Chapter 778: Rare in the World
At daybreak, the monastery leader Xuan Si arrived at the mountain cave where the Patriarch was residing.
The Patriarch lifted his eyelids slightly and asked, "Have they all left?"
"They have," Xuan Si answered.
"What did they take with them?"
"They took... a lot of things... all extremely precious... They're nothing but a band of robbers!"
"You're right, they are robbers."
"Patriarch, are we just going to swallow this insult?" Xuan Si clenched his teeth tightly.
"What can we do if we don't endure?" The Patriarch Tianji sighed, "The enemies are overwhelmingly strong; we are no match for them. What can we do besides bow our heads and admit defeat?"
"It's too suffocating!"
"I'm suffocating too! But there's no other way. To preserve the Myriad Buddhas Sect's legacy, we must endure! Even if we can't bear it, we still have to. Our generation won't be able to take revenge, so we can only place our hopes in the next generation. Starting now, we must train the next generation at all costs. Once they've grown up, they can seek revenge." The Patriarch Tianji spoke deliberately.
"I understand. I'll go select disciples with high potential right now," Xuan Si rushed off in haste.
"Ah..." The Patriarch Tianji sighed softly, "The losses we suffered this time are too great. Not only did we lose many treasures, but we also broke the Silent Zen we've been cultivating for many years. It's so frustrating, too frustrating."
...
An ancient and majestic flying ship was soaring through the high skies.
Seated in the cabin were four people: Gao Fei, Shangguan Yunyue, He Hentian, and Duanmu Hong.
"This flying ship is really nice," He Hentian chuckled, "It's both good-looking and practical. I really love it." This flying ship had been taken from the Myriad Buddhas Sect's Treasure Vault, a very advanced Flying Treasure, ancient, majestic, beautiful, and durable.
"It's useful, but it's too expensive in Spirit Stones," Gao Fei smacked his lips, "It consumes one Supreme Grade Spirit Stone a day, which is simply too extravagant."
"What's a Supreme Grade Spirit Stone, huh? I've got plenty of them!" He Hentian said dismissively, "As long as it brings me face and enjoyment, I can accept consuming a few more Supreme Grade Spirit Stones." This guy He Hentian really loved face, ostentation, and enjoyment.
However, to be fair, He Hentian truly had the means to maintain the ship. Being the world's wealthiest second generation, Supreme Grade Spirit Stones weren't much to him.
"If you guys ever need to travel far, just come to me. I'll be your driver for free," He Hentian boasted, pounding his chest, "The saying goes, blessings are best when shared! I may not have many good points, but I value brotherhood, friendship, and I'm very generous!"
"I'm going to refine the Spiritual Medicine; don't disturb me unless it's something extremely special." Duanmu Hong stood up and left.
"We're going to rest a little. You can play by yourself," Gao Fei and Shangguan Yunyue also excused themselves.
In the blink of an eye, He Hentian was the only one left in the cabin.
"Why did everyone leave? I wasn't done talking yet," He Hentian complained, "Gao Fei has become a womanizer; he's not a good friend at all!" He took out a jar of fine wine and a plate of Spirit Fruits from his Storage Bag, bit into a Spirit Fruit, took a swig of the wine, humming an unrecognizable tune through his nose and crossing his legs comfortably.
...
Inside the secret chamber.
Gao Fei helped Shangguan Yunyue lie down on the bed, "Your injuries haven't healed yet, you must pay attention to resting." Saying that, Gao Fei took out a Healing Pill and fed it to Shangguan Yunyue.
"Gao Fei, thank you," Shangguan Yunyue looked at Gao Fei with a warm smile, "Thank you for risking your life to save me."
"You've said that eight hundred times," Gao Fei retorted, "My ears are about to grow calluses!"
"Eight hundred times isn't enough; I want to say it a thousand times, ten thousand times, a hundred thousand times, a million times, ten million times..."
"You're my woman, and saving you is only natural, so no need to thank me."
"Who said I'm your woman?"
"Ah? How could you not be? We've already become husband and wife in practice, and you've agreed to it, too. You can't go back on your word now."
"Hehe… just kidding, look how anxious you got."
"Alright! You dare to tease me! See how I will deal with you."
"Ouch, stop it, that tickles. I'm wrong, I apologize to you. I won't dare to tease you again."
After frolicking for a while, Gao Fei lay on the bed, holding Shangguan Yunyue, as the two whispered sweet nothings to each other.
After a while, Shangguan Yunyue started to feel sleepy and quickly fell asleep.
"Hm, she fell asleep so quickly?" Gao Fei pulled the blanket over Shangguan Yunyue, then closed his eyes and before long, he too fell asleep.
...
Several days later.
The flying ship arrived above Heavenly Water City.
"Let's say our goodbyes here." Duanmu Hong turned into a shooting star and quickly departed.
"Senior, wait for a few days. I will visit you in the ancient tomb," He Hentian shouted, still not giving up on his hopes to take Duanmu Hong as his master and learn powerful skills.
"We should get down, too." Gao Fei, hugging Shangguan Yunyue, leaped off the flying ship. The two slowly spun and twirled through the air like butterflies… until they gently landed on the ground, shared a smile, and walked forward hand in hand.
He Hentian stowed the flying ship and quickly followed after them.
"Let's go to my place." He Hentian smiled. "I have plenty of rooms in my house, enough for you to have some fun."
Gao Fei and Shangguan Yunyue were not shy to take up the offer and followed He Hentian to a manor.
"Servants! Your grandpa is back!" He Hentian yelled.
"Whoosh…" A group of men and women rushed out from the manor, all looking excited as they came to greet He Hentian: "Master He, you're finally back, we've been missing you to death."
"I missed you all, too," He Hentian sighed. "I've just been too busy lately to find time to see you…"
"Master He, how long are you staying this time?" A servant asked.
"Hmm, at least a couple of months."
"Only a couple of months?"
"It depends on the situation. If there's no emergency, I might stay longer. Alright, stop standing around here. Go and prepare some food and drinks, I want to host my two friends."
"We're on it." The group of servants ran off quickly.
"See that?" He Hentian said with a smug look. "I haven't been back for so long, and these servants are actually missing me so much? Just now, several of them were even crying. Ah, it makes me feel a bit emotional too... I almost shed tears..." He feigned wiping his eyes with his hands as he spoke.
"Enough with that, you might rub your eyes out," Gao Fei said with a contemptuous look. "Didn't you notice? Those servants were just putting on a show earlier, pretending to be excited and happy. In reality, they're probably fuming inside. They could have lived freely without oppression and exploitation once you left, but now you're back, and their dark days return. It'd be strange if they were happy."
"Nonsense," He Hentian refused to listen. "When have I ever oppressed them? When have I ever exploited them? I've always treated them well, hardly ever scolded or struck them, occasionally even rewarded them with Spirit Stones. I also cover their food, lodging, and cultivation. A kind master like me is rare in this world."