"Young friend Hong Yu, may we et?"
The man stood in the small courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, a calm and gentle air about him.
His arrival was utterly bizarre—one might even call it mystical!
His feet never touched the ground, constantly hovering half a foot in the air. Yet despite his ethereal drift, he projected a sense of profound weight, as if connected to the very earth itself.
The sight of his back was like that of a towering mountain peak, yet when you saw his face and its gentle smile, you felt as if you were looking at a kindly uncle from next door.
This strange combination of impressions rged seamlessly within one person, creating no sense of incongruity whatsoever.
"CREAK!"
The door opened softly. Hong Yu squinted, sizing up the visitor before bowing respectfully. "This junior, Hong Yu, greets you, Senior!"
Though he did his best to appear calm, he could not conceal his inner turmoil.
With his current Spiritual Power, he could detect even an Early-stage Primordial Core Realm expert approaching this place. And yet, this man was standing right in front of him, and if not for seeing him with his own two eyes, Hong Yu would have been completely unable to perceive his presence.
It was a feeling of being completely out of his depth, sothing he had never experienced before.
And it was a feeling Hong Yu despised more than any other!
The mysterious middle-aged man's black eyes were as placid as an ancient well. He looked Hong Yu up and down for a long mont before nodding slightly. "'His heart is in turmoil, yet he is as steady as Mount Tai. He may be young, but a fierce tiger dwells within!' Not bad, not bad at all. No wonder those two, Zheng Tian and Blood the First, were both defeated by you!"
Hong Yu shuddered.
'Under the man's gaze, it felt as if everything about had beco transparent, laid completely bare.'
His eyes flickered as he asked tentatively, "Senior, may I ask who you are?"
The mysterious man smiled faintly. His calm voice was like a gentle spring breeze, unconsciously setting Hong Yu's heart at ease. "My na is Yuan Cang! Perhaps you have not heard my na, but you should have heard the title of Sect Leader of the Guiyuan Sect, yes?"
"You're the Sect Leader of the Guiyuan Sect?"
Hong Yu's heart skipped a beat.
In that instant, every nerve in his body tensed, and he beca wary of the man, Yuan Cang.
'My relationship with the Guiyuan Sect is not exactly great!'
'Never mind the fact that I defeated Huo Yan in the youth Spiritual Craftsman competition. After that, during the Celestial Essence Secret Realm trial, the Guiyuan Sect had victory firmly in its grasp, only for to ruin everything for them.'
'Granted, they probably couldn't be certain that the Celestial Essence Stone was on .'
'But given Zheng Tian's and Wang Ba's attitudes toward and our antagonistic relationship, they would definitely make their pri suspect.'
'Now that Yuan Cang has appeared here... could he have co for the Celestial Essence Stone?'
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Hong Yu began trying to figure out how he could escape.
But Yuan Cang seed to see right through him, smiling. "There's no need to worry. I haven't co for any other reason. I'm here purely for you!"
"For ?"
Hong Yu looked at Yuan Cang in confusion.
Yuan Cang nodded, and with a flick of his finger, a dark gold Token flew into Hong Yu's hand.
The Token was about the size of his palm, unadorned save for two words branded on its surfaces: "Return" on the front, and "Origin" on the back.
But as he held the Token, he felt a strange sensation from it. It was clearly branded with two Spirit Array Runes.
With his keen eye and knowledge of Spirit Array Runes, Hong Yu could tell at a glance that one was for offense and the other for defense; both were Tier Three Spirit Array Runes.
In other words, judging by the Refining technique alone, the Token in his hand was comparable to an Earth-level Lower Grade Primordial Weapon.
"Sect Leader Yuan, what is this?"
Yuan Cang smiled faintly. "Consider this Guiyuan Order a small welco gift. At the sa ti, consider it my apology on behalf of Elder Wang and the others for their transgressions. I hope you will not hold a grudge against our Guiyuan Sect over past grievances. And, of course, I hope that if the opportunity arises in the future, you might lend our Guiyuan Sect a hand."
