Chapter 89: Qilin

Xu Ziyan’s thoughts raced, but she quickly shook her head and said cutely, “I don’t know.”

“Then how did you get it?” the Scarred One-Armed Man stared intently at Xu Ziyan’s eyes without letting up.

Xu Ziyan worked hard to keep her mind calm and said, as if recalling,

“I just remember that two nights ago, I was still inside Zhongdu City. In the heavy snow, I suddenly achieved Sudden Enlightenment. When I came to, I was deep within the Cangmang Mountain Range. There, I saw many feathers and some bits of meat on the ground. Thinking I hadn’t brought any food, I picked up a piece of meat.”

The Scarred One-Armed Man released his Spiritual Power to sweep over Xu Ziyan’s body, then nodded lightly and said,

“Indeed, there is still an aura of Sudden Enlightenment lingering on you.”

Xu Ziyan’s heart shook. Could he even see that?

The Scarred One-Armed Man’s expression softened slightly, and he asked somewhat casually, “Are you from Zhongdu City?”

“Mm!” Xu Ziyan replied softly.

“What is your name?”

“Xu Ziyan.”

“Your surname is Xu?”

“Yes, Senior.”

“What is your relationship to the Xu Clan of Zhongdu City?” A slight change appeared on the Scarred One-Armed Man’s face.

Xu Ziyan felt a chill in her heart. She didn’t know what relationship this person had with the Xu Clan, but the situation was upon her, and she couldn’t avoid admitting it. So, she spoke cautiously:

“Senior, I am a Disciple of the Xu Clan.”

The Scarred One-Armed Man’s face then showed excitement. He leaned slightly towards Xu Ziyan, stared at her closely, and asked urgently,

“Do you know Xu Lin?”

“Xu Lin?” Xu Ziyan asked in surprise. “Senior, do you know Senior Brother Xu Lin?”

The Scarred One-Armed Man did not answer Xu Ziyan’s question. Instead, he let out a soft breath. Now, there wasn’t a trace of seriousness left on his face; instead, he looked like a kindly old grandfather as he asked:

“So you do know Xu Lin. How is he doing? Is he well?”

Seeing the change in the Scarred One-Armed Man’s expression, Xu Ziyan didn’t understand why, nor did she know the relationship between this person and Xu Lin. But she knew he must have a close relationship with Xu Lin. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have become so friendly upon hearing she was from the Xu Clan and knew Xu Lin. Facing such a powerful figure, Xu Ziyan didn’t dare lie. Besides, given Xu Lin’s status in the Xu Clan, she had no need to lie. So, she began to tell the Scarred One-Armed Man about Xu Lin’s situation in the Xu Clan in detail.

After listening to Xu Ziyan’s account, the Scarred One-Armed Man’s face showed an even happier smile. He stood up and said with a kind smile,

“Girl, come. Let’s go to my place to rest for a while. I have some things I want you to take to Xu Lin.”

Xu Ziyan was startled and thought to herself: Could this old man be living right here in the Cangmang Mountain Range?

But at this moment, Xu Ziyan didn’t dare ask anything. She just kept her mouth shut, stood up respectfully, and silently followed behind the Scarred One-Armed Man.

The Scarred One-Armed Man walked straight towards the depths of the valley. Xu Ziyan followed behind, thinking to herself: Does the Scarred One-Armed Man live inside this valley? With this question in her heart, Xu Ziyan followed the Scarred One-Armed Man deep into the valley until they reached a rock face. They entered through a crack just wide enough for one person and walked about a hundred meters. Suddenly, the view opened up.

Before Xu Ziyan appeared a small valley a few hundred meters across, surrounded by steep cliffs. On top of the cliffs, she could faintly see pure white snow, but the valley before her was as warm as spring.

Several herb gardens were cultivated in the valley, growing various rare medicinal herbs. In the middle of the small valley stood a Bamboo Lodge. On the grass in front of the Bamboo Lodge, a fierce beast was lying down. Xu Ziyan looked closely and was so frightened she suddenly stopped, not daring to take another step forward. The fierce beast lying on the grass was actually a Qilin. Hearing footsteps, it lifted its huge head, opened its giant, bell-like eyes, and looked towards Xu Ziyan. An indescribable Mighty Pressure pressed down on Xu Ziyan.

Just as Xu Ziyan felt so uncomfortable she couldn’t hold on, she heard the Scarred One-Armed Man laugh and scold:

“Xiao Meng, don’t mess around. This is our guest.”

The Qilin withdrew its pressure, glanced at Xu Ziyan, and then, showing no interest, lowered its head again and lay on the grass.

“Girl, don’t be afraid. Let’s go inside to talk.” The Scarred One-Armed Man turned back and said kindly, then continued walking towards the Bamboo Lodge in the middle of the valley.

Following the Scarred One-Armed Man into the Bamboo Lodge, Xu Ziyan quickly took two steps to reach his left side, placing him between her and the Qilin. The Scarred One-Armed Man chuckled, stepped into the Bamboo Lodge, and pointed to a Bamboo Chair, saying to Xu Ziyan:

“Girl, sit.”

Xu Ziyan sat down as told and looked around curiously at everything in the Bamboo Lodge. The Scarred One-Armed Man sat down on the bed opposite. There was only one chair in the room; it seemed the Scarred One-Armed Man had been living here alone. Gazing at Xu Ziyan, the Scarred One-Armed Man sat there blankly, his expression seeming to fall into memory. After a long while, he finally let out a light sigh and said somewhat sadly:

“Girl, don’t ask who I am, and don’t tell anyone you’ve seen me.”

“What about… Senior Brother Xu Lin?”

The Scarred One-Armed Man shook his head sadly and said, “Don’t tell him either.”

After saying this, he looked deeply at Xu Ziyan, his expression serious, and said, “It’s not that I’m being secretive, but I have extremely powerful enemies outside the Cangmang Mountain Range. If they found out about my relationship with the Xu Clan, I’m afraid the Xu Clan would be on the verge of destruction.”

Hearing this, Xu Ziyan felt another chill in her heart. In her mind, this Scarred One-Armed Man was already as powerful as the heavens. Now, hearing from his own mouth that there were people even more powerful than him, Xu Ziyan looked up at the Scarred One-Armed Man and thought to herself:

“Perhaps his face and that lost arm were destroyed by his enemies?”

“It’s not yet time for me to show myself. One day, I will come looking for you all. When that time comes, I will properly thank your Xu Clan.”

As he finished speaking, a ring and a bracelet suddenly appeared in his hand. He handed them to Xu Ziyan and said gently,

“Give this Storage Ring to Xu Lin. It contains some Elixirs for Cultivation. Give it to him for me. The other bracelet also contains some Elixirs for Cultivation; I’m giving it to you.”

He then let out another long sigh and said, “Originally, there were some equipment too, but they could be recognized by others, so I won’t give them to you for now.”

Xu Ziyan took the ring and bracelet, frowned slightly, and said to the Scarred One-Armed Man, “But… what should I tell Senior Brother Xu Lin?”

The Scarred One-Armed Man thought for a moment, then said with some helplessness, “Just say you met someone who asked you to deliver it to him. Tell him not to mention it to anyone, not even his father, Xu Haoran. If he asks about my appearance, describe me as not looking like me at all; the less similar, the better. Also tell him that when the time is right, I will come to see him.”

“Alright!!” Xu Ziyan had no choice but to nod in agreement.