Chapter 576: Bright Glimmer of Hope
Hearing her grandfather’s statement, Chen Ying’er shook her head, still hazy with tears, “But the Demon Hunt Squads are all defending with the defense, or fighting in demon territory. How could there be a powerful enough Demon Hunt Squad to look for him! And what’s more, if you write to the Alliance, who knows how long it will take for them to show a response.”
Chen Hongyu showed a bitter smile, “What’s to be done then? I will also write to the Exorcist Mountain Pass then, asking for them to dispatch some assassin. That’s the most we can do. Ying’er, it can’t be that you don’t understand how uncertain the chances of him coming back alive are.”
Chen Ying’er pouted and right as she seemed about to cry out, a respectful call came from outside, “Temple Head, the Knight Temple’s Provisional Saint Knight Head is paying his respects to you.”
“Provisional Saint Knight Head?” Although Chen Hongyu felt agitated due to Chen Ying’er’s matters, hearing the appellation of Provisional Saint Knight Head, he didn’t dare neglect it. The Knight Temple is the head of the Six Great Temples, so even though their Provisional Saint Knight Head may not be among the best in terms of strength, his influence is absolutely among the best, even exceeding some insufficiently strong auxiliary temple heads.
“Invite him, quickly.” Chen Hongbo immediately ordered.
Beside him, Chen Ying’er wasn’t crying anymore, hastily expressing to Chen Hongbo, “Grandpa, this Provisional Saint Knight Head is coming just in time. Just have him arrange some Saint Knights to search.”
Chen Hongbo responded full of seriousness, “Calm down, child. Do you think your grandpa isn’t agitated as well? You are my granddaughter! Let’s put this off until I greet this Provisional Saint Knight Head. The Saint Knight Head of the Knight Temple has actually been replaced, so it looks like Han Qian is going to keep remaining on the side of the Alliance. Wait inside together with your grandmother.”
“Yeah.” Chen Ying'er responded, though feeling aggrieved, and finally took her grandmother by the arm to return inside.
This was Chen Hongbo’s office, as well as Sanshui Popo’s residence. All the rooms were quite large; outside were large drawing rooms, and inside, some bedrooms and specialized closed rooms for cultivation.
Very fast, sonorous footsteps sounded out. The one who made the previous report once again spoke, “Temple Head senior, the Auxiliary Saint Knight Head has arrived.”
“Please enter.” Chen Hongbo’s expression was back to normal.
With sonorous footsteps, a tall-built knight clad in Golden Foundation Armor came in.
Chen Hongbo saw with astonishment that this Provisional Saint Knight Head was not only clad in full armor, but didn’t even take off the mask on his face. In a way this made him unhappy. This place was not the battlefield, but a safe area of the Spiritual Temple. To dare dress up in such a way, this Provisional Saint Knight Head was really impolite.
“Provisional Saint Knight Head and Twelfth Golden Knight greets Temple Head. Sorry about the inappropriate behaviour I am showing by not taking off my mask. I beseech Temple Head’s forgiveness.” A clear and bright voice came out from the armor.
So young? That was Chen Hongbo’s first response. But without allowing him the time to start his reply, a cry of shock sounded out from inside. That was Chen Ying’er’s voice. Immediately, she dashed out from inside, clad in the eye-catching Spiritual Saint Dress. Even Sanshui Popo couldn’t stop her.
“You, you’re...” Chen Ying’er arrived in front of the Golden Foundation Knight, about to ask in shock.
Seeing her, that Golden Foundation Knight, was also extraordinarily moved, “Ying’er, so you were here as well. That’s for the best, it spares me from looking for you.” While saying that, this Golden Foundation Knight lifted his hand, taking off his mask to reveal an extremely young and very handsome face, none other than Long Haochen’s.
Chen Ying’er and Long Haochen having cooperated for many years, she was among the most familiar with his voice. For that reason, as soon as she heard his voice, she recognized it, and therefore rushed out from the house disregarding everything.
“Boss...” Just as if seeing a relative, she called him boss, and threw herself at Long Haochen’s arms while crying.
While standing to the side, dumbstruck, Chen Hongbo was totally unable to comprehend that magic trick. Even with the outstanding intelligence this Psychic Master of the ninth step had, he was unable to comprehend the situation before his eyes.
Sanshui Popo also came out, and joined Chen Hongbo’s side. Seeing Long Haochen, her shock was no less than Chen Ying’er’s. In a low voice, she whispered to Chen Hongbo, “This youngster is Long Haochen! Why is he here? and he even became Auxiliary Saint Knight Head.”
