Chapter 664

【“The Group of Beauties Banquet has ended!”】

【The Senior Master said with a touch of melancholy, “How many years from now will posterity judge this day in the annals of history?”】

【“Will it be the turning point of a glorious dynasty, or the dawn of chaos?”】

【The Demon Master looked up at the moonlight; the moon had slowly sunk from its zenith.】

【So much had happened today that even this Demon Master, who had weathered a century of martial storms, could not remain unmoved.】

【The Confucian Master has departed!】

【The Second Master opened the Heavenly Gate with his sword; the moment of transcendence has arrived.】

【After the Group of Beauties Banquet, the world’s balance will undergo a great transformation.】

【After calming Wu Tong, you found a garment in the carriage, draped it over yourself, straightened your clothes, and joined Lu Hua and the others.】

【Residual power from the “Demon Blood Marrow” and the “Dragon Eye Bodhi Seed” still lingered in your body; your previously depleted meridians gradually healed, and your Primordial Spirit, having consumed Long Yi’s Primordial Spirit, now bore a healthier complexion.】

【The Senior Master regarded you as the Second Master’s sole final disciple, his eyes filled with expectation.】

【“Xie Guan, I hope your reputation in the future will not fall short of your second master’s.”】

【“May you surpass your teacher!”】

【Master Lianchi smiled faintly, “Given Xie’s talent, it may take less than ten years.”】

【He paused, his gaze sweeping over the deep crater in the ground, then said slowly, “Perhaps… not even five years—then you will be a Grand Master renowned throughout the realm.”】

【You merely bowed humbly in response.】

【The Demon Master spoke with a different tone: “Xie, I disagree with Master Lianchi. In ten years, the moment of transcendence your second master spoke of will arrive.”】

【“The path to transcendence is arduous. We may never become kindred spirits. When we meet again, it may be a fight to the death.”】

【The Demon Master stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his demeanor refined, his robes fluttering, exuding the aura of a true Grand Master of the realm—he turned to look at you.】

【“The enmity of blocking one’s path is unforgivable.”】

【Xie Guan slowly bowed, his expression calm, yet silent.】

【Master Lianchi clasped his hands together and smiled, “A smile, a flower—Buddha speaks of two worlds. Gazing upon reflections, I hold a heart as pure as ice.”】

【“Young Xie, farewell.”】

【You bowed to Master Lianchi in the Buddhist manner.】

【The Demon Master and Master Lianchi departed together; their figures grew distant, one demon, one monk, yet their auras strangely harmonious.】

【Only a carriage, Lu Hua, and the Senior Master remained in the clearing.】

【The Senior Master gazed toward Yaoxian Tower; the troops that had once crowded the area were now slowly withdrawing, and the people along the Zhi River gradually dispersed.】

【A grand gathering has come to an end!】

【The Senior Master turned his gaze away and said calmly, “It is time for us to go as well.”】

【You bowed deeply to Lu Hua and said sincerely, “Thank you, Lu Tian Shi, for all you have done these days.”】

【Lu Hua smirked, “You guessed my identity?”】

【“I suspected as much.”】

【In the Xie family courtyard, Lu Hua had spoken knowledgeably of the Three True Ones sect, had fully imparted the rare and precious “Yin Fu Jing,” and given the fact that Xie Yuan had once mentioned the current Heavenly Master of the Three True Ones sect was a woman, you had long suspected her identity—the reigning Heavenly Master of the Three True Ones sect.】

【“Not stupid.”】

【Lu Hua coughed and explained, “I didn’t mean to hide it from you—just that the circumstances in Bianjing were unusual.”】

【The Senior Master looked at her with surprise; this was the first time he had seen the easygoing Lu niece openly reveal her heart.】

【You shook your head gently, “Lu Tian Shi’s grace, Xie Guan will never forget.”】

【Whether it was Sima Ting’s gift of martial secrets or Lu Hua’s daily instruction in soul cultivation methods, both had greatly benefited you.】

【Most notably, for over three months, Lu Hua had nearly daily visited the courtyard, offering you every insight into your cultivation doubts.】

【Compared to your life in the Xie household, where you had never even stepped into the academy, Lu Hua’s teaching was as different as heaven and earth.】

【This debt of gratitude, you have etched into your heart.】

【“If Lu Hua ever faces hardship, no matter how distant the mountains or rivers, through snow or spring sunshine, Xie Guan will come.”】

【Lu Hua looked at the boy’s solemn expression, his eyes clear.】

【“I helped you without expecting repayment. Thinking like that belittles me, Lu Hua.”】

【“Don’t call me Lu Tian Shi—it sounds strange… and don’t call me Lu Girl either.”】

