nà jīng hóng dào yě xùn ， jǐn jǐn bàn zhǎn chá de gōng fu ， jiù lái dào yǎn qián le ， guāng huá shōu liǎn ， lù chū le yī míng zhōng nián dà hàn de róng yán 。
那惊虹倒也迅，仅仅半盏茶的功夫，就来到眼前了，光华收敛，露出了一名中年大汉的容颜。
That shocking虹 light was swift. It arrived before Lin Xuan in just half a cup of tea's time, the radiance fading to reveal the face of an older man.
yuē sì shí yú suì nián jì ， shēn cái zhuàng shuò ， xiǎn de shēng qì bó bó 。
约四十余岁年纪，身材壮硕，显得生气勃勃。
Around forty years old, he was sturdy and vibrant.
suī rán miàn róng shàng bù mǎn cāng sāng zhī sè ， dàn lín xuān què jué de shí fēn yǎn shú 。
虽然面容上布满沧桑之色，但林轩却觉得十分眼熟。
Though his face bore signs of沧桑, Lin Xuan found him familiar.
nà rén dǎ liàng lín xuān yī fān zhī hòu ， tóng yàng liǎn yǒu jīng róng ， jiē jiē bā bā de kāi kǒu ：“ nǐ ， nǐ shì ……”
那人打量林轩一番之后，同样脸有惊容，结结巴巴的开口：“你，你是……”
After appraising Lin Xuan for a moment, the middle-aged man showed surprise on his face. He stammered, "You, you are..."
“ mǎ shī xiōng ， bǎi nián wèi jiàn le ， bié lái ān hǎo 。” lín xuān zuǐ jiǎo biān lù chū yī sī wēi xiào ， dàn dàn de kāi kǒu dào 。
“马师兄，百年未见了，别来安好。”林轩嘴角边露出一丝微笑，淡淡的开口道。
"Senior Brother Ma, it's been a century since we last met. How have you been?" Lin Xuan smiled faintly and spoke softly.
“ nǐ zhēn shì lín shī dì ？”
“你真是林师弟？”
"You're really Younger Brother Lin?"
jǐn guǎn xīn zhōng yǐ yǒu cāi cè ， dàn nà zhōng nián dà hàn hái shì yǒu xiē bù gǎn xiāng rèn de 。
尽管心中已有猜测，但那中年大汉还是有些不敢相认的。
Though he had guessed as much, the middle-aged man still hesitated to recognize him.
“ bù jiù shì wǒ ， xiǎo dì yě méi xiǎng dào huì zài zhè ér zài jiàn dào mǎ shī xiōng 。” lín xuān yǒu xiē gǎn kǎi de kāi kǒu 。
“不就是我，小弟也没想到会在这儿再见到马师兄。”林轩有些感慨的开口。
"It's just me. I didn't expect to see Senior Brother Ma again," Lin Xuan said with a touch of emotion in his voice.
cǐ rén míng jiào mǎ tiān xióng ， xī rì yě shì piāo yún gǔ de xiū xiān zhě ， lín xuān yǔ qí jiàn miàn suī rán bù duō ， dàn miǎn qiǎng yě yǒu jǐ fēn jiāo qíng de 。
此人名叫马天雄，昔日也是飘云谷的修仙者，林轩与其见面虽然不多，但勉强也有几分交情的。
His name was Ma Tianxiong. He used to be an cultivator from Drifting Cloud Valley. Although they hadn’t met often, there had been some acquaintances between them.
