Book 23 Chapter 20

Identity of the Old Man

-Powerhouse Pervert

The old man had deliberately kept his pace moderate to allow his pursuers to keep up, so it was easy for Mr. and Mrs. Bai to catch up with him. When they had reached a certain distance, the two groups, as if by some unspoken agreement, kept their distance and headed for a place off the beaten path. Under a beautiful tree, the old man's new vehicle stopped, and at exactly the same distance, Bai Xiaochun and Nan Gongjin's new vehicle dismounted.

"Who is the old man, reveal your identity!"

Looking at the old man's back, which still hadn't turned around, Nie Bai Tian shouted. What he had done to his wife made his teeth chatter and his teeth grind, but his priority now was to discover the old man's identity.

"Bam, I didn't just forget my eyes, I forgot my ears."

The old man clicked his tongue and said. It was definitely a voice from somewhere, and that was true for both Nai Bai Chen and Ye Qing. Ye Qing's eyes widened to the size of fire lanterns as she realized the identity of the voice before her husband did.

"Seriously, Grandpa?"

Bai Chen was shocked by the words. There was only one person Ye Qingyu could call his grandfather.

"Yes, it's me!"

The old man spun around, and his features were clearly visible. Despite being over one hundred and twenty years old, the old man's eyes were filled with energy, and his entire body emanated an aura that overwhelmed everyone. It was an incredible prayer that surpassed even the Martial Masters Nie and Bai Chen. There was only one other person in the Jianghuang realm who had such an overwhelming prayer.

"Go formation!"

Bai Xiaochun was stunned and almost screamed, how could he not be astonished that a person he had never expected to meet here had just appeared in front of him.

"Do you see any better now, the sunken eyes?"

The old man clicked his tongue and said.

"It's been a while for both of you."

This was Gal Joong Hyuk, one of the two heroes who saved Kang Ho during the Heavenly Blood Tax.

"Oh no, you tried to kill your long-lost grandfather, you could have gotten in trouble!"

The old man shuddered. The old man shook his head in disbelief, saying that he had almost been decapitated, or that he had been crippled, or that he would be responsible if he lost one of his limbs, etc. "Who is the aggressor and who is the victim? Isn't this a case of targeted evangelism?" Ye Qingyu shouted angrily.

"Don't lie to me!"

As a former Black Sword, he was like a god to her. But that wasn't the only connection between the two.

"Nay, no lie; you know how swift and terrifying his sword is when it is drawn, and you know that this old man is a nirvana."

It felt good to give him a little pat on the back, but I couldn't let it go that far.

"Phew, even though his sword is lightning fast, it's still not good enough to kill Grandpa, and that's how hard it is to kill Grandpa. I don't think you'll find anyone in all of Black and White who can do that, and Yi is no exception to that rule."

"Heh, heh, heh, my sweetie is saying all the right things."

The old man chuckled and said.

"I'm all grown up now, my daughter is about to graduate from the Academy of Heavenly Arts, and I'm long past the age of being called pretty."

"What a strange thing," said the old man, "for such a young man, still so green. What a strange thing."

"You'll have a much better experience when you get him out."

The old man shook his head.

"Nobu is almost invincible in this powerhouse, and he has traveled the heavens and earth thinking that nothing is impossible, but it is unlikely that he will be able to do so in this lifetime, so alas, we must give up the mystery."

"Well, you've never been a grandparent, huh!"

The last laugh was a triumphant smile of superiority. Still, anyone who would take the risk of suckling a demigod would have to question his sanity.

"My wife had a hard time with it, but I couldn't imagine having two bloody knives in my hands and a baby in my mouth. Even the old man, who wasn't afraid of me before, was scared. The slightest touch and he'll burst into flames, so how can I relax?"

"Ahang, so that's why you left her alone and ran away."

"It wasn't a flight, it was an operational retreat, and if the old man had heard him then, would he be alive and well now, serving as a black sword master? It's all about parental love."

The old man's retort was a bit ridiculous, and Ye Qingyu couldn't help but giggle.

Seeing this, Old Man Hyuk-jung let out a small sigh and patted Nie Bai-tian's shoulder.

"You're going to have a hard time with this."

