bookbashuk Chapter 373 Return
Chapter 373 Return
Zhang Lingyu led Meng Wanyan and her family of three on a long journey, stopping and starting along the way, taking a full five days to return to the Zhao Kingdom.
Then they rushed to the Cloud Hidden Valley, which was guarded by their family.
After the turmoil ended, since he had not yet returned, Zhang Xingyao only temporarily sent those seriously injured clansmen back to Yingchuan County, while the rest continued to wait.
As dawn broke, a streak of crimson-gold light flew down from the horizon and stopped above Cloud Hidden Valley. Looking at the peaceful scene inside the valley, it was clear that there wouldn't be much trouble after it left.
Just as Zhang Lingyu stopped, a woman dressed in a blue dress flew out of the valley.
Although the war with the Wanling Mountains has ended, Yunyin Valley, being adjacent to it, still needs Golden Core cultivators to guard it at all times.
Lin Lanxin was not allowed to leave without authorization until the six clans of Zhao had agreed on a person to guard this place.
"Who do we have here? It's Fellow Daoist Zhang." The woman breathed a sigh of relief and smiled after seeing the man's appearance clearly.
"I, Zhang, failed to inform you in advance, and I hope the fairy will forgive me."
"Fellow Daoist, you jest. Please."
Lin Lanxin glanced at the three somewhat timid people behind Zhang Lingyu, her gaze lingering on Meng Wanyan for a few more seconds. Her expression remained unchanged as she gestured for them to proceed, smiling as she led the way.
"Fellow Daoist went north to support the Wu Kingdom and I heard that you have made many military achievements, which we all envy. However, all of you returned quickly after receiving the message, but you were a little slower."
"It was a bit slow, considering we had three people with us, but the timing was just right."
The Jade Light Pavilion was scheduled to gather everyone the day after tomorrow. Zhang Lingyu was timing it perfectly, and seeing the other party's pointed remark, she frankly said:
"This is my new disciple in the Wu Kingdom, named Meng Wanyan. A few days ago, I passed by a village that had been attacked by a demon beast and happened to meet her. Seeing that she had some talent, I took her as my disciple."
A spiritual aperture can be seen at a glance, but a spiritual cultivator cannot be known at a glance; it requires careful investigation. He is not worried that the other party will discover it.
Meng Wanyan has not yet embarked on cultivation; she is merely a mortal. If she were to gain cultivation, she would still be able to detect some abnormalities after taking a few glances.
Once a spiritual cultivator is discovered by a major power, they will be treated as a treasure and worshipped.
Even if the Azure Wave Sect is tempted, they can't take her away. But if the news gets out, the Zhang family will definitely be under pressure, and the Jade Light Pavilion will do everything in its power to get her to join their sect.
So when he arrived, he had already used some hidden tricks on Meng Wanyan.
"Wanyan, haven't you greeted Senior Lin yet?"
"Wanyan greets Senior Lin." At Zhang Lingyu's prompting, Meng Wanyan stepped out from behind her father and bowed respectfully.
"What a promising talent! Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on taking on another excellent disciple!"
Lin Lanxin happily patted the girl's head, took out a hairpin from her storage bag, handed it to her, and said with a smile, "This hairpin is something I wore when I was young. It's just a top-grade magic artifact for refining qi. I'm giving it to you today."
"Thank you, senior." Meng Wanyan was flustered. She didn't know what a magic artifact was, but it must be a valuable item. At first, she didn't dare to accept it, but she thanked her master and accepted it after seeing him nod.
"Thank you for your expense, fellow Daoist," Zhang Lingyu said in thanks.
"How can a Qi-refining artifact compare to the pills you gave me, fellow Daoist? It's just a trinket." Lin Lanxin shook her head with a laugh.
The two unknowingly walked into the main hall of Yunyin Valley. Meng Wanyan's family was waiting outside the hall, while they went in and exchanged pleasantries for a while.
The so-called greeting was just a discussion about the situation of Cloud Hidden Valley after Zhang Lingyu left.
After the physical body of the Mysterious Old Man was destroyed and his Nascent Soul fled back to the Youquan Sect, the Golden Core cultivators of the other four sects in the Chu Kingdom also returned.
However, the number of those demon kings was still considerable, and the Golden Core cultivators who remained behind inevitably faced immense pressure.
Fortunately, the fall of the Netherworld Demon Emperor led to the Blood Demon Emperor and some demon kings being summoned to the north, thus easing the pressure on the south.
The remaining demon kings were probably just putting on a show for the demon race's higher-ups, launching occasional beast tides to attack, but the scale wasn't very large, and the casualties among cultivators were also minimal.
