Date: September 21

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  The atmosphere on the web has become somewhat oppressive, and Tian Ye couldnt help but slowly straighten his body. His facial expression was uncertain, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking in his heart.

  Xiao Yicai fell silent for a moment before saying, "Master Tian, Ive also been hesitant about this matter for a long time, but thinking about it, its not good to hide it from you..."

  Tian didnt easily take a deep breath and nodded: "Xiao Shizhong, I understand what you mean, thank you."

  Xiao Yicai nodded, then seemed to think of something and said: "Tian Shu, I think Zhang Shidi may know the Ghost King and his daughter, but he doesnt seem to have entered the evil path yet. However, the people in the demonic sect are cunning and ruthless, and Zhang Shidi is still young, so its likely that there will be some danger."

  Tian hummed and his face turned pale as frost. He said coldly, "That beast, just wait and see how Ill deal with him when I get back!"

  Xiao Yicai glanced at him and said: "Master Tian, I have something to say, but I dont know..."

  Tian Ye Dao said: "You say."

  Xiao Yicai said: "Yes. Tian Shu, Im telling you about Zhang Shidis matter in private, hoping that before things get out of hand, you can handle it properly. Cang Song has always been in charge of Qingyuns punishment, and Xingzi is quite strong-willed, if he finds out... But after all, Zhang Shidi is your disciple, and over the years, you must have invested a lot of effort in him. If things really get out of hand, neither you nor Cang Song will look good. So... " He lowered his voice and said: "If Zhang Shidi hasnt committed any serious mistakes, just give him some private guidance, thats all."

  Tian did not easily raise his head, deeply looked at him for a moment, and suddenly said: "Xiao Shizhong, you indeed have the demeanor of a great general, and its not in vain that the master values you so much. It seems that the position of the sect leader in the future is yours for the taking."

  Xiao Yicai slightly lowered his head and said, "Master Tian, youre overpraising me."

  Tian Bu Yis face had already returned to normal, with a faint smile: "Alright! You should also get some rest! This time your kindness, the Great Zhú Fēng clan will remember."

  He didnt know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but he put more emphasis on the three words "Da Zhu Feng".

  Xiao Yicai smiled and said: "Master Shu is too polite."

  Tian nodded slightly and stood up to walk out.

  Tian stood alone in a secluded spot in the woods, with his hands behind his back.

  It was already deep in the night, with dense stars twinkling above and a bright moon hanging high. The bright moonlight filtered through the lush branches of the forest, shining down on him. From the darkness, his face furrowed slightly, clearly lost in thought.

  Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded from behind.

  Tian didnt easily turn his body around, looking back, suddenly stunned, and exclaimed: "Is it you?"

  The person who came was his wife, Su Rou. In the desolate and quiet night, in the silent forest, she walked quietly, as if in an instant, she drew everyones attention to her body.

  It seems that all these years have not erased half of her beauty.

  Su Ru walked closer, looked at Tian Bu Yi and a hint of a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She said: "You just wanted Da Ren to come back and call Xiao Fan over here, but Xiao Fan isnt around right now. I told him to go see Da Li Zun Zhe at Jin Gang Men, he should be arriving soon."

  Tian nodded slightly and looked at Su Rou, seeming to want to say something, but still didnt open his mouth.

  Su Ru said softly: "You went to see Xiao Yi Cai last night and came back with a frown, whats wrong?"

  Tian took a deep breath, his face relaxed a bit, and smiled: "I also know I couldnt hide it from you." He then told him everything Xiao Yicai had said to him about Zhang Xiaofan.

  Su Ru listened silently, and after a moment of contemplation, shook her head: "Not to mention whether Xiao Fan is acquainted with the Ghost King of the Demon Sect and his daughter or not, but even if they are familiar, its impossible for me to believe that Xiao Fan has joined the Demon Sect, let alone being a spy infiltrating Qing Yun Men."

  Tian hummed and said, "I already know this without you saying it. Hey, Ive taken in six apprentices from the eldest to the youngest, but none of them have been as troublesome and annoying as you!"

  Su Ru looked at him and smiled: "However, from the eldest to the sixth, none of them have shown up for you like he did in the Seven Meridians Great Trial!"

  Tian didnt dare to retort, but he couldnt admit defeat either. He rolled his eyes and said, "Whats the point of showing off like that? You got struck by lightning and ended up looking like a charred stone."

  Su Ru lost her smile and said, "Ah! My Tian Shixiong, I heard that 300 years ago, when you yourself participated in the Seven Veins Assemblys martial arts grand examination, you only managed to enter the top four!"

  Tian didnt expect his wife to bring up old scores, and he looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, I wasnt...I still had you on my mind back then. The night before the tournament, I even sneaked out with you to watch the stars together at Tongtian Peaks Rainbow Bridge. We didnt sleep all night. By the time of the tournament, I was completely distracted and not in the right state of mind. How could I have been a match for Master Wan?"

