Chapter 412: A Guest Arrives, A Friend Departs

"Han Zheng is paying a visit to the mountain?"

Inside the cave dwelling of Grade A-3, Luo Chen asked in confusion.

Standing opposite him was a rugged man—Xing Zonghan.

Once the head of the Xing family, he was now the leader of the Luo Tian Alliance's intelligence department, the Luo Net.

He said respectfully, "The visitor claims to be Han Zheng, and his identity should be genuine. After all, no one would dare impersonate the grandson of a Nascent Soul True Person."

Luo Chen frowned. "Why so abrupt? I didn't see any advance notice or calling card."

Visits between cultivators usually require prior appointments.

Otherwise, if someone happens to be in seclusion, a rash visit would either result in a wasted trip or disturb the other party's cultivation, which is highly impolite.

For someone like Han Zheng to show up so suddenly was no different from visiting friends or relatives in the secular world.

It was no wonder Luo Chen was so taken aback.

However, after Xing Zonghan provided some explanation, he understood the reason for the other party's casual approach.

"Qin Yuanjiang has arrived!"

Qin Yuanjiang's arrival explained why Han Zheng had come so casually.

Because he was truly here to visit relatives!

Han Zheng must have been bored and decided to stop by on the way.

"Did he specifically mention wanting to see me?"

Luo Chen asked one more question.

Whether the visit had an ulterior motive depended on the answer to this.

If he had specifically asked to see Luo Chen, then this visit would be quite intriguing.

Xing Zonghan replied, "He did mention wanting to witness the Alliance Leader's demeanor, but upon hearing you were in seclusion, he did not insist."

Luo Chen frowned slightly.

For a moment, he really couldn't discern Han Zheng's intentions.

Accompanying a junior brother and sightseeing on the side?

Or did he suspect that Luo Chen was the mysterious person who saved him in the Soul Transformation ruins?

Or perhaps, he had other needs?

"Oh, right. Actually, it's not just Han Zheng and Qin Yuanjiang who came to Lanxiancheng. There are also over a dozen Foundation Establishment disciples from the Falling Cloud Sect, including several true disciples."

After saying this, Xing Zonghan looked at Luo Chen.

"Alliance Leader, do you want to come out of seclusion to meet Han Zheng?"

Facing this question,

Luo Chen walked to the entrance of the cave dwelling, hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, overlooking the entire Lanxiancheng.

After pondering for a long while, he nodded slowly.

"Coming out of seclusion is necessary."

"But meeting Han Zheng is secondary; Qin Yuanjiang is the most important."

Xing Zonghan was puzzled.

Qin Yuanjiang was just an ordinary inner sect disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect.

Compared to Han Zheng, who was the grandson of a Nascent Soul True Person, their status was worlds apart.

Was it necessary for the Alliance Leader to attach such importance to him?

Looking at Luo Chen's slightly lonely figure, he suddenly thought of some people and events he wasn't very familiar with.

Qin Yuanjiang was not only the son of Murong Qinglian, the Hall Master of the Merit Hall.

He was also the son of the former outer sect elder, Qin Liangchen.

Both of these people had a close relationship with the Alliance Leader before he had made a name for himself.

And now, Qin Liangchen was dead!

"Alliance Leader, do you need me to make arrangements?"

"No need, go back to your own business!"

Luo Chen waved his hand, feeling a moment of hesitation in his heart.

The last time he felt this way was when Zeng had died, and he had gone to face Xiu Gu.

Danxia Peak.

In a large, flat spirit field.

A little girl squatted on the ground, curiously looking at something in front of her.

"Big sweet potato, such a big sweet potato!"

"Daddy, are we not going to eat this sweet potato?"

"Why do we have to cut it?"

Yuan Dongsheng looked at her with affection and said in a magnetic voice, "This is a new type of spirit potato developed by the Five Elements Divine Sect. It has a high yield and can even replace spirit rice. To plant it on a large scale, it must be cut into small pieces and buried in the soil."

"Wait until next year, it will grow up, and little Xijun can come and dig up even bigger sweet potatoes than this one!"

The little girl opened her big eyes, listening to these words in a daze.

She didn't quite understand the first part.

But she understood the latter part very well.

