"Never heard the story of this old man?"
"Let's talk while we eat. Tell me what happened."
The first light of dawn crept across the sky. The Golden Crow spread its wings and rose in the east, and the chill in the air quietly faded.
In the small courtyard, Chen Zhuo sat facing Old Blind Man. On the stone table lay the food Ruan Jing had sent over.
Two large bowls of white rice porridge, three plates of crisp, refreshing side dishes, and a dozen or so peanuts Old Blind Man had brought himself.
The porridge smelled wonderful. Chen Zhuo didn't gulp it down; he sipped it slowly, savoring the feeling of contentment.
As he drank his porridge, Old Blind Man told Chen Zhuo stories about what had happened to him in his younger days.
"So you're the former leader of the Liansheng Sect?"
Chen Zhuo had finally learned Old Blind Man's identity, but he wasn't too surprised.
Judging by the way the two Liansheng Sect disciples had acted back then, and how they'd called him "Grandpa," he'd already been able to guess that Old Blind Man held a high position in the Liansheng Sect.
He just hadn't expected it to be this high. Old Blind Man had been the one in charge.
Chen Zhuo could tell that Old Blind Man had left out a great deal of his story.
But since Old Blind Man hadn't brought it up, Chen Zhuo didn't feel right pressing him.
Besides, Chen Zhuo's attention was now almost entirely on the peanuts.
Every time Old Blind Man ate a peanut, the world's vital energy trembled ever so slightly, as though a wisp of energy escaped the moment the peanut cracked.
If Chen Zhuo hadn't reached Aperture Opening, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.