liǎng rén děng le yuē bàn gè shí chén 。 lín xuān tū rán zhēng kāi shuāng móu 。 wàng xiàng yuǎn chù de tiān kōng 。
两人等了约半个时辰。林轩突然睁开双眸。望向远处的天空。
The two waited for about half an hour. Lin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the distant sky.
“ biǎo dì 。 zěn me le ？” yè qīng chéng liě le liě zuǐ jiǎo 。 zhè ge chēng hū 。 hái zhēn yǒu xiē bù xí guàn 。
“表弟。怎么了？”叶青城咧了咧嘴角。这个称呼。还真有些不习惯。
"Brother-in-law, what's wrong?" Ye Qingcheng smiled slightly. He really wasn't used to being called that.
“ tā men lái le 。” lín xuān shōu huí yǎn guāng 。 dàn dàn de dào 。
“他们来了。”林轩收回眼光。淡淡的道。
"They're here," Lin Xuan收回 his gaze and said in a calm tone.
“ liǔ jiā rén ？” yè qīng chéng yī lèng 。 fàng chū shén shí 。 duì zhe lín xuān suǒ zhǐ de fāng xiàng zǐ xì sōu suǒ 。 hǎo bù róng yì cái gǎn yìng dào yǒu jǐ gè rén zhèng cháo zhè biān fēi lái 。 xīn zhōng bù yóu dà wèi jīng yà 。 zhè wèi shǎo zhǔ hái zhēn shì míng bù xū chuán a 。 shén shí bǐ zì jǐ qiáng le bú shì yì diǎn bàn diǎn 。
“柳家人？”叶青城一愣。放出神识。对着林轩所指的方向仔细搜索。好不容易才感应到有几个人正朝这边飞来。心中不由大为惊讶。这位少主还真是名不虚传啊。神识比自己强了不是一点半点。
"C柳家 people?" Ye Qingcheng was taken aback. He released his spirit sense and carefully searched the direction Lin Xuan had pointed at. After some effort, he finally sensed several figures flying towards them. He couldn't help feeling surprised. This young master truly lived up to his reputation; his spirit sense was far superior to his own.
yuán běn tā hái yǒu xiē dān xīn lín xuān nián qīng 。 jié chéng jīn dān de shí jiān tài duǎn 。 xiàn zài kàn lái 。 kǒng pà shì zì jǐ qǐ rén yōu tiān 。 suī rán méi yǒu jiàn guò lín xuān chū shǒu 。 bù zhī dào tā bié de shén tōng jiū jìng rú hé 。 bù guò dān jiù shén shí ér yán 。 xiǎn rán yǐ yuǎn shèng yì bān de níng dān qī xiū shì 。
原本他还有些担心林轩年轻。结成金丹的时间太短。现在看来。恐怕是自己杞人忧天。虽然没有见过林轩出手。不知道他别的神通究竟如何。不过单就神识而言。显然已远胜一般的凝丹期修士。
Originally, he was somewhat worried about Lin Xuan's youth and short time in forming a Golden Core, but now it seemed that his concerns were unfounded. Although he hadn't seen Lin Xuan fight, he didn’t know the extent of his other abilities. However, based on his spirit sense alone, Lin Xuan had clearly surpassed ordinary Condensation Core cultivators.
lín xuān xiào ér bù yǔ 。 bù guò hěn kuài jiù liǎn sè yī biàn ：“ duì fāng gòng yǒu sān rén 。 kàn lái liǔ jiā yě zhǎo lái le bāng shǒu 。”
林轩笑而不语。不过很快就脸色一变：“对方共有三人。看来柳家也找来了帮手。”
Lin Xuan smiled without speaking. But soon his expression changed: "There are three of them. Looks like the柳家 also brought some help."
