harleyscars Chapter 67 He is an immortal! He can't be wrong!
Chapter 67 He is an immortal! He can't be wrong!
Chapter 67 He is an immortal! He can't be wrong!
Xu Xiang's office.
"Okay, I understand." Xu Xiang spoke calmly into the microphone. "Notify the Huazhong side and tell them to send someone to pick them up. How should we explain it? Just tell them exactly what you saw."
The person on the other end of the phone seemed to say something, and Xu Xiang's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He continued, "Crippled? Ha, don't worry, they're not crippled. Their connections are far deeper and more complex than you imagine. They might even have the ability to reattach severed limbs and replant veins. Tell the truth, there's no need to hide anything."
He hung up the phone decisively and placed it on the table, making a slight clinking sound.
Zhao Fangxu, standing to the side, had already lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag. The greyish-white smoke curled upwards, blurring his slightly weary eyes behind his glasses. "That old bastard Li Muxuan," he exhaled a smoke ring, shaking his head, his tone complex, "he really doesn't know his own strength, leaving no room for compromise. Doesn't he fear that one day—someone will set their sights on him and quietly cancel his account?"
Xu Xiang walked to the window, gazing at the deep night outside, his back straight: "At worst, I'll wander the world, living a nomadic life. It's better than putting up with this inexplicable nonsense here."
"You two truly are worthy of being master and apprentice." Zhao Fangxu stubbed out the cigarette that was still mostly burned, grinding it fiercely in the ashtray as if trying to extinguish some kind of irritation along with it. "The things in your bones are passed down from generation to generation. I know you're both capable people. If you really go all out, the world is vast, and you can go anywhere."
He stood up, straightened his slightly wrinkled shirt cuffs, and glanced at Xu Xiang's back. His tone softened, carrying a rare, almost admonitory quality: "But Lao Xu, no matter how good things are outside, living a life of hardship and constant worry, can it ever be as secure as home? Can it ever feel as grounded as this land where we're rooted?"
He paused, seemingly unwilling to delve deeper into the topic, and then said, "Alright, that's enough for now. I'm going to see Lu Linglong's mother; I need to give her an explanation and appease her. Then I should head back. I rushed off here, and I'll have to clean up your mess when I get back."
He walked to the door, placed his hand on the doorknob, then stopped, turned back to look at Xu Xiang, and said in a more serious tone, "As for Lu Linglong—tomorrow, complete her onboarding procedures and register her with your North China branch. Until she makes a clear choice herself, try to keep her away from the people from the Three Truths Sect. Xu Xiang,"
Zhao Fangxu's voice deepened, and he looked directly at Xu Xiang: "For so many years, in the company, I, Zhao Fangxu, have always treated you as one of my own."
The weight of these words is self-evident.
Xu Xiang finally turned around, his face expressionless, but a hint of emotion flickered in his eyes. He remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, "I will try my best to control this aspect. But whether or not she officially joins the company ultimately depends on Lu Linglong's own wishes and choices. I must make this clear from the outset."
He met Zhao Fangxu's slightly furrowed brow and continued, "If I dare to play any tricks in this matter, or resort to the 'forced to join the Liangshan bandits' approach—I don't need to wait for anyone else, that old bastard will probably be the first to come and clean house."
Zhao Fangxu was taken aback at first, seemingly not expecting Xu Xiang to bring up Li Muxuan, and so bluntly at that. Then, the muscles in his face twitched twice, as if he wanted to laugh and curse at the same time, finally turning into a low growl filled with deep helplessness and anger: "Damn it—why did I end up with such a slippery non-stick pan like you?!"
He flung open the door and walked out without looking back. His footsteps sounded heavy in the empty corridor, as if each step was an expression of some kind of pent-up frustration.
Lu Linglong slept soundly, as if she wanted to make up for all the fright, exhaustion and depleted energy from the previous night.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky, nearing noon, that an intense hunger, like an invisible hand, forcefully dragged her out of her deep sleep.
She groggily opened her eyes, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds before the fragments of last night's memory gradually pieced together. Her stomach was rumbling loudly; she was starving.
"You're awake."
A dry, monotonous voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"Ah!" Lu Linglong was so startled that she almost jumped out of bed. Only then did she realize that there was someone squatting on the floor next to the bed with their arms wrapped around their knees, tilting their head and looking at her with those signature, empty and straight eyes—it was Feng Baobao.
"You—what are you doing here?" Lu Linglong clutched her pounding heart, still shaken.
Feng Baobao didn't answer her question, but slowly stood up and dusted off non-existent dust: "Let's go..."
Go eat. I could hear your stomach growling from outside the door.
