War God Long Ao

According to the information Long Ao had gathered, this Elder from Piaomiao Palace almost never left Piaomiao City.

And one of Yin Baishun’s favorite haunts was the Splendid Tea House.

Under normal circumstances, Yin Baishun would arrive punctually every day at dusk.

Long Ao arrived at the Splendid Tea House ahead of time. He had just sat down and ordered a cup of tea when he called over a server.

"I’m buying out the place for today."

"No."

The server refused without a second thought and turned to leave, completely ignoring Long Ao from start to finish. He acted less like a server and more like he owned the place.

An ordinary server would be blinded by the sight of money, willing to do anything for the right price. But the Splendid Tea House was clearly different. Long Ao wasn’t the least bit surprised, as he had already figured out the reason.

Without a doubt, the reason the Splendid Tea House could be so brazen—to the point that even a server acted like a lord—was, in the end, because of Yin Baishun’s daily patronage.

As an Elder of Piaomiao Palace, Yin Baishun’s status was self-evident. Coupled with his demonstrable power, one could say Yin Baishun was the Earth Emperor of Piaomiao City.

「About an hour later.」

An old man ambled in. The moment Long Ao saw him, he became fully alert. Though the old man looked unassuming, Long Ao could clearly sense the powerful aura emanating from him.

"Elder Yin, you’re here! Please, have a seat."

Waving his hand dismissively, Yin Baishun didn’t sit. Instead, he looked toward Long Ao. Just as Long Ao was feeling surprised, Yin Baishun was already standing before him.

"Brew me a pot of your finest Long Jing."

"One moment, sir. It’ll be right out."

Yin Baishun sat down, looked at the young man before him, and suddenly asked, "Dragon Sect Master Long Ao?"

’I’m utterly shocked. Not only am I in disguise, but I’ve never even seen Yin Baishun before, let alone met him.’

That was why Long Ao couldn’t for the life of him figure out how the old man had recognized him at a single glance.

Since things had come to this, Long Ao saw no point in hiding it. "That’s me," he said. "Everyone says Elder Yin is quite the character. It seems they were right."

Before Yin Baishun could speak, Long Ao pressed on, "I’m very curious. How did you recognize me?"

"Please, have some tea, Sect Leader Long."

Just then, the fine Long Jing tea arrived. Yin Baishun poured a cup for Long Ao before pouring one for himself. "It’s simple," he said. "The Momentum you carry cannot be concealed. I’ve admired you for a long time, Sect Leader Long, and seeing you today, I can say you truly live up to your reputation."

Long Ao grew wary. He had never imagined an Outer Sect Elder from Piaomiao Palace could be this formidable, able to identify him by his Momentum alone.

The more Yin Baishun acted this way, the more wary Long Ao became.

"Sect Leader Long, you and I have no personal grievances. I am merely an Outer Sect Elder of Piaomiao Palace. As for the internal affairs of the Palace, I’m old and have no desire to get involved. Do you understand what I mean?"

Long Ao nodded. He wasn’t an idiot; of course he understood what Yin Baishun meant.

’The meaning was simple: I, Yin Baishun, have no quarrel with you. Your feud with Piaomiao Palace is none of my concern.’

Yin Baishun’s words left Long Ao a bit bewildered. For a moment, he even doubted whether the old man before him was truly an Elder of Piaomiao Palace at all.

"Elder Yin."

"If you don’t mind, you can call me Brother Yin."

Long Ao shrugged. "Brother Yin, you must be well aware of the feud between myself and Piaomiao Palace. I’m just puzzled. Given our respective positions, our meeting should involve drawn blades. Yet here we are, sitting and drinking tea together. Doesn’t this feel strange to you?"

"Sect Leader Long, as I’ve just said, your feud with Piaomiao Palace has nothing to do with me. I’m old and don’t wish to meddle in the Sect’s affairs. In another two years, I plan to leave Piaomiao Palace and live in seclusion. Though we walk different paths, I would very much like to befriend you. Your deeds, Sect Leader Long, are truly unprecedented and will likely never be matched."

He was making an overture of peace. But even now, Long Ao couldn’t figure out what this man was after. Despite the gesture of goodwill, Long Ao didn’t dare let his guard down. At the end of the day, Yin Baishun was an Elder of Piaomiao Palace, not the Dragon Sect.

"Sect Leader Long, let’s be frank. You came to Piaomiao City for no other reason than to kill me. But I can tell you unequivocally, with your current strength, you are no match for me."

Long Ao nodded. He believed that completely. "The rumors out there are false," he said. "I never would have thought that your Cultivation, Brother Yin, has actually reached the Saint realm—and a Peak Saint at that. That only makes me more curious. Since your Cultivation has broken through to Peak Saint, Piaomiao Palace should hold you in high regard. So why...?"

A Peak Saint. A million thoughts in Long Ao’s mind refused to believe it, but the Momentum Yin Baishun had just released was undeniably that of a Peak Saint. This was how Long Ao knew Yin Baishun bore him no ill will. Otherwise, with Yin Baishun’s power, dealing with him would be trivial; there would be no need for all this trouble.

"Sect Leader Long, there are things you don’t know. I have always yearned for a simple, carefree life, not one filled with scheming and conflict. What’s more, my Cultivation has reached a bottleneck. To continue advancing, I must quiet my heart and comprehend nature. Otherwise, another breakthrough will likely remain impossible for the rest of my life."

’So that’s how it is.’ In his heart, Long Ao felt a certain admiration for such a person.

"Sect Leader Long, allow me to offer you a piece of advice. For a gentleman, revenge is a dish best served cold. With your talent and potential, you will surely become a Great Emperor within ten years. It won’t be too late to deal with the Four Great Forces then."

Before Long Ao could even speak, Yin Baishun continued, "The Four Great Forces have dominated the Kyushu Spirit Realm for many years; their foundations are far beyond what you can imagine. So, as the saying goes: as long as there’s life, there’s hope."

How could Long Ao not understand Yin Baishun’s good intentions?

’But can I just let it go?’

Long Ao knew that even if he were willing to temporarily set aside his hatred, the Four Great Forces never would. Rather than wait to be attacked, he would rather take the initiative.

"Brother Yin, I appreciate the sentiment. But a man can’t just run from his problems. There are some things in this world a man must do, things that are simply unavoidable. The Four Great Forces will certainly never let me go. That being the case, why should I flee? I’d rather fight. Life and death are up to fate."

With a face full of admiration, Yin Baishun nodded. "Well said. I knew I wouldn’t be able to persuade you. But I can tell you a secret about Piaomiao Palace. I hope it will be of some help."

(PS: Congratulations to our second Beauty-tier Dharma Protector! Xiaojiu is all yours now! I hope everyone continues to show their support. Looking forward to seeing an Elder soon!)