Chapter 411: The Bigger the Hope, the Greater the Disappointment
Serious, Chi Nan kept a solemn expression. Her eyes only swept over Han Qingwu and moved aside right away. Tang Xiu himself didn’t want to speak with Han Qingwu, so he looked at Wei Jiangping, cupped his fists and said, “Are you the current owner of Buried Diamond, Wei Jiangping?”
“Hmm?” Wei Jiangping’s brows furrowed deeper. He put down the chopsticks in his hands and lightly said, “Young man, could it be that you don’t know something called etiquette?”
“If you are Wei Jiangping, I don’t think it’s necessary for me to respect you.” Tang Xiu said lightly, “After all, I’m not one who thinks highly of someone who can abandon his children just because of having an aspiration or something.”
Children?
Staring blankly, Wei Jiangping abruptly got up from his chair, shock in his eyes, as he asked, “Who are you?”
At this moment, even Han Jintong quickly stood, eyes fixated on Tang Xiu.
“You’re old, hence, you can only achieve an insufficient level in your Qigong practice.” Slightly shaking his head, Tang Xiu said, “No wonder your cultivation was only raised to such a level after practicing for so many years. Anyhow, you’ll learn about my identity later. But now, I want to know about the Buried Diamond. Did you buy it, or crafted it yourself?”
“This old man crafted and carved it myself.” Wei Jiangping said in a deep voice.
Happy with the answer, Tang Xiu asked once again, “You should have crafted it based on something, and it shouldn’t be based on your imagination, right? You have seen a medicinal herb that had a shape like Buried Diamond, yes?”
“Yes, I have seen it.” Wei Jiangping deeply said.
“Where did you see it?” Tang Xiu asked.
Wei Jiangping didn’t answer the question, instead, he asked, “I’ve answered some of your questions, shouldn’t you also answer some of mine?”
“You should be one of six at the beginning, and now there are only two of you. There should be four others, yes?” Tang Xiu said lightly.
An earthquake shook Wei Jiangping and Han Jintong’s hearts as they exchanged looks. No one apart from them knew about that matter. How did this young man know about this?
Wei Jiangping stayed silent for a while, as he finally said, “Yes, there are indeed four others, including this old man’s wife. What relationship do you have with Senior Gu?”
“She’s my disciple.” Tang Xiu said.
"What?"
Wei Jiangping and Han Jintong exclaimed in unison.
Han Qingwu, who stood at the side, looked confused and asked, “Tang Xiu, what are you talking about with these two Grandpas? What’s with there being other four people? What disciple?”
Tang Xiu ignored her and looked at Wei Jiangping, saying, “Now you should tell me. Where did you see that medicinal herb?”
While suppressing his shock, Wei Jiangping replied, “Shennong Ridge, Ghost King Valley.”
“Can you tell me the specific address?” After being silent for a while, Tang Xiu asked, “I urgently need that precious medicinal herb. I can help you break through your current bottleneck and further your cultivation if you can help me obtain it.”
His heart shook, yet, a forced wry smile appeared on Wei Jiangping’s old face. He shook his head and said, “There’s nothing I can do. I picked that special medicinal herb in the past, trying to replant it in another place. In the end, the bud withered. Since I didn’t know its efficacy and uses, I didn’t dare to prescribe any medicines out of it. Hence, I threw it away. There should be no other such medicinal herb over there.”
“Damn!” Tang Xiu was furious.
The Demonic Revival Grass was a rare treasure, countless Supreme Immortals and Archdemons would fight for it if any were to appear in the Immortal World or the Demon Realm. Yet, such a precious medicinal herb had actually been thrown and spoilt after falling into Wei Jiangping’s hands.
Tang Xiu’s expression was unsightly. After falling into silence for a very long while, he then slowly said, “Tell me the exact address, you don’t need to be involved further.”
“I’ll find a map and mark it down for you.”
Following that, Wei Jiangping left the dining room. He quickly came back with a map and marked the place with a red pen. He then asked after handing it over to Tang Xiu, “I want you to tell me something. My… those two children of mine, are they still…”
“They are fine.” Tang Xiu collected the map carefully and lightly said, “No one restricted their freedom. Only, they don’t want to see the two of you. But if you, husband and wife, are still alive after a few years, I can help you see them.”
Wei Jiangping’s lips twitched. He then cupped his hands and said, “Mr. Tang, we, husband and wife, owe them far too much. Please treat them kindly.”
“I will treat them kindly. They are my people, to begin with. By the way, I still have matters to take care of, so I’ll take my leave.” Tang Xiu said lightly.
Having said that, he turned around to leave.
The series of events caught Han Qingwu by surprise. Seeing Tang Xiu leaving, she sobered up and then strode and stopped in his path. She stretched out her arms and said, “What happened here, Tang Xiu? And you, what’s going on with you?”
Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, looking at the familiar, yet unfamiliar face. It brought pain to his heart. Although he was full of hatred for Xue Qingcheng, he learned that she had died as well. Nonetheless, Tang Xiu felt somewhat vexed. The feelings accumulated for millenniums, after all, was not something he could completely forget.
