After returning to the village, start chasing the mountain from binding Emei

Chapter 879 Xu Qingchuan, an old friend, returns from Kunlun!

Follow the sound and look.

A figure emerged from the woods.

Chen Yang frowned slightly.

I was right below this cliff, using both radar and mental energy to search, but I couldn't find the person and the toad.

Were they just here, or did they come after they had walked away?
Chen Yang's heart skipped a beat; the system couldn't detect the other party's cultivation level.

It's likely that he's another Dao Realm expert.

"Damn it," Chen Yang cursed inwardly. He used to struggle to even encounter a Spirit Realm cultivator, but now he could run into a Dao True Realm cultivator just by taking a few steps.
Even in the dim moonlight, Chen Yang's eyesight was good enough to make out the other person's figure.

An old man in his sixties or seventies, not very tall, of average appearance, dressed very simply, showed no signs of being a respected elder.

If the system hadn't been unable to find his information, Chen Yang would have even mistaken him for a villager from the foot of the mountain.

Are you just going to hide like this?

The old man stood next to the fire cloud toad, his gaze fixed on the spot where Chen Yang was hiding.

His position was already exposed the moment he made his move.

Chen Yang hesitated for a moment before revealing himself.

Based on the aura emanating from the other party, Chen Yang could vaguely determine the old man's cultivation level.

Early stage of Dao True Realm!
If he's only at the early stage of the Dao True Realm, with his current strength, he could definitely fight head-on.

After all, he has now reached the early stage of the Dao True Realm in terms of both strength and primordial spirit.

As long as it's not a particularly abnormal Dao True Realm cultivator like Xiao Jianfeng, who can directly open his Golden Body and go toe-to-toe with someone in the late Dao True Realm, or someone like Yu Huaizhen, whose swordsmanship is superb and can easily suppress someone of the same level, Chen Yang should be able to handle it now.

Of course, one cannot judge the strength of the person in front of them solely by their appearance and aura. However, Chen Yang has experienced more now and can remain composed in front of these Dao Realm experts.

"This Fire Cloud Toad, did you raise it, senior?" Chen Yang asked directly.

The old man was also scrutinizing Chen Yang, his eyes sharp as if they could pierce through Chen Yang's body.

Despite his young age, his cultivation level is quite high; he might be a disciple of a major sect.

Sensing the pressure of his cultivation level that Chen Yang deliberately released, the old man already felt a bit wary.

He nodded slightly and said, "My beast has just provoked you again. Why did you attack it, young friend?"

Although Chen Yang did not sense any hostility from the old man, he still dared not let his guard down.

“A few days ago, someone was attacked by some ferocious creatures in the mountains below this cliff. I came up the mountain specifically to check on the situation and just discovered this Fire Cloud Toad absorbing moonlight here, so…”

Chen Yang's gaze fell on the toad beside the old man, his meaning clear: Did you do this?

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the old man shook his head. "That certainly has nothing to do with this beast of mine. We've only just arrived here..."

Chen Yang frowned slightly.

His suspicions did not subside in the slightest. In the middle of the night, a man and a beast appeared in this desolate wilderness, which happened to be the scene of a crime. It was hard not to think things through.

"May I ask your name, senior, and why you are here?" Chen Yang's suspicion was written all over his face.

The old man said, "I am Xu Qingchuan, originally from Lingjiang Xu Dalin. More than seventy years ago, I left home to cultivate, and now I have finally returned. I have come to pay my respects to my old friend tonight..."

Huh?
Chen Yang was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this.

Xu Dalin is a place name, not far from Jiapigou, located on Jigong Mountain next to Pangpoling.

Is this old man a local from Lingjiang?
Chen Yang recognized his accent; it was indeed a standard Lingjiang accent.

But why come to pay respects to an old friend in the middle of the night?
What kind of old friend?

Chen Yang looked back at the woods he had just come from, as if he had realized something.

At this moment, Xu Qingchuan asked, "Young friend, what is your name? Your cultivation level is quite high. May I ask which sect you belong to?"

"My name is Chen Yang, a lay disciple of the Emei Sect..."

Chen Yang briefly explained his situation and was about to ask the old man for more details when Xu Qingchuan spoke first, "So you're a disciple of Emei. Since you're a local, I have something to ask you..."

"Senior, you say."

“There used to be a solitary grave in this forest, but it has been destroyed. The damage was still fresh when I looked at it. Do you know what happened, young friend?”

