273: Chapter 273 Dugu Han, the Three-Year Agreement

It had been three days since Chu Sheng emerged from the bottom of the Duanhun River.

He did not return to the Tianfeng Kingdom camp; he went to Jin Xiao City first.

The children were all doing well; Chu Feng's sword techniques had improved again, and Chu Xing's medical skills had received praise.

Chu Mu still had that fiery temper; she beat the Disciple of the Peak of the Sea Opening Realm until they were looking for their teeth all over the floor.

Chu Yiming had just learned to walk and was already able to hold a wooden sword and chase after the maidservant.

Chu Sheng looked at these few children, and his heart felt a bit more at ease.

But he did not stay long; the Righteous-Demonic War was still ongoing, and he could not be absent.

Returning to the camp, the Peak Master of the Tenth Peak sought him out immediately.

The old man's complexion did not look good; his brows were furrowed like a wrung-out towel.

"Heavenly Sword Pavilion has sent someone," the Peak Master of the Tenth Peak got straight to the point.

Chu Sheng put down his teacup: "Who?"

"The Dao-Suppressing Elder, Dugu Han."

Chu Sheng's hand paused for a moment.

Heavenly Sword Pavilion had twenty-four Sword-Wielding Elders, who were in charge of conquests; and twelve Dao-Suppressing Elders, who guarded the Sect.

Dao-Suppressing Elders usually did not leave the mountain; when they did, it was a major event.

"What is his cultivation level?" Chu Sheng asked.

The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak held up two fingers: "Dao Completion. Middle Stage."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then said something that left the Peak Master of the Tenth Peak between laughter and tears.

"Beat the small one, and the old one comes. The old one can't win, so do you have to invite an even older one?"

The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak glared at him: "You still have the heart to joke? Dugu Han came to investigate the cause of Ling Wushuang's death. He is Ling Wushuang's Junior Martial Uncle and watched her grow up. This person is not easy to fool."

Chu Sheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.

He thought to himself: Even if he's not easy to fool, I have to fool him. Anyway, Ling Wushuang wasn't killed by him; the Demon Boy took the blame.

As for that small matter of failing to save her, it could at most be considered immoral, not illegal.

Could Heavenly Sword Pavilion really turn against him over such a small matter?

That evening, a black spirit boat landed outside the gate of the Tianfeng Kingdom camp.

There was no flag of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion on the spirit boat, only the pattern of a sword, with the tip pointing downward, carved on the bow.

That was the symbol of a Dao-Suppressing Elder.

The cabin door opened, and two Sword-Wielding Elders stepped out first, one on the left and one on the right, like two door gods.

Then came an old man, wearing gray Daoist robes, with gray hair and a lean face.

His eyes were closed; it wasn't that he didn't want to open them, but that he couldn't.

There were two deep scars on his eye sockets, extending from his eyebrows all the way to his cheekbones.

A blind man.

But his Divine Sense was stronger than anyone else's; he swept over the camp, and everyone was clearly seen by him.

Chu Sheng stood at the entrance of the large tent, feeling that Divine Sense pause on him for a moment before moving away.

Dugu Han walked off the spirit boat; his pace was slow, but every step was taken steadily.

His cultivation was at the Dao Completion Middle Stage.

Grandmaster Jiang went up to meet him, cupped his hands and saluted: "Elder Dugu, your arrival is a great honor; please forgive us for not greeting you in advance."

Dugu Han nodded slightly without speaking.

His gaze—no, his Divine Sense—landed on Chu Sheng.

"You are Chu Sheng?" His voice was very calm, like a stagnant pool of water.

Chu Sheng cupped his hands: "That is I."

Dugu Han was silent for a moment, then said: "I will investigate Ling Wushuang's death clearly. Before that, you are not allowed to leave the Tianfeng Kingdom camp."

Chu Sheng's expression darkened.

He thought to himself: Is this house arrest?

The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak frowned and was about to speak, but Chu Sheng raised a hand to stop him.

"Fine," Chu Sheng said, "This Junior will wait in the camp. Once Elder Dugu has investigated clearly, please remember to let this Junior know."

Dugu Han did not speak; he turned and walked into the large tent arranged for him.

The two Sword-Wielding Elders followed behind him, like two unsheathed swords.

Chu Sheng returned to his own large tent, and the Peak Master of the Tenth Peak followed him in.

The old man closed the door and lowered his voice: "You just agreed to this?"

Chu Sheng sat on a chair, crossing his legs, his tone relaxed: "What else can I do if I don't agree? Fight him? Can I beat a Dao Completion Middle Stage cultivator?"

The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak said: "Your Zhu Xian Sword Formation..."

Chu Sheng waved his hand to interrupt him: "The Zhu Xian Sword Formation is for killing people. It's not meant for turning against the Heavenly Sword Pavilion. Besides, I haven't done anything wrong, so what is there to fear."

The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak looked at him, wanting to say more but holding back.

But he didn't say it.

Some things are better known by fewer people.

Chu Sheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and suddenly asked: "Senior, what happened to Dugu Han's eyes?"

The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak was stunned for a moment, then sighed.

"During the Righteous-Demonic War, Dugu Han led a team deep into the Demon Realm and fell into an ambush. In that battle, although Dugu Han returned alive, his eyes were eroded by Devilish Qi and destroyed."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment and said: "He is a ruthless man."

The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak nodded: "So don't play any tricks in front of him. This person is a hundred times harder to deal with than Ling Wushuang."

Chu Sheng said: "I know."

He put down the teacup and leaned back in his chair.

He thought to himself: Hard to deal with or not, I have to deal with him. Anyway, he wasn't afraid.

At night, Chu Sheng's Jade Slip for transmission lit up.

It was Yu Rumeng.

Her voice carried a trace of exhaustion, but also a trace of excitement.

"I had a Breakthrough. Spirit Nurturing."

Chu Sheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"Congratulations."

Yu Rumeng said: "What is there to congratulate? You already reached Spirit Nurturing long ago."

Chu Sheng said: "You were later than me, but faster than me. It took me ten years, but you only used a year and a half."

Yu Rumeng was silent for a moment, then said: "Chu Li... I miss you very much."

Chu Sheng's smile faded a little.

"I miss you too. But there's no way; I can't go back right now."

Yu Rumeng said "En", then hung up.

Chu Sheng held the Jade Slip, sitting there, silent for a long time.

He remembered Chu Li's thin and weak face, and the way the child hid in the corner afraid to look at people.

An indescribable feeling surged in his heart; it wasn't guilt, it was heartache.

He put away the Jade Slip, stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and lifted the curtain.

The night wind blew in, feeling chilly.

In the direction of the Duanhun River, the fog was very thick, and nothing could be seen clearly.

But he knew that on the other side of the river, there were his women and his children.

He took a deep breath, let down the curtain, and turned back into the large tent.

His Dao Companions' cultivation levels were also steadily improving.

Chu Sheng looked at these messages, feeling both gratified and conflicted.

What gratified him was that they were all doing well; what was conflicted was that he had too little time to accompany them.

But he had no choice.

The Righteous-Demonic War had not ended yet, the Heavenly Sword Pavilion was watching him, and the Demon Race side was not peaceful either.

He could not stop.

If he stopped, he would not be able to protect anything.

Chu Sheng sat cross-legged in the large tent, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his Qi.

His cultivation had already firmly stopped at the Spirit Nurturing Late Stage, only one step away from the Peak.

But he knew that this step could not be crossed by hard cultivation.

He needed an opportunity.

And this opportunity was at the end of the Duanhun River, at the Tianmo Mountain.