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Chapter 1046: For the Once Severed Past Fifteen

Inside the Juyan study, besides Ji缘’s jar of "Mortal Drunk" wine, there was braised noodles with offal, jujube cakes made by Zao Niang, and a plate of jujubes to go with the wine.

There were nine jujubes on the small plate, each faintly glowing with a fiery red luster and surrounded by spiritual energy, as if hidden within a reddish mist.

The old dragon was not reserved. Like Ji缘, he mixed the braised sauce with his noodles and ate heartily, picked up a piece of offal, and then took a small sip from his wine cup.

"Ah..."

Drinking "Mortal Drunk" brought a flood of memories to the old dragon, from his arduous cultivation as a hornless dragon to his gradual transformation. His life as a dragon had its ups and downs, its hardships and its splendors. The more vivid the memory, the richer the taste of the wine; in ordinary moments, the flavor seemed subtle yet even more profound, encompassing all the sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy notes of life.

"What splendid wine, truly unforgettable!"

"Naturally."

Both men reached for the fiery jujubes. Ji缘 took a bite directly, and his mouth was instantly filled with a delicious fragrance. The incredibly fresh flesh, when chewed, released spiritual energy like an unending flow of juice. With every bit consumed, it felt as if a spiritual spring had opened in his mouth and internal organs, and the sounds of the world's winds and clouds echoed within his heart.

The old dragon did not rush to eat, but carefully examined the fiery jujube.

"Few know of this fruit, even fewer have seen it, and those who have tasted it are rarer still. This is the Profound Spirit Fiery Jujube, legendary in the Three Realms today. Some say it ripens once every thousand years, others say it takes 1,800 years."

Ji缘 turned to look at Zao Niang, who smiled and spoke.

"What Dragon Lord said is both true and false. While all the jujubes on the tree are red, only about a hundred or so can be called 'Profound Spirit.' If left to grow naturally, they might not ripen even in two thousand years. But if I choose to, by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, a hundred years of arduous effort can bring them to maturity."

Ji缘 tapped his cup with his chopsticks, his gaze sweeping over the old dragon, Lu Shan Jun, Hu Yun, and Zao Niang, and said very seriously,

"Alright, then from now on, if the opportunity arises, we'll say two thousand years."

"Hahahaha..."

The old dragon was also amused. He popped a fiery jujube into his mouth and crunched on it. In terms of deliciousness, few things in the world could compare.

After finishing one jujube, the old dragon finally sighed.

"I didn't realize that the Boundless Sword Tomb wasn't established by you, Mr. Ji, but by the Azure Vine Immortal Sword itself."

Lu Shan Jun, holding his noodle bowl, swallowed his mouthful of noodles and explained.

"When the universe was first settled, Master almost exhausted all his energy. However, as heaven and earth swallowed the power of the ancient lands, cosmic changes began, and the ancient lands continuously disintegrated, also revealing much dormant malevolence. Within less than a century of dormancy, great chaos erupted across the land again. By then, we had already lost all contact with Master. Only the Azure Vine Sword appeared by our unworthy descendants' side, its edge striking for decades until it rested at Boundless Mountain."

Hu Yun quickly chimed in.

"Oh, I know, I know! That year at Boundless Mountain, Sister Bai, using the power of the Azure Vine Sword, actually unleashed Master's 'Heaven's Fall Sword Momentum' and beheaded that giant ancient beast in one strike! After that sword landed, the Azure Vine Sword stayed there. Sister Bai guarded that peak for a long time, but she couldn't summon the Azure Vine Sword back. I had a feeling then that Mr. Ji wouldn't be returning for a very long time."

Ji缘 drained his cup, his vast gaze seeming to pierce through countless mountains and rivers to look into the distance, at the towering peak in Boundless Mountain that resembled a long sword.

"How the world was at that time was no longer my concern. I merely felt my end approaching and prepared some contingencies, leaving only a sword intent scroll by my side to guard my body for a hundred years."