“Who’s Long Haochen?” Chen Hongbo only felt that this name sounded familiar, but was unable to remember who that was for a moment.
Sanshui Popo recognized Long Haochen due to her presence at the Demon Hunter Competition of that time. The current Haochen was far taller than at that time, and looked also far more mature and heroic. If not for Chen Ying’er’s appellation as Boss, she wouldn’t necessarily have recognized him.
“You fool, how many young talents do you think the Knight Temple has? That’s the captain of Ying’er’s Demon Hunt Squad! That one who destroyed Andromalius’ demon god pillar.”
Hearing Sanshui Popo, Chen Hongbo immediately showed a reaction. So this youngster before him turned out to be no one else but the number one genius since the beginning of the Knight Temple’s history, Scion of Light Long Haochen.
While comforting Chen Ying’er, he bowed apologetically to the two elders.
Sanshui Popo slowly stepped forward and nodded at Long Haochen with a smile on her face, pulling Chen Ying’er from his arms. Although Chen Ying’er and Long Haochen used to be in the same Demon Hunt Squad, in her eyes, her granddaughter was not the slightest below this Scion of Light. Moreover, Chen Ying’er was still unmarried, and getting too close to Long Haochen. It wouldn’t be good if news of this spread out.
“Boss, you have to go save him!” Chen Ying’er was pulled away by her grandmother, but still couldn’t help but express her wish.
Long Haochen had a start, as the nearby Sanshui Popo immediately retorted, “What a girl you are! Can’t you calm down for a bit. This Provisional Saint Knight Head came to greet your grandfather.”
Chen Ying’er looked at Haochen with an aggrieved feeling, and expressed, “Then I want to speak with you in a bit. I really need your help on a matter.”
Seeing Chen Ying’er’s cute face so dripping with tears, Long Haochen felt pained. Without hesitating, he nodded. Although Chen Ying’er was actually a bit older than him, at the time they were all in the same team, he always regarded her as a younger sister. She had a straightforward temperament, and although being the weakest, she never cowered in front of any kind of danger. This was Long Haochen’s first time seeing her lose control in bitter cries like that.
Chen Hongbo still looked at Long Haochen full of puzzlement, and now that Chen Ying’er had calmed down, he slowly expressed, “Saint Knight Head, Ying’er has been impolite. Please don’t take offense. Have you just been promoted to this title?”
Long Haochen naturally understood this Psychic Master’s meaning, and immediately handed over the letter he got from his grandfather.
Having reading Long Tianying’s letter, Chen Hongbo immediately showed an apologetic look, then indifferently expressed, “I have gotten Brother Tianying’s meaning. You, Saint Knight Head, can remain in our place without issue.”
Long Haochen declared, “Temple Head Chen, we are unable to remain here for too long. After that, we have to proceed to the Priest Temple to retrieve our last teammate.”
Chen Hongbo’s eyes flickered slightly, “Saint Knight Head, I’m afraid that I will disappoint you on some matter. Since your Demon Hunt Squad has already dissolved, I have no intention to let Ying’er return to a Demon Hunt Squad. She must remain in the Temple.”
“Eh?” Long Haochen was in great shock, and the same went for Chen Ying’er.
Ever since Long Haochen exited closed-door seclusion and reunited with his comrades one after another, this was the first time he faced such a situation. Chen Hongbo actually didn’t allow Chen Ying’er to return to them.
Chen Ying’er wanted to retort, but was stopped by Sanshui Popo, who went as far to use spiritual energy to seal off her ability to speak. She could only worry helplessly while looking at Long Haochen and her grandfather.
Chen Hongbo explained, “Since the Saint Knight Head represents the Knight Temple, I won’t conceal the matter. Ying’er’s innate internal spiritual energy exceeds ninety, and she’s our Spiritual Temple’s Spiritual Saint Girl, as well as the first talent able to succeed to the Spiritual Saint Robe since the beginning of the Spiritual Temple’s history. For this reason, she must remain in the Temple, to inherit to my legacy in the near future, as the next head of the Spiritual Temple. So her status is rather special, and not fit to risk her life as a Demon Hunter.”
Hearing Chen Hongbo’s declaration, Long Haochen became silent. He turned his head to look at Chen Ying’er. Although she was restricted by her grandmother, her anxious look already told Long Haochen a lot of things.
Long Haochen expressed, “Head Chen, what about listening to Ying’er’s view? If she is unwilling to remain as a Demon Hunter, I will absolutely not insist. But you know that a Demon Hunt Squad has to be formed with every vocation. Without her, we can’t be a complete Demon Hunt Squad.”
