bookbashuk Chapter 409 The Person I Don't Want to See
Chapter 409 The Person I Don't Want to See
As Wang Rui walked up the mountain road, his heart was in turmoil.
The Western Army? Wei Shanyue?
These two words were actually unfamiliar to Wang Rui, but hearing this surname touched a nerve with him.
Although there are quite a few people with this surname in the world, it is still impossible for Wang Rui not to thank him.
Is he related to Master Wei? Is he Master Wei's ancestor?
Wang Rui subconsciously reached for his phone in his pocket, but quickly realized that there was no signal in this era.
He wanted to tell Sun Wei and Zhang Hao the news, but then he thought that it wouldn't make much of a difference.
"I just don't know if Master Chen knows about this."
With questions in mind, Wang Rui arrived at the Cloud Hidden Sect.
Wang Rui stood outside the gate of the Yunyin Sect, paced back and forth a few times, then stopped and stared at the half-closed wooden door.
He could have just gone in; Chen Anran never cared about such formalities and let anyone in. But right now, his mind was in turmoil, and he felt he needed to sort things out before speaking.
The Western Army, Wei Shanyue.
These two words swirled in his mind for a long time, refusing to leave.
He recalled some popular science articles he had read on his phone during university classes before his time travel, articles about ancient military families and border soldiers. At the time, he thought they were just stories, far removed from his own life.
This is no longer a story.
"Wang Rui?"
A voice came from behind.
Wang Rui turned around and saw Xiao Ling'er standing at the edge of the bamboo forest, holding a handful of wild fruit in her hands, tilting her head to look at him.
"Why are you standing here?" Xiao Ling'er walked over and stuffed a handful of wild fruit into his hand. "Want some? I just picked them."
Wang Rui accepted the wild fruit and subconsciously thanked him.
Little Ling'er looked at him, her round eyes filled with curiosity: "Do you need to see my junior uncle?"
"……Um."
"Then why don't you go in?"
Wang Rui opened his mouth, unsure how to explain.
Xiao Ling'er didn't press him for details. She simply took a wild fruit from his hand, popped it into her mouth, chewed it, and said, "Let's go, I'll take you inside."
After she finished speaking, she pushed open the mountain gate and walked inside.
Wang Rui was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.
Passing through the main hall and around a corridor, we arrived at the secluded courtyard.
Chen Anran was standing under the old locust tree in the courtyard, his hands behind his back gazing at the distant mountains. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and his gaze fell on Wang Rui.
"Master Chen." Wang Rui bowed respectfully.
Chen Anran nodded, and before Wang Rui could speak, Chen Anran said, "You wanted to tell me about Wei Shanyue sending someone to deliver gifts, right?"
Wang Rui paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes. Master Chen already knows?"
Chen Anran did not answer, but turned to look at the distant mountains.
The settlement at the foot of the mountain was awakening in the morning light, with wisps of smoke rising straight up in the windless sky, like thin lines leading to the horizon. The smoke came from the stoves of the Immortal Cuisine Workshop, from the newly built houses, and from the growing number of mortals who had settled here.
Within this 30-kilometer radius, as long as Chen Anran wanted to, there was nothing he wouldn't know if he extended his divine sense.
Wang Rui stood still, waiting for Chen Anran to continue. But Chen Anran just stared into the distance and didn't say anything more.
Xiao Ling'er held a handful of wild fruit, standing to the side, looking at Wang Rui, then at Chen Anran, and finally fixing her gaze on Chen Anran's face. Her profile appeared exceptionally serene in the morning light. Her eyes and brows showed no emotion, like the silent stones in the mountains that have stood still for years.
But Xiao Ling'er felt that her junior uncle was a little different today.
She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different. It was still the same person, still that same indifferent expression, but... it just reminded her of a long time ago, of her master standing on that big rock behind the Cloud Hidden Sect, gazing blankly at the sea of clouds below.
She was still young then and didn't understand what her master was looking at.
Later she understood.
Master is looking at a place he can never return to.
"Junior Martial Uncle," Xiao Ling'er asked softly, "who is that Wei Shanyue...?"
Chen Anran finally looked away and turned to look at her.
"Commander of the Western Army of the Great Qian Dynasty," he said. "He has guarded the northern frontier for more than 30 years, and the barbarians have not dared to invade the south."
Xiao Ling'er blinked: "Then why did he give us gifts?"
Chen Anran did not answer immediately.
He paused for a moment before saying, "Because his granddaughter lives in Qingyang Valley."
Wang Rui's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.
Xiao Ling'er was much more direct than him: "Is it Second Martial Uncle?"
Chen Anran shook her head. "No."
Xiao Ling'er was stunned.
Her hand, holding the wild fruit, froze in mid-air. A hint of confusion flashed in her round eyes, which then dimmed.
"It's not my second martial uncle..." she murmured softly, as if speaking to herself.
Chen Anran looked at her without saying a word.
Xiao Ling lowered her head, put the wild fruit in her hand into her mouth, and chewed it slowly. The fruit was very sweet; she had picked it from the wild persimmon tree on the back hill. It was ripe and sweet, almost cloyingly so. But as she chewed, she suddenly felt it wasn't so sweet anymore.
"Junior Martial Uncle," she said, "would you like to see this person?"
Chen Anran looked at her.
"If I could," he said, "I wouldn't want to see them."
Xiao Ling'er didn't ask why.
She simply hummed in agreement, then turned and left.
Wang Rui stood there, watching the small figure disappear into the depths of the bamboo forest. He looked at Chen Anran and suddenly felt that he shouldn't be standing there.
"Master Chen," Wang Rui said cautiously, "how about... I go down the mountain first? The man sent by Commander Wei is still waiting down there."
Chen Anran withdrew her gaze and looked at him.
The gaze was calm, yet it made Wang Rui inexplicably nervous. He subconsciously straightened his back and hid the wild fruit in his hand behind his back.
"No rush," Chen Anran said. "Let him wait."
Wang Rui was stunned for a moment, but didn't dare to ask any more questions. He just lowered his head and replied, "Yes."
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Chen Anran walked to the old locust tree and sat down on a flat bluestone beside its roots. He didn't look at Wang Rui, but instead gazed at the distant mountains.
"Wang Rui," he suddenly spoke, "you've been here for over two years now, haven't you?"
Wang Rui quickly replied, "Yes, two years and three months."
"Two years and three months," Chen Anran repeated. "From three thousand years in the future, I arrived in this world rich in spiritual energy and teeming with cultivators. Every day I'm busy settling refugees, registering them, and guiding them. Have you ever thought about what you yourself want to do?"
Wang Rui was stunned.
What does he want to do?
He just wanted to cultivate immortality and experience a different life.