When she saw it was him, she was even more surprised: “How come it’s you? Why are you here?”
Hu Jiaping deliberately put on a stern face and said, “Now that your wings have hardened, you just call me ‘you’ when you see me? You won’t even call me Senior Brother any more?”
Li Fei was left speechless for a moment, then dryly called out: “…Senior Brother.”
Hu Jiaping looked her up and down with a smile, clicking his tongue in admiration: “Although 400 years have passed, how come you haven’t changed at all? You still look like the little girl from before, and so does Lei Xiuyuan. You ask me why I’m here, but I haven’t even asked you why you suddenly returned to the Central Plains! By the way, Lei Xiuyuan, you little rascal, what’s with that look? Don’t you recognize me? Not going to call me Senior Brother?”
Lei Xiuyuan silently looked at him for a while. He could sense that this person was of his kind. The reason he couldn’t detect his approach earlier was that he could also completely conceal his aura. Who was he? A clansman? Did they know each other before?
Seeing his unusual expression, Hu Jiaping curiously leaned toward Li Fei’s ear and asked, “What’s wrong with him? Does he not recognize me?”
Li Fei forced a couple of laughs: “Well… it’s a long story. How come you’re alone? Where’s Sister Amu?”
Hu Jiaping looked around: “This isn’t the place to talk. Follow me, I’ll take you to meet some people.”
As he turned to leave, Ri Yan jumped onto his shoulder in two or three bounds, glaring at him fiercely, and spoke: “Are you that little disciple Qingcheng took in?! You’re a Yaksha! Qingcheng kept it from me for so long!”
Seeing this tiny fox suddenly appear before his eyes and speak so haughtily, Hu Jiaping couldn’t help but burst out laughing: “Oh my, is this little fox your pet?”
Ri Yan flew into a rage, jumping up and biting his neck, causing him to cry out in pain repeatedly. Li Fei quickly grabbed Ri Yan back, frowning as she said, “You know very well he’s Master’s good friend, why are you pretending to be clueless?”
One after another, they all liked to play dumb and provoke others. No wonder Ri Yan was as angry as a firecracker.
“I was wrong, I was wrong,” Hu Jiaping surrendered, raising his hands. “Come with me first, you’ll have a surprise.”
Li Fei couldn’t quite figure out what he meant. She followed him in a few steps, subconsciously grabbing his sleeve, and asked repeatedly, “Senior Brother, where have you been all these years? Has anyone been chasing you?”
Hu Jiaping patted her head: “Don’t worry about me. When a Yaksha wants to hide, even the Jade Emperor can’t find them. As for Lei Xiuyuan, looking at him, could it be that he broke his horn and forgot everything?”
Li Fei nodded silently: “He was injured by the Heavenly Thunder and Sea of Fire. Although I healed his wounds and reattached his horn, he still can’t remember the past.”
Hu Jiaping smiled carelessly: “If he can’t remember today, he’ll remember tomorrow. Even if he never remembers, he’s still with you. Why bother about these things?”
Li Fei stared at him rather curiously for a while, leaving him puzzled: “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”
She smiled and said, “Nothing. Calling you Senior Brother isn’t in vain after all. You finally have a bit of a Senior Brother’s demeanor.”
Hu Jiaping angrily pinched her cheek: “How disrespectful! You’re getting more and more annoying!”
Li Fei laughed as she dodged. Hu Jiaping, whose appearance and personality hadn’t changed at all, finally gave her a sense of familiarity, as if time had stopped 400 years ago. She asked many questions in one breath, the most curious being why he appeared in the East Sea. Could it be that he was planning to take the Black Veil Woman to search for Exotic Flames overseas?
