Chapter 61: New Moon Mystic Mansion, Sikong Han

The voice startled Yun Che for a moment. He turned around, staring in stunned silence at the tall man in front of him… no, it was a teenager! But just by looking at his physique, no one would believe he was only fifteen years old. He was a towering 2.2 to 2.3 meters tall, with an astonishingly robust build and prominent, bulging muscles. Standing there, he looked like a small mountain.

“Yuanba! What are you doing here?” Yun Che exclaimed, his face full of surprise. This incredibly tall teenager was none other than Xia Qingyue’s younger brother, and his only lifelong best friend—Xia Yuanba!

“Brother-in-law, it really is you!” Seeing Yun Che’s face clearly, Xia Yuanba’s voice grew louder as he rushed over, his face beaming with delight. As he ran, the ground subtly trembled. Judging by Yuanba’s posture, he might be coming in for a bear hug. Yun Che’s scalp tingled, and he instinctively stepped back two paces. If he were to be hugged, a bone fracture would be a minor injury.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!” Yun Che hurriedly waved his hands, stopping the overly excited Xia Yuanba from practically hugging him. He scanned him from head to toe, then asked again, “Yuanba, what are you doing in this place?”

“I should be asking you that, Brother-in-law,” Xia Yuanba said, his face flushed with excitement. “Half a year ago, I heard you were expelled from the family. I looked for you for many days but couldn’t find you. Phew, it’s great that you’re okay. I thought something terrible had happened to you. I haven’t slept peacefully for half a year.”

Xia Yuanba’s surprise and concern came straight from his heart. In this world, besides Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi, the only one who truly cared about him was Xia Yuanba, who had grown up playing with him. Yun Che felt a surge of emotion. He stepped forward and patted his muscular arm. “Don’t worry, I’m extremely resilient; what could possibly happen to me? Being expelled from the Xiao Sect was actually a good thing. The outside world is much more exciting than Flowing Cloud City, where we’ve stayed for over a decade. For the past half year, I’ve traveled west from Flowing Cloud City and only arrived in New Moon City today. You’re here… could it be?”

Yun Che glanced sideways at the conspicuous large sign of the New Moon Profound Palace.

“Hehe, Brother-in-law, you’re truly clever. I’m currently in the New Moon Profound Palace,” Xia Yuanba said, a hint of pride appearing on his face as he spoke of the Profound Palace. “I came here half a year ago and even got into Class One of the Profound Palace.”

“Class One? Is that class hard to get into?” From Xia Yuanba’s tone, it sounded like a big deal.

“Of course,” Xia Yuanba nodded, saying proudly, “Class One is personally taught by the Grand Elder of the Profound Palace, and the entry requirements are the highest. Either you need exceptional talent, or… *chuckles*, you need excellent connections.”

Yun Che remembered that half a year ago, Xia Yuanba was at the fourth level of the Elementary Profound Realm. At his age, that level could only be considered mediocre, not remotely related to “exceptional talent.” So it could only be the latter. Yun Che asked suspiciously, “Your family has ties to the New Moon Profound Palace?”

Xia Yuanba smiled a little awkwardly and explained, “Oh, actually, my grandfather often visited New Moon City when he was young and made a very good friend there. Later, my grandfather’s friend became one of the Vice-Palace Masters of the New Moon Profound Palace. That’s why I entered the New Moon Profound Palace directly without an assessment, and even got into Class One.”

“Enough about that. Brother-in-law, have you been alone all this time? Have you found a place to stay in New Moon City? What are you planning to do next?” Xia Yuanba asked anxiously, his concern evident. He knew Yun Che too well: average physique, had never left Flowing Cloud City before the age of sixteen, and most crucially, his profound veins were crippled, meaning he couldn’t even defend himself. It was hard for him not to worry.

“The Grand Elder who personally instructs your Class One, is his name Sikong Han?” Yun Che ignored Yuanba’s question and said, looking up. He wasn’t short, but standing in front of Xia Yuanba, he felt like he had stepped out of the land of the Lilliputians.