【“I already told you last time—just call me Lu Hua.”】

【Xie Guan smiled warmly and said, “Then thank you, Lu Hua.”】

【This Heavenly Master of the Three True Ones sect, who had spent her childhood slaying demons and monsters, facing countless forest beasts and ruthless martial villains, had never expected that hearing the boy say “Lu Hua” would suddenly make her cheeks flush.】

【The Senior Master, seeing this, could not help but smile.】

【Lu Hua quickly waved her hand, feigning nonchalance, “We are children of the martial world—no need for such formality.”】

【“No feast lasts forever.”】

【“Xie Guan, the mountains are high, the roads long—we will meet again.”】

【The Senior Master held in his palm the “Gentleman’s Lotus” gifted by the Second Master, containing the Second Master’s profound insights into life and death, and a wisp of spiritual energy refined during his opening of the Heavenly Gate.】

【Now that his injuries had largely healed, the Senior Master gently raised his hand, and before him appeared a portal of empty space.】

【This was the Senior Master’s “Xiao Yao You,” capable of spanning hundreds or even thousands of miles.】

【Though you had heard of it from Lu Hua, witnessing it firsthand still filled you with awe.】

【The martial realm’s Ninth Stage, “Xuan Dan,” and the Primordial Spirit’s Tenth Stage, “Yang Shen,” were already the pinnacle of mortal existence—but to unify one’s “Ben Ming” beyond that was nearly divine or demonic art.】

【The portal of empty space gradually stabilized, its light rippling gently.】

【The Senior Master glanced at Bianjing, shook his head, and murmured, “All splendor fades. Like birds returning to the forest after the feast is done, all that remains is a vast, white, empty land.”】

【His gaze finally settled on you, his voice deep: “The moment of transcendence lies within these ten years. Once gone, it will never return.”】

【“Xie Guan, if you truly seek to transcend this realm, you must spend a hundredfold effort in these years to forge your own Ben Ming—otherwise, the path to heaven becomes a hellish platform.”】

【With that, he turned and stepped into the portal, his figure fading slowly.】

【Lu Hua followed after him, leaving behind these words: “Xie Guan, our ten-year pact—we shall meet again!”】

【As the two figures entered the void portal, it gradually dissolved beneath the moonlight, as if it had never existed.】

【Only you remained in the clearing, with the carriage waiting quietly.】

【The chestnut horse snorted, and the surroundings grew eerily still.】

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

【The moment of transcendence, the ten-year pact—the road ahead is perilous, yet it now lies open beneath your feet.】

【You turned toward the carriage, gently lifted the curtain, and found Wu Tong still sleeping soundly.】

【You were about to step onto the carriage and depart.】

【Your spirit stirred—you sensed someone approaching swiftly, and smiled.】

【“Guan Di! Guan Di!”】

【Xie Yuan rushed over, drenched in sweat; the river mist had plastered his hair to his scalp, turning the once dashing young master into a disheveled mess.】

【He wiped his brow, bent over, gasping for breath.】

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

Xie Yuan barely straightened up; although his cultivation was at the Third Stage of martial arts, he lacked any techniques for endurance or breath control—he had sprinted all the way from Yaoxian Tower and was completely drained.

【He scanned the surroundings, his eyes filled with shock.】

【“My god, what happened here?”】

【The nearby flagstones were cracked and uneven, the riverbank had collapsed, and a deep crater lay in the earth—as if a great battle had taken place.】

【He leaned against the carriage, lifted the curtain to peek inside, then noticed Wu Tong sleeping within—his expression froze.】

【“How did Wu Tong end up here…?”】

【You smiled but said nothing.】

【Xie Yuan stared at you intently, his voice urgent: “Guan Di, what happened to your Three True Ones friend?”】

【“You’re being unfair—we brothers share fortune and hardship. I even slipped Mu Zhu into your carriage.”】

【“Guan Di, you make friends with martial world figures—even heroes of the Three True Ones sect—and you don’t even introduce me?”】

【You now understood why Xie Yuan had rushed over so urgently.】

【You sighed and pointed to where the Senior Master had just departed: “Sixth Brother, you came too late—they’ve just left.”】

【Xie Yuan looked around but saw no one, suspiciously asked, “Don’t you dare fool me, brother.”】

【“I would never deceive you, Sixth Brother.”】

【Xie Yuan lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously: “Tell me—who was that woman at the Xie family gate? The one who followed Uncle Chongshan? She looked so cold.”】

【You smiled, “She’s the Heavenly Master of the Three True Ones sect.”】

【Xie Yuan gasped, his face filled with disbelief: “Heavenly Master? The Three True Ones sect’s Heavenly Master?”】

