Light Fortress
Chapter 431 - 90: Opponent? Friend?_2

Chapter 431: Chapter 90: Opponent? Friend?_2

"Is this... really that funny?" Gu Shen scratched his head.

"From my perspective, it is actually quite amusing," the Tomb Guardian replied with rare seriousness.

"Just what kind of person would come to Qingzhong, seeking a gravemarker, and even the name on that marker..."

Gu Shen couldn’t help but speak up, talking to himself, "To bury someone, yet not knowing the other’s name... Judging by his appearance, he seems to come from one of the five major families..."

At that moment.

He seemed to realize something.

Born into one of the five major families.

"That ’Yu Shu’... is he a Death Soldier from one of the five major families?" Gu Shen suddenly raised his head, looking towards the hanging Master Qianye,

whose masked face still wore a crescent-moon smile, as if signaling him to continue speaking.

Surname Yu.

This was not a surname from the five major families... like Uncle Gao, an outsider by blood, protecting the true bloodline.

"I’ve met the young individuals of the five families..."

One name after another flashed through Gu Shen’s mind.

In the end, he ruled out all possibilities.

Leaving only... one answer.

"The person at the foot of the mountain... is Bai Xiu?"

Gu Shen looked stunned, he finally understood why the Tomb Guardian laughed; if he were in her shoes, seeing the amicable conversation between the figures above and below the mountain, he probably couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

The whole of Changye was committed to creating a tense atmosphere between the two, as if swords were drawn and bows bent.

Gu Shen had even gone to the old master to obtain information about Bai Xiu... He was prepared early in his heart for the day when the "Bai Wudi" who went north for his trial would return to Changye, potentially seeking to overtake him.

He had to be ready to respond.

But he never expected.

That the developments would be so... illogical.

"You’re a bit smarter than I thought, yet also more oblivious," Master Qianye remarked lightly, "Actually, the identity of that ’man from down the mountain’ isn’t so hard to guess."

Indeed.

All of Changye knew about his status as a "Divination disciple."

If someone came to Qingzhong seeking an audience, they saw a man standing atop the foggy mountainhead... Then the possibility was that it was none other than himself.

From the greeting gestures, it was clear that the other party was a descendant of one of the five major families.

Yet he was unaware of his own identity.

There was only one possibility... he had just returned to Changye, and he did not pay the slightest attention to the news of Snow Forbidden City.

"I thought I was quite famous," Gu Shen said with a wry smile, teasingly, "It seems he doesn’t care at all."

"You are indeed famous, and he will know soon enough," Master Qianye said casually, "It’s just that he was in a great hurry... very rushed, without time to learn what had transpired in Changye, and came straight to Qingzhong to see me."

Associating it with the request for a gravemarker and the hint given by the Tomb Guardian.

Gu Shen’s eyes lit up, "Because... he was the target of an assassination attempt?"

"Correct." Master Qianye said with a smile, "Someone from the Bai Family wanted to kill him, and Yu Shu sacrificed himself to save his life."

No wonder... he sought a gravemarker.

Death Soldiers do not leave their names behind.

Even in death, Bai Xiu did not know that person’s name.

"It seems that public opinion is the least reliable thing in the world," Gu Shen said, massaging his brow with a complicated expression, "Before we met, I thought very poorly of him... and considered him my greatest enemy."

But upon actually meeting.

Even with just a few brief words exchanged, both men paid their respects to each other, becoming unnamed "friends."

"The tongue of man is a fearsome thing, three men’s breath makes a tiger," Master Qianye noted, "When it comes to people or things we have never seen, we are inevitably influenced by external forces... If Bai Xiu had heard about you first and then met with you, perhaps things would not have been so peaceful."

"So... you made him owe me a favor?"

Gu Shen let out a bitter laugh.

Atop the mountaintop, warning him out loud... likewise confirmed his identity as a "Divination disciple."

"Some favors seem big, but are actually small."

"Some favors appear small, yet can be very significant."

The Tomb Guardian extended her withered palm, and suddenly a layer of golden threads spread across it, like heavenly clouds pulled down from the wilderness, coated with a layer of gold. Each long thread seemed to extend towards the edges of the wilderness, to the ends of the world.

