Chapter 276 - Return of Elder Xiquan

In a huge mansion within the permanent area, a young man who looked to be in his late twenties stood behind a long table, his eyes focused in deep concentration.

The room was designed in a minimalistic manner, and there was no other furniture apart from the long table before him. On this table was a white canvass, an item matching the brush in his hand.

This young man's name was Xiquan Chong, and he was a renowned poison master at the Peak Essence Condensation realm.

The brush in his hand moved slowly but steadily, leaving beautiful characters on the white canvass.

His grip was firm, and his strokes smooth. Just by looking at his posture, it was obvious that he was well practiced in the art of calligraphy.

Knock knock-!

The young man frowned, and his brush stopped halfway through a stroke. "What is it?"

"Young master, Ruolin and Jiesheng are asking to see you," a voice came from beyond the door.

"Let them in," the young man put aside the brush in his hand.

The door opened and two youngsters, a young lady and a young man, stepped into the room.

"Brother Xiquan, are you practising your calligraphy?" the young man named Jiesheng asked casually.

"No, I am preparing a gift for someone," Xiquan Chong shook his head.

"That person sure is lucky then. To be able to receive Brother Xiquan's personal calligraphy work, I am sure the person will be overjoyed," the young lady named Ruolin spoke with a hint of envy in her tone.

"I certainly hope so," Xiquan Chong smiled. "So what have you found out about this Beiwei Jinguo?"

Upon being prompted, Ruolin and Jiesheng relayed to him everything that they saw back at the restaurant earlier.

After listening, Xiquan Chong actually burst out into laughter. "Hahaha! This Beiwei Jinguo is actually dumber than I thought! Instead of taking this opportunity to establish a network of followers, he actually pushed them away? How foolish!"

"But Brother Xiquan, he already has an Overlord realm powerhouse as his backing. Maybe that is why he doesn't feel the need for followers?" Jiesheng asked doubtfully.

"Even if that is the case, the Overlord will not be able to help him in the upcoming Healers' Meet," Xiquan Chong grinned. "I have never treated him as much, but this further lowers the danger that he poses to me. There is no hurry anymore then, I will just deal with him after tomorrow. If there is nothing else, leave me. I still need to complete this piece of calligraphy in preparation for tomorrow."

"Got it, Brother Xiquan. We will take our leave first," Ruolin nodded before leading Jiesheng out of the room.

***

Lu Tianzi, Nanlan Qianxue, and Beiwei Jinguo remained at the inn for the rest of the day.

Nanlan Qianxue stayed in her room to meditate while Lu Tianzi and Beiwei Jinguo continued to discuss their ideas about the different fields of herbalism.

Lu Tianzi was learning a lot about poisons from Beiwei Jinguo. But when it came to plants that did not contain poison, Lu Tianzi naturally knew more than the poison master. As they discussed further, both parties were rapidly growing in terms of knowledge, and thus they did not feel tired even after chatting late into the night.

When morning came, the trio got ready to leave the inn once more.

They had accepted Elder Ximo's invitation yesterday, and were thus headed towards Elder Ximo's residence to fulfil their promise.

Upon their arrival, Qingshan and Boren hurried out to receive them.

This time, the two young men's attitudes were significantly better than before, treating them as honoured guests when inviting them in.

In the front hall, Elder Ximo was already waiting eagerly for their arrival.

He was hosting a potential Overlord realm powerhouse, so things naturally could not be done too frivolously.

A huge table with a wide spread of delicacies had been set up in the middle of the front hall, prepared just for his guests today.

But the food was not the highlight of the day.

After chatting for a while, Elder Ximo brought out the jar of Purple Mist Wine that he had mentioned before.

This jar of Purple Mist Wine was something that Elder Ximo managed to obtain only after spending much effort, but if it could help him establish good relations with an Overlord realm powerhouse, he would not mind even if he did not get to drink a sip of it in the end!

Even before Lu Tianzi took his first sip of the Purple Mist Wine, he could already sense the impressive energy content within it.

While not exactly the same, it gave off a feeling similar to that of the pristine pond that he had stumbled upon near Ivory Rock City in the past. It was a feeling of cleanliness, not just because it was free of dirt, but because it was free of any external influences.

For it to possess such an attribute, it must have been left untouched for centuries at least. On top of that, the processing method after which was surely nothing short of extraordinary. Only then could such a pristine attribute be retained.

As if that was not enough, the taste of the Purple Mist Wine could also be described as heavenly, and each sip brought a comfortable heat to the stomach.

After consumption, Lu Tianzi could even feel traces of energy suffusing out from the wine and into his body, strengthening his cultivation by a little.

If it had such an effect even on an Origin Core realm martial artist like him, he could only wonder how great of an impact it would have on Nanlan Qianxue and Beiwei Jinguo!

Indeed, the two of them lit up immediately upon taking a sip. Even the usually cold Nanlan Qianxue could not help but let out a satisfied smile.

"It seems that Lady Qianxue likes it," Elder Ximo let out a sigh of relief. "Why don't Lady Qianxue, Sir Tianzi, and Young Brother Jinguo move into the Fireaxe Inn? As long as you say the word, I can arrange for it immediately. And of course, the expenses will all be paid for."

"It is fine, we have already settled in after all. The few of us are not picky about where we stay," Lu Tianzi shook his head.

From what he understood, staying in the Fireaxe Inn was more of a prestige matter than anything else, and he certainly did not want to be too high profile.

"As you wish," Elder Ximo nodded. "But if there is anything you require, do let me know. I will do my best to cater for your needs."

"Thank you for you kindness, Elder Ximo," Lu Tianzi clasped his fist towards him in gratitude.

"It is fate that we have gathered after all. This much is nothing between friends," Elder Ximo returned the greeting with a smile.