“ shén me ？” yè qīng chéng chī yī jīng 。 rú guǒ shì nà yàng de huà 。 kě yǔ zì jǐ de jì huà bù fú 。 duì fāng rén duō 。 zì jǐ zhè biān qǐ bù shì yào luò yú xià fēng le 。 lián máng jiāng shén shí fàng chū 。 bù guò yī zhǎn chá hòu 。 biǎo qíng què huǎn hé le xià lái ：“ duì fāng de rén què shí duō le yí gè 。 bù guò zhǐ shì zhù jī qī de xiū zhēn 。 bù zú wèi lǜ 。”
“什么？”叶青城吃一惊。如果是那样的话。可与自己的计划不符。对方人多。自己这边岂不是要落于下风了。连忙将神识放出。不过一盏茶后。表情却缓和了下来：“对方的人确实多了一个。不过只是筑基期的修真。不足为虑。”
"What?" Ye Qingcheng was startled. If that were the case, it wouldn’t align with his plans. With more people on their side, he would surely be at a disadvantage. He quickly released his spirit sense but relaxed after a while: "There is indeed one more person, but he’s only at the Foundation Establishment stage; not worth worrying about."
lín xuān méi tóu wēi tiāo 。 méi yǒu duō yán 。 rán ér xīn zhōng què yǒu bù hǎo de yù gǎn 。 shì qíng shì fǒu zhēn yǒu zhè me jiǎn dān ？
林轩眉头微挑。没有多言。然而心中却有不好的预感。事情是否真有这么简单？
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. However, he had a bad feeling that things might not be as simple as they seemed.
hěn kuài 。 nà sān gè rén de shēn yǐng jiù chū xiàn zài le tiān biān 。 xùn jié yǐ jí de cháo zhè biān le guò lái 。
很快。那三个人的身影就出现在了天边。迅捷以极的朝这边了过来。
Soon, those three figures appeared on the horizon, moving swiftly towards them.
wèi de shì yī róng mào kū jiāo de lǎo 。 là xià dùn guāng yǐ hòu 。 tā jiù chōng yè qīng chéng bào le bào quán ：“ yè xiōng 。 méi xiǎng dào nǐ xiān lái le 。 zhè wèi shì ……”
为的是一容貌枯焦的老。落下遁光以后。他就冲叶青城抱了抱拳：“叶兄。没想到你先来了。这位是……”
One of them was an old man with a withered and sunken appearance. After leaving his遁光, he greeted Ye Qingcheng: "Brother Ye, I didn’t expect you to come first. This is..."
shuō wán 。 tā dǎ liàng le yī yǎn lín xuān 。 sì hū yǒu xiē yǎn shú 。 kě què xiǎng bù qǐ jiū jìng shì shuí le 。 rán ér xiū wèi què bù róng xiǎo shì 。 tóng yàng shì níng dān qī 。
说完。他打量了一眼林轩。似乎有些眼熟。可却想不起究竟是谁了。然而修为却不容小视。同样是凝丹期。
He sized up Lin Xuan as he spoke, recognizing something familiar but unable to recall exactly who it was. However, his cultivation wasn't to be underestimated; he was also at the Condensation Core stage.
“ zhè wèi shì yè mǒu de biǎo dì 。 liǔ xiōng céng jiàn guò de 。” yè qīng chéng bù lù shēng sè de jiè shào 。
“这位是叶某的表弟。柳兄曾见过的。”叶青城不露声色的介绍。
"This young man is my brother-in-law, Brother Liu has met before," Ye Qingcheng introduced without revealing much.
