Chapter 469
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 469: The Last Meeting
The tavern near the city gate in Yan City was always very popular.
Looking out from the entrance, one could see the city gate and the blurry seven words written above it.
"The killer is Qiao Sen from the Qiao family!"
These seven words were written in blood with a spear as the pen by Qiao Sen in the past.
Now, after two or three years, the blood had faded, but the markings were still clear, making it one of Yan City’s great attractions.
Many of the visitors here are actually martial artists from the rivers and lakes.
The tavern by the street is becoming more and more lively.
Qiao Mu did not go to the elegant second-floor room, but instead found a seat by the window in the bustling hall.
Looking out the window, he saw a crowd of tourists coming and going, much busier than the last time he visited.
At mealtime, a fat cat seemed to smell the food and quietly jumped out from the shadows, lying on the table to eat peanuts.
Qiao Mu did not disturb it; he just quietly grabbed a handful of peanuts while the cat was focused on eating.
This Yan City could be considered his hometown; when he first arrived, he and Qiao Canxue found an empty house to stay in.
On this return visit, Qiao Mu chose not to order the longevity noodles he usually enjoyed, but wanted to try something new.
"Waiter, do you have any new dishes that are not available anywhere else?"
"There really is, our restaurant’s new signature dish… here it is."
The waiter pointed to a corner of the menu, and the five words made Qiao Mu very curious.
"Hero Courage Soup? A signature dish that costs a hundred taels a bowl?"
Qiao Mu fell silent for a moment.
Friends who often eat human meat know that human hearts are bitter. This ingredient is fine for medicine, but to make soup with it, especially as a signature dish, that is a bit…
A bit intriguing.
"I’ll have a bowl."
"Sure thing."
…………………………………………………
After a moment, Qiao Mu looked at the bowl of pork liver soup on the table and fell into deep thought.
The taste was actually quite good, but he felt a bit inexplicably uneasy.
"Why is it pork liver? Is this a case of false advertising?"
"Hey, this is a proper restaurant; we wouldn’t dare use human organs…" the waiter said.
"Then where is the courage and spirit of this Hero Courage Soup?" Qiao Mu asked again.
"It’s over there," the waiter pointed to the main hall ahead.
There stood a handsome storyteller in a moon-white long robe, lightly tapping a folding fan, ready to share a tale:
"Today, I will tell you the story of the ‘Hero Courage Soup.’"
"That Childe Guo was an extraordinarily bold person. One day, he took the remains of the young centurion Qiao Mu and ordered his servants to carry the coffin into the outer city…"
"Does your Hero Courage Soup meal also come with storytelling?" Qiao Mu thought to himself.
He didn’t expect that the restaurant’s signature dish was centered around service.
Few people actually know the story behind the Hero Courage Soup.
The Childe Guo from that day, along with his servant who carried the coffin, had already been dealt with by him.
Besides him, only Qiao Canxue and Old Huang knew the truth; there should be no one else.
The former City Lord Guo had long since died, and the Guo family had fallen apart, so there was no need to worry about revenge.
The story is spreading now partly because it involves a member of the Qiao family and partly because the informant revealed it themselves.
"Did Old Huang let it slip?" Qiao Mu glanced down at the pig liver soup on the table.
He narrowed his eyes, watching all around him.
Sure enough, in another corner of the tavern hall, I saw a familiar figure.
"It seems that the Hero Courage Soup dish in this tavern is not a coincidence."
This person is Old Huang.
However, at this moment, Old Huang had not noticed Qiao Mu; he was fixedly looking at the handsome storyteller in a moon-white long robe in the hall.
This storyteller was not only handsome, but he also had a strong build unlike the usual weak tavern storytellers, standing like a steadfast pine tree.
Even though he wore a loose long robe, it could not hide his subtle elegance, which radiated a heroic spirit uncommon in a delicate scholar.
"You are…" Old Huang pointed at the storyteller, showing a clear expression of reminiscence, a bit hesitant:
"Are you the beautiful one that Childe Guo took before?"
As those words were spoken, there was an immediate uproar and laughter in the tavern.
But not long after, a female voice came from the corner.
"Jiang Lang?"
She was a beautiful woman wearing a hat and a veil, with a long sword at her waist, clearly another martial artist.
Although her face was hidden by the veil, her beauty could still be faintly seen.
The beautiful woman spoke.
