Lin Buyu turned her head to look at Zi Yan, then turned back with an expressionless face and said, “I don’t remember.”
The others felt a little awkward at her words.
“It’s been three years, it’s normal not to remember,” Zi Yan said with a smile, trying to ease the situation.
“That’s right, it’s been three years, it’s normal not to remember. Look, Buyu, you’re already as tall as me,” Zhao Linglong said with a smile, making a comparison.
If it weren’t for Xu Taiping being her first disciple to descend the mountain, and if she didn’t have a similar experience with Xu Taiping in her childhood, she might have forgotten about the young man.
Although Zhao Linglong’s father was the Peak Master of the Seventh Peak, she was born to the Peak Master and a worldly woman. She grew up in the mortal world until she was seven years old. Her mother made a living by washing clothes for others. After her mother fell seriously ill, she, at the age of six or seven, learned to wash clothes, cook, and make medicinal soup.
If it weren’t for her mother’s passing and being found by the Peak Master of the Seventh Peak, she might have walked away with her mother on that winter day.
“By the way, Sister Zi Yan, are you here today to watch the Dragon Gate Competition together?” Zhao Linglong changed the subject, curiously asking Xu Ziyan.
“Yesterday, when I corresponded with Qingxiao, I learned that you borrowed the mountain patrol mirror. I wanted to bring Buyu to take a look. Although it’s a competition between outer disciples, it only happens once every three years. If we miss it, we’ll have to wait another three years,” Zi Yan nodded.
“That’s perfect. This year at the Dragon Gate Competition, Xu Taiping, who entered the mountain with Buyu, will also be there. You can meet him again then,” Zhao Linglong teased Lin Buyu.
“Okay.”
To Zhao Linglong and Zi Yan’s surprise, this time Lin Buyu neither ignored nor refuted them.
…
A moment later.
In the bamboo forest at the stone table.
“Alright, what’s showing in the bronze mirror is the martial arts field in front of the Dragon Gate Hall. Today’s competition will take place on the four platforms in the center of the field,” after activating the bronze mirror with his magical power, Qingxiao placed it back on the stone table.
“Let me see.”
Zhao Linglong propped her arm on the table and leaned over to take a look. She found that the bronze mirror did indeed show the martial arts field in front of the Dragon Gate Hall.
In the picture, the four square platforms in the center of the martial arts field were the most eye-catching, and the crowd was gathered around these four platforms.
“Second Senior Brother, do you know which platform Taiping is on?” Zhao Linglong suddenly looked up at Qingxiao.
“Linglong, the Dragon Gate Competition is drawn on the spot, so no one knows which match they’ll be in until today,” before Qingxiao could speak, Zi Yan, who had been silent, helped explain.
“I see. Then we’ll have to look for him slowly,” Zhao Linglong nodded.
She had never paid attention to the selection of the Seventh Peak before, so she was naturally unaware of this.
“I’ll look for him.”
Qingxiao then channeled a bit of spiritual power to his fingertips and drew a rune pattern on the surface of the bronze mirror. Following the picture in the bronze mirror, he began to enlarge it bit by bit.
“Let’s start with the platform to the east, and you all take a look,” he said, using his finger to touch the bronze mirror, and the picture of the platform to the east began to enlarge.
“No, no, there are only old men on the platform to the east, not Taiping,” Zhao Linglong glanced at it and waved her hand, asking Qingxiao to look at another platform.
Because she didn’t know what Xu Taiping looked like now, she could only use age as a reference to search for him. Fortunately, most of the outer disciples who were able to participate in the Dragon Gate Competition were older and mostly martial artists, so it wasn’t particularly difficult to find him.
“Wait, there’s a young person here.”
Zhao Linglong suddenly stopped Qingxiao.
“This person is not Xu Taiping.”
Zi Yan, who had been watching the picture in the bronze mirror, shook her head.
As the picture quickly enlarged, the young man’s face also appeared on the bronze mirror.
Although he was young, his appearance was clearly different from Xu Taiping’s, both in facial features and expression.
“Sister Zi Yan, how do you know this person is not Xu Taiping?” after confirming that the person was not Xu Taiping, Zhao Linglong suddenly looked up at Zi Yan with curiosity.
“This person is named Luyuan. He came to Yunlu Mountain seven years ago. Although he has a white spirit bone, his talent in martial arts is excellent, and he is best at using a sword. He has long been observed by the various peaks as an outer disciple,” Zi Yan explained.
“Okay, Master also asked us to pay attention to this person,” Qingxiao nodded.
“There are such talented disciples among the outer disciples. Taiping must not meet him,” Zhao Linglong continued to search for Xu Taiping in the bronze mirror, muttering worriedly.