Lu Linglong: "————"
After a quick wash, Lu Linglong followed Feng Baobao to the company's cafeteria. Although it was lunchtime, the cafeteria at this branch wasn't crowded and seemed rather empty.
"Baby! Over here!"
The two walked over, and Xu San gave Lu Linglong a somewhat friendly smile: "Awake? You must be starving. What would you like to eat? I'll swipe the card for you; you're still a guest, so you don't need a meal card."
Lu Linglong nodded gratefully, her gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of food displayed in the cafeteria. Home-style stir-fries, various kinds of noodles, and even mini hot pots—the rich aroma of the food made her stomach rumble even louder.
She didn't bother with formalities, pointing to several glistening, generously portioned dishes: "This! Braised pork belly! And sweet and sour pork ribs! Hmm—and another serving of rice, no, two servings! And that stir-fried greens too!"
Before long, two large plates piled high with food were stacked in front of her. Feng Baobao next to her was not slow either. She had already taken her own portion—no less than Lu Linglong's—and sat down. She began to eat without saying a word, her speed was incredibly fast, but her posture was not elegant. It had a sense of efficiency that came purely from replenishing energy.
Lu Linglong disregarded her image and picked up her chopsticks to join the "dry rice" group. The warmth and fullness of the food temporarily dispelled her physical fatigue and mental anxiety.
They were only halfway through their meal when Xu San's phone rang. He answered it, listened for a few moments, hummed in response, and then hung up, saying to the two of them, "My dad wants us to come over."
Xu Xiang's office.
When the three entered, Xu Xiang was already sitting behind his desk waiting. He gestured for Lu Linglong to sit on the sofa opposite him, while Xu San and Feng Baobao each found seats nearby.
Without any pleasantries, Xu Xiang went straight to the point, his gaze steady as he looked at Lu Linglong: "Lu Linglong, would you be willing to join Nadutong Company?"
Lu Linglong had just sat down when she heard this and was stunned, her water glass wobbling slightly. "Join...join the company? But—but I'm not an Extraordinary Person! Didn't Chairman Zhao—Chairman Zhao say yesterday that the company mainly manages Extraordinary Persons?"
"The company does have a rule that positions are usually only open to exceptional individuals," Xu Xiang admitted, but then his tone shifted, becoming calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty, "But rules are rules. For your sake, or rather, because of the special circumstances you represent, this rule—is not inviolable."
"Why?" Lu Linglong was even more confused. She put down her water glass, sat up straight, and said, "Am I—am I special? Just because of that sword formation last night? But that wasn't my own power—"
"Hmm." Xu Xiang's answer was unusually concise, yet carried immense weight.
Lu Linglong was taken aback by the other party's straightforward admission. She had expected to hear a high-sounding or cryptic explanation.
Seeing her surprised expression, Xu Xiang continued, "Your specialness isn't just due to the unconventional methods you displayed last night. More importantly, you may very well—or rather, it has already been confirmed—have become connected with an extremely special being, and perhaps you've even been chosen by that being."
"A special existence? Selected?" Lu Linglong's heart skipped a beat. The image of the person who called himself "Zhou Yi" and came from the Republic of China flashed through her mind, along with the strange "Three Truths in the Same Month Token".
"Who is that being?" she asked instinctively, her voice slightly strained.
Xu San, who was standing nearby, also perked up his ears. Even Feng Baobao, who had been lost in thought, slowed down her eating, as if she was listening.
Xu Xiang didn't answer immediately, but instead posed a question: "Lu Linglong, before that, let me ask you something first. Those Taoist priests in temples and monks in ancient monasteries deep in the mountains, they meditate and chant scriptures day after day, practicing asceticism without ceasing. What do you think they are ultimately pursuing?"
Lu Linglong was taken aback by the sudden question. She carefully thought about the history and language knowledge she had learned in school, and tentatively answered, "Is it—to become an immortal? Or a Buddha? To achieve transcendence?"
The words had barely left her lips when she froze. A vague yet startling thought exploded in her mind like a thunderclap!
Immortal? Buddha? Last night, my mother's excited words about "immortal arts," and the "ascension" mentioned by that man from the Republican era in the Book of Changes—could it be—
She abruptly looked up at Xu Xiang, her eyes filled with disbelief and absurdity, her voice trembling slightly: "You—"
You mean—the one I've brought along—is—a—…or—a—Buddha?
The conjecture was so outlandish that she even found it somewhat laughable. Was the head of an official institution seriously discussing the existence of "gods" with her?
"That's right." Xu Xiang nodded slowly, giving an affirmative answer. His expression showed no hint of joking, only deep solemnity.
