As she spoke, Gong Liexian's weathered eyes blurred, as if tears were about to fall.
An elder nearing the end of his life shedding tears would only hasten the decline of his lifespan.
The current Master of Jixia Academy was startled and quickly used his Master's Seal to calm Gong Liexian's emotions:
"Old Ancestor, please rest well first."
Afterward, the Master and the Garrison Commander retreated.
Gong Liexian's memories, however, returned to the past. If she hadn't been so arrogant back then, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
She had forgotten how many years Chen Jiuyang had been in seclusion. After her cultivation reached its peak, she confronted her old rival Ming Huatong with her spear. Just as the outcome was about to be decided, Lotus Birth Mother defeated her and was about to kill her when Ming Huatong unexpectedly saved her life.
"How many old friends from that era are still left? And alive..."
Although she had married Chen Beixuan, which both the Yan Emperor and King Gong were happy to see, they were incompatible. One was constantly seeking Garrison Commanders, facing pressure from the demon race at the Fallen Immortal Cliff, and they rarely spent time alone. She, too, was solely devoted to martial arts.
Sleepy... so sleepy... She seemed to faintly see the figures of her father, mother, and elder brother, beckoning her from ahead...
...
The Garrison Commander and the Master withdrew.
"How is it?" the Garrison Commander asked.
The Master frowned, "To be honest, it's a bit chilling..."
"Life forbidden zones are appearing, and foreign humans who have submitted to the demon race are eyeing us covetously..."
"Now, a strong individual from the era of the Old Ancestor, whose combat power is unknown, has appeared... Although information lost from the previous era has been recovered, and two people corroborate each other..."
"But we haven't had any contact with this Chen Jiuyang. How can we locate him?"
The Garrison Commander said, "For now, define his combat power as nation-guarding level. As for his stance, we'll have to wait and see. Don't approach him rashly..."
The Master said, "This is an old friend of the Garrison Commander's Old Ancestor. The Old Ancestor doesn't have much time left. Should we leak information about the Old Ancestor to him?"
The Garrison Commander's eyes flashed with sharp light. After a long period of thought, he murmured, "Very well."
...
Green Bamboo Mountain.
Internal Security Bureau Interrogation Room.
The person in the Taoist robe suddenly changed expression and walked out of the interrogation room. Afterward, with a respectful expression, he took out a talisman and said, "Leader... Yes... Yes, I understand!!!"
Immediately, he walked back into the interrogation room, a faint smile on his face, "Thank you both for cooperating with the investigation."
"Can we leave?" Yu Cong'an asked.
The Taoist said, "You can leave. There are two pieces of information I need to convey to you both."
Yu Neizhu asked, "Is it a confidentiality agreement?"
The Taoist slowly shook his head, "Not exactly."
"The first piece of news is, congratulations Ms. Yu Neizhu on being admitted to a top university in the Imperial Capital without an examination."
"Ah?!!!" Yu Neizhu and Yu Cong'an, father and daughter, were stunned. The top universities in the Imperial Capital were institutions that only the cream of China could enter.
Their hearts were shaken, and then they came back to their senses. This matter must be related to what happened tonight.
"The second piece of news is that someone from above asked me to tell Mr. Yu Cong'an that the post your daughter shared online is not false, but real..."
"Now, you two may leave."
"What? The post? Not false? It's real?"
Yu Neizhu and Yu Cong'an exchanged glances. After recalling the content of the post, their faces changed drastically, and their minds buzzed.
...
Another day arrived.
Chen Jiuyang opened the door of his martial arts hall and picked up a broom to sweep the dust from the entrance.
He slowly watched the sun rise.
A sense of peace, comfort, and leisure washed over him.
Everything felt so natural.
While living such a leisurely life, besides cultivating, Chen Jiuyang also pondered. A new great era was about to arrive. What would the inheritor of the Human Emperor's path be like in this life? Would the Yan Emperor reincarnate as a true spirit in this life?
The true spirit of the Ancient Emperor was truly astonishingly talented.
He ascended to the position of Great Emperor through martial arts in the dark era, and in his previous life, he established the Garrison Commander system.
Chen Jiuyang's heart was as calm as water. The karma related to him in the mortal world was very little. Although at his current realm, he couldn't sense all the karma related to himself, he could vaguely perceive it.
A slight smile curved Chen Jiuyang's lips, "Are there still some old friends in this world with whom I have karma?"
That was that. Chen Jiuyang didn't want to actively inquire or get involved in any major karma, which might affect this peaceful and leisurely life.
Yu Neizhu, looking like she hadn't slept well, arrived outside the martial arts hall. The young girl carefully observed Chen Jiuyang and took a deep breath, "Master Chen."
"Mm," Chen Jiuyang smiled, "Still arriving so early to diligently practice martial arts as always."
Yu Neizhu, this bold girl, snorted, "Otherwise? I have to get into a good university so I can find a suitable job to support myself in the future."
Chen Jiuyang said, "Keep it up."
Yu Neizhu's eyes darted around as she entered the martial arts hall and began practicing her punches. She then asked, "Master Chen, if what you said yesterday was true, then with your current strength, what do you desire?"
Chen Jiuyang sat cross-legged at the entrance with a smile, "This kind of quiet and harmonious life is what I desire."
Seeing Chen Jiuyang's sincere expression, not like he was faking it, Yu Neizhu said, "No way, what's so desirable about this kind of ordinary person's life?"
Chen Jiuyang said, "No schemes, no deception. Living a peaceful life like this has always been my origin. What's wrong with that?"
Yu Neizhu pouted, "No ambition."
Chen Jiuyang leaned against the doorframe, slowly gazing at the rising sun, like a truly unambitious salted fish, and said with a smile, "Yes, I am unambitious."
He had pursued things before and tasted all sorts of bitterness. In the end, the more he sought, the more he lost. What everyone pursued might not be that good.
Yu Neizhu asked again, "What if someone tries to take away this peaceful life of yours?"
Chen Jiuyang chuckled, "Then I'll beat him to death."
"In this world, there are probably not many people who can be my opponent."
Hearing Chen Jiuyang's words, Yu Neizhu's heart began to pound violently.
After returning home last night, she repeatedly reviewed her post, and then thought about what the Internal Security Bureau Taoist had said. She and her father felt their scalps tingle.
This Master Chen in front of them was truly an old monster who had lived for nearly ten thousand years, and had even slept for tens of thousands of years in between.
In this world, few could be his opponent!
That sentence was truly domineering!
Yu Neizhu asked again, "Since you are so strong, you could completely deal with those demon races outside of Huaxia, which would reduce our pressure."
Chen Jiuyang simply said, "That is not what I wish to do now. If I have that much energy, I'd rather lie down."
Yu Neizhu cautiously asked the final question:
"What if you still have old friends in this world?"