“ lín shī dì ， nǐ yǐ jìn jiē yuán yīng qī le ？” shén shí zài lín xuān shēn shàng yī sǎo ， mǎ tiān xióng mǎn liǎn zhèn hàn de dào 。
“林师弟，你已进阶元婴期了？”神识在林轩身上一扫，马天雄满脸震撼的道。
"Younger Brother Lin, you've advanced to the Immortal Core stage?" Ma Tianxiong’s expression was one of shock as he swept his spirit over Lin Xuan.
lín xuān dàn dàn wēi xiào 。
林轩淡淡微笑。
Lin Xuan smiled lightly.
mǎ tiān xióng de biǎo qíng zhèn hàn bù yǐ ， guò le bàn xiǎng ， cái kǔ xiào yī shēng kāi kǒu le ：“ shù shí nián qián ， mǎ mǒu céng tīng rén shuō shī dì …… bù ， qián bèi zuò le líng yào shān shǎo zhǔ ， hái yǐ wéi shì yǐ é chuán é ， méi xiǎng dào jìng shì zhēn de ， gōng xǐ qián bèi jìn jiē yuán yīng qī le 。”
马天雄的表情震撼不已，过了半响，才苦笑一声开口了：“数十年前，马某曾听人说师弟……不，前辈做了灵药山少主，还以为是以讹传讹，没想到竟是真的，恭喜前辈进阶元婴期了。”
Ma Tianxiong's expression remained in awe. After a while, he sighed and said, "A few decades ago, I heard from someone that you... no, Senior, became the Young Master of Spirit Medicine Mountain. I thought it was just hearsay, but to find out it’s true is quite shocking."
“ lín mǒu zhǐ shì yǒu yī xiē jī yuán ， mǎ xiōng yě bù bì huī xīn ， nǐ yǐ wǔ rù dào ， bù yě chéng gōng zhù jī 。”
“林某只是有一些机缘，马兄也不必灰心，你以武入道，不也成功筑基。”
Lin Xuan nodded, understanding his intentions. He shook his head, "I like traveling alone and don't take well to having disciples by my side..."
“ qián bèi shuō xiào le ， wǎn bèi zhè diǎn wēi mò dào héng ， rú hé néng yǔ qián bèi xiāng bǐ ， hé kuàng dāng nián ， ruò fēi qián bèi zhǎo rén tì wǒ liàn zhì wǔ xiū dān ， zài xià yě duō bàn zài líng dòng qī pái huái ， shuō qǐ lái ， wǒ néng huó dào xiàn zài ， hái yǒu duō xiè qián bèi suǒ cì 。” mǎ tiān xióng gōng gōng jìng jìng de xíng le yī lǐ ， liǎng rén suī shì jiù shí ， dàn xiàn zài shēn fèn què yǒu zhe tiān rǎng zhī bié bān de chā jù 。
“前辈说笑了，晚辈这点微末道行，如何能与前辈相比，何况当年，若非前辈找人替我炼制武修丹，在下也多半在灵动期徘徊，说起来，我能活到现在，还有多谢前辈所赐。”马天雄恭恭敬敬的行了一礼，两人虽是旧识，但现在身份却有着天壤之别般的差距。
The siblings’ eyes showed a hint of disappointment as Ma Tianxiong remained silent.
“ mǎ xiōng cāi dào le ， xiē xǔ xiǎo shì ， nǐ jiù bù bì fàng zài xīn shàng le ， zhè liǎng rén ， shì nǐ de hái zi ？” lín xuān mù guāng yī zhuǎn ， luò zài le gōng jìng shì lì zài páng biān de liǎng gè dì zǐ 。
“马兄猜到了，些许小事，你就不必放在心上了，这两人，是你的孩子？”林轩目光一转，落在了恭敬侍立在旁边的两个弟子。
"But since you are an old acquaintance's descendant, I can give them some benefits," Lin Xuan said unexpectedly. He waved his sleeve, and a streak of green light shot out from it, enveloping the siblings. Ma Tianxiong was alarmed, "Senior, what are you doing?"
