"Han Zheng is paying a visit?"
Inside the Jia-3 Immortal's Cave, Luo Chen asked in puzzlement.
Standing across from him was a rugged man—Xing Zonghan.
Once the patriarch of the Xing family, he was now the head of the Luotian Association's intelligence branch, the Luo Net.
He replied respectfully, "The visitor claims to be Han Zheng, and his identity should be genuine. After all, no one would dare impersonate the grandson of a Nascent Soul True Person."
Luo Chen's brow furrowed slightly. "Why so sudden? He didn't even send a visiting card in advance."
Visits and exchanges between cultivators were usually arranged ahead of time.
Otherwise, if someone happened to be in closed-door cultivation, an unannounced visit would either end in vain or disrupt their practice—a breach of etiquette.
Showing up unannounced like Han Zheng was no different from a mortal dropping in on friends or relatives.
It was hardly surprising that Luo Chen found it baffling.
However, once Xing Zonghan explained, he understood why the young man acted so casually.
"Qin Yuanjiang has arrived!"
Qin Yuanjiang's arrival explained Han Zheng's casual visit.
Because Qin Yuanjiang had genuinely returned to visit family!
Han Zheng was likely just bored and dropping by on a whim along the way.
"Did he specifically ask to see me?" Luo Chen followed up.
Whether this visit had a hidden motive hinged on the answer to that question.
If Han Zheng had specifically asked for Luo Chen, then the trip would be quite thought-provoking.
Xing Zonghan replied, "He did mention wanting to see what you were like, Association Leader, but once he heard you were in seclusion, he didn't insist."
Luo Chen frowned slightly.
For a moment, he genuinely could not discern Han Zheng's purpose.
Was he merely accompanying his junior martial brother and looking around while he had the chance?
Or did he suspect that Luo Chen was the mysterious person who had saved him in the Soul Formation ruins?
Or did he have some other motive?
"Oh, right. Han Zheng and Qin Yuanjiang aren't the only ones who came to Tianlan Immortal City this time. There are also more than a dozen Foundation Establishment disciples from the Luoyun Sect, including quite a few true disciples."
After saying this, Xing Zonghan looked at Luo Chen.
"Association Leader, do you plan to leave seclusion to meet Han Zheng?"
Faced with the question, Luo Chen walked to the entrance of the immortal's cave. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed into the distance, looking down upon the entirety of Tianlan Immortal City.
After pondering for a good while, he slowly nodded.
"It is necessary to come out of seclusion."
"However, meeting Han Zheng is secondary. Qin Yuanjiang is the most important matter."
Xing Zonghan was puzzled.
Qin Yuanjiang was merely an ordinary inner disciple of the Luoyun Sect.
Compared to Han Zheng, the grandson of a Nascent Soul True Person, their statuses were worlds apart.
Was there really any need for the Association Leader to place such importance on him?
Looking at Luo Chen's somewhat desolate silhouette, Xing Zonghan suddenly recalled some people and events he was not very familiar with.
Qin Yuanjiang was not only the son of Merit Hall Master Murong Qinglian.
He was also the son of former Outer Sect Elder Qin Liangchen.
Both of them had shared an exceptionally close bond with Luo Chen before his rise to prominence.
And now, Qin Liangchen was dead!
"Association Leader, do you need me to make arrangements?"
"No need. Go attend to your own duties!"
Luo Chen waved a hand, a rare hesitation welling up in his heart.
The last time he had felt this way was when Zeng Wen died and he had to go face Xiugu.
***
Danxia Peak.
In a vast, flat expanse of spirit fields, a little girl crouched on the ground, curiously examining something in front of her.
"Big sweet potato! What a huge sweet potato!"
"Daddy, aren't we going to eat this sweet potato?"
"Why do you have to cut it up?"
Yuan Dongsheng looked at her tenderly and spoke in a deep, warm voice: "This is a new type of spirit potato developed by the Five Elements Divine Sect. It has an extremely high yield and can even serve as a substitute for spirit rice. If we want to plant it on a large scale, we have to cut it into small pieces and bury them in the soil."
"When next year comes, it will grow big, and little Xijun can come dig up sweet potatoes even bigger than this one!"
The little girl listened wide-eyed and innocent.
She barely understood the first part.
But the second part, she understood completely.
Beaming with joy, she hugged a large purple sweet potato and stumbled toward a hole dug in the spirit field.
