Chapter 713: The Old Man
The mansion that Hui Yue was headed towards was located further into the city in the more upscale area.
Hui Yue had never been there before, and although he had the address on the paper in his hands, he did not know exactly where this place was. Because of this, he had to ask for directions from a few experts on the road.
Hui Yue was mindful not to ask the ones who were busy cultivating, restoring their bodies, or in any way occupied. The further into the city he went, the more people he came across. He also saw many children playing in the streets acting as if a massive battle had not just occurred, and it was precisely these children he asked.
Some of them were raised well and asked for nothing in return for guiding Hui Yue the right way, while others smirked mischievously and conned him out of Worldpower Stones for their troubles.
Normally, Hui Yue would not mind, but he was pretending to be a poor mercenary at the moment, and thus, he could not afford to be seen throwing around Worldpower Stones here and there. As a result, he tried to look troubled every time he delivered a stone to a child.
Walking through narrow alleyways and broad streets, he finally arrived at a great, old mansion. This mansion was five stories tall and had small towers on the sides. The style was vastly different from the other mansions, and the area it took was at least double the size of the others nearby.
When Hui Yue looked at the note in his hand and the mansion again, he realized that it was indeed the place he was seeking. These people were the ones who had placed the mission at the Gate of Retribution.
Nodding his head, Hui Yue stepped forward towards the entrance of the mansion, but he was instantly stopped by a guard. “What purpose do you have with the Ling family?!” he requested with a ferocious air about him.
It was clear that he already held some hostility towards Hui Yue, and as for why he was so hostile, Hui Yue could easily guess.
He had arrived at the most luxurious mansion in the area while wearing the most haggard-looking clothes he had worn since childhood.
He looked like a beggar that had come here to either beg for work or beg for Worldpower Stones, and either way, it was not something that the guard wished to bother the mansion owners with.
Hui Yue, for the second time during his stay in the city, started wondering if he had overdone it with their outfits. Were they really too shabby looking? So shabby looking that everyone looked down upon them?
But then Lan Feng’s previous words resounded in his mind, “It’s better to be underestimated than have someone think we are young masters, easy to rob.”
Sighing, Hui Yue waved the mission sheet he had gotten at the Gate of Retribution and smiled kindly at the guard, “I am a mercenary and recently arrived in this western region.” He said introducing himself. “My name is Pei Yue, and I am here because I saw a mission about some herbs that I happened to obtain while traveling the galaxy.”
“These herbs are the ones that the house of Ling is looking for. I wish to finish the mission and then claim the pay they have promised.”
Hui Yue emphasized the pay and the guard were at first stunned, but then he nodded his head. Hearing that Hui Yue was eager to get paid, it sounded plausible.
“Wait here,” the guard ordered as he turned around and yelled out. “What can I do?” A servant boy said as he showed up.
The guard quickly explained that Hui Yue was here for the mission and ordered the boy to run to the master of the house with the information.
The boy dared not delay a second and headed straight to the master’s study. Although he was usually not allowed even remotely close to such an important place, no one dared to stop him when he mentioned the mission and that someone had arrived with the herbs.
These herbs were impossible to find in the western region of the galaxy, but they were also rather rare in the rest of the galaxy as well, making them incredibly expensive even if one came from the eastern, southern, or northern regions of the galaxy. The only reason Hui Yue had a mountain of them was due to the presents he had been given recently from Yanluo’s gifts to the presents from the wedding, and the many herbs and plants he had picked while in the Archaic World.
To him, giving even a hundred of each kind of herb was no problem, let alone one of each that this mission specified.
Hui Yue, who was standing outside the gate, was starting to grow bored. He was an alchemist and knew which medicinal properties each of the medicinal herbs had, and he knew that these two herbs, if used as they were, would be able to heal the soul of an expert who had been severely injured.
He had expected that someone in the Ling family was injured and that they needed these medicinal herbs for the sake of healing an important person. They would then see Hui Yue as their savior and would not hesitate to tell him whatever he wanted to know.
Unfortunately, not much happened. No one came running to the gates to open them and invite him in as if he was their ancestor himself. Unlike what Hui Yue thought nothing much happened at all and soon an hour had passed.
Hui Yue frowned yet finally someone came moving out of the mansion. It was an old man; his back was bent over, and his eyes were dim, and he was clearly blind.