“ lán ér ， yōu ér ， hái bù kuài guò lái xiàng qián bèi jiàn lǐ 。” mǎ tiān xióng yǎn zhōng yì sè yī shǎn ， máng huí tóu zhāo hū le qǐ lái 。
“兰儿，悠儿，还不快过来向前辈见礼。”马天雄眼中异色一闪，忙回头招呼了起来。
Lin Xuan smiled slightly as he shook his hand, and the green light vanished without a trace. The siblings were confused but showed no signs of distress.
tīng shuō yǎn qián zhè rén ， jū rán shì yuán yīng qī xiū xiān zhě ， xiōng mèi liǎ yǐ xià dé dāi le ， tā men zhè bèi zi jiàn guò zuì lì hài de gāo shǒu ， yě bù guò níng dān chū qī de zǔ fù ， zài xiōng mèi liǎ de yǎn lǐ ， yǐ néng yǔ 6 dì shén xiān xiāng bǐ 。
听说眼前这人，居然是元婴期修仙者，兄妹俩已吓得呆了，他们这辈子见过最厉害的高手，也不过凝丹初期的祖父，在兄妹俩的眼里，已能与6地神仙相比。
Lin Xuan frowned in thought before flipping his left hand open to reveal a white jade scroll in his palm. "I just checked their spiritual energy flow. It seems they are practicing quite ordinary techniques."
yuán yīng qī ？
元婴期？
"Senior, I apologize for this. My martial arts knowledge is not suitable for children. They learned from their grandfather and the method isn't very good," Ma Tianxiong's face lit up as he spoke honestly.
zhè zhǒng gāo rén tā men zuò mèng yě bù gǎn shē wàng dì 。
这种高人他们做梦也不敢奢望地。
"Hmm, take this *Xingyin Jue* scroll. Though it’s only a middle-stage technique, it will be much better than what they were learning before. It is also well-suited to their spiritual roots." Lin Xuan shook his hand, and the jade scroll floated forward with a gentle glow.
méi xiǎng dào jū rán huó shēng shēng de jiàn dào yí gè ， gèng bù kě sī yì de shì ， zhè wèi qián bèi ， jū rán yǔ fù qīn shì jiù shí 。
没想到居然活生生的见到一个，更不可思议的是，这位前辈，居然与父亲是旧识。
Ma Tianxiong was delighted as he took the scroll, "Thank you for your generous gift. Since you've traveled so far, would you like to come to my humble abode?"
xiōng mèi liǎ zhèn hàn zhī yú ， máng gōng gōng jìng jìng de xíng le yī lǐ 。
兄妹俩震撼之余，忙恭恭敬敬的行了一礼。
"That sounds good. I have some matters to discuss with you."
lín xuān mù guāng zài liǎng rén shēn shàng sǎo guò ， yǎn zhōng lù chū yī sī zàn xǔ de shén sè ：“ bù cuò ， lìng láng yǔ lìng ài nián jì qīng qīng ， jiù yǐ xiū dào le líng dòng zhōng qī ， dào yě kě suàn liáng cái měi zhì ， zhǐ yào hǎo hǎo nǔ lì ， xiǎng bì wèi lái yě huì yǒu yī xiē chéng jiù dì 。”
林轩目光在两人身上扫过，眼中露出一丝赞许的神色：“不错，令郎与令嫒年纪轻轻，就已修到了灵动中期，倒也可算良才美质，只要好好努力，想必未来也会有一些成就地。”
Lin Xuan did not decline. Ma Tianxiong led the way while the siblings hurried ahead to prepare.
tīng lín xuān chēng zàn zì jǐ de yī shuāng ér nǚ ， mǎ tiān xióng liǎn shàng xiān shì lù chū jǐ fēn xǐ sè ， suí hòu jiù bèi kǔ xiào dài tì le ：“ lán ér yǔ yōu ér de zī zhì ， dāng rán yào bǐ wǒ zhè zuò fù qīn de hǎo dé duō ， kě xī méi yǒu míng shī zhǐ diǎn ， kǒng pà chéng jiù yě huì yǒu xiàn 。”
听林轩称赞自己的一双儿女，马天雄脸上先是露出几分喜色，随后就被苦笑代替了：“兰儿与悠儿的资质，当然要比我这做父亲的好得多，可惜没有名师指点，恐怕成就也会有限。”
They were brought to a spacious pavilion where Lin Xuan was seated on the main seat, and the young woman named Ma Lan served him tea.
