Chapter 1625: Chapter 949: Farewells Are Always Hasty
In the evening, Yang Xiao arrived on time for the meeting, still at the underground training ground. However, unlike before, he smelled a fragrance as soon as he stepped out of the elevator.
The usually dim underground training ground was unusually bright tonight, with several lights on. Not far from the iron door of the secret room, a table was set up.
It was a folding wooden table, on which lay plates of meat and vegetables. In the center, there was an electric stove with a hot pot on top, the pre-boiled soup bubbling with steam.
Yang Xiao suddenly understood why Lu Youdao had instructed him not to eat before coming; it seemed he was being invited for a meal, specifically hot pot.
Beside the table, two small wooden stools were placed. A slightly stooped figure was bustling around the table, opening boxes of meat and vegetables and pouring them into plates.
Yang Xiao didn’t disturb him and walked closer step by step until he was near before speaking, "Mr. Lu, I’m here."
Lu Youdao turned to look at him, then nodded after a moment, "Please sit."
Yang Xiao sat obediently on the small wooden stool. To be honest, the stool was too low, low and hard, sitting on it wasn’t very comfortable.
Like a student in class, Yang Xiao sat there honestly, wanting to help but not knowing how to start, as it was the first time he was in such an atmosphere with Lu Youdao.
"I heard you’re leaving?" Lu Youdao said casually while mixing the dipping sauce.
"Yes, the provincial office’s transfer order has come, asking me to complete the handover and report immediately," Yang Xiao replied. "It should be the day after tomorrow."
"It’s time for you to leave as well. The happiest person should be Nalan Shuo, who has dreamed of the day you’d make something of yourself," Lu Youdao said, turning around and handing the prepared sauce bowl to Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao stood up, thanked him, and took the bowl. Meanwhile, Lu Youdao also sat down opposite Yang Xiao with his sauce bowl.
His leg was disabled, and he needed to straighten one leg first before sitting diagonally.
"Consider this meal a farewell from Nalan Shuo for you today, though I’m not sure if it suits your taste." Lu Youdao took off his dirty apron and wiped his hand on it, still stained with cilantro.
Looking down, Yang Xiao stared at the sauce bowl, which had sesame paste as the base, mixed with red fermented bean curd, diced chive flowers, finely chopped scallions, cilantro bits, and a few drops of sesame oil— a typical Northern dish. "Mr. Lu, are you from the North?"
"Yes, but I left a long time ago and haven’t returned in years." Lu Youdao didn’t look at Yang Xiao, instead pouring a plate of meat into the pot, stirring clockwise with a ladle to prevent sticking.
The meat was fresh and thinly sliced, cooked in about ten seconds. Not wanting to refuse Lu Youdao’s kindness, Yang Xiao focused on eating the meat with chopsticks.
The meal was somewhat oppressive; Lu Youdao didn’t speak, and Yang Xiao wouldn’t initiate conversation. But he knew Lu Youdao was observing him, for every time he finished his plate, Lu Youdao would immediately add more meat and vegetables.
Repeating the same actions, lifting the plate to add meat, then stirring clockwise.
When Yang Xiao was about seventy or eighty percent full, Lu Youdao put down his chopsticks and asked seemingly casually, "Have you met Wu Qingcang?"
"Yes, Chief Wu is very formidable, and he helped me resolve this issue." Recalling Chief Wu’s feat of single-handedly taking down five enemies, Yang Xiao felt his heart surge.
These were not small minions but real Ghost-level Apostles. The strongest elder was close to peak Ghost-level, with major faction elder-level power.
But in less than ten minutes, Chief Wu single-handedly dealt with these experts, leaving them utterly dead.
"Wu Qingcang with the Overlord Spear is a true expert. In Jiangbei Province, he barely has any rivals."
"He has Half-step Nether Realm strength, but his real combat power surpasses most Apostles of the same level. Over the years, those who died at his hands are more than you can count with one hand, and Evil Cultivators fear his name more than ghosts." Lu Youdao seemed to recall something, sighing.
"Do you... know him?" Yang Xiao perceptively noticed the complexity in Lu Youdao’s eyes.
"I fought him back in the day. This guy was really tricky. I was doing business outside with my team when I accidentally ran into him, and he wouldn’t let go."
"Back then, I’d just taken the position of Shocking Gate Master. I was in high spirits, but unexpectedly, this guy gave me a harsh lesson."
"At that time, he and I had similar ranks, both at Upper Ghost Level, close to peak Ghost-level. I wasn’t alone; the Jing Sect Leader from Zhongping Gate helped me. We two fought against him alone, and in less than fifteen minutes, the Jing Sect Leader got stabbed to death, and I narrowly escaped heavily injured."
Speaking of this, Lu Youdao quietly opened his shirt, revealing a scar on his right shoulder, "This is the memento he left me."
"Is he that strong?" Yang Xiao refreshed his mental image of the dangerous Chief Wu, "Senior, since you fought him before, you should know he has a blood-colored Ghost Eye. What exactly can that eye see?"
"It can suddenly immobilize and restrain someone, but only those with spiritual power inferior to his, low-level Apostles. The stronger the opponent, the less disturbed they are."
"I later analyzed and realized the true horror of that Ghost Eye wasn’t its freezing ability but its likely ’foreknowledge’ ability." Lu Youdao’s tone became serious.
