t the Sect Master in the house?"

Xu Qingfan asked, puzzled.

"No, the sect leader martial uncle is in Master Liu’s room. Let me take you there directly to meet him,"

The Jiuhua disciple explained.

Why were Zhang Hualing and Mr. Liu, two old foxes, suddenly together? It was known that Zhang Hualing had always been wary of Mr. Liu for some reason, and Mr. Liu had never been fond of Zhang Hualing.

Xu Qingfan frowned slightly and felt like something very important was about to happen.

As Xu Qingfan thought about why Mr. Liu and Zhang Hualing had called for him, he followed the Jiuhua disciple slowly toward Mr. Liu’s courtyard. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and stopped in his tracks, laughing softly as he patted his head.

Xu Qingfan suddenly realized that he had so many things on his mind that he had forgotten something very important.

That was Zhang Hualing’s Soul Bead and the green slip where Xu Qingfan recorded Zhang Hualing’s situation and the ways to deal with it. He had entrusted these two items to Jin Qinghan because he didn’t know if he could survive the Blood Valley Trial. However, Jin Qinghan had given them to Li Yuhan in order to save Xu Qingfan.

Yet, Xu Qingfan had completely forgotten to ask Li Yuhan for these two items. This kind of carelessness was truly unforgivable.

It seems that Li Yuhan, busy with his own matters, might have forgotten to return them to Xu Qingfan as well.

"After discussing matters with the Sect Master and Mr. Liu, I must first go to Li Yuhan and get those two items back. There are too many important things involved. Knowing Li Yuhan’s character, I’m not worried about him peeking at the green slip; I’m just afraid he mistakenly thought I was dead and saw the secrets of the green slip. That would be troublesome. But in our recent meetings, he hasn’t shown any unusual behavior, so it should be fine. Besides, if he really had looked at the contents of the green slip, the stakes would be too high, and he would have returned those two items to me right away to clear himself of suspicion. Clearly, he has been too busy with various matters lately and doesn’t know what is in the green slip."

Xu Qingfan thought to himself and, without realizing it, he had already followed the Jiuhua disciple to the front of Mr. Liu’s courtyard.

Looking up, he found that the person he had been thinking about—Li Yuhan—was just coming out of Mr. Liu’s courtyard, as if he had just reported something to Zhang Hualing.

For all these years, Xu Qingfan had been in charge of all the big and small matters of Jiuhua, and whenever Li Yuhan had something to report, he always went to Xu Qingfan. However, considering that Xu Qingfan needed rest, Zhang Hualing had started to take charge of Jiuhua again during this time, and Li Yuhan began to report to Zhang Hualing once more.

When Li Yuhan saw Xu Qingfan outside the courtyard, he was momentarily surprised, and then a look of shame appeared on his face. He quickly walked in front of Xu Qingfan, bowed respectfully, and with a wry smile said, "Martial Uncle Xu, the two items you entrusted to Martial Uncle Jin are with me. I’ve been so busy lately that I completely forgot about this. I hope you can forgive me."

Saying this, Li Yuhan handed the Soul Bead and the green slip to Xu Qingfan.

His tone and expression showed no signs of deceit, which made Xu Qingfan feel a little relieved inside.

But suddenly, looking at Li Yuhan’s clear and sincere eyes, Xu Qingfan felt a slight stir in his heart. He remembered how he had mentioned the importance of the green slip several times before. If it were anyone else, they would surely show curiosity when returning it, but didn’t Li Yuhan have even a hint of curiosity?

"Alright, thank you. Could you come to my room for a moment? We need to discuss some matters."

Xu Qingfan had a slight sense of unease in his heart, but he did not show it. He smiled calmly and said.

"Of course, as you wish."

Li Yuhan’s eyes remained clear and sincere. Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, he didn’t hesitate at all and nodded in agreement.

Xu Qingfan nodded, waved at the guiding Jiuhua disciple, and then knocked on the door to enter.

In the courtyard, Mr. Liu was sitting with Zhang Hualing at a small table, drinking tea and chatting. Little Gold, who had not been seen for a long time, was happily running around in front of them, seeming to have endless energy.

"May I ask why the Sect Master and the senior called me here?"

After bowing to show respect, Xu Qingfan asked.

"The reason we called you here is mainly to discuss three things that are very important to you," Mr. Liu looked Xu Qingfan up and down, then spoke slowly.

"First," Mr. Liu pointed at Little Gold rolling on the ground, his voice serious, "is the issue of Little Gold."