The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror

Xu Qing now had money, so naturally he treated his good brother to find an inn and enjoy good food, drinks, and sleep.

The two of them chose not to ride horses.

Because the horses' stamina was not as good as theirs and wouldn't be as fast.

Several days passed.

The money Xu Qing took from the rich was not spent at all.

Because every time he went to settle the bill, someone had already paid for it.

On this day, Xu Qing and Zhang Junbao arrived at a small town in the Northwest.

The Northwest had many swordsmen, and even more bandits.

The two arrived at the best inn in town.

It's said to be the best because it was the only inn in the town, and they customarily served the best wine and ordered the best dishes.

Zhang Junbao: "I wonder if someone will settle the bill for us this time."

"Who cares, we're not short of money anyway." Xu Qing showed his money bag, shook it, and it made a crisp sound.

The surrounding guests, along with the servers, had their attention drawn.

Xu Qing was indifferent, raising his glass to clink with Zhang Junbao's.

Zhang Junbao: "Xu brother, aren't you curious about who has been paying our bills along the way?"

Xu Qing: "Isn't it nice to have someone treat us?"

"The Worldly Society is treacherous. What if we're poisoned?" Zhang Junbao was a bit worried.

Xu Qing laughed: "What kind of poison could kill us? Besides, my medical skills are good, if we're really poisoned, I'll treat you."

Zhang Junbao rolled his eyes, deciding not to say anything.

Actually, since Miss Guo had become a nun, he felt very unhappy. Although he hadn't gained anything, it felt like he had lost everything. His thought of establishing a new sect had also waned.

Because now, even if he were to establish a sect comparable to the Shaolin Temple, becoming a towering figure in the Martial Arts world, what would be the point?

Yet traveling west with Xu Qing, the scenery he saw grew more majestic and bold, thus erasing much of the gloominess he felt, alleviating quite a bit of his depression.

Since childhood, he had been dependent on Master Jue Yuan, having no other friends.

Therefore, the kindness Miss Guo showed him was unforgettable.

And Xu Qing filled in what he had been missing—that is, having a good brother.

The bond between brothers and the love between men and women are different.

Precisely, it's the difference between wine and meat.

Love between men and women is like drinking wine—it's sour and bitter, yet once it goes down the throat, it's fiery and profound, impossible to forget. It's not necessarily a good thing, just something that easily makes people addicted, unable to give it up.

Brotherly love is like eating meat—it doesn't fill you up like plain white rice, but once eaten, it gives you strength.

Two men playing together, indeed, have many things to do.

For instance, the other night, after a satisfying meal, Xu Qing insisted on competing with him in somersaults.

Such a beast!

Thinking back on that event, even with Zhang Junbao's patience, he couldn't hold back.

The two were, as usual, stuffed and satisfied.

When settling the bill, Zhang Junbao assumed someone would cover it again, but no one did.

Xu Qing had no choice but to pay.

However, this time, the two did not stay overnight.

They left the inn and wandered around town. Resources were scarce here, so during nighttime, even without a curfew, they could only rely on starlight for navigation.

"Xu brother, could the person who paid for us have encountered trouble?" Zhang Junbao had a benevolent nature and felt some concern for this kind-hearted person.

Xu Qing: "That's why we didn't stay at the inn, we're going to look for her."

"Do you know where that person is?"

Xu Qing touched his nose, "Just need to sniff around."

Zhang Junbao sniffed but smelled nothing.

Xu Qing laughed: "Stop sniffing, I'm afraid you'll smell too much and can't stand it."

"Why?"

"Because it's the scent of a woman, and you're a clueless guy, tsk tsk..." Xu Qing teased.

Zhang Junbao: "Xu brother, you..."

"I haven't bathed for many days, you won't sniff out anything..." Nearby residential houses, a familiar voice appeared.

Zhang Junbao was slightly surprised.

He did know there was someone beside them, but he thought it was the resident's owner, not expecting it to be Huashan Sect's female swordsman, Gao Yana.

Mainly because when he was at Huashan last time, his attention was focused on Miss Guo, having no mind to care about other women, nor did he purposefully remember them.

Furthermore, purposely remembering a girl's scent was somewhat sleazy.

He was not blaming Xu brother.

Sins, sins!

Xu Qing: "Why not help us settle the bill today?"

Gao Yana replied irritably: "I don't have that much money left, it's all spent on you two."

As she said this, she felt very aggrieved.

These days, Xu Qing and Zhang Junbao indulged in plenty of fish and meat, stayed in the prime guest room, while she could only drink plain water and eat cold buns.

No choice, since her master instructed her to go down the mountain with the two and take care of their needs.

Gao Yana couldn't perform the duties of a maid, so she quietly paid their bills.

Who knew these two could eat and drink so much?

Zhang Junbao quickly said, "Thank you, Lady Hero Gao, for your hospitality."

Xu Qing: "Did Master Kumei have any instructions?"

Gao Yana: "Master..."

She seemed to hesitate, stuttering as she recounted Master Kumei's intentions.

Xu Qing laughed, "Seems your master doesn't believe we can find the Huashan Swordsmanship lost at Yuquan Academy and thus sent you to supervise us."

"Uh..."

While the three were chatting, the entire town became quite restless.

Gao Yana quickly changed the topic: "It seems many from the Worldly Society arrived."

Xu Qing nodded, "Let's go and see the commotion."

Gao Yana's Qinggong was quite strong, as the two deliberately slowed their pace, she didn't lose them.

Actually, these days, she realized Xu Qing had long sensed her presence.

Clearly, he was always far away.

Daoist Xu gave her a very mysterious feeling.

In contrast, it was Daoist Zhang who gave her a more grounded feeling.

She also couldn't understand why Daoist Zhang, despite having high martial arts skills, was younger than Miss Guo, had a gentle and generous demeanor, yet Miss Guo didn't give Daoist Zhang any consideration.

If she were to choose, she certainly wouldn't opt for anything as elusive as the Divine Eagle Hero.

The three came to the gathering place of the Worldly Society folks.

It was a multi-sided confrontation.

In the distance, it was heard that a few Northwest gangs were clashing over something called the "Mystic Iron Order."

"Mystic Iron Order?" Zhang Junbao was slightly surprised.

Xu Qing: "Junbao knows of this thing?"

"I also heard from the Daoist. Back then, the Divine Eagle Hero used leftover fragments from his Mystic Iron Heavy Sword to forge three Mystic Iron Tokens after crafting a knife and a sword. It's rumored, whoever obtains a Mystic Iron Token can find the Divine Eagle Hero and ask him for help in accomplishing one task."

"I hadn't heard of this." Gao Yana also experienced the Worldly Society.

"I also heard from the Daoist."

"How did that Daoist learn of it?" asked Xu Qing.

Zhang Junbao coughed: "The Daoist said he was present during the forging of the knife, sword, and Mystic Iron Tokens. Because the one who crafted them was Madam Xu, the top swordsmith of his time. Madam Xu originally swore never to craft swords again after losing to Master Xiao in a past sword-making competition. Only through the Daoist's personal efforts did he persuade Madam Xu to forge swords for the Divine Eagle Hero."

Madam Xu wasn't a woman, but a man named Xu, with the name of Madam.

This was also the name of a swordsmith master during the Warring States period.

For swordsmith craftsmen, "Madam Xu" wasn't just a name but a title of honor.

"Since Madam Xu lost, how is he still the top swordsmith of his time?" Gao Yana posed a question.