Whispers broke out at the name.
"Ye Gucheng? Have any of you heard that name before?"
"White Cloud City... where the hell is that?"
"Why ask me? I'm not bloody Baixiaosheng. How could I remember every city?"
"Could he be some nobody... no, that doesn't make sense. What nobody would have that kind of nerve?"
"Did anyone arrive just before or after them? Everyone should have registered their identity at the mountain gate. Maybe someone saw..."
"...No. A few of my disciples came around that time, but for some reason, they were all rejected for failing to meet the requirements. Otherwise, I could have asked them..."
But amid all this chatter, someone turned his gaze toward him.
There was surprise in those eyes, and reproach, but most of all, joy.
The joy of a reunion after a long separation.
In the end, Chen Shuo put a stop to the commotion.
He tilted his head and said casually, "Bo Yuan, bring me the list of people we invited..."
But before he finished, he suddenly paused—then a self-mocking smile appeared in his eyes.
"Never mind. That thing doesn't mean much anymore... Ye Gucheng, White Cloud City Lord, was it? A fine name... someone, bring his reward!"
Soon, a small lump of gold was "carried" over.
It looked like perfectly ordinary gold, no bigger than a thumb, yet it took four burly men to carry it—and every one of them was drenched in sweat, as though they were hauling some immense weight rather than a tiny piece of gold!
When it was set down beside Zhou You's feet, even the floor seemed to tremble. Wangmu Khenpo looked at it with surprise.
"Hundred-forged gold? Since when did Palace Master Chen become so generous that he'd give this away so casually?"
Zhou You said nothing