Chapter 63

Flying Rainbow Young Master?

Ranked seventy-eighth on the Hidden Dragon List!?

Hum—

The scene suddenly erupted into a buzz.

The crowd, who had been astonished, hadn't yet calmed down when they widened their eyes again, mouths agape, with various expressions—some faces flushed red, some dazed, some excited...

The steward responsible for recording the names was red-faced and incoherently excited, "Young Master, please take a seat, eat whatever you like... no, no, no, what I mean is... I... I..."

Slap~!

The steward suddenly raised his hand and gave himself a heavy slap, half his cheek swelling red, before he calmed down slightly and stammered, "Yo... Young Master, please wait, I... I will go report this to the master immediately!"

After speaking, he turned and ran toward the side gate, his figure swaying, nearly tripping.

Just as he entered the inner fortress, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Yaoyue Martial Sect, Hidden Dragon prodigy, Flying Rainbow Young Master, Shen Ge, has arrived~!"

The last word, "arrived," was shouted so loudly his voice cracked.

The bustling inner fortress fell into sudden silence at this shout.

The next moment, with a "boom," it erupted into an uproar.

"Brother Shen is truly..."

At the gate, Chen Mu regained his senses and sighed, "A true master doesn't reveal his true self."

"I wouldn't dare, it's just some empty fame." Shen Ge smiled.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh!

The sound of wind breaking rang out, and several figures flew rapidly across the spacious street of the inner fortress.

Leading them was the current master of the He family, He Xianglong.

"Young Master Shen!"

Arriving at the gate in a breath, He Xianglong was beaming with joy, cupping his hands to salute Shen Ge, "Young Master Shen, please come in. My uncle-grandfather was overjoyed to hear of your arrival and is already on his way here."

"How could I let Senior He welcome me? Master He, please." Shen Ge returned the salute, then nodded to Chen Mu and strode toward the inner fortress.

He Xianglong followed closely behind, explaining respectfully.

At the gate, a young man with an elegant temperament remained, cupping his hands to Chen Mu and saying respectfully, "He Bin greets you, brother. May I ask your surname?"

"I am Nie Feng." Chen Mu returned the salute, "Brother He, there is no need to entertain me. Shen and I have only known each other for a few days; we are merely passing acquaintances."

"All who come are guests. Since Brother Nie is here to offer birthday wishes, you are a distinguished guest of the He family." He Bin smiled, "Since you are a distinguished guest, I must entertain you well. Brother Nie, why not come with me to the inner fortress for a seat?"

"……Then I shall impose upon you." Chen Mu cupped his hands.

He Bin's invitation was sincere, and although it was thanks to Shen Ge's face, it would be good to go inside and take a look.

People from the Iron Spear Sect, Tyrant Sword Sect, and Three Absolutes Valley were all in the inner fortress.

Once inside, he could observe Sun Jindong at close range!

Chen Mu immediately followed He Bin into the inner fortress.

As soon as the two left, the buzzing at the gate turned into a clamor.

"My god~ This is my first time seeing a prodigy from the Hidden Dragon List!"

"Me too. No one from Nanyun Prefecture has made the Hidden Dragon List in decades; it's rare to see a prodigy from the list appear today."

"Amazing, not only is he from a famous sect, but he's also on the Hidden Dragon List. This 'Flying Rainbow Young Master' is too incredible!"

"I'm more curious, how does the old master of the He family have a connection with Young Master Shen?"

"Didn't you hear Young Master Shen just now? He is offering birthday wishes on behalf of his master. As far as I know, when the old master of the He family was young, he traveled for over twenty years, his footprints covering the Hannan, Shannan, Jiannan, and Tiannan circuits. Clearly, it was during that time that the old master of the He family met Young Master Shen's master!"

"……"

With Shen Ge's identity exposed, the inner and outer fortresses of He Family Fortress were incredibly noisy, and the sound of discussion resounded in every corner.

After entering the inner fortress, Chen Mu, led by He Bin, sat at a position less than fifty meters from the main table, sharing a table with young disciples from the Tang, Li, and Gao families.

After taking their seats, everyone saluted each other and chatted politely yet enthusiastically.

Even though Chen Mu repeatedly stated that he wasn't very close to Shen Ge and had only just met him a few days ago, the disciples from the Tang, Li, and Gao families still threw topics his way from time to time.

Seeing this, Chen Mu could only bury his head in eating and drinking, and the disciples of these great families stopped bothering him.

