Chapter 417 - 189: The Humble Past Is but the Path of Origin! A Glorious Homecoming to Anning County’s ’Realm Gate

Chapter 417: Chapter 189: The Humble Past Is but the Path of Origin! A Glorious Homecoming to Anning County’s ’Realm Gate

At this moment, Qi Zhao was thoroughly impressed by Duan Chenzhou’s disciple.

He recalled a night not long ago when Ji Xiu, backed by the confident presence of Duan Chenzhou, had made a bold declaration. Qi Zhao had dismissed it as a joke at the time.

But seeing what he saw today...

He suddenly realized that this kid’s wings had already fully grown.

He watched the Great Flood Dragon lying obediently on the surface of the sea, blowing bubbles of seawater from its mouth.

The young man took the lead, his robes fluttering and black hair flying in the wind. He strode onto the Flood Dragon’s head, and with a sweep of his sleeve, invited the Martial Saint to travel alongside them. He then beckoned for his timid-looking fellow townsfolk to join them, before finally turning his gaze to Qi Zhao:

"Dragon Head Qi Zhao."

"Do the achievements I, Ji Xiu, have now live up to the promise I made that night?"

’One day, I will compete for the position of Great Lineage Master!’

’If he could do it, would I bow and submit...?’

He thought back to how Duan Chenzhou had helped his disciple make such a grand display of might.

Now, as Qi Zhao looked at the young man before him, he truly felt this boy possessed the majestic bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix—the air of one destined for greatness.

’Is this what they mean by ’the clothes make the man’?’

This third-generation disciple of the Celestial Blade Lineage had far more flair than his Master or his Ancestral Master.

Even a single trip out to sea was turned into such a grand spectacle.

Even during the Fishing Trade’s annual Fishing Festival, or when the Post House transported some rare treasure, forming a fleet of ships chained together and calling upon Grandmasters to preside...

...none of that could possibly compare to the prestige of riding a Flood Dragon with a Martial Saint in tow, could it?

As the Flood Dragon rode the winds and broke through the waves, parting the vast sea.

He met Ji Xiu’s smiling gaze, his eyes shining as his sleeves billowed.

Qi Zhao sighed. He was thoroughly convinced.

’Duan Chenzhou really took on a fine disciple.’

"Such flair."

"You are naturally worthy of it."

"I, Qi Zhao, will be waiting for that day."

At this moment, the Dragon Head of the Fishing Trade’s Eight Dock did not yet know.

That day...

...would come so soon.

...

「Anning County, the docks!」

As the setting sun cast its last rays and twilight began to fall, a massive Black Flood Dragon came surging through the waves, heading straight for the shore.

This county town, which had once suffered the Demon Attack and the Divine Dao Calamity, was only just beginning to recover its vitality after more than half a year. Its docks were still a desolate sight, with everything waiting to be rebuilt.

However, there were still many laborers who made a living from the passing merchant ships and cargo transport. When they saw the Great Flood Dragon, their eyes went wide:

"A... a Flood Dragon!"

"There’s a Flood Dragon!"

Some immediately fell to their knees and kowtowed.

But others looked on with hesitation:

"That Flood Dragon... why does it look so much like the one that ’Boss Ji’ was riding when he left?"

Boss Ji!

If one were to ask whose name was most famous in Anning County today, the answer would undoubtedly be Ji Xiu!

Although Anning County was usually cut off from the outside world, things had changed since the great disaster. With a new County Magistrate installed and Jiangyin Prefecture sending supplies and providing significant support...

...news from the Prefecture City had slowly but surely begun to trickle into the county.

Carving out his own Daoist School Street, facing a Grandmaster’s gaze without kneeling;

...advancing triumphantly despite being targeted by various trades and ambushed, entering the Mansion Courtyard to compete for the top spot, and possessing the greatest Innate Talent in sixty years;

...and then, he even became a disciple under a Martial Saint, becoming a renowned prodigy of his generation, a figure of prestige throughout the Three Mansions’ Land!

Previously, when the common folk who toiled in the dirt for a living heard these stories from passing merchant ships, they found them hard to relate to; they sounded like fantastical tales.

But once those tales were connected to a person they had actually met, they instantly felt real!

Thus, upon hearing the news, some immediately took off running toward the county center to inform the influential figures there.

Meanwhile, Ji Xiu stepped off the Flood Dragon’s back and onto the simple wooden dock of Anning. Revisiting this old place, he looked around, and a flood of emotions washed over him.

At the same time, excited and fervent voices reached his ears:

"It’s Boss Ji! It’s really him!"

"Boss Ji has returned to Anning County!"

"Boss, do you remember me? When the Ji Residence held that three-day running banquet, the food was even better than at New Year’s. I still remember it..."

"I heard you made it big in the Prefecture City, Boss! Real big! Became a huge figure. I can’t believe you still remember our poor little County..."

Watching the figures on the docks bowing their heads, kowtowing, and prostrating themselves.

Ji Xiu’s heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

At this moment, he finally understood.

He understood why, after making a name for themselves, the first thing some people do is return to their hometown in glory.

In Jiangyin Prefecture, he had earned a grand reputation, yet he still had to tread as if on thin ice, constantly on edge. Things only improved after he took Xu Longxiang as his Master.

But back in Anning County.

On this soil where he had once been all-powerful, he saw the people of Anning County puff up with pride as they heard the legends of his deeds.

It was as if the higher he climbed, the higher Anning County’s status would become. Because he was from here, if he became a Grandmaster or a Martial Saint in the future, then the people of Anning could hold their heads high.

However, he was destined not to stay long in this remote little place.

The Spiritual Mechanism here was too sparse, and it lacked established Daoist Lineages... Although it was very comfortable to be in Anning County with no one to answer to.

But if he wanted to keep moving forward, he naturally couldn’t stay put.

"Everyone, you haven’t been home in a long time. Please go and pay a visit to the masters of the major professions on my behalf."

"I once received the care of the Three Major Professions and the Wind and Cloud Association. If there is anything you need in the future, do not hesitate to ask me."

He watched as Lu Yu, Lu Hongyu, and Wei Zhi stepped off the Flood Dragon’s back, finally letting go of some of their nervousness and breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Ji Xiu smiled and didn’t mention their awkwardness or discomfort.

That was just how it was.

Sometimes, even if he still cherished their old friendship, if a chasm truly existed between them, it wasn’t something that could be easily leaped over.

A person is ultimately trapped for life by the things they could not have in their youth.