Chapter 248: A Bountiful Harvest and Setting Off Once More

A smile graced Lu Qing's face as he exited the Treasure Pavilion.

The gains from this trip were truly immense.

Most of the accumulations of the Liuyun Sect over the past several hundred years had landed in his possession, and the feeling was indescribable.

With this harvest, there were countless things he could now accomplish.

However...

Standing in front of the Treasure Pavilion, Lu Qing fell into deep thought.

Although his gains from the pavilion were substantial, he felt that this probably wasn't all that the Liuyun Sect had hoarded.

It was simple to deduce that given the self-serving nature exhibited by Mo Hu and his brother, as well as Mo Zhen, they most likely had other hidden stashes of treasures elsewhere.

Unfortunately, despite scouring the area, he hadn't discovered any such secret locations.

Undoubtedly, those treasures were either hidden beyond the reach of prying eyes or located outside of the Liuyun Sect.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have escaped the scrutiny of his abilities.

Nonetheless, Lu Qing didn't feel any regret about not finding those hidden treasures.

The world was vast, and it was impossible for all its treasures to belong to a single person.

He was more than content with the bounty from the Treasure Pavilion.

Thus, he no longer dwelled on it and, taking out an ordinary cloth bag from the Qiankun Bag, he stowed a few items inside before heading towards the training grounds.

"Oh? Young Master Lu is out already?"

On the training grounds, the sword-wielding man chatting with the elderly doctor was surprised to see Lu Qing's figure.

As Lu Qing approached, the man smiled and asked, "Young Master Lu, did you find any treasures so quickly?"

"I did," Lu Qing replied, gesturing to the bag on his back. "I found a treasure pavilion with quite a few items inside. I don't know much about these things, so I just picked some at random."

"Oh, congratulations, Young Master Lu."

The sword-wielding man smiled warmly, not prying further into what treasures Lu Qing had acquired.

"Master, now that the Liuyun Sect is destroyed, when are we leaving?" Lu Qing inquired.

The old doctor thought for a moment and replied, "Let's return to the town and prepare to depart shortly after."

"You're leaving so soon, Senior?" The sword-wielding man exclaimed in surprise.

"Indeed. Since our business here is concluded, it's time for us to be on our way," the old doctor nodded.

"But you've just rid Yunzhou of the menace of the Liuyun Sect and saved so many cultivators from the region. We haven't even had a chance to express our gratitude properly," the sword-wielding man hurriedly added.

"There's no need for that," the old doctor smiled. "Our presence here was merely a coincidence, and we have more pressing matters to attend to in Zhongzhou. We shouldn't linger any longer, and your intentions, Master Yan, are appreciated. There's no need for excessive formalities."

The sword-wielding man tried to persuade them to stay a while longer, but upon learning of Lu Qing's urgent matters in Zhongzhou, he eventually relented.

"Master Yan, let this matter rest with you. We'd appreciate it if you didn't make it common knowledge," the old doctor requested.

He didn't want to attract a crowd when they left.

"I understand, Senior," Master Yan replied, though he felt it was somewhat impolite.

Despite his brief interactions with the old doctor, he could tell that the man truly cared little for fame and fortune and didn't concern himself with such trivialities.

When the trio returned to Liuyun Town, they didn't cause much of a stir.

Before their departure, they hadn't explicitly stated their intention to destroy the Liuyun Sect, so although some townspeople had their suspicions, they couldn't be certain.

"Sir, are we leaving already?"

Magu, standing outside the inn, was also taken aback by the news.

He had thought they would be staying in Liuyun Town for the day.

"Yes, we've already spent quite some time in Yunzhou, and it's best we make haste toward Zhongzhou. It's still early, and we can cover two hours' worth of distance before nightfall, so there's no need to linger," the old doctor explained.

Having witnessed the Liuyun Sect's unchecked brutality and the lack of intervention, the old doctor was even more eager to discover the situation in Zhongzhou. Naturally, he had no intention of prolonging their stay.

"I'll go prepare the carriage," Magu said, hurrying off.

"Doctor Chen, Young Master Lu, are you leaving already?"

The rotund middle-aged man nearby was surprised to hear their conversation.

Xu Ping and the others also looked on in astonishment.

"Yes, Mr. Xu, so I'm afraid this is where we part ways," the old doctor said, a hint of sadness in his voice as he regarded the rotund man.

Before their arrival, the old doctor had sensed immense danger emanating from the rotund man and his companions. Now, it seemed his premonition had been correct.

