The Pangolin worked hard with its head down, while Xu Xian leisurely followed on his sword.
A large river wound its way from the mountains toward Luoxia Village.
In just half a day, the canal was complete.
Xu Xian couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "As expected, professional tasks must be left to professional tools."
As the water arrived, the fields were nourished.
The villagers of Luoxia Village had long since recovered from their initial shock and fear; now, the entire village was filled with cheers.
They chanted the immortal's name.
Children jumped into the new river, frolicking and playing. Women wept with joy, and the men surrounded Xu Xian, shouting and cheering.
With the canal finished, Xu Xian originally intended to slip away, hiding his merit and fame.
However, the people of Luoxia Village insisted that he stay.
They said the sky was growing dark and begged him to eat before leaving, wanting to host a banquet in his honor.
At first, Xu Xian refused.
But the villagers were too enthusiastic, even going so far as to threaten to die if he didn't stay.
Helpless, Xu Xian had to agree.
The villagers were overjoyed and immediately began making preparations.
Those with grain contributed grain, and those with strength contributed labor. An old man in the village even brought out fruit wine he had cherished for a long time.
The scene was truly one of welcoming an immortal with food and drink.
Xu Xian was deeply moved.
In the spirit of immortals and mortals being one family, Xu Xian decided to treat the entire village to meat.
That night.
Bonfires flared up, and the scent of meat filled the air. The children of Luoxia Village ate until their faces were covered in grease, and the men drank until they were dead drunk.
Though the fruit wine was tart and bitter, the sentiment within it was beyond words.
After drinking, Xu Xian felt even more homesick.
Back in Houdao Village, after the autumn harvest, the villagers would also gather together, slaughtering oxen and sheep for joy, drinking hundreds of cups...
How he missed it!
As the night deepened, the galaxy stretched across the sky.
The bonfires burned low, and the noise slowly faded.
Xu Xian leaned against an old locust tree, drinking alone. Beside him, the village men lay scattered on the ground.
Clearly, when it came to drinking, Xu Xian was terrifyingly strong now. After a night of heavy drinking, he was only slightly tipsy.
Suddenly, he saw someone.
The person stood before him.
Towering over him.
Looking down at him.
Xu Xian raised his eyes, and their gazes met. They scrutinized each other in silence for a long time.
'Nascent soul stage... middle stage.'
Xu Xian thought he had drunk too much and was seeing things, so he instinctively rubbed his eyes.
The other person also thought they were seeing things and rubbed their eyes as well.
"Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
"Little Grand-Uncle!"
"Huh?" Xu Xian's head was filled with question marks.
The man was shocked, becoming incoherent with excitement.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my goodness! It really is Little Grand-Uncle! I thought I was seeing things. This is great! Little Grand-Uncle, I didn't expect you to actually still be alive!"
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land?
No.
It was meeting a fellow disciple in a foreign land.
The former was unmoved.
The latter had tears in his eyes.
Xu Xian's lips twitched as he saw the fat on the man's face practically shoved into his own. He instinctively leaned back and complained, "What do you mean 'still alive'? Haven't I been living perfectly fine this whole time?"
"Right, you're not dead, not dead!"
"Stop right there, don't come any closer. Sit. Sit down and talk."
Xu Xian pointed to the spot beside him.
The man sat down obediently, crossing his legs and grinning ear to ear like a big oaf.
Nascent soul stage, male.
Grey sword robes, hair tied up with a hairpin.
He was tall, slightly chubby, with a greasy face—a standard middle-aged spread.
He looked ordinary, and that was it.
"You are?"
"In response to Little Grand-Uncle, I am Hao Ren, a fourth-generation disciple belonging to the Personnel Hall."
Xu Xian looked him up and down with a strange expression.
The man realized the confusion and quickly explained, "Not the words for 'good person,' I mean my name is Hao Ren, with the 'Ren' for benevolence."
"Oh!" Xu Xian suddenly understood. "That name is... distinctive."
"Haha, Little Grand-Uncle overpraises me."
As Hao Ren spoke, his eyes kept drifting toward a large piece of roasted meat by the fire.
"Want a piece?" Xu Xian asked tentatively.
Hao Ren's throat bobbed as he said against his own heart, "Would that be appropriate?"
Xu Xian scoffed, "Then don't eat it."
Hao Ren acted as if he hadn't heard the second part, scooting forward and reaching out to take a piece. "Little Grand-Uncle is so hospitable, I'll help myself then."
He began eating in large bites, not forgetting to praise through a mouthful of food.
