Jiang Chen listened as the old man described the trajectory of his life, piece by piece, and was genuinely astonished.
He had never imagined that in the shadows, unknown to him, there existed such a mysterious person who knew absolutely everything about him.
"Old man, have you been following me this whole time?" Jiang Chen's voice dropped slightly.
"No, no—" Elder Shun waved his hand quickly, afraid Jiang Chen might misunderstand. "I merely stumbled upon you by chance, saw that you were extraordinary, and decided to keep watching. I bear no ill will. In fact, I've saved your life twice."
"Hmm? Were you the mysterious figure who scared off Chu Xinghan at the Second Pass?" Jiang Chen suddenly recalled something and blurted out in surprise.
Twice — he immediately understood what the old man meant. Once at the Second Pass, and the other time after he killed Long Juxue and repelled Old Freak Zhuiyang.
Thinking back on this, Jiang Chen smiled faintly. This mysterious old man's strength must surpass even Old Freak Zhuiyang's, so all his wariness and suspicion would be pointless. If the old man harbored any ill intentions, Jiang Chen would most likely have no way to resist at all.
He gave a slight bow and said respectfully, "The old man has helped me twice, and Jiang Chen holds that gratitude in his heart. I humbly ask once more — may I know your honored name?"
Last time at the Second Pass, this mysterious old man had defeated Chu Xinghan without ever showing himself. Jiang Chen still remembered that scene clearly.
Back then, he had also asked about the old man's identity and expressed a wish to repay the life-saving favor if given the chance.
But the mysterious old man had declined to share his name.
Elder Shun gave a slight nod. "You may call me Elder Shun."
"Elder Shun?" Jiang Chen glanced again at the hunchbacked, homely girl beside him.
"Jiang Chen, I've been watching you precisely because of her. She is my granddaughter by blood. You may call her Huang'er."
"Miss Huang'er, a pleasure." Jiang Chen nodded at her with a friendly smile, not allowing her appearance to put him off in the slightest.
Huang'er gave a small nod and smiled back. "Hello."
"Jiang Chen, you must have many questions — about why I'm here, and about all manner of other things, yes?"
Jiang Chen neither confirmed nor denied it, simply offering a mild smile.
"Well, the reason is that I didn't want to run into the people from the four great sects, yet I also wanted to speak with you privately ahead of time. So I took the liberty of subtly activating a formation on the Endless Spirit Mountain. There was a reason for it, so I hope you won't hold it against me, young brother. I admit it was somewhat rude of me."
Elder Shun conducted himself with effortless elegance, never pulling the airs of a powerful figure before Jiang Chen despite his immense strength.
That, Jiang Chen had to admit, was very much to his liking.
"You went through all of this just to meet me alone?" Jiang Chen was taken aback.
"Yes." As he spoke, Elder Shun glanced at the girl beside him, and a look of tender pity flickered in his eyes.
Huang'er felt a quiet pang of sadness. For a man of Elder Shun's stature to go to such lengths and be so courteous toward a young junior — all for the sake of her illness. It wasn't that Huang'er was hung up on matters of status; she simply knew Elder Shun too well. He had never shown this kind of gracious regard even to the most formidable figures. And now, being so polite to a mere youth — all because of her sickness. How could she not feel both moved and guilty?
Jiang Chen noticed Elder Shun glancing at the girl again and again, his gaze shifting thoughtfully. He looked at the girl once more.
Elder Shun let out a soft sigh. "Young brother Jiang, back in the Eastern Kingdom, you diagnosed the princess as having a constitution of Taiyin. Is that correct?"
Jiang Chen started. This had been a closely guarded secret of the Eastern Kingdom's royal family — and this old man knew about it?
Since the other party had already brought it up, and was his savior to boot, Jiang Chen saw no point in playing coy.
He nodded. "It's true."
"Then can you tell, young brother Jiang, whether my granddaughter suffers from any stubborn illness?" Elder Shun cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Jiang Chen heard this and a vague understanding dawned on him. So that was why Elder Shun had been keeping tabs on him for so long — all for his granddaughter's condition.
Still, plenty of questions remained. With abilities like Elder Shun's, why couldn't he cure his own granddaughter? And if even Elder Shun was helpless, Jiang Chen wasn't sure he could do any better.
He fell into thought for a moment, studying the girl Huang'er closely. But on the surface, apart from her rather plain and unattractive features, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about her.
Being scrutinized so intently by Jiang Chen, Huang'er felt a slight flush of embarrassment. She was a young girl after all — pure-hearted and clear-minded, deliberately altering her own appearance to look this way, but still, having a young man stare at her like this naturally made her a little self-conscious.
That said, she was well-bred, and from Jiang Chen's gaze she could tell there was nothing improper in it — his eyes were clear and clean, entirely without offense.
After thinking for a while, Jiang Chen finally spoke.
"Elder Shun, the reason I recognized the Taiyin constitution of Dongfang Zhiruo back then was that I had read about it in an ancient text. I, Jiang Chen, have no absolute confidence in the art of healing. But if the old man insists on having me examine her, I will certainly do my utmost — if only to repay your kindness in saving my life."