Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"Ah~ I forgot to introduce myself. Look at my memory. I'm getting old, I'm even forgetting manners. How embarrassing, how embarrassing!" Li Wei suddenly realized and rubbed his forehead, apologetic with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Come here, come here." Li Wei turned around and waved to Li Xiu, who was standing behind him, calling him to come to his side. He then took Li Xiu's arm and looked at the city guard.

"Come, let's get acquainted. This is my youngest son, Li Xiu. Li Xiu, you've met your Uncle Zhang." Li Wei then introduced the city guard to Li Xiu.

"Hello, Uncle Zhang." Li Xiu obediently bowed and greeted the city guard standing in front of him.

"Hey, hey, hey, no, no! Brother Li Wei, your two sons are really something! Each one is more spirited and more handsome than the other, hahaha!" The city guard said to Li Wei with a smile.

"Hey, what are you saying? Your son is quite something too, surpassing his father to become a young general at such a young age. Congratulations." Li Wei released Li Xiu's shoulder and began exchanging pleasantries with the city guard.

The city guard scratched his head sheepishly, turned around, waved to the gatekeeper standing behind him to signal them to pass, and then led Li Wei, Li Long, and Li Xiu through the pass, chatting as they went.

"Brother Li Wei, you flatter me. My son is nowhere near as good as your two young masters. But speaking of which, Brother Li Wei, what brings you to Tianwu City this time? You never come unless there's something wrong." Although the city guard appeared to be exchanging pleasantries with Li Wei, anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was actually trying to probe Li Wei's purpose in coming to Tianwu City. After all, Li Wei was, after all, a cultivator.

"What else could I possibly be doing in Tianwu City this time? I just want to see if my youngest son can get lucky and catch the eye of Tianwu Academy. You know, we cultivators aren't that capable, but we're all focused on Tianwu Academy. I've lived most of my life and still don't have a good teacher. I don't want my son to be ruined by me, do you think?" Li Wei waved his hand helplessly, revealing his intentions.

"Yes, what we parents really want is for our children to be better than us. We can't let our children suffer if we haven't brought honor to our ancestors." The city guard nodded in deep agreement.

"Alright, I have official business to attend to, so I won't keep you company any longer, brother. Please forgive me." After talking with Li Wei for a while, the city guard felt there were no problems and it was time to let him pass.

"Not at all, we didn't take up your time. But what's going on? Why is there a checkpoint? Weren't there no checkpoints before? Could it be that something happened in the city?" Li Wei nodded and prepared to leave, but he felt it would be better to find out more.

"Hey, stop talking. Didn't that guy come a couple of days ago and beat up a few young masters? It wouldn't have been a big deal, after all, a little roughhousing doesn't usually cause serious injury. But the trouble is that those young masters' fathers and elders have some connections with the city lord. Apparently, they even secretly gave him a lot of gold. And because of that, he made us set up a checkpoint here. Isn't he crazy?" The city guard felt a surge of anger upon hearing Li Wei's question. He was feeling quite frustrated.

"But the city lord only allowed you to investigate? No way, isn't that just creating trouble out of nothing? Besides, I heard that even if you wanted to put up an arrest warrant in Tianwu City, the city lord might not agree." Li Wei frowned, feeling indignant on behalf of the city garrison officer.

"Sigh, what can you do when he's the boss? I reckon that person has done the city lord, or someone the city lord doesn't know, a favor, and maybe the city lord wants to take this opportunity to repay it. You know how troublesome favors can be. As for investigating, my son told me it should only take a week or two. Just do a token investigation, don't take it too seriously." The city guard looked around and lowered his voice as he said this.

"Okay, I'll be going now. Come find me sometime, I'll treat you to dinner. Same place as always, come along." Li Wei nodded and didn't say anything more. After all, getting the information he wanted was enough; nothing else mattered.

"Alright, then take care, brother. I won't see you off." The city guard nodded, bid farewell to Li Wei, and returned to his post.

"Wow, Xiu Chen, it's a good thing you were disguised. Judging from the tone of that city guard just now, it seems you've offended some powerful people." Li Long looked back and, knowing that no one could hear them, couldn't help but say to Li Xiu beside him.

"I didn't want this either. How was I supposed to know that beating up one person would lead to a city-wide manhunt? If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered with him in the first place. Now I'm all in trouble." Li Xiu pouted, he really didn't expect that be the result of beating up those two people he couldn't stand.

