How did I, a fake bodyguard, become a terrestrial immortal?

About half an hour later, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the alley.

The newcomer was not wearing the black armor of the Zhenwu Division. He was around fifty years old and wore a faded gray robe. His hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin.

He was like an old charlatan who went from street to street, specializing in telling people about their marriage prospects.

Lu Yang felt a slight disappointment.

When a master makes an appearance, even if he doesn't have an otherworldly air about him, he should at least be accompanied by a few cranes, right?

If you want to ride a horse, then ride a horse.

Why are you riding a small pony?

Both legs were almost dragging on the ground.

The middle-aged man dismounted with surprising agility.

Captain Qin stepped forward and said, "Mr. Shen."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and said, "Commander Qin."

He was Shen Guanqi, the Fate Master invited by the Zhenwu Division to oversee the Fate Array in Hanlin City.

The Fate Master is not a warrior; he is more like a half-sorcerer.

This lineage is not skilled in killing, but it can deduce situations, predict good and bad fortune, and even judge a person's fate and life or death from the residual energy in their body.

Shen Guanqi didn't exchange many pleasantries; his gaze fell directly on the black box inside the carriage.

"Is this the life-locking box left behind by the Life-Transforming Gu?"

"good."

Captain Qin briefly recounted what had just happened.

Upon hearing that Lu Yang had once touched the black box, Shen Guanqi paused slightly.

"Who touched it?"

Lu Yang raised his hand: "Me."

Shen Guanqi looked up at him.

With just that one glance, a subtle change appeared in the expression on his face.

However, he did not ask immediately, but walked to the carriage and placed the white paper lantern in his hand on the ground.

"Everyone, stand back."

The group stepped back a few paces.

Shen Guanqi took out seven copper coins from his sleeve and arranged them around the black box.

Then, he bit his fingertip and smeared a drop of blood onto the center of the bronze horoscope.

hum-

The birth chart vibrated slightly.

The pointer, which was originally pointing south, began to rotate slowly.

At the same time, the unlit white paper lamp lit up on its own.

The light fell on the black box, and dark red lines appeared on its surface.

Boom!

The dull thumping of a heartbeat resumed.

Bai Yixin hugged Bai Miyao tightly, but Bai Miyao was not as afraid as before.

She leaned on her mother's shoulder, staring wide-eyed at the black box.

"Uncle Fang is still talking..."

Shen Guanqi's eyes flickered slightly: "What did he say?"

Bai Miyao tilted her head and listened attentively for a while.

"It's so dark."

He said it was very dark there and there were a lot of bugs.

Bai Yixin's face paled: "Is Mr. Fang in danger?"

Shen Guanqi did not answer. He made hand seals, and the pointer on the destiny chart spun faster and faster.

A wisp of black energy, thin as a spider's web, slowly drifted out from the crack in the Life-Locking Box.

The wisp of black smoke twisted and turned in the white lamplight, eventually transforming into an extremely thin line that drifted straight towards the south of the alley.

Snapped!

One of the seven coins suddenly cracked open.

Shen Guanqi immediately reached out and pressed down on the constantly trembling horoscope.

A moment later, the black mist retreated back into the box.

The white paper lantern also went out.

"How is it?"

Captain Qin asked.

Shen Guanqi picked up the broken copper coin and slowly stood up: "This eldest disciple of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers is still alive."

Bai Yixin immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"But his condition is very bad," Shen Guanqi continued. "His life force is weak, and his blood and qi are sealed. He should be trapped in some kind of Gu formation."

"The Life-Locking Box contains a wisp of his life essence. The Life-Transforming Gu can only continuously steal his memories through this wisp of life essence."

Lu Yang pointed to the black box: "So, Fang Xuan himself isn't inside?"

"Of course not." Shen Guanqi gave him a strange look: "Could such a small box hold a living person?"

Lu Yang thought for a moment, and realized that even insects could turn into humans in this world.

It wasn't entirely unacceptable to put Fang Xuan into the box.