“ biǎo dì 。 nán dào shì lín xuān ？”
“表弟。难道是林轩？”
"Brother-in-law, could it be Lin Xuan?"
liǔ jūn háo yī lèng 。 suí jí xiǎng le qǐ lái 。 yè jiā què shí yǒu zhè me yí gè kuáng fàng bù jī de gāo shǒu 。 rán ér tīng shuō zǎo jiù wài chū yún yóu 。 yī sī yīn xùn yě méi yǒu 。 zěn me piān piān zài zhè ge jiē gǔ yǎn ér huí lái le 。 xīn zhōng yí yún dà qǐ 。 rán ér kàn lín xuān de wài mào 。 què shí yǔ jì yì yī yī chóng hé 。 sī háo pò zhàn yě méi yǒu 。 zì rán bù hǎo duō shuō shén me 。
柳君豪一愣。随即想了起来。叶家确实有这么一个狂放不羁的高手。然而听说早就外出云游。一丝音讯也没有。怎么偏偏在这个节骨眼儿回来了。心中疑云大起。然而看林轩的外貌。确实与记忆一一重合。丝毫破绽也没有。自然不好多说什么。
Liu Junhao was taken aback but then remembered. The Ye Family did indeed have such a wild and unrestrained expert, who had been absent for so long that no news of him had come in. Why would he return just now? He was filled with doubts, yet the appearance of this person matched his memory perfectly without any flaws, so he didn't dare say much more.
“ jiàn guò liǔ jiā zhǔ 。” lín xuān bào quán xíng le yī lǐ 。 zhè shí hòu 。 jiù suàn shì xū yǔ wēi yí 。 zuò zuò yàng zi zǒng hái shì yào de 。
“见过柳家主。”林轩抱拳行了一礼。这时候。就算是虚与委蛇。做做样子总还是要的。
"I've met Master Liu," Lin Xuan greeted politely. Even if it was merely a formality, it was necessary to make such gestures at times.
bù guò lín xuān dì zhù yì lì kě bù zài zhè lǐ 。 ér shì luò zài le nà míng bù qǐ yǎn de zhù jī qī xiū shì shēn shàng 。
不过林轩地注意力可不在这里。而是落在了那名不起眼的筑基期修士身上。
But Lin Xuan's attention wasn’t on him; instead, it fell on the unremarkable Foundation Establishment cultivator.
tián xiǎo jiàn ！
田小剑！
It was Tiao Xiaojian!
jiàn dào cǐ rén 。 lín xuān hái zhēn shì dà chī yī jīng 。 bù zhī dào zhè xiǎo zi jiū jìng yòng le shén me guǐ jì 。 shuō fú liǔ jiā dài tā tóng háng 。
见到此人。林轩还真是大吃一惊。不知道这小子究竟用了什么诡计。说服柳家带他同行。
Seeing this person, Lin Xuan was truly surprised. He had no idea what trick this brat used to convince the Liu Family to bring him along.
cǐ shí tā shēn tǐ zhōu wéi de líng qì bō dòng 。 yuē zài zhù jī zhōng qī 。 bù guò lín xuān kě shì zhī gēn zhī dǐ 。 zhè xiǎo zi tóng yàng jīn dān dà chéng 。
此时他身体周围的灵气波动。约在筑基中期。不过林轩可是知根知底。这小子同样金丹大成。
At that moment, his body was emitting a fluctuation of qi around the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. But Lin Xuan knew well; Tiao Xiaojian had already formed a Golden Core.
“ zhè wèi xiǎo gē shì ……” yè qīng chéng dāng rán bù zhī dào zhè zhōng jiān de māo nì 。 bìng wèi jiāng tián xiǎo jiàn fàng zài yǎn lǐ 。 bù guò miàn zi shàng hái shì yào wèn yī xià de 。 liǔ jiā dài zhè me yī wèi zhù jī qī de xiǎo bèi lái 。 bú huì méi yǒu yòng yì 。
“这位小哥是……”叶青城当然不知道这中间的猫腻。并未将田小剑放在眼里。不过面子上还是要问一下的。柳家带这么一位筑基期的小辈来。不会没有用意。
"Who is this young man?" Ye Qingcheng didn’t know about the intrigue and paid no attention to Tiao Xiaojian. However, he still asked out of politeness since the Liu Family brought such a junior cultivator for some reason.