For a moment, she happily hugged a large purple sweet potato and stumbled toward the hole dug in the spirit field.

"Bury it!"

"Dig big sweet potatoes next year!"

However, when she reached the small hole, the huge sweet potato wouldn't fit.

"Daddy, little Xijun can't bury it, why?"

Yuan Dongsheng smiled gently. "Because it has to be cut into pieces!"

"But if we do that, won't the big sweet potato hurt?" Yuan Xijun didn't care about the mud and held the sweet potato tightly.

Yuan Dongsheng shook his head. "The big sweet potato won't hurt, and even if it did, a temporary separation is for the sake of growing bigger and more numerous later. Xijun, growth is always accompanied by separation and pain."

When he said this, there was an irrepressible sadness in his weathered eyes.

The little girl said "oh" in a daze.

She stumbled back with the sweet potato, letting her father use a special wooden knife to cut it into small, even pieces.

Above the spirit field.

A young man, incredibly handsome with eyes that seemed to contain stars, squatted on the distant field ridge, watching this scene with interest.

It wasn't until clear footsteps sounded behind him that he stood up straight.

"Danchenzi?"

"Fellow Daoist Han, hello." Luo Chen bowed in a Daoist greeting.

Han Zheng straightened his clothes and returned the formal Daoist greeting.

Luo Chen walked to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, looking at the large, flat spirit fields below the mountain.

Some of these spirit fields were cultivated extremely well, already showing the rudiments of a second-grade field.

It was evident that the Farming Hall had done a lot of work under Yuan Dongsheng's leadership over the years.

"You are quite unique, Fellow Daoist. Others who come to my Danxia Peak usually stroll through the mountains to view the scenery. You alone, after exchanging greetings with your peers, come to wander in these fields."

Han Zheng smiled freely. "Beautiful scenery can be seen everywhere in the cultivation world. But the fun of these fields has a different flavor."

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "What you see is fun, but for low-level rogue cultivators, it is hard labor."

Han Zheng shrugged slightly.

"Since you are so considerate of your subordinates, why not reduce their workload and give them more time to cultivate?"

Luo Chen said calmly, "It is not easy for me to provide them with a livelihood. Reducing their workload would instead affect their own income."

He was stating a fact.

It was truly not easy for the Luo Tian Alliance to have its current status in this small corner of Lan.

Broadly speaking, it was the result of battle after battle of blood and fire.

On a smaller scale, it could not be separated from the struggle and hard work of the low-level cultivators.

As of now, Luo Chen could not do what large sects did—letting some disciples detach from labor, not engage in production, and focus solely on cultivation.

Even Luo Chen himself had to occasionally refine elixirs personally to stabilize the relationship with the Ice Fortress.

Han Zheng had a different opinion.

"My Falling Cloud Sect has recently researched a type of small puppet that can be used to replace cultivators in labor. Even if they can't do fine work, they can manage rough plowing."

"One or two spirit fields won't show much effect, but with a large number, it can greatly reduce the burden on low-level cultivators."

"If you are interested, Fellow Daoist, I can act as a go-between and order a batch for you."

Luo Chen was stunned.

He didn't expect that this famous true disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect would be concerned with promoting his own puppets in addition to cultivation and fighting.

He laughed dumbly and waved his hand.

"Forget it, my Luo Tian Alliance doesn't have many spirit fields, and it hasn't reached the point where puppets are needed."

Han Zheng didn't insist; he had just mentioned it casually.

However, after this chat,

The two no longer had the awkwardness of their first meeting.

The subsequent conversation was very relaxed.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Luo saved three of my Falling Cloud Sect junior brothers on the Jilei Mountain battlefield?"

"It was just a small effort."

"Although it was a small effort, you killed Zheng Tianfang, thereby offending the Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge and provoking a fierce battle."

"The Zheng family's attack was not primarily because of that, you don't need to worry."

Han Zheng frowned.

He kept scanning Luo Chen, trying to find a hint of familiarity.

Combined with the information he had gathered, Luo Chen was the most likely person to have saved him in the Baiye Cave Dwelling within the Soul Transformation ruins.

But some things still needed to be confirmed.

"It is rumored that Fellow Daoist Luo personally opened the Soul Transformation ruins and was the first to enter..."

