Gou in the world of comprehension

Chapter 1620 This matter is too abnormal

At noon, the blazing sun hung in the sky like molten gold, its intense light almost scorching through the clouds, enveloping the entire Demon Sun Immortal City in a sweltering halo.

A gentle breeze blows, carrying the astringent scent of mountain plants, slowly brushing against the ancient trees lining both sides of the street.

The branches and leaves swayed gently in the breeze, filtering out dappled sunlight that flickered and swayed on the bluestone path, accompanied by the rustling of the leaves, becoming the only cool comfort in this sweltering midday heat.

This was the busiest time in the Demon Sun Immortal City, with the sounds of hawking, bargaining, and cultivators chatting and laughing all mixed together, carried far away by the wind.

Su Fan stood in the crowd, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead, but his gaze remained fixed on the few small, hopping figures in front of him.

He had been wandering the streets for over an hour, not out of leisure, but because he was being pestered by several grandsons and granddaughters of the emperor.

Su Fan chuckled to himself. These kids had grown up in the Su family's old house since they were little, and it was a rare opportunity for them to enter the Immortal City. Their eyes were full of curiosity.

Ever since they entered the city, they've been constantly looking around and running around, just like someone who's entered the Grand View Garden, not settling down for a second.

At this moment, his youngest granddaughter was riding on his neck, her soft little body pressed against his back, her warm breath tickling his neck.

He was holding a slightly larger child in his left arm, with the little arms tightly wrapped around his neck, and his bright black eyes were staring intently at the sugar figurine stall on the street.

Several of the older children had already broken free from his restraints and were running and weaving through the crowd, occasionally turning back to shout at him.

"Grandpa... I want to buy this sugar figurine, it's shiny and pretty..." The little girl on his neck tugged at his hair, her voice soft and sweet, with a childish, coquettish tone.

"I want to eat that, Grandpa, buy it for me..." The little guy in my arms was not to be outdone, pointing his little finger at the fruit stand not far away, kicking his legs anxiously.

"I want it too... Ancestor, I want that..." The grandson running ahead shouted back, his face full of urgency.

Su Fan was driven crazy by these unruly kids, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

He shook his head helplessly and could only take out a few lustrous spirit stones and stuff them into each child's hand.

"Go ahead, go buy it yourself..."

Watching the children cheer and scatter, Su Fan rubbed his sore neck, his tired eyes hiding an overwhelming doting affection.

Although he was exhausted by these little guys and didn't even have time to catch his breath, he was still enjoying it.

In previous years, he had shown far too little concern for his many blood relatives and descendants, and he felt quite guilty about it.

He couldn't remember which branch of the family the children belonged to, or what their names were, let alone how to accompany and take care of them.

Over the past few decades, he has changed his previous aloofness and now sets aside an hour each day to specifically meet with his grandchildren from each branch of the family.

He personally tested their cultivation progress and patiently answered their questions about the bottlenecks and difficulties they encountered in their cultivation.

As for the grandsons and granddaughters who had not yet begun their cultivation, he would take a few out every now and then to stroll around the Demon Sun Immortal City and let them see the outside world.

Decades of dedicated efforts to make amends have finally paid off.

Now he can accurately call out the names of every descendant, knows their preferences, and understands their thoughts.

During festivals and holidays, he would always gather all the descendants of each branch of the family at the old house, prepare a sumptuous memorial feast, and never hesitate to bestow gifts.

Just so I can give them more care and make up for what I owed them in the past.

A great calamity was imminent, and the shadow of chaos had already quietly loomed over his heart.

Taking advantage of the last moments of peace before the chaos of war, he tried to spend as much time as possible with these younger generations, offering them some protection, even if it was just for a moment of joy.

Su Fan led the children for about half an hour along the street before finally leading them to a magnificent restaurant.

The restaurant has a vermilion gate and a golden plaque with the three large characters "Juxianlou" written on it. It is surrounded by spiritual energy and you can tell at a glance that it is not a property that ordinary people can afford.

Qin Yu, who had been waiting at the entrance of the restaurant, quickly stepped forward.

“Senior…you’ve finally arrived! I’ve prepared a private room and arranged the spiritual food…”

Over the years, Qin Yu has been doing very well in the Demon Sun Immortal City, acquiring many properties, including the Gathering Immortal Pavilion.

On ordinary days, "Juxianlou" was not only where he entertained guests, but also his base for handling the affairs of Ruyige.

The Qin Empire of today is vastly different from what it once was.

As the person in charge of Ruyi Pavilion in this star field, he already holds a high position and wields real power within the organization.

What's even more remarkable is that, through his connection with Su Fan, he established a close cooperative relationship with the higher-ups of the Nine Profound Tower in the Yuanmang Constellation, making his power increasingly stable.