Hu Jiaping said, “Amu and I have been wandering the world these years, quite carefree and happy. Back then, when I said I’d become an immortal and go overseas, I was just joking. For me personally, I’m not as interested in going overseas as you are. Once I return, I’m reminded of those cursed days. I have more attachment to the Central Plains because here I have a new life. Amu understands me, so she never mentions it. But you know, Liriqn is a broken divine weapon, and Amu is the spirit within Liriqn. As long as the sword isn’t restored, she’ll grow weaker day by day. I can’t let her fall into slumber like this, so this time I was planning to take her through the Heavenly Thunder and Sea of Fire to go overseas. I didn’t expect to meet you in the East Sea. When I saw the Spirit Stele suddenly disappear earlier, I knew it must have been your doing. By coincidence, with you here, we won’t need to go through so much trouble to go overseas. Those two elders will surely be delighted to see you.”
Two elders? Li Fei’s confusion grew. She looked back and saw Lei Xiuyuan following with an indifferent expression. She turned and held his sleeve, saying softly, “Xiuyuan, do you have no impression of Hu Jiaping either?”
Lei Xiuyuan slowly pulled his hand away and said in a low voice, “I don’t know, I don’t remember. Please don’t ask me anymore.”
Li Fei was stunned. She hesitated for a moment, then forcefully held his arm again: “What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?”
Lei Xiuyuan shook his head, pulling his hand away again, and quickened his pace to catch up with Hu Jiaping, starting a conversation with him. Li Fei was truly at a loss, standing there in a daze for quite a while. Not wanting to continue pestering him, she had no choice but to follow behind step by step.
After turning a few corners, Hu Jiaping led them into a dilapidated small inn. As soon as they entered, they saw a woman completely veiled in black standing in the hall. Upon seeing her, Hu Jiaping’s expression softened, and he approached with a smile, saying, “Why did you come out? Didn’t I tell you to rest in the room?”
The Black Veil Woman glanced at Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan behind him, as if unable to believe her eyes, looking several times before saying in a low voice, “I saw you had been gone for a long time and was wondering whether to go look for you. Just now, the spiritual energy fluctuations here suddenly became very intense, as if many Immortals from the Sea Faction were lingering about.”
Hu Jiaping smiled and pointed at Li Fei and the others: “It was caused by these two little ones. Come on, let’s go see Master and the others. It’ll be a surprise for them too.”
Li Fei was startled when she heard him mention “Master,” but quickly realized: “Elder Guangwei?!”
Hu Jiaping laughed, “It’s good that you still remember him. It’s been 400 years. You took Xiuyuan overseas, which made Master quite depressed for a long time.”
Li Fei’s feelings at this moment could no longer be described as shock. How did Hu Jiaping end up with Elder Guangwei? After her and Lei Xiuyuan’s identities were widely spread, Hu Jiaping was also forcibly implicated, his identity seen through by the Cuixuan Immortal. Even if Elder Guangwei had the heart to cherish his disciple, how could he accept Hu Jiaping, an overseas异类, without any misgivings?
She followed Hu Jiaping upstairs, watching him gently knock on the door. Her heart began to beat violently with anxiety.
The door opened quickly. The immortal who opened it wore a half-worn white robe, with long hair hanging loose. His expression was scholarly, but his demeanor was quite unrestrained. As he opened the door, he smiled and said, “You’re back so quickly? The spiritual energy fluctuations in this city suddenly became very intense. Did you cause some trouble?”
As soon as Li Fei saw him, her eyes became blurry. The immortal also looked at her with surprise, his gaze gradually changing from astonishment to gentleness, and finally to joy. He said softly, “Li Fei? How are you here?”
Li Fei stepped forward and said in a trembling voice, “Master Chongyi!”
Immortal Chongyi smiled at her, then looked at Lei Xiuyuan beside her, immediately making way for them to enter: “Guangwei, look who’s here!”
Another white-haired immortal inside the room had already quickly walked forward. Upon seeing Lei Xiuyuan, the white beard under his chin trembled slightly, and he was speechless for a long while.
