Ch. 1454 - The Man Among The Plum Blossoms

When the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign said this, Dragon Lord panicked.

“Why would you say that, Saint Sovereign?” he asked quickly. “You’re not planning to leave, are you?”

“You already know I’ve been waiting for someone,” the Saint Sovereign replied with a smile. “Now that my lord has arrived, naturally I must follow him.”

Hearing that, Dragon Lord’s face fell. He nodded, then sighed and shook his head. “I knew this day would come. The Saint Sovereign never truly belonged to Ocean Sage City, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon.”

“There’s no need for such sorrow,” the Saint Sovereign said gently. “If I weren’t bound by other duties, Ocean Sage City would indeed be a fine place to stay. When I’m finally free of my burdens, I’ll surely return.”

“Even so,” Dragon Lord sighed, “your presence has brought peace to this city. To me, and to the people as well. But so be it, since you must go, I can only wish you a boundless path in your cultivation.”

“I will, and I believe with you here, Ocean Sage City will only grow stronger,” the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign said with a smile.

Xu Zimo added, “We may need to make use of your city’s teleportation formation.”

“No problem,” Dragon Lord said. “I can send you to the Ancient Phoenix City. As for the particle world beneath the Inferno Abyss, I’m afraid that place has no teleportation formation.”

“Phoenix City will do,” Xu Zimo nodded.

“Then what say you leave tomorrow?” Dragon Lord suggested. “Let me at least show a bit of hospitality. Besides, the Saint Sovereign’s departure should be announced to the city.”

Xu Zimo thought for a moment and agreed. Dragon Lord was a decent man; one more day wouldn’t hurt.

As they talked, a sudden commotion came from outside.

“Miss, you can’t go in right now. The City Lord is entertaining guests!”

“Why not? I need to talk to my father, now!” came an angry female voice.

“Whatever it is, can’t it wait until the guests are gone?”

“I can’t wait!”

Moments later, a figure strode into the courtyard.

It was a young woman dressed in a martial robe, a red band tied around her head. She was tall and athletic, with a delicate oval face and sharp, spirited eyes. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail behind her head. She looked fierce and full of energy, like a proud fighting rooster.

“Father!” she shouted angrily. “Why did you hold a martial arts marriage contest in my name? Now the whole city is gossiping that I attracted a bunch of monsters!”

“I only wanted to lure those monsters out,” Dragon Lord said with a sheepish smile. Then he looked at Xu Zimo and explained, “This is my daughter, Long Wulin.”

The Violet Mist Saint Sovereign, being her teacher, naturally knew her well.

“Master,” Long Wulin greeted respectfully before turning back to her father. “I don’t care what your reason was, my reputation’s been ruined! You’d better explain this to everyone!”

“Lin’er, don’t make a fuss,” Dragon Lord said sternly. “Can’t you see we have honored guests? I’ll explain it to the city myself.”

Faced with her father’s commanding tone, Long Wulin pouted but answered with a quiet “Oh.” She could tell when to stop.

Afterward, Dragon Lord turned back to Xu Zimo. “I should go make some arrangements. I’ll have someone show you to your quarters, or if you’d like to wander the city, you’re free to do so.”

“No need to worry about me. Go handle your affairs,” Xu Zimo said, waving his hand.

As Dragon Lord’s figure disappeared into the distance, the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign rose. “I should speak to the people myself. I’ve been here long enough that many look up to me, they even see me as a symbol of hope.”

Xu Zimo nodded slightly.

After the Saint Sovereign left, he stood and decided to take a stroll around the City Lord’s residence.

The estate was simple, even austere, though quite spacious.

As he walked through the courtyard, a faint fragrance reached his nose, a delicate scent of plum blossoms.

Following the scent, he walked along a narrow stone path. After several minutes, he came upon a plum grove.

It was the season when the blossoms were in full bloom. Ink-colored and snow-white petals covered the branches, and the fragrance filled the air for miles around. From afar, the scene looked like an ink painting, black and white interwoven with serene beauty.

This was plum blossom season.

In the midst of the grove stood a small tower.

“Ah, a friend from afar! What joy!”

A man’s hearty laughter echoed from within.

He wore a long white robe, so long it not only covered his entire body but trailed several meters behind him on the ground.

He held a jug of cloudy wine in one hand, drinking freely as he painted with the other. His laughter and brushstrokes flowed together with effortless ease.

“Honored guest,” the man called out, “why not step into the plum grove and discuss the Dao with me?”

“This city truly hides dragons among men,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “Who would have thought such a recluse lived here?”

The man’s presence was extraordinary, not merely strong in cultivation, but in spirit. His aura merged completely with heaven and earth, as though he was the world, and the world was him.

He had comprehended the Dao of Heaven and Earth, blending himself into it so deeply that every movement resonated with cosmic harmony.

“Why not?” Xu Zimo laughed lightly and stepped into the grove.

As he entered, the sensation of the man’s power grew clearer, vast and immeasurable, like standing before a towering mountain. The Great Dao itself seemed to hum all around him.

Xu Zimo smiled faintly and waved his hand. Instantly, all that pressure melted away like snow meeting the spring sun, vanishing without a trace.

He knew the man was testing him.

Xu Zimo answered in kind, releasing a might of his own, stronger, sharper, pressing forward.

The man’s expression shifted slightly, but only for a moment. Then, calm again, he raised his brush and swept it through the air. With just a few strokes, the oppressive aura bearing down on him was sealed away in the void.

Xu Zimo walked closer, step by step, until he entered the tower.

The man’s brush fell one last time, and a painting appeared before Xu Zimo.

It showed a man walking through a grove of plum blossoms, petals falling all around.

When Xu Zimo looked closer, he realized, the man in the painting was himself.

He had barely been in the grove for a minute, yet the stranger had already captured him perfectly.

“Since fate brings us together,” the man said with a laugh, “this painting is yours.”

Xu Zimo studied him. “Who are you?”

“Just a man with no name,” the stranger said, shaking his head. “The past is gone; what’s done is done. None of it matters anymore.”

He lifted another jug of wine and tossed one to Xu Zimo. “Drink with me?”

Then, without waiting for a reply, he drank deeply from his own.

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