Chapter 399: Ge Qian’s Strangeness

“If you don’t come out now, don’t blame me for my poor manners.” Su Yi’s voice rang out once more.

Ge Qian gnashed his teeth and took out a stack of talismans he kept hidden on his person, placing them on his arms, chest, legs, and back.

Then, as if he still couldn’t rest assured, he placed a heart-protecting mirror over his chest and put on a pair of arm bracers.

Finally, he brushed his hand against the spiritual armor within his apricot-colored?Daoist?robes and put his left hand on the jade belt around his waist.

It was a storage treasure, and it hid all manner of life-saving methods…

Ge Qian was certain that even if he bumped into a Spirit Dao cultivator, these defensive treasures could create an opening through which he could escape.

Despite all this, when he considered that he was about to face Su Yi, he still felt nervous.

Forget it! There’s no time. Worst-case scenario, I’ll just use the old fart in my sea of consciousness as a shield!?Ge Qian gnashed his teeth and shot out of the ocean’s depths.

Splash~

Ge Qian broke through the surface of the water and immediately faced the distant Su Yi and bowed low at the waist. His young, handsome features were filled with unease and awe. “Senior Su, your powers are vast and far-reaching, and your perception is highly discerning. You discovered my hiding spot at a glance; I cannot help but sigh in amazement.” Ge Qian presented himself with the utmost humility, and he even called Su Yi his senior. His words were dripping with flattery, surprise, and awe.

When he chickened out, he did so perfectly; there was nothing to criticize.

Su Yi couldn’t help but feel stunned. “You’re a Xiantian Martial Ancestor, yet your method of hiding your presence could fool even a Spirit Dao cultivator’s divine?sense. You’re no ordinary person either, so… what’s with all the flinching and cowering?”

Ge Qian hurriedly wiped the sweat from his brow. “Senior Su, in front of a lofty expert such as yourself, I cannot help but be nervous.”

Su Yi laughed. “What’s your name?”

“Ge Qian,” Ge Qian responded immediately.

“So, you’re Ge Changling’s disciple! No wonder.” Su Yi instantly felt enlightened. He’d once heard Ge Changling say that his disciple was incomparably cautious. It seemed Ge Qian lived up to his reputation.

“Senior Su, you know my master?” Ge Qian lit up.

“Indeed,” Su Yi laughed, then smiled faintly. “I heard there’s something strange going on with you; he suspects you’ve inherited an ancient legacy, and it’s highly likely you’re hiding other secrets too.”

Ge Qian was instantly covered in beads of sweat. The blood drained from his face, and he stammered, “S-senior Su, you… Don’t… Don’t tell me you think I’ve been possessed?”

Su Yi laughed, “I suspected that before, but now that I’ve seen you myself, I’m sure you haven’t been possessed.”

Ge Qian sighed in relief. “Now I can rest assured.”

“Alright, I’ve already completed my business here, and I plan to return to the Great Zhou. Want to travel with me?” asked Su Yi.

Ge Qian instinctively shook his head. Was that a joke? If it were all humanly possible, he’d prefer never to meet Su Yi ever again!

He was just too dangerous!

But then, as if sensing he’d refused a bit too quickly, Ge Qian added, “Uh, Senior Su, please don’t misunderstand. It’s just that I have other business, and I’ve decided to?visit the Great?Xia. I don’t plan on returning to the Great Zhou for a while.”

“The Great Xia? Alright, you can make your way on your own.” With that, Su Yi turned to leave.

He could tell at a glance that there was something strange about Ge Qian, but he was a friend’s disciple, so Su Yi didn’t probe any further.

Ge Qian watched Su Yi’s tall, lean figure disappear from view. A long time passed before he straightened his back and let out a breath of turbid air.

He muttered, “Phew! I’m just glad he knows my master. Otherwise, I’m afraid someone like Su Yi wouldn’t let me go so easily…”

As he spoke, he realized that he was completely drenched in cold sweat. He couldn’t help but make fun of himself. “I might be a bit of a wuss, but at least this way, I can live a little longer. That’s… Isn’t that the Grand Dao I’ve been pursuing all this time? I don’t need my name to shake the world; all I want is to live forever…”

“Disgraceful!” The aged voice from within his sea of consciousness mocked him without the slightest politeness.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Ge Qian instantly jumped in fury and gnashed his teeth, “Old man, why didn’t you do anything just now? You just held your breath and hid away like a tortoise. You would have curled into a ball if you could have! Don’t you think you’re the truly disgraceful one here?”

“Fool! If I hadn’t withdrawn my aura, that Su kid would surely have sensed me. I could live with that, but if something happened to me, who would teach you the Dao? Who would clear up your doubts?” The old man snorted coldly. “Enough, I don’t want to discuss that any further. Did you just say you wanted to go to the Great Xia?”

“That’s right!” Ge Qian gnashed his teeth. “If I get the chance, I wouldn’t mind participating in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly either!”

“Oh? How promising!” The old-timer clucked his tongue in amazement.

“I thought about it, and the world is getting more and more tumultuous and chaotic, but there are countless top experts in the Great Xia. There, the mighty are as numerous as the trees! Even if the skies fall, other people will hold it up for me. So long as I keep a low profile, I most likely won’t encounter any grave perils.”

Ge Qian took a deep breath and said, “They say the shade is plentiful beneath a tall tree, and the Great Xia has a whole forest of them! That’ll be enough to shield me from the wind and rain.”

The old man was stunned. A while later, he finally understood: Ge Qian wanted to go to the Great Xia to seek safety and avoid danger! His only purpose was to continue eking out a humble existence!

