Volume 4 Chapter 77

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Volume 4 Chapter 77: Old Acquaintance

Originally, the bodyguards in the general’s palace each had their own duties, so even though Xu Qingfan had taken on Wang Wei’s appearance, he couldn’t penetrate deep into the general’s palace.

However, Xu Qingfan didn’t have such concerns. He had disguised himself as Wang Wei merely to evade detection by an unknown cultivator in the Fake Golden Core Stage. So when Xu Qingfan encountered other patrolling soldiers, he either became invisible or accelerated, stealthily making his way into the deepest part of the general’s palace.

Inside the brightly lit hall of the general’s palace, it was evident that Bai Lianye and the others were discussing matters. Xu Qingfan hesitated for a moment, then prepared to go invisible and sneak in, but suddenly saw a scholar in white heading towards the hall. This scholar clearly held a very important position in the general’s palace; as soon as he appeared, several bodyguards respectfully approached him.

Witnessing this scene, Xu Qingfan had a slight idea and revealed himself, joining the scholar in white from behind. When they saw Xu Qingfan, the other bodyguards were slightly puzzled, not knowing why "Wang Wei" was there. However, the soldiers assumed he was with the scholar, so they didn’t pay much attention, and the scholar thought Xu Qingfan was one of the hall’s original guards, so he didn’t mind either. After saluting the scholar along with the other bodyguards, Xu Qingfan confidently walked toward the hall.

"General, Counsellor Liu has arrived."

Before entering the hall, a bodyguard knocked on the door and announced.

"Please let Counsellor Liu come in."

Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed in the hall, causing Xu Qingfan to pause slightly. Naturally, the only one who could respond at this moment was Bai Lianye himself. Xu Qingfan had assumed that since Bai Lianye possessed the bloodline of the fierce beast Qiongqi, and given his reputation in the mortal world for ferocity, his voice, even if not harsh, would be rough. Yet, to his surprise, it was so gentle.

As Bai Lianye’s voice fell, Counsellor Liu barged in unceremoniously, while the other guards respectfully closed the door and stood silently three yards away from the hall.

Xu Qingfan stood alongside the other guards three yards away from the hall. They all assumed Xu Qingfan was waiting for Counsellor Liu, so no one questioned him.

Thus, Xu Qingfan stood outside the hall, using his Divine Sense to carefully observe everything inside.

Once Counsellor Liu entered the hall, Bai Lianye hurriedly asked, "Counsellor Liu, have you found the gentleman?"

Counsellor Liu replied, "No, none of the patrol soldiers throughout the city have seen any trace of the gentleman. Earlier, I waited at his room, hoping for an audience, but after waiting for half an hour, there was no response. I’m afraid he’s not in his room either."

Hearing this, Bai Lianye sighed slightly, with a hint of anxiety in his voice, muttering, "Could it be that the gentleman is going to leave me like this?"

An elderly voice then sounded in the hall, slowly saying, "The general has always treated the gentleman as an honored guest, showing great respect every day. How could the gentleman leave the general? The general worries too much."

Bai Lianye responded, "Elder Zhang, you don’t know. Many days ago, the gentleman expressed his intention to leave. It was only with my earnest persuasion that he stayed until now. However, he has been disappearing more frequently, sometimes for three or five days, sometimes for ten days or half a month. I truly fear that one day he will leave and never return."

Counselor Liu comforted, "General, there’s no need to worry. Given the gentleman’s character, if he were to leave, he would certainly be honest and inform us. We could then find a way to persuade him to stay."

Bai Lianye sighed softly.

After a moment, Bai Lianye said, "I just don’t understand why the gentleman has vanished so often lately. We searched hundreds of miles around Fencheng City but still couldn’t find a trace. When we asked him why, he was unwilling to answer. Yet, he looked increasingly worried. Could he have encountered some trouble?"

The elder reassured, "General, you’re overthinking it. Considering the gentleman’s extraordinary abilities, although he is blind, who in this world could really trouble him?"

Bai Lianye replied, "The gentleman isn’t the only one with extraordinary abilities; most of them simply choose to live in seclusion. When I was young, an old sage once took me away…"

Saying this, Bai Lianye seemed reluctant to continue. After a pause, he added, "Do you all remember how I met the gentleman? He was severely injured, likely wounded by those with similar abilities. It’s possible that his recent disappearances are to avoid enemies with similar skills. In that sense, forcing him to stay might be a burden to him. We might even get caught up in his troubles."