shuō dào zhè lǐ ， tā rěn bú zhù tái tóu wàng le lín xuān yī yǎn ， dāng rán ， zì zhī zhī míng hái shì yǒu ， mǎ tiān xióng bìng méi yǒu shē wàng lín xuān néng zhèng shì shōu liǎng rén wéi tú ， dàn jí shǐ shì zuò yī jì míng dì zǐ ， qián tú yě shì bù kě xiàn liàng de 。
说到这里，他忍不住抬头望了林轩一眼，当然，自知之明还是有，马天雄并没有奢望林轩能正式收两人为徒，但即使是做一记名弟子，前途也是不可限量的。
"Senior Brother Ma, you didn’t come from Drifting Cloud Valley. When did you establish your own family?" Lin Xuan sipped some tea that tasted quite good and spoke without showing his surprise.
yǐ lín xuān de chéng fǔ ， nǎ hái bù míng bái duì fāng de yì tú ， yáo le yáo tóu ：“ lín mǒu xǐ huān yí gè rén sì chù yún yóu ， dài dì zǐ zài shēn biān duō yǒu bù biàn ……”
以林轩的城府，哪还不明白对方的意图，摇了摇头：“林某喜欢一个人四处云游，带弟子在身边多有不便……”
"Ah!" Ma Tianxiong sighed with a wistful look on his face, "Senior, you don't know the truth. Drifting Cloud Valley has long since disintegrated."
xiōng mèi liǎ de yǎn zhōng ， jiē lù chū yī sī àn rán ， mǎ tiān xióng suī rán shī wàng ， què yě bù gǎn duō yán 。
兄妹俩的眼中，皆露出一丝黯然，马天雄虽然失望，却也不敢多言。
"What do you mean?" Even with Lin Xuan's composure, he was shocked, "A few decades ago, I heard that while the ghostly calamity devastated all of Ganzhou, many sects and families were not heavily affected. Drifting Cloud Valley relocated to Youzhou, so how could it have disintegrated?"
“ bù guò jì rán shì gù rén zhī hòu ， wǒ dào yě kě yǐ gěi tā men yī xiē hǎo chù 。” lín xuān tū rán yòu chū rén yì liào de kāi kǒu le ， jiē zhe xiù páo yī fú ， yī dào qīng xiá cóng yī xiù zhōng fēi lüè ér chū ， jiāng xiōng mèi liǎ bāo guǒ 。 mǎ tiān xióng dà jīng shī sè ：“ lín qián bèi ， nǐ zhè shì ……”
“不过既然是故人之后，我倒也可以给他们一些好处。”林轩突然又出人意料的开口了，接着袖袍一拂，一道青霞从衣袖中飞掠而出，将兄妹俩包裹。马天雄大惊失色：“林前辈，你这是……”
"I didn't know you knew so much," Ma Tianxiong’s face showed a hint of surprise, "But those reports are outdated. The sect did indeed move to Youzhou, but we couldn’t escape the calamity. Before the celestial anomalies, ghosts were already dominant everywhere. Even in Youzhou, only a few large sects survived while others perished."
lín xuān wēi wēi yī xiào ， shǒu yī dǒu ， nà qīng xiá yòu xiāo shī dé wú yǐng wú zōng ， xiōng mèi liǎ mǎn liǎn máng rán ， dàn guān qì sè ， què yòu bìng wú bù tuǒ 。
林轩微微一笑，手一抖，那青霞又消失得无影无踪，兄妹俩满脸茫然，但观气色，却又并无不妥。
"What about the survivors?" Lin Xuan frowned as he asked.