"hiss-
'
A clear gasp came from the side. It was Xu San; this was clearly the first time the legend had been confirmed so definitively.
The office fell silent instantly, with only the low hum of the air conditioner running.
The sun shone brightly outside the window, but the air inside seemed to become stagnant, solemn, and even chilling, as if weighed down by the word "immortal."
Lu Linglong felt a tingling sensation rush from her tailbone to the top of her head, and her worldview was once again violently impacted, even more so than the night before.
Xu Xiang's voice sounded exceptionally clear and steady in the quiet office, carrying a weighty sense of narrating history: "In this world, there have indeed been those who ascended to immortality. These are what are known in worldly legends as immortals, Buddhas, and saints. Zhang Daoling, the first Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain; Daoji in Zen legends; Lady Wei of Shangqing; Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang School—these founders who left their mark on history and legends, have clear and mainstream accounts of their eventual ascension in the secret records passed down within the world of supernatural beings."
His gaze fell on Lu Linglong's shocked face, and he continued, "And the one you were involved with last night, or rather, the one who demonstrated power through you, is the closest ascendant to our present era—a disciple of the Sanyi Sect who was active decades ago, and now the founder of the Sanzhen Sect."
"Number—decades ago?" Lu Linglong had excellent historical knowledge and immediately connected it to that turbulent era of war and upheaval in China. An incredible yet vaguely fitting conjecture surfaced in her mind.
"That's right," Xu Xiang confirmed its guess, his tone filled with a complex emotion, "The peak of that being's existence was precisely during that chaotic era of shattered lands and rising dragons and snakes. What's more, in the secret stories passed down by word of mouth in the world of supernatural beings, but rarely seen in official records, it was that being who, with his own power, ended the chaos and laid the foundation for the situation that followed."
He paused slightly, as if carefully choosing his words, before finally uttering several titles that were renowned among the upper echelons of the supernatural world, yet carried immense weight: "The Wayless, the Chaotic Law, the Myriad Laws, the Ultimate Law, the Immortal Lord, the Demon Lord, the Holy King—"
"These titles, which sound sacred, majestic, or even somewhat terrifying, all belonged to that person who existed in different periods..."
The profound imprints left on the world by different events.
Xu Xiang lowered his voice involuntarily, as if mentioning that name itself required reverence: "Throughout the entire recorded history of extraordinary beings, no other ascendant has been as active before ascension, as frequently manifesting their divine power in the human world, and as directly and profoundly intervening in world affairs as that one."
"In the eyes and records of many who experienced it firsthand in that era, he was almost a true god walking among men. Moving mountains and filling seas, manipulating creation, reversing life and death—all sorts of supernatural powers and magic that seem almost mythical today were as easy as they came to him. He used the most direct and irrefutable way to make a world that had entered the scientific age and begun to question all old legends realize what an ascendant really meant—a life form and level of power that transcended the limits of mortal understanding."
Lu Linglong was deeply shaken, and she involuntarily held her breath. Those ethereal legends of gods and immortals from textbooks and stories might actually be true!
Especially considering that this person existed in modern times, in an era when photography and telegraph had already appeared, if his existence and deeds could be widely recognized and partially recorded, how astonishing would his supernatural powers be?
In the context of scientific thought, to convince the world of and leave them with the impression of "immortals," more than just power is needed; perhaps some kind of "miracle" that changes perception is also required.
The more she thought about it, the deeper her doubts became. How could someone so legendary, so high up in the clouds, so closely connected to the trends of the entire era, be connected to a high school girl like her, who was as ordinary as could be?
She suppressed her wildly beating heart and asked in a dry voice, "But—but why would you think—that such an unattainable being would be related to me? I'm really just an ordinary person. Before yesterday, I didn't even know what an Extraordinary Person was—"
Xu Xiang remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing his options. His gaze, almost imperceptible, swept over the empty space beside him before he slowly said, "Those who have achieved mastery in cultivation live far longer than ordinary people. And that sword formation last night—"
He paused, his tone becoming extremely serious: "Someone recognized it. That is—that being, whose unique divine power was clearly recorded in history."
"The Three Truths—The Scattered King Sword Formation?" Lu Linglong uttered the name almost subconsciously, in a barely audible whisper.
The dazzling, destructive sword light of last night, and the calm narration of that man from the Republican era, resurfaced clearly in my mind once again.
She was not dull-witted; on the contrary, she was sharp-minded.
Comparing the information revealed by Xu Xiang with his own bizarre experience last night, he saw a man who called himself "Zhou Yi," dressed in Republic-era clothing, and was in what appeared to be a battlefield from the old era.
