Chapter 99

Ye Qingxuan spent several days preparing for his departure. He was still at ease about his sect. Although the third-generation disciples were not very powerful overall, the atmosphere for martial arts practice was intense, and there were the highly skilled Qing generation senior brothers to take care of them. The disciples in the temple rarely went down the mountain and only practiced in the mountains, so there was nothing to worry about.

With the help of the people from the Green Cloud Temple, the investigation team led by Huo Dong made significant progress in their investigation of the Yunzhou martial world. The court had already confirmed that the culprits behind the "Beast-Driving Treasure Silver" robbery were several black forces led by the Purple Turban Bandits, and even the Cult of Devils was involved. The investigation team had been preparing to return to Lu Capital to report. The remaining issue was when to organize manpower to eliminate these forces.

Ye Qingxuan was walking towards his master's small house, pondering how to persuade his master to agree. Suddenly, a long neigh from a horse broke the silence, a sound distinctly different from an ordinary horse.

Then came a bellow, deep and thunderous, causing a chill to run down his spine...

Aqing?

Recognizing the bellow as coming from the little demon bull Aqing, Ye Qingxuan did not dare to delay. He abandoned his plan to visit his master and leaped several times to reach the source of the sound.

Upon seeing the scene, he was greatly alarmed.

It turned out that the little demon bull Aqing was facing off against a horse-like strange beast. Aqing seemed extremely angry, his eyes red, and he was lowering his head, his horns ready to charge. His hooves were pawing the sand, and he was breathing heavily, ready to attack at any moment.

The strange beast facing Aqing had a horse-like body, a crocodile-like tail, and was covered in black scales, with only its mane and hooves adorned with black, flame-like fur. This horse-like strange beast showed no fear of Aqing's threat, its large hooves kicking the sand, and it would occasionally rear up, snorting loudly.

"Huh? Where did this Black Scaled Steed come from?"

The Black Scaled Steed was one of the few strange beasts on the Divine Martial Continent that could be tamed. It could travel a thousand miles a day, with strength, endurance, and speed far surpassing ordinary horses. Only people of extremely special status could possess one.

It was said that the court had a Black Scaled Army in the northern border, all equipped with these strange beasts. The martial officers in the army were all at the "Creation Realm" of the Postnatal stage, wearing heavy armor, and even their strange beasts were clad in armor, making them the most formidable heavy cavalry in the world, extremely fierce.

How could such a rare strange beast, which one might only see once in a lifetime in a prestigious sect, appear in the Green Cloud Temple? Ye Qingxuan was momentarily stunned.

He looked at the nearby horse stable, which had been knocked down again. Many of the large animals in the temple had been frightened and scattered, with several horses hiding in the corners, trembling and not daring to move, clearly terrified of these two strange beasts. Lu Yundong, who was taking care of Aqing, was at a loss, staring dumbly at the two beasts as they confronted each other.

"Aqing, come back—"

Ye Qingxuan quickly shouted to stop the little demon bull from charging. At the same time, another voice rang out.

"Black Zui, stop—"

Ye Qingxuan looked around and saw his third senior brother accompanying Fang Yuanshan from the Distant Mountain Escort Agency and a young man in brocade, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, rushing over. It was the young man in brocade who had timely stopped the Black Scaled Steed.

When Aqing saw Ye Qingxuan, he immediately mooed and ran over, rubbing against Ye Qingxuan's chest with a look of委屈 (grievance).

The young man in brocade was surprised by Aqing's human-like behavior and even more surprised when he saw the young man in front of him. "Huh? It's you?"

Ye Qingxuan was gently stroking Aqing's neck, comforting the little demon bull who had been somewhat agitated. He was taken aback by the young man's greeting and was a bit confused: "Huh? Who is this? He looks familiar..." After some effort, he recalled that this young man was one of the three who had come to the temple after the martial arts competition four years ago.

"May you have boundless blessings, sir—" Ye Qingxuan hurriedly bowed, but privately thought: "I'm so forgetful, I can't even remember his name."

