Chapter Eighteen: Qingxu Meets Luoming

  Luo Ming hastily flew his sword to Wuquan Mountain after seeing the scarlet flame sword aura. This was a task assigned to him by his master, Spring Water Divine Sword Jian Bing, who had specifically instructed him on his way to Lanzhou City that he had heard rumors of the death of the carefree sword king Zhao Wujin due to the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Tribulation. At the time, Luo Ming was skeptical, as Zhao Wujin and the Huashan School had no prior relationship, and after Gu Changfeng's chaos at Huashan, the school had lost face. Although Zhao Wujin had come to rescue them, he and Gu were inseparable, and the Huashan School had kept their distance from them ever since. Now that Zhao Wujin was struck by lightning, it wasn't a major blow to the Huashan School, but it did alleviate some pressure on Jian Bing. After all, Gu and Zhao together were an unbeatable duo. Luo Ming's master wanted him to investigate whether Zhao Wujin had indeed met with disaster or if there was another reason for his disappearance. Although Luo Ming was Jian Bing's disciple, he didn't know what had happened at the Huashan summit that year, only that after the incident, Jian Bing had instructed them to show respect to Gu and Zhao as if they were their own masters. This had left the disciples puzzled for a while, but they followed their master's orders nonetheless. As Luo Ming thought about this, he couldn't help but feel bitter. He flew his sword at incredible speed, and in an instant, he arrived above Wuquan Mountain. After circling the area several times without finding any sign of Zhao Wujin, he flew to the back of the mountain and searched again, still not finding him. Luo Ming thought to himself, "It seems that Zhao Wujin has already left. That scarlet flame dragon must have been his sword; he's definitely not dead!" He continued to search around Mingspring but found no sign of Zhao Wujin, so he reluctantly gave up and left.

  Luo Mingfeng flew halfway, then remembered something. Before the red flame sword's energy rose into the air, there was someone else there wielding a sword against the black cloud, who was that person? Thinking of this, his curiosity arose again, and he turned back. At this time, the sky had already brightened, and he didn't want to shock the world, so he searched around on the ground, taking a stroll in the mountains as if it were an early morning walk. After walking for a while, he didn't see any suspicious people, but instead felt hungry. Yesterday, he had drunk a bellyful of wine, without eating anything, and thought about finding a place to eat. Turning around, he saw this small shop, seeing smoke rising from the chimney, thinking there must be something edible, his heart joyful, he quickly walked in.

  Qing Xū saw Luo Ming come in, slightly turned his body and lowered his head to eat noodles. Xiao Shí Tóu had already forgotten where he was after seeing the noodles, and didn't notice when Luo Ming came in.

  Luo Ming was taken aback to see that there were people in the small shop who were even earlier than him, but he didn't pay attention. He called out, "Boss, give me a bowl of noodles too!" The old man inside responded with a grunt and slowly walked out. At this time, he looked completely different from the spirited and talkative old man that Xiao Shi Tou had seen earlier. His walk was unsteady, his speech weak, and he looked like he was in his seventies or eighties. Luo Ming furrowed his brow, thinking that at such an advanced age, it was unlikely that he could make good food. Just then, the old man panted and said, "Sir, please sit down, your noodles will be ready soon." After finishing speaking, he coughed twice and turned back into the inner room.

  Lu Ming couldn't help but think that being able to eat at such an early hour was already a blessing. Sitting down in the chair, he began to take stock of the small shop, and his gaze naturally fell upon Qingxu and Xiaoshi. Xiaoshi had already eaten more than half of his noodles, completely unaware that someone was watching him. Lu Ming saw that he was just an ordinary young man and didn't pay much attention, then looked at Qingxu's Taoist attire but couldn't discern anything out of the ordinary. After a while, the old man brought out some noodles and started eating, and it turned out that he was also extremely hungry, his table manners not much better than Xiaoshi's.

  Qing Xū had been paying attention to his movements, and when he didn't react, he knew Luo Ming hadn't remembered them. With a sigh of relief, he continued eating noodles. Just as he was halfway through, he heard Luo Ming softly exclaim "hmm", as if he had remembered something. He felt Luo Ming's gaze fall on him again, and thought to himself "can't be that he's remembered again!"

  Luo Ming suddenly remembered that yesterday, he rushed to Wangbo Tower and met Gu Changfeng. Although it was a brief encounter, his sharp eyes scanned the scene, and at that time, there were only five people on the tower, including his master and apprentices, Li Laoban, and two shop assistants, as well as an ordinary-looking person. Thinking back to their clothes and appearance, they should be the two people in front of him now. These two people are very strange, remembering that all the guests at Wangbo Tower were scared away at the time, leaving only these two watching from the side. Could it be that these two know Gu Changfeng? If so, he almost missed something this time, truly a case of "a real person not showing their true face"! Thinking of this, he didn't eat anymore and slowly got up to walk towards Qingxu.

