Volume Two, Travels in the State of Qi - Chapter 173: Farewell (2)

"Lad Zhang Heng, you're here. Sit down." Wu Hong's face broke into a broad smile as he greeted Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng walked forward and took a seat beside Wu Hong.

"When do you plan to leave?" Wu Hong asked the moment Zhang Heng sat down.

"Tomorrow," Zhang Heng answered with a helpless sigh.

Actually, he could have stayed and roamed the Qi Imperial Capital for a bit longer. However, he had just told the Qi Emperor that he would be leaving tomorrow. If he were to linger here now and run into the Emperor, wouldn't that be terribly awkward?

Wu Hong let out a soft sigh, and then a smile touched his lips.

"Lad Zhang Heng, don't be too sentimental. You are a peerless monster through the ages! To care too much about emotional ties might hinder your cultivation. Besides, this old man's bones are still quite sturdy; living another few centuries is no difficult feat."

"When you truly reign supreme over the world and come back to discuss the Dao of Alchemy with this old man, won't that be magnificent!"

Zhang Heng returned the smile, then retrieved a stack of alchemy formulas from his spatial ring. Since they were parting ways, he had naturally prepared something for the old man.

These were filled with many precious alchemy formulas, which he figured Wu Hong would appreciate.

To his surprise, Wu Hong didn't even glance at them and directly refused.

Wu Hong frowned and began to lecture, "Lad Zhang Heng, I am old. I have no energy left to tinker with these pills. By giving me so many, are you trying to work this old man to death? I still want to live a few more years, you know."

Resigned, Zhang Heng had no choice but to put all the alchemy formulas away. Yet, he truly had nothing else of value on hand.

Wu Hong chuckled with a cheeky grin and continued, "Lad Zhang Heng, if you really want to show some heart, just share a few spirit fruits with me. When this old man gets hungry, I can snack on them."

Wu Hong remembered very well that Zhang Heng had plenty of spirit fruits, and since the boy was leaving, he naturally wanted to fleece him for all he was worth.

Hearing this, Zhang Heng immediately took out various colorful spirit fruits from his spatial ring.

Looking at the dazzling array of exotic fruits, the guilt Wu Hong felt for swindling a junior lessened considerably.

Wu Hong casually picked out a few pieces and told Zhang Heng to put the rest away.

With a helpless expression, Wu Hong spoke again, "Lad Zhang Heng, your talent in the Dao of Alchemy is unprecedented through the ages, no less formidable than your cultivation talent. Once you become invincible in the world, if you ever feel bored... could you perhaps lend the Dao of Alchemy a helping hand?" As he finished speaking, the old man's eyes welled up with moisture.

Everyone in the world regarded cultivation as the orthodox path, causing the Dao of Alchemy to gradually decline. Powerless to turn the tide himself, he could only pin his hopes on Zhang Heng.

Hearing this, Zhang Heng immediately stood up and dropped to his knees. "Elder Wu, rest assured. I will never let the Dao of Alchemy go to waste. In the future, I will definitely become the greatest alchemist in the entire continent, and I will surely restore the glory of the Dao of Alchemy."

Hearing these words, Wu Hong's expression shifted drastically before he burst into hearty laughter. "Lad Zhang Heng, remember your promise."

Zhang Heng felt as though he had been played. Still, it didn't really matter. Since Wu Hong valued the Dao of Alchemy so deeply, if the opportunity arose in the future, he would help fulfill the old man's dream.

At that moment, Wu Hong smiled mysteriously. "Lad Zhang Heng, can you tell this old man who is standing behind you? I swear on my life I won't tell a soul."

"Elder Wu, the person behind me is senior Dugu Bai. Didn't you know that already?" Zhang Heng replied casually.

*Crack!* Wu Hong reached out and gave the back of Zhang Heng's head a light slap, then scolded indignantly, "You brat! How dare you try to fool me?"

Zhang Heng wore an aggrieved expression.

"I admit that Sword Saint Dugu Bai is formidable when it comes to fighting. But when it comes to alchemy, this old man could utterly crush him! I'm asking you, who is the one who taught you alchemy?"

Zhang Heng froze in place, utterly at a loss for how to respond. Could he possibly say he was taught by a machine? Who on earth would believe that?

Seeing Zhang Heng fall silent, Wu Hong did not press the matter further.