"Alright, let's not worry about that. There's no need. Right now, the most important thing is to settle down. We can talk about everything else after that." Li Wei indicated that he wasn't very interested in their conversation.

Li Long and Li Xiu nodded, saying nothing more, and simply followed quietly behind Li Wei. A short while later, the three of them arrived at the Tonglai Inn. Upon entering, Li Wei looked around, then went straight to the counter, took out something resembling a jade pendant from his chest, and gently placed it on the counter.

Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper immediately put the jade pendant-like object in front of him into his hand. After examining it carefully under the counter, he cautiously returned it to Li Wei. Li Wei took it, and the shopkeeper beckoned to a waiter behind him. The waiter, upon receiving the signal, hurried to the counter.

"Take this gentleman to the Heavenly Palace, and the other two to the local area. Also, inform Wang Lin that someone is looking for him, and he should go immediately," the shopkeeper whispered the instructions.

"Yes, I understand, Manager." The waiter quickly turned around and respectfully addressed Li Wei after receiving the order.

"This way, sir. And please, the two gentlemen behind you, follow along." With that, the waiter led Li Wei, Li Long, and Li Xiu towards the backyard. After walking a short distance, Li Wei glanced back at Li Long, who nodded almost imperceptibly. He then turned to Li Xiu and spoke.

"Li Xiu, you go to your room with the waiter. I have some things to take care of and will be right back."

"Okay, then be careful on your journey." Although Li Xiu didn't know what Li Long was going to do, and hadn't seen the exchange of glances between Li Wei and Li Long, Li Xiu sensed that Li Long was probably going to handle some matters between the two of them. Of course, it wasn't appropriate for Li Xiu to inquire about these matters. After all, his relationship with Wen Xiang and Wenchong was currently only one of mutual exploitation, not a genuine friendship.

Seeing her senior sister like this, Weiwei couldn't help but laugh out loud. The bitterness in her heart lessened a lot. She nodded vigorously and changed direction with her senior sister, running towards the academy.

As she ran towards the academy, Tian Qin couldn't help but glance back at Weiwei beside her. She had a vague feeling that Weiwei, her junior sister, seemed to have grown up in an instant. Gone was the fragility she had been when she first left Li Xiuchen; gone was the sensitivity that could easily disturb her peace of mind. Now, she was strong and brave, and had clear goals. Weiwei now exuded a captivating and irresistible charm, an invisible aura. Tian Qin looked at Weiwei and smiled softly. She knew her junior sister had grown up.

Not long after, Tian Qin and Weiwei returned to Tianwu City. Although there were checkpoints, it was still unimpeded for Tian Qin and others with Tianwu Academy tokens. Not many people came to stop them. After all, they had Tian Xueyuan's identity, and they were women. Why bother searching them? It was better to give themselves a rest.

"Senior sister, I saw someone at the door just now. I don't know why, but I felt that his back looked a lot like Li Xiuchen. But when that person turned around, I paid attention to his face, and it wasn't him. Do you think it's possible that he's coming to Tianwu City?" Weiwei frowned and thought for a moment before telling her black-robed senior sister Tian Qin what she had just felt.

"Li Xiuchen? He's come to Tianwu City? No way, but this city is so big, even if he came, we wouldn't be able to find him." Tian Qin was stunned by Weiwei's words. He hadn't noticed the person Weiwei was talking about, but he was a little uneasy about Li Xiuchen coming to Tianwu City.

"No, Senior Sister, I'm not going to see him. I'm just worried that if Li Xiuchen comes to Tianwu City, what if he accidentally offends someone? He doesn't have much power, and his cultivation level isn't very high. Tianwu City is too dangerous for him." Weiwei was concerned about Li Xiuchen's safety, not whether she could see him.

"Yes, Tianwu City is too dangerous for Li Xiuchen. Hopefully, he can use his brain and not go in."

Chapter 1236 Untitled

"Li Xiuchen? He's come to Tianwu City? No way, but this city is so big, even if he came, we wouldn't be able to find him." Tian Qin was stunned by Weiwei's words. He hadn't noticed the person Weiwei was talking about, but he was a little uneasy about Li Xiuchen coming to Tianwu City.

"No, Senior Sister, I'm not going to see him. I'm just worried that if Li Xiuchen comes to Tianwu City, what if he accidentally offends someone? He doesn't have much power, and his cultivation level isn't very high. Tianwu City is too dangerous for him." Weiwei was concerned about Li Xiuchen's safety, not whether she could see him.