Luo Chen nodded calmly. "That is true, but I was seriously injured at the time and did not explore the ruins, only seeking to heal my wounds."

He had to stick to this story firmly.

Otherwise, others would come to ask in the future.

Moreover, he really hadn't explored the Soul Transformation ruins much.

That was simply not a fortune that someone at his cultivation level could touch.

Han Zheng didn't care and asked pointedly, "When did you leave the cave dwelling, Fellow Daoist?"

"Probably half a year after the ruins opened!"

Half a year?

Han Zheng frowned; the timing didn't match!

He asked persistently, "Did you participate in any battles on the way out?"

"Not at all. I have always kept a low profile and dislike fighting and killing the most."

Another denial.

Han Zheng felt a bit of confusion in his heart.

However!

After a brief moment of confusion, he discovered that Luo Chen seemed to be consciously distancing himself from the Falling Cloud Sect?

Or perhaps, not distancing himself from the Falling Cloud Sect, but from himself?

If he really had saved him back then, he would inevitably have to bear the karma of killing Xuan Yu of Taoshan.

And behind Xuan Yu was the Peach Blossom Ancestor of the Hundred Flower Palace...

Gradually, Han Zheng roughly understood Luo Chen's thoughts.

He stopped asking and said with a smile, "Regardless, I still want to thank you for your kindness in saving my Falling Cloud Sect disciples."

This was ambiguous!

Was he thanking him for saving Qin Yuanjiang and the other two, or for saving him, Han Zheng?

They were all disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect!

Luo Chen looked at him deeply and said no more.

He knew that some of his methods couldn't be hidden from others.

The battle with Xuan Yu in the Soul Transformation ruins, although hasty, had exposed his high escape speed, extremely strong physique, and the Lieyun Wings—these three characteristics.

And in the Luo Tian battle outside Danxia Peak, these three points had also been exposed.

Otherwise, his brilliant record of killing several great cultivators in an instant wouldn't have spread so widely.

If Han Zheng had the heart, he could deduce that he was the one who saved him with just a little bit of reasoning.

But some things were better left understood between them.

Luo Chen would never admit it personally.

"Since Fellow Daoist Han is rarely in Lan, why not stay for a few more days and let me host you?"

"That won't be necessary."

Facing Luo Chen's invitation, Han Zheng refused as if he had already planned it.

"There are still some sect missions waiting for me to complete, so I won't be staying in Lan for too long."

Sect missions?

Luo Chen frowned and scanned his surroundings.

"What about Qin Yuanjiang?"

Han Zheng sighed. "Junior brother, I'm afraid he's still at the back mountain! I can't bear to see others sad, so I came here to wait for him."

Back mountain... the cemetery.

Luo Chen nodded.

"Sorry, I have to excuse myself."

Han Zheng smiled. "No matter, let's go together."

Luo Chen looked at him in surprise. Didn't he just say he couldn't bear to see others sad?

Green mountains shaded the area, and incense smoke never ceased.

In a cemetery, a young man knelt on the ground.

His face was numb, and no tears were visible.

But the sadness in his eyes was irrepressible.

"Father, your child has returned late."

"You raised me with such hardship, sending me thousands of miles away into the immortal sect, yet I didn't even see you one last time..."

"It is Yuanjiang's unfilial act!"

He left home at twelve and returned at thirty-eight.

The boy of the past was now a generation of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

But the family happiness of the past was now separated by life and death.

So much pride, so much knowledge of the cultivation world, with no one to tell, only a touch of regret remained in his heart.

A gentle voice came from behind.

"Xiaohu."

"Mother." Qin Yuanjiang kept his head down, for a moment not daring to face his mother's eager gaze. "Did Father leave any last words before he passed?"

Murong Qinglian stood behind, tears streaming down her face.

"No, he left in such a hurry, he didn't explain anything."

Qin Yuanjiang opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

He once thought he had plenty of time to show filial piety to his parents.

He once rejoiced that his parents hadn't gone to the Jilei Mountain battlefield and were not in danger.

He thought that his parents would be very happy to hear that he had been promoted to a true disciple due to his merits on Jilei Mountain.

But everything had changed.

