Chapter 744: Hello, I'm Looking for Bazun An

The invitation from the past still stands.

Shou Ye believed that the olive branch he had extended was earlier than that of the Sheng Nu leader.

Based on Xu Xiao Shou's impassioned words in Bai Ku,

This guy was definitely not sincerely joining Sheng Nu.

He was a fool who trusted no major factions, only himself!

But equally, he was a prodigy already showing the early signs of forging his own path!

Such a rare, once-in-a-lifetime monster on the continent—if he got too deeply involved with Sheng Nu, there would be no turning back!

Back then, Shou Ye had mocked Xu Xiao Shou for having the ambitions of the Eight Venerables but lacking the grounded determination.

Yet, after many days and nights of reflection, he realized he had been wrong.

Xu Xiao Shou was not reaching for the stars without foundation.

Instead, he was steadily advancing, step by step, along the path he had once described, racing toward verifying the truth of this world.

Yes!

In the eyes of the older generation, even other geniuses' growth seemed plodding.

But Xu Xiao Shou's progress was like flying with wings.

In Bai Ku, Shou Ye had found him, yet he still slipped away.

After half a month of turmoil, he finally got word of Xu Xiao Shou again...

If he couldn't capture him this time,

There would be no hope afterward.

"Shou Ye!"

As Shou Ye prepared to move, Lan Ling sharply stopped him: "If you go in now, all you'll do is cause trouble and stir up chaos. Can you even catch him?!"

"I can!" Shou Ye's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to surge forward.

Xin Yi reached out, pressing down on Shou Ye's shoulder without a word.

The atmosphere fell silent for a long while.

Shou Ye finally calmed down.

He breathed heavily, realizing Lan Ling was right.

Entering at that moment would only ruin everything bigger.

Once calmed, Shou Ye suddenly recalled Xu Xiao Shou's demonic "disappearance technique" and "space teleportation" ability from Bai Ku.

In other words, the spiritual array at the trade fair site might not affect him at all!

Given that guy's personality, he would surely escape.

Perhaps...

Right now, the kid was lurking nearby, listening in!

"Who?!"

Shou Ye immediately closed his eyes and turned his head, his Dao rhythm aura flaring, ignoring the outside world while expanding his spiritual sense to root out any hidden eavesdropper.

The others nearby instantly became alert, all taking action.

The four in white robes rose from the table, their perceptions scanning but finding no one else.

The one in red robe stepped away from the table, guarding the surroundings, yet their search yielded nothing.

Chu Li Sheng, confused, followed suit with his spiritual sense, but he couldn't detect any other "living spirits" or "dead spirits" besides the white- and red-robed figures.

Shou Ye slowly turned around and walked to the waist-high railing of the teahouse, gazing down the long street.

Under the night sky,

A cool breeze carried light rain, sweeping the courtyard.

Though Shou Ye couldn't see clearly, he felt in the depths of his mind that

That person was right ahead, right across, just a few steps away in the misty rain of the long street!

Shou Ye's lips trembled slightly, his voice quivering with emotion, as if he had a thousand words to say, but when they came out, all that remained was a regretful sigh:

"Xu Xiao Shou, turn back to the shore!"

"Turn back to the shore..."

Just three steps away from the teahouse,

Xu Xiao Shou stared blankly at the opposing Shou Ye.

The lingering echo of that long sigh reverberated in his ears, endless.

Truth be told,

In that instant, Xu Xiao Shou was moved.

He had always sensed Shou Ye's goodwill, but never believed anyone would treat him so selflessly.

Even Sang Lao had only started nurturing him after feeding him the fire seed and confirming his trustworthiness.

What had Shou Ye ever sought in return?

Xu Xiao Shou had wanted to trust this person but never dared to.

Yet, after eavesdropping while invisible, he truly saw into Shou Ye's heart.

So, there really were people in this world like that...

Purely cherishing talent, purely not wanting to see him, Xu Xiao Shou, go astray!

"A successor?"

Xu Xiao Shou thought back to all the past events.

He understood Shou Ye's intentions but couldn't face them directly.

Yes,

Xu Xiao Shou respected this person.

He respected Shou Ye's attitude as a red robe toward ghost beasts—decisive, ruthless in action—and his desire to groom him as the next generation's successor for the red robes...

But he couldn't accept Shou Ye's "Dao"!

Or rather, Xu Xiao Shou believed Shou Ye's Dao was incomplete.

Xu Xiao Shou had always held this stance:

"Some ghost beasts deserve to die ten thousand deaths, but they shouldn't implicate their entire kin."

That was too extreme!

