As he walked along, Fang Yu kept reminiscing. He tried to piece together those blurred memories. Many places stirred a sense of familiarity in him, yet he could not recall the specifics.
Finally, he stepped out through the main gate, and an inexplicable sense of loss washed over him.
After bidding farewell to the elderly couple, Fang Yu strode away.
After walking for some time, he heard the sound of the gate closing behind him.
Only then did he stop and turn to look back at it.
It was an old residence, seemingly weathered by time. For a moment, he felt as though he had returned to ten years ago.
That year, he had also turned back like this and seen the same tightly shut door.
Back then, he had never imagined that his home would cease to exist. But now with one more turn, he no longer had a home.
And he would never return again.
This place had nothing to do with him anymore.
A lingering concern had been laid to rest.
Fang Yu turned and left.
The past could be remembered, but his path was destined to be different from that of ordinary people. Perhaps it was better that he could not find them.
Leaving the residential area, Fang Yu once again stepped onto the main road.
The streets were bustling, filled with vendors calling out their wares.
Just then, Leng Qing sent him a message, instructing him to deliver the coded manuscript to the owner of a teaware shop.
"What a strange feeling."
Muttering to himself, Fang Yu set out to find the teaware shop as instructed.
Before long.
He located the correct shop and suddenly stopped.
"This is the place."
After a brief hesitation, he walked in.
"What kind of tea set are you looking for, sir?" the shopkeeper asked immediately.
Fang Yu did not respond. He glanced around to make sure no one else was present, then took out the coded manuscript and handed it over.
The shopkeeper's expression shifted slightly as he said,
"Leave the paper. You may go."
Fang Yu: ???
What a bizarre method of communication.
Though puzzled, he still left.
As long as he completed the mysterious woman's instructions, that was enough.
On his way back, he caught a faint fragrance in the air.
It was the scent of pastries. Turning his head, he saw a very ordinary pastry shop.
As a child, he had wanted to buy something from here but had never been able to.
After hesitating, he bought some.
It was, in a way, fulfilling a childhood wish.
Holding the pastries, Fang Yu had not gone far when he suddenly glanced toward a side alley.
Something flew toward him.
It was a piece of paper.
Fang Yu used his telekinesis to catch it midair.
"So this is how they pass messages?"
He examined it carefully in his hand.
It felt like something was off, yet he could not detect anything unusual, which left him confused.
He could ask Leng Qing. She should be able to decipher whatever message was hidden inside.
With that thought, Fang Yu returned to the hotel.
He immediately went to Leng Qing's door.
At that moment, the door opened automatically.
Fang Yu saw Leng Qing sitting by the window, looking at him with a faint smile.
"That took a while."
"I was delayed choosing an umbrella for you, Senior, and completing the task," Fang Yu replied respectfully as he stood by the window.
Leng Qing glanced at the man before her. Seeing that his explanation was at least reasonable, she said nothing further.
Taking that as a cue, Fang Yu handed her the umbrella. Afterward, he washed the tea set on the table and brewed a fresh pot of tea.
Leng Qing sat to the side, watching his series of movements.
She remained silent.
Only after Fang Yu placed a cup of tea before her did she slowly lift it and take a sip.
"You're quite capable when it comes to handling things," Leng Qing said, looking at him.
"It's only natural to give my utmost when serving you, Senior," Fang Yu replied insincerely.
"You're also quite good at lying," Leng Qing said calmly.
Fang Yu changed the subject.
"While I was out, I delivered the coded manuscript to the teaware shop as instructed. Afterward, I received something."
As he spoke, he took out the paper.
Looking at it, Leng Qing picked up the room's telephone and instructed the hotel service desk, "Bring a basin of water to Cloud Above Room One."
Before long.
There was a knock at the door.
The room service attendant had arrived with the water.
Fang Yu went to the door, took the basin, and closed it again.
Once everything was ready, Leng Qing said evenly, "Put the paper in."
Fang Yu was slightly surprised. He had already guessed how the coded manuscript's contents would be revealed.
He placed the paper into the water.
Sure enough, the water in the basin began to ripple, and words gradually appeared.
Soon, a sentence formed:
Midnight. Meet at the mountain temple outside the city.
Fang Yu was speechless.
So complicated.
In this modern age, and they still used methods like this to transmit messages.
Afterward, Fang Yu tidied up and prepared to return to his own room to rest and wait for the appointed time.
Before leaving, he left half of the pastries he had bought for Leng Qing.
Only after Fang Yu departed did Leng Qing stare at the pastries for a long while.
"With such poor presentation, this little fellow…"
In the end, she picked up a piece and brought it to her lips.
Taking a small bite, her brows furrowed slightly.
She set the pastry down, took a sip of tea, and coughed softly twice.
After that, she gazed outside, remaining silent.
Fang Yu returned to his own room.
He began drinking tea and eating the pastries.
"The taste is pretty average."
Holding the pastry, he felt a little disappointed. When he was young, the aroma had made it seem delicious. Now that he was finally tasting it, it was nothing like he had imagined.
Even so, he finished it.
After all, it went with the tea.
The flavor was ordinary. Hopefully the mysterious woman would not mind.
Next, he took out the stone box, wondering what had been left inside.
Opening it, he found a tattered beast-skin map. It seemed to have been left behind long ago.
In just a few breaths, Fang Yu had already examined the contents of the beast-skin map.
What it recorded was a painting.
The painting was divided into two sections.
In the upper half, a divine bird shrouded in radiant light soared across the sky, facing downward. In the lower half, lush grass spread across the land, and a group of men and women danced around a bonfire, their faces filled with joyful smiles.
Fang Yu looked at the painting but could not understand its meaning.
Turning it over, he found a map drawn on the back.
After studying it, Fang Yu fell into deep thought. All kinds of associations surfaced in his mind.
Judging from the beast-skin map, it was most likely something passed down from the older generation.
But what secret did it contain?
Fang Yu put the beast-skin map away again and chose to ignore it for the time being.
If he made the trip someday, he would find out.
Afterward, he began cultivating.
When night fell, Fang Yu opened his eyes.
"It's about time."
Fang Yu did not know what was hidden within the coded manuscript, but if it was enough to prompt Leng Qing to act personally, the person behind it was probably no ordinary figure.
With his current cultivation at the second level of the Basic-Tier, he was not sure whether it would be enough.
"Time to go."
A sudden voice came from outside the door.
Fang Yu opened it and looked out to see Leng Qing already walking away.
Seeing this, he quickly followed.
The two left the hotel and headed toward the outskirts of the city.
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