Chapter 354: Meeting an Old Friend in a Foreign Land
Facing Huo Feng of the Yun Sect in front of him, Nangong Hao smiled and said, "I have long heard that cultivators from the Yun Sect are open-minded, free-spirited, and extraordinary. Now that I meet one in person, your reputation is truly well-deserved."
"Does Brother Huo Feng have some free time? The elders in my family enjoy befriending heroes from all over the world. When they saw Brother Huo's exceptional temperament, they couldn't help but feel impressed and urged me, Nangong Hao, to invite Brother Huo for a chat. I wonder if Brother Huo would be willing to honor us with your presence?"
With courtesy and a friendly smile, Nangong Hao uttered these words of invitation, instantly causing a commotion outside the Fuyu Tower.
The cultivators' gazes towards the man in white clothes changed.
Could this white-clothed man actually catch the attention of that prominent figure in the capital city? This is truly a heaven-sent opportunity to rise to success!
The cultivators who saw this scene were all envious.
This grand gathering has assembled many cultivators from the southern regions. Those qualified to enter the Fuyu Tower have already gone in, while those left outside are mostly ordinary wandering cultivators with lower cultivation levels.
For everyone present, entering the Fuyu Tower is an unimaginable honor.
Moreover, the favor of the prominent figure and the personal invitation of City Lord Nangong have elevated his status even further.
Everyone looked on eagerly at the white-clothed man, wishing they could immediately jump out and take his place in accepting the offer.
However, despite everyone's hopeful gazes, the white-clothed man smiled and shook his head, saying, "I happened to pass by the Zhuxian Town and stopped by to join in the fun, but I actually have other important matters to attend to, so I am unable to participate in the important task of defeating demons and exorcising evil with all of you."
"So I have to decline… I'm sorry."
After bowing apologetically to Nangong Hao, the white-clothed man patted the little boy beside him on the head and said, "Stop staring. Let's go."
He said as he bowed again to Nangong Hao, "As you all have matters to attend to, I won't trouble you any further. I beg the City Lord's forgiveness. When fate allows us to meet again, I will make it up to you."
After speaking, the white-clothed man turned around with the three children and walked directly towards the outside of the Yunhun Street.
All the cultivators along the way stepped aside and looked at him in great astonishment, unable to believe that he dared to refuse such a great opportunity.
Inside the Fuyu Tower, Lie Lao watched the white-clothed man's departing figure, and his heart skipped a beat.
If he thought it was just a coincidence earlier, the man's carefree behavior now provides some evidence for that strange speculation.
Especially when he left, he glanced at this side with a smile.
At the moment when their sights crossed, Lie Lao couldn't help but feel a sense of suppression.
But it was not the white-clothed man's provocation, but his own instinct that arose spontaneously.
---- Compared with this white-clothed man, he feels himself as small as an ant!
This feeling made Lie Lao, whose true name is Lie Yang, looks serious.
But when Nangong Hao returned, he felt a little ashamed and said, "I feel ashamed for not being able to invite the cultivator over and instead making him leave… I am sorry for disappointing Lie Lao's trust."
Beside the window, Lie Lao shook his head and said, "It was my recklessness that caused this, it's not your fault."
As he said this, Lie Yang looked towards the direction where the white-clothed man had left again. Although he had already disappeared on the street, his ethereal and transcendent figure seemed to still be watching this side.
Thinking of this, Lie Yang sighed and said, "Next time I meet this cultivator, I should personally greet him… This time, I was impolite and left it to someone else."
Lie Yang's words made the people inside the private room exchange puzzled looks with each other.
Do we really need Lie Lao himself to greet him… Is that person's identity really that noble?
Inside and outside of Fuyu Tower, all cultivators were ablaze with excitement and discussing in a flurry about the white-clothed man's departure.
And after the white-clothed man left the street with three children, he quickly disappeared from people's sight.
When they appeared in the world again, they were already on a thoroughfare outside the Zhuxian Town thirty miles away.
In the mountains and forests, Lu Heng in white smiled and shook his head, saying, "That was close. We almost got conscripted. This Lie Yang from the capital has sharp eyes. Even in the crowd, he was able to spot us. He's quite formidable."
Beside Lu Heng, the little boy Shen Wuyou had a bitter expression and said, "The promised feast…we didn't even get to eat before it disappeared. So frustrated. This Lie Lao, couldn't he have acted like he didn't see us?"
The little boy was still unhappy.
In order to pursue the demon who had taken Sun Yan and headed north, they had been surviving in the wilderness for more than 60 days.
When they descended the mountain, it was already deep into autumn, but now the cold wind is howling and it's almost mid-winter.