“ xiǎo jiàn 。 hái bú jiàn guò liǎng wèi qián bèi 。” liǔ jūn háo huí tóu hē chì 。 rán hòu yòu zhǎn róng xiào dào ：“ xiǎo jiàn nǎi shì lǎo fū dì wài zhí 。 gēn suí fù qīn xìng tián 。 zhè diǎn dào rú lín dào yǒu yì bān 。 yě suàn shì wǒ liǔ jiā de xuè mài 。 lǎo fū dài tā qián lái 。 yè xiōng bú huì yǒu yì yì ba ！”
“小剑。还不见过两位前辈。”柳君豪回头呵斥。然后又展容笑道：“小剑乃是老夫地外侄。跟随父亲姓田。这点倒如林道友一般。也算是我柳家的血脉。老夫带他前来。叶兄不会有异议吧！”
"Tiao Xiaojian, you haven't met our two seniors yet," Liu Junhao scolded him before smiling again: "Xiaojian is my nephew, following his father's surname. He’s similar to Lin Daoist in that regard and considered part of the Liu Family’s lineage. Brother Ye, do you have any objections to me bringing him along?"
yè qīng chéng hēng le yī shēng 。 yě lǎn de qù biàn rèn zhè fān huà shì zhēn shì jiǎ 。 yí gè zhù jī qī de xiǎo zi 。 nán dào hái néng gòu chéng wēi xié 。 ruò zhēn shì fān liǎn dòng qǐ shǒu lái 。 kǒng pà hái huì chéng wéi liǔ jiā de léi zhuì 。 tā zhuǎn guò tóu 。 zhǐ zhe nà kuí wú de dà hàn 。 xiàng lín xuān jiè shào ：“ zhè wèi liǔ yán dào yǒu 。 wài hào dà lì jīn gāng 。 suǒ xiū dì gōng fǎ yǔ zhòng bù tóng 。 suàn shì wǒ níng dān qī xiū shì zhōng de yī wèi yì shù 。”
叶青城哼了一声。也懒得去辨认这番话是真是假。一个筑基期的小子。难道还能构成威胁。若真是翻脸动起手来。恐怕还会成为柳家的累赘。他转过头。指着那魁梧的大汉。像林轩介绍：“这位柳岩道友。外号大力金刚。所修地功法与众不同。算是我凝丹期修士中的一位异数。”
Ye Qingcheng grunted but didn’t bother verifying the truth of these words. A junior Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't pose a threat; if they did turn hostile, he might become a burden to the Liu Family. He turned and pointed at the large man: "This is Master Liu Yan, known as the Strongman. His cultivation method is unique, making him an anomaly among my Condensation Core cultivators."
“ liǔ yán dào yǒu hǎo 。” lín xuān yǒu hǎo de zhāo hū 。
“柳岩道友好。”林轩友好的招呼。
"Master Liu Yan," Lin Xuan greeted amiably.
nà dà hàn què hēng le yī shēng 。 ài lǐ bù lǐ 。 lín xuān bù yǐ wéi yì 。 xīn zhōng fǎn ér àn àn huān xǐ 。 zhè liǔ yán xǐ nù jiē xíng yú sè 。 xiǎn rán shì yī tóu nǎo jiǎn dān 。 sì zhī dá dì jiā huo 。 bù zú wèi lǜ 。
那大汉却哼了一声。爱理不理。林轩不以为意。心中反而暗暗欢喜。这柳岩喜怒皆行于色。显然是一头脑简单。四肢达地家伙。不足为虑。
The large man grunted indifferently. Lin Xuan didn’t mind; in fact, he was secretly pleased. This Liu Yan’s emotions were clearly visible on his face—obviously a simple-minded brute who could be easily dismissed.
zhè shí tián xiǎo jiàn yě zǒu le guò lái ：“ jiàn guò liǎng wèi qián bèi 。”
这时田小剑也走了过来：“见过两位前辈。”
At this point, Tiao Xiaojian approached: "I’ve met our two seniors."
