Chapter 129

The old city lord’s expression was complicated.

Three thousand years had passed, and he had now reached the age where he called himself “this old man.” The Master of Laurel Tower had been missing for all these years, and given how brutal the battle at the Endless Sea had been back then, he—like everyone else—had assumed Ning Xu had long since perished.

Yet, three thousand years later, she suddenly appeared before him.

Seeing her again, her bone age was nearly the same as before. This meant that in these three thousand years, she must have had some extraordinary encounter.

No wonder she had never shown herself.

After assessing Ning Xu, he turned his gaze to the male cultivator beside her.

At first glance, the old city lord almost blurted out the name “Si Zang,” but he quickly realized that this was not him.

Although this man bore some resemblance to Si Zang, they were ultimately not the same person.

Yet, despite not being the same person, he had the same life-bound spiritual beast, the same life-bound spiritual weapon, and a similar aura and appearance…

The only explanation was that the person before him was Si Zang’s reincarnation!

If that were the case, then the uproar over the past two days on “The Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area” made complete sense.

Because he was the reincarnation of a Sword Immortal, he could perfectly fuse with Si Zang’s sword bones. And by doing so, he had skyrocketed from a low cultivation level straight to the Body Integration Stage!

The old city lord felt a whirlwind of emotions.

Back then, after that battle, Si Zang had fallen, and Ning Xu had leaped into the Endless Sea, vanishing without a trace. That group of people had searched for her for a long time but never found any sign of her.

He had thought he would never learn anything about the “Hundred Flowers Glazed Lamp” from Ning Xu ever again.

At the time, he had considered breaking his agreement, but his advisor had persuaded him otherwise.

For decades after that, Ning Xu seemed to have completely disappeared from the cultivation world, with no news at all. Those who had heard of that battle, or had been part of it, never believed she could still be alive.

She was gone, but it made little difference to the cultivation world.

Even without the tower master overseeing it, Laurel Tower remained immensely profitable, bustling with visitors every day.

Faced with such an enormous fortune, he had been tempted. Though he was the esteemed head of the Ji family, a prestigious cultivation clan, and the lord of Sky City, he would never consider having too many spirit stones. Yet, his advisor had pleaded with him to wait a little longer.

That wait lasted three thousand years.

He still remembered his advisor’s final moments—gripping his hand tightly, urging him to guard Ning Xu’s Laurel Tower and not to do anything irreparable. He had agreed. Only after he gave his firm promise did his advisor pass away without regrets.

And in the end, his advisor had been right.

He had truly lived to see Ning Xu again.
—

It was not just the old city lord scrutinizing Ning Xu—she was also examining him.

She said to the Melon-Eating System, “The last time I saw him was just a few days ago.”

【Yes, back then, he was still young. Now, he’s just an old man with little lifespan left.】

【The advisors by his side have changed many times over. The most loyal and reliable one has already been dead for many years.】

Thinking of how the old city lord had looked after Laurel Tower all these years, Ning Xu stepped forward and said, “Senior, long time no see.”

The old city lord chuckled, his tone tinged with the weight of years. “Indeed, long time no see.”

That once-familiar “virtuous sister” was something he could never call her again. He had aged three thousand years, while Ning Xu had remained unchanged—her bone age was nearly identical to before.

Ning Xu gestured for the attendants to step back.

Understanding the cue, the attendants quickly led away the male and female models who had been making a ruckus earlier. Once outside, the models, who had barely been quiet for long, started whispering among themselves again.

“The tower master? It really is the tower master?”

“The old city lord confirmed it himself. How could it be wrong?”

“But she looks so young! She seems about the same age as me?”

“That’s not possible.”

“Her cultivation is higher than mine, so I can’t sense her bone age. But she really doesn’t feel like she’s over three thousand years old.”

“Who knows? Maybe she had some kind of fortuitous encounter?”

Now that the tower master had appeared, they didn’t linger in Laurel Tower any longer. It was said that the master of Laurel Tower was extremely mysterious, with one of the most baffling aspects being that, despite not being a disciple of the Star Pavilion, she knew far more about the world than even the disciples of the Star Pavilion themselves.