When news of the Heavenly Demon Lord's demise arrived, he retreated completely back to the Ten Thousand Spirits Mountain Range.
At this point, Lin Lanxin took out the pill that Zhang Lingyu had given her, and said with a hint of apology, "Yunyin Valley survived this great chaos without any trouble. I was unable to help you much, so I'm returning this pill to you."
"You jest, fairy."
"What's the point of taking back what's given away?"
Zhang Lingyu shook his head and refused:
"My family has cultivated the virtue of fire for generations. I will most likely use this pill to trade with other fellow Daoists. You can rest assured to accept it. You may need my help in the future."
After saying that, he started talking about his search for spiritual materials with the lightning attribute.
The matter of acquiring a natal magic weapon cannot be delayed any longer.
The Azure Wave Sect is also a Nascent Soul sect, and there must be some treasures in the sect's vault or in the hands of Golden Core cultivators. I can ask them for information.
"If the fairy has any news, please let me know in the next message. I, Zhang, will certainly report back to her."
"Okay, I understand."
Lin Lanxin did not refuse. She remembered that the sect had some lightning-attribute spiritual materials, but since she cultivated the water element, she didn't pay much attention to them. So she said:
"Once I find out the information, I will prepare a list and send it to you, fellow Daoist. You can then exchange it for other spiritual items."
"As for the reward, there's no need to mention it. This pill is already far too valuable. If you were to give me more, I would feel unworthy to accept it."
After discussing the matter, Zhang Lingyu exchanged a few more pleasantries with him before going to see the rest of the family.
......
When they saw him return safely, the family members smiled and surrounded him, asking him how he was doing.
Zhang Lingyu then briefly recounted the various events, large and small, that he had experienced in the Kingdom of Wu. When Zhang Xingyao inquired about Zhang Yuanhua, he replied:
"My great-grandfather left Wu before me to attack Chu with the Chen family. Now he has most likely returned to Linhai County with me."
"That's good."
Zhang Xingyao's expression softened considerably, especially after hearing about the battle at Huohuai Mountain. Had his nephew arrived any later, the old man would have truly perished on the spot.
After discussing the Wu Kingdom, the senior members of the families talked about the Hidden Cloud Valley, whose situation was roughly the same as Lin Lanxin's.
At this moment, Zhang Xingyao finally noticed Meng Wanyan and her family of three behind Zhang Lingyu. Somewhat puzzled as to why they would bring three mortals back, he asked, "Lingyu, what's this...?"
"Meng Wanyan, my disciple from the Wu Kingdom!"
"I see!"
Upon hearing this, everyone beamed with joy, their laughter carrying far and wide. Even members of other families nearby began to gather around the girl, watching intently.
To be chosen by Zhang Lingyu, one must be exceptionally talented.
Wang Menghan, in particular, was particularly delighted. She took Meng Wanyan's hand and whispered, "Wanyan, I'm your senior sister...we're family now."
"Wanyan greets Senior Sister." The girl looked at the stunningly beautiful woman smiling at her and hurriedly bowed.
On the way here, Zhang Lingyu had already given her a brief introduction.
"Don't be shy, don't be shy..."
Wang Menghan shook her head, pulled her to the front of the family cultivators, and introduced them one by one: "This is your sister Yuan Yao, this is your brother Wu Ya, and this is Uncle Ling Tai, Grandpa Xing Hao..."
Meng Wanyan's age is actually equivalent to the "Xuan" generation, but after being taken in as a disciple by Zhang Lingyu, her generation was naturally raised by one level.
Behind the crowd, Meng's parents breathed a sigh of relief seeing the Zhang family's warm hospitality. Now they no longer had to worry about their daughter being bullied after she began her cultivation.
After all, judging from Zhang Lingyu's behavior just now, his status in the family is terrifyingly high!
Seeing that it was almost time, Zhang Lingyu said, "Uncle Xingyao, the war is over, and we can return to Yingchuan County. However, we still need to wait for the six sects to send someone to replace the person."
He then looked at Wang Menghan and instructed her:
"Menghan, take Wanyan back to your clan first. She's old enough to be taught cultivation. Settle her parents in the small town at the foot of Qingya Mountain. Yuanyao, Wuya, and the other younger generation should also go back first. I've already spoken to Master Lin about this."
"I need to return to the sect to report and attend the sect assembly."
"We understand." Wang Menghan and the others nodded in agreement.
"As for Uncle Xingyao and Uncle Xinghao, I hope you will stay here for a while longer."
"Don't worry, you just go about your business."
Seeing that everything was settled, Zhang Lingyu did not hesitate and fled towards the Jade Light Pavilion.
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