Chapter 2703

Hearing Qingxu Sanren express his loyalty impatiently, Earl Changsheng nodded with satisfaction and smiled; everything was indeed developing in the direction he had calculated.

As far as Earl Changsheng himself was concerned, he had never been a good person.

Apart from being devoted and uncomplaining in front of the Lord, he did not even meet the most basic moral bottom line of "keeping one's word" with others.

In fact, when he first arrived in Yanjing, he had thought about using the connections and resources of Changyun Temple to help him find the whereabouts of Lin Wan'er.

However, after careful consideration, he still felt it was not worth exposing his true identity just to utilize Changyun Temple.

Not to mention whether Changyun Temple could help him find clues about Lin Wan'er, at the very least, the fact that a Taoist priest born in the 19th century who had practiced in Changyun Temple for decades was still alive today would inevitably bring him unnecessary trouble once it spread.

It was precisely because of this that he had never come to Changyun Temple.

However, the current situation was already somewhat urgent for Earl Changsheng.

On one hand, the Lord had already ordered the entire Poqing Society to lie dormant temporarily, and perhaps he would soon be asked to return; the opportunities left for him to find Lin Wan'er were already few. Moreover, although the four great earls held high status in the Poqing Society, they did not enjoy absolute freedom. Being able to stay out for so long this time was entirely due to the Lord's eagerness to capture Lin Wan'er. But now the situation had changed suddenly, and Earl Jiangong had died inexplicably; perhaps one day, with a single word from the Lord, he would have to return to report his mission.

On the other hand, the Lord still wanted him to find the whereabouts of Ye Changying's son. He could no longer delay this matter and had to set off for Jin Ling in the coming days. Therefore, the task of finding Lin Wan'er could only be done by "freeloading" off Baiyun Temple.

Although this would certainly expose the fact that he was already over 150 years old, if he could find Lin Wan'er, he would achieve a great victory and return in triumph, and he would simply never come to Huaxia again.

How could Qingxu Sanren know what his martial uncle was planning?

He only knew that this martial uncle of his had lived for nearly 160 years, and now he was willing to pass on the Dao of longevity to him; all he needed to do was provide a "letter of intent" (a token of loyalty).

For him, there was absolutely no reason to refuse this.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Earl Changsheng immediately said to him: "Qingxu, work hard these few days. Mobilize every connection you can to help me investigate the clues I want. I am going south, and if you have any news, contact me at any time!"

Qingxu Sanren knelt on the ground and said respectfully: "Martial Uncle, rest assured, Qingxu will definitely go all out!"

Earl Changsheng nodded, gave him the photo of Lin Wan'er, and exhorted: "Find the person in this photo. Remember, the photo must never be leaked, and it must not be spread through the internet. From now on, this photo can only be kept by you. Have your people look at this photo in front of you to see her appearance clearly. Do you understand?"

Earl Changsheng did not know how many connections and eyes Lin Wan'er still had. Although he was very old, he still had a certain understanding of the internet. He knew that once anything reached the internet, it was absolutely impossible to avoid being copied and spread. Once this photo spread through the internet, it was very likely to be seen by Lin Wan'er or her eyes and ears, which would inevitably "startle the snake."

Therefore, when handing this photo to Qingxu, he had to ensure it would never be uploaded to the internet.

After receiving the photo of Lin Wan'er, Qingxu Sanren said without hesitation: "Martial Uncle, rest assured, Qingxu has remembered!"

As he spoke, Qingxu Sanren asked again: "Martial Uncle, do you have any general clues about this girl? For example, where might she be?"

Earl Changsheng shook his head and said: "I don't know where she is, but I personally speculate that she is most likely in Huaxia. Therefore, it is best if you gather a group of disciples and let them go all over the country to search in the name of wandering!"

Qingxu Sanren nodded and said: "No problem, I will arrange it!"

"Good." Earl Changsheng nodded slightly and said: "I leave this matter to you. If there are any clues, remember to notify me immediately."

"Yes, Martial Uncle!" Qingxu Sanren hurriedly agreed, then asked Earl Changsheng again: "By the way, Martial Uncle, those waiting outside are all my junior brothers. If you can bring disciples to seek longevity in the future, can you also bring them along? They are all loyal disciples of Changyun Temple and have contributed for many years. If everyone has the opportunity to seek longevity, the foundation of Changyun Temple will surely last forever!"

Earl Changsheng smiled, nodded, and said: "They are all disciples of my Changyun Temple. Now that I have attained the Dao, naturally, I will let the entire Changyun Temple rise to heaven."

