Chapter 314 - 306: You’re That Strong?

Chapter 314: Chapter 306: You’re That Strong?

Yang Fangyu wore a suspicious expression.

He turned to look at Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong.

They had worked together for many years, and this was the first time Bai Yuan had ever needed to keep something from him.

’Who in the world are these two?’

Yang Fangyu wondered to himself. Even though he was burning with curiosity, he wasn’t one to overstep his bounds. He walked out of the room briskly, without the slightest intention of eavesdropping.

As he brushed past Liu Zhengwen, however, he couldn’t help but size him up a little.

Liu Zhengwen smiled and nodded.

The two men then entered the room, closing the door behind them.

"Lord Bai."

Liu Zhengwen cupped his fist in salute.

Bai Yuan replied, "Lord Liu, General Fang."

With no one else around, Bai Yuan naturally wouldn’t put on airs.

He sized up Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong.

After changing his attire, Liu Zhengwen looked much more refined. An uninformed observer might mistake him for a dashing young noble.

’He was certainly blessed with good looks.’

Fang Yong, on the other hand, came from the Imperial Guard and was a military man through and through, so the fine clothes seemed somewhat ill-fitting on him. Fortunately, he had restrained his imposing presence, so there was no trace of his army background. You would only mistake him for an estate guard from a large family.

Bai Yuan asked, "Have the two of you discovered anything?"

Liu Zhengwen shook his head. "The Demon Seed is not in the city."

Bai Yuan asked, "How can you be so sure?"

Apparently, Liu Zhengwen, hailing from the Astronomical Bureau, possessed a unique method for tracking the Demon Seed.

Liu Zhengwen said, "There’s no need to hide this from you, Lord Bai."

Before he had even finished speaking, he took a palm-sized jade stone from his robes. It was dark green and as smooth and round as a pebble.

"This is called a Qingming Stone. Though rare, it has few practical uses. However, my predecessors at the Astronomical Bureau discovered that a Qingming Stone will change color when it nears a Demon Seed, which is why we use it for tracking."

"It’s just that the Demon Seeds completely vanished after the great war between the Grand Ancestor Emperor and the Demon Sect. So these stones were sealed away for a thousand years, only to be brought out again now."

Bai Yuan stared curiously at the Qingming Stone in Liu Zhengwen’s hand.

"Lord Liu, I don’t suppose you have any spare Qingming Stones?"

Liu Zhengwen shook his head apologetically. "Qingming Stones themselves aren’t valuable, just difficult to find. Everything happened so suddenly that I was only able to find two at the Astronomical Bureau."

"Oh."

Bai Yuan was a little disappointed.

’The methods of the Astronomical Bureau are truly profound,’ he thought. ’They even have a way to find Demon Seeds.’

’If I could get a Qingming Stone, I wouldn’t expect to be able to deal with a Demon Seed, but at least I could detect danger in advance.’

Liu Zhengwen continued, "We came this time to take our leave of you, Lord Bai."

"You’re both leaving Huanglong City?"

"Indeed."

Liu Zhengwen nodded.

"There are no traces of the Demon Seed in Huanglong City, so General Fang and I plan to head to the vicinity of Longevity Palace and try our luck. If you notice any other anomalies in Ling Province, we hope you’ll inform us promptly, Lord Bai."

Bai Yuan replied, "Of course."

After bidding Bai Yuan farewell, Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong turned and left the room.

As they were about to step out of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, they ran into Chen Danian again.

Chen Danian looked at the unfamiliar faces of Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong, startled for a moment before remembering he had accepted three thousand taels of silver from them.

What surprised him even more was that Bai Yuan had actually taken them on as retainers.

’Strange things happen every year, but this year is full of them.’

"Lord Chen."

Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong bowed respectfully to Chen Danian.

Chen Danian straightened up, his official pomposity reappearing. He gave a slight grunt and then swaggered off.