The emotions that should have been surging, the tears that should have welled up, were somehow suppressed tightly within him.

He forced himself to stand up and face his mother.

"Mother, come back to the Falling Cloud Sect with me!"

"This time you don't have to settle in Qianye Immortal City. I am already a true disciple and can bring my family to live in the Falling Cloud Sect."

Murong Qinglian's sad emotions stalled.

She reached out and stroked the face of her son, who was a head taller than her.

"Old Qin, did you hear that?"

"Your son has not only established his foundation, but he is now a true disciple of a Nascent Soul sect, with a limitless future."

"If you know this from the afterlife, you must be very happy!"

Qin Yuanjiang listened quietly to his mother's rambling.

He used to find it annoying when he was a child.

At this moment, he felt it wasn't troublesome at all.

Perhaps, only when one loses something does one learn to cherish it.

After a long while, he said seriously again, "Come back to the Falling Cloud Sect with me!"

"But, the Luo Tian Alliance is still..." Murong Qinglian hesitated.

Qin Yuanjiang said eagerly, "After we go back, I can ask the sect elders to personally treat your broken hand."

The woman lowered her head and muttered, "Elder Sun and the Alliance Leader are also collecting materials to treat my hand."

"That's different!" Qin Yuanjiang said confidently. "In our Falling Cloud Sect, there is a famous art of puppet creation. It is more effective in treating severed limbs than the six sects of the Jade Cauldron. Once cured, it won't affect your future cultivation at all. Mother, you are not old, and your cultivation level is decent; you might even have a chance to impact the Core Formation stage in the future."

Murong Qinglian was still hesitant.

Qin Yuanjiang thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Actually, there is a junior sister in the sect who has feelings for me. Mother, don't you want to meet her?"

This time, Murong Qinglian was moved.

However, she still said, "I have to ask the Alliance Leader for permission regarding this matter."

Qin Yuanjiang frowned. "Uncle Luo?"

If it were before, he wouldn't have cared about someone who came from a group of rogue cultivators.

But Luo Chen had saved his life!

He had to respect Luo Chen's thoughts.

Just as the mother and son were talking about the future in front of their deceased relative's grave.

Two figures in the distance watched the scene quietly.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, are you willing to let go of such a capable assistant?"

Luo Chen replied calmly, "There is no such thing as being willing or unwilling. Sister-in-law has given too much to the Luo Tian Alliance over the years. If she wants to rest and enjoy family happiness, I will naturally fulfill her wish."

"You are quite reasonable, Fellow Daoist!" Han Zheng said with great admiration.

Luo Chen shook his head. "For the Luo Tian Alliance, the Qin family has already paid with a life, how could I force them to stay?"

Speaking of this,

A flash of murderous intent crossed his face.

Han Zheng raised an eyebrow; he had noticed that fleeting expression.

"Actually, you have already avenged the Qin family. I heard that the Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge died miserably, and not even a single Qi Refining cultivator survived."

Luo Chen didn't speak.

He knew very well that the real enemies were not the Zheng family or the Iron Sword Hall, those pieces of trash.

Han Zheng said leisurely, "Fellow Daoist, don't worry too much. To the Luo Tian Alliance, the Flame Alliance is a behemoth that you cannot provoke for the time being."

Luo Chen looked at him in surprise; he was quite perceptive and saw things clearly.

However!

Luo Chen said confidently, "It doesn't mean it won't be possible in the future. One day, I will return the humiliation of the Luo Tian Alliance being blocked at the door ten times, a hundred times over to the Flame Alliance!"

"Good ambition, Fellow Daoist!" Han Zheng praised, then said, "However, sometimes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment!"

Luo Chen frowned.

Was he looking down on him?

The arrogance of sect disciples, even if he had seen it many times, was still unpleasant every time. Even if Han Zheng appeared elegant and easygoing, it was still the case.

He didn't argue.

Those words just now were already a rare slip of the tongue for him.

Saying more would just be a war of words.

Han Zheng didn't say much more either. After chatting for a few sentences and reiterating that he would remember Luo Chen's kindness in saving the Falling Cloud Sect disciples, he left Danxia Peak.

Luo Chen didn't try to keep him.

Because there were more important people leaving than him.