“ bà le 。” lín xuān tóu wēi wēi shàng yáng 。 lù chū yī fù gāo rén dì mú yàng 。 zhè fān bǎi pǔ 。 guǒ rán ràng tián xiǎo jiàn yí xīn jǐn qù 。 suī rán xìng míng xiāng tóng 。 dàn zhè rén yǔ líng yào shān shǎo zhǔ xiāng bǐ 。 xiǎn rán chà yuǎn le 。
“罢了。”林轩头微微上扬。露出一副高人地模样。这番摆谱。果然让田小剑疑心尽去。虽然姓名相同。但这人与灵药山少主相比。显然差远了。
"Never mind," Lin Xuan raised his head slightly, adopting an air of superiority. This display indeed dispelled Tiao Xiaojian’s doubts; although their names were the same, this person was clearly far less powerful than the young master of Spirit Herb Mountain.
shuāng fāng yòu pí xiào ròu bù xiào de liáo le jǐ jù 。 yè qīng chéng kāi kǒu le ：“ liǔ xiōng 。 tiān sè bù zǎo 。 wǒ men hái shì jǐn kuài xún bǎo ba ！”
双方又皮笑肉不笑的聊了几句。叶青城开口了：“柳兄。天色不早。我们还是尽快寻宝吧！”
They chatted superficially for a few more moments before Ye Qingcheng spoke up: "Brother Liu, it's late. Let’s find the treasure as soon as possible."
“ ń 。 lǎo fū yě yǒu cǐ yì 。”
“嗯。老夫也有此意。”
"Agreed," Liu Junhao nodded. Then both family leaders took out jade cylinder scrolls from their storage pouches and blew on them.
rán hòu liǎng wèi jiā zhǔ bù zài chí yí 。 gè zì cóng chǔ wù dài lǐ qǔ chū le yí gè yù tǒng jiǎn lái 。
然后两位家主不再迟疑。各自从储物袋里取出了一个玉筒简来。
Ye Qingcheng blew into his scroll, then gently tapped at it, sending a green light that illuminated several feet of space in front of him.
yè qīng chéng chōng yù tǒng chuī le kǒu qì 。 yòu yòng shǒu qīng qīng yì diǎn 。 cóng nà yù tǒng jiǎn lǐ 。 dùn shí fēi shè chū yī dào qīng guāng 。 zhào shè zài shēn qián shù chǐ de xū kōng zhī shàng 。
叶青城冲玉筒吹了口气。又用手轻轻一点。从那玉筒简里。顿时飞射出一道青光。照射在身前数尺的虚空之上。
It was an image with mountains and rivers, but it was incomplete and didn’t reveal the location of the ancient mine.
nà shì yī fú tú xiàng 。 shàng miàn yǒu shān yǒu shuǐ 。 kě xī cán quē bù quán 。 bìng kàn bù chū shàng gǔ yí kuàng zài shén me dì fāng 。
那是一幅图像。上面有山有水。可惜残缺不全。并看不出上古遗矿在什么地方。
Another green light flew over, as Liu Junhao similarly activated his scroll. The two lights combined to finally form a complete map.
zhè shí hòu yòu yī dào qīng guāng fēi le guò lái 。 què shì nà liǔ jūn háo tóng yàng jī le yù tǒng jiǎn 。 liǎng dào qīng guāng hé zài yì qǐ 。 zhōng yú pīn còu chū le yī fú wán zhěng dì tú xiàng 。
这时候又一道青光飞了过来。却是那柳君豪同样激了玉筒简。两道青光合在一起。终于拼凑出了一幅完整地图像。
Everyone’s spirit sense focused on this image.
suǒ yǒu rén dì shén shí 。 quán dōu luò zài le shàng miàn 。
所有人地神识。全都落在了上面。
After a moment, Liu Junhao put away his scroll and took off into the sky first.
