Volume 5 Chapter 80
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Volume 5 Chapter 80: Greetings and Farewells, So Many Old Friends (Part 2)
After Deng Tianao entered the room, Zhang Ningmei came out of her room. Thinking Deng Tianao was an old friend of Xu Qingfan’s, she made a cup of tea for both of them and then quietly left.
But after inviting Deng Tianao into the room, Xu Qingfan regretted it.
For a whole half-hour, Deng Tianao kept talking to Xu Qingfan about various principles. If Xu Qingfan didn’t know about Deng Tianao’s character, he would almost see him as a righteous defender.
Deng Tianao first looked back at the efforts and sacrifices of the righteous people in the cultivation world during the catastrophe. Then he described how powerful the evil forces were during that time, and began to talk about how, in his view, righteous cultivators should respond to such situations, emphasizing the importance of unity among righteous cultivators and citing many historical facts.
Finally, after half an hour, Deng Tianao gently took a sip from the seventh cup of tea that Zhang Ningmei had poured. He then summarized, "So, in times like this, honest people should set aside past disputes, grudges, and right or wrong, and unite to face the disaster. Because, as you, Taoist Friend Xu, said before, judging from various signs, the ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’ is just the beginning of the disaster."
After a pause, Deng Tianao glanced at Xu Qingfan and slowly said, "Taoist Friend Xu, I know that seventy years ago during the Newcomer Comparison, you and I had many conflicts. But now, we should put the past behind us and face future troubles together. What do you think, Taoist Friend Xu?"
"Of course, I will not mention the events of that year again until the disaster is over," Xu Qingfan replied with a faint smile. However, he sighed inside and felt that the current Deng Tianao was truly hypocritical. Why didn’t you say this sooner? What was the use of all the meaningless words before? It was indeed a waste of Zhang Ningmei’s seven cups of good tea.
Deng Tianao’s last sentence mentioned "putting aside the past," not "putting aside past conflicts." This means that during the disaster, he and Xu Qingfan agreed not to trouble each other, but he also hoped that Xu Qingfan would not mention the ‘Purple Womb Car’ incident again during this time.
In fact, even if Deng Tianao did not say it, Xu Qingfan would not bring it up either. After going through so much, Xu Qingfan’s innocence and impulsiveness from back then were already hidden deep in his heart. He naturally understood that this was not the time to mention past events.
After assuring Deng Tianao three times to put him at ease, Xu Qingfan politely sent Deng Tianao out of the room. Satisfied with the reassurances, Deng Tianao left happily.
Just as Xu Qingfan closed the door and returned inside, another voice came from outside the courtyard.
"Taoist Friend Xu, it has been many years; may I inquire about your well-being?"
The voice was still familiar, but Xu Qingfan could not remember who it was. He did not want to be impolite, so he hurried outside to open the gate and found five disciples from the "Qingxu Gate" standing there, all smiling and looking at Xu Qingfan, their eyes full of admiration for his progress in cultivation over the years.
The five people were Lv Ziqing, Shang Nianyao, Xu Xiurong, and Hou Wanjun, who had fought alongside Xu Qingfan in the Southern Wasteland. Behind them stood Hua Xian, a kind-looking middle-aged man with a wise gaze, who had met Xu Qingfan during the Newcomer Comparison as the leader of Qingxu Gate.
Old friends meet, and there is joy and sharing. Lu Ziqing was still as carefree and talkative as ever, while Shang Nianyao remained silent. Of course, Shang Nianyao was born mute, so his silence was expected. I thought that after all these years, Xu Xiurong would have changed her shy ways, but she still blushed easily. As for Hou Wanjun, he remained quite reserved; he was the only one among them who had not reached the Condensed Core Stage and looked much older compared to the others.
Although everyone had changed a little, and each had familiar shadows, they had all faced different opportunities over the years. Nevertheless, they were friends who had once experienced life and death together, and the joy on their faces upon reuniting, free from any conflicts of interest, was genuine.
Hua Xian stood aside with a warm smile, his face full of the kindness of an older brother. By the way, back in those days, Hua Xian had the highest cultivation among all the sects in the Newcomer Comparison, and he still held that position now, with only Jin Qinghan from Jiuhua able to compare to him.
After a lively conversation, Xu Qingfan finally learned about the experiences of Lv Ziqing and the others over the years.
It turned out that when Liu Ziqing launched the Qingxu Rebellion to imprison Immortal Zizhen and frame Qinglingzi, Lu Ziqing and the others did not believe Liu Ziqing’s words. After failing to rescue Qinglingzi, they had to follow Bao Wei and hide in a secret place, hiding away for twenty years. Although they heard that Qinglingzi had regained control of the sect, they were too scared it might be Liu Ziqing’s trick to dare believe it. It wasn’t until later, when Qinglingzi personally descended the mountain to search for them, that they were brought back to Qingxu Gate.