"Bury it!"
"Dig up big sweet potatoes next year!"
Yet when she reached the small pit, the massive sweet potato wouldn't fit inside.
"Daddy, little Xijun can't bury it! Why?"
Yuan Dongsheng smiled gently. "Because it needs to be cut into pieces!"
"Won't the big sweet potato hurt, though?" Ignoring the dirt, Yuan Xijun hugged the potato tightly.
Yuan Dongsheng shook his head. "The big sweet potato won't hurt. And even if it does, parting for a time is only so it can grow bigger and yield more in the future. Xijun, growing up is always accompanied by parting and pain."
As he said this, an irrepressible sorrow flickered in his weathered eyes.
The little girl gave a naive, half-comprehending murmur.
Stumbling back, she carried the large potato to her father so he could cut it into even, little chunks with a specially crafted wooden knife.
Above the spirit field, an exceptionally handsome young man whose eyes seemed to hold the stars crouched on a distant ridge, watching the scene with keen interest.
Only when clear footsteps sounded behind him did he straighten up.
"Danchenzi?"
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han." Luo Chen cupped his hands in a formal Daoist salute.
Han Zheng straightened his robes and returned the salute just as solemnly.
Luo Chen stepped forward and stood beside him, gazing down at the broad, neatly leveled spirit fields beneath the mountain.
Some of the fields had been cultivated so well that they already showed the nascent signs of Tier 2 soil.
Evidently, the Agriculture Hall had achieved a great deal over the years under Yuan Dongsheng's leadership.
"Fellow Daoist is quite unique. When others visit Danxia Peak, they usually stroll through the mountains to admire the scenery. You alone declined fellowship with peers of your stage just to wander around these rustic fields."
Han Zheng chuckled freely. "Fine scenery can be found everywhere in the cultivation world. Yet the quiet charm of the fields has a flavor all its own."
Luo Chen raised a brow and shook his head. "You see charm, but to low-tier rogue cultivators, it is hard labor."
Han Zheng gave a slight shrug.
"Since you care so much for your subordinates, why not lighten their workload so they have more time to devote to cultivation?"
Luo Chen replied calmly, "It is already hard enough for me to provide them with a livelihood. Lightening their workload would only hurt their own earnings."
He was speaking the truth.
It had been no easy feat for the Luotian Association to attain its current standing in this little corner of Tianlan.
Looking at the bigger picture, it had been earned through battle after battle of blood and fire.
Looking at the smaller details, it had also depended on the hard work and striving of low-tier cultivators.
For the time being, Luo Chen could not do what the great sects did—exempting disciples from manual labor so they could focus entirely on cultivation without productive duties.
Even he had to personally refine pills from time to time to maintain his ties with the Ice Fort.
Han Zheng, however, held a different view.
"My Luoyun Sect recently developed a small puppet capable of replacing cultivators in field labor. Even if they cannot handle meticulous cultivation, they are fully capable of rough tilling."
"Across one or two fields, the difference might not seem significant, but on a larger scale, it would greatly alleviate the burden on low-tier cultivators."
"If you are interested, I can act as an intermediary to order a batch for you."
Luo Chen was taken aback.
He had not expected this renowned true disciple of the Luoyun Sect to be pitching his sect's puppets in addition to his cultivation and combat pursuits.
He laughed helplessly and waved a hand.
"No, thank you. The Luotian Association doesn't have that many spirit fields; we haven't reached the point where we need puppets to help out."
Han Zheng did not press the matter; he had only mentioned it in passing.
Still, through this casual chat, the awkwardness of their initial meeting had faded.
The conversation that followed came much more easily.
"I heard you rescued three of my Luoyun Sect martial brothers on the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield?"
"It was merely an effortless gesture."
"Effortless as it might have been, it cost Zheng Tianfang his life, offending the Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge and drawing you into a bitter battle."
"The Zheng family's assault was not primarily caused by that. You need not take it to heart."
Han Zheng's brow furrowed.
His eyes roamed over Luo Chen, searching for the slightest trace of familiarity.
Piecing together the information he had gathered, Luo Chen was the person most likely to have rescued him in the Baiye Immortal's Cave inside the Soul Formation ruins.
Even so, certain things had to be verified first.
"Rumor has it that you personally opened the Soul Formation ruins and were the first to enter..."