Shen Guanqi seemed to have read his thoughts, and his lips twitched slightly as he explained, "The Life-Locking Box is merely a medium connecting Fang Xuan and the Life-Transforming Gu."

"The real Fang Xuan is no longer in Hanlin City."

Captain Qin frowned: "Can you determine the direction?"

"south."

Shen Guanqi raised his hand and pointed to the end of the alley.

"At the latest, he was taken away from Hanlin City last night."

"The other party must have used methods to conceal their presence. I can only determine the general direction, which is around the ferry crossing."

Upon hearing the place name, Lu Yang and Bai Yixin both fell silent.

Dukou Pass is the only way to get to Wanhua Valley.

After going around in circles, it seems they still intend to continue heading south.

This time, however, they not only have to escort Bai Miyao to the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, but also search for the real Fang Xuan along the way.

Lu Yang sighed.

Why is there an additional objective added along the way for this escort mission?

If things continue at this pace, by the time they reach the Valley of a Thousand Flowers, the carriages behind him might form a caravan.

Bai Yixin asked softly, "Mr. Shen, if we give chase now, will it still be in time to save Mr. Fang?"

"Perhaps it's not too late."

Shen Guanqi looked at the black box: "The fact that the Life-Locking Box is still here means that the person who cast the Gu doesn't want to kill him for the time being."

"As long as this wisp of life within the box does not dissipate, we can continue our pursuit."

"but……"

Shen Guanqi paused for a moment.

"Since the other party led Fang Xuan to the ferry pass, it means that the trap ahead has not disappeared because the Life-Transforming Gu was killed."

"If you continue south, you are essentially walking into a trap set by the enemy."

Bai Yixin looked down at Bai Miyao in her arms; Bai Miyao's face was still somewhat pale.

Although the Azure Lotus Dao Seed within his body was temporarily suppressed by the cold air, it could erupt again at any time.

They didn't have time to take a detour.

There were no other options.

"go."

Lu Yang suddenly spoke.

Everyone looked at him at the same time.

Lu Yang walked to the carriage and put the black box back under the seat.

"Yao'er's health can't be delayed, and Fang Xuan can't wait any longer."

"Whether it's the Valley of a Thousand Flowers or the Spider Cave ahead, we have to go and see."

Shen Guanqi frowned: "Where is the Spider Cave?"

"A tourist attraction in my hometown."

Lu Yang casually brushed it off.

Shen Guanqi didn't press further, but his gaze remained fixed on Lu Yang.

From the moment he saw Lu Yang, he felt that the young man in front of him was somewhat familiar.

Shen Guanqi suddenly asked, "What's your name?"

"Lu Yang".

Upon hearing this name, Shen Guanqi's hand holding the horoscope trembled slightly.

He strode up to Lu Yang and scrutinized his features, making Lu Yang feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Mr. Shen, is there something on my face?"

Give me your hand.

Lu Yang instinctively hugged his chest.

"No, it's one thing for Fang Xuan to be interested in my body, but why are you here too?"

Shen Guanqi's face darkened: "I was just reading your fortune!"

"You should have said so earlier."

Lu Yang extended his right hand.

Shen Guanqi placed two fingers on his wrist.

A cool sensation slowly seeped into Lu Yang's meridians.

The next moment, the Xuanwu Zhenyue Body within Lu Yang's body seemed to sense an external intrusion and suddenly trembled.

boom!

A heavy aura emanated from Lu Yang's body.

The bronze destiny plate in Shen Guanqi's hand trembled violently.

The pointer on the chart suddenly turned north.

Immediately afterwards, a blurry phantom of Xuanwu slowly emerged behind Lu Yang.

Tortoise shells were as thick as mountains.

The snake's head is coiled up.

Although it only appeared for a moment, it made the air in the entire alley feel heavy.

The expressions of the several Zhenwu Division officers changed slightly.

Shen Guanqi remained frozen in place.

He stared blankly at the Xuanwu phantom behind Lu Yang, an expression of disbelief appearing in his eyes.

"Xuanwu guards the mountain..."