“Uh, yeah. That’s Elder Sikong. Brother-in-law, didn’t you just arrive in New Moon City? How do you know Elder Sikong?” Xia Yuanba asked, scratching his head.

“He and my grandfather had a past connection. Before I left Flowing Cloud City, Grandpa told me to come find him,” Yun Che said.

Hearing Yun Che say this, Xia Yuanba’s eyes lit up immediately. He exclaimed excitedly, “That’s wonderful! Elder Sikong is highly respected in New Moon City and treats people very well. If he knows Grandpa Xiao, he might be able to arrange a place for you to stay… Hmm, it would be even better if it could be arranged within the New Moon Profound Palace.”

Yun Che smiled, “Then take me to him.”

Actually, Yun Che had no intention of staying long in New Moon City. Under the vast sky, there were places everywhere he could train himself. However, he didn’t want to waste his grandfather’s painstaking efforts and also wanted to see if he could gain any opportunities from Sikong Han.

“Oh, okay.” Xia Yuanba immediately nodded, but then his expression suddenly paused. He reached up and scratched his ear. “However, we might not be able to see him today. Because today is the new Palace Master’s inauguration, and there’s also a celebratory banquet in the evening. I heard all the famous sects and powers in New Moon City will be attending, so Elder Sikong should be busy with preparations.”

Yun Che thought for a moment and said, “In that case… let’s still go to his place. It’s best if we can see him; if not, we’ll wait until tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay.”

At once, Xia Yuanba led Yun Che towards the main gate of the New Moon Profound Palace. At the entrance, they were stopped. The young man guarding the gate put out his hand to block Yun Che. “Only disciples of the Palace are permitted entry.”

Xia Yuanba hurriedly explained, “Brother Zhan, this is my brother-in-law; he has something to discuss with Elder Sikong.”

The person Xia Yuanba called “Brother Zhan,” his expression stern, said solemnly, “Normally, a disciple of the Palace can bring one guest inside, but not today. This evening is the new Palace Master’s inaugural banquet, and the Elders are all busy with preparations and cannot receive visitors. If you have something to discuss, please come back tomorrow.”

“This…” Xia Yuanba could only look helplessly at Yun Che.

Yun Che pondered for a moment, then took out the wooden token his grandfather had given him. He asked, “I wonder if this wooden token would allow me to enter and see Elder Sikong now?”

“Brother Zhan” glanced casually at the wooden token. Just as he was about to speak, his gaze sharply snapped back to it. Frowning, he asked, “This is… Elder Sikong’s Seven Profound Token? Oh, why didn’t you show this earlier? Please come in.”

With that, he retracted his outstretched arm, stepped back, and gestured for Yun Che and Xia Yuanba to enter.

Yun Che had just tried it on a whim, unexpectedly, it actually worked. After entering the New Moon Profound Palace, Xia Yuanba exclaimed, his face full of surprise, “Brother-in-law, how do you have Elder Sikong’s Seven Profound Token? Only the seven closest individuals to each Elder possess this token. With this token, anyone—even someone not officially affiliated with the New Moon Profound Palace—can enter at any time.”

“Sikong Han gave this token to my grandfather back then, perhaps to make it easier for my grandfather to visit him at the New Moon Profound Palace,” Yun Che explained. He thought to himself: *Sikong Han actually gave Grandpa a token like this. It seems the favor Grandpa did for him back then was no small matter.*

At once, Xia Yuanba led Yun Che directly towards the Elder’s Hall of the New Moon Profound Palace. Along the way, he told Yun Che about the New Moon Profound Palace and his experiences over the past half year.

Just then, Jasmine’s somewhat unusual voice suddenly echoed in Yun Che’s mind. “This person, is he your friend?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?” Yun Che was surprised that Jasmine would ask about Xia Yuanba.

“How old is he?”

“Fifteen and a half.”

“Fifteen and a half…” Jasmine mused for a moment, then said in a low voice, “This person actually possesses Tyrant Emperor Divine Veins!”