"Well, yeah."

With a vague smile, Nabaxian replied.

"Wait, what does that mean, this is a conversation that can't be overlooked?"

Ye Qingyu, who had lit the twin wicks, asked in a fierce tone.

"Oh, nothing, nothing, nothing."

"It's really nothing?"

Bai Xiaochun's gaze was terrifying, and it had the power to make even a great Martial Saint tremble.

"You really do live in a bubble."

The old man shook his head as if he was sorry to see that.

"This has nothing to do with my grandfather!"

Ye Qing shouted.

"Oh, okay. Who said anything, I'm going to eat you."

"I'm not afraid of you," said the old man with a frightened expression. It was only when Bai Xiaochun intervened that he was able to calm Ye Qing down.

"I thought you'd changed a lot, but now I realize that's not necessarily true."

"Hmm, you don't like it?"

"No, I feel a little nostalgic. You can't always be the same, but it wouldn't be fun if everything changed. I'm glad you're still you."

The elderly Hyuk-jung said with a huff.

"So I'm me, or not me?"

"Haha, yeah, I guess so, too."

Once again, old man Hyuk-jung huffed.

"By the way, how's your sister, Grandpa?"

Ye Qing deliberately asked a question to change the subject. The old man shook his head and replied.

"Well, that's what he'll know, won't he? Nobu can't know."

Zhong Tian, of course, referred to his son, Gal Zhong Tian, the Black Sword Forest Alliance master, and Ye Qing's sister was none other than the black sword master's wife, the unassuming Ye Lin. In short, the three of them had a very complicated relationship. Because of the difficulty in assigning titles and hierarchy, I gave up and just called them by their old habits, and all three of them didn't care much about such titles.

With sisters all married to the lords of their respective clans, it's no wonder they were so powerful. In fact, it was a strategic clan. If Gal Zhongtian had an older sister or younger brother, it would have been no problem, but alas, that was not the case. Of the old man's children, Gal Zhongtian was the only one left alive, so to emphasize their blood ties, it was the Ice Moon Adept Ye Qing, his wife Yerim's brother, who introduced him to Nie Bai Tian.

Actually, it wasn't correct to call him grandfather, but it was just something that stuck in my mind because when I was much younger, I called him the grandfather I would meet.

"By the way, where have you been lately, Large? I've been wondering because I haven't heard from you."

Nie Baiqian was curious about the old man's movements, and since the slightest movement, such as the snap of a finger, could have devastating repercussions, he couldn't help but pay close attention.

"Oh, I'm raising a kid."

In a light-hearted tone, the old man replied, but what he said was almost too much for Bai Xiaochun to comprehend.

"You mean you have a new disciple?"

It was not an easy position to be in, to be a disciple of a shinigami like no other. In some cases, it was a position of great power, and it was a momentous event that, if done wrong, could upset the balance of the clan.

There were very few instances of the old man passing on martial arts outside of his own clan. There were only three students, one dead and the other two unaccounted for. The last one, who had a particularly promising future, was…….

"Have you not received any disciples since 'that day'?"

With a heavy complexion, Nie Baiqian cautiously opened his mouth.

"Don't talk about that day."

Gal Joong-hyuk's blunt warning shut Na Baek-chun up.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not really an official apprentice, I'm just passing on the visions of an old friend, so maybe I should say his apprentice, not mine……."

Nabaxian's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth without realizing it.

"If it's him… I can't believe it's Taegeuk……."

The old man raised his hand to stop him.

"Well, don't be impatient. You'll find out later. I'm still a baby, and I'm not ready to show it off. Let's save this for a later pleasure."

Unable to inquire any further, Nie Baiqian could only savor the taste in his mouth with regret. He felt that if he couldn't figure out some other purpose for it, then it wouldn't be a good fit for Suzutasan.

"I've been trying to find you and posting about you everywhere, but I've never heard from you, so I'm honestly surprised that you just showed up out of the blue."

"Like I said, I'm just here to run some errands. It was a coincidence that I saw you two. You're supposed to be clutching papers and grunting in Zheng Tianmeng's office right now, but you and your wife were wandering around here, in the middle of the Black Sea, in Ganghorando………."