The old dragon sneered.

"Hmph, fortunately, they guarded you for more than a hundred years, otherwise, you might not have woken up."

"Indeed, I didn't die. Imagine how frustrated those who hated me to the bone would be if they knew this?"

Ji缘 joked.

Lu Shan Jun's expression was serious, and Zao Niang's face also looked rather displeased.

"If Master had truly passed away, and I, Lu Shan Jun, hadn't even seen him one last time, wouldn't I truly be an unworthy disciple?"

"Master!"

The old dragon also drained his cup, sighing as he came to Ji缘's defense.

"Firstly, Mr. Ji couldn't bear to see us, his close ones, grieve. Secondly, Mr. Ji's reputation at that time was enough to suppress the entire realm. No matter what fiends or evildoers there were, the name Ji缘 was a deep-seated mental obstacle for them. Thus, secretly finding a place to 'sleep' was also understandable."

"It's also a way to live in your hearts, I suppose."

As Ji缘 finished speaking, he picked up a piece of jujube cake to put it in his mouth, but his wrist was suddenly gripped by the old dragon. The dragon squeezed with immense force, as if intending to crush Ji緣's wrist, and leaned closer to whisper.

"Ji缘, next time you're going to die, you'd best let us know directly, otherwise, some people will truly keep waiting!"

Zao Niang picked up the wine pot and poured wine for Ji缘 and the old dragon, quietly remarking,

"And what if we had known?"

The old dragon glanced at Zao Niang, sighed, and released his grip.

"Changes in earth veins, demonic disturbances, the flourishing of a hundred schools of thought, the rise of the celestial realm, the co-existence of the three realms... So much has happened in just six or seven hundred years. As the saying goes, 'times create heroes,' and 'the ages of change hasten events.' How many brilliant and stunning individuals have emerged? How many once-glorious things have risen and fallen? After experiencing so much, your name, Mr. Ji, has completely faded from the sight of ordinary people."

The old dragon smiled and looked at Ji缘.

"I know you'll say that's what you desired, but if you think no one remembers you, you're greatly mistaken. Whether it's the prominent hundred schools of thought in the human realm, or the major immortal and Buddhist sects, as long as they are traditions from that era, those in charge will certainly know of your deeds. Ironically, among the current gods of the Celestial Realm, few who know your great name remain. It's quite interesting; some high-ranking immortals from blessed lands occasionally use this to mock the celestial gods as mere greenhorns..."

The old dragon chattered on about Ji緣's affairs. Ji缘 found it amusing; apparently, his name had even created a chain of disdain.

The two old friends hadn't seen each other for years; one wanted to listen, the other to speak. Although the old dragon wasn't one to spread gossip, so many years had passed that the stories he could tell would take days and nights to finish.

When Hu Yun went out to return the bowls, he couldn't help but stick out his tongue outside the door. He hadn't seen the Dragon Lord Ying long often, but he knew he was usually a silent and dignified person. Today, he was an absolute chatterbox.

'Mr. Ji is indeed amazing,'

Thinking this, Hu Yun had already walked out of the Juyan study's vicinity and happened to spot a man lingering nearby. The man looked slightly plump, had a ruddy complexion, and sported a small mustache. His clothes weren't lavish but were exquisitely crafted from high-quality materials.

Hu Yun's appearance was as if she had emerged indistinctly from the alleyway, usually overlooked by ordinary people. Yet, the middle-aged man noticed Hu Yun and was slightly startled.

Hu Yun cast a glance at the man, picked up the food container, and left. The man paused for a moment, his eyes flickering, then quickly chased after her.

"Excuse me, young lady, are you perhaps a cultivator?"

"You could say that."

Hu Yun walked swiftly. Although she appeared to be moving slowly, she was approaching the Tianniu district entrance at a speed far beyond that of an ordinary person. The man, however, easily kept pace.

"Young lady, you're carrying a food container. Are you staying with a family in this district?"