lín xuān zé zhòu méi sī suǒ ， suí hòu zuǒ shǒu yī fān ， yī bái sè de yù jiǎn tǒng zài zhǎng xīn zhōng fú xiàn ：“ wǒ gāng cái tàn chá le yī xià tā liǎ tǐ nèi líng lì de yùn xíng qíng kuàng ， suǒ xiū liàn de ， sì hū zhǐ shì hěn pǔ tōng de gōng fǎ 。”
林轩则皱眉思索，随后左手一翻，一白色的玉简筒在掌心中浮现：“我刚才探查了一下他俩体内灵力的运行情况，所修炼的，似乎只是很普通的功法。”
"Ah," Ma Tianxiong’s face grew more gloomy. He shook his head, "None. Remember that time when thousands of ghosts attacked our main hall? There were seven or eight ghost kings among them. The patriarch and other elders died in battle. Only a few managed to escape..."
“ ràng qián bèi jiàn xiào le ， wǎn bèi yǐ wǔ rù dào ， suǒ xué bìng bú shì hé liǎng gè hái zi ， tā men suǒ xué nǎi shì qí wài zǔ fù chuán shòu ， què shí yě bú shì tài hǎo de gōng fǎ 。” mǎ tiān xióng liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī xǐ sè ， lǎo lǎo shí shí de kāi kǒu le 。
“让前辈见笑了，晚辈以武入道，所学并不适合两个孩子，他们所学乃是其外祖父传授，确实也不是太好的功法。”马天雄脸上闪过一丝喜色，老老实实的开口了。
"What about Qin Yan... did she survive?" Lin Xuan’s voice trembled slightly.
“ ń ， zhè běn 《 xìng yīn jué 》 nǐ men ná qù ， suī rán zhǐ shì zhōng jiē gōng fǎ ， dàn bǐ qǐ tā liǎ yuán xiān suǒ xué ， yǐ yào hǎo dé duō ， ér qiě zhèng hǎo shì hé liǎng rén líng gēn xiū liàn de 。” lín xuān shǒu yī dǒu ， nà yù jiǎn bèi líng guāng tuō zhe ， huǎn huǎn xiàng qián fēi qù le 。
“嗯，这本《杏茵诀》你们拿去，虽然只是中阶功法，但比起他俩原先所学，已要好得多，而且正好适合两人灵根修炼的。”林轩手一抖，那玉简被灵光托着，缓缓向前飞去了。
"Senior, are you referring to Senior Auntie Qin?"
mǎ tiān xióng dà xǐ ， máng jiāng yù jiǎn jiē le guò qù ：“ duō xiè qián bèi hòu cì ， nín yuǎn lái shì kè ， yào bù qù wō jū zuò zuò 。”
马天雄大喜，忙将玉简接了过去：“多谢前辈厚赐，您远来是客，要不去蜗居坐坐。”
"Auntie Qin?" Lin Xuan was taken aback before he realized that it had been over ten years since he last saw Xu Jia and heard that Qin Yan was in seclusion preparing for her golden core. "Senior, if you ask about others, I might not know, but it’s a coincidence. At the time, I was fighting fiercely when I saw Senior Auntie Qin battling three厉ghosts."
“ yě hǎo ， wǒ zhèng yǒu xiē shì ， yào wèn wèn nǐ 。”
“也好，我正有些事，要问问你。”
"Three厉ghosts? The opponent outnumbered them?" Lin Xuan grew more worried.
lín xuān bìng wèi tuī tuō ， mǎ tiān xióng zài qián miàn yǐn lù ， nà duì xiōng mèi zé xiān yī bù gǎn qù ān pái le 。
林轩并未推脱，马天雄在前面引路，那对兄妹则先一步赶去安排了。
"Yes, back then, despite being only at the early stage of condensing a golden core, Senior Auntie Qin’s abilities were unpredictable. She could hold her own against the patriarch and other elders. Countless ghosts perished under her hands, so two ghost kings and one late-stage厉ghost began to attack her."
