Xue Pan was not clear about the relationship between Ding Chen and Ding Yan, only thinking that they were father and son.
"Dad, do you really know this immortal master?" Xue Haikong asked excitedly.
Previously, on the rooftop inn, he had already witnessed Ding Yan's methods, that kind of power was not internal force at all.
Xue Pan waved his hand, indicating his son not to speak. After witnessing Ding Yan's power back then, he understood that the other party was definitely not an ordinary person. After following Ding Chen for so long, if he said he wouldn't understand 'immortal arts', Xue Pan would find it strange.
"I wonder if my son has offended the Young Master?" Xue Pan asked.
He understood his son's temperament very well.
"How could it be, I had a very pleasant conversation with the young sir," Ding Chen shook his head.
After hearing this, Xue Haikong next to him secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Xue Pan's temper very well. If Ding Chen told the truth, he was afraid he would be thrown into the Abyss of Bitterness by Xue Pan.
The Abyss of Bitterness was where Xue Pan enlightened himself in swordsmanship, only a few hundred miles from Yishui City.
Looking back at the calligraphy and painting in the middle of the living room, Ding Yan asked, "Is this the one from back then?"
In the center of the living room, hung a calligraphy and painting, with a large character 'dao' written on it! This character was the one that Ding Yan had given to Xue Pan back then, and it was because of this character that Xue Pan had achieved his current status. After retiring, Xue Pan had specially found someone to mount this painting on two scrolls, hanging it in the center of the living room, as a sign of respect for Ding Yan.
"Yes, this character was given by the Senior back then," Xue Pan nodded, then sighed and said, "I feel ashamed to say that I have meditated on this character for decades, but still only understand its surface layer. It just shows how profound the Senior's level is..."
Writing was also one of Xue Pan's ways of understanding.
In order to comprehend the profound meaning of the character, Xue Pan had written more than a thousand 'dao' characters. However, every time he finished writing, he felt that the 'dao' he wrote lacked a certain profound meaning compared to the 'dao' hanging in the living room, a realization of a certain level.
This was not to say that Xue Pan's understanding was poor, but compared to Ding Yan, he had experienced too little. In Ding Yan's calligraphy and painting, besides the insight into the Xian realm, there was also the experience and accumulation of his thousand-year practice in his past life. This was not something that could be understood in a short period of time, but required a long period of accumulation.
"In any case, it's quite an achievement for Xue Daxia to derive a set of swordsmanship from this character," Ding Chen said.
Upon hearing this, Xue Pan touched his beard under his chin and showed a slight smile.
His swordsmanship was the proudest achievement of his life, and Ding Chen's words were a kind of recognition for him.
"I wonder if the Young Master has any important business in coming here?" Xue Pan asked.
Ding Chen said, "Xue Daxia can just call me by my name."
At this, Xue Pan laughed and said, "In that case, I'll call you Young Master Ding."
Without much fuss about the title, Ding Chen directly stated his purpose. "I came here to ask whether Xue Daxia has seen my uncle in the past two years, or heard any rumors about him."
Xue Pan was stunned and said, "The Senior is not with you?"
"My uncle left six years ago, and I don't know where he went. I came to Yishui City to see if my uncle had come back," Ding Chen shook his head.
Xue Pan smiled wryly.
He had originally wanted to consult Ding Yan about cultivation matters, but it seemed there was no chance now.
"Senior has always been elusive, not even I can find him, let alone you, Young Master Ding. Speaking of which, the last time I saw the Senior was in Ningshan City..." recalling the imposing manner of Ding Yan, Xue Pan couldn't help but feel emotional.
That level was something he was probably incapable of reaching in his lifetime.
Although it was expected, Ding Chen couldn't help feeling disappointed.
"In that case, I won't disturb Xue Daxia any longer," Ding Chen stood up and walked towards the outside of the Xue Mansion.
Xue Pan was surprised, he didn't expect Ding Chen to leave just like that. So he spoke up, "Young Master Ding, why not stay at the Xue Mansion for a few days? Perhaps Senior will come to Yishui City in a while..."
Stopping in his tracks, Ding Chen seemed to remember something.
Drawing his long sword, he walked to the courtyard, circulated his elemental power throughout his body, and then to his hands, instantly covering the entire sword.
"Sword Qi!!" exclaimed Xue Haikong, who had just come out of the living room and saw this scene.
"No, this is not Sword Qi, but a power even more powerful than Sword Qi," Xue Pan also looked serious, his gaze fixed on Ding Chen's right hand.
Swish!
Ding Chen took a step forward and swept his sword horizontally.
The sword energy left his hand, turning into a semi-transparent sword Qi, instantly cutting through the mountain in front.
Kara...
The gravel kept falling.
Sheathed the sword, Ding Chen turned around and bowed to Xue Pan, "Xue hero, until we meet again..."
After saying that, he ignored Xue Pan and his son, took a step, and disappeared into the mansion.
Leaving the Xue family father and son staring blankly at the rocky mountain.
After leaving the Yishui city, Ding Chen put on a black hood, carried an iron sword on his back, rode a chestnut horse, and gradually went away.
Looking back at the towering city wall, Ding Chen murmured, "If one day, Uncle also goes to Xue's mansion, and sees the sword aura, he should understand that I have been here..."
Turning around, he spurred the reins, galloping towards the distant horizon.
...
After leaving Mo's village, Ding Yan did not fly again, but walked step by step towards the capital of the Chu State like an ordinary person.
Dressed in a green robe, with long flowing sleeves, he looked like a poet walking in the countryside.
For half a day, Ding Yan had been pondering the information about the City of Unjust Deaths.
Without a doubt, for Ding Yan at present, the City of Unjust Deaths was an opportunity; if he seized this chance, he was very likely to soar to great heights. Of course, even if he did not go to the City of Unjust Deaths, Ding Yan still had the confidence to reach the level of a sixth-stage Immortal. As for beyond that, it was hard to say.
"Dahai, please, don't go! There is no more food at home. The imperial examination is harmful! If you continue to take the exam, the two of us will definitely starve to death..."
A burst of weeping.
Following the sound, Ding Yan found himself outside a farmhouse. At the door, a plain-dressed peasant woman and a scholarly young man were arguing, and it was the peasant woman who had spoken previously.
"I must go! If I can pass the exam this time, we will no longer have to suffer like this..."
"You take the exam every year and fail every time. The family's savings have been used up, and now we are on the brink of poverty. If you take the exam, what will I and the child do?" The woman wept.
"Yueru, you have to believe me!" The scholar asserted.
"I believed you ten years ago, but what now?"
"I have persevered for ten years. If I give up now, I will gain nothing. If I can pass this time, it will be the end of my hardship! Only by striving can I have a chance!" Although the scholar's body was extremely lean, at the moment he said these words, he appeared as stalwart as a pine tree, exuding indomitable spirit.
"..."
Outside the courtyard, the words of the scholar at that moment were like a revelation to Ding Yan, dispelling all his worries.
"Striving is the only way to have a chance! This is survival."