Chapter 466

The Zhang family of Longhu Mountain, after the Great Daoist Cataclysm eighty years ago, split their lineage between north and south under the last Tian Shi, Zhang Taixu.

Thus, the Daoist ancestral lineage, spanning over two thousand years, took divergent paths.

“By the time your grandfather inherited the Southern Zhang line, less than twenty years had passed since the Great Daoist Cataclysm—they were second-generation disciples of Southern Zhang,” Xu Xuanxiao said solemnly.

Strictly speaking, he too was a figure of that era, having lived through the most unimaginable upheaval.

That cataclysm left deep, enduring scars that have yet to fade.

Among the second-generation Southern Zhang disciples, the three brothers—Zhang Tianqi, Zhang Tiansheng, and Zhang Tianyang—stood out above all others.

From them onward, the gap between Northern Zhang and Southern Zhang became evident.

If this trend continued generation after generation, the Northern Zhang lineage would eventually vanish.

“Of the three Southern Zhang brothers, Zhang Tianyang was the most reserved, with a calm and detached nature, yet he was deified and enshrined, granted a top-tier Daoist title.”

“Your grandfather was the most swift-witted and free-spirited, utterly unbound by worldly conventions. Though born into the Zhang family, he had wide-ranging friendships—even murky ties to the Wuwei Sect.”

At this, Xu Xuanxiao sighed softly: “Such a nature was destined to bring him endless calamities in life!”

“Even…”

His words cut off abruptly.

Zhang Fan did not press further; he naturally understood what Xu Xuanxiao meant.

The Southern Zhang lineage clung to hope through Zhang Tiansheng, even glimpsing a future beyond what their ancestors could have imagined: resolving the millennia-old feud between the Daoist sect and the Wuwei Sect, unifying the world, and bringing all hearts into one.

Yet it was also this man who sowed the seeds of Southern Zhang’s downfall.

“As for Zhang Tianqi…” Xu Xuanxiao said solemnly: “I’ve had little dealings with him; our few meetings were all tied to negotiations regarding your grandmother’s and your grandfather’s marriage.”

“Yet among the three Southern Zhang brothers, Zhang Tianqi possessed the highest talent and greatest strength…”

“At that time, he was already the top martial expert of Southern Zhang, his prestige unmatched across the Jiangnan region,” Xu Xuanxiao said gravely.

“His reputation was high in both Southern Zhang and Northern Zhang.”

“Then why did my grandfather say that if there was a traitor in Southern Zhang, it would be him?” Zhang Fan asked, frowning.

“I’ve puzzled over it endlessly. Logically, given his cultivation, status, and position at the time, he had no reason to betray Southern Zhang,” Xu Xuanxiao shook his head.

“Moreover, after Southern Zhang’s collapse, he vanished without a trace. Some say he died in that cataclysm.”

“Alas… that cataclysm nearly extinguished Southern Zhang’s lineage; very few truly survived.”

“Precisely because of this, he never came to seek me out. Now I recall, your grandfather’s words back then were truly muddled…” Xu Xuanxiao sighed.

Zhang Fan fell silent, lost in thought. After a moment, he asked: “Uncle Xuan, what else do you know about my eldest uncle?”

“Zhang Tianqi was the exact opposite of your grandfather—solitary, aloof, rarely interacting with outsiders, with barely any friends,” Xu Xuanxiao mused.

“As far as I know, he had only one true friend.”

“Is that person still alive?” Zhang Fan asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

“Alive, and thriving—and you’ve likely heard of him,” Xu Xuanxiao said softly, solemnly.

“Who?” Zhang Fan asked instinctively.

“Zhenwu Mountain…”

“Chu Chaoran!”

“Master Chu!?”

Zhang Fan’s eyes trembled slightly—he was deeply surprised to hear this name here.

In his mind, Master Chu was truly transcendent, undefeated in the mortal world, yet seemingly untouched by secular affairs or the Daoist sect—bound by no karmic ties to anyone except as the former number-one martial expert.