shǎo qǐng 。 liǔ jūn háo shōu qǐ yù tǒng jiǎn 。 shuài xiān fēi shàng le tiān 。
少顷。柳君豪收起玉筒简。率先飞上了天。
The others followed suit, transforming into various colored beams of light.
qí tā rén jiàn cǐ 。 tóng yàng huà wèi gè sè guāng zhù wěi suí ér zhì 。
其他人见此。同样化为各色光柱尾随而至。
They flew for nearly half a day before finally landing in a mountain range.
zhè yī fēi jiù shì xiǎo bàn tiān 。 jǐn guǎn yǒu dì tú zhǐ diǎn 。 kě zhòng rén qún shān zhōng zhǎo le hǎo jiǔ cái zhōng yú jiàng luò xià lái 。
这一飞就是小半天。尽管有地图指点。可众人群山中找了好久才终于降落下来。
"Is it here?" Liu Yan looked at the small hill in front of him with a puzzled expression.
“ jiù shì zhè lǐ ma ？” liǔ yán kàn zhuó yǎn qián de xiǎo shān 。 yǎn zhōng lù chū yī piàn máng rán 。
“就是这里吗？”柳岩看着眼前的小山。眼中露出一片茫然。
"It should be," Liu Junhao’s face was also uncertain. According to the map, the treasure mine resembled a crescent moon, but there were no such hills within a thousand miles. However, nearby scenery seemed similar.
“ yīng gāi shì ba ！” liǔ jūn háo dì liǎn shàng 。 yě mǎn shì bù què dìng zhī sè 。 àn zhào dì tú suǒ shuō 。 bǎo kuàng suǒ zài de xiǎo shān 。 xíng rú yī lún wān yuè 。 kě zhè fāng yuán qiān lǐ yǐ nèi 。 nǎ yǒu zhè zhǒng xíng zhuàng de xiǎo shān 。 bù guò chú le zhè diǎn 。 fù jìn de jǐng wù hái shì pǒ wèi xiāng sì 。
“应该是吧！”柳君豪地脸上。也满是不确定之色。按照地图所说。宝矿所在的小山。形如一轮弯月。可这方圆千里以内。哪有这种形状的小山。不过除了这点。附近的景物还是颇为相似。
"Perhaps it's沧海桑田 that changed the shape of the hill," Tiao Xiaojian spoke up.
“ yīng gāi shì cāng hǎi sāng tián 。 ràng xiǎo shān de xíng zhuàng shēng le biàn qiān 。” tián xiǎo jiàn kāi kǒu le 。
“应该是沧海桑田。让小山的形状生了变迁。”田小剑开口了。
"Hmm," everyone nodded in agreement; this analysis had some merit.
“ ń 。” zhòng rén tīng le 。 lián lián diǎn tóu 。 zhè fān fēn xī 。 dào hái yǒu nà me jǐ fēn dào lǐ 。
“嗯。”众人听了。连连点头。这番分析。倒还有那么几分道理。
"Let’s search then. We’ll know soon enough." Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow and suggested calmly.
“ xíng le 。 bù guǎn shì bú shì 。 dà jiā zhǎo yī zhǎo 。 bù jiù zhī dào le 。” lín xuān méi tóu yī tiāo 。 cóng róng bù pò de jiàn yì 。
“行了。不管是不是。大家找一找。不就知道了。”林轩眉头一挑。从容不迫的建议。
"Master Lin is right," Liu Junhao stroked his beard. It was clear that each of them harbored hidden intentions, but before finding the treasure, they still needed to cooperate. After all, this ancient mine was dangerous, and relying on one person alone wouldn’t suffice.