"It really was you."

Lu Yang was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Shen Guanqi didn't answer, but instead asked, "What's your father's name?"

Lu Yang fell silent.

How could he know what the father of this body was called?

After being transported to this world, he did not inherit any memories.

Let alone the father.

He didn't even know where this body originally lived.

"I have never seen my parents since I was a child."

Lu Yang could only vaguely reply, "I don't know much about family matters."

A complex emotion flashed in Shen Guanqi's eyes.

"He really did hide you away after all."

Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat: "You know my father?"

"More than just acquaintances."

Shen Guanqi withdrew his hand and looked at Lu Yang's face, as if he were looking at someone else through him.

"Twenty-one years ago, I was hunted down by my enemies in Beiman Mountain."

"At that time, I had lost all my cultivation, my destiny plate was shattered, and I was surrounded by three pursuers."

"It was your father who saved me."

Shen Guanqi's voice gradually lowered.

"He only threw one punch."

"Of the three fourth-rank martial artists, one is dead and two are injured."

Lu Yang's eyes widened slightly.

My cheapskate father is so powerful?

One person can solve it with one punch.

With that kind of strength, they could probably do whatever they wanted in Hanlin City.

"Your father's name is Lu Chenzhou."

Shen Guanqi continued, "Back then, not many people in the martial arts world knew him, but in the escort agencies of the northern border of Dali, no one was unfamiliar with his name."

"A single Black Tortoise banner traversed the seventeen states of Dali."

"Never lost a single shipment."

Lu Yang was stunned.

bodyguard?

His own father was also a bodyguard?

He looked down at his hands.

He had only casually mentioned being a bodyguard to trigger a system task.

Unexpectedly, the identity I made up on the spot actually became real.

The reclusive family is real.

It's possible that he's the only one left in the house.

Even the so-called family-inherited martial arts techniques were able to match his father's.

Lu Yang suddenly began to question the meaning of life.

Why wasn't I this accurate when I lied before?

I should have told Bai Yixin back then that his family had tens of thousands of taels of gold and thousands of acres of fertile land.

Who knows, it might suddenly emerge from underground one day.

"Twenty-one years ago, your father came to me holding a newborn child."

Shen Guanqi looked at Lu Yang.

"That child is you."

Lu Yang was shocked.

"Someone was tracking you at the time."

"Your father was worried that the other party would find you through your bloodline and life force, so he asked me to set up a life-concealing seal for you."

Shen Guanqi raised his hand and pointed to Lu Yang's chest: "The Hidden Life Seal can conceal your bloodline aura, making your life fire no different from that of an ordinary person."

"That's why the Fate Array can't see your origins."

Lu Yang subconsciously touched his chest.

No wonder the flame flickered slightly when the Soul-Illuminating Lamp fell on him before.

He originally thought that the Xuanwu Zhenyue body was suppressing the light.

It now appears that, besides Xuanwu, he also possesses a seal that even he is unaware of.

"Your father once said something to me."

Shen Guanqi remained silent for a moment.

He said that if one day you walk out of that hiding place alone, it means that no one in the Lu family can protect you anymore.

The smile on Lu Yang's face gradually disappeared.

He suddenly remembered what he had said to Bai Yixin back then.

A reclusive family.

Everyone in my family is gone.

That was clearly just a lie he made up to cover up his identity.

Now it seems as if someone has crossed twenty-one years to turn this lie into reality for him.

"Where did he go after that?" Lu Yang asked.

"I have no idea."

Shen Guanqi shook his head.

"He entrusted you to someone he could trust, and then left alone."

The last time I saw him was at the south gate of Hanlin City.

"He said at the time that he still had to complete one last delivery."

Lu Yang asked, "Where to send it?"

Shen Guanqi raised his head, looked westward, and remained silent for a long time.

The alley suddenly fell silent.

Lu Yang was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What was the last shipment my father escorted?"

Shen Guanqi looked at him and slowly shook his head.

He didn't tell me.

"But he said that once that shipment is delivered, the fate of the Great Li will change..."