Chapter 242: The Origins of the Hua Xu Empire

Chapter 242: Chapter 242: The Origins of the Hua Xu Empire

"So that’s how it is. I thought a worldly monk like you was just after my wine!"

Chu Fan said with a smile.

Hui Ke waved his hand and said, "Benefactor, those jars of wine are meant to be enjoyed by the fortunate. This humble monk has already received a bowl, which is a great blessing. How could I dare ask for more?"

As he spoke, Hui Ke’s gaze fell upon the White Fox. He asked, "Could this White Fox be the Spirit Fox I’ve heard about on my travels, the one that can cure the Imperial Grandson?"

Chu Fan asked, somewhat surprised, "You’ve heard about this too?"

Hui Ke nodded.

"That’s the long and short of it, but this little guy and I have a deep connection. You could say he’s family. So, Little Monk, don’t you get any ideas about him."

"Benefactor Chu, you misunderstand. This humble monk is a man of the cloth, removed from worldly affairs. I have already made a great vow to serve the Buddha; the powers of the mortal world naturally have nothing to do with me."

"So your Buddha needs serving too, huh?" Chu Fan said, not without a hint of mockery.

Hui Ke laughed as well and said, "Benefactor Chu, you are mistaken. When I speak of serving, I mean spreading the Buddhist Technique for the Buddha and saving all of mankind."

Chu Fan felt that this Little Monk changed quite a bit every time they met, but one thing never changed: he was long-winded. He couldn’t say more than a few sentences without bringing up the Buddhist Technique, Zen Mechanisms, or saving all living beings.

"Benefactor Chu, this Spirit Fox is no ordinary creature. You must treat it well."

Huh?

Chu Fan was very surprised to hear this. This monk was far more proficient in the Dao of Cause and Effect than he was. He couldn’t discern the little fox’s Cause and Effect. ’Could it be that this Little Monk has seen through it?’

"How is he not ordinary? What did you see?" Chu Fan asked.

Hui Ke shook his head and said, "It is precisely because I cannot see through it that I say it is no ordinary creature. All living things in this world come from the six paths of reincarnation. Although my Magical Power is meager, these eyes of mine still possess some clarity. I can distinguish between the ten evils and five rebellious sins, and the five precepts and ten virtues. This little fox does not belong to either category. I cannot even glimpse a fraction of its origin. However, I can see that this fox and Benefactor Chu share a cultivated destiny."

"What is a shared cultivated destiny?"

"Your life is its life, and your fortune is its fortune. The reverse is also true. This is a shared cultivated destiny."

Upon hearing this, Chu Fan was utterly shocked, his expression changing completely.

"By the way, why do I not see your wife?" Hui Ke asked.

"Yun Xi has her own opportunities to pursue. A cure has been found for her illness, but we must be apart for some time," Chu Fan said.

"That is wonderful. May I ask where Benefactor Chu intends to go now?"

"I plan to go to the Celestial Dao Palace to see a friend." Chu Fan did not hide his intentions.

"I hear the Hua Xu Secret Realm, which opens once every thirty-six years, is about to open again. Does Benefactor Chu not intend to enter the Secret Realm to seek opportunities?"

"You even know about that? But to enter the Secret Realm, one must swear a Celestial Dao Oath to serve the Hua Xu Long Clan for life. No matter how great the opportunity, I won’t go," Chu Fan said.

Hui Ke smiled and said, "Benefactor, you will go."

"You Little Monk, you’re starting with your mystical nonsense again. I already said I’m not going. How can you be so sure I will?"

Hui Ke just smiled and said nothing.

"Then tell me, what exactly is this Hua Xu Secret Realm? What kind of opportunities are inside?"

"The Long Clan was able to establish their nation because of the Hua Xu Secret Realm. The Secret Realm opens once every thirty-six years, allowing Hua Xu to cultivate countless civil and military talents. This is how they maintain control over the entire Central Domain and intimidate the Cultivation Sects there. All who enter the Secret Realm can obtain great opportunities. After they emerge, they invariably become generals commanding armies or high-ranking ministers in the Court."

"The imperial power of the Hua Xu Empire has been passed down for over ten thousand years; the Hua Xu Secret Realm is its true foundation. If you ask me what opportunities are within the Secret Realm, they vary from person to person. I do not know the specifics."