As he spoke, he changed the subject and added: "However, this matter cannot be known by too many people for the time being. After all, such a thing as defying heaven and changing fate will inevitably cause a sensation once known to the world, and it will also bring unnecessary trouble to Changyun Temple. So, after I leave, you must call them here, convey what I said to them word for word, and at the same time, exhort them not to leak a single word to the outside world!"

"Martial Uncle, rest assured!" Qingxu Sanren guaranteed: "The disciples will definitely exhort them to keep the secret absolutely!"

Earl Changsheng nodded and said: "That is very good, then I will wait for your good news!"

Qingxu Sanren hurriedly asked: "Martial Uncle, I wonder where you are staying now? If you don't mind, I will have someone prepare a room for you!"

Earl Changsheng shook his head: "It is not convenient for you here."

After saying this, he checked the time and said: "Alright, I won't talk to you anymore today. I have many things to attend to. You hurry up and make arrangements. I will leave my phone number with you; communicate at any time if there is anything."

"Good!" Qingxu Sanren said respectfully: "Then this disciple will not keep you, Martial Uncle!"

When Earl Changsheng and Qingxu Sanren came out of the secret room, the other elders of Changyun Temple had already been waiting there for a long time.

It was not just Qingxu Sanren who hoped to seek longevity; they were all the same.

If they didn't want to obtain Qi and seek longevity, why would they guard this place so faithfully?

And right now, Earl Changsheng was their best opportunity.

Seeing Earl Changsheng come out, the crowd hurriedly greeted him and performed a grand kneeling ceremony with utmost respect.

Earl Changsheng knew what these people were thinking. Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground, he said indifferently: "Junior brothers, I have already told Qingxu about the Dao of longevity. Let Qingxu describe it to you in detail later. I have matters to attend to and must leave first."

When everyone heard that Earl Changsheng was leaving, they were extremely disappointed. One of them said respectfully: "Martial Uncle Changqing, you have been away from Changyun Temple for so many years; it is too hasty to leave just after returning..."

Earl Changsheng glanced at Qingxu Sanren. Qingxu Sanren immediately stepped forward and said in an unquestionable tone: "Lingfeng, Martial Uncle Changqing has important matters to attend to! No one is allowed to interfere or delay! Martial Uncle Changqing has already told me the questions you want to know, and I will convey them to you word for word later!"

As he spoke, he warned again: "However, I will say the ugly words first: anyone who delays Martial Uncle Changqing's important matters will have absolutely no chance to peek into the Dao of longevity!"

Everyone's expression tightened, and suddenly no one dared to ask any more questions.

And Lingfeng, who had been named, also said respectfully in a panic: "Disciple Lingfeng, respectfully send off Martial Uncle Changqing!"

The crowd suddenly reacted and said in unison: "Respectfully send off Martial Uncle Changqing!"

Earl Changsheng stroked his long beard and walked away gracefully. Just as the crowd was about to come out to see him off, they heard Earl Changsheng say without looking back: "Junior brothers, stay where you are, no need to see me off."

Seeing Earl Changsheng leave, Qingxu Sanren hurriedly called the junior brothers into the secret room and laid out the agreement between him and Earl Changsheng.

Unlike Earl Changsheng, Qingxu Sanren grew up in Changyun Temple since he was a child and was now the supervisor of Changyun Temple, so he had deep feelings for the temple. Now that there was an opportunity to peek into the Dao of longevity, he naturally did not want to enjoy it alone.

After hearing this, the junior brothers thought they had grasped a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they were also excited beyond measure.

Thus, everyone stared at Lin Wan'er's photo for a long time, wanting to engrave her appearance completely in their minds.

Afterwards, Qingxu Sanren ordered: "Junior brothers, tonight you need to select people you absolutely trust from among your disciples and draw up a list for me. Tomorrow I will summon the people on your list, show them the girl's photo, and then send them all out!"

Everyone immediately agreed and said in unison: "Please rest assured, Senior Brother Supervisor!"

Qingxu Sanren added: "By the way, junior brothers, Senior Brother will speak some heart-to-heart words with you. Today, when you saw Martial Uncle Changqing, you could all see that Martial Uncle Changqing is physically strong and energetic, looking not even sixty years old, but his actual age is already nearly 160. Judging by Martial Uncle Changqing's current trend, living another forty years is completely out of the question. In that case, conservatively estimated, Martial Uncle Changqing's lifespan will reach two hundred years!"

These words from Qingxu Sanren immediately raised everyone's inner expectation and longing for longevity to another level.

