363: Chapter 363 Welcoming

After being exposed by Lin Xiao, Kong Sen dared not hide anything further.

Sure enough, these makeshift cannons and poison fire explosives were not manufactured by Kong Sen himself, but were a legacy left behind by his grandfather and father.

Although the Xuanji Sect had been destroyed, there were still lucky survivors like the Kong family.

It was just that the Kong family dared not claim to be descendants of the Xuanji Sect; they only dared to do some craft work in the Million Great Mountains.

By relying on past savings, they were able to make a living, and it was passed down to Kong Sen's generation.

Although Kong Sen had learned some of the Xuanji Sect's techniques, due to limited conditions and his own lack of talent, he was only a half-baked expert.

Before his father passed away, he had even warned him not to attempt to manufacture poison fire.

Because the production of this thing required extreme caution; one mistake and he would blow himself up.

Moreover, his old father knew exactly what kind of character Kong Sen had. He knew that holding a treasure would lead to trouble; the more he knew, the faster he would die.

"Your Highness, I have already told you everything, and I have lost all my cultivation. Please, spare me!" Kong Sen pleaded.

Lin Xiao pondered for a moment and nodded. "Very well. I am in a hurry to get to the Tianwu Grand Tournament, so you may go."

Kong Sen felt as if he had been granted amnesty. Ignoring his injuries, he stumbled back, mounted his horse, and fled.

"Husband, why not capture him?" Xiao Qingxuan asked, puzzled. "There should still be many good things from the Xuanji Sect that can be dug out of him."

"Don't worry, my lady, he won't be able to escape," Lin Xiao said calmly.

Xiao Qingxuan thought for a moment and smiled gently. "Husband, are you saying... he will still go to find Liao Meier?"

"Now that the Great Elder is dead, the Soul-Gu Poison is likely useless. This Kong Sen will most likely go before Liao Meier and claim it as his own merit."

"But that woman Liao Meier is determined to climb the social ladder and become a phoenix. Once she is no longer restrained by the Gu poison, and with her Heaven Grade talent, how could she be willing to follow him?"

Lin Xiao said leisurely, "We don't need to do anything; we just need to wait."

"Husband, you are really wicked. You actually want to use Liao Meier's ambition to employ a beauty trap," Leng Bingyan teased.

Lin Xiao laughed, pulled the woman into his arms, and kissed her.

"If I weren't wicked, could you and Qingxuan be good sisters for a lifetime?"

Leng Bingyan blushed, turned her head away, and bit her lip with a soft huff.

The other women nearby also giggled.

Only Qin He turned away awkwardly, looking melancholy, thinking that it was time for him to start a family.

Having resolved the "little episode" with the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, Lin Xiao and his party simply continued along the old road toward Wendao Peak.

Because few people walked the old road, it was quiet, and the scenery was refreshing.

By the afternoon, they arrived outside the mountain gate of Wendao Peak, where hundreds of carriages were already parked.

Tents set up temporarily had crowded the open space outside the mountain gate completely.

"Why is everyone staying at the foot of the mountain?" Lin Xiao was speechless. The conditions were basically a makeshift hospital refugee camp.

Leng Bingyan explained, "Husband, you may not know this, but although the Dao Sect is one of the Five Great Sects, it has always been simple."

"Most Dao Sect disciples wander across the world and do not often live within the sect, so there are very few places to accommodate people."

"For a grand event like the Tianwu Grand Tournament, if all the major sects went up the mountain, there would be no way to house them."

"Therefore, only some large sects and prominent figures are qualified to stay overnight on Wendao Peak."

"As for the vast majority of martial artists, they can only make do with tents at the foot of the mountain for a few days."

Lin Xiao naturally could not take his women to sleep on the ground at the foot of the mountain. Just as he was about to drive into the mountain gate, he saw several magnificent carriages coming along the main road not far away.

Each of those carriages had a brocade flag inserted on it, all bearing the character "Dai".

The martial artists outside the mountain gate gathered around upon seeing this, pointing and whispering.

"It's Scholar Dai from the Academy!"

"With so many attendants, this display is really grand!"

