Light Fortress-Chapter 1524 - 222: The Rematch

"Gu Shen, you big liar!"

"Liar!"

"Liar..."

The girl’s voice echoed in the silver-white majestic mountains and hills, eventually dissipating along with the wind and snow.

This encounter on the tundra was destined to be short-lived.

Soon it was time for farewell.

Bai Xiu escorted Gu Xiaoman away from the snow mountain, passed by the green lake again, flew over the vast snow, and finally, when it was almost time to part, Gu Xiaoman suddenly asked, "Master Bai Xiu, everyone says Gu Shen is dead. Do you think so too?"

"This question... is meaningless."

Bai Xiu shook his head, saying, "I hope to see him again... but I also know this hope is very slim."

Gu Xiaoman’s eyes showed some disappointment.

She quietly tightened the drawstring of her cloak and softly said, "I understand."

Bai Xiu looked at the little girl wrapped in a black cloak and saw the mature and experienced look on her face, feeling a surge of sadness in his heart.

The wind and snow were strong.

The small black dot struggled to trek through the snow, never turning back, only waving symbolically from afar to indicate that she didn’t want him to worry.

The whistling wind on the tundra was harsh as Bai Xiu leaned against a protruding boulder, the cold wind scraping the stone like iron, making a clanging sound.

"Time to come out."

He spoke in a low voice.

From the far end of the snowfield, a figure in a red cloak wearing two swords slowly emerged.

"You went too easy on her just now, it could have been heavier."

Red Dragon walked out of the snow mist, leaning against the back of the large rock, and said with a smile, "This little girl hasn’t really suffered since she began her cultivation. I thought you would provide some adversity education."

"What kind of talk is that?"

Bai Xiu frowned, his words tinged with hidden anger: "She is my disciple. Naturally, I must cherish and protect her. How could I intentionally target her... The troubles on the path of cultivation are hers to experience, and it’s not up to me to force them."

"...Alright."

Red Dragon shrugged. He knew he wouldn’t reach common ground with Bai Xiu on this topic, so he changed the subject, smiling and complimenting, "Your cultivation progress these years has been swift, even faster than I imagined. No wonder you’re ’S-Class’."

"I don’t think it’s anything remarkable."

The term S-Class is an unparalleled honor for others.

But for Bai Xiu, it means nothing.

Bai Xiu’s gaze fell at the end of the tundra. He could no longer see Gu Xiaoman; this chance encounter on the tundra was certainly not coincidental... Only Red Dragon knew about Gu Xiaoman leaving Central Continent. So Bai Xiu was here because Red Dragon had informed him.

Earlier in the communicator, Red Dragon seemed anxious, but he wasn’t truly worried.

The future Lord of Wine ventured out alone — no way he would leave her unaided.

If Gu Xiaoman were to go somewhere Red Dragon couldn’t conveniently follow, he would find a way to appoint a strong enough Protector.

"Did you really take good care of her at the Source Tower?"

Bai Xiu spoke coldly, "These five years, she must have suffered a lot."

"Sorry, Source Tower and I are essentially two factions." Red Dragon crossed his arms and spoke faintly, "To become the ’Lord of Wine’ how can one not endure hardship, the road to divinity must be filled with thorns... besides, you haven’t seen how she stirred Central Continent in recent years. Those who gave her a hard time all met bad ends eventually."

Bai Xiu pressed on, "But how do I hear that someone from the Cloud Tiger Sect wants to kill her?"

That question left Red Dragon speechless.

"That was merely her guess..."

Red Dragon sighed lightly, rubbed his brow, and after a moment of silence added, "Though her guess was correct."

"Hmm?"

At these words, the killing intent in Bai Xiu’s brow began to manifest.

Someone actually wants to kill Gu Xiaoman.

"Gu Xiaoman’s identity as ’Lord of Wine’ has yet to be revealed, and in the entire Source Tower, only the Sky Divine Throne, Mr. Tianshui, and I know her true identity... As for others, they just know her identity is special and that she’s highly favored, a super talent brought back from the Sangzhou Cave mission." Red Dragon explained, "Initially to Cloud Tiger and Xuan Turtle, she was not a threat. But as the Wine Spark position remains vacant, and time progresses, they gradually realized something was wrong."

Bai Xiu roughly understood why.

Source Tower is certainly adept at baiting, even among its own.

The existence of the four Divine Envoys can greatly maintain Source Tower’s status.

Yet, to drive these four "top talents," they need to set an ultimate direction they willingly pursue.

At this moment, it’s precisely the Wine Spark!

Ascending to the Position of Divine Envoy, how can one refuse the allure of the sparks...

Five years ago, during the Sangzhou Cave mission, Mr. Tianshui used the "spark" as a lead to drive the four Divine Envoys to action, yet after the mission concluded, mysteries about the Flame Master remained unsolved.

Following that, there was only sporadic news.

This kind of handling, even if the four Divine Envoys were fools, alerted them that something was awry.

Though they couldn’t rebel against Source Tower’s divine power, ultimately frustrations accumulated... But at this time, the pending "spark" became a balancing force, as long as the Flame Master’s identity was unpublished, it implied they still had a chance, and real grievances couldn’t be vented.

Yet, Gu Xiaoman’s growth genuinely terrified Cloud Tiger and Xuan Turtle!

"The Sky Divine Throne is indifferent to everything; he’s unconcerned about the process this matter requires... only about the final result. Source Tower finding a perfect ’Lord of Wine’ candidate can only be considered a beginning, while Qinglong’s task is to help this ’Lord of Wine’ grow swiftly, hence choosing this method."