Afraid that their identities as spies might be exposed, they didn’t dare stay any longer and immediately took their belongings and left.

Not long after they departed, a new post suddenly appeared on The Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area. The title was simple and direct, making the message instantly clear:

[The Master of Laurel Tower, Who Had Been Missing for Three Thousand Years, Has Suddenly Reappeared!]

The post immediately sparked a flood of comments from cultivators. As the most profitable pleasure house in the entire cultivation world, Laurel Tower had always drawn significant attention. The fact that its owner had been missing for so long only added to its air of mystery.

Regardless of what the tower master had been through, one thing was certain: Laurel Tower remained the undisputed number-one pleasure house in the cultivation world. Even if it was no longer as grand as before, it still outshone its competitors.

The moment news of the tower master’s return spread, cultivators were shocked.

[Three thousand years of silence, and now she suddenly reappears? Are we sure it’s really her?]

[Absolutely sure. The old city lord personally confirmed her identity.]

[The old city lord got involved? Wasn’t he in seclusion?]

[This is the first time I learned that the master of Laurel Tower is a female cultivator.]

[Same here…]

[I don’t care about what happened to the tower master before. I only care about one thing—now that she’s back, can she finally restore Laurel Tower? I heard that business used to be phenomenal, and the quality of both the male and female companions was top-tier. Even Tribulation Stage experts have worked there before. I’ve never had the chance to experience it, but I really want to.]

[Wait, what? Even Tribulation Stage experts worked there?]

[That’s nothing! I heard the number one beauty of the fox clan spent a long time there too.]

[I’m losing my mind! Why isn’t it like that anymore? Tower master, please bring it back! Do you hear me? No matter how expensive it is, I’ll fully support it! As long as you provide a service that matches the price, I’ll pay anything, no matter how outrageous it is!]

【A gullible fool has appeared…】

【To be honest, if the top courtesan is really that exceptional, I’m willing to be that gullible fool too!】

【Let go of me, let me be the gullible fool!】

While the discussions on the Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area were heating up, Ning Xu was sipping tea with the old city lord.

A faint fragrance of tea lingered in the air.

Ning Xu set down her teacup and said, “Thank you, Senior, for taking care of Laurel Pavilion all these years. To express my gratitude, I can tell you the whereabouts of the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp.”

The old city lord’s hand trembled slightly as he held his teacup. After three thousand years of waiting, just when he was about to lose hope, he finally received news of this relic of the Ji family, which could very well help him ascend.

He steadied himself and said, “Then this old man is all ears.”

Considering that the Innocent Cultivator urgently needed a quiet place free from interference to stabilize his cultivation, Ning Xu continued, “If Senior allows us to enter the Ji family’s forbidden grounds, I can guarantee that you will obtain the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp with absolute certainty.”

The old city lord neither agreed nor refused immediately. Instead, he asked, “If I obtain the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp, will I truly have a chance to ascend?”

Ning Xu had already learned everything about the Ji family from the Melon-Eating System. Hearing this, she explained, “Before the former Pavilion Master ascended, there were two other great cultivators who succeeded in ascending.”

“And one of them happened to have an old connection with one of your ancestors.”

The old city lord’s interest was piqued. Even he had never heard of such a thing.

Ning Xu continued, “That great cultivator and your ancestor were each other’s first love. Unfortunately, the great cultivator came from humble origins, and your family’s patriarch deemed them an unsuitable match. They had no choice but to part ways. Your ancestor was later married off under family arrangements, but before long, her Dao companion perished. After that, she never remarried.”

“Perhaps their fate was not yet severed, for your ancestor and the great cultivator met again. However, due to various circumstances, though they still cared for each other, they never got together.”

“Many years later, when the great cultivator was about to ascend, he left something precious for your ancestor inside the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp.”

“Before that, the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp was merely an expensive spiritual artifact. Only afterward did it become your Ji family’s heirloom.”

The old city lord’s impression of Ning Xu changed once again. She even knew such a deep secret…

As a direct descendant of the Ji family, he himself had never known about this part of their ancestor’s history, yet she spoke of it as if she had witnessed it firsthand.

Of course, she might be lying, but the old city lord had a strong intuition—she was telling the truth.

