"Master, you and Senior Sister can return to Qin Zhou first. I need to go to Kunling," Li Chonglou replied seriously after a few seconds of thought.
This trip to the West Sea was purely unexpected.
He had already gotten on the highway when he learned his Master had been attacked and injured in the West Sea.
Only then did he rush to book a flight to the West Sea.
Now that the matter was settled, it was time to continue his journey to find his father.
"If that's the case, then after you're discharged from the hospital, I'll accompany you to Chang'an," Lin Zhendong said after a moment of silence, changing his mind.
Back then, Li Fu disappeared because of him.
Whether to give Li Chonglou an explanation or to give himself one, Kunling was a place he had to go.
It was just that he hadn't planned to be so rushed.
After all, it had been over twenty years, but seeing Li Chonglou's demeanor, he seemed unable to wait any longer.
"Thank you, Master. Whether I find my father or not, I will have no regrets," Li Chonglou immediately declared.
His true qi had not yet recovered, making him an ordinary person.
He had faced so much danger on his trip to the former site of the West Sea Commandery, his life hanging by a thread.
His Master's cultivation had recovered, and he would be able to return to his peak in a short time. With his Master present, going to Kunling would surely be a familiar journey.
The hope of finding his father would greatly increase.
While he said he had no regrets, which son didn't want to see their father with their own eyes?
For the next three days, Li Chonglou recuperated in bed.
Lin Zhendong, on the other hand, could already get out of bed and walk freely, astonishing everyone in the hospital.
All of this was attributed to the effects of Qingyan Paste.
Lin Ying looked at the mobile phone store, retrieving most of the data. Those photos were finally not lost.
Lin Zhendong buried himself in studying the clues in the photos.
In those three days, Su Yinchuan visited him once and expressed surprise at his condition: "Little Li, it's great to be young. You're lucky and have a long life."
He still had several band-aids on his face, covering scars from collisions in the underground river.
Similarly, falling onto the net from a great height had almost killed Lan Ying, breaking her lower leg and several ribs. Although not life-threatening, she couldn't even sit up by herself for a while.
Li Chonglou could already get out of bed and walk on his own, which showed Su Yinchuan's feelings.
Of course, his survival was thanks to Li Chonglou and Xu Lie.
Otherwise, he would have been buried underground forever.
"Thanks to President Su, how is Lan Ying?" Li Chonglou replied.
He had a good impression of Su Yinchuan. Although he was the richest man in the West Sea, he was not a person who was rich and unkind.
At the very least, his demeanor when he was kidnapped and threatened by Liu Zhibo in the tomb was extraordinary.
His heart was also upright.
For the sake of his deceased daughter, he was willing to risk his own safety.
He was actually of the same kind as his Master.
It was a pity that Liu Zhibo had only used Shi Boqiong to deceive him; there was no treasure that could bring the dead back to life.
Li Chonglou still hadn't told him the truth about this matter.
He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to accept it, or that he might become infatuated with Shi Boqiong.
He was indeed not a bad person, but human nature was unreliable.
Once he knew that Shi Boqiong could truly reverse time and space, it was uncertain if their relationship could remain the same.
Therefore, it was better not to tell him.
"She still can't get out of bed, but she's mentioned you several times. You should go see her when you have time," Su Yinchuan said, looking deeply at Li Chonglou.
He had been accompanying his goddaughter from time to time these past few days.
Thus, he had noticed Lan Ying's changes.
In all these years, he had never seen her pay so much attention to any man. As someone who had been through it, how could he not know that this was the manifestation of burgeoning love?
He hadn't expected Li Chonglou to open her closed heart.
Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, he didn't know.
However, when it came to romance, even as a godfather, he couldn't interfere; he could only let things take their course.
After Su Yinchuan left, Li Chonglou had Xu Lie help him to Lan Ying's special care ward.
Seeing her with a neck brace and a cast on her leg, lying in bed, he couldn't help but laugh, "Why are you wrapped up like a zongzi?"
"What are you laughing at? It's good that you're okay. Aren't you just relying on your good luck? Maybe you used me as a cushion," Lan Ying said, feigning anger, unable to turn her head but able to hear Li Chonglou's voice.
Inwardly, her heart was pounding.
At that moment, she had fainted and had no idea what had happened.
When she opened her eyes, she was already in the hospital.
It felt like a dream.
Li Chonglou's image had been lingering in her mind these past few days, and she hadn't expected him to actually come.
"I'm leaving," Li Chonglou said, not joking any further. He had come to say goodbye.
With matters here concluded, there was nothing in the West Sea that could make him stay.
Going to Chang'an to find his father was the immediate priority.
"You... you don't want to stay in the West Sea for even a moment longer?" Lan Ying asked, glancing sideways, trying to get a clear look at the person speaking.
However, due to her cervical spine injury, she could only see a blurry figure with her peripheral vision.
As she spoke, her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.
"I have urgent matters. When you're recovered, come to Yong'an and I'll host you," Li Chonglou said, pretending not to notice her change, and continued, "Take care."
With that, he had Xu Lie help him out of the ward.
Xu Lie, who usually said nothing superfluous, added in a low voice, "Chonglou, your personal charm is quite something. This young lady has taken a liking to you."
"Brother Xu, don't tease me," Li Chonglou said with a wry smile. "I'm a married man."
"Besides, she's not my type. Her personality is too arrogant and strong. I prefer someone gentle."
