Lin Mu's companions had heard about the events of the Xiaofan World before. They knew the general outline. A great conflict. A powerful enemy that had invaded his world. A struggle that had shaped Lin Mu into who he was.
But hearing it now...
From soone who had been there....
It felt different.
More real.
More tangible.
"No wonder," Daoist Chu said slowly. "You handled things so well in the Rust Sky World and the Silent Lotus World."
He looked at Lin Mu with newfound understanding.
"You already had experience in war," he continued. "And in managing alliances."
Jing Wei nodded firmly.
"Of course he did," he said.
Lin Mu gave a small, sowhat embarrassed smile.
"I just did what needed to be done," he said.
But he did not deny it.
There was no need.
After a brief pause, Lin Mu's expression shifted.
The excitent returned.
There was sothing he had wanted to ask from the very beginning.
"Jing Wei," he said.
The man looked at him.
"How did you end up here?"
The question carried weight.
This place was not sowhere one simply wandered into. It was deep within a shattered world, hidden beneath layers of stone and lava, far from any ordinary path.
Jing Wei's expression changed slightly.
He exhaled.
"That..." he said slowly, "is a long story."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"One that is better told with good wine and proper food."
Lin Mu chuckled softly.
"That sounds like you," he said.
Jing Wei turned slightly, gesturing toward the distance.
"Co," he said. "I will take you to a place where we can talk." Lin Mu's eyes sharpened.
"Mantleheim?" he asked.
Jing Wei paused.
A hint of surprise appeared on his face.
"So you know about it," he said.
Lin Mu nodded.
"Yes," he replied. "I have been following your traces."
Jing Wei's brows furrowed slightly.
"I ca across so Rune Dwarves," Lin Mu continued. "They pointed in the right direction."
Lin Mu took a slow breath, the excitent within him settling just enough for him to speak clearly.
Jing Wei stood before him, alive and well, far beyond what Lin Mu had ever imagined when he first began searching for the dwarves. The coincidence felt too great to be called chance, and yet here they were, reunited in a place buried deep within a shattered world.
"I have to explain how I got here," Lin Mu said, looking at Jing Wei with a steady gaze. "It is a long trail.""
Jing Wei folded his arms and gave a faint smile. "I figured as much. You always did have a habit of chasing things to the very end."
Lin Mu chuckled softly at that before continuing. "It started with a need," he said. "I was searching for dwarves to help forge a special weapon. Sothing that required craftsmanship beyond what most could offer."
Daoist Chu and the others listened quietly as Lin Mu spoke, realizing that this was not just an explanation for Jing Wei, but a story that connected many of the events they had experienced together.
"I found my first lead in the Nine Seas World," Lin Mu continued. "There, I ca across a group of Rune Dwarves. They were not easy to find, and even harder to gain the trust of. But once I did, they gave a clue."
Jing Wei raised a brow slightly, clearly intrigued.
"They told about a hidden dwarven base," Lin Mu said. "A place that was not recorded in any maps. A place near the Fox Scion World. They said it was
hidden within the remains of a broken world."
"The Runweld Barren World," Jing Wei said quietly.
Lin Mu nodded. "Yes. That was the na they gave ."
He paused for a mont, recalling the journey.
"But before I arrived there, I found sothing else," he said. "In the Martial Fist King World, I ca across a dwarven sword. It was not ordinary. It carried a
mark."
Jing Wei's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The mark of the Jing Clan," Lin Mu said.
The words carried weight.
Everyone present could feel it.
Jing Wei's expression shifted, the faint smile on his face turning into sothing
more serious, though still touched with amusent.
"So you noticed it," he said.
"I did," Lin Mu replied. "At first, I thought it might just be a coincidence. The universe is vast, and symbols can overlap. But then I found another."
He looked toward Jing Wei.
"On the Fox Scion World, I found more dwarven weapons. And one of them
carried the sa mark."
Jing Wei nodded slowly now.
"At that point," Lin Mu continued, "I was certain. Soone from the Jing Clan
was here. And given the circumstances, that person had to be closely tied to
the dwarves."
He let out a small breath.
"I just did not know who."
Jing Wei crossed his arms again, listening intently.
"I considered two possibilities," Lin Mu said. "You... or Jing Luo."
At the ntion of the na, Jing Wei let out a laugh.
"So that is what you thought," he said.
Lin Mu nodded. "When I saw you just now, I assud it was Jing Luo. You
looked... younger."
Jing Wei laughed again, this ti more openly.
"That is because I am younger," he said with a grin, clearly enjoying the
mont.
Lin Mu gave him a flat look.
Jing Wei waved his hand dismissively.
"After reaching the Immortal realm, one's lifespan expands greatly," he
explained. "The body changes as well. I still had white hair back then too. But later I consud several strengthening elixirs. That helped refine my body
further."
He gestured toward himself.
"This is the result."
Lin Mu nodded slowly.
"You really do look like Jing Luo now," he admitted.
Jing Wei smirked.
"You have it backward," he said. "It is not who looks like my grandson."
He tapped his chest lightly.
"It is him who looks like ."
Lin Mu blinked once before letting out a small laugh.
"That is true," he said. "I cannot argue with that."
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