Instead, he snorted dismissively, "Those senior experts are always so eccentric, hiding their disciples out of fear that others might find out. Since you won't talk, so be it."

Then, a broad smile returned to Wu Hong's face.

"Lad Zhang Heng, at such a tender age, you can easily refine Tier 2 pills, and you are so familiar with Tier 5 pills that you even helped me break through to Tier 5. It stands to reason that the person behind you must be a truly peerless grandmaster of alchemy who looks down upon the world."

"Ah! In this era of declining alchemy, I never expected such a supreme existence to still exist today. This old man is overjoyed! Come, drink with me."

With that, Wu Hong tossed a wine flask straight toward Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng caught it and tilted his head back to drink deeply.

The feeling of parting was always tinged with a faint bitterness.

It wasn't the wine that made one drunk; it was the sorrow of the heart.

Before long, Wu Hong slumped over the table, fast asleep and snoring softly. Zhang Heng stood up and quietly channeled his internal energy to purge the alcohol from his system. He then found a heavy coat inside the room and draped it over Wu Hong's shoulders.

He offered a gentle bow.

Then, he turned and walked away.

The moment Zhang Heng left, however, Wu Hong straightened back up.

He muttered to himself, "How could a cultivator of the Void Return Realm possibly get drunk?"

He stared blankly at the direction of Zhang Heng's departing figure—filled with worry, reluctance, and a profound sense of pride.

At this moment, he was no longer the lofty Tier 5 Alchemist, but merely an ordinary old man.

Walking through the streets of the imperial capital and watching the bustling crowds pass by, Zhang Heng's mind was in utter turmoil.

He shook his head vigorously to temporarily seal away all these emotions, then resumed his farewell journey.

His next destination was the domain of the Spirit Feather Palace.

Yet, before he could go looking for Ling Tian, Ling Tian took the initiative to appear before him.

At the intersection ahead, Ling Tian stepped out from the void, wearing a smug smile. "You little brat! You thought you could run?"

Resigned, Zhang Heng walked toward him. "Old man, how did you know I was leaving?"

"You brat! Others might not know, but this old man certainly did. You came to the imperial capital solely to destroy the Nether God Sect. Now that not even ashes of the Nether God Sect remain, it's obvious you little rascal would be on your way."

"So, blocking my path like this—what are you up to?" Zhang Heng asked, knowing the answer full well.

Ling Tian instantly looked displeased. "You brat! No matter what, we've known each other for quite some time. Are you really not going to leave this old man even a single drop of spirit liquid? Just walking away like this—how could you have the heart to let this old man suffer the agony of longing every single day? How could you?!" The more Ling Tian spoke, the more agitated he became.

"Stop, stop, stop." Zhang Heng raised a hand to cut him off. "Old man, don't pull that act on me. I'm telling you, I still have plenty of spirit liquid, but if you want some, you'll have to bring out something good to trade for it."

Ling Tian retorted irritably, "You brat! The person behind you is Sword Saint Dugu Bai, after all. Since he even gave you his Heart-Protecting Sword, he certainly wouldn't treat you poorly. I, on the other hand, don't have anything that could catch your eye."

Zhang Heng was dumbfounded! Why did all these bigshots love bringing up Dugu Bai?

The problem was that when Sword Saint Dugu Bai left, he hadn't left behind anything at all! To make matters worse, Dugu Bai had even taken his Heart-Protecting Sword back with him.

"Alright, old man. We've known each other for so long; how could I come unprepared?" Zhang Heng said, pulling a large jar of spirit liquid directly from his spatial ring.

"Here, old man. With this much spirit liquid, if you sip it sparingly, it should last you a year or two." Upon seeing the spirit liquid, Ling Tian's sorrow instantly transformed into joy. He snatched it eagerly from Zhang Heng's hands and unsealed it to take a sniff.

Only after confirming it was genuine did he beam with delight. "You crafty little brat, you really know how to handle things. No wonder you won the favor of Sword Saint Dugu Bai."

"Come, let's have a bowl before you go." For once, Ling Tian acted generously, pulling two large bowls from his spatial ring. He poured a bowl of spirit liquid, tossed it to Zhang Heng, and poured one for himself.

One old man and one youth. They clinked their bowls through the air. After a single bowl, it was time to part ways.