"Make arrangements for your family affairs, then depart with me," the man said flatly.
"Depart?" Gongsun Wenjin paused, but he didn’t ask where they were going. He would naturally find out once they set off. "Your subordinate accepts the order." Turning his head, Gongsun Wenjin looked at the Elders of the Gongsun family. "After I leave, all family affairs will be handed over to Gongsun Xin. You are to assist him with everything you have."
"Rest assured, Patriarch. With us here, nothing will go wrong," they replied.
"Mm, with you all here, I am at ease. I don’t know how long this trip will take. If I haven’t rushed back after seven days, have Gongsun Xin open the Three-Star Secret Realm in my stead."
"Understood."
Gongsun Wenjin nodded. Then, he looked at the man and asked, "My Lord, how shall I travel?"
The man said nothing; he merely tapped his foot against the Heaven-Reaching Bird’s head. Understanding his intention, the Heaven-Reaching Bird descended from the sky. It knelt on one knee and tilted its massive body slightly. The gesture was clear—it was inviting Gongsun Wenjin onto its back.
"That’s... City Lord Zhiyue, City Lord Hongfeng, the Celestial Horse City Lord..."
"I can’t believe there are so many City Lords..."
Only when the Heaven-Reaching Bird landed did the crowd realize that numerous City Lords were already standing on its back. Even Gongsun Wenjin was somewhat surprised. So many people had been summoned this time. Was some major event happening?
After Gongsun Wenjin leaped onto the bird’s back, the Heaven-Reaching Bird spread its wings and soared high. In no time, it vanished into the horizon. Its speed was pushed to the absolute limit. Sonic booms echoed from the sky from time to time, rolling like falling thunder.
Once the man was gone, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Those with weaker cultivation bases gasped for air.
After a while, the younger generation began asking their elders, "Grandpa, who was that man? Just from him standing there, I felt like a Big Mountain was pressing against my chest. He’s incredibly strong!"
The elders wore solemn expressions as they replied, "The Main City Lord."
GASPS.
In that instant, the crowd erupted into an uproar before plunging into pin-drop silence. Everyone was dumbfounded, too shocked to speak. No wonder that man felt like a Divine King. He had stood there like an indomitable figure supporting the heavens and the earth, radiating supreme majesty.
It took a long while before someone finally asked, "Why... why did the Main City Lord come to the Gongsun family? Where is he taking the Patriarch?"
"How should I know? These matters are highly classified. Generally speaking, it’s either movement from another Kingdom, or a newly unearthed ancient ruin that requires exploration."
"Then the Patriarch won’t be in danger, will he?"
The junior’s question made Ye Xuan’s eyelids twitch. If he remembered correctly, dying while carrying out a mission for the Main City Lord was considered a normal casualty. If Gongsun Wenjin really had the bad luck of perishing on this trip, the skies over Dapeng City would change forever.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Of course the Patriarch won’t be in danger. Over the years, the Main City Lord has summoned him no less than ten times, and he’s returned safe and sound every single time. Alright, everyone, disperse."
The Elders, wearing calm expressions, were the first to leave. The participants also returned to their respective families.
By now, Ye Xuan had returned to Gongsun Yanran’s side. She smiled brightly. "Xuan’Er, I truly never expected you to win first place."
"Mom, I didn’t expect it either," Ye Xuan replied honestly.
"Alright, let’s go back and rest. You must be exhausted."
"Mom, I don’t want to rest. Tell me where the resource vault is—I want to check it out right now."
"Right now? There’s no need to rush. You have the temporary token, so you can go whenever you want."
"No, I have to go now."
Ye Xuan never liked procrastinating. He always felt that if some things were delayed, they would never happen at all. For some reason, he had a lingering feeling that his grandfather might encounter an accident on this trip. Even if he was just overthinking it, he still felt it was best to get the resources in his own hands as soon as possible for peace of mind.
"Alright. Do you see that Big Mountain? Go to the foot of it, and you’ll naturally find out. I’ll head back first and have someone make you something delicious to celebrate," Gongsun Yanran said with a warm smile.
"Mom, there’s no need to celebrate."
"We must! You got first place; you’ve brought honor to my name as well. It’s just a pity that Ling’Er didn’t come, otherwise, she would definitely be cheering for you."
Gongsun Yanran’s face was full of smiles. Although she also felt that the methods Ye Xuan used to secure first place weren’t exactly honorable, competitions had always judged heroes by their results. Whoever took first place was the hero. No one would ever sing praises for a loser.
Compared to Gongsun Yanran’s joy, the atmosphere among Gongsun Xin’s lineage was rather heavy.
Gongsun Po spoke with deep apology, "Dad... I’m sorry. I disappointed you. I..." He didn’t even dare to look up at Gongsun Xin.
Gongsun Xin patted Gongsun Po’s shoulder and said calmly, "Failure is actually a good thing. Only through failure can you truly realize your own shortcomings. This one failure is worth more than me instructing you a thousand, ten thousand times."
"Dad, you don’t blame me?"
"You’ve already lost. What use is there in blaming you? Let’s go. We’re heading back."
...
"Whatever you want, Mom. You head back first; I’m off to the resource vault." Ye Xuan bade his mother farewell and turned to leave.
However, he hadn’t gone far before a voice called out to him. "Ye Xuan..."
Turning around, Ye Xuan asked in surprise, "Is there something you need?"
The person who stopped him was none other than Gongsun Wuji. Gongsun Wuji didn’t speak immediately; instead, he bowed deeply. "Thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"Ye Xuan, I know everything. When the Patriarch bestowed the Golden-Winged Roc Robe upon me just now, he told me through voice transmission."
"Grandpa told you? Heh, it was nothing."
"It might be a small matter to you, but to me, it means the world."
"You’re exaggerating. Anyway, I still have things to do, so I’ll be taking my leave." Ye Xuan waved his hand and walked away freely.
He had helped Gongsun Wuji simply to let him know that as long as a person worked hard, miracles could happen. Ye Xuan was different from Gongsun Wenjin. Even though Ye Xuan appeared aloof and was utterly ruthless when it came to killing, he still possessed a kind heart.
If the heavens wouldn’t take pity on those who worked hard, he would. Because Ye Xuan knew better than anyone just how incredibly difficult it was for ordinary people to rise up. As long as he had the ability, and as long as the other party was truly trying their hardest, he would help them if he could.
Leaving the martial arts arena, Ye Xuan headed straight toward the Big Mountain in the distance. Traveling at top speed, he arrived at the foot of the mountain twenty minutes later.
This was the very mountain that separated the Direct Lineage from the Side Branches.
At the foot of the mountain lay a pool of clear spring water. By the spring, an old man was fishing.
Ye Xuan approached the old man and asked, "Senior, may I ask where the resource vault is?"
The old man raised a hand, making a shushing gesture. The duckweed on the water’s surface trembled; it seemed a fish had taken the bait. Timing it perfectly, the old man yanked his rod upward. He pulled a massive ten-pound fish out of the water.
As the old man took the fish off the line, Ye Xuan finally noticed that the fishing hook was entirely straight. To catch fish with a straight hook... this old man’s cultivation base was truly unfathomable.
"You want to go to the resource vault?" the old man finally spoke. As his words fell, he simply held out his hand.
Ye Xuan was smart. Without needing the old man to explain, he immediately took out the temporary token.