Chapter 379

Chapter 379: The Whereabouts of the Required Things

As Lou Yun listened, his entire face remained utterly expressionless, as though hearing a story with no relation to him. Yet, in truth, a blazing fire of rage burned fiercely in his heart. This Duan Wentian had sunk to absolute depths of wickedness!

Compared to Lou Yun’s calmness, the countenance of Wen Zhi Lao Ren appeared much more agitated. But he couldn’t be blamed for that; having just returned from the brink of death, anyone would struggle to remain composed!

"My brother, what origin does this Duan Wentian truly have? At such a young age, he is already treacherous to this level! Dwelling beside me, living with me for such a lengthy period, he never once exposed a single chink in his armor. He must have plotted meticulously to acquire my possessions. If I hadn’t intended to enter seclusion, he would likely have continued to hide, playing his long game. Truly terrifying! Utterly terrifying!"

Despite Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s age and vast experience, now that Duan Wentian was mentioned, intertwined with fury and hatred, an inescapable sliver of chilling dread trickled through his heart!

"Oh, and another thing, my brother. Not only did Duan Wentian conceal his personality and intentions with extreme depth, he even hid his true cultivation level! If he truly had been merely a primary magical weapons master, even if he placed his palm upon me and began siphoning my spiritual energy, I could have risked damage to my magical weapon to force him back. Yet at that moment, my body was entirely suppressed by his power; I could do nothing at all! Plus, with the final blow he dealt me, which directly shattered my magical weapon, I surmise his true realm with the magical weapon is, at minimum, no lower than mine!"

"Heaven only knows how many people he has harmed to cultivate to such a state!" Wen Zhi Lao Ren spat out resentfully.

Lou Yun nodded gently. "Senior, rest assured, I will absolutely not let him get away with this!"

"My brother, you must not call me ‘Senior’! If you hold any regard for me, simply call me ‘old brother’!" Wen Zhi Lao Ren waved his hand urgently. "But this sort of person must be eliminated sooner rather than later! Otherwise, more people will die at his hands in the future. Ah, and when you later see him, you absolutely must not be deceived by his performance again!"

A faint smile touched Lou Yun’s lips, yet it contained not the slightest warmth—only sharp, piercing killing intent. "If he manages to fool me again… then I might as well kill myself to apologize to the world!"

"Alas!" Wen Zhi Lao Ren shook his head. "What a bitter loss—all my precious things, utterly plundered by him!"

"As long as one lives, that is what matters. Everything else is mere trifles." Lou Yun could only offer such solace.

"Hmm!" Wen Zhi Lao Ren suddenly clapped his hand to his forehead. "Look at me, entirely preoccupied with that wretched thief to the point of forgetting the essential matter! Young friend, you surely didn’t encounter me by pure coincidence? I imagine you sought me out for a reason. Ah, and this young lady, she is likely your…"

Lou Yun seamlessly picked up the thread: "Heh, she is my wife, Xia Zhilan. Little Lan, this is Wen Zhi Lao Ren."

Xia Zhilan swiftly stepped forward and executed a deep ceremonial bow. Wen Zhi Lao Ren hastily waved his hands. "No need for such formality, please! Alas, my sister-in-law, our first meeting calls for an initial gift from this older brother, yet under the circumstances…"

In this brief moment, Xia Zhilan had been addressed as ‘sister-in-law’ once again!

Perceiving the old man’s discomfited expression, the intelligent Xia Zhilan immediately spoke up: "Old brother, this time, Brother Yun has matters requiring your aid. Should you be able to assist him, that would be the best greeting gift I could ever receive!"

Hearing this, Wen Zhi Lao Ren gave Xia Zhilan a thumbs-up of approval, though his gaze shifted fully onto Lou Yun. "My brother! With such a wife as this, what more could a man desire?"

Compliments directed at Xia Zhilan naturally filled Lou Yun with great pleasure as well. He laughed heartily. "Old brother, you flatter too much! Indeed, I came seeking your esteemed counsel for a matter."

"Speak it!" Wen Zhi Lao Ren gestured freely with his hand.

"I wish to inquire into the whereabouts of two objects and the locations of three families."

"What objects? Which families?"

"The two objects are the Night Spirit Flower and the rootless tree. The three families are the Jin surname family, the Mu surname family, and the Huo surname family."

Wen Zhi Lao Ren cast a rather peculiar glance at Lou Yun. Indeed, the items and family lineages Lou Yun sought information on were exceptionally rare and unexpected for anyone to investigate.

However, Wen Zhi Lao Ren refrained from asking the reason. Instead, he stroked his beard, seemingly musing to himself, and sank into deep contemplation. Lou Yun stood nearby, his heart tensing in tandem. He feared that should Wen Zhi Lao Ren lack the knowledge too, then he would be left utterly without clues, forced to search as if dredging a needle from the vast sea!

After a long while, Wen Zhi Lao Ren finally spoke. "My brother, though others call me ‘All-Knowing’, in truth, under heaven, there exists no person who knows all things. It is simply that my experience and insights surpass others a little more."

Upon hearing these humble words, Lou Yun felt his heart gradually sink towards his dantian. A sudden shift to modesty often meant certain matters remained unknown to the speaker.

Indeed, Wen Zhi Lao Ren continued: "Regarding the two objects you mentioned just now, I only know the whereabouts of one. As for the precise locations of those three families… I don’t know a single one. However…" he trailed off meaningfully, "I have encountered individuals bearing those surnames in several locations. Should you have the time, you might try your fortune searching there. But I offer no guarantee that they are necessarily the very families you seek!"