"Haha, Little Daoist Qingxuan, it's been four years since we last met, and you're doing well? What a magnificent demon bull, truly a remarkable mount. From its qualities, it should be a descendant of the Blue Armor Demon Bull, and it's not afraid of my Black Scaled Steed, truly impressive!" The young man in brocade was none other than Hua Zixing, who had once challenged Qingxuan.

Hua Zixing was leading the Black Scaled Steed, stroking its nose while saying, "You know, my Black Scaled Steed wasn't tamed, but captured and subdued by me in the Northern Beast Plain. It took a lot of effort and skill. This beast is usually wild and hard to handle, but I never thought it would meet its match here. Hahaha... Rare, very rare..."

Ye Qingxuan smiled awkwardly and said, "Aqing is usually quite well-behaved, but I don't know why he's so agitated today. I apologize for the inconvenience..."

Hua Zixing waved his hand to show he didn't mind.

Chen Qingsong, however, turned to look at the呆立一旁 (dazed) Lu Yundong and asked sternly, "What's going on? I asked you to take good care of Mr. Hua's mount, why did you cause such a commotion?"

Lu Yundong had been too afraid to speak, but now he hurriedly replied, "Master, this... this time, Uncle asked me to take good care of the big black horse, so I thought I'd give it some better feed. I took some of what Aqing usually eats and gave it to the big black horse, but it made Aqing angry... I'm incompetent, please punish me, Uncle..."

So that was it—

Everyone couldn't help but find it amusing. Ye Qingxuan affectionately patted Aqing's big nose, thinking, "I didn't know you were so possessive about your food..."

Hua Zixing also laughed, saying, "My Black Zui is hard to please. The feed I give him is very precious, and ordinary feed won't do..."

Lu Yundong muttered, "That's not true, the big black horse was very happy with the feed, otherwise it wouldn't have made Aqing angry..."

Although his voice was low, everyone present, all being experts, heard it clearly.

Chen Qingsong, seeing his disciple's rudeness, glared at Lu Yundong.

Hua Zixing, however, became curious upon hearing this. He had always been troubled by the feed for the Black Scaled Steed and had never heard of something it liked before. He quickly asked, "That's interesting, little brother, can you show me the feed?"

Lu Yundong, intimidated by Chen Qingsong's glare, hesitated but quickly handed over the basket he was holding.

Hua Zixing saw that the basket contained ordinary oats, but unexpectedly smelled a wine aroma. Upon closer inspection, he found finely ground residue, like wine lees...

"Huh? What is this?"

Everyone looked, and the people from the Green Cloud Temple suddenly understood. Chen Qingsong looked embarrassed and said with a bitter smile, "Mr. Hua, forgive me. My second senior brother found a recipe for brewing wine and used fresh fruits. The leftover wine lees were fed to this blue bull, and now we have a bunch of alcoholics, both human and animal..."

Ye Qingxuan couldn't help but feel embarrassed and laughed awkwardly.

Hua Zixing also laughed heartily, saying, "It's a pity Daoist Qingyan isn't here, otherwise he would have asked for a few cups of watered-down wine. Just from the smell of the wine lees, the wine must be clear and smooth, making one's mouth water..."

Hua Zixing then turned to Fang Yuanshan and Chen Qingsong, smiling, "It's getting late, and I should be on my way. The task of escorting the goods will be entrusted to Brother Fang and the Daoists from the Green Cloud Temple... The journey to Lu Capital will be arduous, so please be careful..."

What? Escorting goods? To Lu Capital?

Ye Qingxuan, who was about to go down the mountain, perked up at this and became very interested.

Fang Yuanshan, not daring to delay, bowed and said, "Mr. Hua, rest assured. This time, I will handle it carefully, and with the help of the Daoists from the Green Cloud Temple, the journey to Lu Capital will go smoothly..."

Since being invited to the temple by Hua Zixing and the others, Fang Yuanshan had received much support from the court. He had taken on many transportation tasks, and in recent years, the Distant Mountain Escort Agency had not only avoided pressure from the Iron Flag Sect but had also gained many benefits, gradually growing stronger.

Chen Qingsong also nodded in agreement, showing his support for Fang Yuanshan's statement.