He had a long white beard and long white hair and was wearing a white robe. Although his body seemed sickly, the hairs on Hui Yue’s body stood up straight, and he turned cautious. This man was not someone to be trifled with!
“Young man are you the one who has responded to our mission?” he asked with a gentle smile on his face, and Hui Yue cleared his throat as he felt a strange force laying itself around his body, searching him from the inside to the outside.
“Yes,” Hui Yue said with a nod, and the man who was searching him had a shocked expression on his face. “I will not ask where you got these herbs,” he said solemnly. “Nor will I spread the rumor about your body, but you have to do a favor for our Ling family in return.”
Hui Yue was stunned, but he quickly accepted. He understood that this old man had realized that he had a refined body, and if the rumor of his body spread through the galaxy, then his life would be much less peaceful.
“Come with me,” the old man said as he turned around, and Hui Yue followed him quickly, but he did not forget to nod to the guard as a farewell.
The old man said nothing as he kept walking, and Hui Yue was too cautious to start a conversation hence both of them walked in silence through the front yard of the mansion towards the front gate.
Another two guards opened the gate for Hui Yue and the elderly man, and together they moved into the mansion. The old man led Hui Yue through many corridors, up many stairs, and through a few halls before they stopped outside a door.
“My grandchild is sleeping within,” he said with a serious voice. “She participated in the fight with the Blood Demons,” he explained with his hand on the handle. “But she was injured. I managed to seal her soul within her body, but it was not enough to stop her from going into a deep slumber. She is not dead, but if I remove the seal, then she will die.”
“You have a body refined by the Alchemist God,” he continued. “I imagine that you have multiple treasures on your person. I will not ask for you to use everything at your disposal, but if you in some way can restore her soul to normal then the Ling family will forever be in your debt.”
“Our Ling family might not mean much to you, considering you are surnamed Pei, but I promise that we will not shy away if you ever need our support.”
Hui Yue was silent. He could easily restore her soul by using the Nirvana Phoenix Flame, but he had no relations with this Ling family. To use his precious flame for the sake of someone he did not know was rather extreme.
Seeing Hui Yue pondering, the eyes of the old man lit up, and he looked at Hui Yue, “You must be looking for something specific, and I promise that we will help you with all we have. Our family is spread throughout the entire western region, and there is not much we are incapable of doing. I solemnly swear an oath to the heavenly daos that as long as you rescue the young miss, our Ling family will treat you and your companions like our ancestors.”
Hui Yue’s heart shook. To make an oath to the heavenly dao meant that if one violated it, then one would lose their martial arts. For an immortal that meant to become a mortal once more.
Since he was so serious about it, Hui Yue could not help but feel that it would not be too bad to help them out. Especially considering how much help they could provide later on in this soon-to-be long war with the Blood Demons.
“I will help,” Hui Yue said with a nod of his head. “However, how I choose to restore her soul is my business, I do not want others to see it. I promise it is nothing indecent, but it happens to be a part of my hidden strength. It is not something others can know.”
The old man was smiling with immense joy as he knew he had asked the right person. In response, he nodded his head vigorously. “No problem. Enter the room and do your best. When you are done, please come and get this old man,” he said as he opened the door for Hui Yue.
Inside the room, a few candles were lit shining light over the beautiful young woman who was laying on the bed. Her hands were resting on her chest, her eyes were closed, and no breathing could be heard.
Hui Yue placed a hand on her cheek and pulled forth a wisp of his Nirvana Phoenix Flame which he poured into her delicate-looking body.
Her body shook slightly as the flame spread through her entire body and entered her soul which had been sealed inside.
Her eyelids shuddered, and her mouth opened slightly as the beauty started breathing once more. Slowly her pale cheeks turned red, her hands that had laid motionless started to twitch, and after half an hour the woman slowly opened her eyes.
Confusion was written all over her face and when she looked at Hui Yue fear crept into her eyes. “Hello,” Hui Yue said with a friendly voice and smiled as friendly as he could muster.
“You were injured it seems, and I was hired by your family to save you,” he explained, and only then did the woman seem to calm down slightly.
Although she calmed down, she was still cautious as she dragged the blanket that had been placed on top of her up to her chin and sat down with her arms around her legs that were dragged up beneath her.
Sighing, Hui Yue opened the door only to see that the old man was still standing there.
“She is fine now,” he announced and stepped out of the way as the old man rushed into the room.
“Grandfather!” The young woman called out with relief, and soon after Hui Yue heard the sound of sobbing.