  Qing Xū also knew that yesterday at Wangbo Building, Luo Ming must have seen them. This easily makes people think of his relationship with Gu Changfeng, always hoping Luo Ming didn't remember, but now it seems Luo Ming remembered.

  "This Taoist priest looks familiar, I don't know where I've seen him before. May I ask where you cultivate your skills?" asked Luo Ming, standing beside the table.

  Qingxu raised his head, smiled slightly and said "I have been wandering around the world, meeting countless people, perhaps I had a fleeting encounter with you. As for where we met, I really don't have any impression."

  Luo Ming heard clearly, opened his mouth and said he didn't remember. He also didn't waste words, directly asking "Is that so? The person I saw at Wangbo Building yesterday afternoon seemed to be Daozhang and this little brother?"

  Xiao Shi Tou heard a noise and looked up to see Luo Ming standing beside him, which made him extremely surprised.

  Luo Ming looked at Xiao Shi Tou's reaction and became even more certain. He then asked Qing Xū, "How is it? Has the Daozhang remembered?"

  Qing Xū used his hand to lightly pat his forehead, with a sudden look of remembrance, and said twice "I remember! I remember!" Then he said "It was the donor after all! Originally, the donor's dignified appearance should be easy to remember, but recently this poor monk's brain has not been listening to orders. I hope the donor will forgive me!"

  Luoming wouldn't be fooled by his words, and Luoying Sword wasn't someone to be trifled with either. He said, "It's good that you remember! I said I wouldn't forget myself! I just want to ask if the two of you know that Mr. Gu?"

  Qing Xū pretended to be stupid and confused, with a bewildered expression on his face, and said "Gu Qianbei, Gu Qianbei... I don't know which one the master is referring to!"

  Luo Ming knew that this Taoist was also pretending, and didn't get angry, saying "The Taoist should remember, it's that person in gray clothes!"

  "Wow!" Qing Xū was once again in a state of great enlightenment, and Xiao Shí Tóu had long been impressed, truly worthy of being called Big Brother Master! The acting skills were really impressive.

  "It turned out to be that donor in grey clothes, his surname is Gu! I understand now!"

  Luo Ming smiled slightly and said, "It's good that Daozhang remembers. I don't know about Zhang and Gu Qianbei..."

  Luo Ming had not finished speaking, when Qingxu said: "Donor doesn't know, I have been wandering around the world, traveling all over the south of the Yangtze River, relying on one skill to make a living. Does the donor know what it is?"

  A flash of anger crossed his face, and seeing that the Taoist was still pretending to be stupid, Luo Ming asked patiently, "What is it?"

  He slowly stood up, looked at Luo Ming and said: "It's this physiognomy! Yesterday I passed by Wangbo Building and heard a loud shout. The voice was thick and loud, so I knew that this person must be a hero of the world. I planned to go upstairs to read his face or maybe even give him some advice."

  Luoming thought to himself, "Who can be as good as Gu Changfeng in physiognomy? This Taoist priest actually dares to play tricks on me!" His eyes shone brightly as he looked at Qingxu again. To his surprise, Qingxu stood up, exuding an extraordinary aura that was far from ordinary, like a wandering Taoist priest. It turned out that he was a master of a certain school. Luoming heard him say, "So it's like this, I didn't expect the Taoist priest to be such a master. Since that's the case, please, Master Taoist, take a look at my face and see how it is?"

  Qingxu heard the words and didn't decline, looking at Luoming's appearance. Luoming let him look for half a day, before Qingxu finally said "I see that the donor is in a hurry, with eyes that have spirit but are not focused. Is the donor searching for someone?"

  Luo Ming's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. He said in a deep voice, "That's right! May I ask if the person I'm looking for is nearby?"

  Qingxu shook his head and said, "To be honest with you, sir, the person you are looking for and that Mr. Gu are both extraordinary individuals! Their whereabouts are as elusive as a dragon's, appearing and disappearing without warning. I advise you to give up searching!"

  Lu Ming suddenly understood that the Taoist knew his secrets, and even knew that he was looking for Zhao Wuji. Who was he? After Qingxu finished speaking, he cupped his hands and said "Thank you, Master, I have something to do now, if we meet again in the future, I will ask for your advice." Qingxu returned a courtesy, saying "Alright, sir, please go ahead."

