"Elder, Senior Brother
"Oh?" The elder furrowed his brow. "Did he say what these leads were?"
"No, I didn't dare ask." The patrol leader shook his head.
"Did he go alone?"
The patrol leader quickly replied, "He was with Senior Brother Hua at the time, and seemed to have brought two others along — Junior Brother Feng and Junior Brother Zhang, both under Senior Brother Hua. But I didn't see those two."
Some Junior Brother Feng, Junior Brother Zhang — mere Origin Realm nobodies, not even worth a second thought from the elder. What truly piqued his curiosity was: what exactly had Ding Rong uncovered?
Curious as he was, he didn't dare harbor any displeasure toward Ding Rong. Ding Rong was the Sect Master's true disciple — at such a young age, he'd already reached the fifth level of the Saint Realm. His future accomplishments would be no less than the elder's own, and quite possibly higher.
After a moment's thought, the elder waved his hand dismissively. "I see. Maintain high-density patrols. Don't let your guard down."
...
On the road to the Danqian Palace headquarters,
By now, his identity had become Ding Rong, and Huang'er's had become that Hua-surnamed disciple.
"Huang'er, this is somewhat risky. You really don't have to—" Jiang Chen genuinely didn't want to involve Huang'er in the danger.
Huang'er simply smiled serenely. "Young Master Jiang, we've already been through thick and thin together several times — sharing life and death, so to speak. Going on adventures with you is actually quite interesting."
Jiang Chen laughed. He was a free-spirited man himself, and as wanderers of the jianghu, there was no need for pretense between them.
"I'm just worried about how to explain this to
"Elder Shun is an open-minded man," Huang'er replied with a faint smile.
Jiang Chen nodded. For this matter, he genuinely needed Huang'er's cooperation. Though his plan was extremely bold, acting alone it still wouldn't be perfect.
If Huang'er cooperated even slightly, their chances would increase dramatically.
Four hours later, the two arrived outside the gates of the Danqian Palace headquarters. The guards here were noticeably more stringent.
However, as a true disciple of the Leiyin Sect, Ding Rong held extremely high status. His appearance naturally didn't require much scrutiny.
Hearing that he had important leads and wished to see the Leiyin Sect Master, the Leiyin members naturally wouldn't block him — instead, they greeted him warmly and exchanged pleasantries.
Jiang Chen navigated among these people with utmost caution. He had ventured deep into the tiger's den now, and could only grit his teeth and press forward.
"Senior Brother Ding, Lord Gong has summoned the Sect Master and the Jukun Sect Master. It seems they're discussing some important matter. You might need to wait a bit."
The fellow disciple who had gone in to report emerged and addressed Jiang Chen with a hint of apology.
Jiang Chen hadn't actually intended to see the Sect Master anyway.
So he naturally asked, "I wonder what this important matter might be about?"
The fellow disciple shook his head apologetically. "I wouldn't dare inquire about that."
"Who else is in there?" Jiang Chen pressed.
"Some elder-level figures from both sects," the fellow disciple answered honestly. He clearly held Ding Rong in very high regard.
Jiang Chen nodded, paused, and then asked, "And Lord Gong's youngest grandson — Young Master Gong Qi — he's not in there, is he?"
The fellow disciple gave a bitter smile. "He's actually here. But he's not part of the meeting. He's in there pestering a Jukun Sect true disciple to spar. That Jukun true disciple... Oh no, Senior Brother Ding, they're coming out! You should make yourself scarce, quick!"
This fellow disciple, upon hearing Jiang Chen's question, assumed that Senior Brother Ding Rong was trying to avoid Gong Qi — didn't want to get dragged into a sparring match with the kid.
After all, Gong Qi was a maniac challenger. Whenever he encountered a talent of roughly comparable strength, he simply had to challenge them.
And since Gong Qi was Lord
As a result, throughout both the Leiyin and Jukun sects, anyone who heard the name Gong Qi treated it like encountering a tiger — desperate to avoid it at all costs. The last thing anyone wanted was to be dragged into some martial arts contest by this brat.
Getting into a sparring match with Gong Qi would be worse than just letting him land a couple of solid punches.
This fellow disciple meant well — seeing Gong Qi heading outward, he hurriedly warned Jiang Chen to get away.
Jiang Chen was secretly delighted, but he put on a flustered expression and made as if to turn and flee.
Unfortunately, Gong Qi had sharp eyes and spotted him right away.
"Ha ha, Ding Rong! You rascal — heard you went off somewhere. What wind blew you here today?" Gong Qi was only thirteen or fourteen years old, but he was already as tall as a grown man. And his appearance was practically a miniature Gong Wuji — bald head, yellow eyebrows, with a fierce, rough-hewn bearing in everything he did.
Jiang Chen gave a wry smile. "Young Master Gong, well, the thing is, I came back to see my master about some business."
But Gong Qi wouldn't hear of it. He strode right over, flashing a wide grin. "I was just inside and thought I heard someone say you were back. I got so excited I ran out to check, and sure enough — it's you! You rascal, you're not getting away this time. Come on, come on — let's have a good spar!"
Sure enough, Gong Qi was a challenge maniac through and through. And for a brat of thirteen or fourteen to go around calling everyone "you rascal" — he was clearly spoiled beyond all measure.