“You punk… You really have cowardice down to an art form!” The old-timer didn’t even know what to say to that.

Ge Qian ignored him. He just turned and left, his steps hurried. He was going all out; he didn’t want to stay in these waters even one second longer than necessary.

…..

Su Yi gazed across the endless seas, his sleeves fluttering as he strode through the air.

Upon entering the Grain Avoidance Realm, his cultivation linked with the energy of heaven and earth. All he had to do was circulate his cultivation, and he could soar into the skies and control the wind.

It was nothing like when he was a Xiantian Martial Ancestor. When he flew then, he could only do so by using his xiantian qi to support himself.

After leaving the vicinity of the Immortals’ Sword House, he picked up on several cultivators’ presences.

The cultivators hid far away, not daring to draw close. When they saw him, they lowered their heads and hid their?presences; they barely even dared breathe loudly. They seemed ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

Su Yi paid them no heed.

During his earlier battle, he sensed quite a few other cultivators in the surrounding seas, but since they hadn’t interfered earlier, there was no way Su Yi would make trouble for them now.

“Hm?” Su Yi suddenly noticed two familiar silhouettes approaching from the distant seas.

They were none other than the Cloudstone Venerate and Lan Suo.

“You were here too?” asked Su Yi.

The Cloudstone Venerate was the first to clasp his fist in greeting, but he sounded ashamed. “Lan Suo and I lingered in the area for days, but we dared not draw any closer. We could only watch from afar.”

Su Yi nodded. “This incident is already over. Want to go back together?”

“Fellow Daoist, traveling with you would be my honor,” laughed the Cloudstone Venerate.

Su Yi keenly noticed that the Cloudstone Venerate was behaving differently than he had before. The famed Donghua Sword Sect elder now spoke to him with newfound respect and awe.

As for Lan Suo, her exquisitely-carved features had had a trace of lingering bewilderment ever since they bumped into each other.

“Miss Lan Suo, what’s wrong?” asked Su Yi.

“Ah? It’s nothing.” Lan Suo reacted as if awakening from a dream, and she repeatedly shook her head.

The Cloudstone Venerate sighed to himself. He understood what she was feeling.

Just now, they watched from a distance as Su Yi underwent tribulation and proved his Dao. They also watched as one terrifying existence after another fell beneath Su Yi’s blade.

It was such a shock that even now, the Cloudstone Venerate felt as if he were dreaming, never mind Lan Suo!

Lan Suo calmed herself down and asked, “Right, Brother Su, earlier, numerous other cultivators entered the ruins alongside you, yet none of them have returned. Don’t tell me… Did something happen to them?”

“They’re all dead,” said Su Yi.

The Cloudstone Venerate and Lan Suo glanced at each other. Waves coursed through their hearts. It was true: Qin Dongxu and his companions, some of the top experts of the Great Qin, had all fallen!

It seemed Lan Suo dared not believe it. “Shang Luoyu… Is she dead too?”

Su Yi nodded. “That’s right. I remember you two being at each other’s throats. You ought to be happy she’s gone.”

Lan Suo smiled. “I was just surprised, that’s all. I almost can’t believe it.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” said Su Yi. He continued ahead, his two companions hot on his heels.

Halfway to their destination, something suddenly occurred to him.

Earlier, it seemed that Ge Qian was using the Xuanwu True Essence Sutra’s method for hiding his presence?

The more he thought about it, the more similar it seemed. He couldn’t help but furrow his brow.?Don’t tell me Xuan Ning is behind this?

In his past life, Xuan Ning was his seventh legacy disciple. In his original form, he was a True Spirit divine beast, the Xuanwu Turtle. When he wasn’t cultivating, he maintained the auspicious air of his master’s immortal cave and guarded the mountain gates on his master’s behalf.

Xuan Ning was a descendant of the Xuanwu tortoises, but he’d followed Su Yi from a young age. The Xuanwu True Essence Sutra he cultivated was based on his bloodline talent; Su Yi had personally designed it just for Xuan Ning, and he’d polished it over thousands of years. Only then did it become a complete?Daoist?legacy.

Thus, it was safe to say that only he and Xuan Ning knew the Xuanwu True Essence Sutra. Not even his other disciples knew it.

Yet now, Ge Qian had used what Su Yi suspected was the Xuanwu True Essence Sutra’s method of hiding his presence. Of course Su Yi was surprised!

“I was negligent earlier. I should have taken further steps to discern Ge Qian’s secrets. Perhaps then, I would have understood the full picture.” Su Yi sighed to himself.

Knowing Ge Qian’s cautious nature, Su Yi feared that even if he turned back now, there’d be no trace of him.

Furthermore, Su Yi wasn’t quite certain whether or not Ge Qian’s method of hiding his presence really was connected to the Xuanwu True Essence Sutra or not. Before long, he couldn’t be bothered to give the matter any further consideration, and he set those thoughts aside.

Two days later.

Outside Dongfu City, the shore of the eastern seas.

Su Yi, the Cloudstone Venerate, and Lan Suo drifted onto the beach.

“Fellow Daoist Su, how about we enter the city, find a restaurant, and have ourselves a proper drink?” The Cloudstone Venerate extended an invitation with a smile.

Lan Suo gazed expectantly at Su Yi too.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then agreed.

They proceeded toward the city gates, but halfway there, they saw a group approaching from a distance.

The leader was a lean man in dark robes and a feather headdress.

The man in dark robes smiled and said, “Martial Uncle, Lan Suo, you’re finally back!”