Go down the hill on their knees?
The faces of Lin Huan and Luo Jing instantly went pale.
Although the hill was not very high, going down the steep slopes while on their knees would be impossible! It would take them a very long time!
But Xue An did not seem to care. After he finished what he had to say, he steered Xue Xiang and Xue Nian back into the house.
Tang Xuan’er glared at the people around her. They were her colleagues and so-called friends. Then she turned around and was just about to leave.
“Xuan’er, please, I beg you to ask Mr. Xue for mercy. What would become of me if I really have to go down the hill on my knees?” Luo Jing was shameless enough to ask Tang Xuan’er to plead on her behalf.
“Yeah! Xuan’er, we are colleagues after all. Is there a need to make things difficult for everyone else?” Many people spoke up in agreement.
A hint of disgust appeared on Tang Xuan’er’s beautiful and elegant face. “Make things difficult? You were the ones that were making things difficult for us. Tell me, who were the ones who greeted me and Mr. Xue with mockery and sarcasm the moment we met… Who?”
The crowd was speechless.
Tang Xuan’er took another step forward and stared angrily at Luo Jing and Lin Huan. “Who were the ones who repeatedly called Mr. Xue a penniless beggar? Who was it again?”
Luo Jing and Lin Huan were already panicking.
Especially Luo Jing.
The only reason why she had dared to be so arrogant and repeatedly targeted and bullied Tang Xuan’er, was because she firmly believed that the girl was too meek to stand up for herself.
She thought that no matter how cruel she was being, Tang Xuan’er would never talk back or even think about taking revenge.
But now she knew that she was wrong!
So awfully wrong!
Tang Xuan’er turned around angrily and stormed off.
Qin Yu looked at Lin Huan and said in an aloof manner, “I seem to remember your surname is Lin, right? Well, Cloud Dream Dacha doesn’t welcome you here.”
Qin Yu also left upon saying these words.
Lin Huan went limp and slumped to the floor, dejectedly.
He knew he was done for.
Not because he had just lost his home.
But rather, it was because of Qin Yu’s attitude towards him.
His family might be doing quite well in Beijiang, but when compared to the Longtai Group, it was barely making a dent in the economy.
Now that he had offended Qin Yu, it meant that all the businesses that the Lin family ran in Beijiang would face a great catastrophe.
And it was all his fault!
Lin Huan was filled with unbridled fury when he came to the realization that all of this was Xue An’s fault. It was so much easier to push all the blame to him.
If you think you’re so good, why didn’t you show it in the first place?
You’re the reason why I ended up looking so pathetic in front of everyone!
Yes! All this was his fault!
Now that he had convinced himself of this, Lin Huan burned with hatred and spite. This anger was written all over his face.
And you still want us to go down the hill on our knees?
You’ve got to be kidding me!
Why should I even get down on my knees for you?
Lin Huan defiantly turned around to walk down the hill. But before he could venture beyond more than two steps, he felt a huge force pressing down on his shoulders.
With a thud, he fell to his knees. No matter how much he struggled, he could not get back on his feet.
He looked around helplessly but realized that he was not the only one on his knees. Luo Jing, and a few others who had been the most vocal, also felt a huge force overcoming them. In a blink of an eye, they were all kneeling on the ground, unable to make a move.
All the victims looked at one another. Fear and panic were reflected in their eyes.
What was going on?
In the end.
Lin Huan, Luo Jing and the rest of their friends really ended up going down the hill on their knees, one step at a time.
Meanwhile, Xue An was in the house, quietly listening to Hua Xingyu’s account of a particular incident.
Hua Xingyu spoke with a grave and solemn expression on his face. “Mr. Xue,” he said respectfully, “earlier today, a friend of mine from overseas sent me a piece of news. I believe that it’s a matter that directly concerns you.”
“Oh? What is the news?”
“The Elderly by Heaven, Yu Ling, has left his mountain perch. He is planning to return to his country within the next few days so he can participate in the quadrennial Martial Arts Convention.”
“The Elderly by Heaven?” Qin Yuan shuddered from head to toe as a horrified expression appeared on his face.
Qin Yu was puzzled by this revelation. “Grandfather, who is this Elderly by Heaven?”
Qin Yuan remained solemn. “He was a peerless master who traveled far and wide, all over the world, in search of an opponent who would be worthy enough to be his match. But despite his travels, he never found one. After a while, news about this master ceased, and he seemed to have disappeared. No one knew where he went. I heard rumors that he was dead. I never would have guessed that he is still alive.”
