“Aotien ge, long time no see, it’s been five years…” Facing Long Xin’s enthusiasm, Long Aotien ignored him, his expressionless face as he led the man into his courtyard.
As soon as the two went inside, Tian Ning and several others huddled together.
Jiang Xi: “A conspiracy, this must be a conspiracy!”
Fu Hongming recounted: “The poison on the Fourth Junior Brother was administered by the Long Clan! Five years ago, when the Sect had its incident, the Fourth Junior Brother, who was with the Long Clan at the time, also had an incident. While he claimed to the outside world that it was betrayal by his brothers and a woman, in reality, he severed all ties with the entire Long Clan.”
Shi Qinxin added: “It must be noted that the Fourth Junior Brother’s father has been highly regarded in the branch family for all these years. For a father whose exceptionally talented child was murdered by his own clan, resulting in a regression of his cultivation base, it makes no sense that he would collude with the perpetrators who harmed his child!”
Tian Ning boldly guessed: “Could it be a case of biding one's time?”
Everyone: “?”
Tian Ning: “It means enduring humiliation and suffering, I'm just guessing.”
With so little known information, Tian Ning's guess was just a random thought, after all, she is a woman who has read so many storybooks!
Fu Hongming: “We still have to wait for the Fourth Junior Brother to come out before we can determine anything.”
No one knew what they talked about inside. After Long Aotien came out, his face was even more sullen. Even Long Xin tried to say a few more words: “Aotien ge, I remember our childhood friendship…”
“If you have nothing else to say, get lost!” Long Aotien showed no mercy.
Long Xin could only leave shamefacedly; no one else offered to see him off. They all gathered in Long Aotien’s courtyard to find out what happened.
“I’m going back to the Long Clan,” Long Aotien announced.
Everyone reacted nonchalantly: “Oh.”
Long Aotien: “…”
“I’m leaving today.”
Tian Ning raised her hand: “Fourth Senior Brother, I want to go too!”
“No! You can’t go! You… stay put at Sword Protecting Mountain! I know you want to buy storybooks, I’ll have someone send them to you.”
Tian Ning expected Long Aotien to refuse, but wasn't this reaction a little too agitated?
“Junior Martial Sister is worried about you, and I’ll go with you too!” Shi Qinxin spoke up: “Old Fourth, your senior martial brothers and sisters are all here. You must remember that you were the youngest we all cherished.”
“How could we bear to watch you face the storm alone!”
Long Aotien pouted: “I’m over forty, what youngest?”
Tian Ning was surprised. So the Fourth Senior Brother was already over forty? As expected of the Cultivation World, he doesn't show his age at all.
Long Aotien grumbled and turned his head: “You don’t need to follow me, I can handle it alone.”
“You, one at Great Perfection of Qi Refinement, and the other at Foundation Establishment fifth stage, your cultivation bases are not even as good as mine, what help can you be?”
“Fourth Junior Brother,” Jiang Xi took out a Dimensional Pouch: “Second Senior Brother knows that your journey will be dangerous, and originally planned to give this to you to help you. But since you are unwilling to accept the kindness of the Third Junior Sister and the Youngest Junior Sister, then Second Senior Brother’s gift is unnecessary.”
Long Aotien: “…”
So stingy, Second Senior Brother!
That’s a whole Dimensional Pouch full of Talismans. Anyone knows how to make the right choice!
Moreover, this return trip to the Long Clan was fraught with danger, Long Aotien didn’t have complete confidence. He quickly took the Dimensional Pouch from Jiang Xi, agreeing to let Tian Ning and Shi Qinxin go with him. However, he proudly and repeatedly stated that they were not allowed to interfere; he could handle it alone!
Men always carry this inexplicable confidence, especially someone like Long Aotien.
Tian Ning and Shi Qinxin tacitly didn’t interrupt him.
Jiang Xi then handed another Dimensional Pouch to Shi Qinxin, and Tian Ning received three Dimensional Pouches in total.
