Free Web NovelElder Qingquan looked at him and smiled with satisfaction.
"But—"
Elder Qingquan’s tone suddenly grew weighty. A fiercely sharp light burst forth from his murky eyes.
"If one day, you run into an insurmountable obstacle on the path of formations—encounter some thorny problem, or something even Xuanheng can’t figure out—"
Elder Qingquan pointed to the bamboo gate beside him.
"You can come here anytime."
His voice rang out like a hammer striking metal, echoing through the courtyard of Listening to Waves Pavilion.
"The notes and fragmentary scrolls in my study are yours to peruse at any time."
Within the Consciousness Sea, Lin Yu let out a long sigh.
"My disciple. This old man is a man of true feeling. You hit a bloody jackpot this time."
Warmth surged through Su Ming’s heart. An indescribable wave of emotion welled up inside him.
He rose to his feet and stepped back half a pace. fгeewebnovёl.com
He lifted the hem of his violet Daoist robe, bent both knees, and knelt solidly on the bluestone slab. freeweɓnovel.cøm
This time, he performed the true ritual of a disciple’s grand salute.
"Thank you, Elder."
Su Ming’s voice came out a little hoarse.
Elder Qingquan did not stop him. He accepted the bow.
Only after Su Ming had finished kowtowing did Elder Qingquan casually wave a hand.
"Alright, get up. Sit."
"The old man hasn’t finished speaking yet."
Su Ming quickly stood up and sat back down on the stone stool.
Elder Qingquan took a sip of tea, then abruptly shifted the topic.
"I heard you went to the Administration Hall?"
Su Ming was taken aback.
Was the Elder’s information network so fast? He had only just stepped out of the Administration Hall, and news had already reached Listening to Waves Pavilion?
He steadied himself and nodded. "Yes, Disciple just came from the Administration Hall."
Elder Qingquan slowly fanned the stove two more times with his palm-leaf fan, sparks dancing in the furnace.
"You took on the mission to mediate the war down the mountain?"
Su Ming’s heart skipped a beat.
"Yes," Su Ming answered honestly, daring not conceal anything. "Disciple accepted the mission to travel to the Great Xing nation and mediate the war with the Northern Barbarians."
Elder Qingquan hummed an acknowledgment, as if it were just a casual question.
"Did you take that mission on your own initiative?"
"Yes," Su Ming explained. "Disciple hails from Great Xing. Descending the mountain this time, I might as well take the chance… to go back and take a look."
He made no mention of the old grudge with the Yongchang Marquis Manor.
Elder Qingquan raised an eyebrow slightly and finally shifted his gaze from the furnace to Su Ming’s face.
"Great Xing? Your place of origin?"
"Yes," Su Ming confirmed again. "Disciple thought I might as well take this opportunity to go back and see."
Elder Qingquan nodded, his expression softening a little.
"That’s only right. For cultivators, nothing is more fearsome than having lingering attachments in the heart."
He picked up his teacup, blew on the steam, and said in a flat tone.
"Go back and have a look. Settle those ties. When you later strive for the Golden Core, it will give birth to fewer inner demons."
A shiver ran through Su Ming, and he replied respectfully, "The Elder speaks wisely."
Elder Qingquan hummed again, downed the tea in one gulp with a free and easy grace, then set the cup down. The base struck the stone table with a crisp clink.
"The old man has taken that mission too."
Su Ming froze in shock, wondering if he had heard wrong.
"Elder, you also…"
Elder Qingquan acted as if he hadn’t seen Su Ming’s stunned expression. Setting down the cup, his tone remained as casual as if he were commenting on today’s weather.
"Great Xing and the Northern Barbarians have been fighting for four years. The sect has been turning a blind eye, one eye open and one closed. But now, the fire is licking at our eyebrows. If we don’t step in, another vassal state will follow in its fall."
He glanced at Su Ming, his gaze deep and penetrating, as if it could pierce a person’s heart.
"The Cloud Hidden Sect governs three kingdoms: Great Xing, the Northern Barbarians, and the Western Flame—all tributary states. If Great Xing is destroyed by the Northern Barbarians, what do you think the Western Flame will think? And what will the other sects, licking their chops, think of our Cloud Hidden Sect?"
Elder Qingquan continued, "So the sect’s high-level leadership resolved that a Golden Core Elder must be sent to lead the team and clear up this muddy water. As it happens, I’ve gained some reputation in the sect lately and have been bored out of my mind, so I picked it up on a whim."
He spoke as if it were nothing, as though he wasn’t taking on a scorching hot potato that involved the survival of two nations, but simply going down the mountain to buy a good jug of wine.
Elder Qingquan glanced at Su Ming.
"What’s the matter? Don’t want to travel with the old man?"
"No, no, no! Disciple wouldn’t dare!" Su Ming hurriedly stood up, waving his hands repeatedly. "Disciple is just… just too surprised!"
Elder Qingquan snorted. "Just what? Your mediation mission and my mission are the same thing. The destination is the same place. Could it be that you want to go separately?"
Su Ming’s mind raced, and he instantly connected the dots.
Having a Golden Core Elder travel with him increased the safety factor of this trip by a hundred times! This was a massive stroke of luck, a powerful leg to lean on!
He immediately bowed, clasping his hands in a grand salute.
"Disciple is dull-witted! Thank you for the Elder’s guidance!"
Elder Qingquan waved a hand, wearing an expression that clearly said, "Don’t pull that act on me."
"Guidance is a bit of a stretch. We’re just heading the same way."
He picked up his palm-leaf fan again and fanned the stove unhurriedly, as if his earlier words had been nothing more than an offhand remark.
"But don’t say I didn’t warn you," Elder Qingquan’s voice regained its coolness. "On this trip, the sect mission comes first. You can handle your personal affairs along the way, but they must not delay the main business. Weigh the importance in your own heart."
A shiver ran through Su Ming, and he immediately put on a solemn expression. "Disciple understands! Everything will be done with the sect’s overall interests as the priority!"
"Mm." Elder Qingquan grunted in acknowledgment and fell silent, focusing on his furnace as if some secret of the formation Dao were hidden inside it.
Su Ming knew that today’s conversation was over.
He respectfully performed a bow, then quietly retreated backward.
"Disciple takes his leave."
He turned and slowly walked toward the yard’s entrance.
Just as one foot was about to cross the bamboo gate, he suddenly remembered the most crucial question.
He whirled around and looked back at the figure of the old man leisurely boiling tea in the courtyard.
"Elder, when do we depart?"
Elder Qingquan didn’t turn his head; his voice drifted lazily on the wind.
"Ten days from now, at the mao hour."
"Then Disciple will wait at—" Su Ming was about to ask where they should gather.
But Elder Qingquan, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, directly cut him off.
"Those senior and junior brothers and sisters of yours, and those outer disciples, will definitely want to throw you a farewell party. Crying and wailing, pulling and tugging—the old man least wants to see that kind of scene."
Su Ming: "…"
He opened his mouth and found himself at a loss for words. How did the Elder know that?
In the yard, Elder Qingquan’s figure was somewhat hazy in the rising steam. He paused, then added a final remark, his voice coming through clearly.
"Ten days from now, at the mao hour. We meet at the sect’s mountain gate. You see off your own, and I’ll wait for mine. Neither of us interferes with the other."
Su Ming stood at the gate, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
What kind of nonsense was this? Seeing himself off?
He shook his head, but ultimately replied respectfully, "Yes, Disciple will remember."
With that, he didn’t linger any longer. He stepped out of Listening to Waves Pavilion, and his figure quickly vanished at the end of the green bamboo-lined path.
