Chapter 930: The Master’s Retirement

Black lightning…No injuries…Thirteen months of pregnancy!?

“Little Master? Little Master!” Xiao Hong’s two consecutive calls made Yun Che look up from his contemplation. Black lightning, by his understanding of profound arts, should simply not exist. And thirteen months of pregnancy, according to his medical knowledge, should be impossible for humans. Even if it were possible, the child born would certainly not be normal… Yet Xiao Lingxi has been perfectly healthy since birth; in his memory, she was never sick from childhood to adulthood.

“So that’s why Grandma passed away,” Yun Che murmured, his heart filled with doubt. Given his current standing, there should be nothing on the Profound Sky Continent beyond his comprehension. But if Xiao Hong’s account was true, then neither the black lightning nor the thirteen-month pregnancy leading to Xiao Lingxi’s birth could be explained by his understanding.

Just like the hundred pounds of Purple Veined Divine Crystals found here, which also defied explanation.

“Yes,” Xiao Hong sighed softly. “However, the master never mentioned this to anyone. After all, encountering heavenly lightning for no reason could be twisted into a divine punishment if word got out. Later, when the madam passed, the master always told outsiders that she had fallen ill from sorrow and eventually wasted away. He never came here again after that. This is also why he never allowed you or the young lady near this place.”

“…I understand,” Yun Che nodded slightly. “Grandpa Hong, thank you for telling me this.”

“Haha,” Xiao Hong smiled faintly. “After the master returned this time, his complexion is much better, and he looks quite radiant; I am also greatly relieved. Regarding the madam, it’s best not to bring it up in front of the master, lest it reopen old wounds.”

“Understood, I know,” Yun Che replied.

Xiao Hong headed east, continuing his search for the Kalmia flower. Yun Che remained in place for a long time, pondering Xiao Hong’s words, but he couldn’t make any sense of them. Finally, he sighed slightly and murmured to himself, “Forget it, it happened over twenty years ago. Who knows what really happened? Black lightning… it was most likely an illusion. Thirteen months of pregnancy… the only possibility is that the first three months were a misdiagnosis of pregnancy.”

Yun Che provided himself with this final explanation and stopped dwelling on the matter. After all, more than two decades had passed, the dead were gone, and Xiao Lingxi had grown up safely. Dwelling on those strange-sounding events from that time was not only impossible to trace but also utterly meaningless.

Yun Che rose and flew back to Flowing Cloud City. On the way, he took out a sound-transmitting jade and found a communication imprint he had left years ago.

“Hua Minghai, where are you now?”

The transmission was completed. Within a few breaths, a response quickly came from the sound-transmitting jade, and an incredibly excited voice rang out: “Yun Che… Big Brother, is that really you? Am I… dreaming?”

“Of course it’s me. Where are you now?”

“I… I’m north of Divine Phoenix City, less than ten miles outside the city,” Hua Minghai’s voice still conveyed deep excitement.

“North of Divine Phoenix City?” Yun Che’s eyes twitched, and he immediately stopped in mid-air. He quickly replied, “Stay there; don’t move. I’ll come to you right away… and I’ll bring you a gift.”

Putting down the sound-transmitting jade, Yun Che swiftly flew back to Flowing Cloud City, grabbed a person from Luo Chi’s hand, and then used the Primordial Profound Ark to directly teleport to a spot ten miles north of Divine Phoenix City’s north gate.

Although many years had passed, Hua Minghai’s aura was still familiar to him. The moment he appeared, Yun Che pinpointed his location, then descended directly from the sky, landing in front of him.

Hua Minghai was still tightly clutching the sound-transmitting jade, barely recovering from the excitement of Yun Che’s message, when he suddenly saw Yun Che appear before him. His hands trembled, and he nearly dropped the jade, exclaiming with immense excitement, “Big Brother Yun!! You… I… Ah! Xiaoya, quick, quickly thank our benefactor!”

As always when Yun Che saw Hua Minghai, he was disguised, and it was a double disguise. Beside him was a gentle and elegant woman with clear eyes and no sign of weakness. Hearing Hua Minghai’s words, she quickly stepped forward, about to bow: “This humble servant, Ru Xiaoya, thanks Big Brother Yun Che for your life-saving grace…”

“Cough…” Yun Che quickly raised a hand, and a surge of profound energy forcibly supported both of them. He said with a helpless expression, “You scoundrel, back then you acted like you feared nothing under heaven and that you were the greatest. Why are you so prim and proper now?”

“Hahahaha,” Hua Minghai laughed heartily. “Of course, I’m not afraid of others; I’ve been in and out of the Divine Phoenix Sect dozens of times. But Big Brother Yun is different. You are now the most renowned person in the continent, the one and only throughout history; even the Four Sacred Grounds are under your heel… Phew, I really didn’t expect that the person I met back then in Divine Phoenix City would be such a great figure. My utter defeat back then was truly no injustice at all.”

“Not only was it no injustice, it could almost be considered the greatest accomplishment of a lifetime worth boasting about,” the woman beside him said with a smile.

“Hehe, that’s…” Hua Minghai’s smile widened, then suddenly froze. He had just clearly seen the person Yun Che was holding. Although the face had completely lost its usual imposing aura, even if it turned to ash, he would never mistake it.

“Ye… Xuan… Ge!!” Hua Minghai’s face instantly became distorted, his pupils filled with an intensely murderous aura, and his hands clenched tightly. As he uttered the name, the woman beside him also trembled all over, clutching Hua Minghai’s arm tightly.