"What is the relationship between the owner of this tomb and the senior?"

"An old friend. When he passed away, it was a few of us old guys who helped him choose this burial site..."

"Oh?"

Chen Yang was taken aback upon hearing this. "The old friend you mentioned, senior, is Chen Antai?"

Xu Qingchuan looked at Chen Yang seriously, somewhat surprised that Chen Yang could call out Chen Antai's name.

He nodded slightly, waiting for Chen Yang to continue.

Chen Yang said, "Some time ago, his descendants came back and moved his grave..."

"Oh!"

Xu Qingchuan visibly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

It's not that the grave was destroyed, but rather that it was moved; that's good.

"Young friend, do you know where they moved to?"

"Chen Family Ancestral Graves in Jiapigou".

Chen Yang had relaxed his guard a bit by now.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingchuan nodded, "Thank you for informing me, young friend."

He then gave a shout and prepared to leave with the fire cloud toad.

"senior."

Chen Yang called him over.

Xu Qingchuan turned to look at him, "Is there anything else, young friend?"

Chen Yang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Senior, are you going to Jiapigou? My home is in Jiapigou, why don't we go together?"

Xu Qingchuan paused for a moment, then nodded. “That’s perfect. More than seventy years have passed, and things have changed so much. It’s late at night, so I’d appreciate it if you could give me directions.”

……

-

Downhill.

Xu Qingchuan had a bag hanging from his waist, which was probably a treasure similar to Chen Yang's insect seed bag. Without making any move, he put the Fire Cloud Toad into it.

On the mountain road, Black Tiger led his pack of dogs running ahead, while Chen Yang and Xu Qingchuan walked one after the other under the moonlight.

"The senior hasn't returned for seventy years?"

"Yes, more than seventy years have passed. The world has changed, and time waits for no one. All our old friends are gone. Alas, the mountains are still the same mountains, but the people are not the same people..."

Children meet but do not recognize each other, laughing and asking where the guest comes from. At this moment, Xu Qingchuan clearly felt deeply moved.

More than seventy years ago, that was in the 1950s.

Chen Yang said, "So, senior, you and Chen Antai are very close? I heard that his original grave was arranged at an angle, which seems to be somewhat inauspicious and will harm the fortunes of his descendants..."

"Ah."

Xu Qingchuan shook his head. "I don't know much about feng shui. When he was buried, a senior chose the location for him, and the burial method was based on his own wishes. I just helped carry the coffin, dig the soil, and pile the stones. I did whatever the senior told me to do..."

……

During the conversation, they had already descended the mountain and arrived at Chen Yang's old family home.

"and many more……"

Xu Qingchuan stopped and looked at the courtyard in front of him, his face full of surprise. "You live here?"

It was obvious that he was very familiar with the courtyard.

"Correct."

"Chen Tongsheng is yours..."

"He is my great-grandfather."

Chen Yang didn't try to hide it; he had run into an acquaintance.

"Haha, no wonder..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingchuan paused for two seconds, then laughed, "I knew you looked familiar. Turns out you're a descendant of Tong Sheng..."

What a coincidence!
A random person I met in the mountains turned out to be a descendant of an old friend.

I should have realized it sooner. His surname is Chen, he looks so familiar, he's so young, his cultivation level is not low, and he's a lay disciple of Emei. With all this information connected, the answer was already obvious.

Xu Qingchuan was visibly excited.

Chen Yang remained calm, leading the person into the main room, turning on the air conditioning, and making a cup of tea.

This is going to be quite a conversation.

Do you live alone in this house?

Xu Qingchuan looked around and, with his cultivation level, it wasn't hard to tell that Chen Yang was the only person in the house.

Chen Yang said, "My parents and grandfather live in the provincial capital and rarely come back. I'm the only one in the family now."

Xu Qingchuan nodded repeatedly, "Your great-grandfather..."

"He passed away many years ago." "Oh?"

Xu Qingchuan was somewhat taken aback.

Perhaps in his eyes, even Chen Yang, a young man of great-grandchildren, had already entered the Creation Realm. As Chen Yang's great-grandfather, it shouldn't be difficult for him to break through to the Creation Realm in his lifetime. How could he have died so young?
According to Xu Qingchuan, he left Lingjiang more than seventy years ago, meaning he left in the 1950s and never returned, so naturally he wouldn't know what happened afterward.

Chen Yang briefly explained the situation to Xu Qingchuan.

