Chapter 403

【"The Flower Banquet is over!"】

【The First Master said with a hint of emotion, "I wonder how future generations will evaluate this day in the history books after many years."】

【"Is it the turning point of a prosperous dynasty, or the beginning of troubled times?"】

【The Demon Master looked up at the moonlight; the moon had already slowly set from the center.】

【Too many things happened today, even he, a Demon Master who had experienced a hundred years of Jianghu storms, couldn't help but be moved.】

【The Master left!】

【The Second Master opened the Tianmen with his sword, and the opportunity for ascension had arrived.】

【After the Flower Banquet, the world's pattern will inevitably undergo huge changes.】

【After you settled Sister Wu Tong, you found a piece of clothing in the carriage to put on, tidied your clothes, and came among Lu Hua and the others.】

【There was still residual medicinal power of the "Heavenly Demon Blood Marrow" and "Dragon Eye Bodhi Seed" in your body, the originally exhausted meridians were gradually repaired, and after your Primordial Spirit devoured Long Yi's Primordial Spirit, your face also had some color.】

【In the First Master's eyes, you are the Second Master's only closed-door disciple, and his eyes carried expectations.】

【"Xie Guan, I hope your reputation in the future will not be inferior to the Second."】

【"The blue should come out of the blue and surpass the blue!"】

【Master Master Lianchi smiled slightly, "With Little Friend Xie's aptitude, I'm afraid it won't take ten years."】

【He paused, his gaze sweeping over the deep pit in the field, and said slowly: "Perhaps... in less than five years, you will be a Grandmaster famous throughout the world."】

【You just responded modestly.】

【The Demon Master spoke with a different meaning: "Little Friend Xie, the Master and I have different views. Ten years from now, the opportunity for ascension mentioned by the Second Master will arrive."】

【"The road to ascension is difficult, I'm afraid it will be hard for us to become like-minded friends; when we meet again, it might be a life-or-death situation."】

【The Demon Master stood with his hands behind his back, his temperament elegant, his sleeves fluttering, possessing the demeanor of a Grandmaster of the world, and he turned to look at you.】

【"The hatred of blocking the Dao should be irreconcilable."】

【Xie Guan bowed slowly, his expression calm, but he did not speak.】

【Master Master Lianchi pressed his palms together and smiled: "Picking a flower with a smile, the Buddha speaks of two worlds. Gazing at the shadow, I hold a heart of ice."】

【"Little Donor Xie, farewell."】

【You performed a Buddhist salute to Master Master Lianchi.】

【The Demon Master and Master Master Lianchi left together, their backs gradually moving away, one demon and one Buddha, but their temperaments were surprisingly harmonious.】

【Only one carriage remained in the field, along with Lu Hua and the First Master.】

【The First Master looked toward the direction of the Inviting Immortal Tower; the troops that had originally surrounded it tightly had slowly withdrawn, and the people on both sides of the Zhi River had gradually dispersed.】

【A grand event came to an end!】

【The First Master withdrew his gaze and said lightly: "We should go too."】

【You bowed solemnly to Lu Hua and said sincerely: "For these days, thank you, Lu Lu Tian Shi Lu."】

【Lu Hua curled her lips, "You guessed my identity?"】

【"I probably guessed it."】

【In the Xie family courtyard, Lu Hua was familiar with the Three Truths lineage and passed on the precious "Yin Talisman Scripture" to you, plus Xie Yuan had mentioned the current Lu Lu Tian Shi of the Three Truths lineage, so you had already faintly guessed her identity—the Lu Lu Tian Shi of the Three Truths lineage, a great sect of the current era.】

【"Not stupid, after all."】

【Lu Hua coughed and explained: "I didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just that the situation in Above Bianjing is special."】

【The First Master's gaze was strange; this was the first time he had seen this open-minded Junior Master Lu take the initiative to open her heart.】

【You shook your head slightly, "The grace of Lu Lu Tian Shi Lu, Xie Guan will never forget."】

【Whether it was the martial arts secret manual gifted by General Sima Ting or the Primordial Spirit cultivation method taught by Lu Hua every day, for you, they were all of great benefit.】

【Especially, for more than three months, Lu Hua visited the small courtyard almost every day and taught you everything she knew about cultivation difficulties.】

【Compared to you at the Xie family, who hadn't even stepped into the door of the school, Lu Hua's teaching was truly a world of difference.】

【You naturally kept this kindness in your heart.】

【"If Lu Lu Tian Shi Lu is in trouble, across thousands of mountains and rivers, through dusk snow and spring sunshine, Xie Guan will go."】

【Lu Hua looked at the youth's solemn appearance, his eyes clear.】

【"I didn't help you for your repayment; you think this way, it's underestimating me, Lu Hua."】

【"Don't call me Lu Lu Tian Shi Lu, it always feels weird... and also, don't call me Miss Lu."】

【"I told you last time, just call me Lu Hua."】

【Xie Guan smiled and said in a gentle tone: "Then thank you, Lu Hua."】

【This Lu Lu Tian Shi of the Three Truths lineage, who had followed her master to slay demons and ghosts since she was a child, not knowing how many mountain monsters and Jianghu villains she had encountered, human hearts being ghosts, actually blushed for no reason upon hearing the youth call her "Lu Hua."】