"Very well, let's part here. We'll meet again in Lu Capital. I will host a welcome party for you all and show you the splendor of the capital..." Hua Zixing bowed and said goodbye.

Fang and Chen also bowed, saying, "Mr. Hua, have a safe journey. We'll see you in Lu Capital... Please—"

Hua Zixing laughed and led the Black Scaled Steed away.

"Third Senior Brother, can I go to Lu Capital with you?"

"Uh? That would require Master's approval..."

"Oh..." Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan felt a bit disappointed.

Hua Zixing, hearing that Ye Qingxuan wanted to go down the mountain, suddenly stopped, his mind racing. His eyes flickered, clearly uncertain about the sudden idea that had come to him, weighing the pros and cons.

"Mr. Hua?"

Seeing Hua Zixing stop, Fang Yuanshan asked in confusion.

Hua Zixing's expression then became resolute, and he relaxed, as if thinking of something amusing. He turned to Ye Qingxuan and smiled, "Little Daoist Qingxuan, do you want to go down the mountain?"

"Exactly—" Ye Qingxuan looked puzzled.

Hua Zixing chuckled and said, "I have a task to entrust to you. Can you go to the Yunzhou city and deliver a letter to my friend for me?"

"This—" This time, Chen Qingsong was surprised.

Hua Zixing laughed and said, "The Daoists from the Green Cloud Temple are too protective of Little Daoist Qingxuan, which isn't a good thing. Daoist, rest assured, it's just a simple task of delivering a letter. I have a mission and can't spare the time, and I'm worried that others might not take it seriously. With Little Daoist Qingxuan, I can rest easy..."

Chen Qingsong remained silent, while Ye Qingxuan looked hopefully at his third senior brother, hoping he would agree.

Hua Zixian continued, "I see that Little Daoist Qingxuan has been at the peak of the Strong Yuan Realm for some time. The lack of breakthrough might be due to a lack of insight. If he goes down the mountain and travels, it will be a good experience for his mental state, and he might even break through his realm..."

Ye Qingxuan quickly agreed, "Exactly, exactly... I was going to see Master about this issue..."

Ye Qingxuan was overjoyed, thinking, "This Hua really helped a lot. The [Complete Heart Technique] doesn't have any obstacles at the Foundation Establishment stage, and I deliberately stayed at the peak of the Strong Yuan Realm to have a reason to go down the mountain. I didn't expect that an outsider would provide a more convincing reason..."

At the same time, Chen Qingsong thought to himself, "Little Junior Brother has been on the mountain for a long time without experiencing the world. It's not suitable. This trip to Yunzhou city will take no more than ten days, just to deliver a letter, so there shouldn't be any problems..."

He then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll speak to Master about this... Little Junior Brother, you must complete the task entrusted by Mr. Hua with all your heart, and don't get distracted..."

"Of course, Third Senior Brother..."

Ye Qingxuan was overjoyed, dancing with excitement.

Hua Zixing took out a well-wrapped large envelope from his chest and solemnly placed it in Ye Qingxuan's hand, saying, "I entrust this letter to you... I haven't seen my friend in years, and this letter is very important. Please take good care of it..."

Ye Qingxuan solemnly agreed, his mind now filled with excitement about going down the mountain, and he dared not show any unreliability.

"Of course, if anything goes wrong, it's not a big deal. If there's an emergency, you can destroy the letter, and don't let it fall into the wrong hands..." Hua Zixing smiled awkwardly, "If someone else sees the content of the letter, I'll have no place to hide... Hahaha..."

Ye Qingxuan nodded, but no one noticed the gleam in his eyes when he lowered his head.

Was it an illusion? The last words of the person entrusting the task showed a moment of seriousness, which was undoubtedly genuine.

Ye Qingxuan firmly held the letter in his hand.

Looking at the elegant and handsome Hua Zixing, Ye Qingxuan's face was serious, and he thought to himself:

This high official from the court, entrusting such an important task to me, could it be that...

Could it be that—this letter is a love letter to some close friend?

At this thought, his fair face instantly turned pale and green!

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