Chen Mu took this opportunity to look around, mainly to observe Sun Jindong and see who he was interacting with.

He then discovered that Sun Jindong could talk to anyone, and his hearty laughter could be heard from time to time.

Chen Mu observed calmly for a while and then withdrew his gaze.

He could only say that Sun Jindong's acting was too good.

After acting for so many years, he had probably made it a habit!

……

As night fell, all the streets of He Family Fortress were brightly lit, and the sound of clamor filled the air.

In the central square of the inner fortress, a high platform had been built, and various performances took turns on stage.

When the birthday banquet was half over, young disciples from various major powers went on stage to spar.

The entire banquet remained lively until the early hours of the morning before gradually subsiding.

Chen Mu returned to the inn in the outer fortress, washed up, and was just about to go to bed when Shen Ge knocked on the door and entered.

"Brother Nie, I must go." Shen Ge cupped his hands to say goodbye.

"Leaving now?" Chen Mu was surprised, "Is there an urgent matter? If not, why not leave tomorrow morning?"

"If I leave tomorrow morning, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave at all." Shen Ge smiled bitterly.

"Uh..." Chen Mu was stunned, remembering how that evening, elders and masters from the He, Tang, Guo, Zheng, and even the Three Absolutes Valley and Iron Spear Sect had all recommended their own eligible unmarried women, and a straightforward girl from the He family had even openly confessed her love to Shen Ge in public.

Even with Shen Ge's extensive experience, he couldn't help but have a headache.

Hearing Shen Ge's words, Chen Mu couldn't help but laugh, "I understand, I understand. Then, Brother Shen, let us meet again!"

"Let us meet again!" Shen Ge cupped his hands and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Chen Mu remembered something, took off his human-skin mask, and cupped his hands in a salute to Shen Ge, who had turned back, first surprised and then full of smiles, "Chen Mu of the Great Blade Gang in Nanyun Prefecture City, I wish you a safe journey, Brother Shen!"

"So it is Brother Chen."

Shen Ge smiled, "Take care, Brother Chen, let us meet again!"

"Let us meet again!"

Chen Mu cupped his hands and watched Shen Ge leave, disappearing into the night.

Coming to He Family Fortress this time, although he didn't pick up any cards, being able to get to know Shen Ge and learn information about Innate martial arts, elixirs, spiritual weapons, and exotic beasts meant it wasn't a wasted trip.

……

The next day.

The various factions that had come to offer birthday wishes left He Family Fortress one after another.

Chen Mu ate breakfast and left as well.

Unexpectedly, just after walking out of the outer gate of He Family Fortress, less than two hundred meters away—

"BOOM!!"

A deafening sound that shook the earth suddenly came from ahead.

On a road dozens of meters away, gravel and dust shot into the sky like a dragon of fire, and the earth actually shook twice.

"What's going on?"

"Someone is ambushing!"

"Heavenly Thunder Beads! This is the explosion of Heavenly Thunder Beads!"

"The Guo family's procession has been ambushed!!"

"……"

Exclamations rang out one after another.

Chen Mu, who had intended to retreat first, felt a stir in his heart upon hearing the words "Guo family," and immediately shifted his figure, flying rapidly toward the scene.

Just as he approached the site of the explosion...

[Corpse discovered, do you wish to loot?]

"Yes!"

……

While obtaining fifteen cards in a row, Chen Mu saw the leader of the Guo family who had come to offer birthday wishes, Guo Xianli, clutching his punctured abdomen, his face pale, blood constantly spilling from the corners of his mouth, crouching on the ground, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at a middle-aged man lying on the ground not far away with both legs broken and only one breath left, panting like an ox.

"Ha... ha..." The middle-aged man's mouth was full of blood, his expression was satisfied, and he wanted to laugh loudly, but could only utter a few words, speaking intermittently, "Wipe out... my Red Willow... Manor, Guo family... people... accompany me in death..."

This is... a survivor of Red Willow Manor?

Chen Mu was stunned.

The next moment, the long sword in his hand suddenly unsheathed, all the internal energy in his dantian was mobilized, and his "Spirit Snake Steps" were exerted to the limit.

Whoosh~!

His figure flickered, leaving only afterimages.

In this instant, Chen Mu erupted with all his power, locked onto Guo Xianli, and thrust the tenth sword of the "Cloud-Swinging Sword Art"!