A Family of Hopeless Romantics, Except for the Evil Little Junior Brother Chapter 378: The World of Cangzhou

"A disciple of Mount Shushan? Heh, truly unexpected! The once-mighty Mount Shushan actually fell. And now its disciples have sunk so low, mingling with those demonic scum—what utter disgrace!" The rchant caravan leader snorted contemptuously.

His gaze pierced Qin Wenke like a blade, the undisguised disdain practically oozing from his eyes. Aboard the flying ship, nurous cultivators openly jeered and mocked, their voices rging into a deafening uproar that spread through the crowd like tidal waves.

Qin Wenke responded with a cold laugh, appearing utterly unbothered by the hostile stares and words. He calmly swept his gaze across them before suddenly—as if compelled by so unseen force—turned to look through the crowd, locking eyes with one particular figure.

Li Xuanxiao stood concealed among the masses, deliberately allowing a trace of his aura to leak out. Qin Wenke's body jerked violently, his eyes widening in disbelief. The surrounding noise faded into aningless buzzing in his ears as he stared dumbfounded at Li Xuanxiao—the first fellow Mount Shushan disciple he'd seen in thirty years.

Ti seed to freeze for Qin Wenke as he struggled to suppress the turbulent energy within him. Their gazes t, a thousand unspoken words caught in their throats. A strand of Li Xuanxiao's hair fluttered in the wind. The tallic taste of blood suddenly filled Qin Wenke's mouth—he'd unknowingly bitten through his own tongue. The surrounding clamor beca a muffled tide as he watched Li Xuanxiao lower his lashes, offering that sa faint smile from all those years ago. For a fleeting mont, Qin Wenke felt transported back through ti.

Mount Shushan of yesteryear.

"Brother Qin! Brother Qin! Brother Qin—" The White-Furred Ape chieftain called several tis before Qin Wenke finally snapped out of his daze.

When he looked again, the figure had vanished from the crowd. Qin Wenke frantically scanned the area but found no trace, making him briefly wonder if it had all been an illusion.

No! Impossible. That was no illusion. That was undoubtedly Li Xuanxiao. And it seed the man had intentionally revealed himself.

Qin Wenke wiped his face and desperately expanded his spiritual sense, yet still detected nothing.

"Brother Qin! Should we keep fighting them?!" The White-Furred Ape chieftain assud Qin Wenke was affected by the surrounding taunts.

Qin Wenke shook his head. "No need. I'm fine."

After departing the flying ship with the ape chieftain, Qin Wenke looked back one last ti but still failed to spot the figure he sought, filling him with profound disappointnt.

"............"

Only after reaching an agreent with the White-Furred Ape chieftain—at considerable cost—did the rchant caravan's flying ship resu its journey through the snowy mountains.

Qin Wenke stood amidst the snowfields, gazing upward, hoping for so response. Truth be told, back in their youth, he'd always envied Li Xuanxiao because of Senior Sister Su Wan. But such petty rivalries ant nothing now. With Mount Shushan gone, what did such things matter? He desperately wished Li Xuanxiao would seek him out.

Yet after waiting endlessly, watching the fleet of flying ships shrink to distant specks on the horizon, Qin Wenke received neither ssage nor any other sign. He exhaled deeply—he'd long accepted his fate.

When Mount Shushan fell, he'd been away on a mission. Though he escaped the initial catastrophe, hunters pursued him. All his fellow disciples died, leaving him alone to stumble into these endless snowfields where he fortuitously t his current elder brother, the White-Furred Ape chieftain.

At first Qin Wenke plotted escape. When passing cultivators spoke of Mount Shushan's destruction, he refused to believe it. How could Mount Shushan fall? Preposterous! The greatest joke imaginable. Yet that joke beca reality—Sect Leader Lingxu fell in battle, Mount Shushan was annihilated. In that mont, Qin Wenke felt a sorrow beyond death itself.

With Mount Shushan disciples hunted across the land, he knew not where to go. So he returned to these snowfields, assisting the White-Furred Ape in unifying the tribes. He considered revenge but understood his limitations—he couldn't oppose the entire world. Thus he remained, gradually forgetting his identity as a Mount Shushan disciple.

Until today, hearing people shout "Mount Shushan disciple," being recognized, seeing what he thought was a fellow disciple from the past—mories flooded back: cultivation days at Mount Shushan, everything they once had...

Qin Wenke turned to resu his trek across the snowfields when sothing caught his eye—an object swaying from a tree branch. His breath hitched as he recognized it: a jade pendant worn by Mount Shushan disciples. With trembling fingers, he reached for it. The original inscription "For the World" had been deliberately scratched out with a sword, replaced by newly carved characters: "Mount Shushan Lives On!!" Content originally cos from NoveIꜰire

"..........."

After the flying ship resud its journey, Li Xuanxiao unusually visited a tavern for drinks. The flying ship was essentially a mobile city, complete with all manner of entertainnt venues, taverns included. He drank cup after cup with Cao Changjing.

Seeing another Mount Shushan disciple left Li Xuanxiao with complicated emotions that didn't escape Cao Changjing's notice. "Brother Li, what troubles you so?" Cao Changjing inquired curiously.

Li Xuanxiao sighed. "Nothing major—just my wife's condition has worsened recently."

Cao Changjing reassured him, "Don't worry, Brother Li. The person we're seeking might have leads about the Frost Venom Toad." Li Xuanxiao nodded, forcing a smile.

Two months later, the flying ship slowly descended near a large town. Li Xuanxiao disembarked with Di Nü Feng and Cao Changjing—marking his first ti leaving Zhongzhou and stepping into another realm: the world of Cangzhou.

At first glance, Cangzhou appeared no different from Zhongzhou. "Co," Cao Changjing said, "I'll take you to et that person."

Li Xuanxiao quickened his pace as Cao Changjing led the way, explaining Cangzhou's current situation. "Truth be told, it's been years since I last returned to Cangzhou."

Bordering the Eastern Desolate Demon Territory, Cangzhou had always been known for its fierce populace. After the incident years ago when Burial Armant City was cleaved in half by Lingxu's sword, rather than improving, Cangzhou descended into greater chaos. Various factions rose to compete for limited resources and power.