Chapter: The Departure

"What if he and Qing hadn't come to the Liuyun Sect with the rotund middle-aged man?" Magu thought to himself. "If their group had entered Liuyun Town and stayed at an inn, they might not have escaped the fate of being refined by that evil array."

At this moment, he no longer sensed any signs of impending danger from the group.

Evidently, the calamity that had loomed over them had been averted, and they were unlikely to encounter any immediate peril.

"Doctor Chen..." The rotund middle-aged man looked at the old doctor, his heart filled with questions that he didn't know how to voice.

"There's no need for formality, Mr. Xu. Our encounter was fate, and this is just a temporary farewell. If we are destined to meet again, we surely will one day," the old doctor said with a smile.

"Sir, the carriage is ready," Magu said as he approached.

"Alright, Qing, let's go," the old doctor said, taking the lead and walking towards the carriage.

"Mr. Xu, we'll meet again," Lu Qing said, bowing to Magu and the others.

"Yah!" Magu shouted, and the carriage began its journey as the horses galloped forward.

"Sister Xu, see you~" Little Yan's head popped out of the carriage window, and she waved at Xu Ping and the others.

"The Divine Physician is leaving?"

The martial artists from Yunzhou, who were still resting and cultivating in the inn, heard the commotion outside and came out to investigate.

They were surprised to see that the old doctor and his companions had already departed in a carriage.

The deputy palace master from the Palace of Hundred Flowers, Liu, was especially anxious.

"How could the Divine Physician leave so soon? I wanted to invite him to the Valley of a Hundred Flowers to express our gratitude for saving us!" she exclaimed, preparing to chase after them.

However, she was gently stopped by the sword-wielding man.

"Senior Yan..." Liu was taken aback and turned to look at him.

The sword-wielding man sighed. "Doctor Chen and Young Master Lu mentioned that they have urgent matters to attend to in Zhongzhou and cannot stay in Yunzhou for long. I also invited them to the Silver Moon Sect as guests, but they declined."

Liu paused, understanding the implication.

Even with the personal invitation of a Precelestial Realm expert like him, they hadn't been able to keep Doctor Chen and his companions in town. If she went after them now, it would likely be futile and might even cause them to feel annoyed.

Realizing this, Liu could only watch with regret as the carriage slowly disappeared into the distance.

The other martial artists from Yunzhou overheard the conversation and also gave up on trying to persuade them to stay.

As they watched the carriage gradually move away, it eventually vanished at the end of the street.

At that moment, one of the martial artists asked, "By the way, does anyone know who that Divine Physician and his companions are? Do any of you have any information?"

All the Yunzhou martial artists looked at each other, their faces blank.

Then, their gazes collectively shifted to the sword-wielding man.

After all, he had entered the town with Doctor Chen and his group.

However, the sword-wielding man shook his head. "To be honest, I don't know much either. The entire Liuyun Town was once shrouded by the evil array cast by the Mo brothers, intending to refine all of you. I tried to break the array, but Mo Hu stopped me. It was only because of Doctor Chen and his companions' sudden appearance that we were all saved.

As for their identities and backgrounds, I'm just as clueless as you."

The sword-wielding man hadn't been idle during his time in town. Out of curiosity about the powerful Precelestial Realm expert and the mysterious young man, he had tried to gather information. However, Doctor Chen hadn't revealed much, and his efforts had been in vain.

With a sudden realization, the sword-wielding man turned his gaze toward the rotund middle-aged man and his disciples. If he recalled correctly, Lu Qing had personally brought them into town.

The other Yunzhou martial artists also caught on and directed their attention to the group.

The rotund middle-aged man and his disciples felt their scalps tingle under the intense scrutiny of so many martial artists, especially since one of them was a Precelestial Realm expert. The pressure was overwhelming.

"Seniors," the rotund middle-aged man said, his forehead glistening with sweat as he forced a smile, "I only met Doctor Chen and his companions by chance, and we traveled together because we got along well. As for their identities, I'm just as clueless as you. All I know is that they're from Cangzhou."

"Did Doctor Chen happen to mention his full name?" the sword-wielding man asked.

"No, he only introduced himself as Doctor Chen. However, I do know Young Master Lu's name," the rotund middle-aged man replied, shaking his head.

"Oh? What's Young Master Lu's full name?" The sword-wielding man's eyes lit up with curiosity, perhaps even surpassing his curiosity about the old doctor.

