My Scales Can Make Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 631 - 544: Reunited after Eight Thousand Years

Chapter 631: Chapter 544: Reunited after Eight Thousand Years

Wang Zijia, at the indication of the leading disciple, entered the reception hall with a few followers.

Initially, there were two people in the room. It seemed that they didn’t have any topics to converse about, or perhaps one wasn’t inclined to talk due to a discrepancy in their statuses. They silently sipped their tea in a somewhat tense atmosphere.

It made the mood noticeably heavy and oppressive.

However, the entrance of Wang Zijia drew the attention of both individuals.

Upon seeing Wang Zijia’s arrival, Li Xingming greeted him, "Greetings to the Great Patriarch!" His tightly-wound nerves relaxed in an instant, which was mirrored by his internal sigh of relief. He stood up to present his formalities.

Another individual in the living room was an elderly man. He too stood up, but rather than immediately moving, he spent quite a deal of time surveying Wang Zijia’s silver hair.

The old man’s hair was also white but differed from Wang Zijia’s silver hue. His hair shone white and although it wasn’t withered, it contrasted strongly with Wang Zijia’s. His face appeared very old as well.

But such appearance did not exude the aura of someone with Immortal Wind and Dao Bone.

Regardless of his attire or demeanor, he emanated the air of a long-time servant. Moreover, Wang Zijia could sense the strong presence of Ghost Qi from him.

After seeing the old man’s face, Wang Zijia raised an eyebrow. This was indeed, a familiar face!

Ma Chen, a genius from the servant house, the Ma family, of the Li Family. In the past, he participated in the conflict over the throne alongside Li Shenghong as the faithful servant of Li Shenghui, the fifth prince.

Li Shenghong had quite a number of interactions with this man. Even after Wang Zijia’s involvement, their paths still crossed a few times.

At that time, when they came to Changbao to request his return to Divine Capital, this old servant was with them.

The Li family had a tradition of lifetime servants, whose relationship with their masters could grow extremely close, to the point of mutual reliance, much like relatives.

Li Shenghong had one too back then, but due to his defeat in the power struggle for inheritance, the one assigned to him wasn’t very good. Adding to his listless state, he came to Changbao and voluntarily severed all connections with the Divine Capital, even leaving behind the reward bestowed upon him for his participation in the power struggle.

So, it was as if he had none at all.

What differed from the peak level Infant God cultivation of their first meeting was Ma Chen’s current state. He had barely stepped into Yuan Shen Cultivation, even seeming to have been forcefully pulled into it, which left him in a somewhat unstable state.

For a Yuan Shen Cultivator like him, he could only live for a little over two thousand years at most. There was no reason for him to still be alive at this point.

In his puzzlement, Wang Zijia gradually figured out the hints.

...

After a long and mutual scrutiny, they both confirmed each other’s identities.

After giving Wang Zijia a respectful greeting, Ma Chen spoke with a hint of familiarity and sentiment, "I never thought that I would get a chance to see the Ninth Highness again."

Indeed? I thought the Fifth Brother couldn’t wait for me to die sooner. It looks like now the mediocre second prince actually had the last laugh, whilst the first and most talented prince made his exit earlier."

Wang Zijia didn’t treat him with much respect, even his tone was somewhat playful.

Ma Chen did not mind Wang Zijia’s demeanor. Even after perceiving Wang Zijia’s cultivation, he wouldn’t have cared even if it had been at the Infant God stage.

The attitude of the servant house towards the main family was different. They couldn’t have been his level even if they lacked a deeply-rooted sense of deference.

It’s been eight thousand years. Why is the Ninth Highness still dwelling on those petty issues from the past? Didn’t the Royal Family and the clan elders later give you an opportunity. You just didn’t want it." Ma Chen replied with a wistful expression on his face.

Really?" Wang Zijia’s tone did not soften in the least. "As I recall, the Fifth Brother hardly hid his indignation towards me. He almost questioned why I refused to admit defeat and used every trick in the book to rise again."

Following Wang Zijia’s harsh words, Ma Chen fell silent.

In the past, Wang Zijia left a lasting impression on them, which remained vivid even in their memories.

Despite Ma Chen’s silence, Wang Zijia did not stop speaking.

"You sure are lucky, managing to convert to the Path of the Spirit Ghost. Seems like the Fifth Brother’s painstaking efforts finally paid off. Now he must have become the principal ruler of Zongren Mansion, having successfully Crossing Tribulation."

That’s correct, the person before them was no longer a man but a ghost, or rather a cultivator on the ghost dao.

In fact, a cultivator who changes their cultivation to the ghost dao is no longer considered human in the racial sense, but a being of a different species.

When the ghost dao first appeared, it was created by Great Cultivators to simulate the process of bloodline transformation based on insights into the core principles of the ghost race.

Once a cultivator transitions into a ghost cultivator, their species undergoes a fundamental transformation. In other words, a ghost cultivator and a ghost soul are two completely different entities.

Ghost cultivators are considered to be part of the Spirit Clan, while ghost souls are merely lost souls!

The benefit of transitioning to the ghost dao is that you shift from a short-life species of the Human Race, to being a long-life species.

Being a long-life species guarantees at least ten times the lifespan of a human, meaning Ma Chen could live for at least twenty thousand years. Plus, as an elderly Yuan Shen, he could move about freely during the day without fear of sunlight, much like a normal human.

However, it also came with the drawbacks of being a long-life species—that is, having an extremely slow cultivation progress that felt almost stagnant.

"In response to the Ninth Highness, the Fifth Prince has indeed been in control of the Zongren Mansion for many years, post Crossing Tribulation." Ma Chen answered respectfully. The feeling of heartfelt respect that surfaced when he mentioned Li Shenghui was completely different from when he facing Wang Zijia.

"Heh, as his younger brother, should I congratulate him? Do I need to send an additional congratulatory gift?" Wang Zijia showed no courtesy even upon hearing the term ’Crossing Tribulation’.

"Ninth Highness, please, let bygones be bygones. It’s been eight thousand years. Not many who were alive back then are still around. The Fifth Prince has missed the Ninth Highness quite a lot. The moment he confirmed the news, he immediately sent me to invite you back to the capital." Ma Chen spoke earnestly.