Hearing Bai Lianye’s words, a silence fell over the hall.

After a long pause, Elder Zhang slowly asked, "General, are you suggesting we no longer try to keep the gentleman with us?"

Bai Lianye firmly stated, "Of course, we should try to keep him. The gentleman has helped us greatly over the years. Even with his extraordinary abilities, he is alone and has a disability, making it difficult for him to travel. It is best if we continue to care for him. I’m just frustrated that I am unable to repay the gentleman for all his help when he faces difficulties."

As Bai Lianye’s voice faded, sighs echoed through the hall, followed by a heavy silence.

Outside the hall, Xu Qingfan also fell into deep thought as the voices inside subsided.

From the words of Bai Lianye and others when they arrived, it seemed that the "sir" they mentioned must be the Fake Golden Core Stage cultivator sensed earlier. He must have been quite an impressive figure or a complete hypocrite to earn Bai Lianye and his men’s admiration.

Xu Qingfan leaned towards the latter, believing it challenging to deceive someone like Bai Lianye.

As the situation unfolded, Xu Qingfan began to piece together the mystery. The so-called "sir" had somehow offended certain cultivators, likely including "Liuhe Gate," based on the corpse of a "Liuhe Gate" disciple found earlier. This sir hid within Bai Lianye’s army to evade pursuit but was discovered recently, prompting thoughts of escape.

Contemplating this, Xu Qingfan devised a plan to gain Bai Lianye’s favor by helping the sir with his troubles. From Bai Lianye’s words, it seemed he was a man who repaid kindness. By helping the sir, Xu Qingfan could request permission to take Bai Lianye’s descendants for cultivation, and Bai Lianye might agree.

The main hurdle was that if "Liuhe Gate," the newly ascended Holy Land, was involved, Xu Qingfan doubted his capability to assist.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan recalled Bai Lianye mentioning the sir’s blindness and sensed a familiarity in the individual’s Spirit Qi. The thought occurred to him, "Could that sir possibly be him?"

While Xu Qingfan pondered, a bodyguard excitedly ran from afar, coming before the hall to report loudly, "General, I have something to report."

"Come in," Bai Lianye said, his voice carrying an extra touch of authority.

The guard entered the hall and promptly reported to Bai Lianye, "General, just now, the gentleman has returned."

As the guard finished speaking, there was a flurry of chairs moving in the hall, as Bai Lianye and the others stood up.

"Quickly, take us to see the gentleman."

Footsteps echoed as a middle-aged scholar led a group through the hall, guided by the guard towards the inner courtyard of the general’s palace.

Xu Qingfan was slightly surprised and followed along with some other guards, full of curiosity as he examined the middle-aged scholar.

Judging by the respect shown by everyone, this middle-aged scholar was indeed Bai Lianye. His gentle demeanor was a stark contrast to his notorious reputation on the Shenzhou Continent, making Xu Qingfan doubt the truth of the rumors.

Beside Bai Lianye was an imposing elder, who was evidently the elder Bai Lianye mentioned. Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity, and suddenly sensed a familiar and uncanny presence from the elder, causing him to smile wryly.

"If the gentleman is who I think he is, then I’ve really run into quite a few familiar faces in the general’s palace this time."

Unexpectedly, Xu Qingfan sensed the life force of spirit insects nurtured by the "Spirit Purging Cult" emanating from the elderly man named Zhang. Seeing the familiar figure, Xu Qingfan realized this was the same old man, Zhang Long, who had persistently asked to become his apprentice after Xu Qingfan first descended the mountain.

Time flew by, and over fifty years had swiftly passed. The once-naive youth had now become an elderly man, while Xu Qingfan’s appearance remained unchanged, leaving Xu Qingfan with a sense of time being out of place.

As Xu Qingfan was lost in thought, everyone arrived at a simple and elegant cottage, where a young man with closed eyes was quietly enjoying tea in the courtyard.

Seeing this young man, Xu Qingfan was taken aback and thought to himself, "It is him, indeed."

This young man with closed eyes was Chou Xuan from the "Liuhe Gate," who had briefly crossed paths with Xu Qingfan during the Newcomer Comparison in the cultivation world.