CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 47 THE TIME HAS COME

The small building on the mountainside, that was where Master Xuan Guang resided.

At this moment, Master Xuan Guang was receiving Song Fu, who had brought a message from Song Ziqi.

"Master Xuan Guang," Song Fu said respectfully, "the miss has sent me to deliver a message. Her identity has been discovered by the Six Gates. Do we need to take action now and seize Yang City?"

Seated in the Taishi Chair, Master Xuan Guang waved his hand dismissively. "I am already aware of the situation. Tell your young miss that such a trivial matter is of no consequence to the overall situation, and she need not worry."

"But..." Song Fu hesitated.

Master Xuan Guang simply said it was of no consequence but didn’t explain why, leaving Song Fu uncertain how to report back to the young miss. But since Master Xuan Guang worked directly with Lord Zhen Shan, even the young miss would have to pay respects as his junior, let alone Song Fu, a mere servant not in a position to question him.

In the end, Song Fu had no choice but to return, hoping that the young miss would understand his difficulty.

As he was about to leave, Song Fu caught sight of a pale-faced young man clutching his chest, anxiously waiting outside the door.

"Come in."

Master Xuan Guang’s voice came from inside, and Xiao Gao, not daring to delay, quickly stepped into the room and knelt on the ground, bowing his head without daring to look at Master Xuan Guang.

"Clink."

A small porcelain bottle rolled to a stop before Xiao Gao’s knees.

"Tong Hua’s Healing Elixir, which will quickly cure your internal injuries. I give you one day, just one day. By this time tomorrow, I want to see Qing Yu before me; otherwise, it will be your head that appears before me instead."

"Yes, sir," Xiao Gao said as he grabbed the porcelain bottle and, bowing, backed out of the room.

"Qing Yu..." Xiao Gao lifted his head, his eyes gleaming coldly, "You ignorant bastard, causing me such trouble. Once I capture you, I will make you wish for death you’ll be unable to achieve."

Inside the room, Master Xuan Guang, with his considerable power, naturally heard Xiao Gao’s harsh words.

"Useless." What’s the use of tough talk when you can only deal with the matter once you catch the person.

By now, Master Xuan Guang had lost interest in playing the game of pretense with Qing Yu. He had wanted to play along, hoping to tease out the whereabouts of the Zhenwu Sword. Now, Qing Yu must have realized his senior identity and his ill intent, otherwise, he wouldn’t have tipped off the Six Gates. On the other hand, with a significant event imminent, Master Xuan Guang no longer had spare energy to pay attention to this matter.

In that case, it was better to capture Qing Yu directly and use the Soul Searching Technique to extract his memories. Whether Qing Yu knew the location of the Zhenwu Sword or not, under the Soul Search, he would eventually become an imbecile. Whether he knew or not, by aiding Lord Zhen Shan in his rebellion, Qing Yu would certainly be expelled from the True Martial Dao Sect after the fact, seeking the Zhenwu Sword merely for a past whim.

What truly enraged Master Xuan Guang was Xiao Gao’s duplicitous actions, behaving arrogantly under Lord Zhen Shan’s protection and failing to surveil effectively, showing disrespect for Master Xuan Guang. And Qing Yu, this seemingly harmless rabbit, had dared to bite him. Although it didn’t injure him, it was an affront to his dignity.

On the other hand, Qing Yu, who was constantly on Master Xuan Guang and Xiao Gao’s minds, was also in distress.

Li Xin tirelessly and repeatedly tried to persuade Qing Yu, "Young master, please agree to Luo Yan’s proposal. The Six Gates are formidable and do not fear the True Martial Dao Sect. Why insist on sticking to your plan, the success of which remains uncertain?"

"The Six Gates can indeed withstand the True Martial Dao Sect. But the Six Gates don’t belong to Luo Yan’s family, even his master, one of the Four Great Divine Capturers, Lu Qifeng, is just one of the decision-makers. Above him is still a Divine Constable. I, a minor individual in the Postnatal Realm, why should the Six Gates risk offending the True Martial Dao Sect to protect me? The Zhenwu Sword, I have no idea where that broken sword is. Moreover, what use is the Zhenwu Sword to the Six Gates? To offend the True Martial Dao Sect on one hand and curry favor with the True Martial Dao Sect on the other?"

Suddenly standing up, Qing Yu looked directly at Li Xin and said, "My mind is made up, no need to persuade me further. After three years in Qing Province, I’ve come to understand that one’s fate must be in one’s own hands, for others are never as reliable as oneself."

"This... Alas," sighed Li Xin, knowing that no matter what he said, he would not be able to change Qing Yu’s mind.

After all, Qing Yu was right; the Six Gates would not offend the True Martial Dao Sect for the sake of one person. It was not worth it.

"Don’t worry about me. I will live, and I will live better than anyone else. You should think more of yourself; you owe me nothing now. From now on, you should live for yourself."

"Young master..." Tears filled Li Xin’s eyes.

"A grown man, yet crying, not unlike me, a youth," Qing Yu said with a light chuckle.

Li Xin quickly wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and laughed, "The young master’s every word and deed hardly resemble those of an underage youth. If all youths were like the young master, what place would there be for us adults?"

"One’s experience is not determined by one’s age. Some people remain child-like to old age without guile, while others exhaust every ounce of their mental power just to survive," Qing Yu remarked indifferently.

"You don’t seem like you’ve exhausted all your mental power," Li Xin commented.

"I didn’t say I was the latter..." Qing Yu replied.

"Chirp..."

A crane call came from the sky, carrying on the breeze, spreading throughout Yang City.

"Yay, uncle master, we’ve arrived, we’ve finally reached Yang City," Qingling said excitedly, almost ready to jump off the White Crane.

The continuous travel over the past few days, passing by some bustling places without the opportunity to enjoy them, had really frustrated Qingling.

"Junior Sister Qingling, Yang City is on the border; it’s not much fun," said Qingzhou, speaking indifferently.

"Stupid Qingzhou, why don’t you just drop dead," Qingling pouted, glaring at Qingzhou who dampened her spirits.

"Qingzhou is right; Yang City is no place for fun, and we are not here for amusement," said another voice.

"Even you, Uncle Master Xuanfeng, I won’t talk to you anymore," Qingling turned her head away, sulking.

Master Xuanfeng looked back at a pouting Qingling and shook his head without saying anything. Just a child’s temperament; she would get over it soon.

"Bai Yu, descend."

"Chirp..."

Another crane call, and the giant White Crane stretched its wings wide, finding a spot to glide down gently.

"Crane call..." Qing Yu muttered, interrupted by the crane call.

At this time, it couldn’t possibly be Master Xuan Guang making such a high-profile entrance, so there was only one possibility...

"People from the True Martial Dao Sect have arrived..."

And riding on a White Crane, only an elder from the Taoist sect would have such a mount for travel.

"People from the True Martial Dao Sect have arrived..."

Not just Qing Yu realized this at once, but also Lu Qifeng, who was in a tall building in the center of Yang City, and Master Xuan Guang in the small building on the mountainside.

"It’s getting more and more interesting," Lu Qifeng said with an enigmatic smile.

"I wonder which brother or sister has come..." Master Xuan Guang said expressionlessly.

"Li Xin, my moment has come. You go ahead," Qing Yu said to Li Xin.

Li Xin moved silently, activating his qinggong and leaping out through a hole in the rooftop.

"Take care, young master," his voice came from outside.

"Take care, Li Xin," Qing Yu said softly.