At this moment, Qingshan knocked on the door and stepped in once more.

"Teacher, my apologies for disturbing your meal, but it is about time for Elder Xiquan's return," Qingshan spoke carefully.

"Oh, that's right! He will be returning today!" Elder Ximo exclaimed in shock. "How could that have slipped my mind?!"

This was something that he had already been informed of, but Elder Ximo had been too hung up on trying to establish ties with Lady Qianxue that he had clean forgotten about the matter.

"Is there something that you need to attend to?" Lu Tianzi asked. "If that is the case, we can take our leave first."

"This is embarrassing, but there is indeed something I need to attend to," Elder Ximo let out a bitter smile. "I don't know if Sir Tianzi knows Elder Xiquan, but he is the leader of the Healer Circle. He will be returning today, and I am supposed to attend a simple welcome ceremony for him. What a blunder on my part!"

"Elder Ximo doesn't have to worry about us, you can go ahead with your matters," Lu Tianzi answered with a smile.

"How can I do that?" Elder Ximo was obviously in a dilemma. "How about this? If Lady Qianxue doesn't mind, why don't we go out to welcome Elder Xiquan together? I am sure he will be glad to meet everyone as well."

"Introduce us to the leader of the Healer Circle?" Beiwei Jinguo exclaimed in alarm.

Even though he had pretty much adjusted his state of mind, he would still prefer to keep a low profile. To be introduced to the leader of the Healer Circle would only be contrary to his intentions.

"Haha, thank you for the offer but we will pass on that," Lu Tianzi laughed, having seen through Beiwei Jinguo's thoughts. "We will take our leave first. See you again soon, Elder Ximo."

By now, the Purple Mist Wine had already been finished by the four of them. Since Elder Ximo was busy, there was no reason for them to extend their stay any further.

"Is that so? That's a pity," Elder Ximo looked visibly disappointed. "My apologies once again for the poor hospitality. I will be sure to make up for this next time."

"Sure, we will be looking forward to our next meeting then," Lu Tianzi nodded.

Under Elder Ximo's instructions, Qingshan led the group out of the residence.

After leaving, they decided to head over to the open market area where the welcome ceremony was supposed to be held. They might not have wanted to be part of the welcome ceremony, but it certainly would not hurt to go take a look.

Over the span of a night, the main street of the open market area seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

A beautiful red carpet had been laid out straight down the street, and youngsters dressed in white stood in two rows along the carpet, stopping anyone from crossing onto it. These youngsters held huge banners in their hands, each portraying the emblem of the Healer Circle – a leaf radiating golden light that formed a circular halo around it.

The bustling crowds from yesterday had gathered along the sides of the street, all of them watching on in anticipation.

Some of them were still clueless about what was going on, but many had already gotten wind of the news.

This was an elaborate setup prepared by the Healer Circle to welcome back their current leader, Elder Xiquan.

At this moment, Lu Tianzi saw Elder Ximo hurrying down the street. He was especially eye-catching because he was the only one travelling down the middle of the two rows of youngsters. Perhaps afraid of dirtying or crumpling the red carpet, he was flying towards the entrance instead of running down the centre.

Everyone's gaze followed him down the street to the entrance, where there were already a few people waiting. They were the other elders of the Healer Circle, as well as Xiquan Chong.

"You are here, Elder Ximo," Xiquan Chong clasped his fist in greeting.

"My apologies for being late, Chong'er," Elder Ximo returned the greeting.

"Don't worry, you made it just in time. Look, Elder Xiquan has just arrived," Elder Beilan informed.

Everyone's gaze immediately turned towards the door that was also the only window that led to the outside of the three-metre tall fence.

Not far from the entrance, a man who looked to be in his early fifties was slowly making his way over.

Just like the other elders, he wore a white cape over his white robes, as though it was a uniform of sorts. His long hair was greying near the temples, and he let them down freely to his chest level. He looked robust and fit, and every step he took was firm and solid.

This was none other than the person they had been waiting for – Elder Xiquan, current leader of the Healer Circle.

However, he was not alone.

Walking by his side was a young man who looked to be in his mid twenties, dressed in red robes that were slightly loose for his build. Even so, his loose robes were not stained at all from the wild vegetations even as he walked through casually. His long black hair was tied up neatly in a high ponytail, showing his handsome facial features that were simply out of this world.

There was a gentle look in his eyes, and his thin lips seemed ever so alluring.

Standing beside Elder Xiquan, the contrast in appearances was simply too eye-catching!

"Welcome back, Elder Xiquan!" the elders greeted respectfully when Elder Xiquan and the young man stepped in through the door.

"Welcome back, Father!" Xiquan Chong did the same.

"Hahaha! Thank you everyone for the warm welcome!" Elder Xiquan laughed in satisfaction. "I hope nothing bad happened while I was away!"

"Nothing of the sorts," Elder Beilan shook his head with a smile before turning his attention towards the person standing beside Elder Xiquan. "May I know who this young man is?"

"Ah! Look at me, forgetting to introduce him to you," Elder Xiquan exclaimed. "This is Sir Wuye Mingxuan."

"Pleased to meet everyone, you can just call me Wuye," the young man clasped his fist in greeting.

Even such a simple gesture was done with absolute grace, inevitably drawing in the attention of the countless females watching from the crowds.

"So it is Sir Wuye. Pleased to meet you," Elder Beilan clasped his fist in return, and so did the other elders.

"Don't be deceived by his looks," Elder Xiquan added with a smile. "Despite his young age, Sir Wuye here is actually a supreme genius from the central regions. Where he came from, even powerhouses of the Overlord realm would have to show him some deferrence! It is our fortune to have him grace our Healers' Meet this year, and I would expect everyone to treat him with absolute respect!"