Chapter 123: Reunion

Standing before the gates of the Blue Wind Profound Palace, Yun Che exclaimed in admiration, "As expected of the Blue Wind Empire's foremost Profound Palace! It's more than ten times grander than the New Moon Profound Palace, and its presence is on an entirely different level."

After ten days of arduous travel, Yun Che and Lan Xueruo finally arrived at Blue Wind Imperial City. It was Yun Che's first visit to the capital of the empire where he was born, and the journey had been full of awe-inspiring sights. Lan Xueruo, being very familiar with Blue Wind Imperial City, showed him the locations of its many central areas before heading directly to the Blue Wind Profound Palace gates.

Her first priority was to help Yun Che settle into the Blue Wind Profound Palace.

"Of course," Lan Xueruo said. "The Blue Wind Profound Palace has a history of 1,800 years. It's directly governed and supplied by the Imperial Family, boasts abundant resources and cultivation conditions, and is home to renowned instructors throughout the empire. The other branch Profound Palaces simply can't compare." As she spoke, she took out a short-distance sound transmission talisman, which she had purchased along the way, and placed it on her sound transmission jade. The moment the talisman shattered and vanished, a small formation appeared on the transmission stone.

"I've arrived, right at the Profound Palace entrance," Lan Xueruo said into the sound transmission jade. As her voice faded, the formation on the jade also disappeared.

Not long after, a gentle-looking middle-aged man in a purple robe rushed out of the Profound Palace gates. He spotted them instantly and, from a distance, excitedly called out, "Xueruo, Yun Che!? You two are alright? That's wonderful!"

"Palace Chief Qin? Why are you here?"

The person opposite them was none other than Qin Wuyou, the new Palace Chief of the New Moon Profound Palace! This was entirely unexpected for Yun Che. As the new Palace Chief of the New Moon Profound Palace, why wasn't he staying in New Moon City? What was he doing here? He turned to Lan Xueruo, asking in surprise, "Was Palace Chief Qin the person you just sent a transmission to?"

Lan Xueruo smiled and nodded.

"And you ask why I'm here?" Qin Wuyou said, letting out a long sigh as he looked at them, a lingering fear on his face. "First, you disappeared for several days, and Xueruo went to the Xiao Sect's branch alone to find you. After that, there was no news from either of you. I had to personally go to the branch sect, only to find their entire sect was in chaos. I got into a fight with Xiao Tiannan when I was there. Later, Xiao Zaizai returned and said you had fallen into the central region of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range and were completely gone, leaving no trace. Oh, I was so scared I almost lost my mind. For over a month, I've been on edge, unable to stay in New Moon City, so I came here to look for news of you. After all, Xueruo did mention she would bring you here."

Qin Wuyou's expressions of lingering fear and profound relief were genuine. This made Yun Che suspicious. He absolutely didn't believe he would cause Qin Wuyou such immense worry, so the reason for Qin Wuyou's reaction was undoubtedly Lan Xueruo. For a dignified Palace Chief of a Profound Palace to be so terrified, even going so far as to travel to Blue Wind Imperial City... the only explanation was that Qin Wuyou and Lan Xueruo had known each other for a long time and had a relationship far deeper than it appeared.

"Palace Chief Qin, did you... tell my father?" Lan Xueruo asked very cautiously.

"Oh, how could I dare?" Qin Wuyou wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "Otherwise, if your... father knew I failed to protect you, my head... *cough, cough*. Thankfully, you've returned safely; otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to bear it."

Yun Che was speechless.

"Palace Chief Qin, you probably won't be returning to the New Moon Profound Palace, will you?" Yun Che suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Qin Wuyou paused, then nodded. "That's right. A new Palace Chief has already been assigned to the New Moon Profound Palace. But how did you know?"

"Just a guess," Yun Che said with a casual smile. He thought to himself: *As expected, Qin Wuyou went to the New Moon Profound Palace solely because of Lan Xueruo. It seems Lan Xueruo's identity is truly extraordinary. Now that she's back in Blue Wind Imperial City, there's no need for him to remain at the New Moon Profound Palace.*

"Yun Che, where did you go during those few days you disappeared? Why were you with Xueruo, and why were you being hunted by the Xiao Sect? How did you escape from the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, a place even I wouldn't dare enter? Was that Xiao Zaizai deliberately lying because he couldn't catch you?" Qin Wuyou asked a barrage of questions.

"I'll explain all this later," Lan Xueruo said. "Palace Chief Qin, what was the situation with the Xiao Sect's branch when you left New Moon City?"

"Heh heh, that branch sect," Qin Wuyou chuckled. "I'd say it's on its last legs."

"On its... last legs?" Lan Xueruo was surprised.

"Indeed," Qin Wuyou nodded, speaking slowly. "I don't know which evil star they encountered, but according to what I've heard, they apparently hired a charlatan posing as a divine physician. This quack completely crippled Xiao Luocheng; his meridians are all ruined, and his profound veins are completely destroyed. Not only will he never wield profound energy again, but he won't even be able to stand up for the rest of his life, confined to his bed forever. And that's not all; it's said that before that quack left, he somehow completely emptied their sect's treasure vault. This is practically equivalent to digging up more than half of the sect's foundation."

"So, did they find out who that 'quack' was?" Lan Xueruo asked, glancing at Yun Che with amusement.

