Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 497 - Future Plans

Liu Wuxie stood five meters from the door, with Fan Zhen silently positioned behind him as the door creaked open. Their gazes met, locking for several breaths before Yi Xuan finally averted his eyes.

"This isn't the place to talk. Come with me!" Yi Xuan walked ahead with his slightly hunched back while Liu Wuxie nodded and followed behind him.

"Wuxie, what if this is a trap? What if he leads us somewhere dangerous? It’ll be difficult to escape with our current strength," Fan Zhen quickly caught up, communicating his concern through divine sense. He suggested they head somewhere more public to ensure their safety.

"Let's follow him!" Liu Wuxie knew Fan Zhen meant well. After all, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious in the cultivation world.

Liu Wuxie had already consulted Elder Tian Xing before coming. He had suggested Liu Wuxie to talk face-to-face with Elder Yi Xuan.

Yi Xuan walked steadily, heading for the western region after leaving the Martial Arts Hall, which didn't seem to be where the elders resided.

There was an entire mountain where miscellaneous disciples resided in the west, and no disciples, not to mention elders, were willing to go there. But why did Yi Xuan bring them over?

They crossed a small stream and followed a mountain path for roughly fifteen minutes before a small cottage appeared.

The mountain on the other side was where miscellaneous disciples lived. This mountain was situated between the Miscellaneous Peak and the Earth Force Peak, which was barren.

The cottage was small, with only two rooms. Due to poor management, many parts were severely worn down.

In front was a small courtyard surrounded by a high fence, seemingly to prevent those inside from coming out. The fence was made of a rigid material despite feeling soft.

A young man in his twenties was in the courtyard, looking dejected. Behind the house, an old woman fed domestic animals from the mundane world. Those who had yet to reach the Heavenly Dipper Realm still required food.

Yi Xuan opened the door and walked in. In the courtyard, a young man seated on a chair had hollow eyes devoid of emotion.

Liu Wuxie's gaze settled on the youth before him. Though the young man seemed to be in his mid-twenties, his tangled beard and disheveled appearance made him look closer to thirty. His skin was pale, and his yellowed hair added to his sickly demeanor. Oddly, Liu Wuxie could detect no sign of vitality in him, as if life had drained away.

This youth didn't even look up when someone entered. His hollow eyes continued to stare in the distance, making him look like a living corpse.

Yi Xuan walked over and picked up the fallen blanket to cover the youth with it, and his face was filled with pain. From start to finish, there was no exchange between him and the youth.

"Come inside," Yi Xuan finally said, turning towards the small cottage.

"You stay outside!" Liu Wuxie instructed Fan Zhen to remain outside while he followed Yi Xuan into the cottage. When they lifted the curtain and walked in, they entered a simple living room. But rather than calling it a living room, there was only a table and two chairs.

The rooms on either side were bedrooms. The room on the right was where the youth lived, while the old woman lived on the left and took care of the youth's daily needs.

"Please, have a seat!" Yi Xuan gestured for Liu Wuxie to sit down. There were only two chairs, and Liu Wuxie took the one on the right.

Yi Xuan took out a tea set from his interspatial ring and placed it on the table. He then fetched hot water from the stove and poured tea for Liu Wuxie. Throughout this process, he didn't mention about what had happened in the Martial Arts Hall that day.

After witnessing everything in this courtyard, Liu Wuxie finally understood Yi Xuan's actions and choices. If he were in Yi Xuan's shoes, he would've made the same decision.

"There are no outsiders here, and you can ask any questions!" Yi Xuan finally looked at Liu Wuxie after pouring tea for him.

"Is the young man outside your grandson?" After coming here, Liu Wuxie had surprisingly lost interest in asking about the incident in the Martial Arts Hall. For a revered elder in the sect to live such a humble life, this could only mean one thing—Elder Yi Xuan didn't want to take anything that didn't belong to him.

"His name is Yi Nan, and his parents were killed by the Abyssal Clan when he was ten. I raised him myself, but his meridians were destroyed when he entered the underground abyssal world to avenge his parents, leaving him in this state." Yi Xuan glanced outside. The wrinkles on his face deepened when he mentioned the past, with a hint of pain in his eyes.

Liu Wuxie nodded in acknowledgment. When entering the property, he had already checked Yi Nan with Ghost Eye, and his meridians were severely damaged.

With so many years having passed, even if an ordinary Spirit Restoration Pill could reconnect the youth’s meridians, restoring them to their original condition would be nearly impossible. Only the Spirit Restoration Pill with the modified formula created by Liu Wuxie possessed the potent medicinal properties necessary to not only heal but also nourish and strengthen his meridians.

"You must have endured great hardship over the years," Liu Wuxie sighed. He could hardly imagine the pain Yi Xuan had suffered—not only losing a child in his old age but also witnessing his grandson in such a condition. The weight of that sorrow was unimaginable.

"I was at fault for what happened at the Martial Arts Hall, and I apologize." Yi Xuan stood up and gave Liu Wuxie a deep bow.

Liu Wuxie stood up and replied, "I did come to question you about it, but now, I understand why you did it after seeing all this."

He quickly supported Yi Xuan back to his feet. If Yi Xuan had persisted in killing him, it would have been tough for him to leave the Martial Arts Hall in one piece, but Yi Xuan had stopped in time due to the guilt he felt.