Qin Yu instructed his servants to take the children to a side hall for a meal and play, and carefully told them to take good care of them.

He then led Su Fan through the ornately decorated corridor to a quiet and elegant private room.

The private room was elegantly furnished and well-ventilated. A table of exquisite spiritual food had already been laid out on the table, each dish rich in spiritual energy and generous in portion.

Knowing that Su Fan had an enormous appetite, he specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare extra food.

Su Fan didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his chopsticks to eat. Qin Yu sat quietly beside him, occasionally adding a cup of spiritual tea to Su Fan's bowl.

Only after Su Fan put down his chopsticks did Qin Yu offer him a cup of warm spiritual tea, saying softly:

"Senior, have some tea..."

Su Fan took the teacup and sipped it, finding the tea refreshing and calming his chaotic thoughts.

The two sipped their spiritual tea and chatted about the recent events in Zhengyuan Heaven.

As the conversation went on, the topic of the Daoist Association inevitably came up.

Over the years, the Great World has frequently organized Daoist gatherings, each one larger than the last. Su Fan had long harbored doubts, but he hadn't had a chance to inquire with Qin Yu about it.

At that moment, he spoke, his tone carrying a subtle hint of seriousness.

"The Great World has organized several Daoist gatherings of unprecedented scale over the years, and I've always felt something's off. Do you have any information on that...?"

Upon hearing Su Fan's words, Qin Yu's smile gradually faded, and he nodded slightly, his tone becoming more serious.

"Senior, to be honest, I don't know the specific details of the Dao Association either, but I once heard a senior from the Nine Profound Tower mention it by chance."

In recent years, Dao gatherings have not only been held in various realms of our Yuanmang constellation, but also in the Qurong constellation, and on a considerable scale..."

"Qurong Constellation..."

Upon hearing this, Su Fan's brows furrowed instantly, his eyes grew even more serious, and the uneasy premonition in his heart intensified.

Something's not right, something's really not right.

Although the Yuanmang and Qurong constellations are not exactly enemies, they have never interacted. Now that the two constellations are holding large-scale Daoist gatherings at the same time, he simply does not believe there is nothing fishy going on.

There must be a secret hidden behind this, and it may even be related to the great calamity he has always been worried about.

"Qin Yu, could you help me investigate the Dao Association's affairs recently?"

Qin Yu was stunned, his face full of astonishment and confusion, and he didn't react for a moment.

"Senior...you mean..."

Although he also felt that the frequent holding of the Dao Assembly was somewhat abnormal, he never thought that the matter would be so serious that Su Fan would take it so seriously and even ask him to investigate it.

Su Fan slowly shook his head, all smiles vanishing from his face, leaving him expressionless, his tone cold and heavy. "I have a feeling that the Yuanmang Constellation is about to be in big trouble..."

"Wh...what..." Qin Yu was stunned when he heard this, and the astonishment on his face was instantly replaced by panic.

Although he vaguely felt that something was wrong, he never thought about it in that direction.

The chaos in the Yuanmang constellation is no small matter; all cultivators may be drawn into this catastrophe.

Seeing Qin Yu's panicked expression, Su Fan smiled bitterly to himself, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

It seems that Ruyi Pavilion is ultimately an organization that can't be brought to the forefront.

Even though Qin Yu now holds a high position of power, he still hasn't received any news.

Even at this point, the higher-ups at Ruyi Pavilion still haven't realized the impending crisis of chaos.

On the other hand, the three major demonic sects of Zhengyuan Heaven, as well as the big shots of those top immortal sects, should have already guessed some clues.

They just kept their preparations in secret without making a fuss.

Of course, the higher-ups at Ruyi Pavilion may have sensed something was amiss, but due to various concerns, they did not spread the news within the organization.

After all, all of this is still just speculation, and nothing is certain yet. If the news is spread rashly, it will only cause panic among the subordinates.

"I'm just guessing, but this whole thing seems too unusual, so we have to be careful..."

At this point, he glanced at Qin Yu.

He then took out a lustrous spirit crystal from his storage ring and casually tossed it to Qin Yu.

"Take this spirit crystal to the Nine Profound Tower and offer them a reward for information related to the Dao Association..."

Unlike the Ruyi Pavilion, the Nine Profound Tower is likely to have intricate connections with the Daoist sects of the Upper Realm.

Perhaps the Nine Profound Tower itself is the property of a powerful figure from the Upper Realm, and the higher-ups of this organization should know something about the Upper Realm.

Qin Yu reached out and caught the spirit crystal. He carefully put it away, and his respectful expression returned.

"Don't worry, senior. I'll contact the higher-ups at Nine Profound Tower here right away and do my best to investigate. I will not let you down..."