Hong Yu was shaken to the core.
Yuan Cang's words sounded simple enough, but seeing the crafty, fox-like glint in his eyes, Hong Yu found he couldn't fathom the man's intentions at all.
'It was that feeling again—of everything being completely beyond his control.'
Seeing Hong Yu's furrowed brow, Yuan Cang chuckled. "You needn't be so wary of . If you truly feel uneasy accepting this, then all I ask is that you promise to help the Guiyuan Sect if we ever face a great calamity in the future. That will be enough!"
Hong Yu stared intently at Yuan Cang.
'The renowned leader of the Guiyuan Sect, a supre expert who can co and go as he pleases from the Beichen Mansion—a place guarded by the Primordial Core Realm expert Beichen Ba—is actually saying sothing like this to ?'
'Could it be... he knows my secrets?'
'The Profound Celestial Tower? Rashomon? Or the Celestial Essence Stone?'
Hong Yu's mind reeled, but he couldn't find a single clue. By the ti he looked up again, Yuan Cang was already gone.
Only Yuan Cang's voice remained, echoing softly in his ears. "Young friend, do not be overly concerned. I do not have so grand sche in mind. As for the reason, you will co to understand it in the future. I only hope you will rember my words today. If the Guiyuan Sect faces a great calamity, I pray you will intervene and resolve it!"
Yuan Cang had ntioned the Guiyuan Sect facing a great calamity three tis in a row. This puzzled Hong Yu, but it also made him sowhat inclined to accept the man's explanation.
'At least for now, it doesn't seem like Yuan Cang has any ill intentions.'
With this thought, Hong Yu cupped his hands toward the empty air. "If it is within my power, this junior will not stand idly by!"
There was no response from Yuan Cang; he had presumably already left.
After putting the Token away, Hong Yu headed out the door. He needed to go to Beichen Celestial Frost's chambers and check on her condition.
Beyond that, he was also naturally curious about how Beichen Ba had dealt with Wang Fei and the others.
As he walked, Hong Yu noticed that the way the Beichen Family servants looked at him had changed dramatically.
Before...
While they had been polite to him on account of Beichen Celestial Frost, it had mostly been a perfunctory courtesy.
But now, everyone who saw him was deeply respectful, so even addressing him with a hint of awe as "Mr. Hong." While this puzzled Hong Yu, he guessed it was likely related to his victory over Blood the First the day before.
Since Beichen Ba was now out of seclusion, and more importantly, was Little Feng's father, Hong Yu felt it was only proper to pay his respects to him first.
Just as he reached the main hall, he saw an elegant, scholarly-looking old man in an azure robe rushing toward him, calling out from a distance as soon as he spotted him.
"Might you be Hong Yu?" the old man asked.
Hong Yu nodded. "I am. And you are...?"
The old man spoke quickly. "I am the Chief Steward of the Beichen Family. I was previously away managing the comrce association's business and am rarely in the clan, so it's only natural that Young Hero Hong doesn't recognize ."
"Ah, the Chief Steward. Is there sothing I can help you with?" Hong Yu asked.
The old man slapped his forehead, then grabbed Hong Yu's hand and started trotting toward the entrance. "Hurry, the Third Princess and the experts from the Royal Family are waiting outside! Our Patriarch and the Young Master are waiting out there as well. We're just waiting on you!"
"Huh?"
Hong Yu was stunned.
'The Third Princess? Sister Qin?'
'They ca to the Beichen Family to find ? What for? Don't tell the matter of the Celestial Essence Stone has been exposed!'
Still bewildered, Hong Yu arrived outside the magnificent gates of the Beichen Family estate.
「At that mont...」
A lavish honor guard was arrayed in neat rows. The Third Princess, Sister Qin, was seated primly upon her Chariot. Everyone except Beichen Ba—including Little Feng, Wang Fei, and Beichen Huo—was kneeling on the ground in a respectful salute.