Chapter: Unveiling the Truth

"After all, he had witnessed with his own eyes how Lu Qing had hammered a martial artist at the Small Accomplishment level of the Innate Realm into a bloody mess with his bare hands."

Even now, the violent image still sent a chill down his spine as he recalled it.

"Master Lu Qing, surnamed Lu, with the single given name Qing."

"Lu Qing..." The sword-wielding man slowly savored the name.

He remembered that Elder Chen had indeed addressed Lu Qing as "Aqing."

However, he racked his brains but still couldn't recall any impression of this name.

Even after running through the most outstanding disciples of the top sects in the world, he was still clueless.

Just then, someone exclaimed in surprise, "Surnamed Lu, named Qing, from Cangzhou, the disciple of that Divine Physician... Could he be the mysterious youth who appeared on the Qiantulong Ranking two years ago?"

"Him?!?"

Reminded by his words, the others also reacted with surprise.

Only the sword-wielding man remained clueless, a puzzled look on his face. "What's the Qiantulong Ranking?"

He certainly knew what the Qiantulong Ranking was, but what did it have to do with Lu Qing?

"Grand Elder, it's like this..."

The Silver Moon Sect Master knew that their Grand Elder had been focusing on cultivation in recent years and wasn't very concerned about rankings for the younger generation like the Qiantulong Ranking.

"Two years ago, when the new Qiantulong Ranking was announced by Tianjilou, one of the listed candidates caused quite a stir. That person's name was also Lu Qing..."

"...In the past two years, Tianjilou seems to have encountered some setbacks, and the Qiantulong Ranking hasn't been updated for a long time. Everyone kind of forgot about it.

However, many people believed that within a decade, the young man named Lu Qing would likely overcome his obstacles and step into the Innate Realm, becoming one of the youngest Innate Realm powerhouses."

After hearing the Silver Moon Sect Master's story, the sword-wielding man's face took on a strange expression.

He wanted to say that the Innate Realm was nothing to that young man.

Not long ago, he had witnessed Lu Qing killing an Innate Realm Small Accomplishment-level monster with his bare hands.

However, stepping into the Innate Realm...

Upon hearing these words, the sword-wielding man's heart stirred.

He recalled that although he had never been able to see through Lu Qing's cultivation level, he also had never seen Lu Qing use Innate True Qi. Lu Qing had always relied on his qi and blood power to fight, and he didn't possess the unique aura of an Innate Realm martial artist.

Previously, he had thought that Lu Qing was deliberately hiding his strength and keeping a trump card for himself. Now, it seemed that might not be the case.

While Lu Qing might still have hidden cards up his sleeve, his inability to use Innate True Qi could be genuine.

Because he might not have entered the Innate Realm yet, and his cultivation was still at the Acquired Realm.

But if that were true... Then, didn't it mean that Lu Qing, while still in the Acquired Realm, had killed an Innate Realm Small Accomplishment-level expert?

"Hiss..."

The sword-wielding man subconsciously sucked in a breath of cold air.

A sense of great terror arose within him.

...

Lu Qing was unaware that after their departure, the sword-wielding man and the others had guessed part of his background.

At that moment, he was recounting to Magu and the others what had happened in Liuyun Town and the Liuyun Sect.

"So that's what happened in town earlier. No wonder Elder Xu climbed up the tree to take a look and then changed his attitude towards us when he came down. He must have seen you and the old doctor breaking the formation." Magu suddenly realized.

"That Liuyun Sect's leaders were truly insane. Not only did they use people as blood sacrifices, but they didn't even spare their own disciples. They're truly evil!" Wei Zian exclaimed indignantly.

"They practiced evil arts, and their minds were gradually changed by it. It's not wrong to call them evil," Lu Qing shook his head.

"But those Liuyun Sect disciples deserved to die. Who told them to be so arrogant and domineering? In the end, they were killed by their own sect master. It serves them right!"

Seeing Wei Zian's indignant expression, Lu Qing suddenly remembered something.

"Right, Zian, there's something I want to give you."

"What is it?" Wei Zian was taken aback.

Lu Qing reached under the carriage and pulled out a black stick, handing it to Wei Zian.

"This stick is a divine weapon. It originally belonged to Mo Hu, the Grand Elder of the Liuyun Sect. After Mo Hu died, I took it, and now I'm giving it to you."

"A divine weapon-grade stick, for me?"

Wei Zian was stunned after hearing Lu Qing's words.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end