Chapter 1480: Call Me Six Paths Commander

Inside the main hall of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

"Who did I think it was? Turns out it's you, old man!"

Jiang Fan watched the arriving crowd, rolling his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the elderly man leading them, who was clad in gleaming silver armor and resting a hand on a long saber.

"Seriously, where did you steal that getup?"

The old man, rail-thin with a snowy white beard, was dressed in the official uniform of the Imperial Astrological Bureau's Commander, exuding a businesslike demeanor.

If it hadn't been for the Heaven-Monitoring Precious Mirror, a relic Jiang Fan was all too familiar with, still hanging on his chest...

...Jiang Fan almost didn't recognize that it was actually Six Paths Master!

"Presumptuous! How dare you speak to this Commander like that?"

Six Paths Master's old eyes widened, and he declared with an air of inherent authority, "I am Six Paths, the newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Astrological Bureau!"

"I'm here for a routine inspection of various sects, checking their defenses."

"Deputy Pavilion Master Jiang, please cooperate with this Commander's work."

Jiang Fan's eyes nearly popped out.

Wait, wasn't Six Paths Master wanted by the Imperial Astrological Bureau, with Bai Xin actively pursuing him across the land?

How did he manage to become the Commander of the Imperial Astrological Bureau?

With an incredulous expression, he asked, "Old man, are you sure you're not pulling my leg?"

Six Paths Master snorted, "Bold! Disrespect this Commander again, and you'll face severe punishment!"

Jiang Fan was both amused and annoyed.

This old geezer, is he putting on airs now?

He slapped his seat, and the next moment, he teleported in front of Six Paths Master, throwing a punch.

The ten-zhang golden divine elephant, the Emperor Human Manifestation, and the Yellow Bell Earth Manifestation all burst forth with his punch.

Although Six Paths Master had also successfully broken through to the Eight Aperture Nascent Soul, his physical body was no match for Jiang Fan's.

He was immediately sent stumbling backward, falling hard onto the ground and creating a spiderweb of cracks.

"Ouch!" Six Paths Master gasped in pain, grumbling, "You brat, you're this harsh on an old man?"

Jiang Fan scoffed, "Who told you not to speak properly?"

Six Paths Master got up, rubbing his backside, and signaled to the group of Imperial Guards, "Everyone, please leave."

Once the hall was empty,

Six Paths Master glared fiercely at Jiang Fan. "Long time no see, and your cultivation has grown again!"

"You brat, you're truly a monster!"

Jiang Fan ignored him, instead examining his Imperial Astrological Bureau uniform and asking,

"How many pounds of fake wine did the Grand Wine Offering Priest drink to let a demonic fiend become the Commander of the Imperial Astrological Bureau?"

Six Paths Master straightened his chest, patted his chest armor, and said proudly,

"Just tell me, are you envious or not?"

"Hehehe, I also didn't expect the Grand Wine Offering Priest to let me atone for my sins by staying in the Imperial Astrological Bureau as a Commander."

"He's truly a good person."

Jiang Fan pondered.

The Grand Wine Offering Priest's actions must have deep considerations.

He wouldn't give someone with a bad reputation the opportunity to be a Commander without good reason.

Suddenly, he thought of something.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Bai Xin... is she your daughter?"

Upon hearing this,

Six Paths Master took the Heaven-Monitoring Precious Mirror from around his neck and pulled the Heart-Illuminating Ancient Mirror from his pocket.

He then handed both to Jiang Fan, his aged face brimming with a smile.

"They're no longer needed."

"They're all yours!"

Jiang Fan was momentarily stunned.

He quickly understood.

Six Paths Master's tireless search for the Heaven-Monitoring Precious Mirror and the Heart-Illuminating Ancient Mirror had only one purpose:

To find his lost daughter among the vast crowd.

Now that they were no longer needed, it meant his daughter had been found.

A surge of joy welled up from deep within Jiang Fan.

It was joy for Six Paths Master.

After sixty years, Six Paths Master finally fulfilled his lifelong wish as his death approached.

He patted Six Paths Master heavily on the shoulder, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

"Congratulations, old man."

"You two, father and daughter, are finally reunited."