Chen Hongbo indifferently responded, “That’s a simple matter. There are a lot of powerhouses composing our Spiritual Temple’s younger generation. Please pick one of them, Saint Knight Head, and that will be it. I will be reporting to the Alliance and make an exception to switch a member from your team.”
Even Sanshui Popo called him stubborn, so one can well imagine how the temperament of this Temple Head was. The matters he has decided on will very rarely change.
Long Haochen gave Chen Ying’er a quite helpless look. But then the fierce changes in her expression came to his sight, looking on the verge of flowing out with tears.
“Temple Head, please reconsider. As the head of the Spiritual Temple, you have no authority to order a Demon Hunter.”
Chen Hongbo’s stared coldly, “Saint Knight Head, please mind you own status. You are unqualified to speak to me like that. You can go now.”
Turning the visitor out, this Temple Head showed an even nastier attitude than the Mage Temple’s Head Li Zhengzhi. Of course, this was mostly because of his relationship with Chen Ying’er.
Long Haochen wrinkled his brows, “No, you are mistaken. I believe that I am qualified to speak to you as an equal. My identity as Saint Knight Head aside, I have my Demon Hunt Squad’s title.”
Chen Hongbo became blank, “Youngster, pay attention to your behavior. It’s not as if you can take out anything to serve as a banner of justification. How young are you? And what’s your level of cultivation? For which reason would your Demon Hunt Squad have a title?”
Long Haochen referred naturally to the supreme title belonging to a Titled Demon Hunt Squad. That’s the supreme honor for a Demon Hunt Squads, as well as the most majestic status attained by any Demon Hunt Squad. The captain of a Titled Demon Hunt Squad has a status that is not below any head of the Six Great Temples.
Long Haochen replied indifferently, “If I am not mistaken, in the Alliance’s rule, a special situation allows a Demon Hunt Squad with insufficient cultivation to be titled. That’s a situation of sufficient contribution for the Alliance.”
Chen Hongbo coldly replied, “Are you referring to your destruction of Andromalius’ demon god pillar? Indeed, this contribution is really of such a kind. But of the destruction of Andromalius’ demon god pillar there is only your side of the story, that the Alliance still couldn’t verify. Using that to boost your Demon Hunt Squad to a titled one is quite arrogant.”
Long Haochen shook his head, “No, I am not referring to this contribution. In the Demon Hunt Squad’s rules, there’s no rule stipulating the destruction of a demon god pillar. But there is another rule. If a Demon Hunt Squad kills three or more demon gods, they will be qualified to call themselves titled in advance.”
Chen Hongyu showed great alarm, “Are you saying that you have already killed at least three demon gods?”
Long Haochen stomped his right feet onto the ground, and unleashed a surge of golden flowing light, removing his Golden Foundation Armor. Raising the sleeve of his garment, he revealed his contribution point tile.
“The records of a contribution point tile cannot be faked. Please have someone make an inspection, Temple Head. We have killed in succession the Snake Demon God Andromalius, the Goblin Knight Demon Seere, and the Demon God of Clear Vision. I was the one dealing all the final blows.”
Hearing him, Chen Hongyu couldn’t help but change his expression. And the same went for the nearby Sanshui Popo.
The process of Long Haochen’s group’s killing the Snake Demon God was narrated in detail by Chen Ying’er, but they didn’t expect Long Haochen to have actually killed another two demon gods.
Killing Andromalius could be said to be a total fluke, but could it be the case for every one of the others they killed?
And what Long Haochen has said was correct. According to the Demon Hunt Squad’s rules, they were now indeed qualified to receive a title and to no longer be bound to the same rules as the other Demon Hunt Squads. This title will follow them anywhere and forever. To be the member of a Titled Demon Hunt Squad is the peak of honor, and a status that surpasses a Temple Head.
After all, Temple Heads are rulers and commanders, or can be described as ones in control. But Demon Hunters of the titled grade are the absolute heroes of the Temple Alliance.
Chen Hongbo’s expression softened, and he asked out of his subconscious mind, “Then, what’s the current title you have?”
At the time of our departure from the Southeastern Fort, we have asked for the Warrior Temple’s head Qiu Yonghao to testify for us, and formally receive our application to receive a title. In the past, when we were in the Exorcist Mountain Pass, when we had encountered the Demon God Slayers’ heroic members, their head Chen Zidian had asked us whether we were willing to succeed to their title in the future. But I have refused: mere Demon God Slayers cannot bring humanity peace and development. At that time, my comrades and I came up with a future title name, which is: Bright Glimmer of Hope.