"At that time, I was in danger and fell from a cliff. I thought I was dead, but then I was saved by Sect Leader Bai. That thousand-zhang high precipice, shrouded in clouds and mist, yet he walked as if on level ground, as ethereal as an immortal..."
Xiao Jingchen's eyes shone with admiration, his tone filled with excitement, as if he were speaking of his idol.
"I didn't know his identity then, but he helped me retrieve the Fire Lotus. I wanted to thank him, even ask to be his disciple, but Sect Leader Bai refused, only asking me to do one thing for him."
Xiao Jingchen said that Bai Yanshu then took out his jade pendant and asked him to bring it back to Qingxu Heaven.
And he gave an instruction.
"What exactly did Master say?"
Chu Tianshu and Lu Jixing couldn't hold back, urging, "Hurry up and tell us, you're killing us with anticipation."
Xiao Jingchen looked at Li Tianjue and said word for word, "Young Master Li, Sect Leader Bai asked me to deliver this message to you. He said there's a map hidden within this jade pendant, but you must wait until you break through to the ninth stage of Sage realm to view it. Otherwise, it will be a violation of his teachings, and he will expel you from Qingxu Heaven."
He looked at Li Tianjue with disbelief, his heart shocked.
The ninth stage of Sage realm... that was a realm he could never reach in his lifetime! But Sect Leader Bai had said it, meaning he was certain Li Tianjue could achieve it.
Indeed, he was the chief disciple of Qingxu Heaven, the number one on the Heavenly Genius List!
But Su Luo and the others were in an uproar.
Chu Tianshu immediately denied, "Impossible! Master would never say such a thing."
Lu Jixing slammed the table, making the dishes jump, "Yes, impossible! Master values Senior Brother the most, treating him almost like his own son. How could he expel him from the sect for such a trivial matter? I don't believe it!"
Shang Xie Shaoqing fanned himself leisurely and said, "Young Master Xiao, are you sure you didn't misremember?"
Even he didn't believe it, and the people of Qingxu Heaven certainly wouldn't.
"It's impossible to misremember. This is such an important matter, how could I possibly forget it?" Xiao Jingchen immediately replied.
Holding the warm and smooth Twin Fish Qiankun Jade Pendant, Li Tianjue remained silent.
Su Luo seemed to have thought of something, "I guess, could it be that the map within the jade pendant is in an extremely dangerous environment? Master was worried Senior Brother might get into an accident if he tried to view it forcefully, so he said that?"
"It was actually to protect Senior Brother?!" Tang Xiaoguo added.
She nodded, thinking it very possible.
But another question arose: where did this map lead? Why didn't the Sect Leader return personally to tell them, even neglecting his seriously ill son, and instead used such a strange method?
Where had he gone now?
Xiao Jingchen looked at the pairs of eyes fixed on him and quickly said, "I really don't know anymore. Sect Leader Bai didn't say anything else. He just left this jade pendant for me to deliver to Qingxu Heaven and then drifted away."
It was becoming increasingly strange.
Li Tianjue, including Su Luo and the others, felt something was amiss.
The Sect Leader had clearly gone out to find medicine for Bai Qi's illness, so why hadn't he returned to Qingxu Heaven?
Furthermore, he hadn't given any spiritual herbs to Xiao Jingchen to bring back, but instead gave him his personal jade pendant. What had happened to him outside all these years?
Where did the map contained within the jade pendant lead?
Was it truly so dangerous that it required one to reach the ninth stage of Sage realm before it could be viewed?
Suddenly, Chu Tianshu hardened his resolve and said, "Senior Brother, there must be something wrong. Take a look at the jade pendant immediately, see if there's really a map. What if Master said that deliberately, fearing the news might leak?"
This also made sense.
Truth mixed with falsehood, confusing the issue; one couldn't just look at the surface.
Li Tianjue, who had been uneasy, immediately submerged his consciousness into the jade pendant to investigate.
But he soon shook his head, "No, I can't see it. Master has placed a very strong restriction on the jade pendant, and even I can't open it. And I am sure it was left by Master; there's no mistake."
Everyone looked at each other, unsure what to do.
The only information they had was that Sect Leader Bai Yanshu had appeared two years ago, and at least he was unharmed at the time. As for his current condition, no one could guess.
For a moment, everyone was lost in thought, and the room fell silent.
If only they could know the truth of the jade pendant, Su Luo thought, and a thought struck her. She secretly used her Divine Eye to scan the jade pendant and was surprised to see some information.
Fortunately, the level of this Twin Fish Qiankun Pendant did not exceed her capabilities by too much.
She had cultivated in the Giant King's Court for more than half a year, and with ample resources, she had just broken through to the Venerable realm. Apart from a few special divine artifacts, she could now scan even top-tier powerhouses at the Great Emperor level with her Divine Eye.
"As expected, the jade pendant has a very strong restriction, but it can't block the Divine Eye's scan..."
Su Luo watched silently.
She saw a map.
The curved lines were finer than a strand of hair, drawn very complexly. One particular spot was marked with a red line, seemingly indicating danger.
Above the map were a few characters: Life and Death Chasm.
What place was this?
Su Luo had no recollection. Although she had seen some ancient texts and information in the resource hall library of Qingxu Heaven, the sheer volume was too vast. She couldn't finish it in ten years, and could only pick what interested her and was useful, but she had never heard of the Life and Death Chasm.
She noted down this place name, intending to ask Li Tianjue privately at a suitable opportunity.
"By the way, Young Master Xiao."
Su Luo then asked, "Since you received this jade pendant two years ago, why haven't you gone to Qingxu Heaven until now? What reason caused the delay?"
As soon as she said this, Xiao Jingchen's expression changed slightly, and he remained silent for a long time.
Xiao Qi looked at Su Luo and the others, knowing that her young master was in a bad mood, so she helped him by saying, "Everyone, please don't blame my young master. Something happened to the Xiao family... Now only my young master and I are alive. Master and Madam, everyone is gone..."
The Xiao family was gone?
The renowned descendant of King Mu was now only Xiao Jingchen left!
"Young Master Xiao, what exactly happened to..."
Before Chu Tianshu could finish, Xiao Jingchen raised his hand to stop him, and said with immense sadness, "This is a private matter of my Xiao family, and I don't wish to discuss it. However, it was indeed due to this change that I was forced to delay. I apologize to all of you."
Sensing his sadness and grief, Su Luo quickly said, "Young Master Xiao, I'm sorry, I brought up your painful memory."
Xiao Jingchen shook his head and said nothing more.
Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, and the meal was tasteless.
Soon, it was evening.
Su Luo told Xiao Jingchen that the poison in his body was mostly gone. Although his cultivation had been reduced, surviving was a blessing in disguise. He must recuperate carefully, and if there were no accidents, he should be fully recovered in about a year or two.
As for the loss of his vital energy, Su Luo did not ask.
She knew Xiao Jingchen would not tell her.
As they left the inn, Su Luo told him that they would be staying at the Yuebin Lou Inn in the city for now, and if anyone needed to find them, they could come here.
"Thank you, Miss Su, for saving my life. Words cannot express my gratitude. I have something to give you." Xiao Jingchen said sincerely, taking a booklet from his storage ring and handing it over.