Gradually, the faint outline of a man appeared from behind a small hill. He walked leisurely, as if taking a casual stroll. Although the man was already within twenty ters of the group, they all found that they couldn't clearly see his movents or figure. They only knew he was approaching.
When the young man finally stood in front of them, they could see him clearly. He was a handso man with a gentle smile and long, loose, jet-black hair. He wore a dark blue robe, sowhat similar to the attire of Kunlun's Elder Yujizi, but more relaxed.
The man stood a little over 1.7 ters tall and exuded a scholarly aura. His enigmatic smile made it hard to discern his intentions, giving him an air of mystery.
"Elder, who might you be?" Yujizi was the first to ask, not out of arrogance but because he felt a sense of familiarity with the man's clothing and appearance.
The man glanced up and down at Yujizi with a faint smile and said, "I didn't expect that the little Yujizi from back then would now be wearing Kunlun's elder robe. What, you don't recognize your uncle anymore?"
Yujizi was visibly shaken. He seed to recall sothing and took a couple of trembling steps back, scrutinizing the man in front of him, his expression revealing a mixture of shock and panic.
The man laughed heartily, "I rember when you first ca to the mountain. You didn't understand anything and always ca to with questions about cultivation. I asked you why you didn't go to the headmaster and instead ca to . You said, 'Master is too strict; Uncle doesn't scold for being stupid.' At that ti, I thought, this child will surely achieve great things in the future, as he dared to think outside the box from a young age. Unlike other disciples who endured scolding without seeking help from other senior brothers. But it's a pity you haven't truly seen through things. It's been over eighty years, and you're still lingering at the initial stage of innate."
"Thud!"
Yujizi suddenly knelt down, his body trembling as he heavily kowtowed in front of everyone and shouted, "Yujizi pays respects to Uncle Lingxuzi."
"Uncle Lingxuzi?"
Master Yunmiao seed to recall sothing too, while Lin Zhiguo and the man in the gray robe were deep in thought.
But Yang Chen and Cai Ning had no idea what was happening. Who was Lingxuzi?
4o
And this person says "eighty years" and is called "Uncle" by Yujizi. How is that possible?! If he was Yujizi's uncle eighty years ago, he would now be over a hundred years old. How can he look like such a young man, even younger than Yang Chen, who is twenty-four?
Lingxuzi sighed and said, "No wonder you haven't broken through the innate stage; it turns out my stubborn senior brother taught you wrong. What's the point of all these formalities? Kneeling to —I am neither a god nor a Buddha and don't need your kowtow. If you have any filial piety, eting your uncle should an giving so money. I've been wandering around Zhonghai these past few days and saw so good restaurants but didn't have enough money. It's killing ."
Yujizi's face turned bitter. He had just been in a state of complete shock and now, feeling frustrated, said, "Uncle, I an, Little Yujizi didn't bring any money either."
Hearing Yujizi, red-faced, calling himself "Little Yujizi" in front of a young uncle, Yang Chen felt an urge to laugh.
"Forget it. Once tonight's matter is resolved, I will leave," Lingxuzi said, glancing at Lin Zhiguo and smiling, "As a general of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade, you must have guessed my identity by now."
Lin Zhiguo smiled wryly, feeling as if the heavens were playing a huge joke on him, and sighed, "Senior, you must be from 'Hongng.'"
"Yes, I am the 'Hongng Envoy' for the past five years. This year is my last year on duty. Unexpectedly, at the end of the year, you bring such a headache," Lingxuzi sighed.
Hongng? Hongng Envoy? What is that? Everyone had this question in their hearts, except for Lin Zhiguo.
Lin Zhiguo closed his eyes and asked, "Why is it like this? In the past, when so many of our Yanhuang Iron Brigade soldiers died, resisting so desperately, Hongng seed like a legend, elusive and without a trace. But now, when I made this desperate decision, Hongng appears before my eyes?"
Lingxuzi laughed softly, "Don't you understand? Hongng has never abandoned this land; it's your own heart that wavered."
Lin Zhiguo's face showed a mont of desolation, and he remained silent.
At this mont, Yujizi couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, how co you..."
