"Young man, impressive skills."
The elder, hunched over, gave Xu Taiping a fist salute.
Standing no taller than five feet with sparse white hair atop his head, it was hard for Xu Taiping to imagine that such formidable strength could burst forth from this old man, had it not been for their recent collision.
"Old sir, quite the sturdy frame you have."
Xu Taiping also gave a respectful hand gesture in return.
"Oh, it's nothing, just a bag of bones," the elder said with a chuckle, waving his hand dismissively before walking towards the two children.
At the same time, the voice of the Fairy Lingyue echoed in Xu Taiping's mind:
"The vitality of this elder far surpasses that of an ordinary martial arts grandmaster, faintly touching the realm of a martial arts supreme."
Xu Taiping had heard from Fairy Lingyue about the realms of martial artists, which could be roughly divided into martial soldier, martial general, martial master, and martial supreme, with martial master being equivalent to a martial arts grandmaster, and martial supreme to a martial arts supreme.
According to Fairy Lingyue, the vast majority of martial artists remain at the level of martial general, with only a rare few exceptionally talented individuals breaking through to the realms of martial master and martial supreme.
Only by breaking through to the realm of martial supreme could a martial artist truly compete with cultivators.
However, in the world where Xu Taiping resided, the suppression on martial cultivators was too severe; becoming a martial arts grandmaster was already the limit, and elders like this one were exceedingly rare.
"Could this person be…"
A name crossed Xu Taiping's mind, but he couldn't be certain.
"There's a possibility, but if it were really him, someone on this street would have recognized him by now," Fairy Lingyue responded.
"Don't cry, little ones, come here, grandpa has some candy for you."
By now, the elder had squatted down in front of the two children, pulling out a handful of candies from his pocket to share with them.
Xu Taiping noticed that to look the children in the eye, the elder spoke with one knee on the ground, unconcerned even as one leg soaked in the rainwater.
"Really him?"
Xu Taiping harbored some doubts.
The elder before him didn't seem like the demon who had slaughtered nine cities and countless righteous warriors of the White Tree Kingdom.
"Daoist Taiping."
Just then, the Sixth Princess, holding a little monkey, approached Xu Taiping, with General Chu and Cao Qianhu closely following behind.
Xu Taiping nodded to the Sixth Princess.
Observing her reaction to the elder and seeing that she didn't recognize him either, he thought to himself, "Perhaps, this person is also here to challenge Fan Qi."
"Young man, care for a drink?"
After handing the children back to their mother, the elder stood up, looked at Xu Taiping with a beaming smile, and gestured as if holding a drink.
"Thank you for the kind offer, old sir, but I must face Fan Zhuangzhu in the life-and-death arena tomorrow, so I should not drink today," Xu Taiping purposefully revealed his plans for the next day to the elder.
To his surprise, upon hearing this, the elder showed neither shock nor anger in his eyes, only deep concern and regret.
"Young man, you're too young for the life-and-death arena."
The elder advised Xu Taiping gently.
After saying this, he waved his hand and said, "Never mind, perhaps I'm just too old. If fate allows, we shall meet again."
With that, he turned and walked towards the Drunken Immortal Inn across the street.
"Drunken Immortal Inn? I remember the palace reports saying that Fan Qi, that villain, is particularly fond of the Roast Goose from there," the Sixth Princess murmured, frowning.
Hearing this, Xu Taiping's brow furrowed, but he soon shook his head and said:
"Let's go, Your Highness. With all this commotion, it's time we returned."
"Yes, indeed, we should go back," the Sixth Princess agreed, nodding with a vigilant look as the crowd began to grow.
"Your Highness, have you ever seen Fan Qi?"
Xu Taiping asked as they walked.
"Never," the Sixth Princess shook her head.
"I've seen portraits, but only of his younger days. After coming to the Black Vulture Kingdom, he rarely shows his true face, even wearing a mask in the life-and-death arena, so there are no portraits of his current appearance," she said with some embarrassment.
"What if the person standing in the life-and-death arena isn't him?"
Xu Taiping inquired.
"I've heard from the Empress Mother that as long as he stands in the life-and-death arena, even without showing his face, no one will question his identity, because the overwhelming murderous intent he carries cannot be imitated by anyone," the Sixth Princess said, her words filled with hatred.
"That murderous intent was paid for with the lives of countless citizens of the White Tree Kingdom!" she said bitterly.
Her words made Xu Taiping doubt his own conjecture even more, for he had not felt any murderous intent from the elder.
Perhaps it was just a misperception.
With this thought, Xu Taiping felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
***
Back at the inn.
"Daoist Taiping, I've finally found you."
Just as Xu Taiping reached the inn's entrance and was about to enter, he heard a familiar voice from behind.
Turning around, it was none other than the carefree Huang Que from the Xiaoyao Sect.
"Huang Que, you truly live up to your name," Xu Taiping said with a smile, bearing no ill will towards the man.
"Master, take the little monkey upstairs," Xu Taiping said to the Sixth Princess, who was disguised as a boy.
"The little monkey will sleep in your room tonight," he added.
"Okay!"
Upon hearing this, the Sixth Princess immediately nodded with joy, as if afraid Xu Taiping would change his mind. After nodding, she hugged Ping An tightly and ran into the inn, making Bai Yu inside the gourd envious.
"Daoist Taiping, haven't changed your mind, have you?" Huang Que asked with a smile.
"Huang Que, you seem quite idle. Can you not keep an eye on me all day long?" Xu Taiping asked seriously.
In fact, he had long noticed Huang Que following him but had not exposed him.
Even though he knew the other party had no ill intentions, it still made him uncomfortable.
"If I don't keep an eye on you, someone else will," Huang Que replied with a grin.
Xu Taiping nodded somewhat helplessly.
That was the truth.
"Huang Que, rest assured, I will not do anything tomorrow that goes against the Nine Prefectures' Immortal Laws," he said earnestly.
"That's exactly what I and your second senior brother are most worried about," Huang Que replied in his usual lighthearted tone.
However, his words startled Xu Taiping, who then realized, "You know my second senior brother?"
Huang Que just smiled and made a shushing gesture.
"Regardless, preserving your life is always the top priority. That's all I'll say; take care of yourself."
With that, Huang Que waved his hand and walked away with a carefree air.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas