It was very quiet in the yard, and the leaves danced silently in the wind.
“This day last year, by this door, your face blushed like peach blossoms…” Lu Fan quoted from a well-known poem.
Lu Fan watched the beautiful scene as he gently tapped on the wheelchair armrest, a half-smile on his face.
“Ahem, ahem…”
Lu Fan didn’t even try to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Everyone looked extremely awkward and uncomfortable.
Mo Tianyu coughed weakly. “Put… put me down!” he said, sounding slightly irritated.
Jing Yue, carrying his flowering pear tree sword box, landed on the ground in the yard with a carefree smile on his face.
“If you wanted me to put you down, why didn’t you say something earlier? How was I supposed to know you wanted me to put you down?” Jing Yue said.
“There you go again. You’re more nice than wise. Would you even be able to keep your balance if I set you down? I’m supposed to carry you. It’s Young Master’s orders. Do you actually think that I want to? If you want me to put you down, stop clinging onto me so tightly,” Jing Yue babbled on.
Mo Tianyu’s face flushed red with anger.
His chapped lips parted, as if he wanted to say something.
But Jing Yue let go all of a sudden.
Bang! Mo Tianyu landed on his butt. It was… a solid landing.
“Okay, okay. Tianyu, apologize to Ping’an. It’s about time for us to go back to the capital city,” the Imperial Advisor said.
The Imperial Advisor kept his arms crossed inside his wide sleeves.
On the ground, Mo Tianyu, who was half-dead, staggered to his feet. Every inch of his body ached like mad.
He’d thought he was going to die, but he lived.
The instant Lu Fan’s Spirit Pressure came down on him was the moment he realized he had no control over his own life, as he hovered between life and death…
His pride was destroyed by his sense of helplessness and fear.
Mo Tianyu’s gaze was lowered. He raised his trembling and bloody hands and clasped them as he bowed toward Lu Fan.
“What Tianyu’s done does not deserve your forgiveness. Yet, I beg Young Master Lu to forgive me for the Confucianism Philosopher’s sake.”
Mo Tianyu took a deep breath, and the bitter taste of blood went down his throat.
In the wheelchair, Lu Fan used one hand to hold his chin, while the other hand rested on the thin woolen blanket over his lap.
Lu Fan’s black hair danced above his head in the wind.
“When you return, really pay attention to the Confucianism Philosopher to learn from him. And… don’t randomly tell people’s fortunes anymore.”
“Fortune-telling isn’t for you,” Lu Fan said.
Mo Tianyu’s whole body trembled. The corners of his lips twitched. He felt like his heart had been stabbed by a sharp blade.
“I appreciate Young Master’s advice.” Mo Tianyu bowed again.
The Imperial Advisor was surprised at Mo Tianyu’s reaction. Mo Tianyu, once so arrogant, was now incredibly humble. It was totally unexpected, and he felt as if he were meeting his disciple for the first time.
It seemed like Mo Tinayu’s experience had taught him a lot.
The Imperial Advisor left.
He took Mo Tianyu, who was covered in wounds, with him, and together they climbed into the carriage drawn by five horses to leave Beiluo City.
The Imperial Advisor found this trip to Beiluo City very satisfactory.
He realized what a real Blessed was like after witnessing Lu Fan’s strength.
Of course, he’d also learned a different name to call them by: cultivators.
The Imperial Advisor had a feeling that maybe the future… would be the cultivators’.
However, it was also an opportunity for Great Zhou to reverse the tide.
The Imperial Advisor trusted Lu Fan a lot. He didn’t see much ambition in him. Or, to put it another way… a mere Great Zhou Dynasty couldn’t satisfy Lu Fan’s ambition.
So overall, the Imperial Advisor was pleased with this trip.
He was worried about one thing, though. Worst-case scenario, Lu Fan had his eye on the throne, and would gather forces to divide Great Zhou, just like the 13 counties.
If that was the case, Great Zhou wouldn’t stand a chance.
…
Outside Beiluo City, on the plains that stretched beyond the horizon…
The pounding of hooves left the road behind the carriage in rising dust.
Inside the horse-drawn carriage…
The Imperial Advisor was crouched inside, and Mo Tianyu was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling in silence.
“Tianyu, do you hold a grudge against Lu Fan?” the Imperial Advisor asked slowly.
Mo Tianyu’s face was blank as he gazed at the ceiling of the carriage.
“At first, yes. But… being buried underneath the ground made the time go so slowly that one day felt like a year. As a result, I don’t feel hatred anymore. Instead, I’m kind of grateful,” Mo Tianyu said.
His voice was a little husky.
There was a look of surprise on the Imperial Advisor’s wrinkled face.
“Really? You’ve changed,” he said.
The corners of Mo Tianyu’s mouth slightly curled upward.
“Having a near-death experience definitely makes a person evaluate their life and come to certain realizations. I used to be so proud and arrogant. Besides for the Confucianism Philosopher, I never took anyone seriously. It was, in fact… quite ridiculous of me to think so highly of myself.”
“Just look at Young Master Lu and the Philosophers of Hundred Schools of Philosophy. Or Xiang Shaoyun, the Conquer of West County, and Jiang Li from Drunken Dragon City. They’re all way stronger than I am. Even… Junior Brother Kong Nanfei is better than me. So, when I think about how arrogant I used to be… it’s really absurd,” Mo Tianyu said slowly.
The Imperial Advisor’s smile grew wider, and he lifted his hand to stroke his beard. There was a nice healthy glow on his face.
“It’s not too late in life for you to realize all this.”