"Speak clearly, no stuttering," Lingxuzi said impatiently.
"Yes, yes..." Yujizi cautiously asked, "When I was twenty, didn't you, Uncle, et a fatal enemy ambush while traveling in the mortal world? How co you..."
"You want to ask how I, who was supposed to be dead, am standing in front of you looking so young, right?" Lingxuzi said with a faint smile.
Yujizi nodded vigorously.
"I'm not telling you," Lingxuzi said smugly.
Everyone was speechless, but at the sa ti, their hearts were imnsely shocked. Was this young man really Yujizi's uncle?!
Master Yunmiao finally rembered who the person in front of her was and exclaid, "I rember now! Kunlun's Lingxuzi! You are that rare genius of Kunlun in a thousand years, Lingxuzi?!"
Lingxuzi responded with an "um" and said, "Little girl, you recognize too?"
Yunmiao swallowed and said, "When I was little, my senior uncle told that you, Senior, were the first in Kunlun in a thousand years to cultivate the ultimate secret technique 'Qianyuan Wuliang Jue' to the peak of innate. But later, you were unfortunately killed by a high-level enemy while traveling. How can it be? And back then, weren't you already in your forties?"
"From your inner strength, you must be a descendant of Shushan. Your senior uncle is that bald Mo Daoran, right?" Lingxuzi said, curling his lip. "He had nothing better to do, failing to break through the innate stage and telling stories to you juniors."
"Indeed, Uncle, you broke through the innate stage and crossed that legendary threshold?!" Yujizi exclaid. "No wonder, no wonder Uncle looks so young."
Lingxuzi smiled noncommittally and said to Lin Zhiguo, "Co with . You no longer belong here."
Lin Zhiguo closed his eyes in pain and asked, "Senior, can you tell why you waited until the Yanhuang Iron Brigade was in such a dire situation to show up, instead of helping us during our bitter battles? The legend of Hongng was left by the previous general before he died. It's almost a forgotten na, and even I couldn't believe it. Why, when you clearly exist, do you not save the country in its ti of peril?"
The smile on Lingxuzi's face gradually faded, and he said solemnly, "Lin Zhiguo, don't you understand yet? The crisis is not with this country but with your own greed. Do you truly think that Yanxia is in mortal danger? Do you really think that Yanxia's five thousand years of heritage is about to be extinguished?"
Without waiting for Lin Zhiguo to respond, Lingxuzi continued, "A truly strong nation cannot rely on a few individuals for protection and developnt. If the young mbers of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade face so setbacks, lose a few people, and we old folks have to step in to help, then everyone will think, 'It's okay if we fail or retreat because there will be absolute power to clean up the ss.' Such thinking will only cause the younger generation to lose their drive. True masters achieve enlightennt and breakthroughs by experiencing life and death, teetering on the edge of mortality.
Yanxia is the only ancient civilization in the world that has never been extinguished. It doesn't rely on our 'Hongng' but on the indomitable spirit of every true Yanxia citizen. Only through continuous trials of blood and fire can the fla of a nation be passed down.
As a general of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade, you failed to believe in yourself and your subordinates. You thought the heavens were unfair to your Lin family, as if the entire Yanxia owed you sothing. How foolish!
Do you think the fallen soldiers of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade died for nothing? Do you think those soldiers, who charged forward knowing they would die, did so for nothing?
Even though they knew they would die, they stood in front of you without hesitation. And you, standing behind them, only needing to command, couldn't hold on. Do you think you are worthy of the trust the previous general placed in you and the hot blood of your subordinates?"
After Lingxuzi finished speaking, Cai Ning, Master Yunmiao, and others showed expressions of sorrow mixed with a sense of fervor, their hearts stirred.
Lin Zhiguo, however, stood pale and grief-stricken, as if his soul had left him, unable to utter a single word.
"Enough, I've said what I needed to. Now I will fulfill one of Hongng's responsibilities and take you away," Lingxuzi said, walking towards Lin Zhiguo.
However, the gray-clad man who had been silent suddenly moved in front of Lin Zhiguo, his wrinkled face showing a mix of sadness and determination. "If you want to take the master, you must first kill ."
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