The old man frowned slightly upon hearing the visitor's words, yet a trace of a smile surfaced on his face the moment he heard that the guest was a close friend of Li Guanqi.
He held deep respect for that rising star of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
To Li Guanqi, he could only be considered an elder in terms of family generation, by no means a senior in cultivation. In the cultivation world, the most useless thing was age. Under all circumstances, the strong were revered. Even he would have to bow respectfully and address him as Elder Li upon meeting.
"Since you are a friend of Elder Li, please come in. Here is a temporary jade slip."
The old man turned slightly and handed Li Shenzhi a somewhat rough jade slip, which served as a temporary identity medallion permitting him to stay as a guest in the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Reaching out, the old man guided Li Shenzhi toward the guest quarters to settle in. Along the way, Li Shenzhi marveled at the present growth of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
"Elder Li is currently in secluded cultivation. I am afraid you will have to wait for a while."
Hearing the old man's words, Li Shenzhi merely smiled and waved his hand.
"No matter. I am in no hurry to leave, and being able to stay as a guest in the Great Xia Sword Sect is already an immense honor. There is no need to fuss over me, Senior; I will not wander about recklessly."
Only then did the old man nod in satisfaction.
Suddenly!
A strange spatial ripple propagated through the air. The old man frowned—someone had actually bypassed the domain boundary and appeared directly within the sect.
*Buzz!*
Clad in a long green dress, Song Zhi'ang stepped out from the void. She paused in surprise when she saw the unfamiliar old man at the Soul Formation Realm.
Even so, she bowed to him with a smile, her voice soft and gentle. "I am Song Zhi'ang, a minor manager of the outer sect. Greetings, Senior."
The old man froze momentarily upon hearing this. He had not expected a mere outer sect manager to possess a cultivation base at the Nascent Soul realm!
Staring at Song Zhi'ang, the old man could not help muttering under his breath, "Is today's Great Xia Sword Sect truly this formidable? Even a minor manager in the outer sect is at the Nascent Soul realm? Is this still the sect I once knew? Back then, anyone who taught classes was lucky to be at Core Formation..."
Song Zhi'ang glanced at Li Shenzhi beside him, briefly taken aback. She felt an odd, inexplicable sense of familiarity about him, but after offering Li Shenzhi a slight bow, she turned and headed straight toward the inner sect.
Li Shenzhi nodded back with an impassive expression, an imperceptible gleam flickering deep within his eyes.
***
Outside the doors of the outer sect's kitchen.
An aging middle-aged man was busy chopping firewood. As he straightened his back, he happened to catch sight of Song Zhi'ang.
The axe slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground. He stared blankly at the woman in midair, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
Once he was certain he was not mistaken, his eyes reddened, and he murmured, "My daughter... is back."
Yet Song Zhi'ang did not notice him, flying straight for the inner sect.
Upon learning that Li Guanqi was injured and in seclusion, Song Zhi'ang was bitterly disappointed. Standing atop Yuhu Peak, she stamped her foot in frustration.
"Hmph! Here I thought I would see you the moment I returned! I will make sure you see just how outstanding I have become!"
Only then did Song Zhi'ang turn around and fly back toward the outer sect courtyard.
When she returned to that ramshackle, humble compound, the woman—her makeup exquisitely applied—frowned involuntarily as her shoes stepped onto the muddy ground.
In the courtyard, a man dressed in coarse hemp was slightly stooped, perhaps due to years of relentless toil. Once fairly robust, he had now grown bent and withered, his frame much frailer than before.
Tears welled in the man's eyes the moment he saw her. He rushed over and reached out to grasp Song Zhi'ang's hand.
Looking at the father who seemed both familiar and somewhat alien, Song Zhi'ang instinctively pulled back.
The man froze. With his stooped posture, an awkward, diffident smile formed on his face. He nervously wiped his calloused hands against his clothes, clutching the hem of his tunic as his voice trembled. "Girl, it has been three or five years since you last came home, hasn't it? Come, come inside. Father will slaughter a chicken for lunch!"
As he spoke, he turned toward the kitchen, but a pang of bitterness flashed through his eyes.
Seeing this, Song Zhi'ang felt a sudden pang in her heart and hurriedly explained, "Father... I'm not hungry. You don't need to go to the trouble."
Hearing her call him Father, a warm smile returned to the man's face, and he repeated, "What do you mean not hungry? Even immortals have to eat! Lately the sect held that Reclamation Ceremony, and plenty of spiritual fruits and ingredients were left over. Father saved them all without touching a bite."
The man lifted the lid of the steamer; inside was plain white rice mixed with only a few chunks of sweet potato. Yet from a nearby cupboard, he gingerly brought out leftovers and spiritual fruits carefully wrapped in oiled paper!
High-spirited, he urged her into the room. "Father tells you, these are genuine spiritual fruits! A single berry the size of a grape couldn't be bought outside for a hundred taels of gold!"
The man with graying temples failed to notice that the young woman's thoughts had long since drifted away. Sitting on a wooden chair, she asked absentmindedly, "Father, how has Li Guanqi been lately?"
The man had been run off his feet these past two days, but he had naturally witnessed the grand spectacle of the Reclamation Ceremony! Sitting down, he pushed the oiled paper toward her and began describing the magnificent event in detail.
Song Zhi'ang rested her chin on her hand, listening intently. When she heard how Li Guanqi had drawn his sword and overawed the entire gathering, her beautiful eyes sparkled. "Ah!? And then? What happened next?"
***
High in the sky, Han Chengxian happened to witness this scene while flying about in search of an extraordinary peak to claim as his future cultivation ground.
A sharp glint flickered in Han Chengxian's eyes. Extending his divine sense, he subtly planted a faint tracking mark upon Song Zhi'ang.
The corners of his mouth curled into an eerie, ambiguous smirk, and he murmured softly, "What is this woman's relationship with him?"
***
A short while later...
"Lu Kangnian, damn your hide! This old man merely wants an extraordinary peak! I didn't even ask for the one by Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven, so what right do you have to deny me?"
Seated on the dais, Lu Kangnian looked down at the old man with a cold sneer. Leaning forward, he said chillingly, "If I say no, it means no. What can you do about it? Old man, do not assume that just because you were a sect master several generations before me, you can discard all rules in my presence. I do not mind putting Guanqi's connections and resources to use. Oh, by the way, Guanqi has a rather foul temper—you would do best not to let him hear of this."
Lu Kangnian fixed his gaze on the elder below, a playful smirk touching his lips.
"His temper isn't great. He might just tear your arms and legs off."
Han Chengxian's expression turned exceedingly ugly. He had never expected to be denied even such a modest demand, nor had he anticipated Lu Kangnian's words to be so laden with overt threats!
Recently, Li Changqing had remained within the Great Xia Sword Sect without leaving, and not just Li Changqing—Xi Yunhuai had not departed either! The two of them were assisting in the construction of a cross-domain teleportation array between the Six Ancient Sacred Sects and the Great Xia Sword Sect.
With an ashen face, Han Chengxian swept his sleeve and stormed off in anger!
He had no choice but to find a mountain peak within the domain that had passable spiritual energy to cultivate.
Li Guanqi, his body surging with demonic qi, had no inkling that dark undercurrents had already begun to churn within the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Lu Kangnian sat impassively on the high seat, his fingers gently caressing a jade pendant resting in his palm. Carved upon it were merely two words: *Guan Yun!*
Lu Kangnian narrowed his eyes, light dancing within them as he murmured inwardly, *Heh, already forming factions?*
Chapter 744