Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 690 - 620: Meeting

Words that should have been heavy with sorrow, when spoken by the Mountain Master, seemed light and indifferent, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

Li Ang consoled him, "Your blessings are as vast as the heavens; you won’t leave us so soon." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Haotian is never truly fair. Only in the matter of death does it treat all beings equally."

The Mountain Master looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. "It’s just that I have some regrets."

What regrets? Li Ang wondered. Was it not breaking through the last barrier in Cultivation? Or not being able to witness Yu Country’s victory in the war?

The Mountain Master lowered his head and said solemnly, "Promise me one thing."

"Please, tell me."

"Protect Yu Country’s citizens."

Li Ang was even more puzzled. He had always believed in the unity of rights and responsibilities. Having enjoyed the conveniences afforded by his position as Inspector of the Academic Palace, he naturally considered protecting the common people his duty—one he would perform even without the Mountain Master’s reminder.

Why emphasize it so strongly?

"Of course..."

Before Li Ang could answer, the Mountain Master interrupted, "This is not a request I make in my capacity as Mountain Master, or as an elder, so you need not feel any burden because of it. Mortals, limited by their talents and abilities, are often foolish and shortsighted. They are frequently blind to, and unconcerned with, matters ten or even a hundred years in the future. Cultivators, however, are different. They see things from a much broader perspective, and the conclusions they reach are often ’unconventional’—sometimes even placing them in opposition to the majority. You have already done enough for Yu Country’s citizens; even I could not ask for more. I only hope that if, in the future, a day comes when you are required to make a choice, you can show mortals a greater measure of tolerance and compassion."

The Mountain Master’s tone was exceptionally grave, and Li Ang felt a surge of unease as he listened.

A breeze swept through the mountains, slowly bringing a dark cloud that blocked the warm sunlight, enveloping the hillock in shadow.

Li Ang took a deep breath, pondered for a long moment, and then nodded with equal solemnity. "I promise you."

"That is enough."

The serious expression on the Mountain Master’s face immediately vanished. He stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and said with a smile, "It’s getting late. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then let’s go. There is a tavern in Xingzhou; by my reckoning, it must be almost two hundred years old by now..."

The Mountain Master walked down the hillock. Perhaps because he had just paid respects at the graves and reminisced about old friends, he was in high spirits and chatted leisurely with Li Ang as they walked, with the Mountain Master leading the way.

For instance, although Ta’an Village had inherited its old name, all its current villagers had relocated there after a flood, so no one recognized him. Xingzhou’s persimmons and lotus roots were famous, as was the Yellow River carp. Although the surname ’Li’ was imperial in Yu Country, and commoners were technically forbidden from consuming carp to avoid offense, no one took it very seriously. Generally, the government turned a blind eye. During years of poor harvest, the impoverished relied on fish to survive.

Chatting idly, the two entered Xingzhou and found a tavern.

The tavern was built on the banks of the Yellow River. Due to silt accumulation, the river’s water level was several meters higher than the surrounding ground. Therefore, even sitting in the tall building, one could only just manage to look level with the river surface, seeing the vast, eastward-flowing waters of the Yellow River.

The tavern was bustling with activity, nearly every seat taken. The tavern keeper, seeing the Mountain Master with his venerable white hair, and out of respect for the old, had an attendant serve him a bowl of noodles ahead of others.

It was lamb noodles. The noodle strips were wide and resilient, and the bone broth was as white and glossy as milk. Over a dozen thick slices of lamb were piled by the edge of the bowl, with chopped cilantro and garlic sprouts sprinkled in the center, its rich aroma filling the air.

The Mountain Master pulled out two chopsticks from a container on the table. Just as he was about to begin eating, he turned to Li Ang and asked, "Would you like to eat first?"

Li Ang chuckled. "You go ahead. I’m not hungry yet."

Whether it was the aftermath of a difficult battle that had diminished his appetite, or perhaps his advancement in Cultivation had triggered a new change in his Mo Si, Li Ang truly wasn’t hungry.

"Then I’ll begin."

The Mountain Master tapped the ends of his chopsticks on the table to align them, then reached them into the bowl.

BUZZ—

The next instant, the Jade Pendants at their waists vibrated simultaneously.

Li Ang picked up his Jade Pendant, frowning slightly. "An alert from the Academic Palace?"

The Mountain Master slowly nodded. "It’s likely a development in the Endless Sea."

"Then I’ll go to the Governor Mansion to inquire first."

Li Ang didn’t have a Nearby Worm on him. To find out what had happened, he would first need to go to the Governor Mansion and borrow one.

He took out a few copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the table. Then he stood up, walked downstairs, and headed towards the Xingzhou Governor Mansion.

SWISH—

He brushed past someone. Though it was an utterly ordinary occurrence, Li Ang abruptly stopped and sharply turned back.

The man was utterly ordinary-looking: middle-aged, dressed in a blue robe, and wearing a turban. He had a book tucked under his arm, and his kind, gentle eyes held the faintest hint of a smile.

He looked like a typical middle-aged Confucian Scholar. If Li Ang had to guess, there was a nine-out-of-ten chance he was either a teacher or a newspaper editor.

Something isn’t right. There’s something definitely not right here.

The same feeling of profound unease he’d experienced when encountering the Dream Eater—like a fishbone stuck in his throat—surged up once more.

Li Ang felt his teeth itch. He instinctively took a step forward, wanting to call out and stop the man.

"..."

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. A strong sense of déjà vu gripped his heart:

If I stop the middle-aged Confucian Scholar now, everyone on the street will die.

This was not an illusion. Li Ang could even faintly see how the heads of the pedestrians would explosively burst open, blooming into flowers made from congealed blood.

THUD, THUD, THUD.

The middle-aged Confucian Scholar entered the tavern. As if he already knew his target’s location, he ascended the stairs, pushed open the wooden door of the private room, and casually sat down in front of the Mountain Master.

The Mountain Master, still in the posture of reaching into the bowl with his chopsticks, slowly set them down. He looked directly at the man before him—once his most satisfactory Disciple—and slowly asked, "How did you slip in?"

"Slip in" obviously didn’t refer to just the tavern or Xingzhou City, but the entirety of Yu Country.

"The talismans you laid can record the aura of a Candle Cloud Cultivator. When that aura reappears on Yu Country soil, it triggers an alert."

The middle-aged Confucian Scholar, or rather Jun Qianzi, smiled. "Precisely for that reason, we had to maintain a low profile before. Each person could only appear in Yu Country once. However, now You Qiong-kun has awakened. With his Cultivation, and after adequate preparations, he can temporarily evade your talismans and help us infiltrate Yu Country collectively."

As if to validate his words, Jun Qianzi took a Compass from his breast pocket and gently placed it on the table.

Luminescent motes flickered across the Compass, slowly coalescing into points of light.

In the midst of over ten ominous, crimson-red dots, a single, dim blue dot was encircled.