The laughter in the restaurant hall gradually quieted down.
Qiao Mu remained silent and quietly observed.
"It seems that I am not the only one returning to this place."
The Storyteller Jiang Chen on the stage showed no change in expression.
Two and a half years ago, he traveled with Mei and happened to meet Childe Guo in Yan City.
Couples are like birds in the same forest; when trouble comes, they fly apart.
After that incident, although he escaped unharmed, he wrote a divorce letter and later stopped being a wandering hero to become a storyteller.
In this way, it has been exactly two and a half years.
"The broken relationship cannot be mended; what use is it for you to see me?"
He ignored the beautiful woman he hadn’t seen in a long time and simply smiled apologetically at the other patrons in the tavern.
"Old stories are not worth mentioning."
"What I’ll talk about today is not my story, but the story of Hero Courage Soup."
"Sir, we have all heard these stories before; can you tell us something fresher?" one of the patrons spoke up.
"Fresh? Why not talk about Qiao Shuangtu fighting against the five great Immortal Sect Leaders, becoming the unbeatable legend of the world?"
"Good! Let’s tell this story!"
The tavern guests were naturally excited.
This is the hottest tale in the martial world right now.
In the past, while the leaders of the martial arts were called the best in the world, there was always some exaggeration.
If there is one person among these martial artists who is the best in the world, then what about the cultivators?
Are they from heaven? Or are they celestial beings from beyond?
This is also the reason the Tide Listening Building’s Hero List has fallen into obscurity:
Once the legendary cultivators appeared in the world, debating who is first or second in the martial world seemed somewhat meaningless.
But this time was different.
The cultivator was still unreachable, but the presence of the Qiao family member slowly shattered the divine aura around the cultivator.
By today, the title of the world’s number one has truly been earned.
And Qiao Shuangtu’s name will, along with the stories of the Tide Listening Building storyteller, become an unprecedented leader in martial arts.
Jiang Chen actually liked to talk about the Qiao family member.
However, as he spoke this time, he felt a little uneasy in his heart.
Following his instincts, he scanned the surroundings and spotted Qiao Mu in a corner by the window, along with a fat cat resting on the table.
"But Senior Qiao Shuangtu in person?" the storyteller Jiang Chen asked with a trembling voice.
Qiao Mu had just lifted a glass, and at the words, his hand paused slightly.
"Yes." He did not deny it.
Suddenly, the hall of the tavern became lively.
The tales of martial arts are not enough to describe Qiao Shuangtu’s achievements.
Legends often tell of the heroes of the time, who, although remarkable, are many in every generation of martial artists.
Qiao Shuangtu’s feats, however, are beyond what anyone in the martial world could dream of; they belong only in the most absurd dreams, making him a person who created a legend in martial arts.
If there is a history of martial arts in Jiu Province, Qiao Shuangtu, who defeated the five great leaders of the Immortal Sect, will undoubtedly be remembered in the history books.
His achievements and name will not be confined to this generation of martial artists but will be passed down through the ages.
Therefore, the martial artists in the hall are so excited that they can hardly speak clearly.
At this moment, the attention of many eyes turned to Qiao Mu, making him lose interest in continuing to drink and eat.
He casually picked up the fat cat that had stuffed itself and collapsed on the table, and walked up the stairs step by step.
"Waiter, prepare a private room on the second floor."
"Yes, Senior Qiao!" As he brushed past Qiao Mu, the waiter instinctively straightened his back.
When he reached the top of the stairs, Qiao Mu lowered his head and glanced down at the crowd.
"Storyteller Jiang Chen, come join us for a drink in the private room."
"Me?" Jiang Chen looked a bit surprised and flattered.
"And also…" Qiao Mu’s gaze landed on Old Huang at the back of the crowd.
Old Huang, who was about to speak, ultimately held back his words and said softly:
"And Bai Qingsi’s father should come up as well."
Old Huang was clearly taken aback.
If we say that Tide Listening Building Storyteller Jiang Chen might have some connection with this living martial arts legend because of the Tide Listening Building…
What about him?
"It seems that my daughter, who entered Peach Blossom Villa, caught Senior Qiao Shuangtu’s attention."
Old Huang’s face turned slightly red; he followed Qiao Mu and Jiang Chen up the stairs.
He walked at the back, occasionally glancing at the drinking friends behind him, looking rather pleased.