【Seeing this, the First Master couldn't help but smile.】

【Lu Hua waved her hand quickly, pretending to be free and easy: "Children of the Jianghu, don't be so restrained."】

【"There is no banquet in the world that doesn't end."】

【"Xie Guan, the mountains are high and the road is long, there will be time in the future, we will meet again."】

【The First Master held the "Gentleman Lotus" gifted by the Second Master in his hand, which contained the profound mystery of life and death realized by the Second Master and a wisp of spiritual energy refined when he opened the Tianmen.】

【Now that his injuries were mostly healed, the First Master lifted his hand gently, and a void portal immediately appeared in front of him.】

【This is precisely the First Master's "Carefree Wandering," which can cross a hundred or a thousand miles.】

【Although you had heard Lu Hua mention it, seeing it with your own eyes, you still couldn't help but be shocked.】

【The Ninth Realm "Xuan Dan" of the Martial Path and the Tenth Realm "Yang Spirit" of the Primordial Spirit are already the peak of the mortal world, but above this, merging the "Life-Bound" is already close to the means of gods and demons.】

【The void portal gradually stabilized, and the light rippled.】

【The First Master glanced at Above Bianjing, shook his head, and whispered: "Prosperity will eventually fall, just like birds eating and returning to the forest, leaving a piece, the vast white earth is truly clean."】

【The First Master's gaze finally landed on you, his tone deep: "The opportunity for ascension is within these ten years; opportunity must not be lost, time will not return."】

【"Xie Guan, if you truly have the heart to ascend from this world, you should spend a hundred times the effort in these years to condense your own Life-Bound; otherwise, the road to heaven will be a hellish stage."】

【After speaking, he turned and stepped into the void portal, his figure gradually disappearing.】

【Lu Hua followed behind, leaving a sentence, "Xie Guan, the ten-year appointment, we will meet again!"】

【After the two figures entered the Gate of the Void, the portal gradually dissipated under the moonlight, as if it had never existed.】

【Only you were left in the field, along with the carriage waiting quietly.】

【The jujube-red horse snorted, and the surroundings were exceptionally quiet.】

【You stood in place, looking up at the night sky.】

【The opportunity for ascension, the ten-year appointment; although the road ahead is difficult, it has already unfolded at your feet.】

【You turned and walked toward the carriage, lifting the curtain gently; Sister Wu Tong was still sleeping sweetly.】

【You were just about to get on the carriage and drive away.】

【Your mind moved, sensing someone rushing over not far away, and you couldn't help but smile.】

【"Brother Guan, Brother Guan!"】

【Xie Yuan rushed over, sweating profusely; under the damp river mist, his hair was all stuck to his scalp, and the originally handsome young master looked quite miserable at this moment.】

【He wiped his sweat while bending over, panting.】

【"Sixth Brother, why are you here?" you asked with a smile.】

【Xie Yuan barely straightened his body; although he had the cultivation of the Third Realm of the Martial Path, he had no method or breathing route for running, and having run wildly from the Inviting Immortal Tower, he was already physically exhausted.】

【He looked at everything around him, his eyes full of shock.】

【"My mother, what happened here?"】

【The blue stone slabs nearby were pitted, the Zhi River had washed away the river stairs, and there was a deep pit on the ground, as if it had experienced a great battle.】

【He leaned against the carriage, lifted the curtain to look inside, and caught a glimpse of the sleeping Sister Wu Tong in the carriage, stunned.】

【"Why is this little girl Sister Wu Tong here..."】

【You smiled and didn't explain.】

【Xie Yuan looked at you with burning eyes, his tone carrying a hint of urgency: "Brother Guan, where are your Three Truths friends?"】

【"You are too unkind; we brothers share blessings and hardships, I even stuffed Mujhu into your carriage."】

【"Brother Guan, you make friends in the Jianghu, and even heroes of the Three Truths lineage, yet you don't introduce them to your brother."】

【You roughly understood why Xie Yuan had come so hurriedly.】

【You pointed helplessly to the place where the First Master had just left: "Sixth Brother, you didn't come at the right time, they just left."】

【Xie Yuan looked around, but didn't see a single figure, and said suspiciously: "Don't try to fool your brother."】

【"I wouldn't dare deceive Sixth Brother."】

【Xie Yuan lowered his voice and asked mysteriously: "Then tell me, who is the woman at the Xie family gate? The one following Uncle Uncle Chongshan, she looks cold."】

【You smiled: "That is the Lu Lu Tian Shi of the Three Truths lineage."】

【Xie Yuan was shocked, his face suspicious, as if he couldn't believe it: "Lu Lu Tian Shi? The Lu Lu Tian Shi of the Three Truths lineage?"】

【"Brother Guan, are you talking nonsense?"】

【"How could the Lu Lu Tian Shi of the Three Truths lineage come here? This is Above Bianjing, where the academy is located."】

