Chapter 54: Reunion
"Chulan, there's no Luo Tian Dajiao happening right now—it's just the few of us. Who are you trying to hide your strength from?" Wu Tong asked as he watched Zhang Chulan crawling along the chain like a caterpillar.
Zhang Chulan didn't respond immediately.
Just when Wu Tong thought he was pondering a serious answer—
After a long pause, Zhang Chulan finally muttered with some embarrassment, "Brother Tong, have you considered the possibility… that I'm not hiding my strength at all… but actually afraid of heights?"
Wu Tong: ???
Now that was something he hadn't expected. Wu Tong paused in surprise, then let out a wry laugh.
Looks like he'd been too influenced by the plot. Anytime Zhang Chulan acted oddly, he assumed it was some deliberate play to conceal his true ability.
He'd forgotten that Zhang Chulan was still just a college student. Even if he was clever and sly like an old fox, there were still things he wasn't good at.
At that moment, Zhang Huaiyi—who had made it halfway across the chains—heard what Zhang Chulan said and turned back.
"Chulan, you still haven't gotten over your fear of heights?" Zhang Huaiyi asked, clearly amused by the sight.
Without waiting for a reply, he reached out, grabbed Zhang Chulan by the back of his waist, and carried him straight across to the other side.
Seeing this, Wu Tong gave up the idea of going back to help Zhang Chulan and simply waited in place for them to cross.
...
Soon after—
The three of them crossed the cliff and continued on for a while until they reached the mountaintop.
Seeing the clearly visible buildings ahead, Wu Tong finally let out a sigh of relief. After wasting three whole days, they had finally arrived at Longhu Mountain.
After that brief moment of reflection, they continued forward under Zhang Huaiyi's lead.
"Fellow cultivators, please wait. May I ask what business brings you to the Celestial Master's residence?"
A Daoist who had been sweeping nearby noticed the unfamiliar faces and stepped forward to ask.
"Greetings, Daoist. The three of us are from within the circle. We've come to Longhu Mountain hoping to see the Old Celestial Master—we have an urgent matter to report," Wu Tong replied, stepping forward to explain. As he spoke, he activated the Lesser Yang true qi in his body to prove his claim.
"You want to see Master? Alright, follow me."
The Daoist gave the three another careful look. Seeing that they showed no signs of guilt and instead appeared open and forthright, he nodded and turned around to lead the way.
As for the possibility of them coming to cause trouble? That was out of the question. Who in their right mind would come make trouble at the very home of one of the absolute top figures in the outsider world? That would be suicide.
The three didn't hesitate and followed the Daoist.
"Greetings, Uncle Rongshan!"
"Good morning, Uncle Rongshan!"
...
Rongshan—so this was the same Rongshan from the story, the one who encouraged Zhang Lingyu to defeat Zhang Chulan.
Hearing the greetings from other passing Daoists, Wu Tong quickly deduced the identity of their guide.
He hadn't looked carefully before, but now that he'd heard the others' words, he realized who Rongshan was.
Wu Tong recognized Rongshan. As a middle-aged Daoist, Rongshan had appeared frequently in the original story.
Especially after Elder Tian's death—his overwhelming grief had left a deep impression on Wu Tong back when he was watching the show.
Although Longhu Mountain had many buildings, the layout was quite compact, and there weren't many paths.
As Wu Tong sank into thought, it wasn't long before the group arrived in front of a certain house.
"Everyone, we've arrived. Please wait here a moment while I go announce your arrival."
At the door of the house, Rongshan turned to speak to the group, and without waiting for a reply, pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The three of them could only wait outside. Wu Tong glanced around at the building before him and noted that it didn't look any different from the others—just as plain and unassuming.
Before long, Rongshan returned and addressed them, "Come in, please. Master is expecting you."
Following Rongshan, they entered a quiet little courtyard. There were barely any weeds, clearly tended to frequently.
Without stopping, they followed Rongshan straight toward the guest hall.
Before they even got close, voices could already be heard from within.
"Old Celestial Master, what did you just say? You're preparing to host a Luo Tian Dajiao? That's no small matter!"
The voice was aged but powerful, full of vitality and unmistakably direct in tone.
"Alright, Old Lu, it's just a Luo Tian Dajiao. You're exaggerating," came another voice just as old, but with a tone of indifference—arrogant and unrestrained, as though nothing in the world could disturb him.
Before the one called Old Lu could speak again, the Celestial Master sensed their approach and interrupted, "Old Lu, we have guests. Let me receive them first. We'll speak of this later."
"Rongshan, bring our guests in."
Upon hearing the command, the group entered the guest pavilion.
There, they saw the Old Celestial Master—white hair and beard, exuding an aura of otherworldly transcendence. Despite his aged appearance, there was no sign of frailty; rather, he seemed all the more distinguished and ethereal.
His simple clothing carried a natural dignity that needed no adornment.
As the group silently observed him, the others in the room were also sizing up the new arrivals.
The Old Celestial Master's expression remained composed, his gaze calm as still water as he looked over the three visitors.
Zhang Chulan—grandson of the infamous thief. Word was that he'd recently been chased across the country by Quanxing, and had fled to Longhu Mountain. The timeline matched up—this had to be the kid.
Wu Tong—unfamiliar, but shrouded in mystery. No records, no background, nothing could be found. Rumor had it he was one of the trio traveling with Zhang Chulan, and supposedly quite capable.
Then, the old man.
The Celestial Master's eyes didn't show much at first—but as he studied the elder more closely, his half-squinted eyes slowly widened, filled with disbelief.
"Big-Eared Thief?"
The Celestial Master finally spoke, his voice thunderous, thick with shock—as if he had just seen a ghost.
"It's me, senior brother. It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?"
Hearing that the Celestial Master had already recognized him, Zhang Huaiyi dropped his disguise and revealed his true appearance.
At that moment, Lu Jin—standing beside the Celestial Master—cried out in astonishment.
"Zhang Huaiyi? It's really you? No… You were supposed to be dead!"
Zhang Huaiyi didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Lu Jin with emotion in his eyes. "Old Lu, how have you been?"
"Senior brother???"
Rongshan, who had already been stunned when Zhang Huaiyi addressed the Celestial Master as "senior brother," finally processed what was happening.
The elder he had brought—was actually Master's junior disciple.
That made him… his martial uncle?
But he had never heard of any martial uncles aside from Uncle Tian.
And why wasn't this martial uncle living at Longhu Mountain?
While Rongshan's mind filled with confusion, the Celestial Master glanced at him and said, "Rongshan, go on. Bring your Uncle Tian here."
[End of Chapter]
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