Xin Gu Gu was one such foolish, brainless ghost beast host, somewhat like the purely human Zhou Tian Can.

As long as such ghost beast hosts were guided properly, they posed no threat to the continent's stability.

Xu Xiao Shou didn't know about other ghost beast hosts,

But he knew that as long as there was one Xin Gu Gu in this world, even just one, ghost beasts and their hosts shouldn't face such treatment.

Shou Ye was a seasoned warrior,

But Xu Xiao Shou thought he had only seen the tip of the iceberg of the ghost beasts' Dao.

Perhaps, at some point, Shou Ye had encountered those so-called "atypical ghost beasts" compared to the ones he had captured before.

But Shou Ye's Dao was already set.

His convictions were unchangeable.

He might dismiss such "Xin Gu Gu-style" ghost beasts in a self-deceptive way.

Shou Ye could do that,

But could Xu Xiao Shou?

"Sorry..."

On the street outside the railing,

Just three steps away, Xu Xiao Shou shook his head solemnly at Shou Ye, without a moment's hesitation.

If in the past he might have taken time to hesitate or ponder such issues,

Now, he wouldn't.

Along this journey, what Xu Xiao Shou had perfected was not just his cultivation Dao.

The Heavenly Dao should only be severed when complete.

The Human Dao must be fully understood before committing to a lifelong pursuit.

Shou Ye's Wang Zuo Dao realm was not complete.

His understanding of this world was even less so.

That was Xu Xiao Shou's view.

Perhaps, judging a Dao-severed elder from a junior's perspective was inherently biased.

But Xu Xiao Shou had a clear self-awareness.

He believed Shou Ye was a good person, but his Dao was incomplete!

Yes, not that Shou Ye's Dao was wrong.

Dao itself has no right or wrong.

It was just that Shou Ye's understanding was incomplete, and that was it.

And such an incomplete Dao, Xu Xiao Shou couldn't follow!

"Turn back to the shore..."

The murmur still echoed in his ears,

But in his mind, at that moment, Xu Xiao Shou saw Sang Lao's face and his entire "cage theory."

"If the shore is also a sea of suffering, then turning back, how can it be called 'transcendence'?"

In the night rain, on the long street by the teahouse,

Just three steps apart, it felt like worlds away.

In his invisible state, Xu Xiao Shou didn't care if Shou Ye could see him; he bowed deeply on his own.

After this bow of gratitude for Shou Ye's recognition, he turned and drifted away, no longer lingering.

In short,

Different paths mean no collaboration.

The night grew deep.

Except for the areas around the trade fair in the southern district,

In other parts of Wang Cheng without curfew,

Even without the major faction leaders present, the common people continued their orderly lives.

The streets remained brightly lit, with late returners and night workers hurrying along.

"It's raining."

The moon was nearly full; in a few days, it would be the family reunion festival.

But already, children were excitedly carrying lanterns, bathing in the quiet night under the drizzle.

Of course, such mischief often ended with them being dragged home by their parents, scolded, and forced to bathe properly.

In the narrow alleys of the night,

A young man emerged from a corner.

He walked quietly through the rainy night, yet people around him seemed completely unaware, passing by as if he weren't there.

Xu Xiao Shou had already dispelled his disappearance technique.

This was the passive effect of "concealment" at work.

For him personally, as long as it wasn't a Dao-severed strongman's rule of exile like in Bai Ku,

With "disappearance technique" plus "one step to heaven," even the thickest encirclement by Sheng Shen Hall couldn't trap him alone.

But things were different now from before.

In the past, Xu Xiao Shou lived for himself; now, it was different.

He wasn't alone anymore!

He took out the communication bead.

This bead from Ba Zun An, truthfully, Xu Xiao Shou had no intention of using it.

But the current situation was tricky, so he dialed the unknown number on it.

"Beep"

After a busy signal, rustling sounds came from the other end.

Xu Xiao Shou didn't speak; he just listened until the other side said: "Who is it? How did you get my number?"

It was the storyteller!

Xu Xiao Shou had always thought this bead from Ba Zun An connected directly to Ba Zun An, but it turned out to be the storyteller!

No wonder...

No wonder the storyteller had said at Tian Shang First Tower that day, whether something was up or not, he could be found.

So, it was like this...

In that instant, Xu Xiao Shou almost wanted to hang up.

But he couldn't; he needed to save people!

So, Xu Xiao Shou gritted his teeth and said: "Hello, I'm looking for Ba Zun An."

"Xu Xiao Shou?"

The storyteller sounded surprised; the rustling, which seemed like dressing, stopped abruptly, then he said with delight: "Calling so late—are you lonely?"