It was true he feared Bai Yuan, but these two were merely minor retainers. He certainly wasn’t going to give them the time of day.

Liu Zhengwen watched Chen Danian depart, a wry smile touching his lips.

...

Now that he was no longer the Shenfu Sect Master, Bai Yuan naturally couldn’t stay in the Sect Leader Hall.

Although he still held the nominal title of Supreme Elder, Murong Tian lived in the Supreme Elder Hall, and he couldn’t very well disturb the old man.

So, he simply took up residence at the Peach Fragrance Inn.

Shopkeeper Pang at the Peach Fragrance Inn was, of course, delighted by this.

Bai Yuan went up to the second floor.

He glanced at the room across the hall—the old Daoist’s residence.

Normally, his power was great enough to see through the door and into the room, but when he tried to perceive the old Daoist’s room, all he saw was a hazy gray expanse.

’This must mean the old Daoist is too powerful; my own perception can’t penetrate his defenses at all.’

To this day, he still couldn’t fathom the true extent of the old Daoist’s power.

He didn’t knock on the old Daoist’s door, instead gently sliding open his own.

The moment he touched the door, the one across the hall slowly swung open.

"Lord Bai, have you finally decided to become my disciple?"

the old Daoist asked in a clear voice.

Bai Yuan felt a sense of resignation.

’The old Daoist must have heard that I resigned my position as Shenfu Sect Master,’ he thought. ’That’s why he’s bringing up the discipleship thing again.’

"Daoist Master, I don’t have any such intentions at the moment."

The old Daoist didn’t press the issue. "No matter. It simply means the time is not yet fated. One mustn’t force such things."

"..."

Bai Yuan thought the old Daoist was better suited to being a charlatan.

Then, he saw the old Daoist rummage around in his robes for a moment before pulling out a stone.

Bai Yuan’s eyes widened the moment he saw the stone.

The stone in the old Daoist’s hand was identical to Liu Zhengwen’s—it was a Qingming Stone!

The old Daoist said, "This humble Daoist was observing the heavens last night and found the aura of the Demon Seed growing stronger. This stone changes color when it encounters a Demon Seed. Lord Bai, you should carry one with you."

Bai Yuan blinked and accepted it without a moment’s hesitation.

He was almost certain that the old Daoist hadn’t been carrying a Qingming Stone before coming to Ling Province.

’In other words, his external avatar must have found it somewhere!’

’What an incredible ability!’

Bai Yuan felt a twinge of envy for the old Daoist’s avatar.

’It’s the perfect divine artifact for becoming a master of time management.’

"Daoist Master, have you managed to find the Demon Seed’s whereabouts?"

The old Daoist sighed and shook his head. "The Demon Seed is too cunning. This humble Daoist has caught glimpses of it several times, only for it to escape. Fortunately, it still needs over a decade to mature, so we still have time."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.

If they had over a decade, there was still room to maneuver regarding the Demon Seed.

Perhaps because of the Demon Seed, he’d heard that the fighting over in Dingzhou had quieted down significantly.

Grand Protector Yan Shao’an had chosen to use Xuan Yang’s immense national power to wear down the Demon Sect in a war of attrition. In truth, Xu Dingchun had tried the same tactic before.

But the timing had been wrong. At that time, Emperor Xuanyang believed his reign was at its zenith and wanted a resounding, decisive victory, not a stalemate with the "mere" Demon Sect in the Northern Territory.

All things considered, Grand Protector Yan Shao’an’s current success was only possible because of the groundwork laid by Xu Dingchun and Du Qinghui.

With the war in Dingzhou stabilized, Ling Province also enjoyed a moment of peace.

Having spent more time with him, Bai Yuan had grown a bit bolder. The old Daoist was actually quite an easygoing person.

"Daoist Master, what realm are you in now?"

The old Daoist smiled faintly. "Divine Connection."

"!!!"

Bai Yuan suddenly felt breathless...