Chen Jiuyang pondered, "My old friend? Tell me more..."
Yu Neizhu replied, "You have so many friends and acquaintances, so many old friends. If they were still alive now, and on the verge of death, would you go to see them one last time?"
Chen Jiuyang chuckled, "That depends on the kind of old friend. For some, I might go for a final look; for others, I might lend a hand to send them off."
Yu Neizhu asked, "What kind of old friend was Gong Liexian?"
Chen Jiuyang gave her a deep look and didn't answer directly. "If that's the case, then you are a descendant of my old friends."
Yu Neizhu: "Ah?"
"How can that be..."
Chen Jiuyang raised a finger and pointed to the area around them. "This is my spiritual domain... and only those who have received my vital blood in the past can use the spiritual energy within this domain."
"!!!"
Yu Neizhu's expression stiffened. She seemed to recall Chen Jiuyang mentioning that his home was once located where this museum now stood.
"And in the past, over sixty or seventy of my old friends lived here. You seem to be able to use it..."
"What the heck... this can be connected too!!!" Yu Neizhu was truly surprised this time.
The person before her was a genuine ancient monster. She never expected her family to have any connection to him.
It was truly hard for her to believe.
If she had ancestral records, she would definitely check them.
Yu Neizhu said with a playful grin, "As a descendant of an old friend, shouldn't you teach me a bit more?" As she spoke, she leaned closer to Chen Jiuyang.
Chen Jiuyang smiled and gently flicked her forehead with a finger, not using any real force. "That's why my fees are so low. Remember, too much at once is hard to digest."
Perhaps it was Chen Jiuyang's fondness for his hometown, or the influence of the Qingzhu spiritual domain, but he genuinely did not dislike anything in this land, not a blade of grass, not a single tree, not a person, nor a dog.
Even though Yu Neizhu was a bit mischievous, he only offered a smile.
"Ouch!" Yu Neizhu stuck out her tongue at Chen Jiuyang.
Chen Jiuyang laughed heartily, leaning against the doorframe, and said casually, "Speaking of which, I also have some questions for you."
Yu Neizhu asked, "What questions?"
"Are there still any sects within Huaxia?"
Yu Neizhu replied, "There are, but very few. Most sects with a lineage have joined the administrative bodies under the Sentinels, or become teachers in universities."
"Have you heard of the True Demon Sect?"
"No, there are too many small sects with such chuunibyou names."
Chen Jiuyang rubbed his nose. "A small sect? Well, that's not necessarily a bad thing."
"Is the demon race a great threat to Huaxia now? Have they invaded Huaxia's borders?"
Yu Neizhu shook her head. "Not really, but the demon race hides in the rear, nurturing people from other countries to be their dogs, and they occasionally stir up trouble at the borders."
"Oh, then they are not worth worrying about."
"Not worth worrying about? They have repeatedly sent deities to disguise themselves and cause trouble all these years."
"Deities?" Chen Jiuyang frowned. He seemed to have some recollection, but it wasn't deep.
"Yes, deities," Yu Neizhu said. "The reason for Huaxia's current peace comes from the Sentinels, and the Sentinels' strength comes from the common people. But those deities go mad and infect ordinary people. Our teachers told us that if the deities created by the demon race are not curbed, the Sentinels' strength will gradually weaken until it collapses."
Chen Jiuyang's eyes narrowed. "That's quite interesting. I should take a look at what these deities are like when I have time."
"Let me ask you, where did you learn the name Gong Liexian?"
Yu Neizhu replied, "On television."
A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Jiuyang's face. "On television?"
"Yes." Yu Neizhu took out her phone and showed Chen Jiuyang the evening news from the day before.
Chen Jiuyang asked again, "Then how did you know she was going to die?"
Yu Neizhu opened today's morning news:
'Ms. Gong Liexian, wife of the second-generation Sentinel, after being rescued from the life-forbidden zone of the Liuxian Clan, has very little lifespan left and will pass away soon.'
"Alas..." A complex look flashed in Chen Jiuyang's eyes.
...
Imperial Capital.
Sentinel Headquarters.
Gong Liexian's aura grew weaker. Even with the augmentation of Confucian secret methods, it could not stop the depletion of her life source, and death qi coiled around her.
Her life was truly nearing its end.
The current Sentinel and the Master also showed regret in their eyes.
No one knew by what secret method this ancestor had survived until now, reaching the stage of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.
If this ancestor could extend her life and guard a region, it would greatly alleviate their pressure.
Gong Liexian's voice was weak, "There's no need. I have lived long enough in this life."
The Sentinel asked, "Ancestor, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
Gong Liexian, floating in the spiritual spring, looked at the Sentinel with cloudy eyes. "I want to know, where did you get the name Chen Jiuyang from?"
What was the relationship between this Chen Jiuyang and the ancestor? The ancestor was so preoccupied with him on her deathbed.
The Sentinel replied, "In the past two days, a person calling himself Chen Jiuyang appeared in Qingzhu City. He claimed to have known the first and second-generation Sentinels, and in his words, he even mentioned the ancestor's name... We cannot ascertain his origins..."
Gong Liexian's aged body trembled, her eyes filled with disbelief. "He has appeared, he has appeared. Why would he choose to appear at this time..."
Seeing the ancestor's strong emotional reaction, the Sentinel said, "Ancestor, would you like us to arrange for you to see him one last time?"
Gong Liexian was silent for a moment, then sighed, "No need. He might not necessarily want to see me."
She understood Chen Jiuyang well, and moreover, she did not want him to see her in her current state.
As soon as she said this, the Sentinel and the Master's expressions changed slightly. The death qi around Gong Liexian intensified, clearly showing her will to die.
"Liexian..."
Suddenly, a calm voice of a young man echoed within the main hall of the Sentinel Headquarters.
"This voice is..." Gong Liexian, the Sentinel, and the Master reacted differently.
"You are still as arrogant and conceited as ever. How do you know I wouldn't come to see you one last time?"
"Swish swish swish!!!"
Space was torn apart like a curtain, and a man emerged, dressed in a moon-white ancient robe with bamboo patterns. His appearance was handsome, his build tall, his black hair like a waterfall. He wore a saber and a sword at his waist, his expression calm, his gaze fixed on Gong Liexian.
"Tearing space..." The Sentinel and the Master immediately felt as if facing a great enemy.
"Brother Chen... Jiuyang..." Gong Liexian's eyes were dazed, as if returning to the distant past, when they were both young.
Chen Jiuyang's calm voice slowly sounded, "Or do you think I am such a heartless and unrighteous person?"
Gong Liexian's vitality surged back for a moment, her vision cleared, and two streams of tears slid down. She smiled and said, "Liexian has never seen Brother Chen like this before."
"Long time no see, Brother Chen, your demeanor is still as it was back then."
She was tired. After saying this, it was as if her last wish was fulfilled, and she slowly closed her eyes, sinking into darkness.