"Mmm, delicious!"
Xu Xian was speechless and shook his head with a light chuckle.
"Little Grand-Uncle, if I'm not mistaken, this must be the meat of a beast beast, and a high-grade one at that. This texture is incredible."
"Fourth-grade Pangolin," Xu Xian said flatly.
Hao Ren took a massive gulp, then naturally grabbed Xu Xian's wine skin and took a swig.
He looked blissful.
"Impressive, Little Grand-Uncle! A fourth-grade berserk beast, and you just killed it like that. No wonder I smelled the meat from so far away. I thought I'd come see what was going on, but I never expected to run into you. Just now, I almost didn't recognize you. A few months ago, I heard Little Grand-Uncle was only at foundation establishment, and now you're already at the core formation stage. You're fucking amazing!"
Xu Xian smiled slightly and said modestly, "It's just average."
"Little Grand-Uncle, you're too humble. I remember you're not even twenty yet, right? A twenty-year-old in the core formation stage—who would believe that? Thinking back to my day, I was in my thirties before I even touched the threshold of core formation..."
Hao Ren continued to praise him, while eating and drinking heartily.
The meat of a fourth-grade beast beast was a spiritual food and highly nourishing.
Even for disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect, it wasn't something they could eat whenever they wanted.
To be able to eat his fill like this might not be considered a luxury, but being free of charge made it very satisfying.
Xu Xian waved his hand, appearing casual but speaking deliberately. "To be precise, I'm still a few months away from turning eighteen."
"Then that's even more amazing!"
Xu Xian gave a modest smile, unmoved by either praise or blame.
Taking advantage of the man's eating, he asked casually, "You just said you thought I was dead. What's the situation?"
"Little Grand-Uncle, you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"For the past two months, the sect has been searching for you like crazy."
"Hmm?"
Hao Ren took another sip of fruit wine and began to tell the whole story from start to finish.
He spoke of what happened in Yecheng months ago, then about Cangwu, and then about the search for Xu Xian.
Yecheng changed hands, and the Wendao Sword Sect hung its sword over the southern sky, arriving at the Cangwu imperial capital in three days.
They slaughtered all the Cangwu cultivators and conquered thirty-six cities in succession.
The Sect Master even executed the Cangwu Emperor and the Crown Prince in front of the Saints of the Three Sects.
Of course, he also mentioned the mission issued by the Mission Hall to find Xu Xian.
Hao Ren spoke with great animation!
Xu Xian listened with his heart pounding!
He could only say...
That was brutal.
The Wendao Sword Sect really had a lot of prestige.
Originally, he thought that purging Yecheng was the best resolution for the incident.
He hadn't expected them to just go ahead and take down Cangwu as well.
Xu Xian only wanted to say one thing.
Refreshing.
That was how it should be.
It could also be considered a proper accounting for Song Qingshu, Ruan Zhong, and the others.
A single suppression of a rebellion turned into an invasion of an enemy capital; the whole world was shocked.
Xu Xian thought that for a short time, the entire Central Province probably wouldn't dare provoke the Wendao Sword Sect again.
He wanted to summarize his feelings after hearing these things in two words: Well done!
"Little Grand-Uncle, you have no idea how hard the sect searched for you. They almost turned the entire Northern Borders upside down. Everyone thought you were dead."
"It's truly great that you're still alive. Your heroic performance in the battle of Snake Valley has spread throughout the sect. We all admire you so much. Everyone says you are the bravest sword cultivator in the Wendao Sword Sect."
Xu Xian felt a warmth in his heart, especially when he learned the sect had caused such a stir just to find him; he was unexpectedly moved.
Yet he still maintained a facade of modesty.
"It's just fleeting fame. As a Grand-Uncle, I was only doing my duty. Unfortunately, I still didn't do well enough and made everyone worry. It's my fault."
Hao Ren countered, "Grand-Uncle must not say that! You surely must have had your reasons. Regardless, the fact that you're alive is a blessing for the sect, a blessing for the world, and a blessing for all living beings..."
His mouth kept going, one compliment after another.
It was so much that even Xu Xian became bashful, saying sheepishly, "Too much, too much. It’s not that exaggerated."
Suddenly.
Hao Ren's eyes lit up. He put down the roasted meat and leaned closer to Xu Xian, saying seriously:
"Little Grand-Uncle, I have an unpolished idea. I don't know if I should say it?"
Xu Xian was in a good mood and said casually, "Let's hear it..."
Rate on N.U.