In front of Gu Shen, she performed her Divination Skill.

It’s just that... Gu Shen couldn’t understand a thing.

The strands of golden thread swayed and trembled.

"Bai Xiu will become a remarkable person... his favor will become very significant in the future," Master Qianye said seriously as he pinched a long thread, "Just a few words, and you’ve gained this favor; you’ve actually made a good deal."

Indeed, it was a good deal.

Gu Shen couldn’t help but feel emotional.

Destiny truly is a wonderful thing, arranging for two people to meet in different circumstances, leading to different outcomes...

From opponents, to friends?

Gu Shen thought to himself quietly, If it weren’t for this favor, if it weren’t for this meeting... Perhaps, I would have ended up fighting Bai Xiu.

No.

To be fair, it would have been me who was chased around by Bai Xiu.

After reviewing the Thunder Realm Walker’s profile, Gu Shen didn’t believe he had the strength to fight this guy right now... He truly was lacking a lot, but perhaps that was due to the age difference in cultivation.

Recognizing the gap is nothing to be ashamed of!

The golden thread in the Tomb Guardian’s hand suddenly started to tremble again. She smiled and twirled the thread, her slender fingers pressing down to still the trembling destiny thread.

"I suggest you visit the old place again."

...

...

"Big news!"

"Big news!"

"Bai Xiu has finally appeared! Wind Eye has captured his whereabouts!"

Posts on the deep water area forum were updated, instantly drawing a huge amount of attention. This time, Wind Eye captured clear images, and the Bai Family did not use their authority to block these pictures.

Previously, when Bai Xiu returned to Changye, many were left waiting in vain.

And they waited a long time, without getting a response... The widely anticipated protagonist, Bai Xiu, had vanished into thin air.

This disappearance lasted for a whole day and night.

At that time, people began wondering, what exactly was "Bai Wudi" up to?

Soon, the Bai Family announced that Bai Xiu had achieved Breakthrough to Ninth Layer Perfection, claiming that the trial in the Frozen Prairie was a great success, and Bai Xiu’s Extraordinary Ability had reached the "Ninth Layer Perfection," only one step away from the tenth layer.

The reason for the absence of any news for a day and a night was that Bai Xiu was overly exhausted and needed to meditate.

This news wasn’t shocking; it was expected.

Over the years, the people of Changye had grown accustomed to Bai Xiu’s successful breakthroughs... Whatever progress this monstrous talent made, no one would be surprised.

What everyone was focused on was... the newcomer’s battle!

The registration for the newcomer’s battle was about to close, and Bai Xiu had returned to Changye at the critical moment; was he finally ready to claim the "Flame Dream" that belonged to him?

Yes.

That’s what the entire Snow Forbidden City believed.

His absence from the battle every year was actually a form of "psychological pressure" on the competitors.

For the past victors, they already had a mountain above their heads; if they couldn’t conquer that mountain, even if they could win the championship, it would only be considered luck... Perhaps because of this psychological impact, or maybe because the trial for the Flame Dream was too difficult, so far, not a single newcomer champion had been able to successfully complete the spiritual trial left by the Divine Throne.

Bai Xiu’s coordinates kept getting updated.

And finally, they stopped at a place that no one could have imagined.

"Bai Xiu... has stopped in front of Qingzhong Cemetery!"

"Wait... he’s entered Qingzhong!"

The last disappearing coordinates set the deep water area forum in Changye ablaze... because Qingzhong was an extraordinary place.

There... resided a recent attention-grabbing "monster" who was also considered a hot contender for the Flame Dream, the "genius"—

Gu Shen!

No one thought that after Bai Xiu lifted the Bai Family’s information protection on himself... the first place he would visit would be Qingzhong.

To outsiders, this information seemed laden with explosive tension.

What else could Bai Xiu be doing in Qingzhong?

Was he planning to directly challenge Gu Shen?!

...

...

(I had classes all day today and my head is a bit fuzzy. There will be another Chapter later, and I’ll do my best to ensure it’s a long one. For those of you who can’t wait, feel free to not wait. There will be a Chapter ready when I wakeup in the morning.)