"So, you plan to go too?" Chu Fan asked curiously.

Hui Ke nodded. "One of my True Body Relics from a past life is in there. If I don’t go this time, I’ll have to wait another thirty-six years."

"I heard that the only people who can get in are descendants of the Hua Xu Empire’s meritorious officials, or those who get one of the three spots from the Crown Prince. How will you get in?"

"I have my own ways. Benefactor Chu need not ask." Hui Ke gave a mysterious smile.

The various lists in the Heroic Journey only record the names of people in the Cultivation Realm, but for the Hua Xu Empire to rule the entire Eastern Domain, it must have its own Cultivators.

Take that middle-aged general who led the army to capture Chu Fan, for example. He was a Divine Separation Realm Cultivator.

Therefore, it was safe to assume there were many people with formidable Cultivation in the Hua Xu Empire’s army.

Besides, every Emperor of the Hua Xu Empire lives for several hundred years. Where would they get such long lifespans without Cultivation?

Then there was the Crown Prince, Long Jingyao. Chu Fan had met him once. He was over ninety years old but looked like he was only in his forties or fifties, and Chu Fan couldn’t see through his Cultivation at all.

So, this Hua Xu Secret Realm must be full of incredible things.

But the need to swear the Celestial Dao Oath was something Chu Fan could not accept.

Hearing Hui Ke’s description, Chu Fan felt a new itch of curiosity. ’Forget it,’ he thought. ’I’ll wait until the sixth day of the sixth month to decide. I already promised Crown Prince Long Jingyao I’d make a trip to the Capital City then anyway.’

Just then, the door was pushed open once more.

Chu Fan and Hui Ke immediately stopped talking. When they saw it was Leng Yingxue, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

For someone to arrive at the door without a sound, undetected by their combined Spiritual Power, that person’s Cultivation would have to be at least one Great Realm higher than their own.

Leng Yingxue, too, was surprised for a moment when she saw Hui Ke.

"Donor Leng, we meet again," Hui Ke said with a smile, greeting Leng Yingxue.

"You two know each other?" Chu Fan looked between them in surprise.

"He just went to see that old acquaintance of mine as well," Leng Yingxue explained calmly.

Seeing that Leng Yingxue had returned, Hui Ke decided it was time to take his leave.

"Benefactor Chu, we will meet again in the Hua Xu Secret Realm!"

"Leaving already?" Chu Fan asked in surprise.

Hui Ke smiled and said, "It is my lot in life to wander. The Buddhist Technique is measured with one’s feet, not conjured from imagination while sitting in one place."

Chu Fan nodded. ’Besides, I have no desire to be lectured by a monk who’s ten years my junior.’

He saw him out the door.

Returning to the room, he asked Leng Yingxue, "Is that old acquaintance of yours doing all right?"

"Fine," Leng Yingxue replied indifferently, her gaze then falling on Chu Fan’s left shoulder.

Although Chu Fan had already used the medicine Wei Mian had sent, a wound caused by a Profound-Breaking Arrow was not so easily healed.

He had changed his clothes, but he hadn’t bothered to hide the discomfort from the throbbing pain in his wound, and it naturally did not escape the notice of a Saint Realm expert like Leng Yingxue.

"You’re injured?" Leng Yingxue asked.

Though her voice was cold, her words contained both concern and anger.

"It’s nothing. Just took an arrow. I’ve already treated the wound; it’ll heal in a couple of days. For Cultivators like us, isn’t getting injured as common as eating a meal?"

"An arrow? Who did it?" Leng Yingxue asked.

Chu Fan waved his hand. "It’s already been resolved. Just a misunderstanding."

"Was it a Profound-Breaking Arrow?" Leng Yingxue asked again.

"Yes. Speaking of the Profound-Breaking Arrow, I actually have something to ask you..."

Leng Yingxue cut Chu Fan off, her voice cold. "It was a Profound-Breaking Arrow? Who exactly did this? You are the one I am meant to kill. No one else may harm a single hair on your head."

Chu Fan stared at her in surprise. Even though those were her words, and even as clueless as he was about matters of the heart, he could tell she was concerned for him—and angry that he had been hurt.