“ lín dào yǒu suǒ yán shèn shì 。” liǔ jūn háo mō le mō hú xū 。 shuō qǐ lái 。 zhòng rén zì rán shì gè huái guǐ tāi 。 bù guò zài zhǎo dào bǎo zàng yǐ qián 。 hái shì yào tōng lì hé zuò yī fān 。 bì jìng zhè shàng gǔ yí kuàng 。 wēi xiǎn chóng chóng 。 dàn píng yī rén 。 hěn nán xún bǎo chéng gōng 。
“林道友所言甚是。”柳君豪摸了摸胡须。说起来。众人自然是各怀鬼胎。不过在找到宝藏以前。还是要通力合作一番。毕竟这上古遗矿。危险重重。但凭一人。很难寻宝成功。
Of course, whether they would share the treasure equally or plot something else remained a mystery only known to their hearts.
dāng rán 。 zhǎo dào bǎo wù yǐ hòu 。 shì àn zhào yuē dìng píng fēn 。 hái shì lìng yǒu shén me guǐ jì 。 jiù zhǐ yǒu gè rén xīn zhōng qīng chǔ 。
当然。找到宝物以后。是按照约定平分。还是另有什么诡计。就只有各人心中清楚。
Then the five of them dispersed, releasing their spirit senses to search nearby.
rán hòu wǔ rén sàn kāi fēi le chū qù 。 fàng chū shén shí 。 zài fù jìn sōu suǒ le qǐ lái 。
然后五人散开飞了出去。放出神识。在附近搜索了起来。
Lin Xuan glanced at Tiao Xiaojian; this brat was looking downcast and showed no obvious flaws from his appearance.
lín xuān kàn le yī yǎn tián xiǎo jiàn 。 zhǐ jiàn zhè xiǎo zi dī méi shùn mù 。 cóng biǎo miàn shàng kàn 。 méi yǒu rèn hé pò zhàn 。
林轩看了一眼田小剑。只见这小子低眉顺目。从表面上看。没有任何破绽。
Lin Xuan smiled slightly, showing a hint of mockery. Then he too searched silently in the area.
The two waited for about half an hour. Lin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the distant sky.
"Brother-in-law, what's wrong?" Ye Qingcheng smiled slightly. He really wasn't used to being called that.
"They're here," Lin Xuan收回 his gaze and said in a calm tone.
"C柳家 people?" Ye Qingcheng was taken aback. He released his spirit sense and carefully searched the direction Lin Xuan had pointed at. After some effort, he finally sensed several figures flying towards them. He couldn't help feeling surprised. This young master truly lived up to his reputation; his spirit sense was far superior to his own.
Originally, he was somewhat worried about Lin Xuan's youth and short time in forming a Golden Core, but now it seemed that his concerns were unfounded. Although he hadn't seen Lin Xuan fight, he didn’t know the extent of his other abilities. However, based on his spirit sense alone, Lin Xuan had clearly surpassed ordinary Condensation Core cultivators.
Lin Xuan smiled without speaking. But soon his expression changed: "There are three of them. Looks like the柳家 also brought some help."
"What?" Ye Qingcheng was startled. If that were the case, it wouldn’t align with his plans. With more people on their side, he would surely be at a disadvantage. He quickly released his spirit sense but relaxed after a while: "There is indeed one more person, but he’s only at the Foundation Establishment stage; not worth worrying about."
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. However, he had a bad feeling that things might not be as simple as they seemed.
Soon, those three figures appeared on the horizon, moving swiftly towards them.
One of them was an old man with a withered and sunken appearance. After leaving his遁光, he greeted Ye Qingcheng: "Brother Ye, I didn’t expect you to come first. This is..."
He sized up Lin Xuan as he spoke, recognizing something familiar but unable to recall exactly who it was. However, his cultivation wasn't to be underestimated; he was also at the Condensation Core stage.
"This young man is my brother-in-law, Brother Liu has met before," Ye Qingcheng introduced without revealing much.
"Brother-in-law, could it be Lin Xuan?"
Liu Junhao was taken aback but then remembered. The Ye Family did indeed have such a wild and unrestrained expert, who had been absent for so long that no news of him had come in. Why would he return just now? He was filled with doubts, yet the appearance of this person matched his memory perfectly without any flaws, so he didn't dare say much more.