"My surname is Wei, and my ancestral home is Desheng Prefecture. I often visit Ning'an County and am very familiar with this area. May I ask your name?"

Hu Yun completely ignored him and quickly arrived at Sun's noodle stall. The stall had few customers at the moment, and Father Sun was nowhere to be seen, leaving only Sun Yiqiu tending the stall alone. Hu Yun placed the food container on a table and casually called out,

"It's all finished. Come clear it away."

"Alright!"

Sun Yiqiu quickly came over, opened the food container, and took out the bowls and chopsticks.

The man nearby looked from the dishes to the noodle stall, then smiled and spoke again.

"Young lady, you're not from Ning'an County, are you? I've heard that the ancient Sage of Literature's former residence was within the Tianniu district, but it's long since vanished with the passage of time."

Hu Yun continued to ignore the man. Sun Yiqiu, standing nearby, leaned closer to Hu Yun and whispered,

"Miss, is that fellow bothering you? Should I call the authorities for you?"

"No need."

Hu Yun took her change, picked up the food container, and turned to leave. The man tried to follow, but as Hu Yun took a few steps past the Tianniu district's gateway, she vanished from his sight, as if he had been chasing thin air.

"What an exquisite illusion!"

The man frowned, then instantly returned to the noodle stall. Sun Yiqiu was just about to take the bowls, cleaned of noodles, to wash.

"Wait!"

"Huh?"

The man hurried to Sun Yiqiu and, while the latter was still dazed, snatched a stack of used bowls. He leaned in and gently sniffed them. After a few breaths, he removed the top two bowls, then meticulously sniffed the middle one, and finally pulled out a pair of chopsticks to smell them.

This sight made Sun Yiqiu's skin crawl. This guy must be sick, not just a lecher, but a pervert!

The man, however, had a look of astonishment. There was a faint yet very distinct fragrance on this bowl. He turned sideways to look at the sky, recalling the earlier scene of dark clouds pressing down, and his heart trembled slightly.

Dragon's Saliva!

"Dragon's Saliva" is a polite term; in plain words, it's the spittle of the Lord of Waters, a true dragon's saliva, emitting a peculiar fragrance. Few in the world recognized dragon's saliva, yet the man could identify it by its subtle scent.

After arriving at this conjecture, he immediately pulled out one tael of silver and slapped it on the table.

"I'll buy these bowls and chopsticks."

Before he finished speaking, the man had already swiftly departed with the bowls and chopsticks, leaving Sun Yiqiu wide-eyed. What a strange person and a strange incident.

Just as Sun Yiqiu picked up the silver and looked up again, he suddenly found the man standing almost face-to-face with him, startling Sun Yiqiu into a jolt. "Oh my goodness!"

"Sir, weren't you just leaving...?"

Sun Yiqiu looked down the street; the man had already run far away. How had he suddenly returned and appeared right in front of him? It was truly unnerving.

The man, however, was scrutinizing Sun Yiqiu from head to toe.

"My young shopkeeper, your aura is murky and seems stirred like wind and clouds. I fear you're about to be involved in something significant soon!"

The man glanced towards the Tianniu district, thought for a moment, then took a yellow brocade pouch from his bosom and handed it to Sun Yiqiu.

"Inside this pouch is a talisman, enclosing a blessed copper coin. It might help you at a critical moment. Make sure not to lose it, don't show it to others easily, and keep it close to your body."

"A talisman?"

Sun Yiqiu took the brocade pouch, looked down at it, then unsealed it and peeked inside. Indeed, it was a folded talisman, presumably containing the so-called blessed copper coin.

"Sir, this... hmm?"

In that brief moment, the man had already become a tiny silhouette in the distance down the street. Sun Yiqiu then turned the brocade pouch over and over, discovering small characters embroidered on one side. He couldn't help but read them aloud.

"Misty mountains, observe the turbidity and clarity of heaven and earth."

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