A Long Talk

"I never expected Brother Liu Mu's background to be so extraordinary."

As he listened to Liu Mu recount his past, Lin Chen chimed in slightly, without appearing overly distant.

"You flatter me, young friend Lin Chen."

Liu Mu gave a dry laugh, then his gaze suddenly froze as he looked at Lin Chen. "Your surname is Lin, and you come from the Great Yan Dynasty. Could you be from one of the Four Great Clans of that dynasty?"

At that, Lin Chen nodded lightly and did not deny it.

"Brother Liu Mu guessed correctly. I am indeed from the Lin Clan of the Great Yan Dynasty. However, I hope Brother Liu Mu can keep this matter confidential."

"I'm not afraid of trouble, but I don't like inviting it either."

Hearing the concern in Lin Chen's words, Liu Mu immediately understood and said with a smile, "If the geniuses of the Great Qing Dynasty learned that they had been surpassed by someone from a neighboring low-level dynasty, it would be perfectly normal for young friend Lin Chen to encounter some trouble."

"However, since young friend Lin Chen has said so, I will not reveal a single word of your identity to outsiders."

Liu Mu was more than willing to grant Lin Chen such a simple favor.

In Liu Mu's view, judging from the cultivation talent Lin Chen had displayed through his current strength, his future achievements would certainly far surpass Liu Mu's own. That alone made him worth deliberately befriending.

Moreover, the Greenwood Sect had quite a few businesses in the Great Yan Dynasty. If the Greenwood Sect could establish some ties with the Lin Clan of the Great Yan Dynasty, it would bring enormous benefits to the sect's future development.

"Then many thanks, Brother Liu Mu."

Lin Chen smiled faintly and cupped his hands in reply.

Seeing Lin Chen thank him like this, Liu Mu hurriedly waved his hand. After a moment of silence, he said, "By the way, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to inquire about a few people. Who are you looking for in Great Qing City?"

"Though I am a member of the Greenwood Sect, because of my origins, I still have some connections in the Great Qing Imperial Family and the Qing Xuan Sect. These people may not be particularly strong, but they are well-informed."

Since Liu Mu had brought up precisely the subject Lin Chen wished to mention, Lin Chen naturally did not hide anything. He smiled faintly and answered, "In that case, Brother Liu Mu, have you heard of Su Kui and Liu Ya?"

"Su Kui and Liu Ya?"

Liu Mu looked at Lin Chen suspiciously. A trace of surprise appeared on his rather benevolent face as he muttered the names and asked in return.

"That's right, Su Kui and Liu Ya."

Lin Chen replied with great certainty.

Upon hearing such a definite response from Lin Chen, Liu Mu was briefly stunned, and the doubt in his eyes deepened.

Liu Mu truly could not understand why Lin Chen wanted to inquire about two people he had never met and who had no connection with him whatsoever.

It had to be said that at this moment, Liu Mu's curiosity toward Lin Chen rose once again.

"Not only have I heard of those two, young friend, but their names are practically thunderous to my ears."

Liu Mu nodded heavily before continuing, "Su Kui and Liu Ya are both quite famous in the Great Qing Dynasty. Su Kui is the son of Su Li, the current sect master of the Qing Xuan Sect. He is a once-in-a-century prodigy of the Qing Xuan Sect. In merely eight years of cultivating Origin Energy, he rose from the Body Tempering Realm to the peak of the Lesser Accomplishment of Qi Creation Realm.

"Liu Ya's talent may not be as astonishing as Su Kui's, but it is not inferior in the slightest. After only seven years of cultivating Origin Energy, she has already reached the Lesser Accomplishment of Form Creation Realm."

"Compared to Su Kui, Liu Ya's status is no less impressive. She is the beloved daughter of Liu Yun, the Great Qing Emperor. Not only that, Liu Ya is also known as the greatest beauty of the Great Qing Dynasty."

Liu Mu looked at Lin Chen with a slightly teasing gaze as he explained seriously. After a brief pause, he added, "In truth, compared to her strength, that girl Liu Ya's beauty is even more renowned throughout the Great Qing Dynasty. Could it be that young friend Lin Chen has some other intentions in asking about them?"

After hearing Liu Mu's teasing remarks, Lin Chen shook his head lightly and explained.

"Hehe... Brother Liu Mu, you're overthinking it. I'm not so blindly foolish as to lose my senses and become infatuated merely upon hearing that someone is called the greatest beauty."

"There are countless living beings on Tianxuan Continent, and beautiful women are everywhere. As long as one is strong enough, there will be no shortage of women willing to offer themselves. A beauty from a mere Great Qing Dynasty is not worth my making a special effort to inquire about."

"As for a man's desires, I have no mind to consider such things right now. I merely wish to make the acquaintance of a few geniuses of the Great Qing Dynasty. I have no other special intentions."

For some reason, as Liu Mu watched Lin Chen speak so freely, a surge of lofty sentiment rose within him as well.

"So that's how it is. Since young friend has such an aspiration, I am willing to assist you with all my strength. I can introduce you to an expert of the Great Qing Imperial Family. However, whether you can ultimately succeed and meet Miss Liu Ya will depend on your own strength."

"As for Su Kui of the Qing Xuan Sect, I'm afraid I can do nothing to help. I have no one among the Qing Xuan Sect's upper ranks whom I can contact."

Lin Chen nodded and cupped his hands. "Brother Liu Mu has already done his utmost. There is no need to blame yourself."

"It is a good thing that young friend wishes to befriend them. Although Su Kui and Liu Ya are not currently the top geniuses of the Great Qing Dynasty, their future achievements are immeasurable. Within the Great Qing Dynasty, almost no one can hope to match them."

"Even compared with young friend, they are no less outstanding. They may perhaps even surpass you."

"One more friend means one more path. Though the Great Qing Dynasty and the Great Yan Dynasty have not fought for many years and have little to do with one another, who can say what the future holds..."

The Great Qing Dynasty covered a vast territory, nearly more than twice the size of the Great Yan Dynasty. It possessed sixty-three commanderies, each of which could rival Tiandu Commandery of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Great Qing City lay at the center of Great Qing Commandery in the Great Qing Dynasty. From a border commandery like Qingyan County, one had to cross more than a dozen commanderies to reach Great Qing City.

After speaking with Liu Mu for quite some time, Lin Chen received the Pure Yuan Pills Liu Mu had prepared for him, as well as a letter of introduction Liu Mu had personally written. Lin Chen then accepted Liu Mu's generous hospitality and rested for the night at the Greenwood Sect's branch.

When dawn arrived the next day, Lin Chen boarded the Greenwood Sect's Six-winged Green Eagle and left Qingyan City without the slightest hesitation.

As for Liu Mu's deliberate goodwill and investment in favors, Lin Chen believed that one day, Liu Mu would receive rewards beyond anything he could imagine.