Yun Che extended a hand and tossed Ye Xuange at Hua Minghai’s feet. He said, “Ye Meixie is dead. All the Sun and Moon Divine Envoys and elder-level figures of the Sun and Moon Divine Hall have also perished, leaving only this Ye Xuange. Because you once said that the person you most wanted to kill in the Sun and Moon Divine Hall was Ye Xuange. His profound energy has been crippled. Whether you want him dead or to suffer a fate worse than death, it’s up to you. The Sun and Moon Divine Hall will also soon be erased from the Profound Sky Continent, so you don’t need to have any worries.”

Yun Che had gone to great lengths to specifically leave Ye Xuange for Hua Minghai, and it wasn’t merely because of a single sentence he’d said earlier. He absolutely refused to owe anyone favors, so he used Ye Xuange to repay the gift of the Phantom Lightning Cultivation Technique back then. After all, the Phantom Lightning Cultivation Technique had greatly helped him over the years and had saved his life multiple times.

“Big Brother Yun… I…” Hua Minghai looked up, so overwhelmed with emotion that he didn’t know how to express himself. Ye Xuange, sprawled on the ground, struggled to lift his head, trying to make out Hua Minghai’s appearance. He gasped unwillingly, “You… who exactly are you… What enmity… do I have with you, old man?”

“What enmity?” Hua Minghai lowered his head, his gaze becoming incredibly sinister. “Old thief Ye, do you remember the name Hua Guhuan?!!”

“Ah…” Ye Xuange’s face froze, then he suddenly remembered something. “You… you… you are Ghost Shadow Holy Hand Hua Minghai!”

“Yes, it’s me!” Hua Minghai wiped his face, directly removing his disguise to reveal his original features. “Your Sun and Moon Divine Hall pursued my Thief God Clan for generations to seize the Phantom Lightning Cultivation Technique! My parents, moreover, tragically died at your old thieving hands… Now, I, Hua Minghai, am the only one left of the Thief God Clan! My wife also suffered from your cold poison back then and nearly died… I’ve dreamt of tearing you limb from limb! Today, you have finally fallen into my hands!!”

Amidst his furious roar, Hua Minghai suddenly grabbed down with his palm and slammed his fist onto Ye Xuange’s head. Ye Xuange, now crippled, could not possibly withstand it; his eyes rolled back, and he instantly fainted.

“How do you plan to deal with him?” Yun Che asked. Judging by Hua Minghai’s demeanor, he didn’t seem to intend to kill him immediately.

Hua Minghai stomped on Ye Xuange hard, still seething with hatred. He took a slight breath and said, “Killing him directly would be letting him off too easily. I plan to take him to my homeland and use his blood to pay tribute to the spirits of my parents.”

“Understood.” Yun Che nodded, then took out an Overlord Pellet and handed it to Hua Minghai. “This is an Overlord Pellet. When your profound energy reaches the peak of the King Profound Realm in the future, it can help you quickly break through the bottleneck and achieve the Overlord level.”

Hua Minghai’s mouth dropped open. As “Ghost Shadow Holy Hand,” who had touched countless rare treasures, how could he not know how precious a pill capable of breaking through the Overlord bottleneck was? However, he didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, he shook his head and said, “Big Brother Yun, you’ve helped me avenge my great hatred; I already have no way to repay you. How can I accept something so precious from you again?”

“Don’t worry,” Yun Che smiled. “To me, it’s just an ordinary item. I still have over a thousand of them.”

Hua Minghai still shook his head. He reached out and took the hand of the woman beside him, his expression becoming much calmer. “Such a precious item shouldn’t be wasted on me. Because from now on, the name ‘Ghost Shadow Holy Hand’ should no longer exist on the Profound Sky Continent.”

“Oh?” Yun Che was slightly taken aback. “Are you going to…”

Hua Minghai and the woman beside him exchanged smiles. “My grandparents and parents all met with misfortune one after another. I am the only successor left of our Thief God Clan, which has long been a name in vain. After so many years of turmoil, I now understand perfectly what I truly desire. In those years, I plundered everywhere to gather profound crystals to extend Xiaoya’s life. Now, it’s time for me to pay my debts. Moreover, the Phantom Lightning Cultivation Technique now has the most remarkable successor in history, so I haven’t disgraced the clan’s honor.”

Yun Che took back the Overlord Pellet, smiling and nodding. “That’s good. Recovering something lost truly makes one see many things they didn’t before. Although you are a successor of the Thief God, perhaps a peaceful life will suit you better.”

“However, my sound-transmitting imprint won’t change,” Hua Minghai vowed earnestly. “If Big Brother Yun commands it, I would stake my life without a moment’s hesitation.”

“You should put more thought into continuing the lineage of your Thief God clan.”

Yun Che laughed heartily, waved a hand at Hua Minghai, and then flew directly into the sky, disappearing into the distance.

“Big Brother Yun… I will never forget you!!” Behind him, Hua Minghai’s full-throated shout echoed.

Hua Minghai’s voice gradually faded with the wind. A comforting, faint smile touched Yun Che’s lips. As the sole successor of the Thief God Clan, for the sake of his beloved, recovered from loss, he chose to abandon the title he had always been proud of. From now on, he would live a quiet, ordinary life in seclusion, secretly performing acts of chivalry to atone for past misdeeds… Perhaps, compared to a life of grand exploits and world-shaking fame, this was the most perfect life.

This was Hua Minghai’s decision… There were indeed some matters he himself needed to decide upon soon.

For example, after bringing Xuanyuan Wentian before Xiao Lie and avenging him, he could finally speak to him about Xiao Lingxi…