……………………………………..
As they entered the second-floor private room, the smile on Old Huang’s face suddenly faded.
He was usually a friendly person who smiled widely with his big yellow teeth, but in front of the martial arts legend Qiao Shuangtu, he couldn’t help but feel a bit shy.
The storyteller Jiang Chen is also about the same.
"There’s no need to be formal, I just happened to pass by here and suddenly thought to ask you about something."
Qiao Mu looked down at the murky wine in his cup and softly said:
"In my Qiao family, there was a younger relative named Qiao Mu who died in this Yan City."
"Hearing the storyteller mention Qiao Mu’s story made me feel a bit emotional, which is why I called both of you up."
"I had no other reason, I just wanted to hear you both talk about my early-departed family member in Yan City."
"So that’s how it is…" Old Huang immediately felt relieved.
He didn’t think he had much ability to make Qiao Shuangtu remember him, but when it came to stories about past family members, he could easily share them.
In the past two or three years, as the fame of the Qiao family gradually spread throughout Jiu Province, he had already recalled these stories from memory hundreds of times:
"At first, Qiao Mu was a centurion in Yan City, and I was just a soldier under his command…."
Qiao Mu listened as Old Huang rambled on.
Most of the time, he did not interrupt; he just listened quietly and occasionally sipped a few drinks.
Like a true family elder, he listened to the silly stories his grandson shared about his younger days.
This time, returning to Yan City was quite simple for him.
When he first met Jiang Chen and Old Huang, his name was still Qiao Mu.
Seeing old friends from the past, the memories of those more than ten thousand years ago came flooding back, making him feel young again.
Back then, Yan City was like a small world of its own, and the strongest enemy he had ever faced was just the city lord, Guo Yan.
At that time, his world was still very small; the Immortal Gate and inhuman beings were legends he could barely see or understand.
And at that time, he was walking in the little world of Yan City, filled with the youthful spirit of a young man.
And now, he is called Qiao Shuangtu.
Between Qiao Mu and Qiao Shuangtu, he has many names, so many that he himself can hardly remember them all.
This Storyteller Jiang Chen, along with Old Huang, Qiao Mu had seen a few times after leaving Yan City.
But each time they met, it was always a different face, a different name, just like now.
From the perspective of Jiang Chen or Old Huang, every time they met, it was another unfamiliar member of the Qiao family.
Each meeting is the last time in life.
…………………………
After a satisfying meal and drink, the sun was already low in the sky.
The sunset painted the clouds red, and the orange evening glow flowed into the window, divided into several small pieces by the window frame.
Storyteller Jiang Chen and Old Huang both had flushed faces and were already asleep, resting on the table.
Meeting Qiao Shuangtu naturally made them feel a hidden excitement, and they naturally drank a bit too much.
Qiao Mu was not drunk; he stood up and looked at the crowd coming and going outside the window.
"This time should be their last meeting with Qiao Shuangtu."
"But I don’t know… if this will be my last meeting with them."
Many people in life have already had their last goodbye, never to meet again; at that moment, they may not realize it.
If he happened to meet Old Huang and Storyteller Jiang Chen, he would raise a glass and consider it the last time they would meet.
Next, he would set off on his journey, continuing on his unstoppable path in the world, like chasing the sun, pursuing every ending.
"It is time to begin."
Qiao Mu closed his eyes.
In Jiu Province, one by one, the sleeping flesh clones opened their eyes.
The true body was exhausted and near death, so the flesh clones naturally lost control and fell asleep.
Now that he had recovered, he would naturally continue with what he had not finished before.
"Let’s attack the five Immortal Gates."
Qiao Mu opened his eyes and looked at the leftovers on the table.
"Let me see which Immortal Gate has a backup, and if I can destroy one of my flesh clones…"
Qiao Mu was not choosing one from four or five options; that was too slow.
He prepared to fight all the Immortal Gates equally.
If there is an Immortal Gate that can defeat one of his flesh clones, they must have another plan and could earn his favor by visiting him to say thank you.
If they don’t even have the ability to kill one of his flesh clones… then there’s no need for that Immortal Gate to come.
Qiao Mu had a thought.
Far away in other states, the flesh clones all reacted together.
To remove the temples within the territory and attack the Celestial Sect, he wanted to repeat what he had done in Zhong Province once, twice, three times, four times!
