Chapter 50: Chapter 49: The Most Beautiful in the World

5:00 PM.

East Sea City, which had been under lockdown for six or seven days, was bustling once more.

It was as prosperous as ever.

“It’s at the Dragon and Phoenix Tower in the city center,” the girl on the other end of the line said cautiously. “The lockdown was just lifted today, so a lot of restaurants aren’t open yet. This is the only place we could get.”

“Got it. I won’t be late.”

After hanging up, Lu Xuan quickly tried on his new clothes. They’d cost him over two hundred.

Although money had become completely trivial to him now, Lu Xuan was used to being poor. He remained frugal and didn’t dare to spend lavishly.

The hardships were still fresh in his mind.

As he carefully smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes, Lu Xuan recalled his earlier conversation with Uncle Wu, and his cheerful expression dimmed slightly.

It was partly because of the sentence, ’At the Great Wall, the bloodshed could form more than a river,’ and partly because of the questions that followed.

“Uncle Wu, do you know about Qianlong City? The Qianlong City of seven years ago.”

“I do.”

“Can you tell me the truth? Why was all information about everyone in Qianlong City erased? Why wasn’t there a single news report? Why… was the incident in Qianlong City related to the Life Tower?”

“I don’t know the specifics either, but my suspicion that the Qianlong City incident was connected to the Life Tower was precisely why I crippled myself and abandoned my position as a Great Physician… Of course, it was only a suspicion.”

“Then, Uncle Wu, was the Life Tower also the one that blocked the information?”

“No, it was the Federation. If you want to find the truth, you’ll have to look through the Federation’s confidential files… The Life Tower Master is suspected to be an Immortal. Child, no matter what, you must not act rashly.”

Recalling this, a cold glint flashed in Lu Xuan’s eyes, and a stifled anger burned in his chest!

’Life Tower… I will find out the truth. I definitely will!’

’And the Federation…’

For the moment, Lu Xuan buried these thoughts deep in his heart. After a while, he finally composed himself.

After putting on his new clothes, he circulated a bit of his qi and blood, creating heat in his palms to make sure the roasted sweet potatoes and sugar-fried chestnuts wouldn’t get cold. Then, with a somewhat anxious heart, he went out.

This was the first time in seven years he had gone to a restaurant to eat.

With a girl.

Well, no, her father would be there too.

……..

「Dragon Tiger Mountain.」

The mountain was immensely high, the clouds were sparse, and the wind was clear and cool.

The Old Celestial Master pinched his fingers again and again, calculating over and over, but he still couldn’t divine the details.

He had forced a glimpse into the secrets of heaven, only to see a Sword Intent of the end of all things, and blood began to stream from his eyes.

’The Three-Five Evil-Slaying Sword left by the founder has been dormant for thousands of years, yet today it rings… Why?’

After thinking for a long time, the Old Celestial Master wiped the bloody tears from the corners of his eyes. He seemed to have made a decision and walked straight to the forbidden grounds at the summit of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

There, a towering Daoist Palace stood, magnificent and solemn. Before the palace were two Heaven-Reaching peach trees, one older and one younger.

The younger one seemed dead. It was bare of branches, and its trunk was covered in scorch marks and wounds. The older tree, however, stood tall and straight, its canopy a resplendent cover, with peach blossoms in full bloom.

The Old Celestial Master set up a Dharma altar, began the ritual, burned yellow paper, and paid respects to the founder.

Then, he cautiously and respectfully bowed to the older peach tree.

“Old Ancestor.”

The Old Celestial Master said,

“I have come to disturb you today because the Three-Five Evil-Slaying Sword has shown an unusual activity.”

The peach tree swayed. Boundless Immortal Light and divine splendor clung to it in unending wisps.

After a long moment, a weary, hoarse voice came from within the tree.

“I… have performed the Divination… It stems from… stems from the East Sea.”

It spoke intermittently, as if with great effort. Just from uttering that single sentence, the divine splendor on its trunk dimmed considerably.

The Old Celestial Master was not surprised by this and bowed again.

“Old Ancestor, I understand. Please forgive me for this disturbance. You may continue to rest.”

After respectfully withdrawing, he pondered for a long time before summoning a Daoist with a Third Grade Position.

“Has there been anything unusual in the East Sea region recently?”

“Reporting to the Grand Master, two Earth Immortals fell today in East Sea City, on the shores of the East Sea. There are also rumors that a major ruin within East Sea City is about to emerge.”

“It’s time for this generation of disciples to descend the mountain and experience the Red Dust. Have them go to East Sea City. You will go with them and report the details of your journey at all times.”

“Yes, Grand Master.”

……..

「East Sea City, Upper City District.」

By now, the streets were filling with people. Order was gradually being restored, and decorative lanterns once again lit the branches of the trees.