Hong Yu's arrival imdiately drew everyone's attention.
Beichen Ba gave a slight nod, revealing no emotion. Little Feng shot Hong Yu a wide grin, though Hong Yu had no idea what the young man's situation was. As for Wang Fei and Beichen Huo, they were both glaring daggers at Hong Yu with venomous hatred.
'If Hong Yu hadn't appeared, they would have already killed Little Feng, eliminated Beichen Celestial Frost, and seized control of the Beichen Comrce Association.'
'It was all because Hong Yu's appearance had alerted Beichen Ba, leading to the two of them getting a harsh lecture from the Patriarch yesterday. Their ultimate fate now depended entirely on Beichen Ba's mood.'
Hong Yu frowned. "Hong Yu greets the Third Princess!"
"There's no need for such formalities, Hong Yu!"
Sister Qin replied, her gaze toward Hong Yu sowhat complicated.
She had already learned from the experts who returned from the Celestial Essence Secret Realm that Qin Mutian had died during the confrontation between Hong Yu and Zheng Tian.
It was said that the Celestial Family was without sentint, but he was her brother, after all, and he had died at the hands of another. In the end, Sister Qin still felt a certain distance between them.
However, when she recalled her father the King's instructions, she sighed softly. "Hong Yu, I have co this ti bearing a royal decree from my father. Hong Yu, prepare to receive the decree!"
"..."
Hong Yu paused for a mont, but he remained standing. He did not kneel.
'A man's knees are as precious as gold. He kneels only to heaven and earth, and to his parents!'
'Why should I kneel for the ruler of a re mortal kingdom?'
Sister Qin rely frowned, showing no displeasure. She was accustod to geniuses who disdained royal authority. Though she might feel annoyed, she would never let it show on her face.
This was Sister Qin in her role as a princess, unconsciously resorting to the ploys of royalty, no longer the pure and simple girl from back in Shishui City.
"The King proclaims..."
Sister Qin's clear, cool voice slowly read out the decree.
The decree first praised Hong Yu's outstanding performance in the Celestial Essence Secret Realm, which had prevented the Royal Family from losing too much face. It then went on to comnd Hong Yu's talent and skill in the way of the Spiritual Craftsman. It even affird and recognized his talent in the Martial Dao.
When Sister Qin finally announced the reward from King Qin Feng, everyone held their breath, rendered speechless. "By royal decree, Hong Yu is to be ennobled as a Kingdom Marquis, with the title of 'Heroic and Brave Marquis'! He is to be granted the border stronghold of Xifeng City, near the Fengyue Kingdom, and a fiefdom of one million square kiloters under its jurisdiction, along with one hundred million Gold Coins!"
Hong Yu's mind couldn't quite process it.
In a Kingdom, the highest peerage was typically that of a Marquis. Generally speaking, one had to be a founding hero of the nation to be granted such a title.
For the King of the Qin Kingdom to offer such a lavish reward was proof of just how important Hong Yu was in his eyes.
It was clear he was being grood to be a pillar of the kingdom, a mainstay of the state!
Hong Yu accepted the royal decree, feeling sowhat dazed.
'A disciple from a minor branch family in the Fengyue Kingdom... and now, just over a year later, I've suddenly beco a Marquis in the strongest kingdom in the south, the Qin Kingdom?'
Amidst his excitent, Hong Yu also knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
'The greater the reward the Qin Kingdom bestows upon now, the higher the price I will have to repay to the Qin Royal Family in the future!'
Beichen Ba studied Hong Yu intently, then glanced at the equally excited Beichen Feng, and finally at the venomous faces of Wang Fei and Beichen Huo.
The wavering thought in his mind finally solidified into a decision. A grim Leng Yi flashed in the depths of his eyes as he looked toward Wang Fei.
Beichen Ba looked at Sister Qin, then at Hong Yu, and said in a deep voice...
"Third Princess, Heroic and Brave Marquis, I have a decision to announce today, and I hope you two will serve as my witnesses!"
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