Chapter 324: Return to Flowing Cloud
"You two, not practicing your skills at this hour, gossiping here?" A man in his early twenties with a dignified expression walked over. However, the two Mystic Palace disciples who had been talking about Yun Che were not afraid of his reprimand; they both grinned and said, "Instructor Sikong, we were wrong. Please don't be angry. We'll head back to the training room right away."
When this man appeared, Yun Che was slightly startled, for he recognized him—Sikong Du, the son of Sikong Han, who had given him much help back at the Cangfeng Mystic Palace!
"Mm? Instructor Sikong? He once said that after graduating from the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, he wouldn't stay in the imperial city but would return to New Moon City to avoid the chaos of the imperial family. He indeed did so and became an instructor at New Moon Mystic Palace..." Although he was quite young, not much older than the disciples in the Mystic Palace, he had now stepped into the Spirit Xuan Realm, making him fully qualified to instruct these disciples.
"By the way, Instructor Sikong, I heard that when you were at Cangfeng Mystic Palace, you once had contact with Yun Che. Is that true?"
Sikong Du's eyes flickered, and he nodded slightly. "His grandfather had some connection with my father, so when he first entered Cangfeng Mystic Palace, I took the initiative to find him and tried to offer some help. But looking back now, thinking that my insignificant ability could 'help' a peerless genius like him is rather naive and laughable... Alright, hurry to your training. This is no place for your idle chatter."
"Yes, Instructor Sikong."
The two Mystic Palace disciples quickly ran off. Sikong Du seemed to think of something and sighed melancholically. Just as he was about to step forward, a voice came from his right: "Senior Brother Sikong, long time no see."
Sikong Du turned his head, his whole body jolting as he stared wide-eyed at Yun Che walking toward him, hardly believing his eyes: "Yun Che!? You... how are you here?"
"Shh!" Yun Che quickly made a silencing gesture, afraid that Sikong Du's voice would attract others. He approached and said, "I never expected Senior Brother Sikong to become an instructor at New Moon Mystic Palace. Truly surprising... I guess you must be the youngest instructor in the history of New Moon Mystic Palace, right?"
"Just a probationary instructor for now, partly thanks to my father's convenience." Sikong Du looked Yun Che up and down, his surprise lingering for a long time. He laughed self-deprecatingly. "But my little achievement is nothing compared to yours. Now you've shaken the world, your fame even surpassing that of the four great sects. You are the pride of Cangfeng Mystic Palace. Thinking back to how I once repeatedly tried to help—even scold you—I'm utterly embarrassed."
"Senior Brother Sikong, you're wrong about that," Yun Che said sincerely. "When I first arrived at Cangfeng Mystic Palace, you gave me great help and guidance. Without your assistance, I could never have settled down so quickly in the Mystic Palace. I have always kept that firmly in mind."
"Hahahaha!" Sikong Du laughed heartily and praised, "Not pretentious, not hypocritical, not arrogant—you are far superior to those geniuses nurtured by the great sects with their foundations and resources." He glanced around and said, "No more idle talk. You made a special trip back here; it must be for something important, right? I've settled down at New Moon Mystic Palace now. If it concerns the Mystic Palace, I might be able to help."
Yun Che nodded slightly and said, "I came here because I need Elder Sikong's help with something. Do you know where he is?"
"My father?" Sikong Du was taken aback and then said, "He went south two days ago and won't be back for at least three days... If it's not something particularly urgent, you can tell me. I might be able to help."
"It's not a big deal." Yun Che didn't hesitate and said, "I'm planning to return to Liu Yun City to fetch my grandfather and little aunt. The Xiao Sect is cowardly and heartless; they owe my grandfather and little aunt too much. Now that I've reunited with them, I can't let them stay in the Xiao Sect any longer. The imperial city is in chaos, and with all the complicated power struggles and factions there, I don't feel safe leaving them there either, so—"
Sikong Du had heard something about Yun Che and the Xiao Sect from Sikong Han. He immediately caught on and smiled. "I thought it was something serious, but it's actually that simple. This doesn't need my father's approval. I can promise here that as long as Uncle Xiao is willing to come, no matter whether he wants to be a vice palace master, instructor, assistant, or idle official, he can have his pick. No one here will mistreat him, I guarantee it."
He chuckled and continued, "Besides, with your reputation, if you want to place your grandfather in our New Moon Mystic Palace, even Palace Master Zhou and the New Moon City Lord would be eager to personally carry a sedan chair to welcome him. Cangfeng Mystic Palace might even come thousands of miles to snatch him away. You're not asking for our help; you're giving us a huge gift."
Yun Che smiled knowingly and said, "Alright, I'll leave this matter in your hands, Senior Brother Sikong. I'll set off for Liu Yun City now."