After listening, Xu Qingchuan sighed for a long time. "I've also met that disciple of Uncle Pang. Back then, the cultivation world was sparsely populated, and this person was quite outstanding among our generation. However, I had long felt that he was wicked. I never expected so many things to happen later."

From Xu Qingchuan's words, it can be inferred that he is a generation younger than Pang Guanglin, belonging to the generation of his great-grandfather.

Xu Qingchuan sighed with emotion, "Your grandfather's name was Jingzhi, right? When I left, he was just a little boy, playing with the dog all day long. Your great-grandfather gave him the nickname 'Dog Boy.' Sigh, it's really been so long. The little kid from back then is now such a grown-up grandson..."

Chen Yang looked embarrassed.

If there were any doubts about Xu Qingchuan's identity before, those doubts have now largely disappeared.

After all, there aren't many people who can remember their grandfather's nickname.

Even he only heard an old woman in the village call him that when he went with his grandfather to Pangpoling to worship Master Pang.

Chen Yang asked, "Senior, where have you been all these years?"

Xu Qingchuan sighed, "This is a long story. My master was a famous shaman on Jigong Mountain. During that time, things were tough. Due to the political situation, my master died in the 1950s, and I left Lingjiang..."

"Back then, people like us were called 'vagrants.' We had nowhere to go and dared not come back, so we wandered around and eventually ended up in the Kunlun Mountains to cultivate ourselves..."

"Alas, time flies in the mountains, and seventy years have passed in the blink of an eye. Some time ago, I finally broke through to the Dao True Realm. As people get old, they become nostalgic, and I thought I would come back to visit, to pay my respects to my master's grave, and to see if there are any living acquaintances I still know..."

……

"You cultivate in the Kunlun Mountains?"

As he recounted his past, mentioning his cultivation in the Kunlun Mountains, Chen Yang was somewhat surprised.

Xu Qingchuan nodded, "Kunlun Mountain is a blessed land, one of the ancestral veins of the Nine Provinces, with extremely abundant earth vein energy. It is an excellent place for cultivation, and anyone can go there. There are no barriers, as long as you can endure loneliness and bitter cold..."

The two chatted for a long time before Xu Qingchuan remembered the important matter. "Let's go. Could you please take me to Chen Antai's grave? And while we're at it, let's also visit your great-grandparents..."

"It's so late, how about we go tomorrow?" Chen Yang checked the time; it was almost 11 p.m.

Xu Qingchuan shook his head. "It won't work during the day. If we go during the day, he probably won't dare to come out."

"Ok?"

Xu Qingchuan's words were a bit inexplicable. Chen Yang was slightly taken aback, then seemed to realize something.

Before he could ask, Xu Qingchuan said, "After Chen Antai died, according to his wishes, Uncle Pang and my master performed a ritual together, leaving a trace of his soul in the formation on Dog Climbing Rock to be nurtured. If it can develop consciousness, I can help him achieve something great in the future..."

"Now that the grave has been moved, his spirit should have come along with it. Perhaps it has already developed sentience, so I can talk to him. During the day, the yang energy is too strong, and he wouldn't dare to come out..."

"This one……"

So that's why he was at Dog Climbing Rock late at night.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang chuckled dryly, "Senior, you probably won't be able to see him again."

"What do you mean?" Xu Qingchuan looked at Chen Yang in surprise.

Chen Yang said, "Chen Antai's soul not only developed intelligence, but it had also become quite powerful. Some time ago, it even encountered heavenly lightning and broke through to the Dao True Realm, but unfortunately, it couldn't overcome it and dissipated..."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingchuan froze, looking completely incredulous.

Chen Yang recounted the entire incident to Xu Qingchuan in detail.

Xu Qingchuan remained in a daze for a long time.

He was also thinking that if he could find Chen Antai's soul this time he came back, he could help him become a force to be reckoned with, since he would at least be an old friend he could talk to.

But who could have imagined that this guy not only became a force to be reckoned with, but also gained good fortune early on. Just a few months before he returned, he failed to break through to the Dao True Realm and was completely gone.

Chen Yang said, "He didn't come to us before his breakthrough. By the time we found out he was undergoing tribulation, it was too late, and there was nothing we could do to help..."

"Sigh...it's all fate!"

Xu Qingchuan sighed for a long time. He had thought he would still have an old friend, but he never expected it to end like this.

"No matter what, please take me to see it!"