“From what you just said, it seems that you have your own ideas about the ranks of the warlords and heroes in this world. Do you care to share your thoughts with your mentor?”
The Imperial Advisor smiled.
He was glad to find that his disciple had come to this important realization.
Mo Tianyu’s eyes blazed as he struggled to sit up, looking like he’d just risen from the dead.
“This is just my own personal ranking, and doesn’t included the Philosophers of Hundred Schools of Philosophy.
“In first place, of course, is the Conquer of West County, who was born with unbelievable power. He is a Grandmaster martial arts practitioner who’s pretty much matchless.
“The second best would be Mo Shougui of Mohist, the son of Mo Beike. He absorbed the quintessence of Hundred Schools of Philosophy, yet also successfully discarded the not-so-helpful parts. His strength and style is something few can match.
“Third is Daoist No. 1, Li Sansi. Riding a black ox and holding a wooden sword, he was able to defeat West Rong’s army of two thousand men and take back three cities on the border from the enemy,” Mo Tianyu said.
Mo Tianyu then let out a sigh.
The Imperial Advisor nodded with a smile.
“Of course, now…” Mo Tianyu slowly continued. Looking outside the carriage, Mo Tianyu laid his eyes on the rising smoke at the end of the plains. “Lu Ping’an of Beiluo City has to have his place among the top three.”
The Imperial Advisor also looked outside the window. He didn’t deny what Mo Tianyu said.
Yet, recalling the scene on Beiluo Lake Island when Lu Fan placed chess pieces down with such a powerful aura, as if the whole world and its future were in his hands…
The Imperial Advisor’s smile became more profound.
Merely “have his place?”
The carriage was galloping along at full speed.
The setting sun was as red as a shy girl’s cheeks. Amidst the rosy clouds in the sky, it’s light fell on the ground, stretching the shadow of the carriage to an incredible length on the plain.
…
Night fell.
The bright moon was hanging high in the sky, casting cold moonlight on the ground.
In Beiluo City, Lu Manor…
Lu Fan was sitting in his wheelchair, studying the pearl hairpin in his hand while he played with it. Under the moonlight, his skin was as smooth as a jade. His lips were red, and his teeth were polished and white. He looked like a fallen Immortal.
Ning Zhao and Yi Yue were both standing behind Lu Fan. Their figures were slim and graceful.
Ni Yu, who was carrying the chessboard on her back, had a grievous look on her face while she did a not-so-perfect half-squat per Nie Changqing’s instructions.
Jing Yue was looking at Ni Yu with amusement.
In the little pond, fish were swimming around, making the water ripple.
“Sister Ning, Nie…” Lu Fan said slowly.
Nie Changqing walked up to him, and asked in unison with Ning Zhao, “Young Master, what can I do for you?”
“The Secret Realm, Hidden Dragon Ridge. You two know about it, right?” Lu Fan asked.
Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao’s hearts skipped a beat.
“This is a huge opportunity for the two of you… So if all the heroes and warlords in the world come and gather at Hidden Dragon Ridge, what’s your chance of getting the Immortal encounter?” Lu Fan asked.
He was playing with the white jade chess pieces.
Nie Changqing thought for a while, and his eyes flashed with bitterness and disappointment.
“No chance at all,” Nie Changqing said.
Ning Zhao also looked a little down, since she knew Nie Changqing was right.
“If it’s the Young Master, the Immortal encounter’s guaranteed. But when it comes to us… compared to the top heroes in the world, we’re still too weak.”
“The Conqueror of West County, Xiang Shaoyun, could defeat Grandmaster martial arts practitioners at the age of six. It’s impossible to know for sure how strong he really is. At least… even though Changqing has Knife Control Technique, I’m afraid he still doesn’t stand a chance against Xiang Shaoyun,” Ning Zhao said.
Ning Zhao then fell into silence. If Nie Changqing didn’t stand a chance, then her chances of beating Xiang Shaoyun were even slimmer.
Even if she managed to learn Spirit Pressure from the Young Master, because of the vast difference in power between herself and Lu Fan, her Spirit Pressure wouldn’t even work.
“Besides Xiang Shaoyun, there are also Mo Shougui of Mohist, Li Sansi of Daoist, and Ximen Xianzhi of Sword Sect… If these people also come to Hidden Dragon Ridge, then we definitely wouldn’t stand a chance,” Nie Changqing said.
He was telling the truth.
The dim moonlight obscured their figures.
Lu Fan was sitting in his wheelchair, and Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao couldn’t see his features that well.
Lu Fan’s sudden silence made them feel a little uneasy.
Lu Fan laughed after a long while.
“Interesting,” he said.
Lu Fan slightly raised his hand, and it looked so smooth under the moonlight that it seemed to be made of glazed glass.
He pointed at Beiluo Lake Island in the distance.
He focused his consciousness and activated the Access of (Spirit Qi Deployment), deploying 100 wisps of Spirit Qi through the air to Beiluo Lake Island. The Spirit Qi concentration on Beiluo Lake Island suddenly became 100 times stronger. Now, it was at the level of 10000 wisps.
Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao both felt it. Shocked, they looked in the direction of Beiluo Lake Island.
In the dark, it looked as if countless meteors were shooting across the night sky, and the whole island appeared to be surrounded by them.
The Spirit Qi in their body started stirring uncontrollably.
Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan laughed as he clapped his hands.
“Now go ahead and get on the island. Before the Secret Realm of Hidden Dragon Ridge is activated, at least get to Ninth Stage Qi Core Realm.”
“When the Roc flies into the sky, thousands of miles will be passed by.”
“White jade city disciples shall be ranked among the heroes of this world.”