MTLNOVEL Chapter 303: The Most Regretful Are the Devoted
Hua Youxiang recalled the commotion of that night and couldn't help but nod, saying, "It was indeed terrifying at that time. I even heard the chanting sound from the Buddha statue at my senior brother's home, causing quite a stir."
"At that time, Brother Yi was deep in the Ten Thousand Mountains, so he probably didn't see it, right?" Lin Xueru looked at Chen Yi and asked.
"Yes, I did not see it."
Chen Yi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping around, involuntarily marveling at the grand scheme of the "Pure Land of Bliss" — spending hundreds of years just to let Fu Chen achieve enlightenment was by no means an ordinary feat!
"I've heard that the Imperial Court has other plans for the Buddhist sect?" Du Yanqing asked.
"Wait and see, a decree will soon be issued..."
As Chen Yi and the others were discussing Buddhist matters, many youths who came to register saw them on the mountain path.
Even if some did not recognize Chen Yi, they could recognize the black robes with White Tiger Runes of the Grand Void Sect on them, and their expressions showed excitement.
"Is he the Heroic Marquis Chen Yi, the Little Sword Immortal famous throughout the land?"
"Truly extraordinary and heroic."
"I thought the prodigies from Kyoto Academy who just passed were already outstanding, but now it seems these from the Grand Void Sect are equally remarkable."
"Yes, besides the Little Sword Immortal, his companions are regulars on the 'Prodigy Ranking'. According to the latest earthly rankings, most of them are between tenth and fiftieth place."
"The strongest is Fairy Xueru, ranked thirteenth on the earthly list, and the weakest is Hua Youxiang, who practices swordsmanship with the Little Sword Immortal on Sword Edge Mountain, ranked forty-seventh."
"But the 'Prodigy Ranking' is secondary, after all, during this time leading to the grand event, those prodigies haven't stopped practicing and might have all broken through, so the real competition depends on their performance at the event."
Amidst the low murmurs, a sudden question broke out: "Have any of you considered this? The Little Sword Immortal is here with his fellow disciples; could he be participating in the grand event?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the nearby people fell silent, followed by a chain reaction, and everyone on the mountain path looked at Chen Yi with eyes filled with curiosity and wonder.
Earlier, they were shocked at the presence of Chen Yi and his fellows, neglecting whether Chen Yi would participate in the event.
"If Lord Heroic Marquis truly participates in the event... it would be a sight to behold!"
"Indeed, the Little Sword Immortal's cultivation is astounding, yet few have seen him in action. If we could witness his swordsmanship up close, this trip would be worth it for sure!"
Just then, a robust man in the crowd bravely called out:
"Little Sword Immortal, are you here to join the event?"
In an instant, silence fell inside the Dakong Temple, and everyone looked at the speaker in amazement, admiring his guts.
Chen Yi's gaze fell on the man, and he immediately smiled.
He hadn't expected that the one speaking was an old acquaintance — the man shrinking and hiding was none other than Wang Dashan from Jizhou Prefecture.
Previously, when Chen Yi used the Deceiving Mask and went by the alias Lu Xiaofeng, he had met Wang Dashan and others, and from their words, learned about the Lu Family's actions in Jizhou Prefecture. It seemed they were fated to meet.
"I see you, stop hiding."
Wang Dashan scratched his head, came out with an embarrassed smile, his dark face blushing, "M-my lord, just consider what I said as nonsense, don't mind it."
Chen Yi chuckled lightly, took out a jar of fine wine from his Sumeru Bag with a wave, and tossed it out. The jar of Clear Spring Wine floated before him.
"Lu Xiaofeng is my... elder brother, and this jar of wine is a gift from him to you."
"Do you know Brother Lu?" Wang Dashan stared blankly at the jar of wine, then asked excitedly, "Do you know where Brother Lu is now?"
"He," Chen Yi looked at him warmly and said, "Brother Lu has gone to a secret realm to cultivate. If fate allows, you will meet again."
With that, he placed the jar of Clear Spring Wine into Wang Dashan's hands and continued walking deeper into the Dakong Temple.
"By the way, regarding the question you just asked, my answer is — not participating in this event."
Holding the Clear Spring Wine, Wang Dashan couldn't help but grin, "Thank you, my lord, for informing me!"
Chen Yi waved his hand at him with his back turned, and along with Lin Xueru and others, disappeared from everyone's sight.
The minds of many prodigies were filled with mixed emotions, both regret and relief.
The regret was that they had no chance to watch Chen Yi's swordsmanship up close, but the relief was that there was one less formidable opponent at the event.
Otherwise, they couldn't imagine what it would be like to face Chen Yi in a duel; they probably would look worse than crying.
After Chen Yi had gone far, Wang Dashan came back to his senses, proudly lifted his head, and looked at his companions with a smile:
"See, at critical times, you still need to rely on your Brother Dashan. If you learned even half of my abilities, you wouldn't be as scared of Lord Heroic Marquis."
"Brother Dashan, weren't you scared too? Otherwise, why were you hiding just now?"
"Exactly, exactly..."
Before a few more words could be exchanged, some noble family sons nearby looked jealously at the wine in Wang Dashan's hands.
"Brother Dashan, would you be willing to part with it?"
"Part with it? No way! I'm not even married yet, what am I parting with?" Wang Dashan glared back.
"No, I meant, would you sell the wine you're holding? I'm willing to offer a hundred gold for it!"
"One hundred gold? Ridiculous! That was a gift from Lord Heroic Marquis. I'm willing to offer a thousand gold for it!"
"Ten thousand!"
"..."
Wang Dashan, seeing more and more travelers, rolled his eyes, chuckled a few times, and waved towards the top of the mountain path, "Little Sword Immortal, are you back?"