He couldn't wait to find out what was going on, so he secretly followed behind. The impact of Bai Xiaochun's behavior was not light.

"I'm here about my daughter's work."

"Well, I suppose that's what it takes to move a wall window like yours, but with what?"

"I heard that in a few days, the arena here is hosting a duel with a prize pool of 500,000 yuan."

"But?"

"My daughter is going to be competing in it this year."

The words surprised even the great old man a bit.

"Huh? No way… are you serious?"

Nabaxian sighed with a dark complexion and said.

"I hope you're joking, because I'd like to think so."

His chest still burned.

"So, Big Brother, are you here on the business of your disciple?"

The apprentice, of course, was referring to Hyuk-jung's newest child, but Hyuk-jung shook his head heavily.

"No, the disciple is mine, but it's the other disciple's job."

Bai Xiaochun didn't quite understand for a moment. If it wasn't a new disciple, then there was only one person he could guess.

"But 'that person' hasn't been seen since 'that day' nine years ago, has he?"

The disappearance was overshadowed by a larger event (Galhyo Feng's rampage), but it was an event that left a lasting impression. As such, it was an event that Nabaxian could only forget by trying to forget. It had been many years since he had heard from him, and all walks of life had already treated him as if he were dead.

"I did. But I've recently gotten a clue."

"You mean he's still alive?"

"Nobu isn't interested in corpses. Besides, isn't this place a little too bright for a corpse to be walking around?"

Bai Chen was not easily convinced.

"Xu, are you saying that he, the blood brother, is also here, in this place, Kang Ho Lando?"

"That's what Nobu thinks."

"But isn't that a little too close, we're nose to nose with the castle here?"

"It's not for nothing that they say it's dark under the bridge. Even Nobu learns from the old nowadays. Not everything that's old is useless, not that I'm in a position to say."

"But that fellow was a former Grand Marshal of the Fourteenth; didn't he throw all that status away and run away?"

It was a very deep wound, a black eye, and a big stain.

"I'm not going to go through the painful memories again, so stop."

Nie Baiqian kept his mouth shut, but he couldn't stop himself from biting his own tail.

Whoever he was, he was unrivaled among the youth of his time. Moreover, his existence was important because he was the one who was responsible for the death of Gal Hyo-bong, a promising late-period exponent and even the heir to the god-horse Gal Jung-hyuk, and almost the only one who might have known the truth about the day Gal Hyo-bong went mad and rampaged. However, he mysteriously disappeared afterward, and it was rumored that he was actually the one who caused the 'bloodbath'. Afterward, a huge number of people searched for him, but his whereabouts were mysterious.

He said that the shock of losing his beloved grandson and his favorite student at the same time was also very great.

"And he showed up again, in this stronghold?

A chill ran down Nabaxian's spine at that moment, as he realized that he had been called here by coincidence. He had a strange premonition that this coincidence might not be a coincidence after all. The suspicion that this might be the worst combination of fate had spread to every corner of his mind, like ink on a piece of white drawing paper.

"If I get it wrong, it could be worse.

An uneasy breeze swept across Nabaxian's chest.

"By the way, what happened to your brother?"

This time, the old man touched on something from the past that he wanted to keep hidden. It was something he didn't want to think about, but it was also something he couldn't help but think about. Even if everyone else forgot, he couldn't forget. After all, he was involved in the resurrection of the Sichuan Devourer.

"That's not my brother."

Nabaxian stiffened and said.

"Just because you deny it doesn't make it go away."

"……."

"You still haven't found it?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's strange, even with almost the entire intelligence power of the Zhengtian Sect, you can remain invisible for ten years……."

"I have a suspicion that some force is hiding him."

Bai Xiaochun replied with a serious face.

"Or else?"

In response to the old man's question, Nie Baiqian nodded with confidence.

"Yes."

He couldn't think of any other case. He should have been in the web of information by now, unless a force of almost ethereal power had taken him under its wing.

"Actually, I'm asking because I've been suspecting the same thing, and I'm wondering if they're too close to us."

"What do you mean by "illuminated"?"

"Sort of, although in this case it's a matter of whose back is up."

It was not a story to be taken lightly.

