Chapter 2614: Eight Hundred Ninety-Four
Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou bid farewell to Master Indra. Just as they stepped out of the oak forest, they saw Suihan standing before the sacred chariot, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"Great Saint Ruochen, please accept Suihan's three bows."
Standing ten zhang away, Suihan bowed with Confucian etiquette.
In the forest, the wind rustled, and water babbled.
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "Why not pretend not to recognize me? You should know that since I didn't reveal my identity, it means I don't want too many people to know I've returned. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you to silence you?"
The three bows ended.
Suihan said, "A thousand years ago, if not for Great Saint Ruochen's rescue, Suihan would have died. These three bows—the first is to thank the Great Saint for saving my life back then."
"The second bow is to thank the Great Saint for reclaiming the Confucian Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree from the Rakshasa Clan."
"The third bow is to thank the Great Saint for protecting the Kunlun Realm back then, so that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, the Peach Tree, could be preserved."
Back then, during the great calamity at the Central Imperial City, Suihan and Grand Chancellor Wang Shiqi fell into the hands of Zhou Zhen and Shentu Yun Kong, suffering severe injuries. It was indeed Zhang Ruochen who saved them and used the Spring of Life to heal their wounds.
"Let the past be the past."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen thought of something and asked, "Has the Talented Woman been well all these years?"
Suihan knew who Zhang Ruochen was referring to and said, "Nalan left the Zweiwei Palace long ago, no longer concerning herself with the world's affairs. She has retired to the Book Sect. I haven't seen her in several hundred years."
There were not many people in the Kunlun Realm that Zhang Ruochen often thought of. The Sacred Book Talented Woman, this confidante, was certainly one of them. In his youthful heart, she left an indelible memory—every smile and frown was deeply etched.
The only woman truly worthy of being called a confidante, someone he longed to sit with and talk about the world, seemed to be only the Talented Woman.
Other women, like Luo Ji and Ji Fanxin, carried too much ethereal aura. Even though they had close relationships, Zhang Ruochen still felt a certain distance.
Ling Feiyu, Bai Qinger, Chi Yao, Bore, Luo Sha—some were too strong-willed, others hid their hearts deeply.
Mu Lingxi and Kong Lanyou never concealed their feelings, but that bond felt more like family affection, with a sense of dependence, close to being together forever.
If Zhang Ruochen had ever experienced a spiritual, emotional love, that person was the Talented Woman.
A man and woman who should have been enemies became friends, willing to risk their lives to save each other. In truth, all the feelings had already been revealed, just never spoken aloud.
Perhaps neither of them wanted to take it further.
Taking it further might not lead to a good outcome.
...
Suihan watched Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou leave before boarding the sacred chariot.
One of the qin attendants asked curiously, "Who is he, to deserve three bows from a Great Saint?"
"An old friend from the jianghu."
Suihan naturally could not reveal that Zhang Ruochen had appeared in the Kunlun Realm, but after sitting in the chariot, he pondered whether to send a message to the Sacred Book Talented Woman.
He knew that in the two or three hundred years after Zhang Ruochen disappeared, the Sacred Book Talented Woman had asked him many times whether the Heavenly Court had any news of Zhang Ruochen.
Later, she retired to the Book Sect and stopped involving herself in the world. Suihan had not seen her since.
...
Since they were in Tiantai Prefecture, it was only natural to visit the Sword Grave.
Zhang Ruochen brought out Shi Ren, who had been cultivating the Rune Path under the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree in the Qiankun Realm, and sent him back to the Sword Grave. After a thousand years of cultivation, Shi Ren's rune arts had reached great mastery, and he would surely become a titan of the Rune Path in the Kunlun Realm.
At the insistence of Shi Qiankun, the patriarch of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan, Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou stayed at the Sword Grave for one night before leaving the next day.
Unfortunately, Zhen Miao, who had been cultivating in the Zhenyu Ancient Clan, had already left, his whereabouts unknown.
As a sacred medicine, the "Spiritual Sacred Ganoderma," and carrying a Supreme Sacred Artifact, it dared to wander around freely, which surprised Zhang Ruochen. Its courage was a stark contrast to Xiao Hei's.
Sitting on the peacock's back, Kong Lanyou smiled and asked Zhang Ruochen, "Returned to the Blood God Sect, returned the 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription.' Went to Sikong Zen Temple, passed on the Buddha Emperor Relic. Sent a friend back to the Sword Grave. Next stop, are you going to the Book Sect to see your former confidante?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile and said, "How about we go see Saint Ming City?"
The peacock descended, landing by the wide Tongming River.
Zhang Ruochen took out a sacred ship from his space ring and sailed with Kong Lanyou toward Saint Ming City, his heart feeling unprecedentedly light and open.
Sometimes they sat on the deck, watching the scenery on both banks.
Sometimes they took out fishing gear bought earlier and cast their lines.
Sometimes they picked up music again, playing qin and xiao in harmony.
Zhang Ruochen was the Saint Ming Crown Prince, so he naturally understood music. "Lanyou Melody" was a piece he had composed specifically for Kong Lanyou.
But for many years, he had been immersed in hatred and hunted from all sides, burying his talents.
This time, returning to the Kunlun Realm, Zhang Ruochen did not think about killing, did not force himself to cultivate. He only wanted to find his true heart, to follow his whims, and to see the mountains and rivers he had once walked.
Hearing about Ling Feiyu's situation, Zhang Ruochen did feel a flicker of worry, but after thinking about it, such things must have happened often over the past thousand years.
It showed that without him, Zhang Ruochen, the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm could still endure.
There was no need to think of himself as too important, nor to make life too tiring.
