Chapter 510 - 448: Gone
Chapter 510: Chapter 448: Gone
Gongsun Chongshan thought of his cultivation. He’d been at Qi Refining Perfection for twenty years, still unable to break through. He was stuck, and the frustration was nearly killing him.
He frowned. ’The people the Bai Family sent out are completely useless. It’s been so long and there’s still no word from them.’
Fortunately, he had also sent a message back to his ancestral home, telling the clan to dispatch people to investigate thoroughly.
He was certain that the countryside where Tang Manman used to live must contain special herbs, ones that were practically Spirit Plants. ’Once I get my hands on those herbs, I can cultivate them on a large scale. I’ll set some aside and have Father refine them into a Foundation Establishment Elixir. Then I should be able to break through Qi Refining Perfection and smoothly advance to Foundation Establishment!’
’Foundation Establishment... I’m just one step away. I can’t even dream of anything else right now. A two-hundred-year lifespan! How can I let that slip through my fingers!’
Gongsun Chongshan’s mind wandered. Before he realized it, he had followed Bai Junfan across the main street and stepped onto the curb. Zuixiang Pavilion was only a ten-minute walk from here. Gongsun Chongshan thought of the mellow Pear Blossom White he would soon be savoring and smacked his lips. To truly enjoy a good drink, the ambiance was crucial. He habitually prepared to release his Divine Sense for a quick scan of the area. But at that exact moment, he faintly sensed an extremely dangerous Suppression heading straight for him!
Gongsun Chongshan was shocked and stopped dead in his tracks. ’A fellow cultivator,’ he realized, ’and their cultivation is no weaker than mine!’
He glanced at Bai Junfan beside him, who was completely unaffected. The Suppression was aimed only at him! ’To be targeted so blatantly and unscrupulously... the hostility is palpable. Could it be... a rival clan?’
’It’s not that the Gongsun Clan doesn’t have enemies, but they haven’t shown themselves in centuries. They should have all died out long ago!’
The Suppression grew heavier. The person was clearly heading his way, moving fast and getting closer. Gongsun Chongshan’s eyes darted around frantically, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. Not wanting Bai Junfan to see his distress, he suddenly clutched his stomach and groaned. "I had something from a street stall in the alley this morning," he said to Bai Junfan. "I think it was bad. My stomach is killing me. This is bad, I have to go back and get some medicine!"
Before the words had even faded, he was already off the curb. A few afterimages blurred past—SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH—like a firecracker skittering across the ground. He moved like lightning, darting into the dense flow of people and cars, and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Bai Junfan couldn’t even see which direction he’d run. He stood there with his mouth open, not even having had the chance to say, "I have a car, I’ll give you a ride!"
The display only strengthened his resolve to study under the Gongsun Clan and become a High-level Cultivator as quickly as possible. ’At any cost,’ he thought, ’I must catch up to Gu Shaojun. I have to become even stronger than him!’
A black sedan pulled up in front of him, and the window slowly rolled down. The first person Bai Junfan saw was Gu Shaojun, and he froze. ’You’ve got to be kidding me. Speak of the devil, and he appears!’
Then he looked past him, and his face immediately broke into a smile. "Manman? You finally have some free time today? Is your internship at the hospital tiring? The weather’s so nice, why don’t you get out and take a walk?"
Xiao Man smiled at him. "It’s fine, we have other things to do. We’re just passing through."
Bai Junfan moved closer, clasping his hands behind his back as he leaned down to look at Xiao Man inside. His voice grew exceptionally soft and warm. "I went to visit Grandpa Tang and Grandma Tang the day before yesterday, and I swung by the hospital to see how you were doing. You were just so busy, I didn’t want to disturb you!"
Xiao Man could only thank him. "I appreciate the thought, but you don’t need to do that. We interns are very busy and have a lot to learn. All we can focus on are our mentors and patients. We don’t have time for anything else."
Gu Shaojun coolly sized up Bai Junfan. He could tell at a glance that the impurities in Bai Junfan’s body hadn’t been fully purged, and his meridians hadn’t expanded properly. He had likely been too eager for quick results and suffered some internal injuries as a consequence.