"Haha, is this getting too heavy? Well, we'll save that for another time. From the looks of it, you're going to be staying here for a while, so where do you guys go from here?"

The old man asked.

"First, I'm going to go to the house of an information merchant named Dunois."

Na Baiqian immediately replied.

"To Dunoy's house? What's going on there?"

Judging by his tone, the old man knew about the information merchant.

"It's no big deal, I'm just looking into something for my daughter."

Ye Qing replied on his behalf.

"Would you like to come with us?"

With the elder Hyuk-jung by his side, he felt that he could handle any unexpected situation without panicking.

"Nope. It wouldn't do him any good to show his face, because the only time he's got a big mouth is when he doesn't have money in front of him."

"Looks like Dunoy is still here."

"I'll see you later, when we've settled on a place to stay. Aren't you going to see this speculative game anyway?"

"Haha, that's actually why I'm here."

She showed him the scroll that had flown to her in her arms, and the old man's expression furrowed as he read it.

"Could it be a trap?"

In response to the old man's question, Nabaxian replied.

"We're not ruling it out."

"You'd be much wiser to do that."

They parted ways, agreeing to meet again after the couple's errands were completed. Ye Qing, finally freed from Hyuk Joong, dragged Bai Chen to a place. There was no hesitation in her steps, but as they walked, she felt a strange sensation and looked left and right.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"Oh, it looks like someone's been watching us, and they're pretty good."

"Could it be your grandfather?"

"I don't see the point in going to all that trouble when we just met, I'm guessing he's from the Temple of Heaven. He's following us at a good distance, so it'll be hard to catch him. Do you think we should follow him?"

"No, I don't think that's necessary, let's just go inside."

He pointed to the front door of a dingy tiled house.

"So this is the house where that old Dunoy you were talking about lives? Pretty conspicuous for an information merchant."

Ye Qing nodded.

"This is Dunoy's home and business. He says that if you want to hide a tree, you have to hide it in the forest, and that if you're too secretive, you'll stand out. Well, everyone already knows what this place is like. Dunoy, the owner, has the nickname 'Nine Ears and Ten Eyes,' and although he's old, he's pretty good at it."

"Why do you have ten eyes and nine ears?"

I could have shrugged it off, but I couldn't help but feel strangely bothered." Ye Qingyu said with a smirk.

"The other day, Dunoy said that the reason you have one pair of ears is because Sunfeng Sanbui Nadai took them."

"That's a funny joke."

It meant that he was ten times more capable than Nadai.

"I don't know if it's nine times as powerful as Shunfeng Sanbui Nadai, but at least it's not falling apart. It should be easy to find Yerin's whereabouts from here. Besides, today is her day off, so there's a good chance she's in Kanghorando."

In the reception room, a man who was said to be the best information merchant in the city was waiting for him. Ye Qing had heard that he was an old man in his seventies, but he looked too young for Bai Chen. No matter how many times he looked at him, he only looked to be in his late thirties. "Do intelligence merchants nowadays cultivate the Divine Gong and reincarnate as demigods?" Ye Qingyu asked him while he was thinking about such a ridiculous idea.

"And Dunoy?"

"What? What do you mean, Dunoy?"

The man in his late thirties looked puzzled. He had heard people refer to his father as Dunodae or Dunoya, but he had never heard anyone refer to him as Duno.

"The Nine-Eyed Dunoy, what have you to do with it?"

"Oh… it's my son."

The man hesitantly replied. He was strangely unable to disobey his orders.

"So Dunoy had a son, but what about Dunoy?"

Looking around, Ye Qing asked again.

"My father has already retired, and my former son, Duchilo here in Guiguan……."

"Is he dead?"

Ye Qingyu interrupted Du Qi's words, and Du Qi, the son of Dunoyi, was a bit dumbfounded by the rude question, but he suppressed his anger and replied.

"No, he's still alive."

I didn't dare to lie, so I answered with the truth.

"Send for him now. Tell him that the Ice Moon Lady is looking for him after a long absence."

Duchil's eyes widened as he heard the words.

"I… don't… think… you're… the… infamous……."

"What did you just say?"

