Chapter 55: Lu Jin's Desire
When Rong Shan heard this, he no longer hesitated. He turned around and left the guest pavilion. After all, this was a matter between the older generation. Even if he knew more, it wouldn't change anything.
Besides, suddenly discovering he had a senior martial uncle he'd never met before—there had to be some deeper reason behind it.
After Rong Shan left, the atmosphere returned to silence. The entire guest pavilion was quiet to the point that even the air seemed to freeze.
No one knew what to say.
Amid the eerie silence, Lu Jin couldn't help but speak first. "Zhang Huayi, weren't you already dead? What's going on right now?"
Looking at Zhang Huayi before him—radiating strong vitality and a sharp, spirited presence—Lu Jin was completely stunned. This was clearly a living, breathing person.
Could it be that he never died back then? But that couldn't be.
Back then, the news of Zhang Huayi's death had spread across the world. Many people had confirmed it, even using special techniques to verify it. Only after that had everyone given up investigating further.
But if Zhang Huayi really had died, then who was this standing in front of him now?
Lu Jin's mind was struggling to process it all. What was going on? It couldn't be… Zhang Huayi died, and then came back to life?
As soon as he thought of that possibility, Lu Jin couldn't stay calm. His thoughts immediately turned to someone he had never been able to forget. A flicker of longing rose in his heart.
He stared nervously at Zhang Huayi, waiting for his answer.
Seeing Lu Jin's expression, the old Celestial Master understood what he was thinking and sighed softly.
From how things looked, there was no way Lu Jin could be sent away now. The older generation knew well just how deep Lu Jin's feelings for that person ran. Now that even a sliver of hope had appeared, he would never let go of it.
Zhang Huayi also saw through Lu Jin's thoughts. He too sighed, because the events back then were closely tied to his fourth brother, Wu Gensheng.
"Old Lu, I know what you're thinking. I can tell you clearly—I'm truly alive right now."
Zhang Huayi didn't try to hide anything. That was simply the truth. He had originally planned to explain everything to Zhang Zhiwei and seek the Celestial Master's support.
He just hadn't expected Lu Jin to also be at the Celestial Master's estate. It made him a bit emotional—plans truly couldn't keep up with reality.
Still, perhaps it was for the best. He trusted Lu Jin's character. Forming an alliance with the Lu family wasn't a bad idea either. After all, the Celestial Master's estate alone wouldn't be enough to support Zhang Chulan's ambitions.
"You really came back to life?"
Hearing Zhang Huayi's words, Lu Jin blurted out in shock. In truth, he hadn't been holding much hope. Resurrection was too fantastical a notion.
It was something nearly impossible. Even as he asked, he had already prepared himself for disappointment.
But the answer had completely defied his expectations.
"That's enough, Old Lu. We'll talk more about this later. There's something more important right now."
The old Celestial Master interrupted before Lu Jin could continue pressing for answers. Then he looked toward Wu Tong and said, "Am I right, Wu Tong?"
The old Celestial Master had lived many years, and the secrets stored within the Celestial Master's scriptures had taught him much.
This world shouldn't have a way to resurrect the dead. But now that someone had done so, there could only be one explanation—Zhang Huayi's return must have been the work of this mysterious young man, Wu Tong.
Wu Tong bringing Zhang Huayi to Mount Longhu clearly had other intentions.
If Wu Tong had known what the old Celestial Master was thinking, he'd probably have given him a thumbs-up. The logic wasn't wrong—but the assumption from the start was completely off.
The one who revived Zhang Huayi wasn't Wu Tong—it was Zhang Chulan. The reason they came to Mount Longhu was indeed for a matter of great importance, and it would actually benefit the Celestial Master's estate as well.
But Wu Tong had no idea the old Celestial Master had mistaken him for the one who brought Zhang Huayi back to life.
Although Wu Tong did possess spiritual abilities like reading minds, they were useless against someone like the old Celestial Master, whose spiritual strength and cultivation far surpassed his own.
"Wandering cultivator Wu Tong greets the Celestial Master."
Wu Tong didn't understand what the old Celestial Master was thinking. Instead, he simply stepped forward and offered his greeting.
"This time, we've come to Mount Longhu with a purpose," Wu Tong said. "We're here to treat Elder Tian Jinzhong. It was both Senior Zhang's and Chulan's request."
He didn't hesitate to state his intentions clearly. "Also, if possible, I would like to request permission to study Mount Longhu's Daoist manuals."
As he said this, Wu Tong felt a twinge of anxiety. He was worried the old Celestial Master might refuse, as cultivation methods were often the core secrets of any sect.
When he first arrived in this world, Wu Tong had already begun using the power of the King of Wisdom's universal archive—gathering and storing all kinds of knowledge from this realm into his internal database.
In just three days, he had collected the vast majority of public knowledge available in this world. However, some forms of knowledge were locked behind restrictive seals and couldn't be accessed.
Most of these were the high-level cultivation methods held tightly by various sects. Wu Tong had no way to break through the restrictions, so he couldn't collect them.
Basic techniques had already been archived. All in all, this journey through another world had already been worthwhile.
But Wu Tong still wanted more. So, in this setting, he took the opportunity to make his request.
If the old Celestial Master allowed him into the scripture repository, Wu Tong would be able to observe the restrictive formations up close.
That would let him analyze their structure and develop a method to bypass them.
Once he understood the mechanics of one restriction, he could use that knowledge to decode others—one principle opens ten thousand.
This would allow him to use his archive system to absorb the otherwise inaccessible knowledge hidden within various sects.
The old Celestial Master didn't respond right away. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Wu Tong, those deep and unreadable eyes seemingly probing his intentions. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Alright. If you can successfully treat Junior Brother Jinzhong, I'll allow you to enter Mount Longhu's scripture repository for three days."
"During those three days, whatever you can memorize, you may keep. There's only one condition: without my permission, you may not share any of it with others."
At first, the old Celestial Master had considered rejecting the request outright. But remembering that Wu Tong had brought Zhang Huayi back from the dead—and now came to treat Tian Jinzhong—he found himself unable to refuse.
So he offered a compromise: only three days. Whatever Wu Tong could learn in that time, he could take with him.
That would be enough.
Hearing the old Celestial Master's decision, Wu Tong finally breathed a sigh of relief. His mission to Mount Longhu was now on track.
As for the condition about not sharing—he didn't mind. His original purpose in requesting the manuals was only to enrich his archive, so he could use them to enhance his own cultivation.
While the energy system in this world had great potential, it wasn't enough to convince Wu Tong to fully convert to it.
If he couldn't share the knowledge directly, so be it. He'd just develop new techniques based on what he learned and pass those on instead.
"I understand. Thank you, Celestial Master, for granting this opportunity," Wu Tong said respectfully, bowing with cupped fists. "I promise never to pass on the teachings without permission."
[End of Chapter]
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