Lu Xuan held sugar-fried chestnuts in his left hand and roasted sweet potatoes in his right. He was also holding his phone between two fingers, struggling to look at the navigation.

As he walked, he unconsciously puffed out his chest and raised his head, as if showing off his new clothes to the pedestrians.

Before long, he arrived at the restaurant.

It wasn’t that Lu Xuan had seen a sign or anything; it was because he saw the girl standing at the street corner.

The girl was wearing a white dress. When the spring breeze blew past, the hem of her skirt fluttered, revealing her smooth, slender thighs. She was holding a book, flipping through it while occasionally looking up to glance around, as if waiting for someone.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds, joining the spring breeze to fall upon the girl. It made the hair at her temples shimmer faintly, but it couldn’t hide the snowy white of her neck.

Just by standing there quietly, she became a painting, the most beautiful sight in the world.

A warmth spread through Lu Xuan’s heart. He quietly walked up behind the girl and clumsily tapped her shoulder with the hand holding the sugar-fried chestnuts.

Yan Jiangxue shivered in fright. Like a startled little white rabbit, she hopped a few meters away on her small feet. Only after seeing who it was did she dart back again.

“Xiao… Xiaolu!” Her smile was radiant. “You’re here!”

As she spoke, Yan Jiangxue saw the roasted sweet potatoes and sugar-fried chestnuts in Lu Xuan’s hands and her smile grew even wider. She knew they had to be for her!

Lu Xuan generously held out the two bags of little snacks.

“Here, for you.”

“They’re still warm!” Yan Jiangxue took them and swallowed. “I brought you something tasty too!”

Saying this, she clumsily and carefully took a small bag of translucent, round beads from her pocket and handed it to Lu Xuan.

Yan Jiangxue said,

“You have to eat these slowly. Apparently, they’re good for kidney cultivation… but you can’t eat too many.”

“This is…” Lu Xuan was puzzled, having never seen this kind of food before.

But before he could ask more, the girl said cheerfully,

“Let’s go, let’s go! My dad is about to arrive. Let’s go up first!”

The two entered the restaurant and were led by a server to a window seat on the second floor.

Perhaps because it was one of the few restaurants open at the time, the first floor was already packed, and the second floor was mostly full as well.

“The food here is really good, but it’s a shame the private rooms are all under renovation.” As she spoke, the girl pouted, a little unhappy. She was shy around strangers, and there were a lot of people here.

Yan Jiangxue peeled a chestnut and held it out charmingly.

“You eat.”

Lu Xuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the chestnut, popped it in his mouth, and asked indistinctly,

“Xiaoyan, speaking of which, why did your dad suddenly want to meet me? Is he… fierce?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe… maybe because you’re my first friend, Dad wanted to meet you…”

The girl’s voice grew softer and softer, until it was as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito.

Lu Xuan paused. ’Her first friend?’

Just as Yan Jiangxue was about to say more, someone approached. She timidly shrank back, her expression turning icy again as she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.

“Excuse me, sorry to bother you.”

The two turned their heads. It was a group of four young men and women in fine clothes, radiating an air of nobility. The young man in the lead spoke apologetically,

“Here’s the situation. There are a lot of us, and all the four-person tables are full. There are only two-person tables left, so we were wondering if we could switch seats with you two. Would that be okay?”

As he spoke, the young man glanced at Yan Jiangxue, a flash of amazement in his eyes. ’What a beautiful girl,’ he thought. ’Just a bit cold and aloof…’

“Well…” Lu Xuan waved his hand and said lightly, “Sorry, we’re still waiting for one more person who’s on their way, so…”

“Why don’t you just go to another restaurant?” a younger man in the group said with a frown. “We’ll give you five thousand…”

Before he could finish, the lead young man raised a hand to stop him and scolded,

“How many times have I told you not to be like this? When you’re outside, your words and actions represent our family’s upbringing. Do you enjoy causing trouble so much?”

The younger man resentfully shut his mouth.

The lead young man turned back, his expression apologetic.

“My sincerest apologies for my little brother’s behavior. In that case, we’ll go ask someone else. We won’t disturb you any further.”

With that, he led the other three toward a nearby table.

Lu Xuan blinked, paying them no mind, and simply turned to Yan Jiangxue with a smile.

“Anyway, what’s your dad like? I’m worried I’ll say the wrong thing later.”

“I can’t really describe him… Oh, my dad’s here!”

A majestic-looking middle-aged man strode over, plopped down in the seat next to Yan Jiangxue, and gave Lu Xuan a slight nod.

“Hello, Uncle!” Lu Xuan blurted out. But as he got a clear look at the man, his expression suddenly froze.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep