Chance Encounter

Jin Chuan had sneaked into the Underground Palace to snatch the prize. Wang Xuan had thought a fierce, bloody clash might erupt, but after a brief collision, both sides swiftly withdrew.

Wang Xuan sensed that the relationship between the two parties was complicated.

During the return journey, the atmosphere inside the small spacecraft was heavy. The Kite had a huge hole in his chest, his upper body covered in blood. Even his corpse had gone cold.

Several other teams had suffered casualties as well, each carrying their wounded and dead away.

Qing Mu said, "I'll privately transfer some money to The Kite's family later."

A green mask covered his face, hiding his expression. In an even tone, he said, "Once you've seen enough, you get used to it. Those who survive are explorers; those who die are merely passersby."

Wang Xuan remained silent. That had been a living life—strong as a tiger or leopard not long ago—yet now he was covered in a white sheet.

This kind of expedition could no longer be described as tense, thrilling, or mysterious. It was gradually revealing its terrifying side, with participants walking the line between life and death.

The Exploration Organization had once assessed the Qingcheng Mountain operation internally. Its danger rating had not been high.

Qing Mu revealed that some expeditions occasionally encountered unnatural phenomena that defied common sense. Those were the truly frightening ones.

Black Tiger wiped down his alloy blade, Feng Zheng kept her eyes closed, and Old Mu sighed. Their spirits were low, and none of them wished to speak. Clearly, this was far from the first time they had experienced something like this.

They no longer remembered how many batches of companions had come and gone at their sides.

"I'll save up for another two years, then retire for good," Feng Zheng suddenly said.

The return journey went smoothly. The spacecraft landed at a manor on the outskirts, after which several cars separately took Black Tiger, Old Mu, and the others away.

At the manor, Qing Mu kept Wang Xuan behind for a talk.

"You should keep the five pages of Golden Book yourself. It may be a powerful body art, but I suspect it belongs to the kind that is exceptionally difficult to master. You need to be mentally prepared."

Qing Mu had only looked at the first page of the Golden Book, and it had already made his head ache. It involved the resonance and exertion of the five viscera, as well as blood replacement and renewal. He had heard of such things before.

"A long time ago, there was a grandmaster in the Old Arts field on New Star who cultivated something similar. In the end, he got himself killed."

Wang Xuan was dumbfounded when he heard that.

Could researching Old Arts actually get someone killed through cultivation?!

"It involves blood replacement and the renewal of the internal organs. Although it only targets the activation of certain organs, the temptation it presents to a grandmaster is enormous. Once mastered, it could definitely extend one's life by several decades."

That had been a grandmaster, yet he had still died. That was somewhat terrifying.

In modern times, Old Arts had long since declined. Grandmasters—those who had reached extremely lofty heights on this path—were truly rare.

Most likely, it would be difficult to find one in this era.

"Don't doubt it. New Star took away many good things in its early years, so naturally some people were able to achieve extraordinary accomplishments. Of course, over the past several decades, Old Arts have been valued less and less. This 'field' has been completely left barren."

What Qing Mu said corroborated the information from New Star. It seemed that New Star had discovered supernatural phenomena and the like decades ago, and had long begun excavating them?

"You must keep yourself in check. This isn't something you can master through sheer ambition. Just with this first page alone, I gave it a try earlier, and I couldn't circulate it properly. My five organs felt as though they were being sliced by knives." Qing Mu was actually trembling.

He turned away, swiftly lifted his green mask, and wiped away his cold sweat. He panted heavily, his chest rising and falling violently. In the fleeting glimpse of his profile, his face was shockingly pale, devoid of color.

After calming his surging blood and qi, he returned the Golden Book to Wang Xuan. Though reluctant to part with it, he was no ordinary person and restrained his emotions.

"Don't try it recklessly. This is a death talisman!" Qing Mu warned again. He did not even dare look at the later pages, afraid that one day he would be unable to resist and end up killing himself.

Wang Xuan's expression turned grave. For the first time, he realized that practicing body arts could be so dangerous. This was even more excessive than practicing the Root Method.

"The Root Method is the root of Old Arts. It improves your inner physique and spirit, while body arts are the trunk and branches, displaying your strength outwardly."

