Star Gate

Chapter 219: Blinded By The Sight (III)

“Don’t look at me like that,” Hou Xiaochen laughed. “I’m not afraid of you. I am not afraid even if I am less than who I was before. I killed Violet Moon the second, and I did so in front of Ying Hongyue. You don’t want me to facilitate another handover among you Violet Moons, do you?”

Violet Moon’s face colored slightly. Indeed, it was her predecessor who’d died in front of Ying Hongyue that year! It was hardly a pleasant thing to bring up again, but it was true that this was why she was wary of Hou Xiaochen.

A figure shimmered in and out of sight in another direction. Hou Xiaochen chuckled when he cocked his head at it. “Revolution, does Yama want a piece of the action? Red Moon has lost a great deal, but Yama hasn’t suffered at all. Are you here because you wish to even the scales?”

Spooky laughter came back on the wind. “Not at all, this is a misunderstanding, Director Hou! I just happened to sense the supernatural ripples in this area and came for a look. Since Director Hou has come, we take our leave!”

Several figures vanished in the distance while Hou Xiaochen approached at a leisurely pace.

“Violet Moon,” he said softly. “There’s been no sight of Celestial’s Half Mountain to this day. Are you in contact with him? Where has he gone? Or is he in hiding and preparing to break through?”

Violet Moon regarded him coldly and vanished on the spot, disappearing like a bolt of lightning. She was’t willing to exchange further words with Hou Xiaochen.

“That youngster has good potential. What a pity...” The director didn’t mind her reaction. “What a pity she’s not the most polite. When it comes down to it, I am her benefactor. I am the reason why she was promoted to the third generation Violet Moon. Shouldn’t she be thanking me?”

Ringing silence answered him.

“Director,” Hao Lianchuan took a while to say. “How come you’ve just arrived?”

You were slower than the others!

“I’m sick.” Hou Xiaochen glanced at him. “So I walk slower. Don’t you know?”

“......”

Fine, it was an airtight excuse. But also complete bullshit! The director shouldn’t be in this condition even if he was yet to recover from his wounds. It was common for powerhouses to nurse latent wounds, but they wouldn’t appear in such a frail state even if not at full health. It would at most affect their strength somewhat.

“The director’s here!” The rest of the Night Watchers started hollering with excitement.

“Let’s see if that Violet Moon will dare be so arrogant now. There’s no place for her after the director’s come!”

......

By Li Hao’s side, Liu Long also looked at Hou Xiaochen. “Don’t say too much!” he muttered to the young man. “This man... is not an ordinary person and isn’t as easy to talk to as Director Hao.”

He could joke around with Hao Lianchuan and even pull the wool over the deputy director’s eyes for a little bit, but when it came to Hou Xiaochen, the man was as his reputation. Taking a stand against Ying Hongyue all those years ago had crafted striking renown for him. Even their enemy, Violet Moon, didn’t dare remain on the scene and swiftly departed upon his arrival.

Li Hao didn’t say anything. He simply looked at the figure shaking moderate length hair, slightly disheveled from multiple days of travel, and looking a bit wan. Hou Xiaochen wasn’t too tall—he even seemed slightly shorter than Li Hao. His Night Watcher uniform looked brighter than the black of Li Hao and the others as it was more of a navy blue.

Hou Xiaochen seemed to be in his thirties, but Li Hao knew that he was more than forty. The young man wasn’t sure if he was fifty. In any case, he wasn’t as young as he appeared to be. The faint smile on his face and pallid complexion made for a very genteel effect. But it was this one who said last night that he was ready to declare independence!

As he observed Hou Xiaochen, the director turned to Li Hao. He approached the young man with a smile. “Yuan Shuo’s disciple? Heir of the eight families?”

Very few people mentioned the eight families, but Hou Xiaochen directly brought it out in the open.

“I am a disciple of the Five Styles. As for the eight families...” Li Hao ducked his head. “I’m not sure. I’ve just heard about them. Red Moon seems to think I am, but I’m not certain of the particulars.”

“Mmhmm, not bad!” Hou Xiaochen inclined his head and turned to Hao Lianchuan. “Send people to Yama, Celestial, and the Sword Sect campgrounds. Invite their delegation leaders to come for a chat. If they don’t come now, we’ll access the ruins and be the only ones to enter tomorrow!”

“Now?

“Now!”

“Understood!” Hao Lianchuan immediately sent runners with invites.

Hou Xiaochen looked at Li Hao without issuing further instructions. “Do you have time to accompany me to the previous battlefield?”

“To the bridge?” Li Hao asked.

The director nodded.

“This way, director!” the young man quickly responded. He had no reason to turn down Hou Xiaochen.

The man waved off others who wanted to follow and had only Manager Yu support him. He followed Li Hao to the dueling grounds and didn’t say a word along the way.

......

