"What?" Hearing this, Lu Qian and Jiang Qingfeng were both surprised. Qingfeng also stepped forward, carefully examining the box.
Tan Hong gazed at the stone box with a look of nostalgia and said slowly, "Junior Brother Lu, you are the fourth-generation sect leader of our sect. If we talk about the succession of generations, the founding ancestor Master Yeyang is your great-grandmaster. And my great-grandmaster was Master Yeyang's junior brother."
"My great-grandmaster was a Foundation Establishment Feathered Scholar. He was naturally open-minded and loved to travel and make friends. During one of his travels, he accidentally met another Feathered Scholar. Finding they were like-minded, they became deep friends. Later, the two of them went together to explore a secret realm and found a Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit. After a discussion, my great-grandmaster felt that he was old, and his talent was ordinary, making it difficult to form a core, so he gave the Vermilion Fruit to his friend."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qian felt deeply moved. If he were in that position, he couldn't be so generous.
"After his friend obtained the Vermilion Fruit, his cultivation improved significantly, and he later achieved the Golden Core, earning the Daoist name Master Chi Yu."
Jiang Qingfeng exclaimed in surprise, and Lu Qian's heart slowly surged with excitement, privately making some guesses.
"This Master Chi Yu was very grateful to my great-grandmaster and wrote a letter promising that as long as any descendant of my great-grandmaster presented this letter, he would certainly offer his full support."
Indeed, is the letter from Master Chi Yu inside this stone box? Lu Qian held the stone box, feeling as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
Tan Hong continued, "No one is a saint. My great-grandmaster also had personal desires, so he didn't tell anyone about this letter, only passing it on to his disciple before his ascension, who was my grandmaster. My grandmaster then passed it on to my master. For three hundred years, Yun Mountain experienced peace, and there was no opportunity to use this letter. On that night, when the sect was destroyed, my master suffered severe injuries and didn't recover. Before dying, he entrusted this letter to me."
"Junior Brother Lu, before I met you again, your senior sister and I originally planned to use this letter to seek refuge with Master Chi Yu." Tan Hong looked directly into Lu Qian's eyes and seriously asked, "Now, let me ask you again. Are you truly willing to spend the rest of your life working to revive the sect?"
With the stone box in his hands, Lu Qian was bathed in brilliant sunlight. "I would not regret it even if it costs me my life!"
"Very well." Tan Hong smiled with satisfaction. "Now I am relieved. Junior Brother Lu, no, Sect Leader. After meeting you again, I found you have truly undergone a transformation. Be it in talent or wisdom, you far surpass us. The former sect leader was indeed right about you. This letter is meaningful only in your hands."
Saying this, he solemnly bowed to Lu Qian. Lu Qian was very moved, hurriedly returning the gesture, and then asked, "Senior Brother Tan, does Senior Sister Zhang know you gave me the letter?"
Tan Hong smiled bitterly and took out a flying spiritual artifact, enlarging it with a spell, "We are always Yun Mountain disciples, greatly indebted to the sect. Now, with an excellent sect leader like you, we as disciples cannot stand by and do nothing. We must be willing to lead and charge. But your senior sister... oh, you know her temperament. I really can't... To sum up, I promised her to settle down for the time being, so naturally, I handle this letter's matter, and you don't need to worry about her."
He boarded the spiritual artifact and bowed to Lu Qian and Jiang Qingfeng once more. "Sect Leader, Junior Sister Qingfeng, my wife and I will reside here in Yangji Square for now. If you have any affairs, come here to find us. No matter what, we will always be Yun Mountain disciples."
Lu Qian nodded, making a gesture of respect, "The kindness of Senior Brother's assistance is unforgettable. Please take care, senior brother and sister. When I reestablish the mountain gate, I will surely invite you both to reunite."
Watching Tan Hong depart, the forest fell silent. Lu Qian turned around and saw Jiang Qingfeng holding Taotao's hand, looking at him with concern. He couldn't help but laugh, "Senior Sister, don't worry. I'm not that fragile mentally. Now left with just us three, it makes the boat easier to steer and more flexible. Moreover, Senior Brother Tan's timely help has brought us one step closer to rebuilding the sect."
The few of them spoke no more, guiding the flying ship to soar another few hundred miles. As they saw the sun setting in the west and the twilight thickening, they found a deeply indented rock wall in an arid ravine and stopped to rest.
They posted invisibility and silence talismans around, started a small campfire, took some dry food from their storage pouches, and roasted them over the fire, while drinking fresh water as they ate.
After cultivators undergo Qi Cultivation, they depend much less on food, generally needing only one meal a day. After successfully reaching Foundation Establishment, they can fast completely, only requiring some fresh water every few days.
It's rumored that for Golden Core Masters, consuming ordinary food is not only useless but also harmful; hence, they only consume some spirit flowers and spirit fruits.
However, eating less doesn't mean eating poorly. In these past days at the marketplace, it was always the tavern's fine food and drink. At this time, while chewing on dry food, Lu Qian couldn't help but reflect on how easy it is to go from frugality to extravagance, but not the other way around.
But turning his head to look, Jiang Qingfeng had taken off her mask, chewing the dry food with small bites, her beautiful face showing no impatience. Even Taotao was happily munching on a piece of pastry.
Filled with emotion, Lu Qian laughed and said, "Today, it is my greatest sin to have two fairies dine with me in the open air. When we revive the sect and achieve our dreams, I will surely open a restaurant for you both, and we'll have banquets every day."
Jiang Qingfeng gave him a sidelong glance, but Taotao took it seriously and said happily, "That would be great! Elder Sister can be the Chief Shopkeeper, I'll be the Assistant Shopkeeper, and we'll sell candied haw in the restaurant. I'll eat as many as I want."
Lu Qian laughed heartily and was about to continue teasing when he saw Taotao waving her hands and feet, too excited. A piece of pastry suddenly got stuck in her throat, and she started coughing. Qingfeng promptly fetched water for her to swallow, shooting an angry glare at Lu Qian.
Receiving two sideways looks, Lu Qian felt a bit embarrassed and quickly finished off the dry food in his hand.
After another hour had passed, with the bright moon high in the sky and the firelight fading, Taotao, feeling ample, began practicing her cultivation. Lu Qian and Jiang Qingfeng exchanged a look and took out the stone box.
With a click, the lid of the stone box was gently pushed open, revealing a pale yellow jade scroll lying quietly inside, already quite old.
Lu Qian nodded to Jiang Qingfeng, then took out the jade scroll, pressing it against his forehead, activating his divine sense to begin reading the information inside.
After a time to drink a cup of tea, Lu Qian exhaled a long breath and opened his eyes, handing the jade scroll to Qingfeng.
As Senior Brother Tan said, this is indeed the letter from Master Chi Yu to his great-grandmaster. In the letter, Master Chi Yu had successfully advanced to the Golden Core and returned to his sect. Remembering his old friend whose life span was nearing its end, he wrote a letter expressing gratitude and promised that his old friend's descendants could come to find him with this letter, and he would certainly try to repay them.
After Qingfeng also finished reading the letter, the two quickly found the largest map they had.
"Ningzhou, Haidong County, Danxia Sect, Master Chi Yu..."
Lu Qian's fingers slid across the map and finally stopped. In this vast state, thousands of miles in circumference, they were currently in Qingzhou's Nujiang County, far from Ningzhou's Haidong County, with a distance of two thousand four hundred miles, and Cangzhou separating them.