【“Guan Di, are you talking nonsense?”】

【“How could the Three True Ones sect’s Heavenly Master come here? This is Bianjing—the seat of the Academy!”】

【Xie Yuan looked around, utterly confused: “Then what happened here? What exactly happened tonight?”】

【You smiled and said, “Just now, the Demon Master, Master Lianchi, and the Academy’s Senior Master jointly slew the Confucian Master here.”】

【“I even saw the Second Master!”】

【Xie Yuan waved his hands frantically: “Stop, stop, stop.”】

【“You mean Xu Jiangxian of the Long Life Heaven? That Demon Master who kills without hesitation and sacrifices entire cities?”】

【“And Master Lianchi—surely you don’t mean the living Buddha, the holy monk who walks among mortals in the Southern Buddhist Kingdom?”】

You nodded.

Xie Yuan looked skeptical: “Observer, if what you say is true, shouldn’t Second Master have begged you to take him as a disciple—and even passed on the Nine Swords?”

After a moment’s thought, you said seriously, “You could put it that way. I didn’t refuse.”

He rolled his eyes. “Dream on!”

He sighed helplessly. “Forget it. Asking you is pointless. Why is Wutong here?”

You patted his shoulder.

Xie Yuan sighed and dropped the matter, climbing into the carriage with you.

You drove the carriage, preparing to cross Zhi Shui Bridge and return to Xie Fu. At this moment, your carriage quietly merged into the crowd of commoners’ vehicles, not among the procession of carriages heading to the Qunfang Banquet from the Nine Surnames.

A banner of the Sima family hung high above. Though the streets were packed and guarded by multiple checkpoints of the Imperial Guards, the soldiers, upon seeing the banner, immediately cleared a path, allowing your journey to proceed without hindrance.

You traveled and chatted along the way.

Xie Yuan excitedly recounted your reputation at the Qunfang Banquet—many high officials had offered a thousand taels to commission poems from you.

He also mentioned that your father, Xie Ling, was returning to Jingcheng in triumph, having regained his noble title.

Xie Yuan’s face was filled with emotion and joy. “Father hasn’t come home in nearly ten years.”

You listened in silence, your grip tightening on the whip.

You had seen this father only once, at age three. Before she died, your mother longed to see him again—but never did.

The carriage moved slowly; moonlight spilled like gauze, unveiling the scenery of Bianjing like a slowly unfurling scroll.

Your mind gradually grew calm.

Along the way, Xie Yuan overheard many discussing the man whose name had shaken the Qunfang Banquet.

Not the thirty courtesans of the night, not the sword-dancing Gong Sun Niangzi, not Ni Huan from Yuehua Pavilion, nor even Bianjing’s number one beauty, Su Shishi.

But Xie Guan, an obscure bastard son of the Xie family.

One poem overshadowed the entire Qunfang Banquet!

It was no exaggeration. Many academy masters and scholars had been humbled by his brilliant poetry.

Xie Yuan lowered the carriage curtain, joking, “Observer, you’re now famous throughout Bianjing. I bet half the courtesans will offer to warm your bed tonight. Why not let Mu Zhu keep you company?”

“Otherwise, if you remain a virgin, you’ll lose all face.”

You recalled Mu Zhu’s glare from earlier—the look as if she wanted to devour you whole—and quickly shook your head.

“Sixth brother, you’re teasing me.”

Xie Yuan burst into laughter, clapping your shoulder. “Observer, you don’t even know how lucky you are.”

When you returned to Xie Fu, the gate was lined with carriages, brightly lit.

Everyone’s faces wore smiles; clearly, the Qunfang Banquet had been one of Bianjing’s grandest gatherings in years.

A banquet was still underway inside Xie Fu—not only to entertain guests from the other two families who attended the Qunfang Banquet, but also to celebrate Xie Ling’s restored title.

Xie Yuan leapt from the carriage and hurried toward the banquet.

You did not go. No one cared whether a bastard son attended.

You carried Wutong on your back and walked slowly toward your own small courtyard.

Wutong, stirred by the jostling after dismounting, slowly woke, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “Master, where are we?”

You looked at the humble wooden gate of the courtyard and pushed it open, revealing a small square yard.

The yard’s furnishings were simple but neatly maintained.

You replied softly, “We’re home.”

Wutong mumbled a reply, yawned, and fell back into deep sleep.

You carried Wutong into the western room and gently laid her on the bed, pulling the quilt over her.

But she refused to let go of you. It took some effort to settle her properly.

You gazed at her sleeping face, a faint smile on your lips, then quietly closed the door.

The bright moon peered gently through the window!

You entered the main hall and lit three incense sticks before your mother’s spirit tablet.

You whispered, “Mother, may the New Year bring you peace.”

(End of Chapter)