Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 140 - 114: Qi Slash Pierces the Rain to Send Off the General!

Chapter 140: Chapter 114: Qi Slash Pierces the Rain to Send Off the General!

Hong Yuan shook his head helplessly.

A few days later, a heavy rain blanketed the entire Black Mountain Prefecture City.

Zhou Dingyuan stood under the eaves, gazing at the sky.

"Lord Zhou, this heavy rain probably won’t last more than a couple of days, why not wait a day or two and return to Jinghua then?" Xu Yuan stood beside him, seeing the group of officials off.

Zhou Dingyuan shook his head. "Since we’ve set the date, how could a mere rainfall stop us?"

He stepped out, and a soldier in armor who had been waiting came over, holding an umbrella to shield him from the rain.

Zhou Dingyuan climbed into the carriage in a few strides. Before long, the procession left Xu Mansion and headed out of the city.

Unexpectedly, just after passing the city gates, the convoy suddenly came to a halt.

"What’s going on?"

Zhou Dingyuan’s voice rang out from inside the carriage.

A commander ran over and reported, "Dean Hong Yuan and others are here ahead to see us off."

"Hong Yuan?"

Zhou Dingyuan’s gaze grew even more shadowed and deep.

He actually had a measure of appreciation for Hong Yuan.

Especially since, back then, Hong Yuan had, almost single-handedly, managed to prolong Black Mountain Prefecture City’s survival.

What a pity, Hong Yuan was now getting on in years. Otherwise, he would’ve found a way to have him transferred to Jinghua Prefecture by now.

"And then there’s Lu Chang’sheng, who is also Hong Yuan’s disciple. I wonder if his coming has anything to do with that disciple of his?"

Zhou Dingyuan’s mind turned quickly.

Now, with Hong Yuan’s current strength and status, he honestly couldn’t match up to Zhou, the Grand General. In the past, even a meeting under these circumstances would have been out of the question.

But—considering the man still had Lu Chang’sheng, that Innate Martial Artist, as his disciple, he finally said, "Let’s meet them, then."

Moments later, Zhou Dingyuan’s carriage drove ahead.

He lifted the carriage curtain and saw several figures standing before him.

Zhou Dingyuan’s brows furrowed.

There were rather a lot of people.

"Dean Hong Yuan, you sought me out here beyond the city—what is it you want?" Zhou Dingyuan didn’t get off his carriage; instead, across the curtain of rain, he spoke to Hong Yuan, who stood about a dozen paces away.

Hong Yuan glanced around. Not seeing Lu Chang’sheng, he felt a surge of puzzlement—when suddenly, a voice sounded from far off.

"Teacher Hong Yuan is just helping me see the Grand General off."

Steadily, footsteps grew clearer.

Not even this torrential downpour could mask the sound—

The calm, even words made Zhou Dingyuan’s brows knit even tighter within the carriage.

He could hear the faint distance and warning in Lu Chang’sheng’s tone; anger kindled in his heart.

Yet—his own armored soldiers would hardly stand a chance before Lu Chang’sheng, an Innate Martial Artist.

So, he endured it.

As a general, one must sometimes suffer humiliation for the sake of strategy, moving forward or withdrawing as the moment required.

He forced a hearty laugh. "How rare! Both the Dean and Scholar Lu are outstanding men of our times—having you both see me off is truly my honor."

But under the surging rain, Hong Yuan, Cai Daoren, and Daoist Nun Ruyi, all felt a chill in their hearts.

Did Chang’sheng really plan to kill Zhou Dingyuan here?

If not, then this kind of provocation would only lead to a deadlock.

Hong Yuan, for a moment, even harbored murderous intent of his own.

He was no longer Dean of the Martial Artist Institute, and his family had moved to Black Mountain Prefecture some years ago.

So, unlike over a decade before, there were far fewer restraints upon him.

If Lu Chang’sheng truly wanted it, even against his own will, he’d help his disciple see things through to the end.

Master and disciple as one in resolve!

Yet in the next instant, they realized they’d misunderstood Lu Chang’sheng’s intentions.

Suddenly, a hearty laugh rang out.

And through the clearing rain, a sight appeared that left all dumbstruck.

The endless curtain of rain reaching to the sky abruptly parted; a ribbon of white vapor sliced through it, cutting open a path bone-dry, not a drop falling within.

At the other end of that path, a figure closed his umbrella and strolled forward, one step at a time.

"This rain shows no mercy at all, so let Chang’sheng break it and clear the way!" he said, gesturing with a laugh. "Grand General, please proceed!"

In an instant, the hundreds of soldiers beneath the rain, as well as the three teachers standing stupefied, were all struck with awe and fear.