"Are you here?"
The Celestial Master Mansion isn't actually that big; it's just that it's located very close to the imperial palace. It's an elegant courtyard with three courtyards, the kind of place that even a scholar or a cloth merchant who's made a little money could achieve. It's hard to imagine that this is the famous Celestial Master Mansion.
Inside the courtyard at the entrance, an old man dressed in a Daoist robe lay on a rattan chair with his eyes half-closed, while two young Daoist boys gently fanned him with feather fans.
After hearing the announcement from the young Daoist priest guarding the door, the old Daoist priest opened his eyes and slowly sat up.
"She's here, and you're quite excited," a young man said, sipping his tea. "More excited than when your grandson was born."
The man was handsome and had a refined appearance. Many people in the Celestial Master Mansion recognized him. He was Zhang Hongsheng, the eldest son of the Celestial Master Mansion, who was originally highly regarded. However, for some reason, he later became a playboy who frequented brothels and no longer cared about the affairs of the Celestial Master Mansion.
Over time, he was regarded by outsiders as a good-for-nothing eldest son. After the rise of the eldest grandson Zhang Zhiyun, many people almost forgot that he was once the next hope of the Celestial Master Mansion.
"Grandsons? We'll have them anytime." The old Daoist rubbed his hands excitedly. "There's only one of that kind in the whole world."
The man's face darkened, and he said nothing more.
A familiar voice soon came from the doorway. "Old man, look who I've brought!"
Ignoring the Daoist boys' attempts to stop him, Zhang Xiaoyun, dressed in white, burst through the courtyard gate. The chubby boy wobbled as he ran, but surprisingly agile, leaving the boys struggling to keep up. The old Daoist priest, beaming, grabbed the Xiaopang and exclaimed, "My little grandson understands me best! Hahaha, where is he? Where is he?"
The grandfather and granddaughter interacted happily, while Zhang Family Zhang Xiaoyun family, stood coldly to the side, as if the two had nothing to do with him, creating a stark contrast in the atmosphere.
Zhang Xiaoyun didn't seem to care about her father at all, not even bothering to look up at him.
At the entrance, the person in charge of greeting Ziyue and Chen Qing was a young man who looked about seven or eight parts like Zhang Hongsheng. He was very handsome and polite.
"Greetings, Lord Ziyue."
Ziyue looked at the other person and nodded slightly. She and the other person's grandfather were of the same generation, so of course she deserved this courtesy.
Chen Qing looked at the other person with some curiosity.
This must be Zhang Zhiyun, a popular candidate for the Heavenly Master. He is quite handsome. Unlike Zhang Xiaoyun, this young man exudes a vast amount of energy, which is immediately apparent. He is at the Transcendent Realm, and not just a newly entered Transcendent.
The energy was incredibly stable, giving Chen Qing the feeling that it belonged to an old sorcerer who had been in the Transcendent realm for many years. He was so young, I heard he was not even twenty years old. If this level of skill were placed in the era of the Earth Spirit Revival, by human standards, he would definitely be a top genius!
"Greetings, Your Highness King of Qin." Zhang Zhiyun looked at Chen Qing and respectfully bowed as well.
Chen Qing returned the greeting with a cupped hand and a smile, "Where's that Xiaopang who ran inside as soon as he saw us at the door?"
"Oh, you mean my good-for-nothing half-brother?" The other person smiled and said, "When he saw Lord Ziyue arrive, he rushed to inform the old man. Lord Ziyue hasn't been back for a long time, and the old man misses you terribly."
"Come back?" Chen Qing narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Ziyue.
A flicker of realization crossed Moon Eye. This small courtyard, though seemingly unremarkable, felt familiar to her, but she couldn't quite recall the specific details. It was as if the memory was right there, yet shrouded in a thin mist, making it impossible to see through.
"Is the Celestial Master very familiar with our Ziyue?"
"They're very close," Zhang Zhiyun said with a smile. "According to Grandpa, they were the closest of friends back then."
"Oh?" Chen Qing smiled.
Ziyue escaped the Warlock Dynasty ten thousand years ago and was hunted down for ten thousand years. It's unclear how they became acquainted. Was she one of the pursuers, and they became familiar with each other through the chase, or did they know each other before the chase even began?
If it happened before the pursuit, it wouldn't be so hard to understand. After all, a warlock's lifespan of three hundred years is only for non- Transcendent. Transcendent life forms can live for tens of thousands of years, which is quite normal.