’The person who guided him through Energy Introduction must have been that guy from just now,’ Gu Shaojun thought. ’I couldn’t discern his cultivation, but a Seventh Level Suppression was enough to make him flee. That means he hasn’t reached Foundation Establishment. And that faint, misty aura around him is definitely a Spell for concealing his cultivation!’
’It might even be one of those secret techniques Grandpa mentioned!’
’He was clever, though, running straight for crowded places where the auras are jumbled. That misty aura of his is quite effective. Once he got a certain distance away, he vanished completely. I really can’t find him.’
Gu Shaojun had intended to say something to Bai Junfan, but the man completely ignored him. He just kept babbling on, fawning over Xiao Man with a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on his face. A sudden flare of anger rose in Gu Shaojun. He rolled the window up, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car shot away. Bai Junfan was left frozen in his pose, hands clasped behind his back as he leaned over, the sappy smile and adoring gaze still on his face. Passersby looked on. Some laughed out loud, while others jeered. A few star-struck young girls, however, seemed to enjoy the spectacle. By the time Bai Junfan snapped out of it, his body shot upright. His expression changed in an instant, like a stage actor’s mask. His face darkened, his eyes grew as cold and sharp as blades, and the menacing aura he exuded scared off the crowd that had started to gather.
A few bolder, more curious youths glanced back, and Bai Junfan could read their thoughts as clearly as if they’d spoken them aloud: ’Is this guy a psycho? Yeah, has to be. I wonder which mental hospital he escaped from. Someone should come get him before he becomes a public menace!’
Bai Junfan: "..."
He gritted his back teeth. The complex, indescribable emotions he felt toward Gu Shaojun churned inside him like endless, crashing waves.
When Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun arrived at the Lu Family’s home, they were first greeted with a warm welcome from Lu Jiawei and his two little cousins. After they finished handing out red envelopes and New Year’s gifts, it was the adults’ turn to exchange pleasantries.
Gu Shaojun nodded to Lu Jianling and Yang Liu’er, wishing them a happy New Year, then shook hands with Old Sir Lu and Lu Jian Country. Lu Jian Country was already able to stand for short periods with a single crutch. He offered a cigarette to Gu Shaojun, but Gu Shaojun waved it away. "I’ll have a drink or two, but I’m not a fan of these."
Lu Jian Country laughed. "They all say smoking is bad for your health, so it’s a habit best dropped. The women forced me to quit when I came home this time. So I’m quitting. It saves me the trouble, anyway. Every time I left the house, I’d have to worry about this or that—grabbing the cigarettes but forgetting the lighter... It was enough to drive a man crazy!"
The men sat and talked in the main room while the women, after warning the little ones not to leave the courtyard, gathered in an inner room to whisper among themselves. Lu Jianling laughed and teased Xiao Man, "And here you were complaining that child betrothals were an old feudal custom. Look how great he is! If my dad had arranged a match like this for me, I’d have to be extra good to him for the rest of his life!"
Yang Liu’er rolled her eyes at her. "So, you’re saying you don’t plan on being a good daughter to him now? In that case, I’ll go tell the old man—that he raised this daughter for nothing!"
"Hey! I was just kidding! Why are you taking it so seriously?"
Lu Jianling playfully swatted her a couple of times, and all three of them couldn’t help but laugh.
After chatting for a while, Lu Jianling went to the kitchen to check on the stew. Yang Liu’er followed her to the doorway, where she lifted the fabric curtain but didn’t let it fall all the way, leaving a small gap to peek at Gu Shaojun. Xiao Man was speechless. Not even bothering to scold her, she just grabbed an orange and started peeling it.
Yang Liu’er didn’t come back and sit on the edge of the heated platform until Xiao Man had finished her orange. Xiao Man asked, "In that dream of yours, did you ever see him?"
Yang Liu’er shook her head. "I never saw him, but I knew of him. You, on the other hand... I’d never seen you or even heard of you, yet you just suddenly appeared out of nowhere!"
"What do you mean, ’suddenly appeared’? I’ve always existed."