He stood up, still wanting to go and see, and his spirit seemed to have aged considerably all of a sudden.

Chen Yang couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he took him out the door and headed towards the Chen family ancestral graves in their hometown.

……

-

Hometown, ancestral graves.

The cemetery at night was colder and more gloomy than other places. The woods were dark, and crows and owls occasionally let out a hoarse, strange cry from the depths of the forest.

Coming to a place like this late at night can definitely give you goosebumps.

However, Chen Yang was not afraid, after all, this was the ancestral tomb of the Chen family, and the ancestors of the Chen family were all lying here.

Chen Antai's grave was newly built and quite ornate, standing out conspicuously among the scattered mounds of earth.

However, the tombstone was carelessly tossed aside.

Xu Qingchuan was a little confused, so Chen Yang explained the situation to him.

It was all caused by Chen Antai's descendants, who created a fiery scheme that harmed his sons but brought good fortune to his daughters, ensuring that Chen Antai could not rest in peace even after his death.

This tombstone is the key to breaking this fiery pit.

After listening, Xu Qingchuan could only shake his head with a wry smile, and went straight to Chen Antai's grave, where he stood for a long time.

"Erwa, Brother Chuan is late..."

He brought a stick of incense, lit it, and placed it in front of the grave.

"Hey Chuanzi, it looks like a plane crashed into Qishan last night. Shall we go up the mountain and take a look?"

"Chuanwazi, look what this is! Gold vouchers! There are gold vouchers everywhere in the back mountain, and lots of gold bars too! We're rich! We're rich!"

"Brother Chuan, what should I do? The authorities are arresting me..."

"Don't worry, Brother Chuan. Good brothers are loyal. Even if they catch me, I will never betray you..."

……

Fragments of distant memories quickly appeared in his mind, rapidly piecing themselves together and awakening memories that had been sealed away for more than half a century.

Having traversed seventy or eighty years of time, a clear voice rang in Xu Qingchuan's ears, and a wave of sorrow washed over him. He suddenly burst into tears.

"I go!"

Chen Yang was standing not far away when the sudden crying startled him.

This emotional breakdown happened way too quickly.

He quickly moved away to avoid making Xu Qingchuan feel uncomfortable.

The way he's crying like this suggests that Xu Qingchuan and Chen Antai's relationship back then was quite extraordinary.

……

It took Xu Qingchuan a while to vent his emotions.

He tidied himself up, spoke for a while in front of Chen Antai's grave, and then walked toward Chen Yang.

"It made you laugh."

It was a bit awkward, since Chen Yang had seen his predicament.

"Human nature."

Chen Yang shook his head. "You and Chen Antai have a very good relationship?"

Xu Qingchuan nodded slightly, "His maternal grandfather's family is in Xu Dalin, Jigong Mountain. We've known each other since childhood, so our relationship is naturally very good..."

During the conversation, they went to pay their respects at the graves of Chen Yang's great-grandparents.

Looking at Xu Qingchuan's somewhat lonely figure, Chen Yang vaguely understood the loneliness unique to cultivators.

It is said that spiritual practice is about cultivating the mind. Leaving home and becoming a monk or nun, severing emotions and desires, whether you are willing or not, time will make the choice for you.

When you achieve spiritual cultivation and gain a longer lifespan, the people around you will pass away one by one. Your parents and friends will eventually leave you, leaving you all alone, living a solitary life with no relatives or friends to turn to...

What kind of state of mind would that be?
Chen Yang can only imagine it now, but he can't truly experience it. After all, he is still young, his parents are still alive, his relatives are still alive, and his friends are still young.

"Let's go!"

After a long while, Xu Qingchuan patted Chen Yang on the shoulder.

The two left the cemetery one after the other, chatting as they walked out of the woods.

"Quack quack..."

When they reached the bamboo grove, both of them stopped in their tracks.

Under the cover of night, the bamboo forest rustled in the depths, and a flock of birds flew past under the moonlight, seemingly startled.

The insects in the forest suddenly fell silent, as if their necks had been squeezed.

Chen Yang and Xu Qingchuan both felt inexplicably suffocated, as if they were being watched by some ferocious beast lurking in the shadows, and their hair stood on end instantly.

Almost instantly, Xu Qingchuan darted towards the top of the bamboo forest.

Chen Yang's radar also detected the anomaly, and the Crimson Sky Sword appeared in his hand, immediately following closely behind.

……

(End of this chapter)