Tracing back to ancient times and rising into mythology, descriptions of body arts became even more exaggerated. They displayed methods such as... hurling elephants and severing rivers.

Wang Xuan handed over the Silver Animal Hide scroll. This had been the Exploration Organization's objective for this expedition.

Qing Mu would take the silver scripture scroll away for evaluation. If its value far exceeded expectations, Wang Xuan would be compensated.

Wang Xuan stated his request. "If you decipher those words, please give me an annotated copy."

"No problem. After all, you were the one who discovered it and brought it back." Qing Mu told him that the Exploration Organization was not stingy with its own people.

As they parted, Qing Mu reminded Wang Xuan once more not to act rashly. The body art in the Golden Book might have an enormous origin; practicing it directly could truly kill someone.

He seriously suspected that it might have been left behind by Zhang Daoling.

Wang Xuan took a breath. This time, he was truly stunned. Could the five golden pages be connected to him?

Thinking it over carefully, it really was possible. One account claimed that Zhang Daoling had lived in seclusion on Qingcheng Mountain in his later years, ultimately ascending there in feathered transformation.

Wang Xuan suddenly felt that the five golden pages might not be inferior to the silver scroll. He solemnly put them away. Once he returned, he would have to study them carefully and cautiously.

Qing Mu agreed to let him take the scanner, then arranged a car to send him back into the city.

Wang Xuan returned to campus and packed his things to leave. Today was the final deadline; the Old Arts Experimental Class was officially over for good.

He only had some changes of clothes and no large luggage. He could leave simply and quickly with a bag on his back.

Wang Xuan turned back and took a look at those familiar sights one final time: the towering teaching buildings, the clear Diamond Lake, the Emerald Garden where fallen leaves danced in the wind... Then he turned and left.

Everything behind him had ended. From now on, he would formally plunge into society's great dye vat.

He had rented a place long ago and had it cleaned by housekeeping two days earlier. Wang Xuan went directly to buy bedding, towels, toothpaste, and all sorts of daily necessities.

He felt somewhat sentimental. Now he actually had to busy himself over making a living.

It gave Wang Xuan a strange feeling. He had only just left Qingcheng Mountain, where not long ago he had been exploring, fighting others, and walking between life and death.

Now that he had returned to the city, he was busy over towels and toothbrushes. In two or three days, he would even start work, running about for the sake of life.

It felt as though space had shifted and time had fallen out of place. The Qingcheng Mountain expedition, nine-to-five work and life—both were tracks in his life, leaving his feelings complicated for a time.

He did not immediately mention going to New Star to Qing Mu. He had only just joined this Exploration Organization and had yet to make any contribution, so raising such a lofty request would be unrealistic.

But now he had an opportunity. Once they finished evaluating the Silver Animal Hide scroll, he could talk to Qing Mu about it.

Wang Xuan was swift and efficient, buying everything he needed in one trip. A single taxi took care of it all.

The place he rented was in an old residential compound with a fairly good environment. Trees planted long ago had grown into towering giants, and the entire area was quiet and secluded.

The downside was that the facilities were rather old and not modern enough.

He had rented a one-bedroom apartment with a living room. It had been renovated two years ago, and overall it was quite decent.

Wang Xuan quickly arranged the daily necessities, spread out the bedding, poured himself a glass of water, and sat down to rest.

His phone had been switched off for an entire day. Once he turned it on, there were indeed many messages and voicemails. He first called his parents, telling them that everything was going well and that he would officially start work in two days.

Then Qin Cheng's call came through.

"Old Wang, where the hell did you run off to? You scared me to death! Your phone's been off for over a day, and nobody could find you. I thought that bastard Zhou Yun had harmed you. I've been gathering people from our class, getting ready to avenge you and demand an explanation!"

He rattled it all off in a torrent of shouting, making Wang Xuan's ears hurt.

Qin Cheng really had been worried, afraid that Zhou Yun would retaliate and harm Wang Xuan. After all, he was a Direct Descendant of a New Star Zaibatsu.

Wang Xuan really wanted to tell him that Little Zhou had been beaten badly. His nose bridge was broken, his arm was fractured, and he was probably busy hating some mixed-race person, with no time to think about anything else.

But he did not dare say it. He was afraid that if Qin Cheng, that loudspeaker, heard it, the entire world would know by the next day.

