He surely knew that Lin Daochen had recently accepted a prized disciple whose talent in array restrictions was extraordinary, but he didn’t expect that person to be the Second Elder.
"Shh!" Lu Yaoyao quickly motioned for silence, not wanting the Second Elder to hear.
Li Daoxuan understood and promptly nodded.
After all, the Second Elder was a legendary figure in the Taiqing Sect.
Li Daoxuan remembered his master once saying that in the past, the Grandmaster had designated Second Elder as the first heir to be the next Sect Leader. However, due to certain incidents later on, he met an untimely death, which allowed his master to take over the position.
"The Second Elder is sincerely studying the art of restrictions this time. If you happen to meet him, just treat him as an ordinary Inner Courtyard disciple and don’t give away his identity."
Zhou Qing seriously instructed.
Li Daoxuan patted his chest and said, "Don’t worry. By rank, he’s our martial uncle."
Everyone exchanged glances and smiles, realizing it was indeed true after thinking about it.
"Oh, I almost forgot about this!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Finally, as if recalling something, Li Daoxuan retrieved a steel arrow from his Storage Bag, along with a note.
He then handed the arrow and the note to Zhou Qing, saying, "This morning, while returning, I passed through a valley, and this arrow was shot at me. Fortunately, it didn’t carry any killing intent. This note was tied to it, specifically addressed to you."
Zhou Qing looked puzzled, noting the words "For Zhou Qing" written on the outside of the note.
Respecting privacy, Li Daoxuan hadn’t opened the note to look.
Yan Xiaohu frowned and muttered, "This White Jade Taixu Courtyard is really strange. We’ve only been here two days, and people are already targeting me. Now it’s your turn, Old Fourth. We’ve just arrived; how could we possibly know so many people?"
Zhou Qing was also full of doubts. He then slowly opened the note, and as he read the contents, his eyes narrowed, and his expression became serious.
"Yellow Maple Valley, Spirit-Commanding Pill."
The note contained only these six words, but Zhou Qing instantly understood who had written it.
Golden Sun Peak’s Peak Master, Master Gao Xuan!
The Spirit-Commanding Pill was a crucial item mentioned in an anecdote within a notebook that Master Gao had given him.
The story told of the Palace Master of the Blood Demon Palace using the Spirit-Commanding Pill as bait to set up a gambit, testing human nature.
Putting himself into the gambit, he ultimately won half the game against fate.
Master Gao Xuan, has he actually come to Vast Mansion?
At this point, Yan Xiaohu curiously peeked over, full of confusion.
"Is there a miraculous pill in this place called Yellow Maple Valley?"
However, now Zhou Qing had a certain degree of trust in Master Gao Xuan, derived not just from the fourth style of the Thunder Sword Skills but also from the various other interactions within the sect.
Even the Sect Leader had twice delegated the position of acting Sect Leader to Master Gao Xuan, making Zhou Qing firmly believe that Master Gao wouldn’t harm him.
"Brother Li, where is this Yellow Maple Valley?" Zhou Qing asked.
Li Daoxuan thought for a moment and then replied, "About three thousand miles east of the academy. Do you need any help?"
Lu Yaoyao and Yan Xiaohu both looked over immediately.
Zhou Qing quickly shook his head and said, "No need. It’s someone you all know, so I’ll head over first."
Seeing Zhou Qing stand up, Lu Yaoyao quickly took a step forward, her eyes filled with a trace of worry, and said, "Brother Zhou, should I come with you?"
Zhou Qing shook his head again and said confidently, "No need. It’s really nothing."
Watching Zhou Qing’s departing figure, Yan Xiaohu scratched his head and said, "Since Old Fourth says it’s nothing, it surely is. By the way, Brother Li, do you know anyone in the Outer Courtyard who likes to keep their back to everyone? That guy drives me mad."
Just thinking about that person made Yan Xiaohu so furious his teeth ached, and he couldn’t help but complain.
Li Daoxuan looked puzzled but still shook his head and said, "What’s going on?"
Yan Xiaohu then started to angrily recount the frustrating encounters he had over the past two days in detail...
Covering three thousand miles was just a matter of an instant for someone at Zhou Qing’s current cultivation level.
As the silhouette of Yellow Maple Valley came into view, Zhou Qing slowed down his pace.
The valley was full of yellow maples rustling in the breeze.
Zhou Qing stepped into the valley, walking along the winding path slowly.
All around was silent, except for the sound of falling maple leaves. As he walked, he keenly watched his surroundings.
Before long, in an open area, he saw a familiar figure.
Master Gao Xuan stood there, dressed in a light blue robe, his garment fluttering in the wind, holding a rattle drum, lost in thought.
Hanging above him was the label "Taiqing Sect’s Prodigy."
As if hearing footsteps, he put away the rattle drum and slowly turned to face Zhou Qing.
The moment their eyes met, he suddenly smiled, and the smile was as warm and kind as ever, "Zhou Qing, long time no see!"
Zhou Qing quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.
In a foreign land, seeing a senior from his own sect made Zhou Qing feel immensely close.
"Master, why have you suddenly come here?" Zhou Qing asked curiously.
Despite being at the academy for just two days, it had been a long time since he left the sect, as just traveling to Lingyun Mansion took over two months.
Master Gao Xuan looked Zhou Qing up and down, not appearing particularly surprised.
Then, he became serious and said, "I just had an epiphany about some things, so I rushed here to tell you."
"Please, Master, go ahead!" Zhou Qing respectfully said.