Chapter 2422 — The Xuanzhen Ancestor
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Good. We shall never speak of this matter again. It is to be classified as the highest secret of our Yu family — known to the three of us alone, and to no one else!" The Yu family patriarch nodded and said, "Xiaochen, as for the Chen family, give them a warning. Tell Old Man Chen to keep his mouth shut, or he may find his whole clan wiped out!"
"Yes, Father!" Yu Xiaochen answered hurriedly... At that very place, the Xuanzhen Ancestor, who had been sitting in meditation within a diagram of the Eight Trigrams, suddenly opened his eyes, and his eldest disciple, Xiaoyi, who had been standing guard for him, started in fright and asked quickly, "Master, what is it? Why have you suddenly opened your eyes?"
"Your senior uncle has come out of seclusion. Come with me to welcome him!" The Xuanzhen Ancestor rose abruptly to his feet and strode out of the room.
Xiaoyi was briefly taken aback, then hurried after him, following the Xuanzhen Ancestor's steps out of the courtyard.
Once past the separate courtyard, the Xuanzhen Ancestor made his way toward a remote cave dwelling near the mountain peak. Though many disciples were about along the road and greeted him one after another upon seeing him, the Xuanzhen Ancestor had no time to respond. He went straight up the mountain and arrived at the entrance of that cave dwelling.
At the cave's entrance sat the Xuanzhen Ancestor's second and third disciples, the ones who kept watch for his senior brother. Seeing the Xuanzhen Ancestor approach, they could not help but stare in surprise, not knowing why their master had come.
"Master, you've come!" Xiao'er hurried over and saluted him.
The Xuanzhen Ancestor nodded but gave no reply. Instead he called out in a clear voice, "Second Brother, did this round of seclusion bring you any gains?"
"Haha, Xuanzhen, you've come quickly enough. Your second brother has only just come out of seclusion and you've already found your way here — I can't even get a moment's rest!" From within the cave came a vigorous, powerful voice. This was none other than the Xuanzhen Ancestor's second senior brother — the Xuanzhen Ancestor.
"Second Brother, am I not simply concerned for you? You were in seclusion for three whole years, and I could not so much as catch a glimpse of you. So the moment you came out, I hurried over!" Hearing that the Xuanzhen Ancestor's voice was full and resonant, the Xuanzhen Ancestor knew his body was sound, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
One had to understand that for a cultivator, seclusion was both a blessing and a curse — a double-edged sword. Wielded well, one's strength and cultivation would surge. Wielded poorly, one might suffer a deviation of qi and be driven to madness — or even drop dead on the spot.
After all, seclusion meant sealing oneself away, cut off from all contact with the outside world. If one truly did suffer a deviation of qi, no outsider would know, and there would be no timely rescue. It was entirely possible to simply die in the midst of one's retreat.
"Three years — to you and me, is that not but the blink of an eye?" The Xuanzhen Ancestor walked out of the cave with a smile and said in a ringing voice, "During my seclusion, nothing major happened in the mountains, I trust?"
The Xuanzhen Ancestor did not look young either, somewhat older than the Xuanzhen Ancestor. In dress and bearing the two were much alike, both clad in Eight Trigrams robes, each with a certain air of immortal grace.
"Second Brother, I shall tell you of the mountain's affairs in a little while. First, tell me how you are. What did this seclusion yield?" The Xuanzhen Ancestor's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly changed the subject — he did not want his second brother's spirits weighed down the moment he emerged from seclusion.