Luo Chen nodded placidly. "That is true, but I was severely injured at the time. I did not explore the ruins and focused solely on healing."
He intended to stick firmly to this story.
Otherwise, others would come asking about it in the future.
Besides, he truly hadn't explored the Soul Formation ruins much.
That was simply not a realm of opportunity accessible to someone of his cultivation stage.
Han Zheng did not press the point, but asked with pointed significance, "When did you leave the cave?"
"Probably half a year after the ruins opened!"
Half a year?
Han Zheng frowned; the timing didn't match up!
Unwilling to give up, he asked, "Did you take part in any battles on your way out?"
"Not at all. I have always maintained a low profile and dislike fighting and killing above all else."
Another denial.
Han Zheng felt a glimmer of confusion.
Yet after that brief moment of bewilderment, he noticed that Luo Chen seemed to be deliberately distancing himself from the Luoyun Sect.
Or rather, not from the Luoyun Sect, but from Han Zheng himself!
If it truly had been Luo Chen who saved him back then, Luo Chen would have to shoulder the karmic consequence of slaying Xuan Yu of Peach Mountain.
And behind Xuan Yu stood Ancestor Taohua of the Hundred Blossoms Palace...
Gradually, Han Zheng grasped Luo Chen's reasoning.
He ceased probing and said with a smile, "Regardless, I must thank you for saving the members of our Luoyun Sect."
His words were ambiguous!
Was he thanking him for saving Qin Yuanjiang and the other two, or for saving Han Zheng himself?
After all, they were all disciples of the Luoyun Sect!
Luo Chen gave him a deep look and said no more.
He knew certain methods of his could not be hidden from discerning eyes.
Though his battle with Xuan Yu in the Soul Formation ruins had been brief, it had revealed his terrifying movement speed, his formidable physical body, and his Lieyun Wings.
All three traits had also been put on full display during the battle outside Danxia Peak.
Otherwise, tales of him instantly slaying several powerful cultivators would not be circulating so widely.
If Han Zheng was attentive, a little deduction would easily reveal that Luo Chen had been his savior.
Even so, some matters were best left tacitly understood.
If Han Zheng wanted Luo Chen to admit it aloud, he would never get his wish.
"It is rare for Fellow Daoist Han to visit Tianlan. Why not stay a few days more so I can host a welcoming banquet for you?"
"That won't be necessary."
Han Zheng declined Luo Chen's invitation as though he had prepared his response long beforehand.
"I have sect missions waiting for me, so I won't be lingering in Tianlan for long."
Sect missions?
Luo Chen frowned and glanced around. "Where is Qin Yuanjiang?"
Han Zheng sighed. "My junior brother is probably still in the back mountain! I can't bear to watch others grieve, which is why I came here to wait for him."
The back mountain... the cemetery.
Luo Chen nodded.
"Pardon me, but I must excuse myself."
Han Zheng smiled. "No matter. Let us go together."
Luo Chen glanced at him in mild surprise. Hadn't he just said he couldn't bear to see others grieve?
***
Verdant hills sheltered the ground, and incense smoke drifted unbroken.
In a secluded cemetery, a young man knelt on the earth.
His face was wooden, devoid of tears.
Yet the sorrow in his eyes could not be suppressed.
"Father, your son returned too late."
"You worked so hard to raise me and sent me thousands of li to enter the immortal sect, yet I couldn't even see you one last time..."
"It is Yuanjiang's unfilial fault!"
Leaving home at twelve, he had only returned at thirty-eight.
The youth of the past was now a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.
Yet the family warmth he once took for granted was now severed by the boundary of life and death.
All that pride, all those marvels seen throughout the cultivation world—there was no one left to share them with, leaving only a lingering pang of remorse in his heart.
A gentle voice came from behind him.
"Xiaohu."
"Mother." Qin Yuanjiang kept his head bowed, suddenly afraid to meet his mother's yearning gaze. "Before Father passed, did he leave any final words?"
Murong Qinglian stood behind him, tears streaming down her face.
"No. He went so quickly that he left nothing behind."
Qin Yuanjiang opened his mouth, at a loss for words.
He had once thought he still had plenty of time to show filial devotion to his parents.
He had secretly rejoiced that his parents hadn't gone to the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield and were free from mortal danger.