"Yes, Tianwu City is too dangerous for Li Xiuchen. Hopefully, he'll use his brain and not go in." Tian Qin nodded with a slight frown. Indeed, that was the case.

"Alright, let's go back to the academy first. We can talk about Li Xiuchen's matter later. Our priority right now is to get back to the academy and take care of your matter. We can put everything else aside for now." Tian Qin took a deep breath, smiled at Weiwei, and said to her. Weiwei nodded and followed behind Tian Qin, slowly walking towards Tianwu Academy.

"Sir, this way please. Please wait a moment, sir. I'll be right back after I've settled this gentleman in." The waiter leading the way suddenly stopped, turned around, bowed respectfully to Li Xiu, and spoke to him in a friendly manner. Upon hearing the waiter's words, Li Xiu also bowed slightly in return, nodded, and gave the waiter a soft "hmm."

"Sir, this way please." After receiving Li Xiu's permission, the waiter looked at Li Wei on the other side and respectfully gestured for him to enter. Li Wei nodded and followed the waiter towards his room. After taking only a couple of steps forward, Li Wei suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Li Xiu, who was standing there looking around.

"Xiu'er, after you get to your room, rest for a bit. When your brother comes back, come find me in my room, okay? Don't wander off." Li Wei looked at Li Xiu with a smile in his eyes, as kind and gentle as an elder caring for a younger generation.

Hearing Li Wei call him, Li Xiu quickly turned around to look at Li Wei. After hearing what Li Wei said, Li Xiu smiled and nodded, then respectfully said,

"Yes, Your Majesty."

However, for Li Xiu, there was really nothing interesting to wander around here. The courtyard looked like an ordinary little inn, with nothing else. He wanted to take a stroll, but he couldn't bring himself to do so; it just looked incredibly boring.

Besides, even if Li Wei hadn't said anything, Li Xiu probably wouldn't dare to wander around aimlessly. Although he could practically have a different face now, he was still himself; no matter how his face changed, he couldn't be a different person. Now, going out meant seeing his own wanted posters everywhere, even if they weren't actually posted. But what if? What if he went out for a stroll and ran into the group of people he had beaten up back then?

Well, here comes another pile of trouble. If you said Wenxiang and Wenchong were still members of the Wen family, that would be one thing; eventually, the city lord of Tianwu City would surely give the Wen family some face. But now that Wenxiang and Wenchong have left the Wen family, if I go out and cause some trouble, I'll end up really connected to Wenxiang and Wenchong.

He didn't want to be hunted down so soon after entering the martial arts world; that would be too... well, just too unlucky. His promising life hadn't even begun; was he really going to ruin it with his own hands? That would be incredibly stupid. Therefore, Li Xiu decided it was best to just obey orders for now and worry about the rest later.

After seeing Li Xiu nod, Li Wei said nothing more, turned around, and continued walking towards his room with the waiter standing in front of him. A short while later, Li Wei and the waiter arrived at the room door. The waiter turned around, stepped aside, and looked at Li Wei, saying…

"Sir, this is your room. Please go in and rest. After I take the young master to his room, I will go and call Brother Wang for you. Please wait a moment, I will hurry."

"Okay, you can go ahead." Li Wei glanced at the waiter, smiled and nodded, then pushed open the door and went inside. The waiter waited until Li Wei closed the door before turning to go find Li Xiu, who was still waiting in the same spot.

"Young master, please come this way." After a short while, the waiter came to Li Xiu's side, pointed in a direction, and gestured for him to follow. Li Xiu nodded and followed.

"Is there anything special about the rooms here? Why are they divided into 'heaven' and 'earth' rooms?" The two had been silent the whole way, but Li Xiu finally couldn't hold back any longer. After all, it was his first time visiting an inn like this, and he hadn't expected such a division. So Li Xiu wanted to learn more about it, hoping to broaden his horizons.

"Young master, is this your first time visiting our inn?" Upon hearing Li Xiu's question, the waiter walking ahead did not turn around to look at Li Xiu, nor did he stop walking. He simply asked in a calm voice.

“Yes, that’s right. This is my first time at this inn. As you know, I’ve always stayed at home and haven’t been out much. This time, my dad brought me here, so this is my first time at this inn.” Li Xiu nodded with a smile, trying to make his identity seem more authentic.

