The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 284 - 282: Defection

Chapter 284: Chapter 282: Defection

Afterward, the maidservants departed one after another, only Bai Xiaoyun stayed behind. He brought Shen Luo a token of high-ranking Guest Official and a congratulatory gift of twenty pieces of Immortal jade.

“Father said that he wanted to give you the token long ago, but it was not in line with the rules of the mansion, and he feared it might bring unnecessary trouble for you. Now that Big Brother Shen, you are a Grain Avoidance Cultivator, it is reasonable and justified. These twenty pieces of Immortal jade are a personal congratulatory gift from Father, and there are also twenty pieces of Immortal jade prepared by the Bai Mansion for high-ranking Guest Officials. However, they need to go through the mansion’s account book and will be delivered later.” Bai Xiaoyun looked at Shen Luo, with an admiration in his eyes, and spoke.

“Please thank the Family Head for me when you go back. In a couple of days, I will go and thank him personally.” Shen Luo smiled and replied.

“We can talk about that later. Heh, Big Brother Shen, first tell me, how did you cultivate to the Grain Avoidance Stage in such a short period of time? I, over this year, have barely made it to the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage.” Bai Xiaoyun’s eyes were sparkling with curiosity, as he asked.

“Only diligence.” Shen Luo neither agreed nor disagreed with his remark.

“That’s all?” Bai Xiaoyun raised his eyebrows, and asked.

“That’s all.” Shen Luo confirmed.

“Just this? Big brother Shen, you’re being too vague…” Bai Xiaoyun said disappointingly.

However, after he finished speaking, his expression darkened slightly, revealing a hint of worry.

“What’s the matter?” Noticing this, Shen Luo furrowed his eyebrows and asked.

“Big brother Shen, to be honest, some incidents did occur in the family while you were in seclusion.” Bai Xiaoyun replied.

“How so? Has any trouble arisen again?” Shen Luo inquired.

“Xie Yuxin has betrayed us and fled.” Bai Xiaoyun hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Betrayed and fled? Why would she do that?” Shen Luo was taken aback at the surprising news.

“It’s unclear. No one expected her to steal the secret scripture of our Bai Family’s God-descent Technique. Perhaps, her motives had been impure since the very beginning when she entered our Bai Family. After that, she escaped from Jianye City and has been missing-” Bai Xiaoyun shook his head.

“No wonder, today when I came out, I noticed that the expressions of all the Guest Officials were somewhat strange.” Shen Luo nodded after mulling over it for a moment.

“Big Brother Shen, now you have taken her place and become the only Grain Avoidance Cultivator among the Guest Officials of our Bai Family.” Bai Xiaoyun said with a serious face.

Hearing this, Shen Luo nodded silently without uttering another word.

…

Time flew by, and another month or so passed.

Shen Luo’s body had largely recovered, so he planned to leave the Bai Family and return home to visit.

In the year or so since he left home, Chunhua County had remained peaceful with no news of any demon traces, while he himself had broken through the bottleneck and reached the Early Stage of Grain Avoidance, thus gaining some means to protect himself.

The time to return to Chunhua County had come.

After bidding farewell to Bai Hecheng, he packed his stone pillow, ready to set off on his journey home.

At the time of his departure, Bai Hecheng and Bai Jiangfeng personally came to see him off.

They had prepared a carriage for Shen Luo and even arranged a maidservant to serve him on the road, but he only accepted a fast horse, rejecting all the rest.

“On this journey home, please send my regards to your mother.” Bai Hecheng said with a smile.

“I will.” Shen Luo bowed in response.

“Young Master Shen, if nothing’s happening at home, come back early. The old man still has some ideas about talismans that he wants to discuss with you thoroughly.” Bai Jiangfeng also showed a smile and said.

“Since I’ve stepped onto the path of cultivation, I suppose I wouldn’t be able to stay at home much.” Shen Luo laughed.

“That’s good then, haha…” Bai Jiangfeng laughed freely.

“Today, why is Xiao Yun not seen? Don’t tell me he’s secluded himself again?” Shen Luo noticed Bai Xiaoyun’s absence around the door and shared his unexpected thoughts.

“That boy, so stubborn, thinks that cultivation at home is too slow, so he left a letter saying he was going to seek opportunities in Chang’an, probably went to Hua Sheng Temple. I’ve already sent people to notify the old friends there to keep an eye out for him.” Bai Hecheng rubbed his eyes, expressing his concern with an exasperated tone.

Shen Luo thought back to the day when Bai Xiaoyun had asked him about cultivation, now realizing that there were early signs. However, he felt somewhat reassured.

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“It seems that he’s really committed to cultivation. I’ll have to look at him in a new light.” Shen Luo laughed.

Hearing this, Bai Hecheng had no rebuttal and merely smiled, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

Afterwards, Shen Luo excused himself and led his horse out of the city, heading towards Chunhua County.

It was late at night, and heavy snow was falling.

After the two-hour period, Song Fan County Town had already closed its city gate. Outside the city, under the gate, there was a man and a horse standing in the snow.

The man wore a bamboo hat and a white fur overcoat, and he sat on his horse looking disgruntled. It was Shen Luo.

“If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have taken this detour. This Song Fan County Town really is in opposition to me…” He sighed, turned his horse and headed towards the eastern part of the city.

Shen Luo had already been on the road for half a month coming back from Jianye. His detour to Song Fan County was to check on Mr. and Mrs. Yu Dadan. They should have had their baby by now, how are they doing?

Unexpectedly, the cottage by the ferry was already empty. After asking around, Shen Luo discovered that the couple had suddenly struck rich and started a new business, having already moved somewhere else.

Shen Luo wasn’t sure if the sudden wealth people were talking about was the silver he had sent them, but knowing that they were doing well now brought him peace of mind.

In no time, he arrived at the bustling small town to the east of the city. From a distance, one could see the lit-up town and its red light, which radiated a hint of warmth in the snowy night.

In the town, Shen Luo led his horse down the street, the horse’s hooves clattering on the blue stone slabs, producing a crisp sound.

He looked around at the taverns and inns in town, noticing that most of them were already closed for the night. The few that were still open had thick curtains hanging at the entrance to keep out the cold, and no longer had attendants outside soliciting business.

Shen Luo continued to walk into the town, planning to stay at the inn run by Manager Hou.

However, when he found the unassuming corner from his memory, he didn’t see the modestly decorated inn. Instead, there was a new inn with a tall gate tower and gorgeous carvings.

Shen Luo looked up and saw a new golden plaque hanging above the door, it read “Fairy Residence”.

“Could it be that Manager Hou’s inn was taken over and the management has changed?” Shen Luo wondered.

Since he couldn’t find the familiar inn anymore, it didn’t matter where he stayed next. Shen Luo tied up his horse, pulled open the inn’s curtain, and was greeted with the aroma of food.

He immediately felt a pang of hunger and stepped inside.

The inn had undergone major renovations and looked completely different from before.

Although it was late at night, there were quite a few diners in the main hall. It was somewhat noisy, but it was warm and full of worldly life.