This speech caused Lou Yun’s heart, which had plummeted nearly to his dantian, to slowly rise back up. Though Wen Zhi Lao Ren was not omniscient in this matter, possessing such leads was already immensely valuable. Concerning those folks bearing the Jin, Huo, and Mu surnames—while not definitively the members of the Five Elements Families he sought—the surnames Huo and Mu were relatively rare; possibly they were the ones. It wasn’t entirely impossible!

"Additionally… though I know the rootless tree’s whereabouts, whether you can locate it… truly, it is difficult to say with certainty!"

"Why?" Lou Yun was inwardly puzzled. Knowing its whereabouts yet possibly failing to find it—how could that be?

"Above the Northern Sea floats an island. What is meant by a ‘floating island’ is that this landmass, unlike regular islands fixed in one location, drifts upon the ocean’s surface, shifting its position with the currents."

Lou Yun couldn’t help but gape. Did Spirit Weapon Star harbor such strange places?

"Upon this floating island lies a small pool. Its waters are clear, sweet, and fresh—definitely not sea water. Right at the center of this pool grows a large tree. Just like the floating island itself, its roots dangle within the water, not anchored in soil. Yet, unlike the drifting island, the tree stubbornly remains stationary in one spot, an anomaly. That is the rootless tree you seek. Well then? Do you understand now why knowing its location is no guarantee you can actually find it?"

Lou Yun smiled bitterly and nodded. Both the floating island and the rootless tree utterly surpassed his comprehension.

Though Lou Yun had never visited the Northern Sea, he could well imagine it was as vast and boundless as the Eastern or Southern Seas. To locate a drifting island perpetually changing position within that immense expanse… was certainly no simple task. Although—compared to searching for a needle in the ocean—looking for an island offered marginally better prospects.

Wen Zhi Lao Ren continued: "For the three surname groups… I encountered individuals named Jin relatively more frequently. I’ll later write down the place names for you. For the Huo surname, I saw traces near the Southern Sea Volcanic Island. Those bearing the Mu name… I encountered close to Baihua City."

"Baihua City?" The name seemed faintly familiar to Lou Yun.

Wen Zhi Lao Ren smiled knowingly. "It feels familiar, doesn’t it? But I suspect you’ve actually heard of Baihua Residence, not Baihua City!"

"Ah!" Lou Yun instantly recalled. Baihua Residence was a sect exclusively accepting female disciples, renowned throughout Spirit Weapon Star, virtually a household name. Yet further recollection struck him: within the Thousand Layer Cave, he had witnessed five individuals from the past who battled Gui You Quan; among them, one called Wu Yang held the position of sect master at Baihua Residence!

Wen Zhi Lao Ren clearly made the same connection: "Since you emerged from the Thousand Layer Cave, it stands to reason you must have encountered Elder Wu Yang? She is the sect master of Baihua Residence!"

"Indeed, yes. I met Sister Wu, Old Brother Ao, and the others," Lou Yun acknowledged with a nod.

"Sister Wu? Old Brother Ao?"

The muscles on Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s face visibly twitched. He certainly understood the two figures Lou Yun casually referenced must be Wu Yang and Ao Wushen from the legendary Five Great Masters. Yet these very individuals to whom even he would respectfully refer as ‘Elder’, were addressed by Lou Yun simply as ‘Sister’ and ‘Old Brother’…

But recollection swiftly followed. Lou Yun had previously mentioned his sworn second brother was Beichen Ming. Given that, it seemed less surprising he shared such familiar relations with Wu Yang and Ao Wushen. Wen Zhi Lao Ren felt greatly relieved now; he had chosen not to posture before Lou Yun, instead accepting him as a younger brother equal to himself.

Wen Zhi Lao Ren rubbed his hands together, an expression overflowing with awkwardness spreading across his face. "Well, uh… my brother… frankly speaking… this humble person has a penchant for gathering rare knowledge and curious tidings. I’m exceedingly curious… regarding your previous journey into the Thousand Layer Cave… do you suppose… you could tell your senior brother here about it?"

"Of course!" Lou Yun readily agreed.

He then gave a concise account of the events within the Thousand Layer Cave, though he omitted the part about Gui You Quan forming the Soul Contract with him in the end. He only stated that Gui You Quan recognized his master, hence sparing him and the others.

Wen Zhi Lao Ren listened, shaking his head back and forth with rapt attention, repeatedly exclaiming "Spectacular!" throughout, punctuating his absorption with frequent clicks of admiration. "To think even Leng Cangqiong, the White-haired God of Death himself, appeared! Oh, my brother… had I only known earlier, I would have accompanied you! I’ve long revered Elder Leng! He resided upon the Great Snowfield for a time as well… but I dared not impose upon him. Thus, though he was within grasp, I never had the fortune to meet him. Then, for reasons unknown, the Elder departed suddenly… alas, what regret, such deep regret! It seems this wish of mine will go unfulfilled in this lifetime!"

Lou Yun smiled lightly. "You wish to meet my elder brother? That wish would be quite simple to fulfill. My esteemed elder brother currently resides on Divine Weapon Island, old brother. Should you be willing, you could depart to meet him immediately!"

"Your… your esteemed elder brother? Who is your esteemed elder brother?" Wen Zhi Lao Ren blinked rapidly, his eyes plainly betraying a state of utter stupefaction as he voiced the question—even though he surely knew the answer already!

"My elder brother is Leng Cangqiong, my second brother is Beichen Ming—I am the third."