Hu Jiaping pushed them into the room, one in each hand, and said, “Master, Xiuyuan broke his horn and forgot about the past. Don’t mind him… Why are you all looking at me? Alright, I’ll explain. I just discovered them when I was looking at the Spirit Stele. All those immortals outside are there because this girl absorbed the Spirit Stele back. As for Master and Elder Chongyi, I met them here two years ago. At that time, I was planning to take Amu overseas. But at the Heavenly Thunder and Sea of Fire, I encountered Master and Elder Chongyi, who were severely injured. It turns out they had been pondering about going overseas like Master Qingcheng all these years, but unfortunately, their attempts were unsuccessful. They tried many times but couldn’t pass through the Heavenly Thunder and Sea of Fire. That time, they even encountered a formidable sea beast. If they hadn’t coincidentally met me, they might not have survived. I talked with them a lot, and the past knots were also untied. We were just waiting for the two of them to recover from their injuries before going overseas together. As for other matters, you’ll have to talk among yourselves. I can’t speak on your behalf.”
He pulled the Black Veil Woman aside, finding a corner to squat down and whisper, no longer paying attention to the other four people in the room who were staring at each other. Li Fei wiped away her tears with her sleeve, finally managing to compose herself, and forced a smile: “Master, I never thought I’d see you again.”
Immortal Chongyi also smiled contentedly: “Neither did I. Li Fei, all these years I’ve been regretting the words I said to you that day. The last thing I said to you before you left the Central Plains was full of wariness. Every time I thought about it afterward, I felt unbearably guilty. I really can’t compare to Immortal Qingcheng’s magnanimity. Over the years, I’ve been searching for all the rumors about overseas, and I’ve also copied and read the Spirit Stele you left behind many times. Unfortunately, the natural barrier is difficult to cross, and I couldn’t reach overseas or see the overseas scenery. Later, I met Guangwei, who had the same thoughts as me. We both wanted to go overseas and see for ourselves, just like Immortal Qingcheng. So we decided to travel together in the East Sea, originally thinking we’d only be able to see you after reaching overseas. We didn’t expect you to come to the Central Plains so early… Let me guess, you’re here to absorb spiritual energy?”
Li Fei felt both joy and sadness in her heart, and said softly, “Master, I was the one who concealed the truth first. I was the wrong one. Please don’t blame yourself. This time I came indeed to absorb spiritual energy, with no intention to harm anyone. Now that I’ve absorbed the spiritual energy, I was originally planning to return immediately.”
Immortal Chongyi chuckled: “That’s perfect timing. With you here, it’ll be much more convenient for us to go overseas. I just don’t know if you welcome us to go with you.”
Li Fei hurriedly said, “How could I not welcome you? If you’re willing to come with me, I… I’m really happy!”
Immortal Chongyi patted her head, then turned back to see Immortal Guangwei only staring at Lei Xiuyuan without speaking. He said, “Guangwei, let bygones be bygones. You and I are no longer people with a limited view of the division between the Central Plains and overseas. Why are you glaring at him like that?”
Immortal Guangwei shook his head. He looked at Lei Xiuyuan with a complex expression, and after a long while, he said, “You… don’t remember me? The White Tiger Tail Sword Hilt, too rigid and easily broken, balancing strength and flexibility, have you forgotten it all?”
These few words fell into Lei Xiuyuan’s ears like several thunderbolts in a clear sky. Countless images flashed before his eyes again, but he couldn’t see them clearly or grasp them. He had always been clever and intelligent, and judging from the situation, he knew this old man must have been his master when he was cultivating in the Central Plains. He immediately bowed and saluted: “Disciple Lei Xiuyuan greets Master.”
Immortal Guangwei instantly felt a mix of emotions. He had brought him back from the academy to Wuyue Hall, carefully taught him for years, watched him grow rapidly with his own eyes, and in the end, when he discovered he was a Yaksha, he was heartbroken but still couldn’t bring himself to kill him, only letting him leave. At that time, he never thought he would hear him call him Master again.
“Good, good, good.” He nodded repeatedly, saying “good” three times, his eyes already filled with tears.