"Be careful on the road. I heard that after you disrupted Fen Juecheng's wedding with Princess Cang Yue and severely injured Fen Juecheng, the Fen Tian Gate is hunting for you everywhere. The Fen Tian Gate is a thousand-year-old sect; they've never suffered such a disgrace. Even though you're now famous and have many supporters, they won't let this go easily. You'd better conceal your whereabouts at all times," Sikong Du reminded.
Yun Che smiled casually. "I know."
The world knew that Yun Che had disrupted the Fen Tian Sect's heir's wedding procession, but they didn't know that he had single-handedly killed the eight Heaven Xuan experts the Fen Tian Sect sent to hunt him down—including their Grand Elder. Otherwise, even greater shockwaves would have swept through the Cang Feng Empire.
"Oh, by the way, there's something that might be helpful to you." Sikong Du suddenly remembered something and said, "A few days ago, I went out of New Moon City to see my father off. I vaguely caught a glimpse of a very familiar, loathsome face. You know him too—seems like you've had a conflict with him."
"Who?" Yun Che asked curiously.
"Fen Juechen!"
"Him?" Yun Che was slightly surprised. Fen Juechen, the third son of Fen Duanhun, had left the Fen Tian Gate due to discord with Fen Juebi and entered Cangfeng Mystic Palace. He had long held first place on the Heavenly Xuan List of the inner palace but on the day they left for the Tian Jian Villa's ranking battle, he had offended Yun Che and been brutally beaten. As a result, he missed the battle, and no one had heard from him since.
"When I left Cangfeng Mystic Palace, I heard that he had returned to Fen Tian Gate because of Fen Juebi's death. I didn't pay him any attention after that. I caught a fleeting glimpse that day, and it seemed to be him, but there's no reason for him to be here. There haven't been any unusual movements at the Fen Tian Gate lately either... Maybe I was mistaken." Sikong Du said hesitantly.
Yun Che pondered briefly and nodded. "I see. Thank you for telling me, Senior Brother Sikong. We should meet again very soon."
After exchanging sound transmission marks with Sikong Du, Yun Che left New Moon Mystic Palace, summoned the Snow Phoenix Beast, and headed straight for Liu Yun City.
As the smallest city in the Cang Feng Empire, Liu Yun City seemed forever devoid of "liveliness" and "prosperity."
When the quiet and somewhat worn-out little city fully appeared in his view, Yun Che's heart began to thump uncontrollably.
He had lived here for sixteen years. How could he not feel attached to this small city that held all his childhood memories?
The approaching Liu Yun City grew closer and larger in his sight. Gradually, he could make out the location of the Xiao Sect, and behind it, the dark green hill.
A feeling of nervousness surged in his heart—the familiar fear of approaching home. The figures of two people appeared vividly in his mind, and the desire to see them immediately was as fierce as a burst dam. Staring ahead, his eyes blurred slightly, and he couldn't help muttering to himself, "Grandfather, little aunt, I'm back... I'm back... I'll never let anyone bully you again..."
As his emotions surged, he arrived above the city gate of Liu Yun City. If he continued forward, the Snow Phoenix Beast would undoubtedly cause a huge commotion in the city. Yun Che put away the beast, landed outside the gate, and walked on foot into the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar Liu Yun City.
Unconsciously, three years had passed.
Looking back now, the experiences of these three years felt like a dream.
Back then, he had left Liu Yun City with hatred, swearing to return within three years with enough strength to crush the Xiao Sect, and to make the entire sect kneel and beg his grandfather and little aunt to leave Sigou Gorge... Although he had made that fierce vow, he knew very well how difficult it would be to achieve. So he trained desperately, recklessly provoking enemies to maximize his growth...
At that time, he never imagined that three years later, his strength would be more than enough to crush the Xiao Sect—now, before his current power, the Xiao Sect didn't even qualify for him to cast a glance.
Walking on the soil of Liu Yun City, Yun Che's steps felt a little unsteady. Though his heart was incredibly urgent, his pace wasn't very fast. He was thinking about how to embrace his grandfather and little aunt when he saw them, what to say to them—whether to laugh or cry...
The streets of Liu Yun City had a moderate flow of people, all walking with hurried steps. No one paid much attention to him. Even if they brushed past, no one immediately recognized him as the waste and laughingstock who had been driven out of Liu Yun City three years ago.
Yun Che walked through one street after another, getting closer to the Xiao Sect. Then he stopped and looked up at an imposing gate ahead, with two golden characters on the plaque above:
Xia Manor.
This was the home of Xia Qingyue and Xia Yuanba.
As a merchant family, the Xia Manor usually exuded a bustling, commercial atmosphere. But now, standing before the gate, what Yun Che felt was a quietness he had never experienced in his memories. He stood there for a while, then instead of continuing forward, he restrained his aura, leaped high, and silently landed inside the Xia Manor's courtyard.
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