Moreover, Ling Feiyu had endured even greater hardships—how could she not get through this?
Zhang Ruochen played the qin, Kong Lanyou blew the xiao. Their harmony grew deeper, producing music so beautiful it was like a heavenly melody.
On passing boats, people cheered, others were entranced, and some invited them to drink together.
Zhang Ruochen did not refuse. As an ordinary person, he drank, ate, and laughed with them, talking about life's various experiences. The next day, they parted, exchanging words of care, saying the jianghu road was long, and wishing each other a safe return home.
They toured Saint Ming City and then climbed Kongle Mountain.
Kongle Mountain, outside Saint Ming City, held a unique significance for Zhang Ruochen, symbolizing the past bond between him and Chi Yao.
On New Year's Eve when he was sixteen, Chi Yao and he watched the myriad lights of the city from Kongle Mountain all night.
The next day, he died under Chi Yao's sword.
A thousand years ago, also on New Year's Eve, Chi Yao returned as Huang Yanchen, and they climbed Kongle Mountain again, looking at the city's bustling splendor.
Zhang Ruochen had once told Kong Le the origin of her name and promised to take her to Kongle Mountain to see the myriad lights at night, but he never fulfilled it.
Perhaps it was fate's design, but today turned out to be New Year's Eve again.
However, tonight Zhang Ruochen did not want to stay on Kongle Mountain. He planned to return to the Eastern Domain, to Wang Mountain, to the Ming Sect, where his family still was. Since it was a festival, of course, he should reunite with his loved ones.
The Ming Sect was built on Wang Mountain, located by the Luo River.
Outside Wang Mountain, a giant city had been constructed.
Zhang Ruochen remembered that when he was at Wang Mountain, he had only built a city wall, with Xiao Hei setting up defensive formations to resist attacks from cultivators of the Hell Realm and some great worlds of the Heavenly Court.
Who would have thought that a thousand years later, the city wall had been expanded again and again, and the city's scale far surpassed the former Yunwu Commandery City.
When Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou arrived at the city gate, the setting sun was already slanting.
The sky was red, clouds like burning fire.
"Rumble!"
The sound of barbarian beast hooves rang out, and a squad of iron-armored soldiers galloped from afar, kicking up thick dust.
"Eighth Hundred Ninety-Fourth Young Master returns to the city!"
"Eighth Hundred Ninety-Fourth Young Master has returned from hunting in the Xuanhuang Wasteland. Looks like he had a great harvest."
...
The city gates swung open, and many cultivators came out to welcome him.
Zhang Ruochen, Kong Lanyou, and Kong Xuan stepped aside near the city gate, curiously looking over.
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation level, such juniors would not normally catch his attention or spark his curiosity, but the title "Eighth Hundred Ninety-Fourth Young Master" sounded a bit strange.
Apart from the Annihilation Emperor of the Guanghan Realm, had the Ming Sect also produced a ruthless person with nearly a thousand children?
Escorted by a squad of iron-armored soldiers, a silver war chariot, pulled by two iron-elephant barbarian beasts, sped forward and stopped at the city gate.
A young man in white scale soft armor and a girl in red stepped down from the chariot.
The young man was quite spirited, with a high nose bridge. He ordered, "Transport the prey into Ming City in batches. This young master must return to the sect first. Tonight is New Year's Eve—I can't be late! Cut off the ears of the Red Cloud Deer—Dad loves that the most!"
Zhang Ruochen, Kong Lanyou, and Kong Xuan had already entered the city.
Kong Lanyou stared at Zhang Ruochen, who had been smiling since entering the city gate, and asked, "What's so funny?"
"Let me tell you a joke: a fat man had a thousand children." Zhang Ruochen had already deduced and knew whose son the Eighth Hundred Ninety-Fourth Young Master was.
Kong Lanyou did not laugh, finding it not funny at all.
They passed through Ming City, walked up a stone staircase, and reached the mountain gate of the Ming Sect.
Even at the mountain gate, sacred qi was thick, with sturdy ancient spirit trees growing, their hanging roots like coiled flood dragons.
But at the mountain gate, two Ming Sect disciples stopped them, telling them that since it was late, they would have to submit a visiting card the next day to enter the sect.
"How dare you! Do you know who stands before you?"
Kong Xuan unleashed his sacred might, pressing the two Ming Sect disciples to their knees.
"Ignorance is not a crime."
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, signaling Kong Xuan to withdraw his sacred might. Then, with his hands behind his back, he directly ignored the formation inscriptions of the sect-protecting formation and stepped inside.
Just then, the Eighth Hundred Ninety-Fourth Young Master and the girl in red also arrived at the mountain gate.
"I am Zhang Eight Hundred Ninety-Four of the Ming Sect. May I ask, senior, why are you forcing your way into the mountain gate? Do you know that this is a capital offense?" the Eighth Hundred Ninety-Fourth Young Master called out, rushing forward to block Zhang Ruochen's path.
The girl in red directly drew her sword, pointing it at Zhang Ruochen.
"Such a casual way of naming? Well, if I had that many children, I'd also struggle with names and forget who's who. Might as well just use numbers."
Zhang Ruochen recognized them as siblings. He looked at the girl in red and asked curiously, "What number are you?"
"Zhang Yanyan," the girl in red said coldly.
"She's my nine hundred twenty-first sister," Zhang Eight Hundred Ninety-Four said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "It's indeed not good to give girls numbers as names."
Kong Xuan's earlier burst of sacred might had clearly alarmed the sacred realm cultivators of the Ming Sect.
Now, as the sky gradually darkened, streaks of sacred light flew out from various cave dwellings, cutting through the dusk, heading straight for the mountain gate.