Long Aotien: “???”
In the past, he would have jumped up and scolded Second Senior Brother for being partial! But this time… Long Aotien felt that his stingy Second Senior Brother might have noticed something, which is why he gave the Youngest Junior Sister so many Dimensional Pouches for protection.
While the three were packing, Xiao Roushu came to visit. Upon learning that they were going out for a long time, she insisted on going with them, resorting to tantrums and rolling on the ground.
Fu Hongming rubbed his forehead: “Junior Martial Sister Xiao, we don’t have a say in this; only Sect Leader Xiao can decide.”
If the Sect Leader’s own daughter were to have an accident while traveling outside, no one could bear the responsibility.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Roushu stopped her tantrum and quickly ran to find her father. Soon, disciples came to Sword Protecting Mountain to take Tian Ning and the others.
Sect Leader Xiao was stuffing a pile of Life-Saving Artifacts into Xiao Roushu’s bag. Seeing them arrive, she cautioned them: The Long Clan had been restless in secret these years, especially their involvement in the series of missing Cultivator cases.
The Long Clan is in the Beast Sect’s territory. The Beast Sect investigated this matter for a long time, wanting to eradicate this root of evil, but the Long Family members were too meticulous in their actions, and they were never able to catch them red-handed. This time, they must be extra careful. If anything happened, they should use his Secret Order to seek help from the Beast Sect.
Sect Leader Xiao was an open-minded father. He knew that girls would grow up and leave home eventually, especially with Xiao Roushu’s personality… letting her go out for tempering early wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The four of them set off for the Long Clan.
The Beast Sect was still far from the Fu Immortal Sect. Long Aotien took them on a Flying Ship, and it would take about four days to arrive.
This time, Tian Ning specially wore clothes made by the Old Man, brought Jiujiu, and didn’t forget her large box. The preparations were complete!
There was no other way; ever since the Sword Tomb incident, Tian Ning had to be cautious about her own life.
Who knows what kind of unexpected situations might arise?
Xiaobai stayed at Sword Protecting Mountain because it wanted to sleep in.
After completing all her precautionary measures, Tian Ning felt exceptionally at ease. She originally planned to read storybooks to pass the four days, but unexpectedly met two Fu Immortal Sect disciples and was introduced to a new world.
On the deck of the Flying Ship.
A young man wearing the uniform of an Outer Disciple of the Fu Immortal Sect, carrying a pile of luggage, was following behind a man in the uniform of a Direct Disciple, shouting: “Senior Brother Mao! Senior Brother Mao, please wait for me! Elder Mao said… you can’t cause trouble outside…”
The one called Senior Brother Mao turned around and applied a Talisman of some kind to the young man: “Yuanyang, you’re too noisy!”
Yuanyang seemed to have been struck by a laughing spell and suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter: “Hahahaha—Senior Brother Mao! You quickly hahaha—quickly remove this Laughing Talisman—hahaha!”
“No way, you’ll never stop talking if you start!”
They were quite loud, especially Yuanyang’s laughter, which was so cheerful and bright that it made people curious about what kind of sunny and cheerful boy could laugh like that?
Tian Ning was also very interested in the so-called Laughing Talisman.
The Talismans the Old Man taught her were all very serious; Tian Ning had never drawn such an interesting Talisman as the Laughing Talisman, just like the Aphrodisiac Pill last time.
Laughing Talisman, she wanted to learn it!
Tian Ning asked: “Third Senior Sister, do you know if Talisman Cultivator instructional books have the drawing method for this Laughing Talisman? This Talisman is really interesting.”
It’s a pity Second Senior Brother isn’t here.
Shi Qinxin shook her head. She only knew about Swordsmanship and Alchemy; none of them were Talisman Cultivators.
“This Fellow Cultivator has excellent taste!” Mao Chengfei overheard Tian Ning’s words and approached at some point: “This is my original, unique Talisman! One of a kind, no other Talisman Cultivator knows it!”
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