Starting Cultivation During a Trip

Night. A silver-white car was driving along National Highway 203.

Two beams of headlights became twin white lines, their path slicing through the pitch-black, endless road.

"Senior Brother, for such a big operation, hunting the Chen Dragon, how come there wasn’t even a whisper about it to us from Maoshan before?"

Fang Changle gripped the wheel, his peripheral vision catching Li Miaoyin in the passenger seat, then flicking to the rearview mirror to look at Senior Brother Yu Hua sitting in the back.

At this moment, the outstanding Maoshan disciple, a powerhouse at the Sect Leader Realm, was sitting with his eyes closed, conserving his energy.

"Senior Brother..." Fang Changle couldn’t help but call again.

If Li Miaoyin hadn’t come back to deliver the message, he wouldn’t even know something so major had erupted at Qin Ancient Town—Celestial Master level experts had arrived.

Logically speaking, Jiangnan Province is Maoshan’s domain. Their lineage’s incense and candle inheritance spanned a thousand years, deeply rooted. Not a single disturbance should escape Maoshan’s notice.

"Of course we knew." Yu Hua replied coolly.

"We knew?" Fang Changle’s brows furrowed, a look of displeasure on his face.

Zhang Fan was his sworn brother—though Maoshan didn’t know about his feud with the Chen Dragon, Fang Changle knew all too well. That’s why he had told the sect before: if there was ever any news about the Thirteen Zodiacs, especially the Chen Dragon, inform him immediately.

But this time, Zhang Fan had risked his life, and yet Fang Changle had been the last to know.

If Li Miaoyin hadn’t come back with the message, he’d still be completely in the dark.

This made Fang Changle feel extremely passive.

"Senior Brother, something this big—since you knew, why didn’t you tell me?" Fang Changle pressed.

"Tell you? Why should I?"

Yu Hua slowly opened his eyes, looking at Fang Changle: "What’s really your relationship with Zhang Fan? And..."

"Who is he, exactly?"

At those words, Fang Changle’s brows shot up. He exchanged a glance with Li Miaoyin.

"Senior Brother, what do you mean by that? You know Zhang Fan, he’s a disciple of Zhenwu Mountain..."

"Zhenwu Mountain..." Yu Hua shook his head. "What a nice title."

"Do you know what kind of place Qin Ancient Town is?" Yu Hua abruptly changed tack, asking suddenly.

"What kind of place?"

"Over forty years ago, it was the settlement of the Longhu Mountain South Zhang lineage. Why would Zhang Fan appear there? His surname is Zhang too, isn’t it..."

Yu Hua’s words were laced with hidden meaning.

"It’s just a coincidence. He’s always had good relations with the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance, so he went there to help out. What’s the problem?" Fang Changle replied in a low voice.

"So you’re saying, he went to Qin Ancient Town to help out because of the Chen Dragon?" Yu Hua’s gaze lifted lightly.

"Of course." Fang Changle blurted out.

"Then, do you know... What’s the Chen Dragon’s surname?"

The soft words echoed through the speeding car, Fang Changle’s brow twitching; Li Miaoyin couldn’t help looking at the shadow in the back seat via the rearview mirror.

Yu Hua sat in the back, his figure seeming to blend into the shadows.

"His surname is Zhang too... An old acquaintance of the South Zhangs!"

"Senior Brother, you..."

Fang Changle’s heart trembled violently. Just how secret was the Chen Dragon’s true identity? Even the Daoist Alliance didn’t know—even the Beizhang had never uncovered it—yet Yu Hua had spoken his background in a word?

This was simply unbelievable.

"Senior Brother, before leaving the mountain, what did Master say to you?" Fang Changle asked suddenly.

Their Master was, of course, the Maoshan Sect Leader. Before leaving, Yu Hua had been summoned for a private talk.

"Master told me to keep an eye on you—don’t act rashly." Yu Hua said coolly.

"You asked why such a major event as hunting the Chen Dragon was kept quiet. Well, let me tell you now..."

"This matter concerns the South Zhang lineage, and more so the Daoist Alliance. We Maoshan must remain outside of it."

At these words, Fang Changle fell silent, gripping the steering wheel tightly, staring at the road ahead.

"Senior Brother, you said that over forty years ago, Qin Ancient Town was a settlement of the South Zhang... Our Maoshan and them..."

Fang Changle hesitated, but his meaning was clear.

As the local power, Maoshan couldn’t possibly have no dealings with the South Zhangs.

"Over thirty years ago, the fall of the South Zhangs shocked the world overnight. In that matter, we Maoshan were already quite passive... So many years have passed, it’s really best we don’t get entangled with them anymore."

Yu Hua shook his head, not answering Fang Changle’s question directly.

"So, Senior Brother, what did Master really say to you?" Fang Changle asked softly.

"This time, going to Qin Ancient Town, you don’t need to do anything—just let me handle it." Yu Hua replied coolly.

"What are you going to do?" Fang Changle asked.

"Nothing at all? We’re just going to make a statement..."

"A statement? What statement?"

Vmmm...

Fang Changle had just spoken when all three in the car changed expressions, looking in the same direction.

Over Qin Ancient Town, a flash of white light seemed to flicker and vanish instantly, and right after, a terrifying aura surged forth like a busted dam, flooding the surroundings.

Bam...

At that moment, a violent sound of a tire bursting rang out. The silver-white car instantly lost control, veering suddenly.

Fang Changle struggled to control the wheel, his foot tapping the brake rhythmically.

Gradually, the car, like a runaway wild horse, was brought under control, coming to a gentle stop by the roadside. The messy tracks left by its tires were illuminated by the moonlight, appearing disordered and jagged.

The three of them got out of the car, all gazing in the direction of Qin Ancient Town, a surge of unease welling up in their hearts.

"What was that just now?" Fang Changle murmured.

"Something big has happened," Yu Hua said gravely.

"Zhang Fan..."

Li Miaoyin bit down on her lower lip, unease swelling intensely in her heart.

"The tire’s blown. Still over twenty li to Qin Ancient Town."