Qin Wuyou shook his head. "No. I heard that quack had disguised himself, so there's no way to trace him."

Yun Che pursed his lips. He knew that even if Xiao Tiannan was aware he was behind everything, he would never make it public. If outsiders found out their vast sect had been thoroughly devastated by a mere sixteen-year-old boy whose profound energy was only at the Nascent Profound Realm, it would not only bring shame to their branch sect but likely also cause the main sect to lose face internationally.

"However, that branch sect is quite large; they could probably grit their teeth and barely pull through. But what happened later is even more interesting," Qin Wuyou said, a gleeful expression appearing on his face. "It's said that in order to save his son, Xiao Luocheng, Xiao Tiannan personally went to the Black Moon Merchant Guild and bought a King Profound Dragon Pill! Yes, you heard correctly, a Dragon Pill for the King Profound Realm! But the very next day, he stormed back into the Black Moon Merchant Guild, insisting the King Profound Dragon Pill was fake. All of this was originally a secret... but what kind of existence is the Black Moon Merchant Guild? Would they sell fake items? Xiao Tiannan bought the Dragon Pill with Xiao Baicao; if it were fake, how could they not have distinguished it then? Faced with Xiao Tiannan's aggressive demands, Pu He of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, in a fit of anger, spread the news that Xiao Tiannan had bought a King Profound Dragon Pill from him."

Yun Che's eyebrow immediately twitched. *Oh, my! I was thinking that since I was forced to leave New Moon City immediately, that fake King Profound Dragon Pill wouldn't be able to serve its intended purpose beyond just sending Xiao Tiannan and Xiao Baicao away. I never expected the Black Moon Merchant Guild to give it such a push... And this push is far more effective than if I had stayed in the city and tried to spread the news myself! Just as Qin Wuyou said, what kind of organization is the Black Moon Merchant Guild? They are fair to all, and their word is their bond! Could anything they sell or declare be false?*

"Once this news broke, it naturally caused a huge uproar. The next day, all the inns in New Moon City were fully booked, and the streets were filled with powerful practitioners of the Spirit Profound and Earth Profound Realms. I even detected two terrifying Sky Profound Realm experts. It's said that on the first night, the Xiao Sect's branch encountered dozens of waves of invasions and clandestine thefts. Later, Xiao Wuji, the chief elder of the Xiao Sect's Medicine Branch, personally arrived and demanded the branch sect hand over the King Profound Dragon Pill. If they handed it over, it would be a great achievement, with heavy rewards. If they couldn't, the branch would be permanently expelled from the Xiao Sect. Xiao Tiannan was stubborn; first, he insisted it was fake, then he claimed it had been stolen. In short, he simply couldn't produce it..."

Yun Che secretly sneered. *Nonsense! Even if he wanted to hand it over, could he? That fake King Profound Dragon Pill was forged using a low-grade Profound Pill I got from Lan Xueruo; its effect only lasts four days. By the fifth day, all traces of the King Profound Dragon Pill's aura would vanish, and its color would change from crimson to dull gray. What could he hand over? Would he actually give that low-grade Profound Pill to Xiao Wuji and claim it was the King Profound Dragon Pill?*

If he actually did that, Xiao Wuji would probably kill him on the spot.

"After that, I left New Moon City and didn't inquire about what happened next. However, it's certain that the Xiao Sect's branch in New Moon City is completely finished," Qin Wuyou concluded, smiling faintly. After all, he and Xiao Tiannan had only met twice, and both times they immediately clashed. Now that Xiao Tiannan was at his wit's end, Qin Wuyou naturally felt a bit pleased.

"Oh, that's right," Qin Wuyou said, turning to Yun Che. "I also brought Yuanba with me. I told him that since you were with Xueruo, there was a good chance she'd bring you here. When I was preparing to leave New Moon City, he pleaded with me to bring him, saying he wouldn't be at peace his whole life if he didn't see you, so I brought him along. You can go see him in a bit..."

"Brother-in... brother-in-law!!"

Before Qin Wuyou's words had even faded, an excited shout came from nearby. Yun Che's gaze bypassed Qin Wuyou and immediately spotted Xia Yuanba, standing at the entrance of the Blue Wind Profound Palace, his eyes brimming with tears.

And beside Xia Yuanba, there was someone Yun Che thought shouldn't be there...

Murong Ye!

Why was he here?

"Brother-in-law!!"

Xia Yuanba shouted again, then sprinted forward. His massive body lunged at Yun Che, his thick arms wrapping tightly around him as he burst into tears. "Brother-in-law... you're really alright... This is great... so great... A month ago, when I heard you fell into the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, I thought... I thought..."

Xia Yuanba had the physique of a giant, yet at that moment, he was crying like a child. Yun Che's eyes also grew slightly moist. From a very young age, he knew that if he ever died, only three people in this world would shed tears for him... his grandfather, his aunt, and Xia Yuanba.

"Alright, stop crying, aren't I fine?" Yun Che patted Xia Yuanba's arm, comforting him. "Also, how many times have I told you not to call me 'brother-in-law'?"

"W-w-w... I know, brother-in-law. I definitely won't call you 'brother-in-law' again... w-w-w... it's just so good that you're okay, brother-in-law, otherwise I truly wouldn't know what to do..."

Yun Che was speechless.