lín xuān bèi dài dào le yī kuān chǎng de liáng tíng zhōng ， yī lù shàng ， dào yě jiàn dào le shí jǐ wèi xiū xiān zhě ， dàn yí gè gè xiū wèi dōu dī de lí pǔ ， zuì gāo yě bù guò líng dòng zhōng qī ， lín xuān yě suàn jiàn shí guǎng bó ， dàn zhè me ruò de xiū xiān jiā zú hái zhēn méi yǒu jiàn guò 。
林轩被带到了一宽敞的凉亭中，一路上，倒也见到了十几位修仙者，但一个个修为都低的离谱，最高也不过灵动中期，林轩也算见识广博，但这么弱的修仙家族还真没有见过。
"How did it end?" Lin Xuan was relieved when he heard that there weren’t three ghost kings.
jiàn dào lín xuān liǎn shàng gǔ guài shén sè ， mǎ tiān xióng yě bù yóu de yǒu xiē gān gà le 。
见到林轩脸上古怪神色，马天雄也不由得有些尴尬了。
"Indeed... Senior Auntie Qin finally defeated a ghost king, but our battle elsewhere ended in defeat. The patriarch died, and we had to escape," Ma Tianxiong said with relief at the news of fewer ghost kings.
zài liáng tíng zhī zhōng ， lín xuān bèi qǐng dào shàng zuò ， nà jiào mǎ lán de shào nǚ ， zé qīn zì wèi tā zhēn shàng chá 。
在凉亭之中，林轩被请到上座，那叫马兰的少女，则亲自为他斟上茶。
"So, did Qin Yan make it out?"
shuāng fāng fēn bīn zhǔ zuò xià 。
双方分宾主坐下。
"Yes, with her abilities, she wanted to leave, so those ghost kings couldn't stop her. But I was unlucky and nearly fell into the hands of a厉ghost. If not for my father-in-law's rescue, I would have perished," Ma Tianxiong said with lingering fear.
“ mǎ xiōng ， nǐ bú shì chū shēn piāo yún gǔ ， shén me shí hòu zì lì mén hù ， gāng gāng ， wǒ tīng nà xiē rén dōu chēng hū nǐ wèi jiā zhǔ 。” lín xuān hē le yī kǒu chá ， wèi dào hái bú cuò ， bù dòng shēng sè de kāi kǒu le 。
“马兄，你不是出身飘云谷，什么时候自立门户，刚刚，我听那些人都称呼你为家主。”林轩喝了一口茶，味道还不错，不动声色的开口了。
"Have you heard from Auntie Qin since?"
“ āi ！” mǎ tiān xióng tàn le kǒu qì ， liǎn shàng lù chū jǐ fēn miǎn huái zhī yì ：“ qián bèi yǒu suǒ bù zhī ， piāo yún gǔ zǎo jiù bīng fēn wǎ jiě ， bù cún zài le 。”
“哎！”马天雄叹了口气，脸上露出几分缅怀之意：“前辈有所不知，飘云谷早就兵分瓦解，不存在了。”
"No." Ma Tianxiong shook his head, his face showing a hint of ambiguity. Qin Yan was known as the Fairy in the Clouds and was exceptionally beautiful. Many disciples admired her at Drifting Cloud Valley, including this Lin Senior.
“ shén me ？” jí biàn yǐ lín xuān de chéng fǔ ， yě bù yóu de dà jīng shī sè ：“ shù shí nián qián ， wǒ céng jīng tīng rén shuō guò ， suī rán nà chǎng yīn hún de hào jié zhī zhōng ， gǔn zhōu quán jìng xiàn luò ， dàn yě yǒu bù shǎo zōng mén jiā zú bìng wèi shòu dào zhòng chuāng de ， piāo yún gǔ bú shì yǐ jīng jǔ pài qiān wǎng yōu zhōu ， zěn me kě néng bīng fēn wǎ jiě le 。”
“什么？”即便以林轩的城府，也不由得大惊失色：“数十年前，我曾经听人说过，虽然那场阴魂的浩劫之中，衮州全境陷落，但也有不少宗门家族并未受到重创的，飘云谷不是已经举派迁往幽州，怎么可能兵分瓦解了。”
"I don't have any news about Auntie Qin, but with her abilities and potential, she could definitely join a large sect. I believe..."