  "Pfft!" Su Rou snorted at him, but a faint blush rose to her face, looking gentle and infinite, as if she had returned to that night when they were young: "Wan Shixiong is a genius, extremely intelligent, among our generation of disciples, except for Daoxuan, the sect leader, there is no one who can surpass him in terms of Taoist cultivation. Who are you? You were already lucky to have made it into the top four, and your master was laughing so hard his mouth couldnt close, yet you still think you can defeat Wan Shixiong?"

  Tian couldnt help but smile, and his mood obviously improved. He said, "Master Wan is naturally far superior to me, but you chose me over him back then, which means I must have something better than him."

  Su Ru gave him a white eye and said: "I was confused by the ghost at that time, I was blind, so I followed you."

  Tian didnt listen, nor was he angry. He just looked at his wife, chuckled and smiled, with a twinkle in his eyes. Suddenly, he reached out and took Su Rus slender hand.

  Su Rou glared at him and whispered, "At your age, whats the point of being so mushy? Besides, Xiao Fan will be here soon. If he sees us like this, what will it look like?"

  Tian did not easily smile and did not speak, Su Rou slightly lowered her head, but also did not withdraw her hand.

  The night is like water, the fields are deserted. The cool evening breeze blows quietly, rustling the treetops in the night color.

  Its very quiet in the forest.

  After a while, Su Rou suddenly said: "Actually, I think Xiao Fans current appearance is quite similar to yours back then." As she spoke, she raised her head and asked Tian Bu Yi: "Do you feel it yourself?"

  Tian was taken aback for a moment and said, "Really?"

  Su Ru smiled and said, "Whats with that expression? Actually, back then you seemed to be a bit silly too. Everyone thought you couldnt compare to those talented senior brothers and junior brothers. But in the end, among the Dazhu Peak lineage, the one who achieved the most and had the highest Daoist skills was actually you. Your master later passed on the position of First Seat to you as well."

  Tian hummed and said, "What Im doing is called endurance, its not stupidity."

  Su Ru couldnt help but laugh out loud, shaking her head and saying: "Youre really something! Youve gotten older, and your skin has thickened quite a bit. I dont know what to do with you!" After a pause, she continued: "But speaking of Xiao Fan, I dont believe you havent noticed that in the past year or two, his performance hasnt been bad at all. Although he may not be as talented as Lin Jingyu or Lu Xueqi, hes definitely not stupid either. I think hes at least above average. Its just that after being neglected by you for so many years, hes developed some self-doubt and has become a bit introverted."

  At this point, Su Rou seemed to have thought of something again, and after a moment of silence, she said: "But what Ive always been unable to understand is that the first layer of Taiji Xuanqing Dao, which was the most basic at the time, why did he take three times as long as an ordinary person to cultivate it?"

  Tian shook his head, let out a stifled breath from his chest and said calmly: "Theres no need to think so much now. When Old Seven arrives later, Ill naturally ask him what he did during these days. What other things has he done that we dont know about?"

  Su Ru looked at him and said, "Then you cant wait a moment to be fierce and terrifying again. He hasnt even spoken yet, but hes already been scared by you to the point where he cant speak."

  Tian hummed and said, "I dont know why, but sometimes when I look at him like that, a burst of anger emerges in my heart."

  Su Ru smiled and said, "Actually, you want your most promising disciple to be even better, not only in terms of Taoist skills but also in dealing with people in everyday life. You want him to be like Qi Huan and Xiao Yi, who can handle everything with ease. In the future..." Su Ru sighed softly and stopped speaking.

  Tian didnt say anything for a moment before asking, "Whats wrong?"

  Su Ru looked at him, seemingly hesitating for a moment before saying: "Its not easy, with your temperament, after all these years, Ive never seen you change like Master Wan back then, so..."

  Tian nodded slowly after a moment of silence: "I understand what you mean, no need to say it."

  Su Ru looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled and said: "If Xiao Fan knew that his master, who had always looked down on him, was now expecting the most from him, I wonder how excited he would be?"

  Tian let out a snort of disdain, turned his head away and said, "With him being such an idiot, Im supposed to have the highest expectations for him? Dont dream on!"

  Su Rou stood behind him, smiling as she looked at him, feeling the warmth and gentleness of his palm still holding her hand, as if these three hundred years had not changed a thing.

  She quietly grasped his hand tightly as well.

  Zhang Xiaofan and Song Daren left the place where Shi Tou and his master Da Li Zun lived, walking back. The sound of Shi Tous loud laughter still seemed to echo in their ears. Along the way, they only saw the night getting darker, except for a few disciples who were on night watch, everyone else slowly returned to their residences.

