Chapter 1564: Reunion

Upon hearing this, Chongyangzi frowned again and said with some displeasure, “He just returned twenty-some days ago, and he’s already in seclusion?”

Shangguan Tianque’s heart skipped a beat. The other party knew so clearly; he had obviously made inquiries before coming! He immediately began to think rapidly, trying to figure out how to probe the other party’s true intentions.

Just then, the young woman by Chongyangzi’s side spoke up, but she was addressing Chongyangzi. “Uncle, you always talk like that, it’s so scary. I thought you were coming here to settle some score! Fellow Daoists, we’ve come to find Li Yan and Mu Guyue. I parted with them just a short while ago, and they said they would be returning here. I came back from the Heavenly Demon Prairie with them. If they’re here, just tell them this, and they’ll know why we’ve come.”

This young woman was none other than Ting Lan, who had parted ways with Li Yan not long ago. This time, she had come with Chongyangzi. The first half of her sentence was spoken to Chongyangzi with dissatisfaction, but for the second half, she turned her face to Shangguan Tianque’s group and quickly explained.

Shangguan Tianque and the others exchanged a look, their expressions clearly baffled. This woman was one of the people who had escaped from the Heavenly Demon Prairie with Li Yan. Logically, not many people should know about this. Moreover, when Li Yan explained, he said that only three of them had escaped, but he never mentioned who the other person was. And this woman also mentioned Mu Guyue. If that was correct, then the third person Li Yan spoke of should be this woman.

As for Chongyangzi, after hearing Ting Lan’s words, he shot her a fierce glare and let out a heavy snort. Ting Lan, however, pretended not to see it, a wide smile on her face as she simply looked at the people before her…

When Li Yan arrived at the council hall, he immediately saw Chongyangzi sitting in the seat of honor, with Shangguan Tianque seated in attendance to one side. He also saw Ting Lan standing behind Chongyangzi. Ren Yanyu had personally gone to find him, her purpose being to further confirm the situation. In the end, she learned that Li Yan’s group had indeed been trapped in a perilous land with a woman named Ting Lan, and they had escaped together. Still, she asked a few more questions. Learning that Ting Lan hadn’t been brought to the Heavenly Demon Prairie by Li Yan, but rather that Li Yan had saved her from danger, finally set Ren Yanyu’s mind at ease. Thus, as she and Li Yan entered the hall, she gave Shangguan Tianque a reassuring look.

Shangguan Tianque’s expression visibly relaxed as well. He had felt that with Li Yan’s character, he wasn’t the type to stir up trouble. It was just that Chongyangzi’s earlier expression had truly made them all feel a bit apprehensive.

Although Li Yan already knew who had come on his way here, the moment he saw Ting Lan, she gave him a brilliant smile. When he saw Chongyangzi, he couldn’t help but think to himself, ‘She really wasn’t lying. Chongyangzi is related to her, and he actually came here in person!’

Li Yan could roughly guess the reason for Chongyangzi’s visit. It was likely to personally inquire about the events of the past few years. This showed that he truly cared for his niece. Thinking about the Chongyangzi he knew, who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, it didn’t seem so strange after all.

Li Yan gave Ting Lan a slight nod and then hurried forward a few steps, bowing deeply to the figure above. “Greetings, Senior!”

Upon seeing Li Yan, Chongyangzi, whose face had been cold all along, actually broke into a smile. This stunned Shangguan Tianque and the others, including Ting Lan. She had rarely seen her uncle show such an expression to an outsider.

After Ting Lan returned, her father had immediately notified her uncle. They had been searching for her everywhere for all these years. Therefore, they had to let Chongyangzi know at the first opportunity. Not long after, Chongyangzi rushed to the Orchid Moon Manor. Seeing that Ting Lan was unharmed, he let out a long sigh of relief. Then, he began to scold her fiercely.

Ting Lan was very afraid of this uncle. He wasn’t like her father, who, though also angry, ultimately didn’t scold her too severely. But this uncle was different. He scolded her until she didn’t dare to breathe, just standing there with her head bowed. Even her father, the manor lord, couldn’t bear to watch and, not daring to speak to Chongyangzi, found an excuse to leave first, leaving Ting Lan behind with a look of utter despair.

Only when Chongyangzi had scolded Ting Lan to the brink of tears did he stop. Then, with a stern face, he began to question her, trying to understand where she had been all these years. Only then did Ting Lan finally breathe a sigh of relief and began to recount her experiences to Chongyangzi.

When Chongyangzi heard that this little girl had gone to the Heavenly Demon Prairie, he let out another heavy snort. What kind of place was the Heavenly Demon Prairie? Even he didn’t dare to venture deep into it. Yet she had dared to run there with a cultivation level not even at Late-stage Nascent Soul. She was truly lawless. But seeing Ting Lan flinch at his cold snort, looking so pitiful, he didn’t continue to scold her.

But when Ting Lan said that in the end, only three people were left in the entire team, and her expression turned strange as she mentioned their names, and finally said that one of them was a cultivator from a small sect under the Pure Yang Hall, Chongyangzi didn’t pay much mind. Those small sects had rather scarce cultivation resources, so it was possible for them to dare enter the Heavenly Demon Prairie even at the Golden Core stage. It was a case of seeking riches in danger; there were quite a few such people.

Then Ting Lan mentioned the name “Li Yan of the Broken Army Sect.” This made Chongyangzi’s expression freeze. As Ting Lan continued her story, he directly interrupted her. He asked for a description of the Li Yan she mentioned, and in the end, he was stunned to find that it was indeed the person he knew.