“ méi xiǎng dào qián bèi zhī dào dé rú cǐ zhī duō 。” mǎ tiān xióng liǎn shàng lù chū lüè yǒu xiē yà yì de shén sè ：“ bù guò nà xiē dōu shì yǐ jīng guò shí de xiāo xī le ， běn pài què shí qiān wǎng le yōu zhōu méi cuò ， dàn què bìng wèi cóng hào jié zhōng táo tuō 。 tiān dì yì biàn yǐ qián ， yīn hún yǐ shì quán miàn zhàn yōu ， jí biàn shì yōu zhōu ， chú le jǐ gè dà de mén pài xìng miǎn ， qí tā huī fēi yān miè de yòu hé zhǐ piāo yún gǔ yí gè 。”
“没想到前辈知道得如此之多。”马天雄脸上露出略有些讶异的神色：“不过那些都是已经过时的消息了，本派确实迁往了幽州没错，但却并未从浩劫中逃脱。天地异变以前，阴魂已是全面占优，即便是幽州，除了几个大的门派幸免，其他灰飞烟灭的又何止飘云谷一个。”
Lin Xuan nodded; it made sense that Qin Yan would likely rejoin a major sect after such an event.
“ nà qíng kuàng rú hé ， dà bù fèn rén kè céng táo tuō ？” lín xuān méi tou yí zhòu ， shí fēn guān xīn de kāi kǒu 。
“那情况如何，大部分人客曾逃脱？”林轩眉头一皱，十分关心的开口。
Thinking of this, Lin Xuan sighed. Drifting Cloud Valley had been his starting point in cultivation, yet its fate was so different now.
That shocking虹 light was swift. It arrived before Lin Xuan in just half a cup of tea's time, the radiance fading to reveal the face of an older man.
Around forty years old, he was sturdy and vibrant.
Though his face bore signs of沧桑, Lin Xuan found him familiar.
After appraising Lin Xuan for a moment, the middle-aged man showed surprise on his face. He stammered, "You, you are..."
"Senior Brother Ma, it's been a century since we last met. How have you been?" Lin Xuan smiled faintly and spoke softly.
"You're really Younger Brother Lin?"
Though he had guessed as much, the middle-aged man still hesitated to recognize him.
"It's just me. I didn't expect to see Senior Brother Ma again," Lin Xuan said with a touch of emotion in his voice.
His name was Ma Tianxiong. He used to be an cultivator from Drifting Cloud Valley. Although they hadn’t met often, there had been some acquaintances between them.
"Younger Brother Lin, you've advanced to the Immortal Core stage?" Ma Tianxiong’s expression was one of shock as he swept his spirit over Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan smiled lightly.
Ma Tianxiong's expression remained in awe. After a while, he sighed and said, "A few decades ago, I heard from someone that you... no, Senior, became the Young Master of Spirit Medicine Mountain. I thought it was just hearsay, but to find out it’s true is quite shocking."
Lin Xuan nodded, understanding his intentions. He shook his head, "I like traveling alone and don't take well to having disciples by my side..."
The siblings’ eyes showed a hint of disappointment as Ma Tianxiong remained silent.
"But since you are an old acquaintance's descendant, I can give them some benefits," Lin Xuan said unexpectedly. He waved his sleeve, and a streak of green light shot out from it, enveloping the siblings. Ma Tianxiong was alarmed, "Senior, what are you doing?"
Lin Xuan smiled slightly as he shook his hand, and the green light vanished without a trace. The siblings were confused but showed no signs of distress.
Lin Xuan frowned in thought before flipping his left hand open to reveal a white jade scroll in his palm. "I just checked their spiritual energy flow. It seems they are practicing quite ordinary techniques."
"Senior, I apologize for this. My martial arts knowledge is not suitable for children. They learned from their grandfather and the method isn't very good," Ma Tianxiong's face lit up as he spoke honestly.
