Chapter 52: The Goodwill of the Spring Shrine

The auditorium was a river of blood. Gu Jesong’s killing was truly merciless and swift; he kept his eyes lowered, completely ignoring the actions of the two young men before him.

A tearful reunion after a long separation was inevitable, given that the two had nearly been parted by death. Xue Xi, looking unrelenting, tugged at Chen Hongxu’s ear, weeping with joy as she nagged him about his various shortcomings. Chen Hongxu patiently endured it, offering a polite smile while secretly observing whether there was anything different about Xue Xi. After all, the sword energy that had just soared into the sky was abnormally domineering.

"With that shifty look in your eyes, you must have learned bad habits from that fool Fan!" Xue Xi huffed at Chen Hongxu, letting go of his ear and lightly punching his back. Chen Hongxu laughed dryly, not bothering to argue; he was sure the fool Fan wouldn't mind being slandered in such a way.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they both knew there were many intimate things to say, but with Gu Jesong present and the shouts echoing from outside, they knew it was not the time. Chen Hongxu took Xue Xi’s hand and said earnestly, "I will take you away."

Xue Xi nodded, glanced around the auditorium, and her expression suddenly darkened. Chen Hongxu saw it all and hesitated before saying, "The Xue family is gone."

"I know," Xue Xi nodded again. "Father is dead, too. Everything I was accustomed to has been destroyed. I only have you now."

Chen Hongxu felt the sharp pain of fingernails digging into his palm as he held Xue Xi’s small hand. His eyes narrowed; he knew that although Xue Xi spoke lightly, she was truly heartbroken. He glanced at Gu Jesong, who had acted impeccably throughout this ordeal, and said calmly, "Are you willing to become a Lotus Guard like Liu Yixian? Other than absolute obedience to me, there is nothing else different."

Gu Jesong looked up, his expression complex, but after a moment of hesitation, he nodded firmly. Chen Hongxu did not stand on ceremony; he released Xue Xi’s hand, walked over to Gu Jesong, and placed his palm, wreathed in red energy, against Gu Jesong’s forehead.

"Ah!" The sudden rush of fullness caused Gu Jesong to cry out in pain. His body swelled, and blood vessels as thick as a little finger burst on his arms, splattering blood onto the floor, where it mingled with the viscous pool of gore already there, making it indistinguishable.

Chen Hongxu slowly withdrew his hand and exhaled. After a year of wandering, the threads of slaughter he had harvested were completely exhausted, but he had gained two powerful enforcers. Just how powerful they would be would only be known once they had digested these threads, which had been nurtured by the fetal soldiers.

Outside the auditorium, although the fool Fan was still wary of the old Daoist with purple-trimmed sleeves beside him, he finally showed a friendly face. The old man’s arrival, marked by the self-detonation of two or three hundred men, had captured everyone’s attention. Fan believed that since he had only displayed a fraction of his own strength, these practitioners wouldn't have been willing to sacrifice so many people.

The old Daoist had not spoken a word to Fan from start to finish, but his actions were a powerful testament that they were on the same side. As the spiritual energy in the sky gradually calmed, the many experts, seemingly uncomfortable with ground combat, ascended back into the air.

Fan looked sideways at the pair—the old Daoist and a delicate young girl—who were all that remained of the massive force that had arrived. He broke the silence: "Old man, have you lived all these years in vain? You have no eye for tactics. You should have brought ten thousand men to support us. These three hundred, even if they all blew themselves up, are just a drop in the bucket and serve no purpose."

The old Daoist was not annoyed; he grinned helplessly. "This place was sealed off by someone using earth energy. The suicide squad broke the seal, though it was ultimately a futile effort. Still, they died for a worthy cause."

The term "suicide squad" sounded simple, and cultivating one wasn't difficult—it was merely a matter of favor and fear. But to truly control three hundred such men required far more than simple carrot-and-stick tactics. Fan thought a little higher of the old man but did not expose his identity. After all, he was the one who had burned and killed at the Kasuga Shrine; he was more than familiar with the attire of these people.

The old Daoist was about to say something else when his eyes suddenly narrowed. He looked toward the auditorium in horror as two sword auras, not particularly thick but terrifying enough to strike fear into the heart, tore the roof off the auditorium, obliterated seven or eight people in their path, and vanished into the horizon.

For a moment, everyone was stunned by the terrifying sword energy. No one dared to act rashly, and even the experts who had just taken to the sky chose to descend, as the air seemed too dangerous. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the open auditorium, waiting to see what had happened inside. In the silence, a blood-soaked man appeared out of thin air and fell to the ground. It was none other than the Good Man Yan, whose aura even Chen Hongxu could not detect.

Yan looked terrified, struggling to push himself up on the floor, staring toward the auditorium and mumbling words no one could understand.

After a moment, Chen Hongxu walked out of the auditorium holding Xue Xi’s hand, unhurried and composed. Watching this, Fan grinned, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and looked quite gratified. Gu Jesong and Liu Yixian followed closely behind, looking unharmed, though the faint lotus marks on their foreheads suggested something. The marks were almost identical to the one on the forehead of the old Daoist standing beside Fan.

Fan smoothed his expression and walked up to Chen Hongxu with a smirk, eyeing Xue Xi’s demeanor before exaggerating, "Sister-in-law is looking more beautiful than ever!"

Xue Xi giggled, rolled her eyes at Fan, and said, "Flatterer."

The old Daoist with the lotus mark on his head looked at Chen Hongxu, hesitated, and then, in full view of everyone, knelt and began to crawl toward him, performing the three kowtows and nine prostrations with every step.

Looking at the mark on the old man’s forehead, Chen Hongxu had a vague guess. He communicated silently with the Spirit of the Soldier: "Is this old man one of the Lotus Guards you recruited?"

"No, how could that be? A peerless being like me needs Lotus Guards? This old man probably obtained the Lotus Marks I scattered years ago and refined them as treasures, which is why he looks like this now. Can’t you see the mark on his head isn't very distinct?"

"Oh," Chen Hongxu drawled, dissatisfied with the non-answer. He stared at the old man who had reached his feet and said warmly, "Old man, you came from the Kasuga Shrine, didn't you?"

Fan’s eyelid twitched; this was clearly a rhetorical question, given that Chen had been the leader of that raid.

The old Daoist didn't mind. He nodded, turned, and beckoned to the delicate-looking young girl. "The Kasuga Shrine is likely gone. The suicide squad I mentioned is essentially wiped out. Now, there is only the nominal Palace Master, which is me, and this exceptionally gifted young girl. Of course, if you are interested, I can also give you the four Sky-Walking Statues behind us."

"Nothing in this world happens without a reason. If you don't give me a motive, I find it hard to accept your kindness."

The old Daoist smiled and kindly patted the young girl's head. "I only hope that when the time comes, you might give her a chance to see the world."

Unlike those who came with force, this old Daoist played a soft game. Chen Hongxu was not someone who ignored both soft and hard tactics, so he thought for a moment and nodded. He was no longer an ignorant child; he understood the importance of building his own base. After all, when one’s strength was not yet enough to challenge the entire world, having help was always a good thing.

He glanced at the young girl, accepting the old man’s request. The old Daoist exhaled, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked toward the dark, dense crowd gathered in the distance and shouted, "I seek benevolence; who will fulfill it for me?"