“Young master, you are not a member of the Wen family. You are not Brother Wenxiang’s son either. Of course, I don’t mean anything by saying this. I just want to say that if you don’t belong to this circle, I hope you won’t know too much. After all, everyone has to consider their own interests in life.” The waiter’s voice was still calm, as if he already knew everything, but he did not show it.

Although the waiter's words were very calm, and what he said was true, it was still enough to shock Li Xiu. Every step, every detail, had been flawless. So why did the waiter reveal the whole truth without knowing anything?

"I didn't know what you were talking about. My name is Li Xiu, and my father's name is Li Wei. You just escorted my father to his room. How could I be the son of that Wenxiang?" Li Xiu was unsure whether the waiter in front of him truly knew the whole truth or was just bluffing. So Li Xiu decided to play dumb and act as if he didn't understand.

Upon hearing Li Xiu's words, the waiter walking ahead stopped abruptly. His eyes were fixed on Li Xiu, a smile still playing on his lips. He watched quietly for only a short while, but for some reason, Li Xiu felt as if half a century had passed.

“Young master, some things can indeed be hidden very well, but you must also know that some things are impossible to hide no matter what you do. I must say, the three of you are quite good at disguising yourselves, but there are some things, as I just said, that you simply cannot fake.” With that, the waiter stopped looking at Li Xiu and turned back to continue walking forward.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about these things, and I won't report you to anyone. For example, Li Wei's name is Wenxiang, Li Long's name is Wenchong, and your name is Li Xiuchen." With just a few simple words, Li Xiuchen was speechless. He was indeed quite shocked by what the waiter said.

Actually, simply recognizing one's true identity along with Wenxiang and Wenchong isn't a big deal. After all, the three of them didn't expect to be completely inscrutable just by relying on this human skin mask. Secondly, even if the waiter revealed Wenxiang and Wenchong's identities, it wouldn't be a big deal, since both of them had been famous for many years and had their own influence in the martial arts world.

What shocked Li Xiuchen the most was knowing who he was and what his name was. This seemingly unremarkable waiter could recite it as if he were looking at a file, which was truly unbelievable. After all, he had only just left those mountains. His most famous experience was probably just beating up a few rich young masters and causing a city-wide search.

Aside from that, Li Xiuchen really couldn't figure out what qualifications he had that would make others recognize him. It was just a bit... how should I put it, a bit too amazing.

Li Xiuchen was momentarily at a loss for words. He didn't know whether to continue refuting or remain silent. But if he really remained silent, wouldn't that mean he had already admitted his own identity and that of Wenxiang and Wenchong? Would that really be alright?

Although the waiter in front of them said he wouldn't reveal this, if even a mere waiter could see through it, then what about the others? They could expose their identities anytime, anywhere. What difference would that make if they weren't wearing this mask at all?

"Young master, we've arrived at your room. Please rest well. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. I'll take my leave now." Just as Li Xiuchen was lost in thought, the waiter led him to his room and respectfully gave him some instructions.

Li Xiuchen nodded somewhat mechanically in response, and the waiter turned to leave. Li Xiuchen knew it was too late to say anything now, so he took two steps forward, about to push open the door and go inside to rest, or rather, to think about what to do next. Suddenly, the waiter spoke.

"Young Master, there's a letter on the table in the room. Someone asked me to give it to you. However, the person who left this letter gave some instructions. It can only be opened after you've been to Tianwu Academy. Young Master, please rest well. Your disguise is fine."

After speaking, the waiter simply turned and disappeared. Li Xiuchen stared blankly at the spot where the waiter had vanished, as if he had gathered far too much information in just a few minutes. Without time to dwell on it, Li Xiuchen quickly went inside and closed the door. After listening intently at the door for a while and finding nothing amiss, Li Xiuchen hurried into the room where the table was located.

Sure enough, the letter the waiter mentioned was lying quietly on the table. Li Xiuchen gently picked it up and carefully examined it from all angles. Who had given him this letter? He didn't seem to know anyone in this world, in this martial arts world. And how did that person know he would definitely come to Tonglai Inn, and how could they be so certain that he would really go to Tianwu Academy?

There were too many unsolved mysteries, too many things that were difficult to understand. Everything seemed preordained, as if his next move, his next step, was laid bare on someone else's table. This feeling made Li Xiuchen truly uncomfortable and distressed. But Li Xiuchen also understood that he couldn't effectively resist these things. After all, he didn't even know who the other party was.