He didn’t want to have more contact with Han Qingwu, since he didn’t know how to face her. He loved this woman, yet he hated her as well. But now, she seemed as though detached from the past, causing him to be at a loss for what to do.
Hence, the less contact he had with her, the better.
“You’re my teacher. You can say everything about academic matters to me. But outside the campus, I hope you won’t involve yourself in my matters. We are not people of the same world, hence, maintaining distance is the best choice for us.”
After saying that, Tang Xiu avoided her arms and strode away.
Han Qingwu was dumbfounded, she couldn’t believe her ears. Tang Xiu’s words were as though a thunderbolt that fiercely struck her heart. She didn’t even know what happened to herself, yet at the same time, a sense of loss and disappointment was bred inside her heart, faintly paining her.
“Qingwu!” Han Jintong called out to her in a low voice.
Han Qingwu suddenly shuddered. At the same time, she felt pain and was suddenly flustered. She then realized that a layer of mist had already covered her eyes.
"I... what happened to me?"
She quickly lifted her hands and wiped away the tears that were coming out of her eyes.
Wei Jiangping and Han Jintong exchanged glances, as Wei Jiangping then immediately said, “Qingwu, let’s sit down and eat! He’s already left, and your Grandpa and I have some matters to ask you.”
With a flustered look, Han Qingwu sat down. She concealed what she felt by taking a deep breath. Then, she said, “Grandpa Wei, you want to ask me about Tang Xiu, right?”
“Yes.” Wei Jiangping nodded and said, “Tang Xiu’s identity is not ordinary. If what he says is true, his identity can be said as terrifying. So, what we want to know is how much you know about him.”
How much do I know about him?
It’s so much. I know him way too much!
Han Qingwu recalled the scene when Tang Xiu was hit by a car. Recalling as she sneaked to the hospital to visit the hospitalized Tang Xiu; recalling the time when he recovered from his injuries and went back to school as if he had a change in personality. Recalling as how he suddenly woke up from a muddleheaded state without knowing what he had done and behaved…
The scenes of past events were played one by one.
Han Qingwu could feel that at this time, Tang Xiu position in her heart was probably placed in first.
What’s the matter with me? Could it be that I’m in love with him? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I’m his teacher, and he’s my student. We’re different in age…
The thoughts appeared inside Han Qingwu’s mind one by one, though she vehemently rejected all of them. She ultimately recalled the apathetic, cold, and detached response from Tang Xiu, as well as his words. She was utterly upset and disconcerted, feeling very depressed.
“Qingwu!” Seeing Han Qingwu dazed, Wei Jiangping quickly shouted.
Looking up, Han Qingwu then looked at Wei Jiangping. She suddenly got up and said, “Grandpa Wei, I suddenly remembered that I still have some things to do.”
After saying that, she turned around and walked out of the dining room. After that, she rode her bicycle and quickly left the courtyard.
Wei Jiangping looked at Han Jintong and forced a smile, “It seems like it’s not going to be easy for us to learn about Tang Xiu!”
“Indeed. But he is someone who has a deep relationship with Senior Gu.” Han Jintong said, “We must find Senior Gu through him. We have been imparted a cultivated method in the past, and though afterward our strength indeed soared, it has been particularly difficult for us to make progress again. Hence, we must find a way for the sake of our path to immortality.”
“I’ll call Yang Zhenpan.” Wei Jiangping said.
A few minutes later, Wei Jiangping hung up the phone and looked pleasantly surprised, “I’ve asked him. It’s the Everlasting Feast Hall.”
Shanghai, the Everlasting Feast Hall.
After leaving the orchard, Tang Xiu and Chi Nan went to the Everlasting Feast Hall. Since they hadn’t eaten until now, Tang Xiu stayed in the Manager’s office and ate the dishes Chi Nan personally brought him.
“Boss, are you planning to go to Shennong Ridge?”
After Tang Xiu finished eating, Chi Nan, who accompanied him at the side, asked curiously while cleaning up the dishes.
“I must go there.” Tang Xiu said, “The object I must find is very important. I must try to find it even if the probability is very slim.”
“Then, I’ll go with you!” Chi Nan quickly said.
“No need.” Tang Xiu shook his head and said, “You better return to Jingmen Island in the near future!”
“Return to Jingmen Island? What for?” Chi Nan was confused.
“Your chance has come.” Tang Xiu gave a glance at her and lightly said, “Go to Jingmen Island and learn from Ji Chimei. You’ll have a much better ability for me to use in the future.”
My chance has arrived?
Chi Nan gaped and stared blankly, an ecstatic expression suddenly appearing on her face. She had waited strenuously for many years. She had made great contributions in wars and others’ fields for the Everlasting Feast Hall. And now, the chance she had been waiting for and dreamed of had finally come. She almost jumped up in excitement.
"Thank you, Boss!"
Chi Nan knelt on one knee before Tang Xiu, saluting gratefully. She knew that getting this opportunity was certainly because of Tang Xiu. Because, after all, the Everlasting Feast Hall’s core members began to receive cultivation methods right after Tang Xiu appeared.