Lu Heng and Xiao Ai are fine, their cultivation is high, so they are not particularly eager for delicious food and satisfying meals. If they have it, that's good, and if they don't, it's not a big deal.
But Shen Wuyou and his sister Wuyu are different, they need three satisfying meals a day. However, after more than 60 days of wilderness survival, nutrition deficiencies have caused them to suffer from frequent toothaches and yellowing of the skin.
Moreover, due to eating excessive amounts of barbecue, they suffered from severe internal heat, causing pimples and blisters to appear on their faces and around their mouths to varying degrees.
Therefore, when passing through the Zhuxian Town and hearing about a grand feast for cultivators, where free banquet will be provided, Lu Heng took his sister along and entered the city, intending to treat them to some good food after three months of wilderness survival.
At the same time as supplementing their nutrition, it was also an opportunity to give them a change in taste.
However, unexpectedly, Lie Lao from the capital city recognized Lu Heng at a glance, which forced Lu Heng to leave early, so he was unable to enjoy the promised feast.
Looking at the distressed faces of the sister and brother, Lu Heng smiled and said, "Don't worry. In the next city, I'll take you to a restaurant and we can order whatever we want, instead of relying on free food. I guarantee that you can eat your fill."
However, although Lu Heng's promise was good, the sister and brother couldn't be happy at all.
Beside them, Xiao Ai reminded them, "The Wolf God, we have no money left. We can't afford to eat in a restaurant."
Lu Heng widened his eyes and said, "What's the big deal? It's just money. Let's find and kill a demon on the roadside right now, then collect the reward."
"The Youxiong Country is offering rewards for killing demons. Depending on the cultivation level of the demon, different rewards will be given… If we find and kill a demon that has opened the Heaven Door, the reward money will be enough for us to feast and drink."
Lu Heng was full of confidence, while Xiao Ai sighed and felt that it was beneath the dignity of the mighty Wolf God to kill demons for reward money.
Wuyou and Wuyu siblings also looked troubled and said, "Father, this is not appropriate…"
"Yes, Father. You are the Wolf God of Hanyu Mountain. How can you go and kill demons for reward money… If this were to spread, it would damage your reputation."
Lu Heng gave the three of them a glare and said, "Nonsense about reputation… Can reputation put food on the table? Besides, we're just killing demons for reward money. How does that damage our reputation? If others can do it, then why can't I, Lu Heng?"
"If such a thing can damage my reputation… then that reputation is too weak to be worthwhile. It's better not to have it."
Lu Heng's words left the siblings looking at each other in confusion.
The siblings turned to Xiao Ai, seeking her help to persuade Father.
Seeing this, Sister Xiao Ai nodded repeatedly and said, "What the Wolf God said is absolutely correct."
The siblings' faces immediately turned dark.
Wuyu thought for a moment and said, "Father, but isn't Senior Sun Yan still in the hands of the demons? If we delay too much time on the usual path and lose Senior Sun Yan, it will be terrible.
The little girl reminded thus,
Lu Heng, however, sighed and said, "I also want to catch up… but those demons have encountered some strange situation these past few days and have stopped moving north. They've just been staying in the vicinity and I don't know what they're up to."
"And since they are not moving, naturally, we cannot move either."
Lu Heng was very helpless.
Three months ago, he relied on the fleeing light speed of his lightness skill to arrive in time at the cave where the demons were hiding, and collected some demonic aura.
And relying on this fading trace of demonic aura, Lu Heng once again traced the position of the demons.
But this time, Lu Heng was unable to accurately pinpoint the location of the demons. In his perception, the group of demons seemed to have vanished into the world. Even with the help of their residual demonic aura, Lu Heng could only roughly determine the area they were in.
Since Lu Heng was unable to pinpoint the exact location of the demons, he could only follow them from a distance, maintaining a certain distance, trying to wait for the group of demons to reveal a flaw.
Lu Heng didn't believe that these demons could hide their demonic aura forever.
After all, in order to conceal their demonic aura, the northward speed of these demons was painfully slow. Obviously, while hiding their demonic aura, they were unable to use demonic skills to flee or mobilize the demonic Qi within their bodies.
However, the Youxiong Country is a country with a strong emphasis on order, and doesn't welcome the presence of demonic cults, and even goes as far as vigorously suppressing them. These demons cannot continue to conceal their identities while wandering on the land of the Youxiong Country.
Sooner or later, there will be conflicts with the local cultivators.
Once they reveal their demonic aura, Lu Heng will be able to locate their position promptly.
However, Lu Heng had been following them for three months, but in the recent days, these demons had ceased moving further north. Consequently, Lu Heng, who had been tailing them, had some leisure time to stop and enjoy himself.
