Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 444 Lu Kong Makes a Move

Chen Anran kept walking, with Lu Kong beside him, and the two headed north along the streets in the south of the city.

The sun was blazing, and pedestrians on the street hurried to seek shelter in the shade. A crowd had gathered in front of the herbal tea stall, and the stall owner was busy sweating profusely, taking money and ladling tea while constantly muttering, "Excuse me, excuse me." Several shirtless children squeezed out from the crowd, clutching coins in their hands, and tiptoed to hand them to the stall.

Chen Anran walked past them, and the children subconsciously looked up at her, then quickly looked down again and continued to squeeze for herbal tea.

Lu Kong's gaze lingered on the children for a moment before returning to his own.

"When I first found her three years ago, she was sitting in the Tongtian Pavilion looking at account books. I stood at the door, looking at her for a long time. She looked up and asked me, 'Who are you?' Her eyes were like those of someone looking at a stranger."

Chen Anran paused for a moment, then continued walking forward.

Lu Kong followed beside him, his voice so soft it was as if he were talking to himself: "I know she doesn't remember. Back then, she hadn't taken me as her disciple, hadn't taught me those skills, hadn't called me stupid, or slapped my hand. Three thousand years—to her, nothing has happened."

He smiled and said, "I know that you are eager to improve your strength, so when I found Master, I chose to keep you in suspense."

Chen Anran didn't say anything, and just continued walking forward.

Tongtian Pavilion stands tall in the northern part of Tianjing, occupying an entire street.

It's not that no one wants to do business on this street, it's that no one dares to.

Looking from the street corner, the road was so clean you couldn't see a single fallen leaf. All the shops on both sides were closed, their doors and windows tightly shut, and thick layers of dust covered the doors. Several shop signs were crooked, and no one had straightened them; they just hung there at an angle, as if they had been forgotten for a long time.

At the end of the street, the nine-story building stands quietly.

The building is constructed entirely of a stone with a pale blue sheen, each stone polished smooth as a mirror, gleaming with a cool, eerie light under the sun. It has upturned eaves, a glazed tile roof, and copper bells hanging from the eaves that chime crisply in the wind.

The white jade statue on the rooftop holds a long sword and points it towards the sky, as if it is declaring something to the heavens.

Chen Anran stood at the street corner, gazing at the building.

Lu Kong stood beside him without saying a word.

The streets were extremely quiet. So quiet that you could hear the wind whistling through the eaves, the faint sounds of distant market noise, and your own breathing and heartbeat.

"Let's go," Chen Anran said.

The two stepped into the street.

Footsteps landed on the pavement, making soft sounds. The sounds echoed through the empty street, one after another, like some kind of silent declaration.

Halfway there, two people suddenly appeared in front of them.

Two young cultivators dressed in gray Taoist robes, each with a matching jade pendant engraved with the character "仙" (immortal) hanging from their waists, stood in the middle of the road, staring expressionlessly at Chen Anran and Lu Kong.

"stop."

Chen Anran stopped in her tracks.

Lu Kong also stopped, still wearing that calm and collected smile on his face.

The two young cultivators' gazes swept over the two men, finally settling on the vermilion gourd on Chen Anran's back. The gourd was entirely crimson, with a faint spiritual light flowing across its surface; it was clearly no ordinary object.

"This is a sacred ground of the Immortal Alliance; unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering." The cultivator on the left spoke, his voice cold and hard. "Who are you? What brings you here?"

Chen Anran remained silent.

Lu Kong took a step forward, looking at the two cultivators with a smile.

"Please inform him," he said, "that an old friend has come to visit and wishes to meet Su Changning, the true disciple of Su Zhen."

The two cultivators were stunned for a moment, then exchanged a glance.

"You know Su Zhenchuan?" The cultivator on the right looked Lu Kong up and down, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Lu Kong nodded: "I know him. We're old acquaintances."

"An old acquaintance?" The cultivator on the left sneered. "What is Master Su's status, and what is yours? You dare call yourself an old acquaintance?"

Lu Kong wasn't annoyed, still smiling: "Whether you're a good match or not, you'll know once you give them a heads-up, won't you?"

The two cultivators exchanged another glance.

Both of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet they couldn't discern the strength of either of these two newcomers. They could only conclude that these two were stronger than those at the Golden Core stage.

The one on the left hesitated for a moment, then whispered something to his companion. The one on the right nodded, turned, and walked quickly toward the Tongtian Pavilion, as if to report something important.

The remaining cultivator stood in the middle of the road, his eyes warily fixed on Chen Anran and Lu Kong.

Lu Kong ignored him and simply turned around to look at Chen Anran.

"Uncle-Master," he said, "what are you planning to say when you see her later?"

Chen Anran didn't answer Lu Kong's question, but instead asked, "Will she come down?"

Lu Kong smiled but did not answer. However, the next second, a powerful spiritual energy rose from Lu Kong's body.

It's like a mountain suddenly appearing, not high, not dangerous, just standing steadily. But you know, that mountain has always been there, it just hadn't been revealed yet.

The monk standing in the middle of the road turned deathly pale instantly. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat blocked by something, unable to utter a single word. His legs began to tremble, his knees buckled, and he swayed precariously like a noodle stripped of its bones.

The monk standing in the middle of the road turned deathly pale instantly. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat blocked by something, unable to utter a single word. His legs began to tremble, his knees buckled, and he swayed precariously like a noodle stripped of its bones.

Lu Kong didn't look at him.

He simply raised his head, gazing at the nine-story building and the white jade statue atop it pointing towards the sky, and the smile on his lips deepened.

A commotion broke out inside the Tongtian Pavilion.

Chen Anran could feel countless spiritual senses sweeping out from the building, passing over him and Lu Kong, and then quickly retreating. Those spiritual senses were filled with shock, fear, and disbelief.

It's like a group of ants suddenly finding a giant elephant standing in front of them.

"Uncle-Master," Lu Kong suddenly spoke, his voice as soft as if in casual conversation, "what do you think Master is doing right now?"

Chen Anran remained silent.

He just stared at the building, at the tightly closed door.

A moment later, the door opened.

Then a group of Nascent Soul stage cultivators filed out and quickly approached Lu Kong and Chen Anran with respectful expressions.

The group of Nascent Soul cultivators stood still three zhang away from Lu Kong, none of them daring to take another step forward.

The leader was an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a white Taoist robe, with a jade pendant of pure green hanging from his waist. Among the people from the Immortal Alliance stationed in the capital, he held the highest position and had the highest cultivation level, being at the late Nascent Soul stage, just one step away from the Divine Transformation stage.

But at this moment, he stood there, his posture as respectful as if he were facing a big shot from the Immortal Alliance headquarters.

"I was unaware of your arrival, senior. I apologize for not welcoming you properly."

…………