Chapter 122: Elder Sun: Let Yuan Ting Come See Me

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"Yuanzi, are you asleep? I'm coming in. Your beautiful and lovely aunt is here," whispered Jiang Yubei outside the door without knocking.

Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, suppressing his negative emotions, rubbed his face, and replied softly, "Come in."

He turned the doorknob, opened a crack, and his aunt sneaked in, quickly closing the door behind her.

Jiang Yubei was wearing a white nightgown with a lace-trimmed neckline, and her legs, like white jade, peeked from the knee-length hem. She wore pink flip-flops, revealing her delicate and well-pedicured feet with bright red nail polish.

"You're being sneaky," Zhang Yuanqing said with irritation.

He thought, she might think I'm having a secret rendezvous.

It's worth mentioning that after the events of the day, the doctors on duty received a week-long holiday.

When she returned home, his aunt embellished her crisis experience, crying and saying, "I was so close to not seeing my mother again!"

Her grandmother was frightened, and the mother and daughter sobbed together.

As a result, his aunt gained her grandmother's sympathy, and her tolerance towards her increased significantly. She couldn't bring herself to scold her no matter what she did.

Jiang Yubei trotted to the edge of the bed in her flip-flops, sat down with a playful sway of her hips, and asked quietly, "Where did you go later? After the security officer rushed in, I couldn't find you anywhere."

When the security officers rescued the hostages, Zhang Yuanqing had already been taken away for treatment by Li Dongze and the others.

Zhang Yuanqing looked at his aunt, her eyes sparkling with anticipation and excitement, like a little girl who had discovered a secret.

What an innocent aunt, Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly, and replied seriously, "It seems I can't hide my identity anymore. I'll tell you the truth. I'm actually a member of the national superpower special forces, dedicated to dealing with evildoers lurking in the dark. I'm a student during the day and roam the city streets at night, fighting for justice."

"Superpower special forces?" Jiang Yubei covered her mouth in surprise and whispered.

Zhang Yuanqing continued, "Yes, in fact, there are many superpowered individuals in the world. For the sake of social harmony and stability, we have to conceal our identities and become nameless heroes. I awakened my powers a long time ago and joined the superpower special forces, becoming one of those nameless heroes. According to the organization's rules, I can't reveal my identity, but since you've already discovered it, I have to be honest with you. Please keep it a secret."

His aunt nodded vigorously. "I understand, I signed a confidentiality agreement today."

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. But then she furrowed her brows, looking worried. "Yuanzi, this superpower special forces thing looks very dangerous."

"Don't worry!" Zhang Yuanqing replied confidently. "Despite my age, I'm actually a high-ranking member. The entire Songhai superpower special forces division respects my opinions and follows my commands. You've seen it today; I handled everything by myself."

"Are you really that powerful?" His aunt finally felt reassured and admired.

She seemed to be looking at her nephew in a new light.

Zhang Yuanqing remained composed on the surface but enjoyed his aunt's admiration deep inside.

"That's good." Jiang Yubei said with admiration. "Can I awaken my powers too?"

Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "It's not about me bragging, awakening powers depends on one's natural talent. Only people with exceptional gifts like me can awaken. Those who haven't awakened by the age of eighteen are unlikely to have the talent."

After saying this, he saw his aunt pouting and looking disappointed.

"You're really amazing," Jiang Yubei said in admiration. She fully believed him, and he could see her admiration and adoration in her eyes.

"Then I can spend your money in the future, since you don't have a girlfriend," his aunt said happily.

Zhang Yuanqing coughed and replied, "No, my money is meant for the benefit of the people, not for buying clothes and bags for you."

"You stingy guy!"

"Watch your tone, woman. A millionaire is sitting right next to you."

Jiang Yubei stayed in his room until 2 in the morning before reluctantly leaving.

Phew, I finally got through that! Zhang Yuanqing appeared righteous and gained admiration and envy from his aunt. The tension from today's defeat seemed to have dissipated without him noticing, leaving him feeling relaxed.

Indeed, sometimes you have to show off a little. Pretending can alleviate frustration. He covered himself with a blanket, preparing to sleep.

Tomorrow, I'll meet with Little Green Tea. Comforting people like this is her job. I wonder if the Xie family's attitude toward me will change because of Li Xianzong's incident.