For example, killing a few passing demons for a bounty, then taking that money to enjoy feasting and drinking in the city.
Lu Heng is also very interested in the cuisine of the Youxiong Country.
However, Lu Heng's plan just came to mind and had not been able to put it into action yet, so it was temporarily shelved.
Standing solemnly on the galloping path ahead, there is a man wearing a musician's long robe and carrying a qin case on his back. He is standing at the roadside, respectfully bowing to Lu Heng.
It is obvious that he had been waiting here for quite some time.
Lu Heng was not surprised by the appearance of Gu Yin, as he had previously seen him in the Zhuxian Town.
He also knew that after he left the Zhuxian Town, Gu Yin had followed him and flown several laps outside the town before finally finding Lu Heng walking on the galloping path.
After stopping his steps, Lu Heng smiled and clasped his hands in return to Gu Yin. He said, "I never expected to see Brother Gu Yin here in the northern Youxiong Country. It is truly fate. Why did Brother Gu Yin visit the north for leisure?"
Lu Heng had thought that this musician was still in the Fire Pass Country.
Despite looking melancholic, Gu Yin let out a sigh and said, "As a native of the Youxiong Country, I come from the Qushui Village not far from the outskirts of the Zhuxian Town, but I have been wandering outside for over seventy years and haven't been home since."
"After heading north from the Fire Pass Country, I returned to my hometown after a long time. I wanted to see how my hometown had changed, but I never expected to meet the Wolf God… This must be divine guidance."
"The Wolf God took care of me greatly in the Fire Pass Country. This time, I would like to invite the Wolf God to stay in my humble abode for a few days and fulfill the role of a gracious host."
Gu Yin's face was full of anticipation.
When the Wolf God was in the Fire Pass Country, he provided assistance to him and also brought along the female jinx, Lian Cangqing after helping him. Now that he has met him in the Youxiong Country, he must express his gratitude and cannot ignore the encounter.
However, Gu Yin's original plan was to leave once he had paid his respects.
After all, as a senior cultivator like the Wolf God, he considers himself unqualified to bother him.
But just now he overheard the conversation between the Wolf God and the Wuyou and Wuyu siblings, and found out that the Wolf God brought them to attend the conference in Zhuxian Town, aiming for the banquet.
Moreover, the Wolf God even stooped to killing common demons to get the reward so that the siblings could have a good meal… Upon hearing this, Gu Yin had the idea of inviting the Wolf God and his party into the village for hospitality.
At the very least, the chefs in his clan are not much worse than those in the big city taverns. Since the Wolf God loves gourmet food, he should be given wholehearted hospitality.
After Gu Yin finished speaking, Lu Heng looked up and down at the man in front of him, smiled and said, "Brother Gu Yin is really generous… haha! Okay, since Brother Gu Yin has invited me so warmly, I won't be polite."
"Let me make it clear in advance. Although there are only four people in our group, our appetite is not small. If we end up eating everything, Brother Gu Yin, don't regret it."
Lu Heng jokingly smiled.
As the Wolf God agreed to visit the village, Gu Yin, feeling excited, couldn't help but show a little smile on his perennially sorrowful face.
"I will do my best that night to try and get the Wolf God to eat all the food in the Qushui Village."
With a hearty laugh, Lu Heng let Gu Yin lead the way.
The group changed direction and headed towards the Qushui Village.
As old friends met, Lu Heng and Gu Yin couldn't help but talk about past events.
Lu Heng asked with some confusion, "Previously I heard from Lord Lianshan that Brother Gu Yin participated in the operation to exterminate the evil demons in the Green Hell Cave, and has been looking for any surviving enemies and hunting the remaining evil demons within Fire Pass Country. So why did you suddenly come to the north?"
What Lu Heng actually wanted to ask was, did you abandon your master's body?
But it was difficult to speak such straightforward words. After all, it was Lu Heng who had promised to help Gu Yin recover his master's physical body in the first place.
And up to now, Lu Heng still had no way to deal with Lian Cangqing.
Lu Heng actually felt a little guilty towards Gu Yin.
Gu Yin sighed and said, "I understand the Wolf God's intentions."
"But in fact the Wolf God needn't worry, during these days in Fire Pass Country, Gu Yin has already figured out many things."
"The news of Master's death had already come long ago, it's just that I was unwilling to accept it."
"Without the soul, Master is just a corpse. She should have been buried long ago. But I held onto an unrealistic hope, deceiving myself and refusing to accept reality, wandering around with Master's body."
"Such behavior could already be considered as betraying the teacher and destroying the ancestor, a madman with an abnormal mind."
