Chapter 228: Chapter 117: Two Mysterious Guests

Mountain Peak Dojo.

Half an hour after Yang Hou’s departure, Wang Ping met the so-called steward of the Jimin Association, a man surnamed Liu. He was a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, but surprisingly, on his head was the crown of a Xia Dynasty military general. Judging from the pattern, it signified a fourth-rank official. A military officer of this rank was a major figure in Nanlin Road.

"Greetings, Daoist Changqing. May you have infinite blessings." Steward Liu performed a Taoist Family fist-and-palm salute.

"General Liu, you look unfamiliar. I haven’t seen you before." Wang Ping addressed him by his military officer status.

"I have been stationed in Fuming Prefecture, awaiting orders." Steward Liu stood respectfully before Wang Ping, bowed again, and said, "How could we rustic villagers ever be worthy of your esteemed notice?"

His words carried a hint of sarcasm, and a very obvious one at that. He was mocking Wang Ping for being high and mighty.

"Don’t you find it ridiculous to say such a thing while wearing that crown?" Wang Ping wasn’t angry; instead, he watched the other man with great interest.

"You’ve misunderstood me."

Steward Liu explained unhurriedly, "What I mean is, as a Daoist devoted to the Path, you would naturally not be moved by worldly people and worldly affairs."

"Did you come here specifically to discuss the Path of Worldly Life with me, General?" Wang Ping asked.

"You understand the Path of Worldly Life as well, Daoist?" Steward Liu’s counter-question was strange, and exceedingly rude.

Wang Ping extended his hand. Yu Lian spun out from his sleeve and circled around him. "If you continue to be so vague with your next topic, then there’s no need for us to continue this conversation."

"Isn’t cultivation just about entering the world and transcending it?"

"Show him out!"

With a wave of his hand, Wang Ping sent a stream of Wood Spirit Qi that pushed Steward Liu clean out of the garden gate. With a CLANG, the garden gate slammed shut.

Steward Liu seemed to be in a daze.

"General Liu, please follow me!"

A young attendant to the side gestured for Steward Liu to follow, then walked ahead to lead the way.

Steward Liu snapped out of it, but his face showed no signs of anger. He simply smiled and followed the attendant. Half an hour later, he walked out of the main gate of Qianmu Mountain.

Fifteen minutes later, he appeared in a teahouse in the town at the foot of the mountain.

He walked to an empty seat at the very front of the main hall and sat down, his gaze fixed on a grandfather-granddaughter duo performing on the stage. The grandfather played the erhu, his music steady yet progressive, while the granddaughter’s singing was melodious and her appearance exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

"How did it go?" a young man in ornate clothing asked from beside him.

"It’s quite pleasant. If this were Fuming Prefecture, the young master of the Liu Family would have snatched this girl away within an hour." Steward Liu picked up the still-warm tea from the adjacent table and took a sip.

The young man in ornate clothing turned his head, revealing a delicate and handsome face. He looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, but his gray eyes were somewhat vacant, much like an old man’s. He wore a Scholar’s hair crown.

"What do you think of him?"

Steward Liu seemed engrossed in the music. Only after the melody’s high-pitched segment passed did he speak. "Whenever I heard people mention Daoist Changqing of Qianmu Temple, the most common thing they’d say was that he used the Taiyan Talisman to break through two realms within a century. I thought his divine soul would be highly unstable, or even if it were stable, that he would have lost his humanity."

"But seeing him just now, I found that wasn’t the case at all. His divine soul is stable, and he hasn’t lost his humanity. Personally, I believe that if the Xiao Shan Lord fails, he is the most likely person in the south to be promoted to Lord. The likes of Zi Luan and Xiu Yu are nothing but dust in the annals of history."

The young man said sarcastically, "Your flattery is useless. He didn’t use a Wood Spirit to track you. He’s confident that we’ll go looking for him again."

Hearing this, Steward Liu glanced around before smiling. "What I just said was true. I’ve met both Xiu Yu and Zi Luan, but I can’t sense any light in their future. This Daoist Changqing is different. It’s as if I can see a bright light shining down upon him."

"He really isn’t monitoring you," the young man explained again, exasperated.

"And what I said is also true!" Steward Liu repeated firmly. The two men then looked at each other. At that moment, the performance on stage came to an end.

Then, the young man asked uncertainly, "Really?"

"Yes!"

The two remained silent for the next fifteen minutes. When a brother and sister pair took the stage, Steward Liu asked, "Was what you said earlier also true?"

"Of course!"

They fell silent again for a good while, seemingly listening to the music. After the song ended, the young man said, "In that case, I’ll go back tomorrow to apologize."

"I reckon now would be the most suitable time."

"Why?"

"A feeling!"

The young man was silent for over ten breaths, then decisively stood up and walked toward the teahouse entrance. In less than fifteen minutes, he reached the main gate of Qianmu Mountain, where he respectfully submitted a formal letter of apology.

The disciple guarding the gate looked the young man up and down for a moment before leaving him with two words, "Wait here," and dispatching someone to rush up the mountain with the letter.

The wait lasted for three hours. Just as the sky was about to turn dark, an Inner Sect Disciple finally came down, but he didn’t even have a reply in his hand.

"The Grand Master requests your presence..."

「Half an hour later.」

By the time the young man walked up to the Mountain Peak Dojo, the sky had turned completely dark. A faint glow emanated from the Spiritual Qi within the garden, providing just enough light to see the path.

The young man respectfully followed the guiding attendant to the outside of a small courtyard. Bathed in the faint light of an oil lamp from within, he met the gaze of Wang Ping, who was seated beside a stone table.

"I believe we’ve met," Wang Ping said, breaking the silence.

"Greetings, Daoist Changqing. You have a good memory, Daoist. This humble Daoist is Guan Xi. I once served briefly as a clerk in the Daoist Scripture Hall of Jinhuai Prefecture for two years."

"You were overqualified for that." Wang Ping sized up Guan Xi. The power inside the young man’s body was immense and peculiar, giving Wang Ping the feeling that he was constantly being watched.

"Daoist, you should learn some manners when you’re in someone else’s territory, understand?" Yu Lian’s voice drifted down from the quiet eaves of the roof.

"My apologies, but this power is not under my control." Guan Xi gave a fist-and-palm salute.

"It seems that’s really the case. How interesting." Yu Lian landed beside Wang Ping, her pair of vertical pupils staring curiously at Guan Xi. "What did you fuse with?"

"I haven’t fused with anything. Rather, it was bestowed upon me."

"Bestowed... a word that sets the mind wandering. Who bestowed it upon you?"

"Naturally, the omnipotent Saint."

"Interesting."

Wang Ping was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Guan Xi to say it so openly.

Guan Xi was quite satisfied with Wang Ping’s surprise. He smiled and said, "Everyone in this world worships the Saints and envies their omnipotent abilities..."

"Do all of you love to show off like this?" Yu Lian voiced Wang Ping’s inner thoughts.

"My apologies for giving you that impression. In that case... let’s talk about something serious now. For instance... the two insane Star Gods that are currently troubling you, Fellow Daoist."

Wang Ping stared at Guan Xi and said, "Your calling cards all mentioned Fellow Daoist Dan Chen. And you... are different from him, even though he did something that infuriated me. So, if you truly have a clue, you might as well tell me. Otherwise, don’t disturb my moon-gazing."