"I've met Master Liu," Lin Xuan greeted politely. Even if it was merely a formality, it was necessary to make such gestures at times.
But Lin Xuan's attention wasn’t on him; instead, it fell on the unremarkable Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It was Tiao Xiaojian!
Seeing this person, Lin Xuan was truly surprised. He had no idea what trick this brat used to convince the Liu Family to bring him along.
At that moment, his body was emitting a fluctuation of qi around the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. But Lin Xuan knew well; Tiao Xiaojian had already formed a Golden Core.
"Who is this young man?" Ye Qingcheng didn’t know about the intrigue and paid no attention to Tiao Xiaojian. However, he still asked out of politeness since the Liu Family brought such a junior cultivator for some reason.
"Tiao Xiaojian, you haven't met our two seniors yet," Liu Junhao scolded him before smiling again: "Xiaojian is my nephew, following his father's surname. He’s similar to Lin Daoist in that regard and considered part of the Liu Family’s lineage. Brother Ye, do you have any objections to me bringing him along?"
Ye Qingcheng grunted but didn’t bother verifying the truth of these words. A junior Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't pose a threat; if they did turn hostile, he might become a burden to the Liu Family. He turned and pointed at the large man: "This is Master Liu Yan, known as the Strongman. His cultivation method is unique, making him an anomaly among my Condensation Core cultivators."
"Master Liu Yan," Lin Xuan greeted amiably.
The large man grunted indifferently. Lin Xuan didn’t mind; in fact, he was secretly pleased. This Liu Yan’s emotions were clearly visible on his face—obviously a simple-minded brute who could be easily dismissed.
At this point, Tiao Xiaojian approached: "I’ve met our two seniors."
"Never mind," Lin Xuan raised his head slightly, adopting an air of superiority. This display indeed dispelled Tiao Xiaojian’s doubts; although their names were the same, this person was clearly far less powerful than the young master of Spirit Herb Mountain.
They chatted superficially for a few more moments before Ye Qingcheng spoke up: "Brother Liu, it's late. Let’s find the treasure as soon as possible."
"Agreed," Liu Junhao nodded. Then both family leaders took out jade cylinder scrolls from their storage pouches and blew on them.
Ye Qingcheng blew into his scroll, then gently tapped at it, sending a green light that illuminated several feet of space in front of him.
It was an image with mountains and rivers, but it was incomplete and didn’t reveal the location of the ancient mine.
Another green light flew over, as Liu Junhao similarly activated his scroll. The two lights combined to finally form a complete map.
Everyone’s spirit sense focused on this image.
After a moment, Liu Junhao put away his scroll and took off into the sky first.
The others followed suit, transforming into various colored beams of light.
They flew for nearly half a day before finally landing in a mountain range.
"Is it here?" Liu Yan looked at the small hill in front of him with a puzzled expression.
"It should be," Liu Junhao’s face was also uncertain. According to the map, the treasure mine resembled a crescent moon, but there were no such hills within a thousand miles. However, nearby scenery seemed similar.
"Perhaps it's沧海桑田 that changed the shape of the hill," Tiao Xiaojian spoke up.
"Hmm," everyone nodded in agreement; this analysis had some merit.
"Let’s search then. We’ll know soon enough." Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow and suggested calmly.
"Master Lin is right," Liu Junhao stroked his beard. It was clear that each of them harbored hidden intentions, but before finding the treasure, they still needed to cooperate. After all, this ancient mine was dangerous, and relying on one person alone wouldn’t suffice.
Of course, whether they would share the treasure equally or plot something else remained a mystery only known to their hearts.
Then the five of them dispersed, releasing their spirit senses to search nearby.
Lin Xuan glanced at Tiao Xiaojian; this brat was looking downcast and showed no obvious flaws from his appearance.
Lin Xuan smiled slightly, showing a hint of mockery. Then he too searched silently in the area.