Yuanwu was not only a man of immense pride, arrogance, and willfulness, but also one who loved to show off, steal the limelight, and flaunt his power.
Just moments ago, during his confrontation with Fuying and the others, not only had he failed to display his might, but the appearances of Baize and Lengjue had also caused him to lose a bit of face.
Now, seeing an ignorant old fool who didn't know his place daring to cough so loudly in public, Yuanwu immediately stepped forward, ready to teach Huode a lesson.
But before he could make a move, suddenly, a little girl rushed toward the great vessel.
That girl was none other than Qiao'er of the Eternal Life Pavilion.
No one knew why Qiao'er, who had been perfectly fine, would suddenly run over. Everyone was surprised and puzzled, including Old Lady Jin Hua and Li Xin.
"Old Senior!"
Qiao'er appeared on the deck of the great vessel, blinking her lively, intelligent eyes as she stared at Huode in pleasant surprise, exclaiming, "Is it really you?"
Looking at Qiao'er now, Huode was utterly delighted inside, but he didn't show it on his face. Not only did he not show it, he even stood there with a serious expression, one hand behind his back, the other stroking the beard on his chin, deliberately feigning confusion as he asked, "Little girl, do you recognize this poor Daoist?"
"Old Senior! Don't you remember me? It's me! A few years ago, you saved me!"
"This..." At this moment, Huode couldn't have been more serious. To those who didn't know him, he truly seemed like a venerable senior expert. He stared at Qiao'er for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "Little girl, could you have mistaken me for someone else? In this poor Daoist's memory, I don't recall saving you."
"Old Senior!" Qiao'er looked both excited and anxious—excited because she hadn't expected to meet the benefactor who had saved her years ago here, and anxious because her benefactor seemed not to remember her. She quickly explained, "Seven years ago, did you go to the Yanwu Secret Realm?"
"Seven years ago? The Yanwu Secret Realm?" Huode stroked his chin and nodded. "Indeed, this poor Daoist did visit the Yanwu Secret Realm."
"Old Senior, have you forgotten? Back then, Qiao'er got separated from my senior sister and accidentally entered a terrifying cave dwelling. That cave dwelling was filled with many frightening specters and demons. Luckily, you arrived in time and saved me. Otherwise, Qiao'er would probably have been devoured by those specters and demons long ago."
As she spoke, Qiao'er flipped her palm and produced a talisman, saying, "Old Senior, look—this is the protective talisman you gave me back then."
Seeing the talisman, Huode finally 'had a sudden realization.' "So it's you, little girl!"
"Has Old Senior finally remembered Qiao'er?"
"Of course." Huode smiled. "It's just that so much time has passed, and you've grown up, little girl. This poor Daoist didn't recognize you at first. My apologies."
"Old Senior, I'm so happy to meet you here! Back then, Qiao'er didn't even have time to say a word of thanks before you left. I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime!"
Qiao'er excitedly threw herself into Huode's embrace.
Huode stroked his beard, assuming the air of a lofty, enlightened master as he said lightly, "You exaggerate, little girl. A human's life is long. If fate wills it, we will naturally meet again. See? We've met again so soon."
Across the way, Gu Qingfeng sat in his chair, watching Huode in this moment, and couldn't help but chuckle silently.
He knew Huode recognized the little girl.
Yes.
He had known from the very beginning.
Because he understood Huode too well. He knew full well that if this old fellow didn't know the little girl, he would never have made a bet with him.
What made him chuckle silently was how deeply Huode was playing his game.
First, he used a cough to attract the little girl's attention, making her step forward and recognize him on her own. In doing so, he forcefully turned a mere bet into a coincidence arranged by fate.
When the little girl stepped forward to recognize him, the old fellow then put on the act of a venerable senior expert, deliberately playing dumb—almost outright telling everyone that Huode had never considered saving someone else as anything worth remembering. How noble!
Only when the little girl produced a talisman did Huode pretend to have a sudden realization, even saying something like 'if fate wills it, we will naturally meet again'?
With such words, Huode's lofty image was elevated even further.
He was practically on the verge of becoming a Buddha or a saint.
This game he played was undeniably deep.
His methods were undeniably clever.
Even Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration.
Of course, besides admiration, Gu Qingfeng's heart also cursed Huode, thinking how this old fellow's face grew thicker with age, and how he became more shameless the longer he lived.
At that moment, Li Xin, Old Lady Jin Hua, and the others also appeared on the deck of the great vessel. Li Xin asked, "Qiao'er, is this the senior who saved you back then?"
Qiao'er nodded emphatically. "Senior Aunt Li Xin, Old Lady Jin Hua, this Old Senior is the lifesaving benefactor Qiao'er told you about."
Hearing this, Old Lady Jin Hua and Li Xin quickly expressed their gratitude to Huode, especially Old Lady Jin Hua, who was truly endlessly grateful to him.
Because seven years ago, she had entered the Yanwu Secret Realm with Qingqing and Qiao'er to search for a medicinal herb. For some unknown reason, the natural environment of the Yanwu Secret Realm had suddenly become chaotic. Due to the suddenness of the event and the upheaval of the natural environment—where yin and yang reversed and the five elements shifted—despite her efforts to protect Qingqing and Qiao'er, they were eventually swept into a natural storm. By the time she managed to escape, Qingqing and Qiao'er had already disappeared.
At the time, Old Lady Jin Hua had been terrified. Ignoring her own injuries, she searched everywhere for Qingqing and Qiao'er. Fortunately, she found Qingqing quickly, but Qiao'er's whereabouts remained unknown. After searching for a full day and night, she finally found Qiao'er in an ancient cave dwelling.
That cave dwelling was filled with many specters and demons. When they found Qiao'er, she was tightly clutching a talisman, hiding within a formation. Upon questioning, they learned that a venerable senior expert had saved Qiao'er.
Even now, thinking back to those events, Old Lady Jin Hua still felt a lingering fear. She knew very well that if that senior hadn't saved Qiao'er back then, Qiao'er would likely have been in grave danger.
This was a great kindness—a heaven-sent favor.
Old Lady Jin Hua had always wanted to repay it, but after searching the Yanwu Secret Realm for many days, she never found any trace of that senior expert.
She never would have imagined that today, in the vast expanse of the Great Desolate, she would meet the benefactor who had saved Qiao'er all those years ago.
Even though Old Lady Jin Hua had cultivated for many years and her heart was usually as still as an ancient well, at this moment she was deeply moved, repeatedly expressing her gratitude to Huode.
Li Xin beside her was the same.
Although she hadn't been present during the events of that year, she had heard Qiao'er mention them several times and was also very grateful for Huode's lifesaving kindness.