Glazed Royal City, Peacock Sacred Mountain.
Jiang Chen had put Jing Zhonghui personally in charge of this Martial Dao Tea Gathering.
Nowadays, Jing Zhonghui was no longer called Great Emperor Jing Zhong. Everyone in Glazed Royal City simply referred to him as Elder Hui, or Old Jing.
The Peerless Emperor, likewise, was respectfully known as Elder Mo.
After Jiang Chen broke through to the Emperor Realm, he had delegated all major and minor affairs to the people beneath him. He himself now devoted greater focus to personal cultivation.
He had already made plans: once the affairs of the human domain were mostly settled, he would make a trip to the Myriad Abyss Islands.
Huang'er had left the human domain several years ago. To say Jiang Chen wasn't worried would be a lie. Especially after seeing Xiahou Jing, Jiang Chen could tell that the Xiahou clan were ruthless and vicious people through and through. If Huang'er truly became that Xiahou Zong's cultivation cauldron, her fate would be unspeakably grim — that much went without saying.
"Young Master, there is a calling card."
Suddenly, Xue Tong delivered a calling card.
Jiang Chen took it, opened it, and frowned into a tight knot. "Old Man Heming? Who's that?"
Jiang Chen asked Great Emperor Jing Zhong. "Brother Hui, have you ever heard of Old Man Heming? Who is he?"
Great Emperor Jing Zhong's whole body jolted. He sprang from his chair in an instant, eyes wide as saucers. "Young Master — did you say Old Man Heming?"
"Yes. Do you know him?"
An expression of utter disbelief surfaced in Great Emperor Jing Zhong's eyes. "I don't know him, but I've heard of him! Young Master, this calling card — it's from Old Man Heming?"
"It is. He says he wishes to attend the Martial Dao Tea Gathering and have a chat with me. His tone was very courteous throughout." Jiang Chen handed the card to Great Emperor Jing Zhong.
Great Emperor Jing Zhong accepted it, read it through, and the shock in his eyes only deepened. "I can't believe it… I can't believe Old Man Heming is still alive?"
"What do you mean?" Jiang Chen asked with curiosity.
"This Old Man Heming — I heard rumors of him back in my youth. He was a legendary figure from an era ten thousand years past. His life is filled with all sorts of mythical tales. When I was a child, my teacher once told me the legend of Old Man Heming, and told me to take him as my goal…"
Great Emperor Jing Zhong grew wistful as he recounted the past.
"Such an ancient figure — that says his strength must be truly formidable." Jiang Chen turned the calling card over in his hands. "The fact that his card is written so courteously is actually somewhat surprising to this Young Master."
From what Jiang Chen knew of the human race's reclusive powerhouses, weren't they supposed to be uniformly arrogant, looking down on everything under heaven?
Yet here was Old Man Heming's perfectly polite calling card, and Jiang Chen found himself a touch disarmed.
That said, Jiang Chen had always lived by the principle of treating others as they treated him. Since Old Man Heming was this courteous, there was no reason for Jiang Chen to harbor any hostility.
Anyone who came to attend the Martial Dao Tea Gathering was a guest.
There was no grounds for refusing. Jiang Chen smiled. "Brother Hui, from the way you speak, it sounds like he was once your idol. In that case, come down the mountain with me to greet this honored guest."
Great Emperor Jing Zhong was delighted. "Gladly! I could ask for nothing more."
At the foot of Peacock Sacred Mountain, Old Man Heming wore a robe of cream-white, carrying something of the air of a drifting cloud or a wild crane. Perhaps from having withdrawn from the world for so long, a quality of transcending the mundane seemed to cling to the old man naturally.
At his side trailed several people — the same four who had previously visited Crane Rider Mountain. Apart from Xi Yanbing's group of three, the other four had all come along with Old Man Heming to Peacock Sacred Mountain.
"You must be Old Man Heming. This junior, Jiang Chen, is late in his welcome. Forgive me, forgive me!"
Jiang Chen greeted them warmly.
Old Man Heming regarded Jiang Chen with keen interest. "Young Master Jiang Chen — even in my seclusion in the wild, I've often heard your great name. Truly, heroes arise from the young, since ancient times. Excellent, very excellent. When I heard you were hosting a Martial Dao Tea Gathering to receive Heavenly Rank recluses, I too am a man who has left the world behind, yet I couldn't help being drawn here by you."
"You honor me, old sir. This junior is deeply grateful."
Jiang Chen's first impression of Old Man Heming was quite good, actually. At the very least, the old man had not put on airs of a Heavenly powerhouse claiming supremacy over all beneath heaven.
His gaze was placid, free of any aggression.
His speech was courteous and measured, which left Jiang Chen with a very favorable first impression.
When others were polite, Jiang Chen naturally reciprocated with full courtesy.
He ushered these reclusive powerhouses up the mountain with great warmth.
Jiang Chen's attitude left Old Man Heming and his companions feeling as though they were bathed in a warm spring breeze. They had all heard that Jiang Chen was young and brash.
But upon meeting him in person, they discovered that those rumors were terribly misleading.