He had envisioned how happy they would be to hear that he had been promoted to true disciple ahead of time, thanks to his merits at Mount Thunder Accumulation.
Yet everything had changed.
The emotions that should have surged forth, the tears that should have spilled over—for some reason, he kept them ruthlessly locked inside.
He forced himself to his feet to face his mother.
"Mother, come back to the Luoyun Sect with me!"
"There's no need to settle in Qianye Immortal City this time. I am already a true disciple, so I can bring my family into the Luoyun Sect for long-term residence."
Murong Qinglian's sorrow hitched.
She reached out, gently caressing the cheek of the son who now stood a head taller than her.
"Old Qin, do you hear that?"
"Your son has not only achieved Foundation Establishment, but he is also a true disciple of a Nascent Soul upper sect. His future is limitless."
"If you know this in the underworld, you must be very happy too!"
Qin Yuanjiang listened quietly to his mother's rambling.
As a boy, he had found it tiresome.
Now, he felt he could never hear enough of it.
Perhaps only after losing something did one truly learn to cherish it.
After a long pause, he said earnestly once more, "Come back to the Luoyun Sect with me!"
"But the Luotian Association still..." Murong Qinglian hesitated.
Qin Yuanjiang said urgently, "Once we return, I can ask the sect elders to personally heal your severed arm!"
The woman looked down and murmured, "Elder Sun and the Association Leader are already gathering materials to treat my arm."
"That's different!" Qin Yuanjiang said with confidence. "Our Luoyun Sect possesses the renowned Yansheng technique. In treating severed limbs, its efficacy surpasses even the six sects of Yuding. Once healed, it will not hinder your future cultivation in the slightest. Mother, you are still relatively young, and your cultivation stage is decent; you may even have a chance to attempt Golden Core in the future."
Murong Qinglian remained hesitant.
Qin Yuanjiang thought for a moment, then added, "Actually, there is a junior sister in the sect who has feelings for me. Mother, wouldn't you like to meet her?"
This time, Murong Qinglian was swayed.
Even so, she said, "I still have to ask the Association Leader first."
Qin Yuanjiang frowned. "Uncle Luo?"
In the past, he wouldn't have cared about someone who had risen from the ranks of rogue cultivators.
However, Luo Chen had saved his life!
He had to respect Luo Chen's wishes.
While mother and son discussed their future before the grave of their departed kin, two figures stood quietly in the distance, watching the scene unfold.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, can you truly bear to let such a capable right hand go?"
Luo Chen replied calmly, "There is no question of bearing it or not. Sister-in-law has given too much to the Luotian Association over the years. If she wishes to rest and enjoy the warmth of family, I will naturally fulfill her wish."
"You are quite reasonable!" Han Zheng said in sincere admiration.
Luo Chen shook his head. "For the sake of the Luotian Association, the Qin family has already paid with a life. How could I force her to stay?"
At this point, a flash of ferocity crossed his face.
Han Zheng's brow rose slightly as he caught the fleeting expression.
"Actually, you have already avenged the Qin family. I heard the Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge met a miserable end—not even a single Qi Refinement cultivator survived."
Luo Chen said nothing.
He knew very well that the real culprits were not scoundrels like the Zheng family or the Iron Sword Hall.
Han Zheng remarked languidly, "You need not brood over it too much. To the Luotian Association, the Yan Alliance is a behemoth—hardly an opponent you can provoke anytime soon."
Luo Chen glanced at him in surprise; the young man was sharp and saw things clearly.
Even so, Luo Chen stated with quiet conviction, "Not now does not mean never. One day, I will repay the humiliation of having the Luotian Association cornered at our doorstep tenfold, a hundredfold, back to the Yan Alliance!"
"A fine ambition!" Han Zheng praised, but then added, "Only, sometimes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment!"
Luo Chen's brow knitted.
Was he looking down on him?
The arrogance of upper-sect disciples was something he had encountered many times, yet it remained grating every time—even when Han Zheng carried himself with refined courtesy.
He did not argue.
Those words just now had already been a rare slip of his composure.
Saying more would amount to nothing more than a pointless squabble.
Han Zheng said little else either. After a few brief words, he reiterated that he would remember Luo Chen's kindness in rescuing the Luoyun Sect's disciples, and then took his leave from Danxia Peak.
Luo Chen did not ask him to stay.
For the one preparing to depart was someone far more important to him.
Chapter 417