In the next few days, I still need to go to work, but I must use disguises. I need to learn some martial arts from Guan Ya, something I haven't had time or motivation for. I can't delay it any longer.

Before the third instance opens, I must improve my martial arts skills. I hope Elder Gou, the Hope Dog, can bring back the Red Dance Shoes soon after I return.

As he thought about this, he drifted off to sleep.

In the early morning in Beijing, the first rays of sunlight poured down, and the locust tree in the courtyard stretched its tender green leaves, shimmering with a colorful halo in the morning light.

A gentle breeze rustled the branches and leaves, creating the sound of children playing and giggling.

The recliner under the locust tree was empty, as its owner hadn't rested there for days.

Suddenly, the scenery in the courtyard distorted, forming ripples, and then a figure appeared out of thin air on the recliner.

This person had gray hair, a white undershirt, and large boxer shorts, looking no different from the ordinary elderly men in Beijing.

However, as soon as he appeared, his skin cracked, and scorching golden light burst out from within him, streaming from his pupils, mouth, and nostrils.

The old man's body rapidly carbonized, turning into a charred corpse within seconds.

The searing golden light scorched the leaves of the locust tree, causing the "children" hiding inside the tree to emit fearful cries.

After about a dozen seconds, the charred corpse opened its eyes, and pieces of carbonized skin fell off, revealing fresh, reddish flesh underneath.

The heart in his chest started beating again, and Elder Sun slowly exhaled a heavy breath, saying, "Go fetch me some clothes, you bunch of blind idiots."

A cold wind emerged from the treetops, pushed open the window, and suddenly, the wind carried the undershirt, underwear, and boxer shorts out, swaying unsteadily.

Elder Sun shook off the carbonized flesh, changed into clean clothes, and said, "Go find Xiao Wang."

The cold wind, which had carried his clothes, didn't leave but returned to the treetops. Soon, the lively sounds of quarreling emerged from the lush branches and leaves.

"You go, it's your turn."

"I'm not going."

"I'll beat you if you don't go."

After a few seconds, one side conceded, transforming into a cold wind and floating out of the courtyard.

Elder Sun lay on the recliner, closing his eyes to rest. His complexion appeared slightly pale, and he had puffy bags under his eyes.

A few minutes later, hurried footsteps approached, and a middle-aged man in black clothes and pants, led by the cold wind, crossed the threshold and entered the courtyard.

"Elder Sun, you're finally out," Xiao Wang exclaimed in surprise.

Elder Sun nodded, "Contact Elder Gou from the Songhai branch. I need to talk to him."

Among the five major organizations in the Five Elements Alliance, Baihua Society and Taiyi Sect were the closest, so Elder Gou and Elder Sun were often seen together.

"Elder Gou is in Beijing. He arrived yesterday and has been waiting for you."

Elder Sun opened his eyes and said, "He's in Beijing? Go and bring him here."

The middle-aged man in black left, and about half an hour later, a curly-haired Teddy, striding elegantly with an air of arrogance, arrived at the courtyard.

The middle-aged man followed behind, carrying a silver tray with a pair of worn-out red dance shoes on it.

"I calculated that you should be leaving the Spiritual Realm soon," Elder Gou said as he examined him, raising an eyebrow. "You're injured. Do you need my help with healing?"

Elder Sun, of course, wouldn't pass up the chance to use a Restoration Master's services. He said, "Please! Although the Night Roaming God has good self-healing abilities, this time my injuries are somewhat different."

The Teddy nodded slightly, walked to the side of the recliner, raised one paw, and placed it on Elder Sun's leg.

A bright but not dazzling green light rose, casting a vibrant green hue over the courtyard. Bathed in the green light, Elder Sun's complexion gradually became rosy, and the swelling under his eyes receded.

"Phew," Elder Sun exhaled comfortably. "That should do it. Did you come to Beijing with a request?"

Elder Gou withdrew his paw, and his green light dissipated. He said, "It's not exactly a request, just a small favor. I treated you just now as payment for your help."

With that, he turned and gestured for the middle-aged man to approach.

The man came forward, holding the tray with the red dance shoes. Elder Gou said, "This item has been contaminated with witchcraft."

Elder Sun stared at the red dance shoes, feeling a strange sense of familiarity but unable to place it.

"No problem," Elder Sun said without much thought. He extended his hand, palm hovering over the red dance shoes. Clear and scorching golden light spewed out, bathing the shoes. The dingy colors on the surface, as if stained by dirt, quickly peeled away.

