Chapter 605 - 340: Truly a Peerless Talent

Although Elder Master Xiao didn’t believe Liu Hong’s nonsense, the matter involved the internal affairs of the Xiao Family, so he had to investigate it thoroughly. This would prevent him from making any misjudgments in the future.

Just as he was thinking about this, his ears twitched slightly. A familiar voice rang out from outside the front gates.

"Go report immediately! Tell that old thief Xiao Yuan to prepare some good wine and food. I’ve been starving for a decent meal on this damn journey!"

"Lord... Lord Duke? Quick, please come in first. I’ll go inform the master right away."

"Come in? The main gates aren’t even open, and that old bastard Xiao hasn’t come out to greet me. What kind of manners is it for me to just walk in like this? I traveled all this way to bail your master out of trouble, so shouldn’t he come out to welcome me personally?"

"Yes, right away..."

Lu Guan, who was guarding the gates, didn’t dare delay and ran inside in a panic. Hearing Duke Qian Zhang Xuan’s shameless remarks, a smile bloomed on Elder Master Xiao’s face, dispelling the annoyance caused by the Holy Emperor’s recent punishment. Before Lu Guan could reach him, he leaned on his cane and walked out of the Qingjing Residence, instructing the Personal Guard Armored Warriors along the way to prepare their finest wines and rarest delicacies.

Spotting him from a distance, Lu Guan stopped and bowed. Only when Elder Master Xiao drew near did he whisper, "Master, Lord Duke Qian is at the gates. There are two others accompanying him..."

Elder Master Xiao gave a hum of acknowledgment. Leaning on his cane, he strode swiftly out of the mansion gates and saw Zhang Xuan standing with his hands behind his back, facing away from him.

"Old fool, what do you see staring up at the sky like that? Is it going to be windy or rainy tomorrow?"

Hearing Elder Master Xiao’s teasing, Zhang Xuan turned his head. "It’s going to hail and crush you to death, you old bastard.

"I traveled countless miles, personally bringing men to deliver food and silver coins to you, and this is how you treat your benefactor?"

Elder Master Xiao looked him up and down. Seeing his slightly haggard complexion, he felt a sense of gratitude and comfort, but his words remained unforgiving. "During the great battle five years ago, when Left King Mu Hage charged the lines, you almost died under his Heavy Mace. Who blocked it for you?

"And twenty years ago, who led three thousand soldiers of the Profound Armor Army to arrive just in time to save you?"

Seeing him bringing up the past again, Zhang Xuan waved his hand repeatedly. "Alright, alright! That was years ago, why even bring it up?" He pointed at the gates of the Marquis’s Mansion. "Is this your way of treating guests?"

Knowing Zhang Xuan was acting shamelessly just to find a way out of the argument, Elder Master Xiao waved his hand, signaling Lu Guan to open the main gates. "Let’s go drink."

"That’s more like it."

Zhang Xuan walked past Elder Master Xiao with his head held high, not forgetting to instruct the two men behind him, "Wait outside the city. I’ll have someone notify you later about where to deliver the grain."

"Yes, Lord Duke." The two middle-aged men, dressed in green robes with long blades hanging from their waists, cupped their hands in a salute before turning and riding away.

Elder Master Xiao glanced at the two men and caught up with Zhang Xuan. "Their Cultivation is not weak."

Zhang Xuan kept his head held high and said proudly, "Of course the experts my son found aren’t weak. Did you think everyone is like you, guarding against Jianghu People like they’re thieves?"

Elder Master Xiao ignored the tease and asked thoughtfully, "You weren’t this cautious the last time you visited... Did something happen?"

Zhang Xuan paused, his chin lowering as his expression darkened. "Those people have been getting more and more rampant lately."

"Who? Those bandits on the eastern sea?"

"Who else would dare to pillage my Guangyue Prefecture? If it weren’t for a traitor inside tipping them off, I would have led my troops to wipe them out long ago!"

Elder Master Xiao frowned slightly. "Treason?"

Zhang Xuan snorted. "Just a bunch of greedy opportunists. Unrefined scum."

"If they’re truly just unrefined scum, why did you bring two experts along?"

"You... My son is filial and worried about his old man. Is that a crime?"

Seeing Zhang Xuan being stubborn to the bitter end, Elder Master Xiao shook his head. "Traitors from within are more dangerous than enemies from without. It’s good to take precautions."

Zhang Xuan waved a hand dismissively. "Let’s not talk about such depressing matters. I heard you killed Liu Gongmo and were punished by a decree from the Holy Emperor. Tell me, did Liu Gongmo really commit those heinous acts?"

Elder Master Xiao nodded slightly. "More than that. He colluded deeply with both the Barbarian Race and the Poshisu Country." He paused, his expression turning sorrowful. "Fengchun’s whereabouts were discovered by the Barbarian Race because he secretly tipped them off."

"Him?!" Zhang Xuan immediately cursed him as a dog. "To think Fengchun once saved his life! How dare he bite the hand that fed him?

"That scum, that bastard, that ungrateful wretch... Old Xiao, you really shouldn’t have let him die so easily. People like him deserve death by a thousand cuts!

"Why did you kill him so early, and even get yourself punished by the Holy Emperor? You let that dog off too easily!"

Elder Master Xiao smiled bitterly and shook his head, offering no response.

If Liu Hong hadn’t been dead set on seeking his own demise by bringing up Fu Wanqing, Elder Master Xiao wouldn’t have killed him, no matter how furious he was. But thinking about it now, it was better that he had. If Liu Hong had gone to the Capital Prefecture alive and revealed that Fu Wanqing was among the Barbarian Race, the consequences would have been far more unacceptable. Elder Master Xiao didn’t dare to imagine how Xiao Jinghong would react if he found out.

Unaware of all this, Zhang Xuan cursed for a while before pulling him along, declaring that they wouldn’t stop drinking until they were thoroughly drunk tonight. Naturally, Elder Master Xiao didn’t object.

As soon as they took their seats, Zhang Xuan looked at him, the anger freezing on his face. He pointed at him and asked, "Wait, Old Xiao, you... your health... are you cured?"

As he instructed the servants to bring the wine and food, Elder Master Xiao smiled and nodded. "I’m doing a bit better."

"Just a bit better? Looking at your physique, I’d say your old injuries are completely healed!" Seeing his friend smile without saying a word, Zhang Xuan’s face darkened. "You’re still hiding things from me? Tell me, who has such incredible ability?"

"It’s..."

Elder Master Xiao thought of Chen Yu and Liu Wu, and then Chen Yi’s face surfaced in his mind. The words reached the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back, merely shaking his head as he said...