Chapter 417: Chapter 68: Conversation
Zhang Deming followed the disciple’s gaze and paused. In a corner of the pond stood a pavilion, where a figure stood silently.
He wore a scholar’s robes and had long hair, a handsome face, and long legs. He should have been a carefree and dashing individual, yet he stood in the pavilion like a statue, staring blankly at the lotus leaves in the pond, lost in thought.
It was none other than Nangong Cheng from before, the Duality Book Cultivator with the style name Qinglian.
Zhang Deming glanced around and saw that it was quiet, with no one else in sight. Only the man was there, standing motionless like a statue.
After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Deming walked toward the pavilion.
The two disciples following him paused. One started to reach out as if to speak, but the other stopped him and silently shook his head. The two of them then remained where they were, not following any further.
Zhang Deming walked up to the pavilion. At its edge, Nangong Cheng continued to stare blankly at the pond, as motionless as a statue.
Zhang Deming entered the pavilion, sat down, and asked abruptly, "Zi Qinglian, you like lotuses, don’t you?"
The statue-like Nangong Cheng showed no reaction. Just as Zhang Deming was about to speak again, a figure drifted to the edge of the pavilion. "Fellow Daoist," the person said, "the Head of the Academy requests your presence."
Zhang Deming paused, glanced at Nangong Cheng, then stood up, walked out of the pavilion, and said, "Let’s go."
The person led Zhang Deming past several buildings and into a reception hall.
Guu Donglin was seated in the host’s chair, a troubled look on his face. His previous casual and unrestrained air was gone.
Sitting beside him was the old monk, Fuyuan. His expression was unchanged, his face wooden and showing little emotion. The priest who had accompanied them on previous occasions, however, was nowhere to be seen this time.
After being led into the hall, Zhang Deming bowed to the two men. "Headmaster Donglin, Master Fuyuan."
Guu Donglin seemed to snap out of his thoughts. He looked at Zhang Deming and said, "It seems we were rather discourteous to you, young friend. Things were so rushed yesterday that we never had a chance to ask about your identity..."
Fuyuan also turned to look at Zhang Deming intently. ’They must have spent the day investigating me,’ Zhang Deming thought, ’but it looks like they’ve come up with nothing.’
’After all, my current face, build, and aura are completely new—entirely different from when I attended the auction.’
Zhang Deming smiled. "My apologies for the oversight. I am Zhang Wu, a Core Disciple of the Celestial Spirit Sect."
As he spoke, his facial features, build, and aura began to shift rapidly. A moment later, he had taken on the appearance of Zhang Wu.
Guu Donglin and Fuyuan both froze. They exchanged a look and shook their heads slightly.
Neither of them had seen through Zhang Deming’s disguise before. Even now, as he transformed right before their eyes, they couldn’t identify the type of disguise Technique he was using.
This display of skill alone, combined with the incident involving Elder Huang’s Incarnation yesterday, was enough to make both of them take him extremely seriously. After all, while one of them was from a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land, he was merely a peripheral figure.
And the other, despite being the head of the Academy, was viewed as nothing more than a Loose Cultivator in the eyes of a Major Sect. Neither of them were truly important figures.
"Young friend, you are a Disciple of the Celestial Spirit Sect? Then the one from yesterday was...?" Guu Donglin asked.
Zhang Deming smiled. "Just an elder from my family."
Seeing that Zhang Deming was unwilling to elaborate, Guu Donglin paused and did not press the matter further.
He gave a light wave of his hand. A disciple approached, carrying a tray with a white Jade Box on it. The disciple walked over to Zhang Deming, placed the Jade Box on the tea table beside him, and then hastily departed.
Once the disciple had left, Guu Donglin said to Zhang Deming, "Young friend, you can open it and have a look."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Deming opened the Jade Box beside him, his heart filled with a touch of excitement.
Inside the box lay a vibrant green Spirit Grass. It was about the length of a chopstick and resembled a seedling, but at its core was a peculiar-looking seed.
The seed was a transparent orb of light. Within the orb swirled a vibrant wisp of green energy, like smoke, constantly shifting its form. At times it resembled a Spirit Species, then a Spirit Plant, and then an animal.
Seeing this, Zhang Deming couldn’t suppress a joyful expression. ’This is it, no doubt about it,’ he thought. ’The Hundred Spirits Heart-Binding Grass—the last key Auxiliary Material for my Duality Formula.’
Seeing the pleased look on Zhang Deming’s face, Guu Donglin also smiled. "Due to its unique properties, this item is required for numerous Duality Formulas."
"This is especially true for the Summoning Category; it’s a universal component for that entire branch of techniques, making it an exceptionally scarce resource."
"Frankly, it was a stroke of luck we found it. I had to turn the warehouses of Huayue’s three major families upside down just to find this single specimen."
"A Disciple of the Wu Family set it aside eighty years ago, practically saving it from his own mouth."
"If not for that, I’m afraid we would have truly had to break our promise to you, young friend."
"Then I must thank you for going to such great lengths to find it," Zhang Deming said with a smile.
Guu Donglin waved his hand. "Think nothing of it. After all, what happened yesterday was our mistake. This compensation is only what’s proper."
"Young friend, since you’re a Disciple of the Celestial Spirit Sect, why come all the way to Huayue City alone to search for resources? I gather you’re preparing for your Duality Promotion, correct?"
Zhang Deming smiled at his words. "That’s right. I am indeed preparing a Duality Formula."
"Due to my particular cultivation path, I can only use a universal Summoning Promotion Formula, not one of the specialized branch formulas."
