A dousing? Who would dare to divine?
Those who had gathered to watch, upon hearing this, turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing everyone depart, the old man sighed helplessly.
"Alas, the world misunderstands me deeply."
"Thank you, young friend, for your timely assistance."
"I observe that you, young sir, have an extraordinary aura, and will surely achieve great things in the future."
"Why don't you let me…"
"No need. I am acting under orders; no thanks are necessary."
Chen Yunxuan felt no particular fondness for the old man. If not for Chen Chang'an's instructions, he would not have intervened.
"Oh? Acting under orders?"
"Then you must have been following the instructions of this young friend over there?"
The old man cast a glance at Chen Chang'an, who was not far away, and then, with a fawning smile, walked towards him.
"Thank you, young friend, for your help."
"I observe that you, young sir, have an extraordinary aura, and will surely achieve great things in the future."
"Why don't you let me…"
"Enough. Put away your act."
"It's been so long, how are you still alive?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.
Seeing that Chen Chang'an had recognized him, the old man stopped pretending and said with a wicked grin, "Look at you, you're not dead either."
"Ancestor, you… you know each other?" Chen Yunxuan was utterly shocked.
He never imagined that his Ancestor would know this swindler. Could this person be someone extraordinary?
"Alright, this is not a place to talk. Let's move somewhere else."
"Come, it's been a long time, let's catch up properly."
Chen Chang'an and his party found an inn and requested a private room.
"Three thousand years have passed since we last parted."
"I never imagined that Brother Chen and Brother Da Huang would still possess such vigor."
"Alas, it feels like a lifetime ago."
The old man's words greatly surprised Chen Yunxuan. He knew his Ancestor lived long, but he hadn't expected this inconspicuous old man to have lived for so long as well.
Then, his earlier words...
"Esteemed Senior, since you know my Ancestor, you must also be a person of great importance."
"How could you be in that situation just now…" Chen Yunxuan asked, perplexed.
"Yunxuan, you know little of this."
"This is the renowned Tianji Pavilion… likely its third Pavilion Master."
"His name is Wang Tianji!"
"His strength is formidable, but he has done too many wicked deeds and often faces retribution."
Retribution? What did that mean?
What was Tianji Pavilion? He had never heard of it before.
"You mock me in front of a junior."
"It is merely that our lineage, in its attempt to gain divine insight, suffered punishment."
"Every thousand years, my body deteriorates. Not only does my appearance age, but I lose all my cultivation, and it lasts for ten years."
"During this period, we are at our most vulnerable. If we encounter danger, we have no ability to resist at all," Wang Tianji grimaced helplessly.
"Since you know it's your most vulnerable time, why travel all the way to the Great Zhou Kingdom?"
"With your current foot speed, it would take ten years just to get here, wouldn't it?"
Wang Tianji's original location was extremely far from the Great Zhou Kingdom. If his cultivation were still intact, it would be no problem, but now that he had lost it, how did he get here? And why?
"Wait!"
"Something's not right!"
"The first time I met you, it was when you had lost your cultivation and your appearance had aged."
"Based on the timeline, you shouldn't be like this now?"
Suddenly, Chen Chang'an realized something was amiss. He had met Wang Tianji precisely because he had encountered him in that state of lost cultivation and aged appearance.
However, according to the timeline, Wang Tianji should not be experiencing this again for at least another three hundred years.
Why was it happening earlier this time?
Upon hearing Chen Chang'an's words, Wang Tianji gave a helpless, wry smile.
"About a year ago, I suddenly had a premonition and cast a divination."
"I found that the heavens were in chaos, extraordinarily disordered, and a major event was likely to occur."
"Later, I also discovered that an old friend would appear in this small Great Zhou Kingdom, but I couldn't discern who it was."
"You know, at my age, I don't have many old friends. The one who would appear here, and whom I cannot divine, can only be you."
"The first time I saw you back then, I couldn't see through you; I couldn't fathom your life's trajectory. It was all hazy, impossible to divine."
"So, before losing my cultivation, I rushed here, because I calculated there was a high probability of reuniting with an old friend."
"But I never expected…"
"That your descendant beside you would also be like this!"
"Your Chen Family… do they exclusively produce monstrous talents?"
Wang Tianji appeared calm on the surface, but upon seeing Chen Chang'an and Chen Yunxuan, he was genuinely surprised.
There was no need to speak of Chen Chang'an, as they were old acquaintances. But he hadn't expected that Chen Yunxuan, at such a young age, would possess great destiny that he couldn't divine.
Chen Yunxuan also hadn't expected to be drawn into this situation while just observing.
"The people of my Chen Family are certainly no ordinary individuals."
"So, was it because of that attempt to gain divine insight that the retribution manifested early?"
"And you came all this way, it probably wasn't just for a reunion, was it?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.
"You've guessed wrong. It really was just to catch up."
"Perhaps it's because I'm old and want to see an old friend."
"I cannot divine the secrets of heaven, nor do I know what will happen."
"So I've stopped thinking about it," Wang Tianji said with a smile.
"Alright, then today we shall only reminisce, and discuss nothing else."
"Agreed!"
After the food and wine were served, Chen Chang'an and Wang Tianji clinked glasses, chatting and laughing.
They completely avoided any mention of the topics discussed earlier.
Chen Yunxuan sat to the side, occasionally refilling their cups with wine, and thought to himself, "Following the Ancestor truly broadens one's horizons!"
"He even knows such remarkable people."
An hour later, after they had eaten and drunk their fill, Wang Tianji patted his belly and smiled, "This was delightful, I haven't felt so delighted in a long time."
"It was worth the long journey."
"However, all good things must come to an end. It's time for me to leave."
Chen Chang'an looked calmly at Wang Tianji and said, "Leave now?"
"Yes, it's time to go."
"Alright."
Chen Chang'an merely nodded, saying no more.
After Wang Tianji left, Chen Yunxuan asked, puzzled, "Ancestor, Senior Wang has no cultivation now. Will it be dangerous for him to leave like this?"
"No. He learned his lesson once; with his personality, he won't make the same mistake twice."
"Don't forget, he is the third Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion. Wouldn't he have people following and protecting him?"
"Hmm? Ancestor, you mean Senior Wang has secret protection? Then why did you ask me to intervene earlier?"
"It was just to cooperate with him and play out this scene."
"Yunxuan, what do you think of Wang Tianji?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunxuan pondered for a moment and then said seriously, "Ancestor, I don't understand this person. I don't know him well, and after this brief encounter, I don't have any strong feelings. But since he is an old friend of yours, he can't be too bad, can he? He seems alright."
Chen Chang'an smiled, looking at Chen Yunxuan, which made him a little nervous.
"Someone who dares to probe the heavens is not that simple."
"Do you really think he came just to reminisce?"
"He… while not an evil-doer, is certainly not purely benevolent!"