Wang Xuan lowered the volume on his phone and held it farther away, telling him that he had been meditating. He had entered a particularly deep state of concentration this time, so his phone had remained switched off.

"I'm leaving soon, and I haven't been able to find you. I'm treating you to dinner tonight, at the top floor of Cangding Tower!" Qin Cheng shouted grandly.

At the restaurants inside Cangding Tower, the higher the floor, the higher the cost. For newly graduated students, relying only on their own salary to eat there would leave them feeling somewhat guilty.

Wang Xuan smiled. "Did you win your girlfriend back, so you're celebrating?"

He was not worried about Qin Cheng's wallet. He knew Qin Cheng's family was well-off and did not care about such expenses.

"Alas, the outlook is not optimistic. How can sorrow be dispelled? Only by eating and eating! See you tonight!"

Wang Xuan sat in the room, flipping through the Golden Book and pondering it carefully. In the end, he still could not resist. Following the first few diagrams on the first page, he resonated with his five organs, then exerted force in a special rhythm.

In an instant, his five viscera and Six Bowels hurt somewhat. Just as Qing Mu had said, this thing was exceptionally difficult to practice.

Yet he was also somewhat doubtful. After practicing it, his face had not turned deathly pale like Qing Mu's. He felt that this pain was not too outrageous and could be endured.

"I'd better be more careful." He did not dare let down his guard, because this might be a body art left behind by Zhang Daoling. Its origins were simply too great.

The Daoist school had existed since very early times. For example, the teachings of Huang and Lao were all involved with it.

As for Daoism, it had appeared comparatively later and was founded by Zhang Daoling.

Without question, even if Zhang Daoling were placed in the pre-Qin era, during the age when Old Arts shone most brilliantly, he would absolutely have been among the foremost Daoist Masters.

Wang Xuan checked the time. The sun was nearly setting. It was time to head out.

The area around Cangding Tower was extremely bustling, with a well-developed large commercial district and tremendous foot traffic.

After arriving, Wang Xuan went straight to the elevator and headed for the top floor.

There were three restaurants on the highest floor. Though their prices were absurd, business was excellent at all of them.

He figured that Qin Cheng had probably made a reservation in advance. If there are no accidents, it should be at Golden Years.

Qin Cheng had treated people here before. In his words, Golden Years had the most authentic flavors.

Wang Xuan walked forward, then suddenly froze. This place had been... booked out?

Golden Years had been entirely reserved!

All he could say was that someone had money. On ordinary days, a single table cost the equivalent of two or three months' salary for an average person, yet someone had actually reserved the entire venue.

He looked inside and saw that some private rooms were empty. They had probably encountered an ultra-rich tycoon who simply wanted some peace and quiet, so the whole place had been booked.

"Wang Xuan?!" Someone suddenly called out to him, her tone seemingly far from friendly.

Golden Years was very spacious. Several women spotted him from another direction and walked over.

He recognized two of them. One was Zhou Mingxuan's daughter, Zhou Ting, who was also his ex-girlfriend's cousin. She was in good condition today, not dream walking. Dressed in a waist-cinching long gown, she looked slim and graceful, quite beautiful.

The other was Wang Xuan's university classmate. She had been born on Old Earth and was selected to go to New Star this time. He had not expected to run into her here as well.

"Which Wang Xuan? Don't tell me he's Ling Wei's..." A woman beside them in a white evening dress spoke, her expression unfriendly.

"It's him." Zhou Ting nodded.

These women were dressed rather formally, mainly in evening gowns. Their figures and appearances were all quite good—some youthful and lovely, others cold and glamorous, elegant and poised.

The woman in the white evening dress, whose high heels were edged with crystals, looked Wang Xuan over and over with a scrutinizing gaze. "Can you act more like a man? You've already been broken up for over a year. Why come here to make things awkward?!"

Wang Xuan frowned, seeming to understand something. But he had not known the situation here beforehand, so no matter what, he could not be blamed.

The woman in the white evening dress raised her snow-white chin and gave him a faint, dismissive glance. "You're not welcome here, nor is this somewhere you should be. Please disappear immediately!"

Wang Xuan was not in the habit of tolerating people like this. Hearing that, he calmly said, "Where I am is none of your business. Also, who the hell are you?"