“Tyrant Emperor… Divine Veins?” Yun Che paused in his steps. Frowning, he asked, “What does that mean?”

“His profound veins are very unusual. The veins themselves are more than twice as wide as an ordinary person’s, and even their structure is vastly different. These profound veins are called Tyrant Emperor Divine Veins. Even among gods… Hmph. In short, they are an extremely rare type of profound veins. In the place where I was born, anyone with such profound veins would surely dominate an entire region and become an emperor. However, appearing in a place like this, they are nothing but crippled veins! The reason his body is excessively tall is precisely because of his Tyrant Emperor Divine Veins. While this isn’t obvious in the Elementary Profound Realm, once he steps into the Nascent Profound Realm and his profound energy matures, every subsequent level he advances will require at least ten times the effort of an ordinary person! Moreover, for his entire life, he will be stuck at the Nascent Profound Realm, forever unable to break through to the True Profound Realm.”

Yun Che: “…”

“Brother-in-law, we’ve arrived.”

Just as Yun Che was about to ask more questions, Xia Yuanba had already pulled him, standing before an Elder’s Hall.

“I’ll go see if Elder Sikong is in.”

Just as Xia Yuanba was about to step forward and knock, the door suddenly opened on its own. A man in dark robes, appearing to be in his forties or fifties, walked out. Seeing him, Xia Yuanba hurriedly went up to greet him. “Elder Sikong, so you are here, that’s great!”

This person was none other than Sikong Han, whom Yun Che had come to find. He looked a bit younger than Yun Che had imagined. Seeing Xia Yuanba, he smiled gently. “Oh? Yuanba, do you need something from me?”

“It’s my brother-in-law; he has something to discuss with you.” Xia Yuanba stepped aside, allowing Sikong Han to see Yun Che, who had been completely obscured by his massive frame until now.

Yun Che stepped forward and said politely, “Elder Sikong, your junior, Yun Che, is from Flowing Cloud City in the east. I wonder if Elder Sikong still remembers an old acquaintance from Flowing Cloud City named Xiao Lie?”

“Xiao Lie? Did you say Xiao Lie?”

Hearing this name, Sikong Han reacted far more strongly than Yun Che had anticipated. He strode over quickly and gripped Yun Che’s shoulders with both hands. “Where is he? Has he come to New Moon City?”

Yun Che shook his head. “No. Grandpa is still in Flowing Cloud City. I came here to find you at my grandfather’s instruction.”

With that, Yun Che took out the Seven Profound Token and presented it to Sikong Han.

Sikong Han picked up the token, let out a soft sigh, and exclaimed with emotion, “It’s been seven years. I’ve been meaning to visit him in Flowing Cloud City all these years, but I’ve never managed to. I hope this time, I can repay a little of the kindness he showed me back then.”

***

Below are the acknowledgements:

1. Sorted by the amount given by the generous donors:

3. There are so many generous donors that organizing them leaves me teary-eyed and dizzy. Any omissions, repetitions, or numerical errors are normal and not my responsibility ╭(╯╰)╮

3. Very long

Thanks to Bro_is_Legend for the 100,000 reward… You are a legend, and I am a legend among legends ︿(￣︶￣)︿

Thanks to Starflame_Jiong_Mengzhu for the 20,000 reward. Good Person Card 10086!

Thanks to Xiahou Lingxi for the 10,000 reward… To thank you for your overflowing love, I’ve decided to “push down” Xiao Lingxi first!

Thanks to Luojing Dad for the 100,000 reward, our true Golden Alliance Leader. Please accept my bow.

Thanks to Pure White Little Poor Person for the 100,000 reward… Aahhhhh! How dare you call yourself poor? What does that make us “losers” feel like?!

Thanks to Milkshake for the 100,000 reward… I recently received reliable information that this is truly a girl.

Thanks to Extinct_Love for the 100,000 reward… I’m 100% sure you copied that username from a website! Because I used it back in the day!!!!!

Thanks to Zhenyi for the 100,000 reward. Your writing talent is truly excellent! I’m even thinking of suggesting you write a novel (_)