Please, Young Master, Slay the Demon!
Chapter 816 - 48: The Past of Wen Yuan [Combined]

Chapter 816: Chapter 48: The Past of Wen Yuan [Combined]

"Lu Cang..."

Within the Unbounded Palace, Master Wen Yuan gazed at the vaguely familiar figure and sighed deeply as well.

It was a stroke of luck that the four Zhenshan Elders had been drawn to Silver Sword Peak to see the Iron Eating Beast; otherwise, the younger generation would certainly not have recognized this figure.

But the older generation could identify him at a glance.

By now, 150 years had passed since Lu Cang’s disappearance and Wen Yuan’s ascent to power. If his contemporaries hadn’t deliberately maintained their youthful appearance, they all should have looked elderly.

Yet, there he was, still with the middle-aged face from when he had left Shu Mountain, identical to the day he’d gone, minus the proud aggressiveness on his face, replaced by a cold expression.

"The one who broke into the Jiuli Secret Realm must be Lu Cang beyond a doubt," Elder Chuan Jian said as he looked at Master Wen Yuan; he started to speak, then stopped, finally letting out a sigh, "Ah."

Elder Tan and Empress Feng, as master and disciple, stood together in the room, observing the complex attitudes of the Shu Mountain Upper Echelon, and couldn’t help but contemplate: did this intruder have some kind of relationship with the Shushan people?

Was there some conspiracy involved?

Before he could clarify his thoughts, the Law Enforcement Elder turned and said, "Elder Tan, we have some private matters of our sect we wish to discuss. Please excuse us for a moment. Rest assured, we have no schemes regarding the Jiuli Secret Realm. We can discuss the specifics of our cooperation later."

Elder Tan looked at her, then at Master Wen Yuan, having the sense that something significant was about to happen, and nodded his head, "All right."

Once he left, the Law Enforcement Elder turned to Empress Feng, speaking softly, "Ah Feng, go keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t slip away."

Although Shu Mountain genuinely had no intent to harm, it was still necessary to guard against any undue speculation from Elder Tan.

Empress Feng, suspecting nothing, chuckled, "I’ve found that old man disagreeable right from the start. Don’t worry, with me here, he won’t escape!"

With that, Empress Feng swaggered out of the room.

Only the Shu Mountain Upper Echelon and Chu Liang were left in the room. The Law Enforcement Elder glanced at Chu Liang, who immediately stood to attention and said, "I guarantee I won’t look around or talk out of turn, my lips are sealed."

He was certainly not the kind of fool who could be easily sent away on any pretext; sensing that the atmosphere was off, he didn’t want to miss out on what was clearly a major revelation.

A normal disciple would surely have been kicked out, but this was Chu Liang, and so the Elders tacitly allowed him to stay.

Following that, the Law Enforcement Elder turned around, gazing at Master Wen Yuan and spoke slowly, "Sect Leader, we have never interrogated you about what happened in Shenxu. You said Lu Cang disappeared there, you said the previous Sect Leader forbade you to speak further, and we believed you. Because we trust in your character and your capabilities."

"You indeed haven’t let us down over the years."

"But now that Lu Cang has reappeared, isn’t it time you gave us an explanation?" the Law Enforcement Elder’s tone was very calm, "No matter what happened back then, you tell us the truth, and we will have no issue. But if he is still alive, we should find him. Although his son is of no merit, I firmly believe he himself would never betray Shu Mountain."

The Lu Family has made tremendous contributions to Shu Mountain for generations. Master Lu Yu and Master Wuqi, especially Master Wuqi, had dedicated their lives; without his foundation, even if Shu Mountain still existed today, it would doubtless be struggling to survive, certainly unable to maintain its glory in the Nine Heavens.

Lu Cang, who belonged to the same generation as the current Elders, had inherited the extraordinary talents of the Lu Family. But basking in the glory of his ancestors, he was doted on in his youth and inevitably became a bit arrogant, standing out sharply in those days.

Despite Master Wuqi having shown preference for the composed and mature Wen Yuan several times, Lu Cang still would not accept it. He believed the only reason he lagged behind Wen Yuan was his lineage from the Lu Family; both his grandfather and father were mindful of the bigger picture and didn’t want Shu Mountain to become a hereditary Immortal Sect.

So, at that time, he openly defied this and even rallied a number of Elders and disciples who supported him. Including the four Zhenshan Elders present at that time, not all were on Wen Yuan’s side.

Then came the journey to Shenxu, with three people leaving and only one returning.

Wen Yuan became the only choice for Shu Mountain, for a long time the only Tianyuan cultivator they could present. So, even when there were voices of doubt within Shu Mountain, everyone ultimately stood firmly behind Master Wen Yuan. As for what happened in Shenxu, since he did not speak of it, nobody dared to ask.

Under his leadership, Shu Mountain indeed prospered ever since.

But towards the Lu Family, the older generation still had deep affections, including Wen Yuan himself. Last time when Lu Chengyou caused such trouble, the reason he could escape so smoothly was partly because the old generation didn’t really try to fatally stop him; they just wanted to capture him alive.

Now that Lu Cang was alive, the matter was different.

Master Wen Yuan had to provide an explanation for the truth of those past events.

...

"As for the events of that year, indeed, my master had admonished me not to reveal a single word," Master Wen Yuan fell silent for a while before slightly leaning back and raising his eyes to those before him, speaking up, "But now that Lu Cang has reappeared, ultimately, I owe all of you an explanation... This is my debt to you."

The Law-enforcement Elder, who looked like a young child today, said in his clear voice, "We are all on the cusp of the grave. If there’s anything inappropriate, we can explain it to Master Wuqi ourselves later on."