Su Fan didn't say anything more. He picked up his teacup, looked out the window at the bustling street, and fell into deep thought.

Actually, this information is not extremely urgent. Even if the Yuanmang constellation is really about to usher in a chaotic era, it will definitely be the upper realm that is thrown into chaos first.

After all, the root of calamity often lies in the upper realm.

But he knew very well that the upper and lower realms were closely related, and once the upper realm fell into chaos, it wouldn't be long before the flames of war spread to the lower realm.

This constellation, Yuanmang, is vast and home to many races, especially the demon race, which has a huge population and countless members.

Once war breaks out, the demons will surely launch the first attack, and with their formidable strength, they will undoubtedly gain the upper hand in the early stages.

Although Su Fan possesses extraordinary strength and unfathomable cultivation, he is ultimately alone. Even if he can fight against ten thousand men and sweep away thousands of troops, he can at most protect the Zheng Yuan Tian region.

If the war spreads to more distant places, he will be powerless to stop it.

All he could do was prepare in advance and gather as much intelligence as possible in order to protect his family.

"Senior... I've already sent the message. That high-ranking member of Nine Profound Tower is very cooperative, saying they'll have three days..."

Upon hearing this, Su Fan relaxed slightly and let out a soft sigh of relief.

Although a spirit crystal may not be much in the upper realm, it is a tempting reward in the lower realm.

With this spirit crystal, the higher-ups of the Nine Profound Tower will surely do their utmost to investigate and will not be perfunctory.

After chatting for a while, Su Fan got up, went to the side hall to pick up the little ones, said goodbye to Qin Yu, and left the Demon Sun Immortal City with the children.

By the time Su Fan brought the children back to the Su family's old house, it was already evening.

As the sun sets, the afterglow paints the eaves and corners of the old house with a warm gold hue. A gentle evening breeze carries the fragrance of wildflowers from the courtyard, creating a particularly pleasant atmosphere.

Su Fan escorted the little ones back to their respective rooms before turning and walking towards his own courtyard.

The courtyard is quiet and secluded, with several ancient pine trees growing there, their branches and leaves lush and verdant.

He walked straight into the hall, sat cross-legged on the jade couch in the center, closed his eyes, and tried to sort out the information he had received that day.

He had barely sat down when a graceful figure emerged from his personal secret realm.

Li Chongxiu smiled gently and said softly, "Master, you're back. Dinner is ready, and my senior sisters are all waiting for you..."

Su Fan nodded, stood up from the jade couch, and followed Li Chongxiu into the portable secret realm.

Within this secret realm, the vegetation is lush and the spiritual energy is abundant.

In the small courtyard in front of the thatched hut, there was a round table, around which his fellow Daoists sat chatting and laughing, creating a lively and warm atmosphere.

Upon seeing Su Fan enter, his senior sister's eyes lit up immediately. She laughed heartily and waved at him, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing.

"Master...you're finally back! I thought you weren't coming back tonight. I heard there are some really nice gardens in Demon Sun Immortal City, and the female cultivators there are all incredibly beautiful..."

As soon as the senior sister spoke, the people at the table burst into laughter, their eyes full of mockery, all waiting to see Su Fan's reaction.

Su Fan rolled his eyes helplessly, then pretended not to hear and walked straight to the table to sit down.

He knew these women's personalities all too well. Once he started talking to them, they would tease him endlessly, and he probably wouldn't be able to have a peaceful meal.

Lao Tzu is not the kind of person who lusts after beautiful women. With so many beautiful Daoist companions at home, why would I need to buy seafood outside?

Having spent so many years with his Daoist partners, Su Fan's "survival instinct" had been honed to an extremely high level, and he deeply understood the principle that silence is golden.

He picked up his chopsticks and focused intently on eating, ignoring the chatter and banter of his fellow Daoists who sat beside him, without uttering a single word.

Even without speaking, his gaze couldn't help but sweep over the people at the table from time to time.

Looking at their smiling faces and happy expressions, and listening to their clear laughter, Su Fan felt a faint sadness well up in his heart, and couldn't help but sigh softly to himself.

I wish it could stay like this forever.

There was no war, no strife, only him and the people around him, guarding this small courtyard, guarding this peace and warmth, living out their lives peacefully.

But he knew in his heart that this peace was only temporary.

Chaos is imminent, and both the Yuanmang and Qurong constellations have been drawn into this catastrophe.

Perhaps, the nearby constellations will also eventually succumb to this war.

By then, such a peaceful and happy life will probably no longer exist.

He gripped the chopsticks tightly, his eyes regaining their seriousness.

No matter what, he would do everything in his power to protect his family, and he would never let them suffer any harm, even at the cost of his own life.

(End of this chapter)