【Xie Yuan looked around, full of doubt: "Then what happened here? What happened tonight?"】

【You smiled and said: "Just now, the Demon Master, Master Master Lianchi, and the First Master of the Academy beheaded the Master here."】

【"I even saw the Second Master!"】

【Xie Yuan waved his hand quickly: "Stop, stop, stop."】

【"You mean Xu Xu Jiangxian of the Eternal Heaven? That Demon Master who kills without blinking and sacrifices a whole city of people?"】

【"Master Master Lianchi wouldn't be the human walker of the Southern Buddhist Kingdom? The holy monk known as the living Buddha?"】

【You nodded.】

【Xie Yuan didn't believe it: "Brother Guan, according to you, the Second Master must have begged to take you as a disciple and even passed you the Nine Swords?"】

【You thought for a moment and said seriously, "You could say that, and I didn't refuse."】

【Xie Yuan rolled his eyes, "You wish!"】

【He looked helpless: "Forget it, asking you is asking in vain. Why is Sister Wu Tong here?"】

【You patted his shoulder: "."】

【Xie Yuan sighed, didn't ask further, but got on the carriage with you.】

【You drove the carriage, about to cross the Zhi River Bridge and return to the Xie Fu. At this moment, your carriage quietly mixed into the ranks of the common people, rather than the carriage procession of the Nine Great Surnames heading to the Flower Banquet.】

【The General Sima family flag hung high on the carriage; although the road was crowded and there were heavy checkpoints set up by the Imperial Guards, the soldiers avoided them as soon as they saw the flag, making your journey smooth and unobstructed.】

【You walked and talked all the way.】

【Xie Yuan talked enthusiastically about your reputation at the Flower Banquet, with many dignitaries offering thousands of gold to invite you to write poetry.】

【He also mentioned that your father, Xie Ling, was about to return to the capital, bringing a great victory, and had now restored his title.】

【Xie Yuan's face was full of emotion and joy, "Father hasn't been home for almost ten years."】

【You listened with a calm expression, but the whip in your hand was gripped a little tighter.】

【You had only seen this father once when you were three years old; your mother had longed to see him one last time before she passed away, but it was not to be.】

【The carriage moved forward slowly, the moonlight casting radiance like light gauze, and the scenery of Above Bianjing along the way unfolded slowly like a painting.】

【Your mind gradually returned to calm.】

【On the way the carriage traveled, Xie Yuan heard many discussions about those who had become famous at today's Flower Banquet.】

【Not the thirty flower queens of today, not the sword-dancing Lady Lady Gongsun, not Sister Nihuang of the Yuehua Pavilion, nor Su Su Shishi, the greatest beauty in Above Bianjing.】

【But a concubine's son from the Xie Fu—Xie Guan.】

【One person's poem suppressed the Flower Banquet!】

【This is no lie; many academy masters and scholars were conquered by his talented poetry.】

【Hearing this, Xie Yuan lowered the curtain gently and joked: "Brother Guan, now that you are famous in Above Bianjing, I'm afraid many flower queens will offer themselves to you. Why not let Miss Mujhu warm your bed tonight?"】

【"Otherwise, if you are still a fledgling in the future, you will lose face."】

【Recalling the look in Mujhu's eyes just now in the carriage, as if she wanted to swallow you alive, you waved your hand and shook your head quickly.】

【"Sixth Brother, you are joking."】

【Xie Yuan laughed, patted your shoulder, and smiled: "Brother Guan, you are in a blessing and don't know it."】

【When you returned to the Xie Fu, the entrance was full of carriages, and the lights were bright.】

【Everyone had smiles on their faces; apparently, this Flower Banquet was a rare grand event in Above Bianjing in recent years.】

【There was still a dinner party inside the Xie Fu, not only to entertain guests from the other two families who attended the Flower Banquet, but also to celebrate Xie Ling's restoration of his title.】

【After Xie Yuan got off the carriage, he hurried to the dinner party.】

【You didn't go; no one cared about the coming or going of a concubine's son.】

【Carrying Sister Wu Tong on your back, you walked slowly toward your own small courtyard.】

【Sister Wu Tong, perhaps feeling the bumps after getting off the carriage, woke up slowly on your back, rubbing her eyes with sleepy eyes and asking: "Young Master, where are we?"】

【You looked at the simple wooden door of the small courtyard and pushed it open gently, revealing a square courtyard.】

【The furnishings in the courtyard were simple, but kept in good order.】

【You responded softly: "We are home."】

【Sister Wu Tong responded in a daze, yawned, and fell into a deep sleep again.】

【You carried Sister Wu Tong into the room on the west side, placed her gently on the bed, and covered her with the quilt.】

【Sister Wu Tong refused to come down from your arms for a long time; it took you some effort to settle her down.】

【You looked at Sister Wu Tong's sleeping face, a smile on your face, and closed the door slowly.】

【The bright moon peeked through the window leisurely!】

【You walked into the middle hall and lit three sticks of incense at your mother's spirit tablet.】

【You whispered, "Mother, Happy New Year!"】

(End of chapter)