"I was at fault for being swayed by Qing Mu. This has nothing to do with him, and if anyone deserves blame, it’s me," Yi Xuan said, still defending Qing Mu even now. His self-reproach was clear—he blamed himself for not standing firm against Qing Mu's influence. In his heart, he had already decided to atone for his actions by offering to do something for Liu Wuxie, whatever it took.

"Your words make me feel more at ease now. I will need your help in the future," Liu Wuxie smiled.

Yi Xuan had a high status in the sect and was at the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm. Even Elder Tian Xing respected Elder Yi Xuan greatly because they were upright and often interacted.

Guarding the Martial Arts Hall was tedious, and only someone of Yi Xuan's character would undertake the responsibility.

Liu Wuxie felt much better after resolving the knot in his heart. Everyone made mistakes, and Liu Wuxie saw no need to push it further since Yi Xuan had acknowledged his mistake and was willing to take responsibility for it.

"If my grandson's meridians hadn't been damaged, he should've reached the Astral River Realm by now..." Yi Xuan sat back down with a deep sigh. His years were waning, and all his mind was on his grandson. But his days were filled with pain now that his grandson was in this state.

"Elder Yi Xuan, are you willing to do anything if there's an opportunity to treat your grandson's meridians?" A bold thought rose in Liu Wuxie's mind. He couldn't gain a foothold in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion with Elder Tian Xing's support alone, and it was better to have more elders on his side.

Elder Tian Xing was in charge of the Law-Enforcement Hall, and he could not interfere with many things.

However, things would be different, and it would make things much easier for him in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion if he could win over Yi Xuan to his side.

"Young friend, you have a way to treat my grandson?" Yi Xuan's eyes lit up as he stood up excitedly.

"I'm saying if!" Liu Wuxie didn't make any promises because it was uncertain if the Spirit Restoration Pills could reconnect the damaged meridians.

"I will agree to anything if you can treat my grandson, as long as it doesn't go against my conscience or morals," Elder Yi Xuan said in a grave tone.

The prerequisite was that it wouldn't violate his conscience or morals, or he would instead give up treating his grandson. He had already gone against his morals once and didn't want to do it again.

"There will be an alchemy competition on the Treasure Pill Peak three days from now. You can come with your grandson if you're interested; I believe there will be a surprise for you," Liu Wuxie stood up after he finished. He cupped his fists together as a salute to Elder Yi Xuan before he turned to leave.

Elder Yi Xuan didn't stand up and watched Liu Wuxie leave. He pondered Liu Wuxie’s words and wondered how the Treasure Pill Pavilion's competition was connected with his grandson's injuries.

As Liu Wuxie exited the cottage, Fan Zhen stood near Yi Nan, his gaze shifting to Liu Wuxie as soon as he emerged. Without hesitation, Fan Zhen followed closely behind.

When they were about five hundred meters away from the cottage, Fan Zhen finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind. "Is it resolved, just like that?"

He had expected a more intense confrontation between Liu Wuxie and Elder Yi Xuan. Yet, Liu Wuxie had emerged after only fifteen minutes, leaving Fan Zhen puzzled.

"Resolved?" Liu Wuxie shook his head. There was no way he would let this matter rest. Since Qing Mu was the mastermind behind this incident, he naturally wouldn't let this grudge go unavenged.

Now wasn't the time, but Liu Wuxie would personally take Qing Mu's head one day.

"What about Elder Yi Xuan?" Fan Zhen asked. Even if Qing Mu was the mastermind, Yi Xuan was also involved. Would they let it go like that?

"Don't worry. I won't take a losing deal; it won't be long before a big shot will join our Heavenly Dao Society. With his addition, we will be qualified to compete with the Lesser Blade Association. Furthermore, it's also easy for us to suffer a loss if we don't have an expert to hold the fort. After all, the shops might kick us away and demand a higher profit share after we launch our pills." Liu Wuxie suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked at the distant horizon.

The Heavenly Dao Society had just been established, and many aspects still weren't complete. This meant they couldn't open their shops.

Even if their pills were of high quality, it was hard to distribute them without buyers or their channel to sell them.

The shops in the big cities had been operating for hundreds or even thousands of years and had their loyal customers. They allowed customers to buy talismans and pills through Communication Talismans and delivered the goods on time.

The shops were cunning, and it wouldn't take long before they demanded a higher share of the profits if they didn't have any experts in the Heavenly Dao Society. At that time, their earnings would be significantly affected.

"You plan to recruit Yi Xuan into the Heavenly Dao Society?" Fan Zhen was stunned and looked at Liu Wuxie with disbelief.

Elder Yi Xuan had a cultivation in the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm. It would help the development of the Heavenly Dao Society tremendously if he could join the Heavenly Dao Society.

This meant that even if Liu Wuxie weren't around in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion in the future, they would have an expert to ensure their safety.

"Why not?" Liu Wuxie was in a good mood, and his negative emotions had recently dissipated. Everything was moving in a positive direction, and he headed down the mountain in big strides, with Fan Zhen quickly following behind him.

When they returned to the abode, everything proceeded in an orderly manner. Bi Gongyu was still in seclusion, and it had been a few days since he was last seen.

Bi Gongyu looked disheveled and covered in dust in the alchemy chamber, with broken shrapnels littering the floor. This was proof that he had destroyed an alchemy cauldron.

"Master!" Bi Gongyu quickly put down everything in his hands and came over to greet Liu Wuxie.