Hua Xingyu let out a bitter laugh. “Not only is he alive, but he’s also doing very well for himself. He even took two disciples under his wing. One is called Liu Shou, and the other is called… Yu Qing!”
These two names made the entire room go silent.
Only Xue An remained unmoved. He sat there with an indifferent expression, as though everything that was being said had nothing to do with him.
Hua Xingyu went on to say, “This time, Yu Ling has come out of hiding because of the deaths of his two disciples. He has already let the word out that he would like to meet the person who murdered his disciples at the Martial Arts Convention.”
“So what?” Xue An asked disinterestedly.
Hua Xingyu paused for a moment before continuing. “Mr. Xue, you may be a man of immense merit and remarkable skill, but Ling Yu is no ordinary man either. I’ve met him once thirty years ago, and back then, he had already stepped into the Realm of the Unfettered. And now that thirty years have passed, many are saying that… he already has one foot in the Realm of Celestial Beings…”
Celestial Being!
Just the thought of the title was enough to bring a sense of awe into the room.
It was said that the moment one stepped into the Realm of the Unfettered, one would become an immortal. But only the unknown waited for you after entering the Realm of Celestial Beings.
From ancient times all the way to the present day, countless people could step into the Realm of the Unfettered. But very few could even imagine stepping into the Realm of Celestial Beings.
This was proof that making the step on this path was… incredibly difficult.
Just then, a child’s voice was heard.
“Papa, what is a Celestial Being? Can it be eaten?”
One did not need to look to know that it was Xue Nian asking the question.
Xue An laughed when he heard the question. “Oh, a Celestial Being. Well, a Celestial Being is… something for me to punch with my bare fist.”
These words shocked Hua Xingyu.
Then Xue An looked around the entire room and noticed the worried and concerned looks on Qin Yuan and the others’ faces. He just smiled knowingly.
“Sure, let’s meet with him. It just so happens that I would like to see this so-called master in person. How high does he think his status is? He’s only managed to get one foot in the Realm of Celestial Beings at such an old age.”
As he said this, Xue An’s tone of voice was filled with a strong sense of confidence and self-assurance.
Hearing this, Hua Tingting, who was standing by the side, could not help but feel a little dazed and dizzy with amazement.
Hua Xingyu, on the other hand, was feeling worried. He knew that Xue An’s cultivation of martial arts was profound and unfathomable, but he was a newcomer who has not made a name for himself yet. The Elderly by Heaven, on the other hand, had a well-established reputation that was decades in the making.
“Alright then. Where is the Martial Arts Convention going to be held this time?” Xue An asked.
Hua Xingyu and Qin Yuan looked at each other and then in unison, they said, “Green Wheat!”
Xue An raised a brow.
“Green Wheat?”
“Yes,” Hua Xingyu clarified. “The location of the Martial Arts Convention is not fixed, to start with. This year, it’s Beijiang’s turn to host. But holding the event in the city will bring too much inconvenience. So the venue has been moved to Green Wheat Town. And since Green Wheat Town is considered a tourist destination, it will bring even more popularity to the event.”
Xue An nodded. “Well then, we will go there to take a look when the time comes.”
Meanwhile, in a quaint house in the Chinatown of Country M, Yu Ling was drinking some tea.
“Old Fish Head, I really didn’t think you would still be able to make it out of the mountain!” The person sitting across him was an elderly man with a white beard.
“If I don’t come down from the mountain, all my other disciples will be killed too,” Yu Ling said coldly.
The elderly man was taken aback for a moment. Then with a sigh, he said, “I’ve heard about that. It was a pity that the young lad Yu Qing had to die. Does the Yu family know?”
Yu Ling shook his head. “I’m not clear about that just yet. Once I’ve killed the murderer with my own hands, I will go to Lingnan to meet with the Yu family.”
The elderly man nodded. “With all that’s going on, do you think you need any help?”
Yu Ling shook his head.
“Oh Old Fish Head, nowadays, times are changing at a very fast rate. You have to be careful and move with the times.”
Yu Ling smiled arrogantly. He raised his hand and pointed a finger at a distant wall.
A round hole suddenly appeared in the reinforced concrete that was a few dozen meters away from them.
The gaping hole appeared suddenly and soundlessly, as if it had been there all along.
The elderly man was round-eyed with excitement. “You’ve finally taken that step?”
Yu Ling nodded.
The elderly man sighed again and said, “I really envy you. Back then, if I had followed you into the mountain, who knows, maybe I would have been able to achieve the Great Freedom by now too!”
Celestial Beings had a lifespan of three hundred years, which was also why they were known by the secular world to possess… the Great Freedom!