"Back in the day, Tianlang was overbearing, aloof and arrogant, savage and domineering."
Xuanze also stroked the beard on his chin and smiled faintly. "But the Tianlang of today is open-minded and modest. He has lost some of that aloof arrogance and gained a touch of calm detachment. The savagery and domineering air have also diminished, replaced by a certain... unrestrained freedom. The only thing unchanged is not the ferocity Old Monster mentioned, but a kind of free-spiritedness—an ineffable, carefree ease."
"Bah, Xuanze, you only say that because you don't understand this brat."
Old Monster Tang shot Gu Qingfeng an extremely disdainful look and sneered. "I just told you, don't be fooled by how he sits there now looking all proper and dignified. Once this kid's temper flares up, he absolutely becomes a different person. Calm detachment? Calm my ass! Detached my ass! You just wait and see if the 'wind' is still calm and the 'clouds' are still detached then!"
"I'm telling you, Old Monster, I'm not young anymore. I'm long past being that impulsive kid. Can you stop judging me through the lens of the past?"
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "I'm a decent man now, decent as a little housewife—I wouldn't even dare fight back if someone hit me!"
"Get lost! If you're a decent man, then there ain't a single dishonest soul left in this whole damn world!"
"Hahahaha!"
Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily.
Perhaps he truly had grown old.
Or perhaps the years of solitary fighting and killing had left him unbearably lonely. Whenever he idly chatted with old friends, Gu Qingfeng felt immensely happy—a happiness that sprang from the very depths of his heart, even more exhilarating than when he had achieved the Peerless Immortal-Demon Throne. Thinking back carefully, in his five hundred years of cultivation, the number of old friends he could truly talk to was pitifully few.
"Kid, don't you laugh hahaha at me. No matter what, you must find Hengshu and bring her back to me."
"Don't worry. Once I'm done with my current business, I'll see if there's a way to locate Hengshu."
Gu Qingfeng personally believed he owed Tang Hengshu nothing. Even if there was a debt, he had repaid it back then by sweeping through the four great families and six major sects for the Yanluo royal family and stopping the Immortal Dynasty. Yet, hearing that Tang Hengshu had vanished without a trace searching for him did stir some self-reproach in his heart. In the end, it was all trouble he'd stirred up in his youth. A debt owed must be repaid. No matter what, he had to find Tang Hengshu.
"Done with your business? What else are you busy with?"
"Some messy affairs concerning Crimson-Letter. Ever heard of a guy named Zhou Taihe?"
"Zhou Taihe? That fellow who calls himself Blackhearted Lord? That kid's reputation in Yanluo Kingdom is huge. There's also a Dong Laohu, who styles himself Black Buddha Lord. I've heard of both. Seems they were both Crimson Sky men under your command back in the day, weren't they?"
Gu Qingfeng nodded. "Now, Zhou Taihe has taken a bunch of brothers and appears to have pledged allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty. Normally, people have their own ambitions; seeking wealth and glory by joining the Immortal Dynasty is no big deal, and I couldn't be bothered to meddle in such messy affairs. But they cannot carry the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant with them to pledge allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty. The Bloodfiend contains the blood souls of many Crimson Sky brothers, and the Dragon-Elephant is the same. Both the Crimson Sky brothers and the Dragon-Elephant died at the hands of the Immortal Dynasty."
"If they carry the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant, forged with their blood, to pay homage to the Immortal Dynasty, it would be disrespectful to the Dragon-Elephant and an insult to those fallen Crimson Sky brothers. After all, I was the one who led them in that grand crusade against the Immortal Dynasty. Their deaths already weigh heavily on me. How could I stand by and let Zhou Taihe and his lot carry the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant, built with their blood, to bow before the Immortal Dynasty?"
"If I hadn't returned, that would be one thing. Ignorance is bliss. But I have returned, and I know about this. Naturally, I won't let it slide. I must get to the bottom of it."
Both Old Monster Tang and Xuanze agreed that Gu Qingfeng should investigate thoroughly and absolutely not let it go.
"Kid Gu, you must get to the bottom of this. It's what you ought to do. Those men followed you to conquer the world back then; of course you have the obligation and the responsibility."
Xuanze also nodded. "In the Present-Ancient Era, although all things have revived, spiritual energy is abundant, and the Heavenly Mandate has descended, heralding a great era of cultivation, it is precisely because the opportunities are so dazzling that human bonds have become as thin as paper. Who still speaks of righteousness or gratitude nowadays?"
"To vie for opportunities, today's youth turn against their own kin, fellow disciples slaughter each other. Righteousness? Gratitude? No one talks about that stuff anymore. And it's not just the youth of the Present-Ancient Era; even the old fogies from the Ancient Era have had their heads turned by all kinds of opportunities. For the sake of profit, they'll do anything. Some have even lost the most basic backbone required to be a person."
Old Monster Tang might rarely leave the mausoleum, but he still knew a thing or two about the outside world. Moreover, he had personally witnessed on more than one occasion Ancient Era Earth Immortals scurrying around, serving at the beck and call of a few favored geniuses of opportunity. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it. They were, after all, Ancient Era Earth Immortals—figures of repute, once awe-inspiring in their own right during the Ancient Era. Even if they had fallen on hard times in the Present-Ancient Era, they shouldn't have cast aside their dignity and backbone to run errands for youngsters.
Suddenly.
Xuanze asked with a rather serious tone, "Tianlang, this old man has something to say, though I'm not sure if I should."
"Old Senior, why stand on ceremony with me? If you have something to say, just say it."
"You just said that Zhou Taihe has already pledged allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty. If you pursue this matter to the end, won't you become enemies with the Immortal Dynasty again? If that's truly the case, Tianlang, you must consider this carefully."
"It's fine. I know my limits."
"Hmm, knowing your limits is good. This old man is just worried you'll tread your old path again."
"Don't worry."
At that moment, Old Monster Tang seemed to remember something. "Eh?" he exclaimed, looking rather excited. "Kid Gu, since you'll inevitably clash with the Immortal Dynasty when you deal with that bastard Zhou Taihe, right?"
"That's right. So what?"
"Here's the thing. Right now, the Immortal Dynasty also wants to deal with our Yanluo royal family. And by the looks of it, this time it's not just a probe; they seem to be playing for real. Since you're going to clash with the Immortal Dynasty anyway, why not lend a hand to our Yanluo royal family while you're at it? What do you say?"
"Old Monster! How can you be so selfish!"
Xuanze rebuked him. "You want Tianlang to become enemies with the Immortal Dynasty? Do you want him to walk his old path again?"
"That's not what I meant! When Kid Gu deals with Zhou Taihe, won't he also be confronting the Immortal Dynasty? Since this kid can't avoid that mountain called the Immortal Dynasty anyway—even if he doesn't help our Yanluo Kingdom, he'll still clash with them—wouldn't it be better to just lend us a hand? Kid Gu, tell me, isn't that the logic?"
"That's right. It is indeed that logic."
Gu Qingfeng sat in his chair, legs crossed, body slightly tilted, leaning against the armrest, head cocked, eyes narrowed into slits as he looked at Old Monster Tang with an amused, non-smiling smile. "It's just... why does that sound so familiar? If I remember correctly, didn't you use the exact same line to trick me into dealing with the four great families and six major sects back in the day?"