“Outer disciples who can come to the Dragon Gate Hall are not ordinary people. Even if he doesn’t meet Luyuan, he will meet others,” Qingxiao retorted Zhao Linglong.
“Can’t you say something more comforting…”
“Don’t move.”
Before Zhao Linglong could finish speaking, Lin Buyu, who had been silent, interrupted.
“What’s wrong?”
The three of them looked at Lin Buyu.
“That person looks a bit like him,” Lin Buyu pointed to the bronze mirror.
The three of them looked down and found that the outline of the young man’s figure was indeed somewhat similar to their memory of Xu Taiping.
“Second Senior Brother, enlarge it more, quickly, quickly!” Zhao Linglong urged repeatedly.
“Don’t rush.”
Qingxiao glared at Zhao Linglong and then gently slid his fingers to enlarge the picture in the bronze mirror. The view from the bronze mirror was like a bird soaring in the sky, passing over the heads of the cultivators in the martial arts field.
“No, no, on the platform to the east, there are only old men, not Taiping,” Zhao Linglong glanced at it and waved her hand, asking Qingxiao to look at another platform.
Because she didn’t know what Xu Taiping looked like now, she could only use age as a reference to search for him. Fortunately, most of the outer disciples who were able to participate in the Dragon Gate Competition were older and mostly martial artists, so it wasn’t particularly difficult to find him.
“Wait, there’s a young person here.”
Zhao Linglong suddenly stopped Qingxiao.
“This person is not Xu Taiping.”
Zi Yan, who had been watching the picture in the bronze mirror, shook her head.
As the picture quickly enlarged, the young man’s face also appeared on the bronze mirror.
Although he was young, his appearance was clearly different from Xu Taiping’s, both in facial features and expression.
“Sister Zi Yan, how do you know this person is not Xu Taiping?” after confirming that the person was not Xu Taiping, Zhao Linglong suddenly looked up at Zi Yan with curiosity.
“This person is named Luyuan. He came to Yunlu Mountain seven years ago. Although he has a white spirit bone, his talent in martial arts is excellent, and he is best at using a sword. He has long been observed by the various peaks as an outer disciple,” Zi Yan explained.
“Okay, Master also asked us to pay attention to this person,” Qingxiao nodded.
“There are such talented disciples among the outer disciples. Taiping must not meet him,” Zhao Linglong continued to search for Xu Taiping in the bronze mirror, muttering worriedly.
“Outer disciples who can come to the Dragon Gate Hall are not ordinary people. Even if he doesn’t meet Luyuan, he will meet others,” Qingxiao retorted Zhao Linglong.
“Can’t you say something more comforting…”
“Don’t move.”
Before Zhao Linglong could finish speaking, Lin Buyu, who had been silent, interrupted.
“What’s wrong?”
The three of them looked at Lin Buyu.
“That person looks a bit like him,” Lin Buyu pointed to the bronze mirror.
The three of them looked down and found that the outline of the young man’s figure was indeed somewhat similar to their memory of Xu Taiping.Just as Zhao Linglong was getting anxious and wanted Qingxiao to think of another solution, the young man suddenly stopped writing with his pen, as if sensing something, he looked up towards the sky.
His features were then clearly reflected in the bronze mirror.
It was a face that still held traces of youthfulness, but the edges were beginning to show, especially the eyes beneath the slightly furrowed brows, which possessed a determination and sharpness uncharacteristic of someone his age, along with a hint of stubbornness.
“It’s him, he is Little Taiping!”
After a moment of stunned silence, Zhao Linglong suddenly shouted out in joy.
“Although he has grown taller and more robust, his eyes and brows remain unchanged, it’s him.”
She excitedly added another sentence.
What Xu Taiping remembered most vividly about himself was the wary yet somewhat stubborn look in his eyes when they first met.
“It must be him, look at the sign on the table in front of him.”
Qingxiao pointed to the table in front of Xu Taiping in the bronze mirror.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked intently and then saw that the sign indeed read “Green Bamboo Residence Xu Taiping” in six bold characters.
“Green Bamboo Residence, that’s right, it’s Green Bamboo Residence. I was the one who personally took him there back then.”
Zhao Linglong said with a face full of nostalgia.
“Wait a minute.”
She suddenly thought of something, turned her head to look at Lin Buyu beside her, and asked with great curiosity, “Sister Buyu, didn’t you say you don’t remember Taiping? How did you recognize him at a glance?”
Lin Buyu faced Zhao Linglong with an expressionless gaze, then turned her head away indifferently and said:
“Guessed.”