A chill flashed through his lake-clear eyes, and Du Qiqi, suddenly shivering, hurriedly slapped his own muzzle in rebuke. At that moment, he remembered his father's advice: if you ever meet a woman with a nickname like that, don't mess with her. If you mess with her, you'll end up on the other side.

"Oh, no, (click!) it was just a little boy's crazy ramblings, (click!) and he didn't know what he was talking about! (click!) I'll go get your father right away. (click!)"

"Do that."

Without further questioning, Ye Qing sent Du Qi away. Barely escaping with his life, Du Qi ran like the wind and knocked his father awake, who was still enjoying himself. Once awake, Dunoy first punched his son a few times for waking him up so roughly, and then, hearing his own pleas, charged across the garden like a bull with an ass on fire into his office. He quickly rubbed his palms together and forced a grim smile.

"Look who it is! Go, princess… long time no see."

"Ah, Dunoy. Long time no see."

Ye Qingyu lightly raised her hand and said. It was as if she was treating a servant, but Dunoye didn't mind her demeanor as if it was natural.

"It's been twenty years, but it's still a beautiful poem, Princess."

Ye Qingyu smiled and replied.

"Dunoy, you've gotten even saggier, but at least I corrected you back then."

"You can fool people, but you can't fool age. I tried to hide my growing old somehow, but it was like covering the sky with my palms, so I stopped."

"So you cheat less these days?"

The question was asked in passing, the blade lurking in the words.

"Haha, didn't I promise the princess back then that I would never trick people into buying false information again? Nowadays, I make a living off of honesty. That's what I'm teaching this guy."

When Duchil realized that his father's emphasis on trust and honesty was due to this beautiful woman in front of him, he was simply amazed. He had heard that his father had once been nearly beaten to a pulp for lying to someone, but he had never imagined that it would be a woman like this. It was no wonder that her father, who was called "nine ears" because of his thick bones, was like a frog in front of a poisonous snake.

"Ah, princess, but he's not……."

Dunoy glanced at Nie Baiqian before asking a cautious question. He had already eaten enough steamed rice in this direction to intuitively recognize that the old man was an unusual person.

"Princess?"

Knowing that his wife was not related to royalty or the imperial family, Dunoyi's title sounded very unfamiliar and foreign to Na Baiqian. Ye Qingyu replied simply and briefly.

"Oh, my husband."

But at that one word, Dunoy's eyes widened to the size of fire glasses. There was only one man the demon princess could call her husband.

"Hmmm, that… then this is……."

He was an information trader who made his living selling information. My mouth watered instinctively at the sight of such a huge chunk of information.

Just then, a cob came into Dunoy's field of vision.

"Enough."

Ye Qing silenced Dunoy's rambling mouth with a single word.

"Don't say more than that."

Realizing his mistake, Dunoy quickly folded his waist in half.

"Which one is yours, yes, Princess."

It was clear that he was trying to be as polite as possible. Unable to contain his curiosity, Bai Xiaochun asked.

"But you keep calling her princess, princess, princess, and what's the deal with that?"

Dunoy quickly replied.

"Oh, that's what we used to call you back in the day when you were in Chilgongzhu… that's what we called you back then……."

His tongue froze for a moment as he tried to say that he had indeed terrorized everyone. Invisibly, the life force had struck him squarely in the face.

"Enough, Dunoy?"

Dunoy's words, so full of life and quiet, made Ye Qing cover his mouth in surprise. Just as Dunoy was about to ramble on and on about whether he was developing dementia, Ye Qing once again warned him in a quiet voice.

-Do not forget the work of the day! Recall the day again!

Ye Qing's eyes were telling her so, a cautionary tale that she thought a woman's past was beautiful when it was kept secret.

"Oh, by the way, what made you take the hard road to yes? I'd love to help you with anything I can, and of course it's free, hehe."

Dunoy rubbed his hands together so hard he was afraid his palm prints would peel off. The fact that Dunoy, a cobbler from Zarin Gobi, would volunteer to work for free was a sight that would have been considered strange by those who knew him.

"I have someone to find."

Ye Qingyu spoke briefly.

"Who do you think we should look for?"

To Dunoy's counter-question, Ye Qing replied briefly.

"My daughter."