  Luo Ming was about to leave when he suddenly slipped and fell backwards.

  Xiao Shi Tou saw Luo Ming about to leave, thinking it was that easy to get rid of him. But then he saw Luo Ming's body lean towards Qing Xu and in his feeling, Luo Ming's entire body was like a mountain suddenly tilting over and pressing down on him, surprisingly so heavy and powerful.

  Qingxu suddenly shouted "Be careful!" and reached out with his right hand to support Luoming's back. Before his hand even touched Luoming's back, Luoming's body had already spun around. His right palm shot straight at Qingxu's left shoulder, this strike was as swift as lightning and as powerful as Mount Tai.

  The small stone was clearly visible, and he almost shouted out loud.

  Qingxu had long expected it, his left hand lightly flipped up just in time to catch it, as if the two had previously agreed on it. With a soft "pa" sound, the two palms lightly struck each other, and a purple gas flashed on Luoming's face, while a green gas appeared on Qingxu's face. At the same time, they both let out a muffled hum, and their hands slowly separated.

  The little stone only felt that the two were a pair of palms, and the ground seemed to shake slightly. A faint breeze blew across his face, and the surrounding tables and chairs shook lightly. A surge of hot air instantly spread throughout his body, and he shook his head, feeling nothing else.

  Luo Ming stared at Qing Xū with both eyes, word by word saying "The power of the Taiqing Dao is indeed famous and not in vain!"

  Qing Xū smiled and said, "However, Liu He's Mustard Seed True Qi is still the most extraordinary skill under heaven!"

  "I don't know which true person of the Kongtong Sect he is under," asked Luo Ming.

  Qing Xuan's smile was retracted, and he said seriously, "Jiashou Shang Guang Xia Xian!"

  Luo Ming's face was also serious and respectful as he said, "So it's Qingxu Daozhang, the eldest disciple of Kongtong Sect. I apologize for my mistake!"

  "Preposterous!" Qingxu laughed. "The great name of Huashan's Luoying Sword is as thunder in one's ears, no need to mention my humble name!"

  Luo Ming bowed his hands again and said, "Thank you, Daozhang, for your guidance just now. Luo is grateful and bids farewell!" It's unknown whether he was thanking Qingxu for pointing him in the right direction to find someone or if there was another meaning behind it. After finishing speaking, he turned around and left without looking back.

  Qingxu looked at Luoming as he walked away, the smile on his face had long since disappeared, and let out a deep sigh.

  Xiao Shi Tou looked at Qing Xū, then at Luo Ming who was walking away, and furrowed his brow as if he was about to speak. But just then, the old man came out, no one knew what he had been doing inside until now. The old man said while clearing the table, "You two guests, have you eaten your fill? Ah yes, there's still one more person."

  He withdrew his gaze, looked at the old man and said, "He had something to attend to and left first. I'll take care of the bill, don't worry about it."

  The old man said, "One bowl of noodles is nothing, I'm just asking. Do you two want to order anything else?"

  Qingxu took out a piece of silver and gently placed it on the table, saying "No need. We still have to hurry on our journey. By the way, since you're from Shandong, you must have been to Mount Tai, right?" Without waiting for the old man's response, he continued, "I've been to the Sunrise Peak of Mount Tai, it's truly a paradise on earth!" After finishing speaking, he led the still-dazed Xiao Shi Tou away.

  The old man watched the two of them disappear into the distance, and slowly said "Guān Rì Fēng!" His face was unpredictable, with a flash of sharp light in his eyes. At this time, an old woman of similar age walked out of the inner room, stood beside the old man, and said something that didn't match her attire at all: "I didn't expect that Qingxu of the Cuiyun Sect could make Huashan's Luoyin Sword suffer a secret loss. It's really unexpected!" The old man turned his head to look at her, with only warmth in his eyes, as if she was not a sixty-year-old woman but a peerless beauty, and said: "Yes! Qingxu is indeed formidable! He actually knew my origin. However, he didn't want to get involved in other people's business and reminded me that I revealed a weakness. Qingxu! In the past, people really underestimated you and the Cuiyun Sect!" As he spoke, he put his arm around the old woman and pulled her into his embrace. The two of them looked at each other and smiled, with endless love and unspoken tender feelings, although they still looked so old and weak.

  A gust of morning wind blew by, and the tables and chairs inside the small shop made a faint sound before instantly turning into piles of powder!

  The two of them pretended not to see or hear anything, as if nothing had happened!

  The sun rises in the east, and sunlight fills the earth. The spring is full of vitality, and the heaven and earth are full of vigor, another day begins.