Six Paths Master's eyes became moist, brimming with uncontrollable tears of joy.

He bent down and bowed deeply to Jiang Fan.

"Thank you for letting me fulfill my wish."

"And for letting this withered body resolve the regrets of this life before I enter the earth."

If Jiang Fan hadn't reminded him to look at Bai Xin, Six Paths Master would never have realized, even until his dying day,

That Bai Xin, who had been pursuing him all along, was his long-lost daughter.

Jiang Fan helped him up. "There's no need for formalities between us."

Jiang Fan and Six Paths Master had traveled a long path together, sometimes as adversaries, sometimes as friends, sometimes as teacher and student.

Six Paths Master had achieved his wish, and Jiang Fan was genuinely happy for him.

"Have you and your daughter recognized each other?" Jiang Fan asked.

Six Paths Master shook his head. "No."

"She lost all her memories from before her disappearance and doesn't recognize me."

Jiang Fan was stunned.

He had once reminded Bai Xin to see Six Paths Master's true form.

He had hoped Bai Xin would recall her biological father.

He hadn't expected Bai Xin to have forgotten the past.

This must be the Grand Wine Offering Priest's doing.

Furthermore, according to their previous estimations, Six Paths Master's daughter should now be a white-haired old woman.

Yet, Bai Xin still maintained her youthful appearance, likely because the Grand Wine Offering Priest had sealed her for sixty years using some secret technique, only awakening her in recent years.

Jiang Fan, surprised, then said, "Since you're also in the Imperial Astrological Bureau, you must see Bai Xin often."

"Why don't you reveal her true identity?"

"Bai Xin is very intelligent; she would discern the truth of your words herself."

"You two could easily recognize each other..."

However, before Jiang Fan could finish, Six Paths Master quickly interrupted him.

"Absolutely not!"

"I came today not only to give you the Heaven-Monitoring Precious Mirror and the Heart-Illuminating Ancient Mirror, but also because I heard of your return and came specifically to warn you."

"Please, do not tell Bai Xin that I am her biological father."

Jiang Fan was startled. "Why?"

Wasn't finding his daughter Six Paths Master's lifelong obsession?

Now that his daughter was right before him, he was unwilling for them to be reunited?

Six Paths Master's eyes showed shame. "She strives for righteousness and abhors evil."

"And I have committed many evil deeds over the years; I am precisely the kind of person she despises most."

"If she knew I was her father, where would that leave her?"

"To acknowledge me would go against the sense of justice in her heart."

"Not to acknowledge me would violate filial piety."

"So, don't make things difficult for her."

Jiang Fan frowned. "Then what's the point of finding her?"

Six Paths Master chuckled. "I sought her simply to know if my child has been doing well all these years."

"Now she is the renowned Commander of the Tai Cang Great Prefecture, a respected paragon of the righteous path."

"I'm relieved."

"As for not being able to recognize each other, while it's a bit regrettable, I am content simply to be by her side and watch her walk her own path."

Jiang Fan was deeply moved.

Such was a parent's heart.

From a spirited middle-aged man, he had searched for sixty years, becoming an old man on the verge of death.

All for the sake of seeing if his child was well.

He even dared not acknowledge her, choosing to remain a stranger for her sake.

He finally understood why the Grand Wine Offering Priest had allowed Six Paths Master to atone for his sins and serve as a Commander.

It was to fulfill Six Paths Master's wish.

Allowing him to accompany his daughter for a while in the last moments of his life.

At the same time, it was also a form of amends from the Grand Wine Offering Priest.

It was the Grand Wine Offering Priest who had taken Bai Xin away in the first place, leading to Six Paths Master's wandering life.

Although the Grand Wine Offering Priest's intention was to prevent Bai Xin from becoming a true demon and harming the common people,

he still ultimately harmed Six Paths Master.

He patted Six Paths Master on the shoulder and nodded gravely.

"I will keep your secret."

Six Paths Master thought for a moment, then pulled out a stack of documents from his robe and said,

"I said that if you helped me find my daughter, I would kowtow to thank you."

"You certainly wouldn't let me kowtow."

"So, I'll thank you with this instead."