  As they approached the cave where Da Zhu Feng lived, Song Da Ren felt a bit uneasy and turned to Zhang Xiao Fan, saying: "Xiao Fan, do you remember what I told you earlier?"

  "Is that right, Big Brother?"

  Song Daren nodded and said, "I dont know why Master wants to find you either, but I saw that after he came back from Xiao Yicai Shixiongs place, his eyebrows have been furrowed all the time, probably something unpleasant happened."

  Zhang Xiaofan remained silent, his heart even more anxious and uneasy, wondering if Xiao Yicai had told their master about the affair between Rì Guīwáng and Biyao. If that was indeed the case, he would truly be at a loss for words when their master asked him about it later.

  Song Daren saw that Zhang Xiaofan didnt say anything, thinking he was a bit afraid in his heart, so he revealed a smile and patted his shoulder with his hand, saying: "Xiaofan, you dont have to worry too much either. Although Master is strict on the surface, he actually loves us disciples very much." He paused here, lowered his voice, and said: "However, you must not suddenly become impulsive again. If you offend Master, we wont be able to plead for you!"

  Zhang Xiaofan felt a warmth in his heart, gritted his teeth, and looked at Song Daren, saying in a low voice: "Big Brother Master, I...I was wrong to treat you like that the other day, its really my fault, dont blame me!"

  Song Daren chuckled and reached out to pat his head, saying: "Whats the point of talking about this? Lets hurry up and go, dont keep Shifu waiting. But this sky is really something, just now it was a clear moon, how did dark clouds float over in an instant? The East Sea here is indeed different from our Central Plains."

  Zhang Xiaofan looked up at the sky and saw that it had suddenly darkened, the moon which was shining brightly just now was now dodging in and out of the gradually accumulating black clouds, its light greatly weakened, making people feel suffocated.

  As they spoke, the two of them had already walked back, Song Daren and Zhang Xiaofan stopped in their tracks, only to hear the clear laughter of Tian Linger and Du Bishu joking around coming from inside the cave.

  Zhang Xiaofan fell silent for a moment, then said to Song Daren: "Big Brother Master, in that case I wont go in. Ill directly go to the forest to find Master."

  Song Daren looked at him and nodded, saying: "Alright, go quickly! However, its a bit dark now, so be careful when walking in the woods, got it?"

  Zhang Xiaofan smiled and nodded, then walked towards the forest in front of him.

  Song Daren looked at his back, suddenly felt that this little brother had a somewhat lonely appearance, sighed, shook his head and turned to walk back into the cave.

  As soon as he entered the forest, darkness seemed to come from the depths of the forest with a loud whoosh, surging over and enveloping his figure.

  Zhang Xiaofan paused for a moment, his heart moved, but after a while, his eyes gradually adapted to the environment in the forest. The remaining moonlight above the night sky still filtered through the dense branches and fell on the uninhabited place, with a faint light.

  Everything in the forest was quiet, without the white birds chirping, without the wild beasts breathing, even the low insect hum that could be heard everywhere, seemed to have disappeared on this night. Everywhere were tall and towering giant trees, standing upright in the darkness, like silent warriors!

  Only the sound of wind!

  The sea breeze blowing from the depths of the distant ocean swept over the top of the forest, rustling the treetops with a soft whoosh.

  In the dark and profound forest, a young man walked alone.

  Zhang Xiaofans thoughts suddenly drifted away, in this deep forest and quiet night, he suddenly recalled the events of long, long ago: under the dim yellow lamp, still a child, he leaned into his mothers arms, staring at the outside night with wide eyes, with a faint fear...

  It wasnt until then that I realized how far away those bygone years had drifted.

  He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, shook his head and quickened his pace, continuing to walk forward.

  But he didnt notice that on the path he came from, in the depths of darkness, two red lights suddenly lit up silently, like flames burning with hatred.

  Like a person, angry eyes!

  Tian frowned slightly, somewhat impatiently, and said: "Whats going on? Its been so long and they still havent arrived?"

  Su Ru looked at him and said, "How can it be so fast? Da Ren ran over to find him, and he came back from Da Li Zuns place. Even if he ran, it would take some time. You cant expect him to fly over on a cloud just for this matter, can you?"

  Tian hummed and looked up at the sky, hesitated for a moment, and said: "Its strange, why does the color of the sky change so quickly here in Donghai?"

  Su Ru looked around and slightly furrowed her brow, responding: "Yes! It was still bright just a moment ago! Suddenly its all dark clouds." However, she didnt put this in her heart, the topic shifted, asking about another matter: "Nan Yi, from earlier on, Ive had something I dont understand."

  Tian looked at her and said, "What?"