A few seconds later, it became new again.

"Dadada."

The red dancing shoes happily leaped off the tray and bounced around in the courtyard.

They seemed lively and appeared to have self-awareness. Initially, Elder Sun thought they were expressing joy about escaping until he saw a message floating above the red dancing shoes:

"Do you want to dance with me? If so, please step in place."

"Hmm, where's the person?"

Suddenly, he realized that these shoes were looking for someone, but they hadn't found their target, so they were wandering in the yard.

At the same time, Elder Sun finally understood why they felt familiar. These shoes were the rule-type props from the She Ling Tunnel, consistent with the records in the old strategy.

In other words, their owner was Yuan Shi Tian Zun!

Elder Sun withdrew his gaze and looked at Teddy, saying in a serious tone:

"These shoes belong to Yuan Shi Tian Zun?"

The Elder Dog nodded.

"I was just about to find you from the Five Elements Alliance," Elder Sun phrased carefully. "I was in the exclusive spirit realm of Night Wanderer, and I encountered the Three Dao Mountain Goddess, the one who injured me."

The Elder Dog raised an eyebrow.

"That goddess is powerful. I almost couldn't return, but I gained some insights. I think I understand why she's searching for Yuan Shi Tian Zun," Elder Sun sighed, saying:

"That kid took away a part of her Yang soul, and without that part of Yang soul, she can't continue to advance, let alone break through the spirit realm."

The Elder Dog's expression underwent a human-like change, from shock to astonishment to elation.

That kid had actually acquired the Yang soul of an ancient Day Wanderer, something most rule-type props couldn't compare to.

Elder Sun cleared his throat and got straight to the point, "The Three Dao Mountain Goddess will definitely try to retrieve her Yang soul. Yuan Shi Tian Zun's level is too low to bear this karma. The Taiyi Clan is willing to negotiate, and the conditions are open."

The Elder Dog remained silent.

Elder Sun furrowed his brow, surprised. "You're not willing? The Five Elements Alliance doesn't have a Night Wanderer, and her Yang soul wouldn't be of much use to you. You might not even get to see her."

"We don't need it, but Yuan Shi can. Keeping the Three Dao Mountain Goddess's Yang soul, he'll be able to bear this karma when he becomes a Dominator in the future," the Elder Dog said.

Elder Sun looked puzzled, "You have such high expectations for him? Do you know how difficult it is to ascend to Dominator?"

The Elder Dog replied, "Well, he's the next key figure the Five Elements Alliance is focusing on. As long as he passes the major assessment, we'll spare no effort to nurture him."

"Why?" Elder Sun struggled to understand.

The Elder Dog explained, "Because he has cleared two S-level spirit realms, because he was awarded an A-level achievement just a few days ago. And with this karma, he's even more worth nurturing, isn't he?"

Elder Sun was stunned, "An A-level achievement? Are you not joking with me?"

Achieving an A-level accomplishment was incredibly difficult, usually requiring the defeat of a Dominator-level evil profession or the resolution of a major crisis or the capture of important props, which could only be done by Dominator-level Elders.

How could a low-level practitioner achieve that?

The Elder Dog gave him a look, somewhat pitying, "Old Sun, you're confused!"

"What do you mean by that?" Elder Sun didn't understand, feeling that this phrase was oddly familiar. He was about to ask when the red dancing shoes clattered over and stopped in front of the rocking chair.

A message appeared:

"Do you want to dance with me? If so, please step in place."

Elder Sun waved his hand, making a shooing gesture, and continued the previous topic, "If you can't decide, I can have the Sect Leader and the Female Marshal negotiate."

As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Sun was kicked in the head by an invisible force.

He was dumbfounded as he turned to look at the red dancing shoes by the rocking chair.

In this day and age, how could there still be props that dared to attack him?

Elder Sun's shooing gesture had triggered the attack rule of the red dancing shoes. For anyone who didn't dance with them, the red dancing shoes would show no mercy.

Pounding footsteps, the red dancing shoes leaped onto Elder Sun and launched a continuous attack, stomping heavily on the elderly man.

The Elder Dog looked at him with pity, "Have you forgotten the rules of these dancing shoes?"

"If you don't dance with them, they'll kill you," Elder Sun remembered.