Yet now…

Chu Chaoran had once been connected to Southern Zhang? To Zhang Tianqi?

“That was many years ago. The river’s current has long passed, yet it still stirs ripples in the present… Perhaps this is the sorrow of being entangled in the mortal world—always burdened, never at peace.”

Suddenly, Xu Xuanxiao rose to his feet, standing with his hands behind his back, gazing at the vast heavens.

The emerald sky held only a single great moon suspended high.

“Eternal fame reduced to a handful of earth; no old friends return to this mortal realm… Those who are gone will never come back, Zhang Fan. Don’t dwell on it,” Xu Xuanxiao sighed softly.

Zhang Fan stared at that aged figure and felt only profound desolation, profound loneliness.

Perhaps even after attaining the Heavenly-Person Realm, one still mourns the lost years, still looks back upon the luminous age that once was.

Perhaps it is precisely this act of looking back that makes the absence of old friends feel even more crushing.

“Zhang Fan, you’ll stay here for now. Prepare well—within these two days, we’ll likely go to the Xu ancestral estate,” Xu Xuanxiao suddenly changed the subject.

“The Xu ancestral estate!?” Zhang Fan’s heart stirred.

Only then did he remember his current situation.

With the Water Mansion’s disturbance and him the sole person to enter it, how could the Xu family possibly let him go?

“Uncle Xuan, I…” Zhang Fan looked uneasy.

“Don’t worry—I’ll accompany you. It’ll just be a routine inquiry,” Xu Xuanxiao said calmly.

“You merely happened to be there. The Water Mansion’s incident has nothing to do with you.”

“But they all saw me go in…” Zhang Fan couldn’t help saying.

“They only saw you vanish before the Water Mansion—who says you went inside?”

Before Zhang Fan could finish, Xu Xuanxiao cut him off.

“Huh!?” Zhang Fan froze.

Right—the Water Mansion had no door. Who said he entered?

“The Water Mansion manifested strange phenomena. Since you’re not of the Xu family, you were driven out—and I happened to find you and brought you back.”

“You can do that?”

Zhang Fan’s eyes lit up—he suddenly realized Xu Xuanxiao’s explanation was perfectly plausible, flawless.

“Uncle Xuan, you see through everything with piercing clarity,” Zhang Fan couldn’t help praising.

“Even so, they’ll still want to meet you,” Xu Xuanxiao said softly, solemnly.

Zhang Fan nodded, falling silent.

The Xu family wasn’t ruled by Xu Xuanxiao alone—in fact, the First and Second Branches now held far stronger influence.

“I’ll have someone prepare a room for you. Stay here and rest these two days.”

As he spoke, Xu Xuanxiao paused slightly, then added: “If you have any questions about cultivation, come ask me.”

“Thank you, Uncle Xuan.”

Hearing this, Zhang Fan felt joy inside—this man was a Master of the Tian Shi Realm. Under such a master’s guidance, he could save countless hours of solitary, fruitless practice!

But Zhang Fan did not know that Xu Xuanxiao usually lived in seclusion and rarely offered cultivation guidance—even to his own grandchildren, Xu Jiuzhi and Xu Jiuliu.

…

Thus, Zhang Fan settled into the old mansion, his belongings moved in overnight.

Originally, he had been staying at the hotel where Lin Jian had lodged.

“You really didn’t enter the Water Mansion!?”

In the late night, when Xu Jiuzhi and Xu Jiuliu returned and saw Zhang Fan, their expressions were utterly bewildered.

They had been questioning people at the ancestral estate all this time, still worried about Zhang Fan—yet now, he was simply living in their home.

Xu Jiuzhi immediately voiced all her doubts.

“I’ve said it eight hundred times—I didn’t go in. I was thrown out straight away,” Zhang Fan said, packing his belongings softly.

“By the way, I’ll get your three-day penalty refunded from your family.”

Xu Jiuzhi crossed her arms, watching Zhang Fan settle into her home, still harboring suspicion.

If she doubted it, how much more so would the Xu family’s high-ups?