"Don't be fooled by Jiang Yuxin's cold exterior; she's actually very gentle at heart."
Xu Lie nodded, as if he understood.
He didn't have any opinions or prejudices about how many women a man had.
Since ancient times, heroes had many admirers. With Li Chonglou's abilities, ten or eight wouldn't be too many.
But since Li Chonglou had no such intentions, he wouldn't go out of his way to encourage it.
Inside the ward, a tear slid down Lan Ying's cheek: "Li Chonglou, you blockhead, can't you see my feelings?"
"When my injuries heal, I will definitely come to Yong'an and make you give me an explanation!"
After returning to his own ward,
Lin Ying had already booked flights for the four of them to Chang'an.
Lin Zhendong's discharge procedures were all completed, and they were just waiting to depart.
To make Li Chonglou more comfortable, they even bought a wheelchair, pushed by Xu Lie.
The four of them didn't have much luggage. After packing, they boarded the plane to Chang'an.
As they ascended into the sky, looking at the West Sea, which was embedded in the earth like a pearl and jade, Li Chonglou couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
This place was truly both beautiful and dangerous; he had almost lost his life here.
The West Sea was only about 800 kilometers from Chang'an, and the flight took a little over an hour, making it very close.
Before it got dark, the four of them had arrived.
They checked into the five-star Junle Hotel.
"Twenty years have passed, and Kunling is no longer the same. It has already become a government-protected area," Lin Zhendong said to Li Chonglou after they arrived at the hotel, instructing him, "Private entry is prohibited. We'll have to find another way in."
"Since your body is not fully recovered, stay here for a few days while I make arrangements."
"You've waited for so many years, there's no need to rush."
Li Chonglou had initially thought that Lu Weishen in Qin Zhou had used an excuse to threaten him, so he had ignored him.
He would find a way to resolve it when he got to Chang'an.
But now that his Master said so, it meant he had a solution.
A few days were all he could wait.
That night, lying in bed, Li Chonglou thought about things until midnight before falling asleep.
It had been half a month since he went berserk in Zhonghai. As long as another half a month passed, his cultivation would recover, and he would be much safer then.
However, it was strange that the powerful figure who had sent people to kill him and silence him, as well as Huang Dongcheng, had disappeared during this time.
He didn't know if Zhou Jiao had nipped it in the bud, or if his sudden trip to the West Sea and Chang'an had caused them to lose track of their target.
In any case, their absence was a good thing.
Although the undercover mission in Zhonghai had ended, the matter was far from over.
Regardless of whether he found his father on this trip, he had to return to serve in the Xiong Ying military, which was an agreement with Fan Da.
Before coming, he thought about it day and night.
But now, he felt a sense of apprehension as he approached home.
He even simulated in his mind what his feelings and reactions would be when he saw his father.
Would he be as innocent and pure as a child?
Or would he maintain his maturity with a tense heart?
Gradually, Li Chonglou began to feel a sense of fatigue, and he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Lin Zhendong took Lin Ying to visit old friends.
Li Chonglou, pushed in his wheelchair by Xu Lie, went down to the hotel garden to stroll and get some fresh air.
"Chang'an is a good place, the capital of thirteen dynasties. It's said that if you dig anywhere underground, you'll find countless ancient tombs and cultural relics," Li Chonglou said, breathing in the bleak and cold autumn air, a spark of eagerness in his eyes.
For someone who had dedicated his life to antiques, Chang'an was a place he couldn't bypass.
Many national treasures came from here.
It was said that building a subway could uncover hundreds of ancient tombs, including many royal tombs, unmatched anywhere else in the country.
His Master said he was a descendant of the Tang imperial family with the surname Li. Perhaps because of this, he felt a sense of familiarity upon arriving here.
Although the air was a bit dry,
Overall, the feeling was quite good.
"Beauty, still considering? I'm giving you this price because I appreciate your discerning eye for treasures," a dissatisfied, shrill voice suddenly came from nearby.
Just as Xu Lie pushed Li Chonglou around a flowerbed, they saw the person speaking.
It was a thin, middle-aged man with a face as long as a horse's and a body as slender as a monkey's.
He wore a pair of tea-colored glasses and held a round sphere that was golden all over but also appeared blackish. He sat on a chair under a pavilion.
Sitting opposite him was a beautiful woman in an OL suit with her hair tied in a ponytail.
The woman looked about thirty, around Lin Ying's age, with light makeup and delicate, spirited features.
However, she had no expression, her demeanor capable but not cold.
It was just that she seemed to dislike the middle-aged man in front of her, which was why she wasn't smiling.
Upon seeing this woman, Li Chonglou's pupils dilated, and a sharp glint shot from his eyes.
He softly murmured, "Lu Xuan, I didn't expect to see you here..."
"You know her?" Xu Lie asked in a low voice.
"I know her, but she doesn't know me," Li Chonglou said, retracting his gaze when Xu Lie asked. "Brother Xu, we've just arrived in Chang'an and bumped into a swindler."
"Are you interested in intervening?"
"You decide!" Xu Lie replied concisely.
He knew Li Chonglou was never one to meddle in affairs without reason. If he decided to step forward, there must be a reason.
Let alone this scrawny middle-aged man, even ten times his number wouldn't faze Xu Lie.
With that, he pushed Li Chonglou towards the two of them.