As they flew, the three soon arrived at Dingfeng Mountain.
"Master! Mistresses!"
Hu Zhou and Gao Junyu were practicing martial arts at the mid-mountain square of Dingfeng Mountain when they heard Lu Zheng's voice announcing his visit. They quickly rode the Wind-controlling Banner into the air to greet them.
"Little Zhou!"
Seeing Hu Zhou, the three of them also smiled.
The Wind-controlling Banner wrapped Hu Zhou and Gao Junyu in a breeze, bringing them closer to the trio.
"Did Master and Mistresses co to see ?" Hu Zhou said cheekily, then suddenly paused and asked in surprise, "Why are you coming from the south?"
"We went to visit an elder first," Lu Zheng replied with a smile, and then noticed two figures flying out from the top of Dingfeng Mountain, greeting with cupped hands, "Brother Hu! Madam Hu!"
The newcors were indeed Hu Yijun and Hu Zhou's mother, Wang Yuzhi.
Hu Yijun's tiger-like eyes glinted with a faint golden light, discerning the Dao Practice of the three, and he burst into laughter, "Congratulations!"
Lu Zheng cupped his hands in salute, Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan both bowed, "Greetings, Brother Hu!"
"Great, great! Please co in!"
Hu Yijun personally welcod them, while a few more figures rose into the air from below, all subordinates of the Great Demons of Dingfeng Mountain.
They had t Lu Zheng before and had seen Liu Qingyan during Hu Zhou's wedding, and now, less than two years later, the two had already advanced so much.
The Central Plains truly is a land of outstanding heroes.
"Brother Da Lu!" Lu Zheng waved to another Tiger Demon, none other than Hu Dalu, who helped him deal with Saintess Xueyi back in the day.
Hu Dalu returned the gesture with pride.
Hu Yijun soon led the trio into the grand hall at the mountain top, waving to attendants to prepare a banquet.
"Did you co to the Southern Border for important matters, Younger Brother Lu?" Hu Yijun asked.
"Nothing in particular," Lu Zheng laughed, "I haven't been here in a long ti, so while I had so free ti after the New Year, I visited an elder and then ca to Dingfeng Mountain for a few als."
Hu Yijun laughed heartily, "A few als? I fear you won't have ti to eat; those guys have been longing for your personally cooked roast for a long ti!"
Lu Zheng laughed at that, "In that case, make sure to prepare the at in advance for ."
"Young Master Lu, we just dealt with a crazed Ox Demon yesterday, three zhang long, definitely enough to eat," Hu Dalu chid in.
Lu Zheng was speechless, "A three-zhang-long Ox Demon, are you planning to put in the kitchen?"
Everyone laughed at that.
Lu Zheng patted his gourd, taking out a large jar of barbecue marinade, "Cut the beef and marinate it, I'll roast it tonight."
"Alrighty!"
Then there were twenty jars of Wuliangye and twenty jars of Flower Carved Wine.
"Tonight, we won't stop until we're drunk!"
"Roar!"
"Chirp!"
"Howl!"
"Wail!"
In the grand hall, eerie howls resonated, filled with non-human excitent; if ordinary people were present, the sound alone might have frightened them unconscious.
Hu Yijun waved the demons away, then curiously asked with a smile, "Has Younger Brother Lu made acquaintance with another Great Demon in the Southern Border, even south of Dingfeng Mountain?"
The Southern Border's Hundred Thousand Mountains are full of peril and countless experts. Despite Lu Zheng safely arriving at Dingfeng Mountain, Hu Yijun intended to inquire and gauge his background.
Lu Zheng, concealing nothing, nodded, "Wansong Mountain, Wansong Daoist."
Hu Yijun's tiger eyes widened, and he couldn't help but gasp, "Him?"
Lu Zheng nodded, seeing that Hu Yijun was not on par with Wansong Daoist, it seed he was not on par with Si Lingxi either.
"Does Brother Hu know Elder Wansong?"
"Of course, I do. He's an ancient pine that turned into a spirit with profound Dao Practice, possessing imnse Magical Power," Hu Yijun said.
Hearing it was Wansong Daoist, Hu Yijun felt at ease, as this great elder rarely left his place and had a peaceful disposition, aning he would harbor no ill intentions toward Lu Zheng.
But...
Not ntioning past issues, just talking about the past thousand years, Wansong Daoist, not to ntion going to the Central Plains, probably hadn't even left Wansong Mountain much.
And Wansong Mountain lies deep within the Southern Border, surrounded by countless Great Demons, so Lu Zheng certainly wouldn't venture into the Hundred Thousand Mountains without cause.
No matter how Hu Yijun thought about it, he couldn't comprehend how Lu Zheng ca to know Wansong Daoist.
So, curious, Hu Yijun directly asked, "How did you co to know him?"
"Through playing chess," Lu Zheng replied, "Does Brother Hu know Elder Song Kaichuan?"
Hu Yijun shook his head, "I don't know him."
"Here's what happened..."
Lu Zheng then recounted how he ca to know Song Kaichuan through the Stalactite Essence and was then introduced to Wansong Daoist by him.
"My chess skill was decent; I helped Elder Wansong with a small favor and learned a cultivation technique from him, which I passed on to Qingyan. This ti, I went to visit Elder Wansong to express my gratitude," Lu Zheng said.
Lu Zheng only gave a general outline and didn't ntion the dream chess ga or the legacy of Chi Songzi, not because he didn't trust Hu Yijun, but because it was related to Wansong Daoist and inappropriate to disclose widely.
Hu Yijun understood; he might not know about the dream chess, but he was aware of how high Wansong Daoist's chess skill was.
Because his friend, Master Qingyang, was a chess expert, and had once been invited to Wansong Mountain for a ga with Wansong Daoist.
And then... nothing further happened...
And helping with a small favor?
Ha! For soone like Wansong Daoist, there's no such thing as a small favor!
So it must be that Lu Zheng's exceptional chess skills allowed him to render significant assistance to Wansong Daoist, which warranted passing on a cultivation technique and the fact that he could visit with his two wives again.
Evidently, Lu Zheng had caught the eye of Wansong Daoist, and their relationship was evidently amiable.
"Not bad! Not bad!"
Hu Yijun grinned, his facial hair curling up with his smile, "If your chess skills are impressive, you should visit Wansong Mountain more often to play chess with him.
Being an ancient pine spirit, he is long-lived and thriving, with abundant Spiritual Qi in Wansong Mountain and countless Spirit dicines and Spirit Fruits.
Ordinary folks have no chance of picking them, but to him, they are useless. Even a little leakage between his fingers would be an Immortal Pill or miraculous dicine for you."
Everyone laughed at the remark.
Though sowhat pragmatic, Hu Yijun's suggestion genuinely had Lu Zheng's best interest at heart.
So Lu Zheng said with a smile, "To be honest, Brother Hu, the cultivation technique I acquired from Elder Wansong pertains to alchemy, and Qingyan's studies surpass mine. This visit to Elder Wansong even gained us a box of excellent dicinal herbs."
Liu Qingyan also cheerfully took out two bottles of elixirs from her waist pouch, handing them to Hu Zhou and Gao Junyu, "I was planning to give these to you before leaving, but since it's ntioned now, I'll give them to you early."
"No, no, no!"
"No need, no need!"
Hu Zhou and Gao Junyu waved their hands repeatedly.
Liu Qingyan, rarely asserting her authority, said, "I am your Mistress, take it!"
Hu Zhou and Gao Junyu exchanged glances, then reached out to accept, bowing to express their gratitude.
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