Lonely, my foot... Xu Xiao Shou suppressed his discomfort and said: "Where's Ba Zun An? Do you have his... uh, contact way? I need to find him."

"Oh."

The storyteller sounded disappointed.

Apparently, Xu Xiao Shou wasn't calling for him but for his brother.

Then, from the other end of the communication bead came: "It's for you, that brat."

Xu Xiao Shou was surprised.

If things went as expected, the storyteller was probably in Wang Cheng right now.

Speaking like that,

Ba Zun An was clearly in Wang Cheng too.

When had he arrived?

This big troublemaker hiding in the shadows—was he planning to stir up a huge mess?

And!

Most importantly!

Was the storyteller getting dressed?

With Ba Zun An nearby?

At that moment, Xu Xiao Shou's eyes widened like copper bells.

If he had a fixed-point teleportation technique and knew the bead's location, he would definitely teleport to the storyteller's room to see what these two were up to.

It wasn't long before the familiar hoarse voice came through the bead, straight to the point:

"Are you at the trade fair site?"

"Trapped?"

"Need help?"

In Ba Zun An's voice, besides the hoarseness from not speaking for a long time, Xu Xiao Shou detected a hint of mockery.

But that didn't matter.

Xu Xiao Shou knew Ba Zun An was shrewd and clever; guessing this wasn't surprising. He just asked: "What are you doing?"

"Holding a meeting."

"A meeting? What kind of meeting requires dressing while it's happening?"

Ba Zun An suddenly fell silent.

Xu Xiao Shou's lips curled up.

Before he could speak, Ba Zun An's voice returned: "It seems you've escaped and have time to joke... But you misunderstood; no one's dressing. The storyteller is doing some needlework."

"Needlework?"

" Mm."

"Threading needles and weaving intimately?"

Ba Zun An fell silent again.

Xu Xiao Shou's smile grew wider.

By now, Ba Zun An wasn't engaging with that and just said: "Go on, how far have you escaped, and do you still need help? I thought you wouldn't use this communication bead."

Xu Xiao Shou snorted.

Help?

Did he need help?

It was just that the people from Tian Shang First Tower were trapped at the trade fair, possibly facing total annihilation—what was there to need help for?

"I'm not seeking help; I'm offering you an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"Tonight is an opportunity."

"How so?" Ba Zun An's voice carried a touch of amusement.

Xu Xiao Shou straightened up and laid out his well-thought-out plan step by step:

"Sheng Shen Hall has surrounded the trade fair site, with a lot of people—more than in Bai Ku, if not equal."

"I guess this is the group from Wang Cheng's trial, preparing for any sudden events on Void Island."

"Right now, most of them should be there."

"Then?" Ba Zun An's voice still held a smile.

Hearing that unaffected tone, Xu Xiao Shou felt a bit irritated, his teeth grinding.

He moved the communication bead away, snorted dismissively, rolled his eyes, then brought it back and calmly said:

"I've also learned that the Jiang clan of the semi-saints in Wang Cheng might face an unexpected incident tonight."

"There's an organization called 'Yan Wang'; they're targeting Jiang Xian's 'San Yan Tong Mu'."

"If things go as expected, they'll make their move tonight."

"So?" Ba Zun An's tone remained amused and teasing.

Xu Xiao Shou pulled the bead farther away, waving it around furiously, even flashing his ten-stage sword finger to slash at the air.

Then he brought it back and said steadily:

"If unexpected events happen to the Jiang clan's semi-saint heir, it will definitely divert the forces at the trade fair site from Sheng Shen Hall."

"If the news leaks, Sheng Shen Hall wouldn't just stand by and watch a semi-saint heir die in Wang Cheng!"

"So, their forces will inevitably be split."

"This is an opportunity. We Sheng Nu can launch a surprise attack, escalate things, catch them off guard, and reduce the defensive strength for Void Island."

"Reduce defenses?" Ba Zun An repeated, then chuckled lightly: "Do you think I need to reduce defenses?"

Xu Xiao Shou: "..."

In that moment, he was speechless, thinking, do you even know what I just saw?

If that massive net from the trade fair had been set up in Bai Ku,

With your frail state, Ba Zun An, where you can barely move without gasping, they could wear you down to death just by stalling—believe it or not!

Still acting cocky...

But thinking about it, could Ba Zun An not have considered what he saw and thought?

For a while, Xu Xiao Shou grew suspicious of this masked man again.

What hidden cards did this guy have?

His complete lack of concern was infuriating...

As he pondered, Xu Xiao Shou kept a neutral expression and sighed:

"Sigh, it seems you still haven't fully grasped my point. This great net has now fallen in Wang... "