The previous Lingfeng couldn't help but ask: "Senior Brother Supervisor, in your opinion, what is the maximum lifespan Martial Uncle Changqing can reach?"

Qingxu Sanren shook his head and sighed: "When I was a child, I once heard Master say that according to the records of Changyun Temple, hundreds or thousands of years ago, there were some immortal masters who truly mastered Qi. They could easily have a lifespan of two or three hundred years, and some could even reach five hundred years. But whether it is true or false, I cannot be sure yet. However, looking at Martial Uncle Changqing's state today, two hundred years is at least guaranteed. If his cultivation improves after two hundred years, perhaps he can live even longer!"

Speaking of this, Qingxu Sanren's expression tightened, and he said with utmost seriousness: "Junior brothers, you must not tell anyone about Martial Uncle Changqing's return and the matter of the Dao of longevity. This matter is of great importance. Any slip-up may affect our future. If Martial Uncle cannot teach us the Dao of longevity, then what we miss might be a hundred years of lifespan! Seeing Martial Uncle Changqing today, I believe none of you junior brothers want to die before the age of one hundred, right?"

Everyone's expression was solemn, and they replied in unison: "We don't want to!"

Qingxu Sanren nodded and exhorted: "Then remember what I said!"

Night fell.

Earl Changsheng sat cross-legged on the floor in his temporary residence.

He appeared to be meditating with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was calculating in his heart when he should set off for Jin Ling.

Just then, a prompt suddenly popped up on his mobile phone; it was actually the Lord wanting to talk to him.

He immediately opened his phone, entered the specialized software, and connected with the Lord.

On the phone, the Lord's cold voice came through: "Earl Changsheng, I ordered you to go to Jin Ling to find the whereabouts of Ye Changying's son. Why haven't you set off yet?"

Earl Changsheng hurriedly explained: "Lord, your subordinate has some thoughts and would like to boldly report to you!"

The Lord said coldly: "Speak!"

Earl Changsheng said respectfully: "Lord, your subordinate has always felt that Lin Wan'er is very likely in Yanjing, so I have been searching for clues about her in Yanjing for the past two days. As for Jin Ling, your subordinate feels that, as you said, Ye Changying's son has been missing for twenty years. If he had been in Jin Ling all this time, he wouldn't leave just because I spent two more days looking for Lin Wan'er. And if he had already chosen to leave Jin Ling in the past twenty years, then I am afraid it will be very difficult for me to find clues about him this time. So your subordinate feels... the matter of Ye Changying's son is not urgent. Finding Lin Wan'er as soon as possible is the best choice to truly relieve your worries, Lord!"

"Bastard!" The Lord scolded sternly: "What you need to do is obey all my orders, without any questioning or slacking off. Otherwise, it is insubordination!"

Earl Changsheng hurriedly said: "Your subordinate deserves death ten thousand times over; please punish me, Lord!"

The Lord said coldly: "I can ignore the previous matters, but from now on, if you disobey my orders again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Earl Changsheng said anxiously: "Lord, rest assured, from now on, your subordinate will strictly execute your orders!"

The Lord said coldly: "Good! This time you go to Jin Ling, I have another task for you!"

Earl Changsheng blurted out: "Please instruct me, Lord!"

The Lord said: "I have received news that the An family has already gone to Jin Ling! An Qishan and his wife, as well as their three sons and one daughter, are all at the Wanliu Villa in Jin Ling right now. I suspect they are also there to continue searching for the whereabouts of Ye Changying's son. So I want you to go to Jin Ling and slaughter them all, leaving none alive!"

Earl Changsheng was shocked: "The An family?! Lord, the An family has mysterious forces helping them behind the scenes. If I assassinate them rashly, I wonder if there will be a risk of exposure?"

The Lord snorted coldly: "What are you afraid of? Even if there are experts behind the An family, their strength cannot be greater than yours!"

As he spoke, the Lord added: "The reason Earl Jiangong died was because the other party used close-in defense guns to ambush him. But in a place like Jin Ling, you don't need to worry; it is absolutely impossible for anyone to have the ability to deploy such lethal weapons in Jin Ling! When the time comes, just rush into the An family's Wanliu Villa and start a massacre; absolutely no one will be able to stop you!"

Although Earl Changsheng felt a bit uncertain in his heart, he also knew that what the Lord said did make some sense, so he asked: "Lord, after I arrive in Jin Ling, should I kill the An family first, or find Ye Changying's son first?"

The Lord said coldly: "Kill the An family first. If Ye Changying's son is really still alive, you will definitely be able to force him to show himself by slaughtering the An family in Jin Ling!"