"He is a hot favorite on the prodigy rankings. In the last few decades, it's been rare for the Academy to produce someone so talented in both literature and martial arts. How could they not give him a grand display?"

As the carriages stopped, a dozen good-looking maids and bookboys stepped down from the three carriages behind.

Under the lead carriage, a footstool was placed, and a long carpet was laid out.

Once everything was ready, two graceful maids pulled back the curtain, and a jade-faced young master stepped down elegantly.

He was dressed in a long white robe, and despite the cold weather, he held a folding fan.

The young master bowed to the martial artists around him in return. His etiquette was impeccable, but between his brows, there was an air of arrogance.

On a stretch of road less than a hundred meters long, he stopped every few steps to greet the martial artists.

Meanwhile, four bookboys were busy constantly laying out the carpet so that the young master's feet wouldn't touch the mud.

"Damn it..." Lin Xiao was stunned watching from the carriage in the distance. "Who is this guy? How is his display even grander than mine?"

"He should be Dai Yunchuan, the fourth-ranked disciple of the Academy on the prodigy rankings."

Leng Bingyan said, "In the Baixiaosheng illustrated books, he is the only prodigy with the surname Dai. He comes from the prestigious Dai family of Huaizhou, whose ancestors produced seven imperial scholars and two prime ministers."

"I remember now. This guy learned martial arts from Master Yan of the Academy and literature from Great Scholar Meng of the Imperial Academy. Plus, at a young age, he has already passed the provincial examination, so the martial arts world calls him 'Scholar Dai'."

Mu Wanying had also crammed the latest popular news in the martial arts world and could recite it fluently.

"Master Yan, Great Scholar Meng... just being able to become a disciple of one of them is extremely rare. No wonder he is so arrogant," Zhao Caiwei muttered.

Lin Xiao had no interest in these people, and he didn't like to join in the excitement.

"Never mind him. Let's go up the mountain first. Since the Old Celestial Master invited me, he can't let us sleep at the foot of the mountain."

The women naturally had no objections and were already impatient to go up the mountain to play.

If they could accompany Lin Xiao and meet the Old Celestial Master, who was like a myth in the martial arts world, it would be even more meaningful.

Just then, at the mountain gate, a Taoist with a celestial appearance, wearing a purple Taoist robe, came running down quickly with eight inner sect disciples in cyan robes.

"Heavens! Isn't that Sect Leader Taoist Master Cangshuzi?"

"Could it be to welcome Scholar Dai!?"

"No way. When Sect Leader Bai of the Sword Forest and Great Elder Qin of the Blade Mountain came, the Dao Sect only sent an executive manager to welcome them."

"Could it be because of the connection with the Dai family and Great Scholar Meng behind Scholar Dai?"

"It's possible! After all, the Dai family has deep connections in the imperial court. Maybe the Dao Sect is paving the way for something..."

Although the martial artists were surprised, they could only think this way. Otherwise, why would the Sect Leader of the Dao Sect grandly receive a young prodigy?

Little did they know, Dai Yunchuan himself was flattered at this moment!

Although he guessed that the Dao Sect would let him stay on the mountain, he did not expect that Taoist Master Cangshuzi would come down to welcome him!

Dai Yunchuan's heart jumped with excitement, but he tried hard to restrain himself on his face, putting on an air of indifference.

He held his head high and chest out, walked up to meet Taoist Master Cangshuzi, and bowed stylishly.

"Junior Dai Yunchuan greets Master Cang..."

"Move aside, move aside! Don't block the way!!"

A burly Dao Sect disciple pushed Dai Yunchuan aside fiercely!

Caught off guard, Dai Yunchuan staggered and nearly fell on his butt!

Taoist Master Cangshuzi didn't even glance at him. His figure moved like the wind, taking two or three steps at a time, and ran toward Lin Xiao and his party behind.

He was seen cupping his hands in a grand salute from afar, his face glowing with excitement, welcoming them with a smile:

"I, Taoist Master Cangshuzi, respectfully welcome the Prince of Zhenbei to the Dao Sect!!"

"The Dao Sect is honored by your presence, it is our great honor!!"