Over the years, Lv Ziqing and the others fought alongside the Righteous Alliance against the Eight Wilderness Hall, facing various challenges. Lv Ziqing even stumbled upon an incredibly powerful magical ability during a battle; although he almost died, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Hearing their tale, Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback and looked at Xu Xiurong. She couldn’t help but blush and lower her head, her shy demeanor making Xu Qingfan feel awkward. He couldn’t imagine how someone as gentle as Xu Xiurong had participated in such fierce and cruel battles during the calamity. Knowing Xu Xiurong’s nature, she must have received considerable help from Lu Ziqing and Hua Xian to survive until now.
As the conversation reached its peak, Xu Qingfan suddenly thought of something and asked, "By the way, where is Bao Wei? I haven’t seen him this time at Qingxu Gate."
Hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, everyone on the field suddenly froze, then their expressions turned dim. Finally, Hua Xian replied, "Master Bao was captured by someone from the ‘Eight Wilderness Hall’ three years ago during a battle."
Xu Qingfan’s heart trembled, and he couldn’t help but sigh sadly. He then turned to look at Hou Wanjun. Xu Qingfan clearly remembered that even though Hou Wanjun was Master Bao’s student, there were many conflicts between them. Hou Wanjun remained silent in front of Master Bao, and Master Bao could only sigh in helplessness. However, when talking about Master Bao’s capture now, Hou Wanjun became even more silent, and his earlier stubbornness seemed to have faded a little.
This conversation lasted for two whole hours. Although it was much longer than his talk with Deng Tianao, Xu Qingfan didn’t feel the same boredom and restlessness as before. Perhaps this was the difference between a true friend’s conversation and false politeness.
As he sent Lv Ziqing, Xu Xiurong, and others outside, he noticed Chou Xuan standing there with a faint smile, seeming to have been waiting for a long time.
Seeing the sky start to lighten, Xu Qingfan sighed, realizing that his plan to quietly cultivate during the night had completely fallen through.
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After sending away Lv Ziqing and the others, and welcoming Chou Xuan into the room, they both sat down. Perhaps Xu Qingfan did not want to speak because he had already talked too much with Lv Ziqing and others. Or perhaps he didn’t want to hear anything more after Deng Tianao’s lengthy words, so he sat quietly sipping tea.
Xu Qingfan had a special feeling about Chou Xuan. He admired Chou Xuan’s calm demeanor and his great determination in practicing the "Great Method of Heaven and Earth." There was a time when Xu Qingfan wanted to be friends with him. But gradually, he realized that Chou Xuan was not the kind of friend suitable for him. He was too skilled at being patient, too deep-minded, and too rational. Perhaps he was a suitable ally, but definitely not a suitable friend. Especially when Chou Xuan decided to cooperate with Deng Tianao, Xu Qingfan felt deeply disappointed.
Because of this expectation, Xu Qingfan could handle Deng Tianao’s insincerity, but when facing Chou Xuan, he found he had nothing to say and didn’t know how to be polite. Moreover, with Chou Xuan’s rational sensitivity, any politeness would mean nothing to him.
In the end, it was Chou Xuan who spoke first.
"Did Deng Tianao come here before?"
Xu Qingfan nodded silently.
Then, there was another moment of silence.
Chou Xuan looked at Xu Qingfan’s silence and suddenly smiled slightly, asking, "You must look down on me for compromising with Deng Tianao back then, right?"
At that moment, Xu Qingfan finally understood. Since he had decided not to truly connect with Chou Xuan, what would it hurt to be a little polite? So he smiled gently and said, "Of course not, that’s a matter for your school. I have no reason to think anything of you because of that."
Seeing the smile on Xu Qingfan’s face, Chou Xuan seemed even more certain. After a brief silence, he suddenly spoke, "At that time, ‘Liuhe Gate’ was almost completely controlled by ‘Eight Wilderness Hall.’ To free ‘Liuhe Gate’ from their control, I had to go back, especially since my master was in his hands. I could only listen to him."
Hearing Chou Xuan’s explanation, Xu Qingfan was momentarily surprised.
※※※※
After sending Chou Xuan away, it was already early morning, and Xu Qingfan’s plan for rest had indeed fallen apart as he had expected.
This time Chou Xuan came to see Xu Qingfan seeking cooperation again, but Xu Qingfan kindly refused him. Perhaps Chou Xuan had a difficult reason for doing so, but Xu Qingfan did not want Chou Xuan to betray him in the future because of those troubles. Moreover, Xu Qingfan now represented Jiuhua. Who knew if Chou Xuan was sent by Deng Tianao as a test because of his hardships?
With a slight sigh, Xu Qingfan suddenly realized that after a night of coming and going, he had met so many people, even though he usually kept to himself.
Pushing open the door, Xu Qingfan planned to finish his last cup of tea and then leave "Ronghua Mountain" to report the results of his exploration to Zhang Hualing in Jiuhua. However, when he entered the room, what he saw surprised him.
He saw Immortal Zizhen and Mr. Liu, who he had seen during the day, suddenly appeared in his room, calmly drinking the tea that Zhang Ningmei had made. Zhang Ningmei looked at Xu Qingfan, her eyes filled with confusion.