Moreover, according to Ting Lan’s final description, at the moment she broke out of the secret realm, she was on the verge of being killed by demonic beasts, and it was Li Yan who had risked his life to save her. Chongyangzi then asked Ting Lan a few more questions before saying he would take her to find Li Yan. This came as a surprise to Ting Lan. She didn’t know that Chongyangzi also knew Li Yan, let alone that Li Yan had saved her uncle’s life. After all, there were so many Nascent Soul cultivators in the battle for the Great Nothingness Fruit; her uncle wouldn’t deliberately remember a single one.

Ting Lan thought her uncle was going to cause trouble for Li Yan. She repeatedly said that it wasn’t Li Yan who had invited her out, that he had only joined her squad halfway through. Seeing Ting Lan’s reluctance, Chongyangzi said to her helplessly, “That boy should be someone I know. I haven’t seen him for many years either. I bear him no ill will. Since that’s the case, let’s go see him!” …

Inside the council hall, Chongyangzi first gestured to Li Yan, then turned to look at Ting Lan. Ting Lan immediately understood her uncle’s meaning and nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice. “Yes, yes, yes, that’s him!”

Just then, the light at the hall’s entrance dimmed again, and Mu Guyue’s figure appeared, with Yu Banjiang following behind her. When Mu Guyue saw the scene in the hall, a faint smile touched her indifferent face. Yu Banjiang had personally gone to inform her, at Ren Yanyu’s behest. Ren Yanyu had wanted Yu Banjiang to go out at the same time as her, to confirm from Mu Guyue’s side as well if she knew the visitor.

So, when Mu Guyue learned of Ting Lan’s appearance, she naturally guessed who had come, though she didn’t know the Daoist Chongyangzi. However, she remembered what Ting Lan had said when she left, and upon hearing from Yu Banjiang that the visiting woman called the man “uncle,” Mu Guyue immediately reassured the still-nervous Yu Banjiang, telling him it was likely nothing bad and that she recognized the visitor.

As Mu Guyue entered, Chongyangzi also temporarily stopped talking and glanced at her. ‘Demonic Qi. This is a Demon Clan cultivator!’

However, he also knew that Mu Guyue was the person Ting Lan had said took care of her. Chongyangzi nodded at Mu Guyue, and Mu Guyue, with light lotus steps, walked forward a few paces and also bowed. “Greetings, Senior!”

“Senior Sister Mu, I’ve missed you so much, hehehe…”

Before she could finish her bow, Ting Lan had already flown out and grabbed Mu Guyue’s hand. As she spoke, her face wore an exaggerated expression of longing. This brought a smile to Mu Guyue’s phoenix eyes. They had only been apart for a dozen or so days; there was no need for such words.

Seeing this, Chongyangzi immediately composed his smile and spoke faintly, “All of you, please be seated. I have come today on a private matter, specifically to thank you two martial nephews. You have taken good care of Ting Lan these past years. She is my only niece, and her father is not familiar with the Broken Army Sect, so I have come to say a word…”

Afterward, Chongyangzi began to converse with Li Yan and Mu Guyue, mostly asking about their experiences over the years. He made no effort to be discreet in front of the others in the hall. All the cultivators here were the highest-ranking members of the Broken Army Sect. Besides, apart from the most important figures in the sect, who else would have the qualification to be here to meet Chongyangzi?

Listening to the conversation between Chongyangzi and the two, the gazes of Shangguan Tianque and the others began to change. They knew some things about Li Yan and Mu Guyue’s ordeal in the Heavenly Demon Prairie. But when Li Yan had recounted it, he hadn’t gone into detail about Ting Lan. They only knew roughly that three people in total had escaped from that secret realm, but that was all.

But now, to learn that Li Yan had saved Chongyangzi’s own kin, the situation had completely changed. Moreover, when Chongyangzi was asking questions, he clearly hadn’t asked them to leave. This was undoubtedly telling everyone that Li Yan and Mu Guyue had done him a great favor. So, regardless of Li Yan’s previous status in the sect, Chongyangzi ultimately wanted people to know that from now on, he would treat these two differently. Therefore, in your sect, you had better not neglect them.

After they had spoken for a while, Chongyangzi suddenly said, “Ting Lan, you can talk here. Martial Nephew Shangguan, I have a few words to say to Li Yan. Please find another place for us!” He first instructed Ting Lan, who was talking with Mu Guyue on the side, and then looked at Shangguan Tianque.

Shangguan Tianque understood Chongyangzi’s meaning at once. The matters he had discussed earlier were meant for them all to hear, to know that he held Li Yan and Mu Guyue in high regard. Now that this objective was achieved, he wanted to speak with Li Yan privately. Shangguan Tianque quickly stood up. “Senior and Junior Brother Li can speak here. We have some matters to attend to outside!”

How could Shangguan Tianque let the venerable Chongyangzi move? It was better for them to leave. At the same time, he gave Mu Guyue a meaningful look. Mu Guyue naturally understood, though she didn’t know why Chongyangzi wanted to speak with Li Yan alone. But she had no curiosity about it. She also pulled Ting Lan along. “Junior Sister Ting, come get to know my Cave Residence. Next time you visit, you can find me there yourself!”

Ting Lan’s eyes crinkled into crescents with a smile. She had wanted to leave here for a while now; being near her uncle always made her feel uncomfortable. Thus, everyone except Li Yan stood up, bowed to Chongyangzi, and then left the hall.

After they had all gone out, Li Yan’s eyes also held a hint of doubt. If the other party had come to express thanks, he had already said what needed to be said. Moreover, for Chongyangzi to come here in person and state his intentions was already a rare gesture.

Li Yan smiled, leaned forward slightly, and bowed again. “I have yet to congratulate you, Senior. Congratulations on advancing another level in your cultivation. May your immortal path be everlasting!”