Chapter 65: Lost

The three walked one after another into the interior of the Song Family. Zhang Nuo looked around the Song Family grounds, and he could not help but feel some admiration; for a cultivation family to be able to grow this strong, it was truly not easy!

One must know that sects rely on absorbing cultivation geniuses from the outside world to step-by-step move toward prosperity, whereas cultivation families are different. They rely only on those with blood relations to the family; outsiders find it very difficult to enter the family, and if a woman of the family marries outside, she becomes an outsider and cannot possibly be valued by the family.

Thinking along the way, the three had already walked for a distance when a maidservant walked over from the opposite direction. After she saw Song Meiyu, she bowed slightly.

"Eldest Miss, you have returned!"

Song Meiyu nodded slightly, then asked:

"Have any guests come to the family these past few days?"

The maidservant looked at the Song Family Eldest Miss blankly and shook her head slightly. Seeing this, the hearts of Zhang Nuo and Gao Dakuan instantly turned cold. If no guests had come to the Song Family, it might mean that their master and Qu Yuan and the others had not yet arrived at the Song Family! Could something have gone wrong on the road?

Song Meiyu first had the maidservant withdraw, then lowered her head in contemplation for a moment before saying:

"Perhaps Father did not spread the word that your master had come to the Song Family. After all, the Divine Sword Sect being destroyed is the kind of matter that must be kept secret!"

Upon hearing this, the two, Gao Dakuan included, felt a glimmer of hope rise in their hearts again. The three walked through the Song residence for a while, and finally, Song Meiyu arranged for them to stay in a guest room.

"You two rest here for a while; I am going to see Father!"

Zhang Nuo nodded slightly, then watched the young lady leave. The two waited in the room for nearly an hour, but Song Meiyu was slow to return, and they both felt somewhat anxious.

"Junior Martial Brother, it seems Master and the others did not arrive at the Song Family!"

Pacing back and forth in the room, Gao Dakuan finally could not hold back and voiced his thoughts.

"Senior Martial Brother, actually, I had already thought of that. If Master had come, it would be impossible for him not to come see us!"

Zhang Nuo sat blankly on a chair, his gaze fixed on the sky outside the room, but his thoughts remained on the moment the Divine Sword Sect was destroyed. Had Master Lin Fan managed to escape? Not only had Master not arrived, but even Qu Yuan and Ye Ling'er had not come.

Just at this moment, a streak of light flew out from somewhere in the Song Family and in the blink of an eye arrived at the door of the room where Zhang Nuo and the other were. The light dispersed, revealing three people. Zhang Nuo recognized two of them: they were Song Meiyu and Song Ziyu, but standing between the two was a middle-aged man he did not know.

This middle-aged man was about forty years old and had a very aged and arrogant look on his face; his demeanor did not quite match his age. His fine robes also signaled that his status in the Song Family was not low.

"Two fellow Daoists, we meet again!"

Song Ziyu was the first to step forward to greet them! Zhang Nuo and Gao Dakuan also hurriedly left the room and came before the three. A light sweep of their Divine Sense revealed that the middle-aged man before them actually possessed the cultivation of the Golden Core Late Stage.

"Greetings, Senior!"

Gao Dakuan bowed deeply to the middle-aged man; he seemed to have already guessed who this person was.

"No need for such courtesy, two young friends. Since you have come to the Song Family, you are guests of my Song Family! I am the head of the Song Family, Song Yi. You may simply stay here!"

"So it is Clan Head Song! Please forgive our lack of respect!"

Seeing the other party state his name, Gao Dakuan and Zhang Nuo bowed again.

"May I ask Clan Head Song, have my master and my other two junior brothers arrived at the Song Family?"

Song Yi shook his head slightly and looked at the two helplessly.

"Fellow Daoist Lin and the others have not come to the Song Family. Perhaps they encountered some accidents on the road. I have already sent people to inquire; with a little time, we will know! You should stay here with peace of mind! Leave the matter of finding Fellow Daoist Lin to me!"

"Many thanks, Clan Head Song!"

Gao Dakuan thanked Song Yi again, but his heart remained uneasy. With Lin Fan's Golden Core Stage escape speed, he should have arrived earlier than them. Why was he so late? Could something have gone wrong during the great battle in the sect? He dared not think further, fearing his thoughts might become reality.

At this time, Song Yi exchanged a few more polite words with the two before leaving. Song Meiyu and Song Ziyu, however, did not leave; they accompanied Gao Dakuan and Zhang Nuo to chat for a long time.

At this moment, Zhang Nuo suddenly asked:

"Song Er Xiaojie, when my senior brother and I saved you that time, why were you being hunted?"

A strange look appeared on Song Ziyu's face, but it vanished in a flash. She smiled faintly and said:

"Last time, I purchased a Magic Treasure within the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion workshop in Donglai City. Who would have thought that as soon as I left the workshop, I would be targeted by the Zhao Brothers? If not for the two fellow Daoists intervening in time, I fear I would have already perished!"

Recalling the events of that time, Song Ziyu still felt lingering fear. She looked at Zhang Nuo with gratitude; if Zhang Nuo hadn't gone berserk at that time, she feared that both she and Gao Dakuan would have lost their lives.

"Oh my! I was so busy talking that I haven't had a chance to congratulate Fellow Daoist Zhang for already reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage!"

As if deliberately changing the subject, Song Ziyu said loudly.

"Indeed! I only just noticed as well. Previously, according to what my younger sister said, Fellow Daoist Zhang was only at the Qi Refining Stage Level 6. I didn't expect that in just a few years he would reach the Foundation Establishment Stage. Truly a heaven-sent talent!"

Song Meiyu also exclaimed in admiration.

"You two are too kind! I was just lucky!"

Zhang Nuo was very low-key. He did not want the news of his rapid entry into the Foundation Establishment Stage to spread too far. If he were truly a genius, it wouldn't matter, but the fact that he relied on the 'Nine Dragon Sword Case' to increase his strength was better kept known by as few people as possible!

After chatting for a while longer, seeing that it was getting late, the two Song ladies rose to take their leave. Gao Dakuan and Zhang Nuo watched their backs until they were far away before returning to their room and closing the door.

After several days of continuous travel, they were very exhausted, so they both sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate and rest.

Deep within the Song residence, Song Yi sat in the main seat, while Song Meiyu and Song Ziyu stood on either side!

"Have those two rested?"

"Yes, I believe they are meditating at this moment."

Song Meiyu nodded affirmatively.

"I did not expect the Divine Sword Sect to suffer such a great disaster, but for them to be able to successfully escape with their cultivation is not easy!"

Song Yi sighed long and hard, then his gaze flashed as he said:

"Ziyu, if I remember correctly, after you were saved by them, you returned and said that the cultivator named Zhang Nuo was only at the Qi Refining Stage Level 6?"

"That's right, Father! Why do you ask?"

"But he is now a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, and according to my secret technique scan, he is also a Dual Spirit Sea Cultivator!"

Once these words were spoken, the room immediately fell silent! The two Song ladies looked at each other; they had not noticed this point!