Chapter 504: Candidates for the Sea Voyage

Su Xuan never hesitated to attribute the worst of intentions to others, especially since the Cloud Master from the original story never looked like a good person from any angle.

If it weren't for the fact that Su Xuan had become the Master of the Yin-Yang School and the Cloud Master, Xu Fu, had become his subordinate—and that Xu Fu had been quite obedient and flattering over the years—Su Xuan wouldn't have minded getting rid of him on the pretext that "the Cloud Master stepped into the gate with his left foot first," had he shown even the slightest sign of dissatisfaction.

It couldn't be helped; whenever Su Xuan heard his name, he subconsciously found it difficult to harbor any good feelings toward him.

Also, because of these fixed impressions of Xu Fu, even though Su Xuan needed to take a few people with him on the sea voyage once the Mirage was completed, he did not intend to bring Xu Fu along.

In history, this guy had a prior record.

Taking him out to sea would carry a high probability of something going wrong, potentially causing the Mirage to never return.

After finishing the arrangements for Lady Dongjun Yanfei to go to Shushan to retrieve the Fusang Divine Tree, Su Xuan began to ponder who he should take to Penglai.

First of all, Lady Dongjun Yanfei had to be brought along.

Otherwise, Su Xuan would not have told her to wait for him in Sanghai.

And once Lady Dongjun Yanfei and Su Xuan left the Yin-Yang School, the school could not be left without a leader. Therefore, the Moon God needed to stay at the Yin-Yang School to guard the headquarters. No one knew how long Su Xuan's trip would take, so someone had to be left to watch the house.

As for the five Elders, Su Xuan immediately ruled out the Cloud Master; he would not be taken to sea. As for the others, the Xiang Jun and Xiang Lady, Zhao Gao had once tried to cause trouble for Su Xuan using them as an excuse.

Although Su Xuan had ultimately outmaneuvered Zhao Gao, who was still out in the border regions drinking the northwest wind—and who knew if he would ever have the chance to return to the Central Plains—it was impossible for Su Xuan to say he held no resentment toward Xiang Jun and Xiang Lady.

These two were also eliminated by him.

Among the five Elders, the Great and Young Si Ming could be brought along. Hmm, after a moment of contemplation, he decided to also bring Xiao Ling's younger sister, Xiao Yi—the Young Si Ming from the original story.

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed everyone Su Xuan was preparing to take to sea were women, but there was no help for that; the Yin-Yang School only had a few high-ranking males to begin with.

In the past, there had been Star Soul, who held a status equivalent to the Moon God, but following the Battle of Yunmeng Marsh, Star Soul was dead, and Su Xuan did not particularly like the two male members among the five Elders.

Aside from these people, the members Su Xuan planned to bring were basically all women.

Su Xuan first thought of Jing Ni, because her strength was not bad, and the location of the final piece of the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations was related to the jade pendant left behind by Wei Wei Wuji that she held.

But after he asked for Jing Ni's opinion, she refused.

The reason is that this trip overseas may take a very long time, and she cannot set her mind at ease regarding her daughter.

Thus, Su Xuan did not force the issue.

Zi Nu, however, was quite interested in the overseas lands. Upon learning of this, she took the initiative to propose that she accompany Su Xuan.

This was something that surprised Su Xuan.

After the fall of Han Guo, although he had persuaded Zi Nu to return to the Yin-Yang School, she had instead kept a low profile, not engaging in the wild schemes she had in Han Guo. If he hadn't occasionally remembered her existence, Su Xuan would have almost forgotten her.

"You are very interested in overseas affairs?"

Su Xuan looked at Zi Nu, who had come before him to recommend herself, and asked softly.

Compared to years ago, Zi Nu's appearance had not changed at all. This was not strange; whether it was the techniques of the Daoist School or the Yin-Yang School, both possessed methods for preserving youth, making it difficult to judge the true age of people from these two factions based on their appearance.

At the same time, after these years of cultivation, Zi Nu's temperament had become increasingly ethereal, having completely washed away the worldly air she had cultivated at the Zilan Pavilion in Han Guo.

Zi Nu said softly: "It is not that I am interested in overseas, but that I am interested in the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations. This secret has circulated in the world for a long time. Now that you, Excellency Master Xuantian, have gathered the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations and are about to crack this secret, would you mind bringing me along?"

Su Xuan shook his head gently; naturally, he did not mind.

Although he hadn't considered Zi Nu at the beginning, since she was willing to go, that was naturally fine.

After all, besides her strength, Zi Nu was also proficient in various esoteric arts; she could be considered an all-around talent.

After agreeing to Zi Nu's self-recommendation, Su Xuan had thought only she would come forward, but to his surprise, another person arrived before him.

"Excellency Master Xuantian, may I accompany you on this sea voyage?"

The visitor had a gentle temperament, and her tone was also incredibly soft.

She was... Duanmu Rong.

When he first met Duanmu Rong, she was still a young girl in her teens. Now, with the passage of time and the Qin destruction of the six states, she had grown into a graceful young woman, having completely blossomed.

Her appearance was pretty; though not of a beauty to topple kingdoms, when combined with the unique, saintly aura of a healer, she still possessed a distinct charm. Even Su Xuan, upon seeing Duanmu Rong, could not help but take a few extra looks.

It couldn't be helped; he hadn't seen her for a long time, and it was as if she had suddenly grown up.

Su Xuan couldn't help but look a few more times.

Duanmu Rong also sensed Su Xuan's gaze.

If, when she first met Su Xuan, she had a terrible impression of Qin Guo due to her close relationship with Yan Dan and his influence, and consequently had no good feelings toward Su Xuan, the accomplice of Ying Zheng...

... hen as the conspiracy of Yan Dan plotting against the Six-Fingered Black Hero was exposed, her impression of Yan Dan changed. Consequently, her view of Su Xuan also shifted. As she grew older and experienced more things, her view of Qin Guo changed accordingly.

At this moment, not only did she not resist or loathe Su Xuan as she once had, but on the contrary, she held only deep respect for him. Even when Su Xuan looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze, she felt no aversion.

After observing Duanmu Rong for a moment, Su Xuan asked her: "Tell me, what is your reason for wanting to go to sea with me?"

Zi Nu's reason was an interest in the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations, so what about Duanmu Rong? What was her reason?

Duanmu Rong said softly: "In the overseas lands, there may be many rare medicines not found in the Central Plains. Especially since the name of that immortal island is Penglai; in the Liezi, there were once records concerning it..."

"Perhaps what the Liezi says is not necessarily all true, but I want to go and see!"