What she described was indeed the real reason the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp became a Ji family heirloom!

Ning Xu glanced at the old city lord and continued, “Why the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp, you ask? Because it was the token of love your ancestor gave to the great cultivator in their youth.”

“The great cultivator’s original intent in leaving that precious item behind was to help your ancestor ascend, but she chose to leave this valuable opportunity to her descendants instead.”

“What your ancestor was thinking at the time, no one can say anymore. But… this is indeed your one and only chance.”

Either take the risk and face the tribulation for ascension, or perish right where you stand!

There were no other choices.

The old city lord closed his eyes for a moment before giving his answer.

“I know about your grudges with the Xu family and the others. I cannot promise much, but I can guarantee that while you are inside the Ji family’s forbidden grounds, no one will be able to interfere with you.”

Ning Xu exhaled softly. “Rest assured, Senior. Si Yan and I won’t stay in your family’s forbidden grounds for too long.”

Si Yan…

So he really was Si Cang’s reincarnation. If there had been any doubts before, the old city lord was now completely certain.

He waved his hand and said, “It’s fine.”

For three thousand years, he had watched over Laurel Pavilion. That alone meant they were already on the same side.

Once the deal was sealed, Ning Xu handed a jade token to the old city lord.

The jade token not only contained the location of the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp but also the exact method to obtain it.

The old city lord first escorted Ning Xu and Si Yan into his family’s forbidden grounds before hurrying off with his people to retrieve the Hundred Blossom Glazed Lamp.

As soon as he left, the Melon-Eating System commented with satisfaction, 【The Ji family’s forbidden grounds only open to family members once every hundred years. Since the time hasn’t come yet, the old city lord used his authority to grant you special access. This shows his sincerity.

The forbidden grounds are highly dangerous—just perfect for the Innocent Cultivator to consolidate his cultivation.】

Since it wasn’t yet time for the grounds to be opened, only Ning Xu and her companions were inside. There were no outsiders to disturb them.

She let the Innocent Cultivator temper himself while she sat down nearby, watching him cultivate.

The Melon-Eating System asked, 【Host, what are you thinking about?】

Ning Xu pondered for a moment and said, “When the old city lord confirmed my identity today, there were quite a few people present. I suspect it won’t be long before the entire cultivation world knows that the master of Laurel Pavilion has returned.”

The Melon-Eating System checked the Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area for gossip and reported back, 【They already know.】

Ning Xu wasn’t surprised.

She said, “Anyone who survived that great battle back then will inevitably start connecting me to the master of Laurel Pavilion.”

“In other words…”

“Melon, my disguise is about to be exposed…”

Exposed?

If it had been before, the Melon-Eating System might have been worried. But now, not only was it not worried, it was even looking forward to it!

After all, times had changed!

It excitedly reassured her, 【It’s fine, Host! Things are different now!】

【Back then, the top powerhouses of the cultivation world all sided with Xu Hua and the others, but three thousand years have passed…】

The Melon-Eating System gloated, 【They have long turned to dust.】

【As for Xu Hua and the rest…】

【They no longer have such powerful allies.】

Ning Xu continued, “It won’t be long before Xu Hua and the others find out I’ve returned.”

Xu Hua and her allies weren’t fools. On the contrary, they were very intelligent.

They would piece together the clues and deduce that Ning Xu was the same person as the master of Laurel Pavilion.

Their suspicions back then had been correct. They had guessed right.

Ning Xu remained calm and said, “Rather than letting them expose me, I might as well reveal myself first.”

After all, her exposure was only a matter of time. Whether it happened sooner or later didn’t make much of a difference anymore.

The Melon-Eating System was thrilled. 【Host, are you about to stir up trouble again?】

In response to its question, a new post appeared on the Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area.

【It’s time for the once-every-few-centuries sacrificial ritual again. I wonder which geniuses will fall victim to Xu Hua’s offerings this time.】

The author of the post was none other than the King of Explosive Gossip—Melon Mover!

The cultivators: ???

Xu Hua?

Wait, Melon Mover, did you just openly call out a Mahayana cultivator by name?!

You really are—

Too damn bold!