Chapter 47: Meeting Mu Xueqing Again

Dear friends, I apologize for the mistake in this morning's update which led to an error in the chapters. I am truly sorry. The correct content has now been revised, and I hope you will forgive the oversight! Crystal offers her sincere apologies once more!

After careful observation, Li Xingyu truly could not find anything amiss with the little creature. He cautiously reached out and touched its furry head, and to his surprise, the little one neither shied away nor attacked. With that, Li Xingyu felt reassured enough to lift it from the pit. Once he held it, Li Xingyu studied the small animal attentively and discovered that, in size and behavior, it was remarkably like a puppy. It would circle around him, wag its head and tail in a bid for affection, lick his hand with its tongue, and sniff his scent curiously. It even nibbled at the dried meat he offered. In the end, Li Xingyu found himself utterly charmed by the little creature. Before it had hatched, it had seemed so formidable, yet now, apart from its cry, it was no different from an ordinary puppy.

Yet, despite this, all the other animals in the valley were clearly terrified of this puppy-like being. This fact alone left no doubt in Li Xingyu’s mind that the creature was far from ordinary. Perhaps because it was still young, its power had not yet manifested. This was the thought with which Li Xingyu comforted himself.

The little one, for its part, displayed complete trust in Li Xingyu, even seeming to relish being near him. When cradled in Li Xingyu’s arms, the creature exuded contentment and pleasure.

At this moment, Li Xingyu was walking through the dense forest of the Primeval Beast Mountains with his pack on his back. Though the little creature was reluctant, Li Xingyu had resolutely tucked it into his bag. He did not dare leave it alone in the valley, and it was so attached to him that it practically refused to leave his side.

Li Xingyu’s current destination was the Mu Family’s estate in the border town of Grassland City. Consulting his map, he had selected a route that was both safe and relatively short. After estimating the journey, he concluded he had sufficient time, so there was no need to rush. While Li Xingyu was in no hurry, there was someone at the Mu residence who was growing ever more anxious. Her grandfather had told her that Li Xingyu would return soon, and as the promised day drew near, her anticipation only deepened. Yet, aside from the initial search conducted by the Carefree Sect in gratitude for saving the sect leader's daughter, no further news of Li Xingyu had emerged.

It seemed that, after failing to find him, the Carefree Sect likely assumed Li Xingyu had already used the Jade Ginseng, rendering further search pointless. As for not leaking the news about the Jade Ginseng, that was understandable. If Li Xingyu had succeeded in advancing his cultivation, he would no longer be someone the Carefree Sect could afford to offend. There was no reason for them to risk his enmity by exposing him. Even if he had failed, they believed he would at least have reached the pinnacle of the Innate Realm—a formidable level in itself. Thus, when Chen Jingrou and the others returned, the disciples involved were immediately assigned to guard the sect's forbidden grounds, strictly forbidden from leaving or contacting outsiders for ten years. Even the search was conducted in secret; those sent had no idea of the real objective, being merely told that the man had saved the young lady and deserved the sect leader's gratitude, and that he might even be invited to join as an honorary elder if found.

Meanwhile, after their own scheme failed, the Phoenix Martial Group, through their informant within the Carefree Sect, investigated the fate of the Jade Ginseng. The insider confirmed that the sect had not recovered it, and with the disappearance of the Burrowing Rat, they surmised that the creature had, by some means, killed Chief Steward Pang’s pursuers before fleeing the Divine Empire and going into hiding. As a secretive organization, they would never make such matters public, and the Burrowing Rat had vanished long ago. Moreover, he had never met Li Xingyu and would have no reason to mention the events in the forest, thus avoiding any trouble for himself.

As a result, the only people who knew that Li Xingyu had obtained the Jade Ginseng were the sect master of the Carefree Sect, Protector Cheng, and two elders. No other factions even knew of the Jade Ginseng’s appearance, let alone Li Xingyu’s involvement.

Though Li Xingyu believed the incident with the Jade Ginseng was behind him and unlikely to spread, he remained cautious. Before leaving the forest, he disguised himself. Upon arriving at a small town along a main road, he found a tavern popular among martial artists, settled in a corner, and used his spiritual sense to eavesdrop on their conversations, hoping to learn if news of the Jade Ginseng or his own actions had spread.

The little creature was finally allowed out of the backpack and now sat happily eating the treats Li Xingyu provided, while curiously observing the comings and goings of the tavern’s patrons. During the journey, the creature had not been content to stay in the pack, often climbing out to sit on Li Xingyu’s shoulder, whining, licking his face, or even perching atop his head, only to occasionally tumble to the ground. Concerned that such antics would attract too much attention in public, Li Xingyu had sternly disciplined it several times until it finally behaved and remained quietly in the bag.

Li Xingyu listened closely for an entire day, even joining in some conversations and steering topics toward rare spiritual herbs, but heard nothing about the Jade Ginseng or himself. Over the next twenty days as he traveled, he continued his discreet inquiries, but with no relevant information surfacing, he was finally able to relax and ceased his caution, heading directly for Grassland City.

Upon learning the precise date, he realized he had less time remaining than he had previously estimated. Now assured of his safety, he pressed on at full speed. The journey posed no significant difficulties; his unassuming appearance and low profile discouraged trouble, and on the rare occasion he did encounter hostility, a subtle display of innate master’s aura was enough to send would-be troublemakers fleeing in terror.

Thus, three days short of two years since he had left, Li Xingyu arrived at Grassland City. Rather than enter the Mu residence directly, he first visited a Mu family outpost outside the city to inquire after news and presented his honorary elder token. Observing the respect he received and nothing amiss, he finally felt at ease—he had not dared use the token before.

Once his identity was confirmed, the outpost’s manager said, “Elder Li, our young lady has been coming here frequently and instructed us to inform her immediately if you appeared. She happens to be in the rear courtyard today; I will fetch her at once.” Although he did not specify the young lady’s name, Li Xingyu realized at once that it must be Mu Xueqing. Nor did he suspect any ill intent from her or the Mu family—if they meant him harm, the order would have been to notify the main residence, not just the young lady.

After considering for a moment, Li Xingyu replied, “Since Miss Mu is here, it would be good to see her. I’ll wait here while you invite her.”

Though his face remained composed, Li Xingyu could not help a slight stirring in his heart. Memories of their time together, her deep feelings for him, and the disappointment and sorrow in her eyes when he left—all these emotions, long suppressed, now began to well up as their reunion approached. Though his girlfriend on Earth remained imprinted on his heart, years had passed since they last met, and he knew the chances of seeing her again in her lifetime were slim. Thus, at the prospect of meeting Mu Xueqing once more, he found himself filled with both anticipation and unease.

As he was drinking tea, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from the inner courtyard—he did not need his spiritual sense to know it was Mu Xueqing. He was surprised that someone usually so composed would act so hastily. The moment she entered the front hall and saw the man she had missed day and night sitting there with a gentle smile, her eyes immediately brimmed with tears once more, just as they had when he left.

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