"Then I'll trouble you, young master, to introduce us to the old master."
"Alright, Your Highness King of Qin, Lord Ziyue, this way please."
Zhang Zhiyun led the two to the backyard, which was surprisingly small. You could see the whole thing at a glance. To be honest, it wasn't even as big as the courtyard his mother rented when she was grinding tofu.
Does the head of the Celestial Master Mansion's Mansion, the leader of a family of sorcerers, live such a simple life?
Chen Qing looked around and then at the old man who had been waiting at the door for a long time.
The old man seemed very excited to see Ziyue, rubbing his hands together and not daring to come up for a long time, just like an old man seeing Chu Nian. His awkward appearance made Chen Qi look at Ziyue strangely.
Some began to doubt the relationship between the two.
Ziyue stared intently at the other person. She recognized them, but she couldn't remember exactly how they met.
"You've arrived?" The old man hesitated for a long time before stammering out these words, leaving Chen Qing speechless. What was going on with this innocent old man's demeanor?
Zhang Zhiyun politely bowed and said, "Grandpa, Father."
Zhang Hongsheng nodded slightly in the distance, his expression towards Zhang Zhiyun becoming noticeably gentler, a stark contrast to his cold attitude towards his youngest son, Zhang Xiaoyun.
"You're finally here," Zhang Xiaoyun said with a smile. "Grandpa has been waiting for you since last night."
" Xiaoyun, don't be rude!" Zhang Zhiyun frowned and scolded.
Zhang Xiaoyun stuck out her tongue and made a face, while Zhang Zhiyun looked helpless. It seemed the two brothers had a good relationship.
But for some reason, Chen Qing always felt that this family looked very out of place; no matter how she looked at it, they just didn't seem like a family.
Judging from their appearances, the eldest son and eldest grandson clearly resembled the old man more, but the old man's attitude towards them was noticeably cold. Zhang Xiaoyun, who looked least like the old man, seemed to have a good relationship with the old Daoist priest, but there was something very off about the two of them.
Where is it?
Chen Qing couldn't quite explain it at first, but before she could think about it further, the old man had already shamelessly asked, "How have you been all these years?"
Ziyue frowned as she looked at the other person. For some reason, she didn't find the other person's inexplicable closeness abrupt; in fact, she even felt a sense of intimacy with it.
This made her feel even more uneasy, and she subconsciously took a step back, saying, "It's alright, these past twenty years without being hunted down have been quite peaceful."
"Hahahaha." The old Daoist priest chuckled and said, "The Celestial Master Mansion is no longer able to command anyone, so how could they possibly hunt you down? Besides, who in this world can truly catch you? They just want to know your whereabouts."
"What do you want to do now that you know where I am?" Ziyue looked at the other person. "I have never hidden my whereabouts. I have been in the palace for the past twenty years, and in recent years I have been in Jiangnan. I haven't seen you come looking for me."
"You resent me?"
Ziyue: "."
Who the hell are you?
That puppy-like, resentful look sent shivers down Ziyue's spine.
"Ahem," Chen Qing coughed lightly to interrupt, "I heard that the Celestial Master invited our Ziyue to be a candidate this time. May I ask why?"
"Your Ziyue?" The old master looked at Chen Qing, his eyes clearly changing, full of hostility, leaving Chen Qing speechless.
What's that old man doing?
Are you two old flames?
"Grandpa," Zhang Zhiyun sighed, "This is His Highness Prince King of Qin."
"Your Highness, King of Qin." The other party nodded. "In this world, this title is not an auspicious one. As far as I know, those who inherit it rarely have a good ending."
Chen Qing curled his lip. "There's no need for you to worry about that, Celestial Master. It would be better if you answered my question."
"I'm also very curious. Why did you personally choose me as your successor?" Ziyue asked, staring at the other person.
"Well," Ziyue said, and the old Celestial Master's expression immediately improved. He said somewhat awkwardly, "Well, this is my first time organizing this Celestial Master Assembly, so I lack experience. You're different from me; you're a veteran, a participant in three Celestial Master Assembly. This is the first time in ten thousand years that the Celestial Master Mansion has held a succession conference. Many people outside have almost forgotten the name of the Celestial Master. This is extremely important for making a name for ourselves, so naturally we need a veteran like you to lend your support."
Chen Qing: "."