  Su Ru said: "If Xiao Fan really knew the Ghost King and his daughter as Xiao Yi Cai said, emotionally and rationally, he should have told Master Cang Song about it. He should be very clear about this point. But he secretly told you instead, opposing Master Cang Songs intentions, and he is not particularly close to us at Mount Da Zhu either. I always feel that something is not quite right."

  Tian fell silent for a moment before saying faintly, "This person is not simple."

  Su Rous eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she said, "What?"

  He didnt answer her directly, but instead sank into thought for a moment before saying, "As far as I know, the Master has been devoted to his cultivation in recent years and has gradually stopped paying attention to the affairs of the sect. The trivial matters are mostly handled by the elder Chong Song and others." He paused for a moment, then sneered, "Now there are people in the sect who secretly discuss that Chong Song is already the master living on Longshou Peak."

  Su Rus body shook slightly, and her face showed a worried expression. She pulled on Tian Naiyis sleeve and said in a low voice, "You must never speak of this outside."

  Tian nodded and said, "I naturally understand, dont worry!"

  After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment and continued: "You also know that in our Qingyun Gate, over the past two thousand years, especially since Qingye Ancestor created the Seven Veins of Qingyun, this position of Sect Master has always been succeeded by disciples from the Tongtian Peak. But now..."

  Su Ru smiled and continued his words: "But now, Master Cang Song is highly respected in the sect, with strong Taoist skills and a reputation second only to Master Dao Xuan. Originally, Xiao Yis succession as the new leader seemed to be a matter of course, but now it seems that there are some doubts."

  Tian said calmly, "Moreover, for the past 200 years, Cang Song has been in charge of Qing Yun Mens punishment. He is a man who speaks his mind and doesnt care about others opinions, except for Dao Xuan. Its normal that Xiao Shizhong is worried."

  Su Ru lowered her head and said after a long while: "Its not easy, this fight for the position of sect leader involves many things, dont get too deeply involved."

  Tian shook his head and said, "Im not unaware of this, but as the leader of a sect, how can I avoid it? Now that Xiao Yicai has shown me kindness, its likely because he wants to reserve a favor for later. In any case, we can only take things one step at a time."

  Su Ru sighed and nodded: "Its the only way."

  A low hum, from an unknown depth in the forest, suddenly a gust of dark wind blew over.

  Zhang Xiaofan only felt a chill on the back of his neck, and when he looked up at the dense tree shadows swaying in the wind, they seemed like ghosts. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he felt that tonights forest was eerily quiet, very different from before. However, he immediately thought that he had lived here for many days and had never seen any evil creatures, so would a darker sky make them appear?

  Thinking of this, he couldnt help but laugh to himself and quickened his pace forward.

  Suddenly, behind him, a ghostly howl burst forth, piercing his ears. Zhang Xiaofan was shocked and immediately turned around, his face paling several shades. He saw that on the path behind him, in the darkness, a skull with a faint red glow had slowly appeared, floating in mid-air, spinning ceaselessly.

  Only in that mournful cry, the red skull gradually stopped, facing Zhang Xiaofan. Zhang Xiaofan only saw a few faint flames in the deep eye sockets, and couldnt help but shiver.

  A moment later, behind the ghostly figure, two more figures slowly rose up. With the light of the red skull head as a backdrop, Zhang Xiao Fan saw that one of them was a tall and thin old man, with a ferocious face, dry and shriveled complexion, almost like a skeleton wrapped in skin, looking quite similar to the red skull head. A pair of eyes stared at Zhang Xiao Fan with great hatred and resentment.

  Another person, however, looked rather disheveled. Although he was also quite tall and large, he was being held in the old mans hand like a small chicken, unable to move or struggle, his face full of helpless despair.

  Zhang Xiaofans eyes widened in surprise and he couldnt help but exclaim "hmm?"

  This person looked familiar, yet was an acquaintance. He was the wild dog Taoist who had been seen a few times in Liubo Mountain and had first appeared under the ancient cave of Kong Sang Mountain. He was being held by the withered old mans right hand, grasping his collar, with a mournful face. Unexpectedly, he turned around and saw Zhang Xiaofan standing in front of him, looking at him with a surprised expression. Immediately, as if seeing a savior, he pointed at Zhang Xiaofan and shouted: "Ah! Its him, its him!"

  Zhang Xiaofan was startled, seeing the wild dog Taoist pointing at himself and shouting non-stop, but he didnt know what it meant. However, he only saw the old man glare at him fiercely with a piercing and hoarse voice, saying to the wild dog Taoist: "Is this the young master of Qingyun Gate?"

  The stray dog nodded repeatedly, saying: "Right, right, its him, the bloodsucking senior, its this son of a bitch who killed your only successor, the vampire Jiang Lao San." This chapter is published by net book friend ww.

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