"Their pursuit is relentless, and they cannot be evaded or destroyed unless you dance with them," the Elder Dog added.

Elder Sun sighed, "It's a crude rule."

He closed his eyes and allowed the red dancing shoes to trample him as his spirit left his body.

Elder Sun's breath disappeared in an instant, and his heart stopped beating, showing no signs of life.

For a Night Wanderer, astral projection was a routine operation. When the consciousness left the body, the physical body would enter a state of pseudo-death.

The frequency of the red dancing shoes' stomping slowed down as they stopped by the rocking chair, observing for a few seconds. Then, they suddenly kicked again, but Elder Sun remained unresponsive.

Seeing that he was already dead, the red dancing shoes immediately changed direction, clattering over to the Elder Dog and displaying a message:

"Do you want to dance with me? If so, please step in place."

The Elder Dog's canine face froze.

Elder Sun's spirit returned, and he opened his eyes, mocking, "I never expected to have the privilege of witnessing your dance. I can give you some time for a dance."

The Elder Dog sneered, "As if I have no means. Do you think these dancing shoes can harm me at all? Fine, I'll give you some time for a dance."

Elder Sun hmphed, "A rudimentary rule."

He closed his eyes, allowing the red dancing shoes to trample him, and his spirit left his body.

Elder Sun's presence vanished, and his heart stopped beating, devoid of any signs of life.

The red dancing shoes' stomping slowed down, and they stopped by the rocking chair, observing for a few moments. Suddenly, they kicked again with a loud thud, but Elder Sun remained motionless.

Seeing that he had indeed died, the red dancing shoes immediately changed direction, clattering over to the Elder Dog and displaying a message:

"Do you want to dance with me? If so, please step in place."

The Elder Dog's canine face froze.

Elder Sun's spirit returned to his body, and he opened his eyes, jesting, "I never expected to have the privilege of witnessing your dance. I can give you some time for a dance."

The Elder Dog chuckled, "Well, I guess I don't have any means, huh? Do these dancing shoes really harm me? Alright, I'll give you a dance."

Elder Sun smirked, "A simplistic rule."

He closed his eyes, allowing the red dancing shoes to continue their dance , and his spirit separated from his body.

Elder Sun's breath disappeared, and his heart stopped, rendering him lifeless.

The red dancing shoes slowed their stomping, stopping by the rocking chair, observing for a moment. Then, they suddenly kicked again, but Elder Sun remained unresponsive.

Seeing that he had truly passed away, the red dancing shoes immediately changed direction, clattering over to the Elder Dog and displaying a message:

"Do you want to dance with me? If so, please step in place."

The Elder Dog's canine expression turned rigid.

Elder Sun, after watching Teddy disappear outside the courtyard gate, withdrew his gaze and furrowed his brow in contemplation for a moment before suddenly asking,

"What happened while I was gone? How did that Yuan Shi Tian Zun receive an A-level achievement?"

The middle-aged man in black clothing, relieved that the shoes hadn't locked onto him, proceeded to inform Elder Sun of the recent events.

"So that's how it is," Elder Sun realized, filled with emotion. "That kid's growth rate is indeed surprising. I made a mistake by not recruiting him in the beginning."

Suddenly, he paused, beginning to understand the meaning behind the Elder Dog's earlier remark, "Confused."

Elder Sun fell silent for a moment and then cautiously asked,

"During my absence, have there been any rumors about me in the sect?"

The middle-aged man in black clothing, with a conflicted expression, reluctantly took out his phone and opened the Night Wanderer official website. He entered the search term: "Elder Sun confused!"

Then, he handed the phone over with caution, saying, "You can take a look for yourself."

Elder Sun, with a mixture of confusion and seriousness, took the phone. He saw numerous forum posts containing the phrase "Elder Sun is confused," totaling over two hundred.

This highly respected elder had become synonymous with expressing deep sorrow and emotion in the Taiyi Clan when people were feeling down or angry. They would simply say, "Elder Sun is confused."

In times of distress, sorrow, or anger, they would just say, "Elder Sun is confused."

Elder Sun's hands trembled even more as he scrolled through those posts. They all accused him of being confused and of missing out on talent, making him gradually feel petrified, his face devoid of hope.

(End of this chapter)

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Hello my dear readers! How are you so far? I hope you enjoy reading :) See you next chapter! Take care 😘