Chapter 37: Little Liar!
The words were spoken at noon, the fight took place in the afternoon, and the person left in the evening.
Unfortunately, Chen Guan didn't get to witness it firsthand.
Since the back mountain was a restricted area of the Yunlan Sect, Yun Yun stopped him from going any further. The same applied to the Yunlan Sect disciples. All they could do was listen to the commotion and imagine the battle in the back mountain, as the ground trembled beneath them.
At first, Chen Guan was quite worried, but since he hadn't noticed any interference from the Hall of Soulafter a while, he stopped paying much attention.
It wasn't until nightfall, when Jia Xingtian returned from the back mountain looking refreshed, as if he had just come from a spa, that Chen Guan realized things had ended. The only thing missing from his face was the word "satisfied" written on it.
"Chen kid, I wasn't trying to ruin your moment. I was just quietly enjoying the view from the back mountain. It was Yun Shan, that old guy, who came out on his own. I only gave his secret chamber door a light knock."
"And besides, I calculated the timing. You should've finished your discussion by the time I took action. Think of it as me showing support and flexing a bit. After all, when you have the power to back it up, that's called negotiation. Without power, that's just one-sided exploitation."
Tsk tsk.
Chen Guan hadn't realized Jia Xingtian could be so talkative.
"You didn't use earth-level Dou Techniques, right?"
"Of course not. I'm not a fool. I wouldn't easily reveal that unless it was a dire situation."
That was good enough.
The two quickened their pace, chatting along the way, both feeling quite satisfied with their visit to the Yunlan Sect.
Meanwhile, inside the Yunlan Sect...
Pill King Gu He was in his room, contemplating the information he had gleaned from a casual chat with Yun Leng, his fingers gently tapping the armrest.
Two knocks sounded at the door. After receiving permission, Mo Cheng, the Great Elder of the Mo Clan, who had not yet left, entered.
"Mo Cheng of the Mo Clan, greetings to the Pill King."
"Hmm, the Great Elder has already informed me. You're offering a batch of precious medicinal herbs in exchange for a Blood Ignition Pill. I agree, but I hope you won't waste my pill."
The Blood Ignition Pill was a fifth-tier pill.
After consumption, it could greatly boost one's strength for a short time. It was a favorite trump card for Dou Spirit and Dou King warriors. Even Dou Emperor could increase their strength by one star if they were on the weaker side.
The side effect was that the pill would burn the user's blood essence, leaving them weak for a period afterward.
Mo Cheng was stunned for a moment.
"When did I ask for a Blood Ignition Pill? Why don't I know about this?"
Thankfully, he wasn't a fool. After a brief moment of reflection on Gu He's words, he quickly caught on.
"Yes, yes. Rest assured, Pill King, I will make perfect use of it!"
It would be foolish not to accept such an unexpected windfall.
He knew full well that both Gu He and Yun Leng had their own motives.
But that didn't matter. As long as he was willing to accept the pill, that was enough for him.
It was a classic case of "Zhou Yu fights Huang Gai—one willing to hit, the other willing to take it." (Romance of Three Kingdoms)
After handing over the Blood Ignition Pill, Gu He glanced toward the Holy City through the door and windows, silently giving himself an excuse.
"I'm just cooperating with Yun Leng to win hearts for the Yunlan Sect. I'm unaware of anything else."
Three days later, at the royal palace...
Early in the morning, Chen Guan went to bid farewell to Yao Ye.
Everything was ready now, and he was eager to go out and train.
The imperial capital, while safe, lacked the sense of urgency and the trials of blood and fire. To accelerate his growth, Chen Guan needed to go out and seize opportunities.
Having made up his mind, Chen Guan didn't mince words when he saw Yao Ye and directly stated his intentions.
Yao Ye, who had been busy at her desk, looked up after hearing him.
"I agree, but you can't leave until you break through to a three-star Dou Master."
"Got it."
Chen Guan nodded without hesitation, so straightforward that Yao Ye couldn't quite understand. From her knowledge, once the boy made up his mind, it was usually hard to change.
She was puzzled.
Fortunately, the confusion didn't last long.
In less than half an hour, Chen Guan returned.
The difference was, he was now a three-star Dou Master!
Yao Ye didn't even notice when her quill dropped from her hand. She rested her chin on her hand, questioning life.
"I'm so stupid. Really, I should have known."
Looking at the young man with a hint of pride between his brows, Yao Ye turned her head away. "Get lost. You've grown wings, and I can't control you anymore."
Before, she could have relied on her strength to suppress him, but now, even she wasn't his match.
Deep down, she wasn't too worried about the boy encountering much danger. He had too many trump cards. She just felt a bit reluctant to see him go.
Chen Guan didn't immediately leave. Instead, he boldly sat across from her and gently turned her head back with his hand.
"Sis, don't worry. I promise I won't get into trouble this time. I'll be back in no more than a year, a year and a half at most. And as usual, I'll send a letter every two weeks."
Yao Ye rolled her eyes but didn't reject the offer, accepting the condition.
"Just take care of yourself. The royal family can help you less and less now, so measure your strength and don't overreach. Oh, and take Wang Yan and his brother with you. Let them handle the small stuff and act as assistants."
"Can I trust them?"
"No problem. They're the ones who protected you before. After you disappeared in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, Wang Dalang risked his life searching for you and almost died because of it. Of course, for anything really important, it's always good to stay cautious."
Chen Guan nodded seriously, accepting this.
Had Yao Ye not mentioned it today, he wouldn't have known someone nearly died looking for him.
Although it was part of their duty, Chen Guan still felt grateful, making him less resistant to taking them along.
"I understand. That's settled. I won't bother Master Jia. Sis, please inform him for me. I'll say goodbye to Yue'er at the Alchemist Association and then head out."
Yao Ye nodded, watching him leave.
Just as Chen Guan was about to exit, he suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, Sis, send someone to clean out the Mo Clan in Yan City. That place is a filthy mess and disgusting to look at."
"Sure."
Yao Ye didn't ask any questions. She knew Chen Guan's nature well enough to trust that if he said so, the Mo Clan had surely earned its death sentence.
As for the reasoning, give her five minutes and she could come up with dozens, even hundreds, of reasons on her own.
With everything arranged, Chen Guan left without further delay. After bidding farewell to Yue'er and Fa Ma at the Alchemist Association, he met up with the Wang brothers at the city gate and departed immediately.
For over a month, while the general public had heard little of Chen Guan's activities, several major factions had been watching him closely.
Sure enough, as soon as he left the city, word reached all of them.
Tengshan frowned and asked his steward, "What's Ya Fei up to?"
Steward: "Master, Ya Fei is overseeing the auction."
No surprise there. An auctioneer had to take their job seriously.
Tengshan had nothing more to say. The spark he had hoped for didn't happen. That kid hadn't even visited the Mittelt Auction House, making all his efforts seem unnecessary.
But it was just a casual move, so without any surprises, there was no great disappointment either.
At the Yunlan Sect.
Yun Yun was at the training ground, watching an odd match unfold.
On one side was an elder, a Dou King, and on the other was an iron golem.
It was a strange sight. The elder, with the strength of a three-star Dou King, couldn't do anything to the puppet. But the puppet couldn't threaten him either.
Using Dou Qi wings, the elder held the high ground, while the puppet kept leaping into the air to attack. The jumps were impressively high, but the scene was comical.
The more Yun Yun watched, the more she felt amused.
Just then, she received a message. Glancing at it, even with her usual grace, she couldn't help gritting her teeth in frustration.
"Didn't he say he wouldn't leave the capital for a few years?"
"Little liar!"
(End of chapter)
P.S
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