Li Hao was very curious about Hou Xiaochen, but he suppressed his curiosity. He wouldn’t say what he shouldn’t and wouldn’t ask what he shouldn’t. He was just a Sunderer in the company of the leader of the Silver Moon Night Watchers. The difference in their positions was great.

They arrived at the site before long. Hou Xiaochen looked at the far off grave, then at the sky. With a gentle cough, he floated into the air. He conducted himself as if he was strolling through a garden. The director occasionally reached out for a handful of air, sensing what had taken place earlier.

Moments later, he landed back on the ground, a bit emotional. “Old Demon Yuan did not quietly live out his days in the end! He set foot into Dominator overnight, then made it into Summoner a few days later. The amalgamation of five auras is impressive indeed!

“The fire heart nurtures the ape, the water kidney nurtures the tiger. So Summoner of Spirit is to nurture the five visceral spirits? Are the five auras used to summon the spirits of the five visceral organs?” However, the man then frowned. “But this way is not suitable for others!”

Hou Xiaochen was keenly observant, yet also felt that Yuan Shuo’s path could not be walked by others.

“If this is the case, then the rise of martial masters remains a dream. The strength of one does not mean the strength of all!” He shook his head. “Not everyone is Yuan Shuo and not everyone can nurture five areas! He killed countless people to finally manage their melding and almost severed his own path to Dominator.”

This path was not available to others! If that was the case, Yuan Shuo’s strength was not sufficient for the world to rise in an uproar.

Hou Xiaochen seemed faintly regretful. A strong Yuan Shuo wasn’t much cause for attention if he was the only one strong. He wished more that the professor had truly laid a new path for everyone, so that all martial masters had new hope.

Although Dominator was an obstacle that disqualified many people, that level was vast and unbounded. Martial masters improved ever more quickly with the presence of mysterious power and there was certain to be many who’d sensed the aura. Martial dao would prosper if everyone could become a Summoner of Spirit!

“Teacher has just set foot into this level.” Li Hao kept his head down. “He is attempting to make it available to all.”

Hou Xiaochen nodded and smiled kindly at the young man. “And you?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you should be setting foot into Dominator as well. Although your foundations are not on par with your teacher’s, I don’t think Sunderer is where you’ll be content to stay for the rest of your life. What are your plans for the future?”

“I’m still young...”

“Twenty isn’t that young,” Hou Xiaochen chuckled. “There are twenty year olds in the central region who’ve made their way to Solar! With the advent of the supernatural and appearance of mysterious power, supernatural ascension is easy. Heaven Favored progress so quickly it feels like they’re anointed by the heavens themselves. Even martial masters have it ten times easier than before if supplementing with mysterious power during their cultivation. You should have some plans as a twenty year old.

“Not to mention, you’re Yuan Shuo’s student and the heir to the eight families. You’ll be caught up in a lot of trouble if you don’t grow stronger.

“And another thing, everyone has their own intrinsic value. You are not my student or my child, but I am still willing to help you here and here because you are a Night Watcher. If the trouble you attract one day exceeds your value, do you think a stranger will continue to help you without bounds?”

It was a very pragmatic question. Li Hao pondered silently for a bit.

“My teacher is gone, so I am the only one with the core heritage of the Five Styles. I am also the only one who knows the process of breaking through to Summoner of Spirit and its theory.”

“Is that it?” Hou Xiaochen asked with disappointment. “If that is it, then there’s not much value to your knowledge. It’d be one thing if it was a road that could be applied to all. As it is, it seems useful for one person only.”

The young man fell silent again. After an indeterminate period of time, when Hou Xiaochen prepared to leave, he suddenly said, “I am the heir to the eight families!”

“......” Hou Xiaochen smiled and turned around. “Weren’t you uncertain?”

“I’m certain!” Li Hao ducked his head with embarrassment. “Teacher says not to speak of it to outsiders, but I am! The eight families were possibly extraordinary in ancient times. They may have something to do with certain secrets and ruins!”

“That passes muster.” The director nodded after thinking it over. “Then it’s settled!”

He set out for the campsite, Manager Yu at his side like an invisible person. She didn’t say anything from beginning to end. Li Hao followed quietly by their side. He couldn’t read the director—or rather, he didn’t really dare look at the man. But the manager, he could see a thing or two. She was such an enormous sun that it almost blinded him.

Poor Hao Lianchuan!

The first deputy director was less than a woman. This Manager Yu was far more than met the eye, but she willingly lowered herself to be a housekeeper of sorts. It was plain to see that Hou Xiaochen was the true final boss of the Silver Moon Night Watchers. Therefore, Li Hao kept his head lowered from beginning to end. He’d be blinded by the manager before even seeing the director if he lifted his head.

The young man thought about a lot—he was more confused regarding Hou Xiaochen than anything. Why... didn’t he sense too much mysterious power from the man? Was he keeping everything in his body? Or was he actually a martial master? Surely not?

Numerous questions floated in his mind, but Li Hao chose to stay quiet. It was best to pretend he was ignorant of everything when he was with these shrewd, calculating personages.