The Lord of Void and Real

48  Chapter 47: Descending the Mountain

Just as Senior Brother Niu was about to speak, a flurry of footsteps could be heard from not far outside the mountain gate. A figure had appeared there at some point and was now walking towards them.

Surprised, everyone looked over in that direction, including Shen Luo. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

They saw a young man in the attire of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, wearing a woven bamboo hat, rhythmically ascending the stone steps, slowly approaching the mountain gate.

The man had jet-black hair, a somewhat thin figure, and his face half concealed by the bamboo hat. Yet, the semi-visible contours hinted at his extraordinary attractiveness, exuding an air of transcendence.

"Who is that?" Someone whispered.

"Why is he in our Spring and Autumn Pavilion robes? He looks unfamiliar…" another person expressed their doubt.

"Could it be him?" Shen Luo had a guess in his heart, but he didn't voice it.

"That's Gu Hualing, Brother Gu." Senior Brother Niu, who's been guarding the mountain gate for many years naturally recognized him and answered with a slight change in expression.

"Gu Hualing?"

Upon hearing this name, everyone, including Shen Luo, was surprised.

He was one of the three prominent inner sect disciples, on par with Ding Hua and Bai Xiaotian, but the most mysterious among them. He was rumored to spend most of his time secluded in meditation, rarely appearing on the mountain.

His master was none other than Elder Master Wang, a peer of Master Luo and Master Fengyang.

Although Shen Luo has been on the mountain for more than two years and has never met him, Bai Xiaotian has mentioned him quite often. At least in Bai Xiaotian's eyes, Gu Hualing was more noteworthy than Ding Hua.

"It was rumored that the Pavilion had allowed him to go down the mountain alone to conquer demons; I never thought it was true." An elder disciple couldn't help but sigh in a low voice.

"Alone... Even Brother Ding hasn't gone down the mountain alone, yet he has..." Another disciple said.

As the group was whispering, and the man was now close by, they halted their conversation, bowed respectfully, and said:

"Greetings, Brother Gu..."

Gu Hualing stopped in his tracks, lifted his bamboo hat, revealing a face so beautiful that even women would envy, and returned the salute.

"All the brothers gathered at the mountain gate to greet me, that's really overwhelming." He laughed gently, as if joking.

Seeing him, everyone felt a mix of admiration, envy, and embarrassment. For a moment, no one knew how to respond.

"Hmm... For Brother Gu's first excursion, how fruitful was it?" Senior Brother Niu, who was slightly more familiar with Gu, coughed lightly and asked with a smile.

"I killed a yellow rat monster that had just begun to acquire spiritual wisdom. It's not much of a harvest." Gu Hualing patted the sack on his back and laughed.

Upon hearing his words, everyone was startled. On his first journey, he hadn't faced some dark spiritual entity, but a monster that had gained spiritual wisdom!

Shen Luo couldn't help but gave him a few more glances.

"Brother Gu is truly heroic, I admire you, I truly do," Senior Brother Niu said sincerely.

The others finally recovered and started to flatter Gu, each nodding and speaking their approval.

"Brother Gu is exaggerating. As long as we persevere in our cultivation, regardless of the speed of progress, there will be achievements in the future. I need to go back and report to Master about my journey now, I won't delay you guys anymore." Gu Hualing gave a slight bow to everyone, his manners were extremely courteous and fitting.

Everyone felt as if they were on top of the world and hurriedly returned the greeting.

Shen Luo had to admit, compared to the unruly Bai Xiaotian and the arrogant Ding Hua, Gu Hualing, one of the three great inner sect disciples, was certainly more popular among these ordinary disciples.

Even though his figure had long disappeared, everyone still felt refreshed. But when they came back from their excitement, Shen Luo had quietly left the mountain gate.

After more than two years of confinement in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, even someone of Shen Luo's temperament couldn't help but cherish the newfound freedom.

Upon reaching Tuji Town, Shen Luo first ordered a table full of food and wine at Hongyun Building and enjoyed a hearty meal. Next, he went to the market and spent twenty taels of silver on a sturdy black-maned horse.

After packing up water and dry food for the journey, he rode out of Tuji Town, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

...

Dengping Prefecture administers over a dozen counties, both large and small. Among them, Chunhua County, with its flat terrain and plentiful farmland, is relatively wealthy. Tianping County, located to the east of Chunhua County, is affected by the terrain of Jiu Liang Mountain and has less land, so it's the poorest.

Song Fan County, which adjoins Chunhua County to the west, has become a small transit point for water transport due to the passage of Luan Shui River. Although the arable land there is less than in Chunhua County, trade is noticeably more prosperous.

At this moment, within the well-known Qin Yang Wine House in the town of Song Fan County, Shen Luo, clad in an azure robe, was sitting at a window seat on the second floor. In front of him were some exquisite dishes, wafting steam into the air.

However, after traveling non-stop for three days on a bumpy road, he didn't have much of an appetite. He picked up his chopsticks only to put them down again, opting to take a sip of the tea sitting next to him instead.

Right then, a bustling waiter who was passing by his table was halted by Shen Luo's call of "waiter."

The waiter looked at the untouched food on Shen Luo's table, unconsciously raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, sir, how may I assist?" He leaned over, all smiles.

"Can I ask you something?" Shen Luo asked.

"Of course, sir. I'll answer anything I know." The waiter relaxed upon realizing that Shen Luo wasn't raising a complaint, and smiled.

"Do you know of any ferry crossings on the Luan Shui River in Song Fan County?" asked Shen Luo.

The waiter paused for a moment at the question, then laughed, "Sir, that's a strange question. In Song Fan County alone, there are three ports for water and land transport. As for ferry crossings, there must be over a dozen."

"So many…," said Shen Luo, frowning slightly at the answer.

Shen Luo's reason for leaving the Spring and Autumn Pavilion to make a beeline for Song Fan County was not for family matters, but for the "Nameless Heavenly Book," which Yu Meng's ancestor had discovered in the Luan Shui River.

If all in the dream was true, then, according to the timing, this heavenly book would most likely still be undiscovered by Yu Meng's ancestor and could very well still be lying beneath a mound of rocks in the Luan Shui River.

Given the slight chance that Shen Luo would be able to attain the "Pure Yang Sword Technique" from within the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, and his chances of obtaining life-saving elixir were even slimmer, his final hope lay in finding this heavenly book describing immortal arts. Even if he can't master the techniques outlined in the book, he could use this book to exchange for immortal jade or other elixirs that might refill his vitality from the Spring and Autumn Pavilion.

"Waiter, do you happen to know of any ferry operators with the surname Yu?" thought Shen Luo, and he asked.