Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 88

Upon reaching the entrance of the Black Swan Guard estate, Zhao Sheng and the other two immediately dismounted.

Without pausing, Zhao Sheng then walked up to Lu Xuan.

He tilted his head back slightly to look at Lu Xuan, who was still seated on his horse, and spoke.

“Senior Xuan, this is the Black Swan Guard headquarters in the White Path Prefecture capital.”

“Lady Li Yanran, the old acquaintance you wish to see, should be inside at this moment.”

Lu Xuan swept his gaze over the front of the estate. Two rows of men dressed in light-black uniforms stood guard on either side of the main gate, all of them martial artists at the Muscle Tempering realm.

So the Black Swan Guard truly is extraordinary, he thought. Even Muscle Tempering martial artists are just used as gate guards.

Finally arrived.

This was a place they should have reached three days ago, but they had stayed in Taiping Town for a while due to Lu Xuan’s injury.

Only after the wound on his chest had completely healed, without leaving a trace, did Lu Xuan leave Taiping Town and hurry to the prefecture capital.

This monstrous speed of recovery had greatly surprised Zhao Sheng and his companions.

Of course, it wasn’t just the three of them who found it incredible; even Lu Xuan felt that he was gradually moving beyond the scope of an ordinary human.

Then, Zhao Sheng and the other two openly led Lu Xuan into the Black Swan Guard headquarters.

They completely forgot that anyone entering or leaving the estate required identity verification.

The guards on both sides of the gate acted as if they saw nothing when this stranger, Lu Xuan, walked in.

They weren’t fools.

Anyone personally escorted by three Yellow Rank Envoys, and with such humble and deferential attitudes, clearly had an important status.

Deep within the Black Swan Guard Estate

In a serene and solemn small courtyard, surrounded by dense greenery with several ancient trees towering towards the sky, a small pavilion stood quietly in the center.

Two figures sat at the stone table inside the pavilion.

One was a woman wearing a sapphire-blue Black Swan Guard uniform. Her figure was enchanting, with a pair of slender, shapely long legs pressed neatly together, giving her a graceful posture.

The other was an old man, probably in his sixties or seventies, wearing a deep cyan uniform, its sleeves flowing lightly. His silver hair was tied up in a Taoist bun with a jade hairpin, and a long white beard flowed from his chin, fluttering gently in the wind. He looked ethereal and immaculately neat.

“Yanran, your martial arts realm has reached its peak; you’re almost about to break through to the perfected Blood Forging stage, aren’t you?”

“It seems it’s almost time for you to return to Tian Du.”

“The competition for the chance to comprehend the family’s sacrificial vessel happens once every five years. It’s starting in less than a year.”

“By then, you should have reached the perfected Blood Forging stage. That spot for comprehending the vessel will undoubtedly be yours.”

“Perfect timing. It’s been a long time since I last returned to the family. I’ll take you back to Tian Du this time.”

The old man looked at Li Yanran with satisfaction, his aged hand stroking his white beard.

She is truly my elder brother’s daughter, he thought proudly. At just twenty-five, she’s already about to break through to the perfected Blood Forging stage.

It seemed it would only be a few more years before Li Yanran broke through to the Inner Energy realm, reaching the same level as him.

Hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across Li Yanran’s face, wondering if she had heard correctly.

“Uncle Feng, you’re coming back to Tian Du with me? But who will oversee the Black Swan Guard here in White Path Prefecture?”

Li Chengfeng stopped stroking his beard, replying with full confidence.

“No matter. I’ll make this a quick trip. I’ll be back in less than two months.”

“Besides, the two Vice-Envoys will remain here in White Path Prefecture. I intend to have Vice-Envoy Yu Hong take charge for a while.”

Hearing that Vice-Envoy Yu Hong would be acting in charge, Li Yanran felt relieved.

Both Vice-Envoys were also existences at the Inner Energy realm.

“Yes, Uncle Feng. If it’s one of the Vice-Envoys, that should indeed be sufficient.” As she spoke, Li Yanran seemed to remember something, and her tone shifted. “However, I once promised an Inner Energy expert that I would wait for him here in White Path Prefecture. I would like to wait until he arrives before returning to Tian Du!”

“Hmm?”

“An Inner Energy expert?”

“How come I’ve never heard you mention this before?”

“Who is this expert? Is he currently in the prefecture capital?”

Upon hearing Li Yanran’s words, Li Chengfeng’s eyes widened. His hand jerked slightly, nearly pulling out a handful of his white beard.

An Inner Energy realm martial artist was no small matter; it was enough to capture Li Chengfeng’s full attention.

Within the prefecture capital, aside from the Black Swan Guard, there were only two other Inner Energy realm experts.

They were the old chief of the Tianhai Gang, Hua Tianhai, and the Prefect of White Path Prefecture, Hong Zhi!

It couldn’t possibly be the Prefect; if he wanted to visit the Black Swan Guard estate, he could just come directly.

Could it be, Li Chengfeng wondered, that the expert Yanran mentioned is the old chief of the Tianhai Gang, Hua Tianhai?

“No, that Inner Energy expert is not in the prefecture capital. He is a martial artist who lives in seclusion, dedicated to arduous training.”

Li Chengfeng, his mind preoccupied with the family matter of the sacrificial vessel, didn’t dwell too deeply on the mysterious expert for now. Instead, he spoke to Li Yanran with a serious expression.

“Is that so?”

“Yanran, time is running short. When did you say this Inner Energy expert would come? We cannot let this delay the family’s important affair.”

“Gaining entry to the family ancestral hall to comprehend the sacrificial vessel is crucial for your future breakthrough to the Inner Energy realm.”

Li Yanran pondered Li Chengfeng’s words for a moment before responding.

“Let’s wait ten more days. If the expert hasn’t arrived by then, I will return to the family.”

Li Yanran chose to prioritize the bigger picture. The family’s sacrificial vessel was key to her breakthrough; she couldn’t afford any mistakes.

“Good. That is an excellent plan.”

“Don’t worry, Yanran. If that Inner Energy expert does come here, I will have Vice-Envoy Yu Hong receive him properly.”

Just then, a figure appeared at the courtyard gate, striding hurriedly towards the pavilion.

“Greetings, Envoy Li, Lady Li.”

“There is a visitor in the main hall who claims to be an old acquaintance of Lady Li. He requests to see you, Lady Li.”

“An old acquaintance?”

Li Yanran was puzzled.

She had come to White Path Prefecture from Tian Du for training. What old acquaintance could she possibly have here?

Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.

The face of the young master of the Lu family from Qingyun County flashed in her mind. A trace of pleasant surprise appeared on her fair and delicate features.

Beside her, Li Chengfeng, upon seeing the smile on Li Yanran’s face, felt his eyes nearly pop out of his head. He looked utterly shocked and found it hard to believe.

Main Hall

“Senior Xuan, please have a seat. I’ve already sent someone to inform Lady Li Yanran.”

Zhao Sheng enthusiastically guided Lu Xuan to a seat and began explaining some details about the Black Swan Guard.

Meanwhile, Qian Hao, standing behind them, carefully held out an exquisite teacup, presenting it to Lu Xuan with both hands.

“Here, Senior Xuan, this is the finest tea we have in the Black Swan Guard. Please, try it!”