Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 141 Preparing to Go Down the Mountain
Wan Qizhang nodded: "If that monk Mingjing is indeed the Smiling Maitreya, then I'm afraid... that's true."

For a moment, everyone was silent.

Another grandmaster!
If it is said that recently, whether it was Wanqi Boyan, the old master of the Sword Casting Manor, Bai Henshui of the Hidden Sword Garden, or the martial artists who broke through to the Grandmaster realm after tasting the Immortal Fate Banquet, they all became Grandmasters more or less because of the spiritual food in Zhang Chengdao's hands, then... what about the Smiling Maitreya?

"Where is Mad Arhat? Those two are always inseparable. Is there any news about Mad Arhat?"

Xu Ying pressed for an answer.

"died."

"died?"

Wan Qizhang replied, "He died in Qinghua Prefecture, Jiannan Circuit, which is the border between Dachanghe Kingdom and Zhou Kingdom. It is said that he was murdered in a revenge killing. He was alone when he died. Some people speculate that he had a falling out with the Smiling Maitreya and they separated."

The Great Changhe Kingdom imitated the Chu Kingdom in many ways, but its imitation was somewhat flawed. It transformed the supervisory districts into administrative divisions, dividing the Great Changhe Kingdom into nine circuits and thirty-seven departments, each circuit's capital called a "prefecture." Furthermore, being a multi-ethnic state, each circuit governed several or even a dozen tribes or clans, abbreviated as "department." Jiannan Circuit was the northernmost part of the Great Changhe Kingdom, bordering the Zhou Kingdom and belonging to the northern part of the Bashu region. Further north lay Liangzhou of the Zhou Kingdom.

"The Mad Arhat is dead!?"

Chang Ping'an had already established his foundation and possessed profound cultivation. He had overheard the conversation outside the hall and happened to hear about the death of the Mad Arhat. So, before even entering the hall, he eagerly asked, "When did he die?"

Wan Qizhang hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Chang Ping'an who rushed into the hall, and replied, "Based on my calculations, it will be around the beginning of the year, no earlier than before the new year."

"Greetings, Brother Wanqi," Chang Ping'an returned the greeting before continuing to ask, "And what about the Smiling Maitreya?"

"The Smiling Maitreya is now the Grand Preceptor of the Zhou Kingdom, known as Master Mingjing, and also called Monk Mingjing in the martial arts world... However, this news may not be accurate. It was reported by someone. Whether Monk Mingjing is indeed the Smiling Maitreya or not, we need to find someone who has seen the Smiling Maitreya in person to find out."

Wan Qizhang didn't make any definitive statements, and then repeated the information he had just shared with Zhang Chengdao, Xu Ying, and others to Chang Ping'an.

Upon hearing this, Chang Ping'an immediately bowed deeply to Zhang Chengdao: "Master! Please grant me permission to go to Jiannan Road!"

"You can go."

Zhang Chengdao remained silent, actually pondering the issue of his eldest disciple seeking revenge.

Revenge is definitely necessary; it's impossible to prevent someone from avenging their father's death.

The key question is whether his eldest disciple's Foundation Establishment cultivation level is considered to be at the minor completion stage of the Ten Mile Slope Sword God.

Theoretically, he could easily defeat Mu Feng, who was also a Grandmaster, so he should have no problem defeating Mingjing Monk, who broke through to the Grandmaster realm less than three years ago.
Thinking of this, Zhang Chengdao still asked, "How is your sword control technique progressing?"

If one is skilled in sword control, then even if there is danger, at least escaping will not be a problem—he doesn't believe that martial artists in this martial arts cultivation world can fly and escape like cultivators!
However, Chang Ping'an interpreted this as dissatisfaction with his cultivation level.

Chang Ping'an was immediately filled with shame and replied in a dejected tone, "This disciple is ashamed to say that my sword control skills are only mediocre."

Zhang Chengdao was rummaging through his backpack for props, thinking about what he could do to help his apprentice. So he didn’t notice Chang Ping’an’s expression. When he heard his apprentice say that his training was mediocre, he became a little worried—what if they encountered danger and he couldn’t escape?
This fatherly mentality caused Zhang Chengdao to completely overlook the fact that Chang Ping'an had already established his foundation and was a proper cultivator, theoretically able to do whatever he wanted in this martial arts cultivation world.

He pressed on, asking, "What magical arts and supernatural powers have you been learning lately?"

It would be nice to learn a few escape techniques!

At least we can run away!
Chang Ping'an lowered his head even further: "This disciple has only learned the Frost Sword Intent and Earth Escape Technique. I have only looked at some talismans and still don't understand them. I haven't even entered the door yet..." Upon hearing the words "Earth Escape Technique," Zhang Chengdao breathed a sigh of relief.

This thing is extremely useful for escaping!

So Zhang Chengdao reluctantly said, "It's alright..."

Unfortunately, there's nothing useful left in my backpack. If all else fails, I'll just make a few more steamed buns for my cheap apprentice as provisions...

Just as Zhang Chengdao was about to nod, Ye Shuyun suddenly volunteered, "Master, why don't I go with my eldest brother? The Ye family has a batch of Hangzhou silk being sent to the Western Zhou Kingdom. Judging by the time, it should be entering the Western Zhou Kingdom soon. We can still catch up if we go now. Moreover, by traveling with the caravan, we can also find out some information."

"This……"

Zhang Chengdao frowned.

Ye Shuyun is indeed prudent in his actions. With him by his side, Chang Ping'an probably won't be completely fooled, but...

If Ye Shuyun runs away, wouldn't I lose one more high-level employee?

Ye Shuyun is just as useful as Xu Ying!

Ye Shuyun thought that her master was worried about her cultivation level, so she quickly reassured her, "Please rest assured, Master. Although my cultivation level is not as good as my senior brother's, I am confident that I can hold my own against ordinary grandmasters. Traveling with my senior brother will be good for mutual support on the road."

Having said all that, Zhang Chengdao had no choice but to nod, adding with concern, "Then you two should pack your things and set off immediately, without delays on the road."

Come back soon and continue to be his workhorse!
As he spoke, Zhang Chengdao kneaded several meat buns and stuffed them into a blue-quality, mid-grade Qiankun bag—a bag with a much larger capacity than the Qiankun bags he had given to his disciples before.

Then, some more "immortal peaches" were stuffed into his food—a balanced diet of meat and vegetables is necessary to grow taller, otherwise what would happen if the dignified senior brother remained only 1.7 meters tall!

Completely ignoring that peaches are fruits, not vegetables, Zhang Chengdao stuffed his Qiankun Bag almost full of worthless food and drink "junk" before taking it out and handing it to Chang Ping'an and the other person.

“The food outside is coarse, so I packed extra for the two of you,” Zhang Chengdao instructed. “Also, the path to immortality is arduous. Even when you are away, you must continue to cultivate diligently. Remember that.”

Chang Ping'an looked grateful, took the Qiankun Bag, and replied, "Disciple understands!"

Ye Shuyun also bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Master."

"Yes, go and come back quickly!"

As Zhang Chengdao spoke, he waved to the two of them.

After Chang Ping'an and Ye Shuyun left the reception hall, he turned to Xu Ying and instructed, "Ruyan will take over the cultivation classes for the next few days. Besides Ping'an, she has the highest cultivation level in the sect."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ying's expression turned somewhat strange, but he still clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I will obey the sect leader's orders."

……

(End of this chapter)