He can communicate with himself across thousands of years: he can plant talismans in the "past" to save himself from danger in the "present"; his words about "improved talismans", "existing for decades", and "great supernatural talismans"—all these clues are now connected by keywords such as "modern ascendant", "patriarch of the Three Truths School", and "unique methods", pointing to an astonishing fact that makes her scalp tingle, yet she has no choice but to believe!
The person who responded to her desperate cries in her moment of crisis and reached out to her across the vast expanse of time—was actually the only clearly documented ascendant in modern times! The founder of the Three Truths School!
Just as Lu Linglong was overwhelmed with emotion and almost trembled at this conclusion, a sudden change occurred!
Beside Xu Xiang, the previously empty air suddenly distorted and rippled violently like water! The light was ruthlessly folded and rearranged, and a person who had cleverly concealed his figure could no longer maintain his disguise due to the violent fluctuation of his emotions, and suddenly appeared in the office!
It was Li Muxuan!
At this moment, Bu Ran, who was always unrestrained and cynical, no longer had the usual indifference or mockery on his face.
He stared intently at Lu Linglong, his lips trembling slightly. In his eyes, which seemed to pierce through metal and stone, surged extremely complex emotions—shock, ecstasy, disbelief, and a long-buried, almost pilgrimage-like excitement.
"You—where—where did you learn about this supernatural power?!" Li Muxuan's voice trembled slightly as he took a step forward, coming to her side and almost grabbing Lu Linglong's shoulders to press her for answers.
"You?! Who are you?!" Lu Linglong was so frightened by the sudden appearance of the handsome old man with a terrifying aura that she shrank back and looked at Xu Xiang with suspicion.
Xu Xiang quickly spoke up, his tone both explanatory and reassuring: "Linglong, don't be afraid. This is my master, Senior Li Muxuan. He and—that being—lived in the same era, and he personally witnessed that being's immense power, and even—had a deep connection with that being. Last night, when others tried to forcibly take you away, it was my master who stopped them."
"Huh?" Lu Linglong then realized that such a conflict had occurred outside while she was unconscious.
She composed herself, looked at the excited old man before her, and recalled the life-saving talisman from the previous night. Her wariness towards him lessened, replaced by a sense of gratitude and curiosity.
She gathered her thoughts slightly and answered softly but clearly, "Linglong thanks you for your help last night, Senior. As for the name of that supernatural power—I learned it from a talisman. That talisman was about the size of a palm, with a background color that was—dark red, and very intricate, flowing golden patterns on it, it felt—like it was made of amber."
"Yes! Yes! Yes!!!"
Upon hearing her description, Li Muxuan's eyes shone brightly, and he uttered "yes" three times, his excitement overflowing, as if he had finally confirmed a long-sought answer.
"It's his powerful magical talisman! That's right! Blood-red base with golden patterns, amber-like texture, containing the universe within—that's it! That's the description! Only he—only he could create such a talisman!"
The old man muttered to himself, as if lost in distant memories and endless emotions. For a moment, only his slightly rapid breathing and the increasingly turbulent waves in Lu Linglong's heart could be heard in the office.
Xu Xiang frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face, and offered a relatively reasonable conjecture: "A talisman? — Could it be that some senior left it unintentionally back then, or accidentally dropped it during its creation, and over the years, it was just inadvertently activated by Linglong?"
"No!"
Li Muxuan abruptly turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Xu Xiang, and rejected the conjecture without hesitation. His voice was resolute, carrying an almost obsessive certainty: "Absolutely impossible!"
"He is an immortal!"
"He can't make a mistake!"
He looked at his usually calm and practical disciple, a hint of urgency and something deeper flashing in his eyes, as if saying, "You don't understand." His tone was heavy and slow, each word seemingly striking the air: "Xiangzi, you don't understand—you simply don't understand what he means."
He took a deep breath, as if exhaling decades' worth of awe and faith. His voice was not loud, but it carried a heart-stirring piety and absolute conviction: "He is a being who has truly transcended the mundane, understands cause and effect, and has mastered the rules! Every action he takes, every arrangement he makes, could not possibly be a meaningless coincidence or oversight!"
Li Muxuan's gaze returned to the bewildered Lu Linglong, his eyes burning as if they wanted to scald two holes in her. His voice trembled slightly with excitement, yet carried an undeniable conclusion: "The fact that this talisman was activated by Linglong at this moment, in this place, and in this way can only mean one thing—"
'
He paused, then spoke each word clearly, as if declaring: "Linglong must be the one he chose!"
Lu Linglong felt a little numb.
They said they'd hide it, but they were exposed right away. What's wrong with this fanatical senior?!
Please vote with your monthly tickets and give me a reward!
I can't sleep because of a toothache, so I plan to write until morning.
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