After thinking quietly for a while, Li Xiuchen decided to put these things aside for now. After all, it was a futile endeavor. It was more important for him to focus on improving his strength. Weiwei was waiting for him at Tianwu Academy. He couldn't just go looking for her when he was completely useless.

Thinking this, Li Xiuchen carefully placed the letter in his inner pocket, showing no interest in opening it beforehand. He reasoned that if the person said to open it after visiting Tianwu Academy, there must be a reason.

Chapter 1237 Untitled

There were too many unsolved mysteries, too many things that were difficult to understand. Everything seemed preordained, as if his next move, his next step, was laid bare on someone else's table. This feeling made Li Xiuchen truly uncomfortable and distressed. But Li Xiuchen also understood that he couldn't effectively resist these things. After all, he didn't even know who the other party was.

After thinking quietly for a while, Li Xiuchen decided to put these things aside for now. After all, it was a futile endeavor. It was more important for him to focus on improving his strength. Weiwei was waiting for him at Tianwu Academy. He couldn't just go looking for her when he was completely useless.

Thinking this, Li Xiuchen carefully placed the letter in his inner pocket, showing no interest in opening it beforehand. He reasoned that if the person said to open it after visiting Tianwu Academy, there must be a reason.

Li Xiuchen stopped thinking about it. He knew that without help from others, he couldn't possibly understand the situation. It was as if Li Xiuchen had accidentally stumbled into a gambling game full of experienced players, even though it seemed like someone was constantly guiding him forward, step by step.

However, a rather practical problem is that no one has told him what this game actually is. No one has clearly explained to him how to play it, nor who else is in the game. So, although Li Xiuchen has been playing for over a year and a half, he has to admit that he is still a complete novice.

After putting away the letter that someone had given him, Li Xiuchen went straight to the bedside, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to meditate and recuperate.

"Holy Buddha, are you there? Have you been out for a while?" After sitting quietly for a while, Li Xiuchen closed his eyes and began to call out to the Holy Buddha. He felt that he should occasionally learn about this world from the Holy Buddha. For example, what are the larger, more important, and powerful families and gangs in this world? This would be beneficial and harmless for his future travels in the martial world.

After all, understanding these things will allow me to clearly assess whether to run or fight in a desperate situation. Well... not exactly run, more like a strategic retreat. But regardless, these are things I'll eventually have to understand, so I might as well start learning now. This will give me more options and make things easier for me later.

"What's wrong? Is there something you need? First of all, let me tell you, don't ask me questions like who sent you that letter. It's pointless to ask, because I don't know either." The Buddha's voice was a little lazy, as if he had been lying comfortably resting.

Moreover, it seemed that Li Xiuchen's summons had caused something to continue, as the Holy Buddha's loud reply to Li Xiuchen sounded somewhat indifferent. There was also a hint of inexplicable irritation in his voice.

"Ah, you're overthinking it. I won't ask you that question. Since that waiter said that person wants me to go to Tianwu Academy before opening it, then let's just wait. Anyway, it'll only be a couple of days. I'm not the kind of person who's impatient. I'll get to know him right away." Li Xiuchen ignored the emotions in the Holy Buddha's words and quickly expressed his position.

"Then why did you call me? Are you bored and have nothing better to do, or are you just incredibly lonely lately? It's only been a few days, less than two, and you're already looking for me again. So you really do treat me like your servant, the kind you can summon and dismiss at will? Let me tell you, I have dignity too, you know. Uh...object...uh...I mean, person." Upon hearing Li Xiuchen's words, Saint Buddha was instantly enraged. So you're just messing with me for no reason?

"Hey, hey, didn't you just say I was bored out of my mind? Right, right?" Li Xiuchen didn't respond to the Holy Buddha's words. Instead, he seemed overly excited, as if he had discovered a new continent. It was as if he wanted to know a huge, unspeakable secret.

"Yes, I did say you were bored out of your mind. What's wrong? Is there a problem? What's the matter? Do you have a problem with what I said?" The Holy Buddha's expression seemed a bit arrogant.

"No, no, I'm just curious how you know this word, um... this internet slang, it's just something I'm bored out of my mind. I think this only exists in my previous world, right? Aren't you from this continent? How do you know this? Wow, that's really amazing." Anyone could see that Li Xiuchen's eyes were shining; he felt a real sense of familiarity with what the Holy Buddha had just said.