"Hmm, take this *Xingyin Jue* scroll. Though it’s only a middle-stage technique, it will be much better than what they were learning before. It is also well-suited to their spiritual roots." Lin Xuan shook his hand, and the jade scroll floated forward with a gentle glow.
Ma Tianxiong was delighted as he took the scroll, "Thank you for your generous gift. Since you've traveled so far, would you like to come to my humble abode?"
"That sounds good. I have some matters to discuss with you."
Lin Xuan did not decline. Ma Tianxiong led the way while the siblings hurried ahead to prepare.
They were brought to a spacious pavilion where Lin Xuan was seated on the main seat, and the young woman named Ma Lan served him tea.
"Senior Brother Ma, you didn’t come from Drifting Cloud Valley. When did you establish your own family?" Lin Xuan sipped some tea that tasted quite good and spoke without showing his surprise.
"Ah!" Ma Tianxiong sighed with a wistful look on his face, "Senior, you don't know the truth. Drifting Cloud Valley has long since disintegrated."
"What do you mean?" Even with Lin Xuan's composure, he was shocked, "A few decades ago, I heard that while the ghostly calamity devastated all of Ganzhou, many sects and families were not heavily affected. Drifting Cloud Valley relocated to Youzhou, so how could it have disintegrated?"
"I didn't know you knew so much," Ma Tianxiong’s face showed a hint of surprise, "But those reports are outdated. The sect did indeed move to Youzhou, but we couldn’t escape the calamity. Before the celestial anomalies, ghosts were already dominant everywhere. Even in Youzhou, only a few large sects survived while others perished."
"What about the survivors?" Lin Xuan frowned as he asked.
"Ah," Ma Tianxiong’s face grew more gloomy. He shook his head, "None. Remember that time when thousands of ghosts attacked our main hall? There were seven or eight ghost kings among them. The patriarch and other elders died in battle. Only a few managed to escape..."
"What about Qin Yan... did she survive?" Lin Xuan’s voice trembled slightly.
"Senior, are you referring to Senior Auntie Qin?"
"Auntie Qin?" Lin Xuan was taken aback before he realized that it had been over ten years since he last saw Xu Jia and heard that Qin Yan was in seclusion preparing for her golden core. "Senior, if you ask about others, I might not know, but it’s a coincidence. At the time, I was fighting fiercely when I saw Senior Auntie Qin battling three厉ghosts."
"Three厉ghosts? The opponent outnumbered them?" Lin Xuan grew more worried.
"Yes, back then, despite being only at the early stage of condensing a golden core, Senior Auntie Qin’s abilities were unpredictable. She could hold her own against the patriarch and other elders. Countless ghosts perished under her hands, so two ghost kings and one late-stage厉ghost began to attack her."
"How did it end?" Lin Xuan was relieved when he heard that there weren’t three ghost kings.
"Indeed... Senior Auntie Qin finally defeated a ghost king, but our battle elsewhere ended in defeat. The patriarch died, and we had to escape," Ma Tianxiong said with relief at the news of fewer ghost kings.
"So, did Qin Yan make it out?"
"Yes, with her abilities, she wanted to leave, so those ghost kings couldn't stop her. But I was unlucky and nearly fell into the hands of a厉ghost. If not for my father-in-law's rescue, I would have perished," Ma Tianxiong said with lingering fear.
"Have you heard from Auntie Qin since?"
"No." Ma Tianxiong shook his head, his face showing a hint of ambiguity. Qin Yan was known as the Fairy in the Clouds and was exceptionally beautiful. Many disciples admired her at Drifting Cloud Valley, including this Lin Senior.
"I don't have any news about Auntie Qin, but with her abilities and potential, she could definitely join a large sect. I believe..."
Lin Xuan nodded; it made sense that Qin Yan would likely rejoin a major sect after such an event.
Thinking of this, Lin Xuan sighed. Drifting Cloud Valley had been his starting point in cultivation, yet its fate was so different now.