Chapter 61

Since Ding Qi obtained the medicinal herbs, time flew by, and soon half a month had passed.

During this period, Ding Qi had visited the mountain forest several times. However, he did not rush to retrieve the batch of medicinal herbs sealed in Qixia Mountain.

In these half a month, he had already known that the Qingyun Sect had deployed a large number of people around Qixia Mountain to search for any suspicious individuals and to investigate various forces that might have been present during the incident, hoping to find the lost batch of medicinal herbs.

However, there had been no results so far.

Given Ding Qi's cautious nature, he naturally knew that it was not the right time to retrieve the batch of medicinal herbs. He needed to wait until the heat died down before he could safely retrieve them.

However, after these half a month, Ding Qi had also realized that after such a long search in Qixia Mountain, the Qingyun Sect had probably concluded that the medicinal herbs could not be found there. It wouldn't be long before the Qingyun Sect's people would completely withdraw from around Qixia Mountain.

At that time, Ding Qi could retrieve the medicinal herbs with peace of mind.

The Qingyun Sect now believed that the medicinal herbs had been taken away by the force that had robbed them before they arrived and had been transported out in the shortest time possible.

On this day, Ding Qi planned to go to the surroundings of Qixia Mountain and Liangcheng again to investigate the recent movements of the Qingyun Sect, to see when they would completely withdraw their people from around Qixia Mountain.

Ding Qi had done this several times in the past half a month and was already quite familiar with it.

Upon arriving in Liangcheng again, Ding Qi could occasionally see Qingyun Sect disciples in their distinctive attire patrolling the streets, as if investigating something.

Ding Qi walked down the streets of Liangcheng, casually glancing at these Qingyun Sect disciples and slightly narrowing his eyes, showing a thoughtful expression.

"It seems the Qingyun Sect's investigation in Liangcheng will continue for some time. After all, Liangcheng is the inevitable route connecting to Qixia Mountain. If someone really wanted to transport the medicinal herbs to the outside world, they would have to pass through Liangcheng. However... hehe." Thinking of the batch of medicinal herbs he had sealed in the cave, a mysterious smile appeared on Ding Qi's face.

Ding Qi had never intended to transport the medicinal herbs out of Liangcheng.

The Qingyun Sect's efforts would likely be in vain.

Thinking of this, Ding Qi couldn't help but shake his head.

Although there were still quite a few Qingyun Sect disciples in Liangcheng now, compared to the numerous disciples from various sects who had been active in Liangcheng recently, their numbers had greatly decreased. Clearly, the Qingyun Sect had gradually shifted the focus of their investigation from Liangcheng to other cities.

If even Liangcheng was like this, the search in Qixia Mountain had been even more thoroughly withdrawn. On his way to Liangcheng this time, Ding Qi had also investigated the situation in Qixia Mountain and found that only a few Qingyun Sect people were still active there. It wouldn't be long before Ding Qi could go to the mountain to retrieve the medicinal herbs and refine elixirs to cultivate the先天功 (Xiantian Gong).

After understanding the situation in Qixia Mountain and Liangcheng, Ding Qi finally felt completely at ease and had the intention to return.

Just as Ding Qi was thinking this and about to leave Liangcheng, a group of Qingyun Sect disciples came from the direction he was heading.

Ding Qi had encountered similar situations countless times in the past half a month and did not pay much attention. He assumed these disciples were one of the teams the Qingyun Sect had assigned to Liangcheng to investigate suspicious individuals.

Just as Ding Qi was about to pass by these disciples as usual, a familiar voice from among the Qingyun Sect disciples caught his attention.

Hearing the familiar voice, Ding Qi was slightly stunned.

His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at one of the Qingyun Sect disciples who had spoken. He hadn't expected to meet someone he knew in Liangcheng today.

The person he was looking at was none other than his childhood friend, Zhang Tao.

Since their last meeting two years ago, Ding Qi and Zhang Tao had had no contact. Now, Ding Qi hadn't expected to see him again in Liangcheng.

Zhang Tao was currently surrounded by a group of Qingyun Sect disciples, slowly approaching Ding Qi. It seemed that his status among these disciples was quite high.

...

"Senior Brother Zhang, what kind of gains do you think you will have this time when the sect opens the Ancestor Hall?"

...

"I heard that there are several legendary martial weapons inside the Ancestor Hall, which were collected by the founding ancestor from half of the Xia Kingdom. The elders have already instructed that you can choose one of them. This is an opportunity that even the elders did not have in the past."

...

"However, such treatment is normal for Senior Brother Zhang. After all, this is the first time in nearly a decade that the sect has opened the Ancestor Hall, and it is specifically for Senior Brother Zhang. According to the instructions left by the founding ancestor, with Senior Brother Zhang's rare martial talent, the Ancestor Hall must be opened for him."

...

Listening to the conversation among the Qingyun Sect disciples, Ding Qi understood the general content of their discussion about his childhood friend.

The Qingyun Sect was actually going to open the Ancestor Hall for his childhood friend, Zhang Tao.

Although Ding Qi did not really know what the Ancestor Hall was, from the information in their conversation, such as it being opened for the first time in ten years and the opportunity to obtain a legendary martial weapon, he could tell that it was no simple matter.

At the same time, Ding Qi was secretly amazed by the high status of his childhood friend in the sect. After all, he clearly saw that the Qingyun Sect disciples around Zhang Tao, who were much older than him, called him "Senior Brother Zhang" without hesitation.

These people were all core disciples of the Qingyun Sect.

...

"This time, the opening of the Ancestor Hall is only due to the kindness of the elders. I, Zhang, have no virtue or ability; it was just a matter of chance." Hearing the continuous praise from the Qingyun Sect disciples, Zhang Tao, though proud, still humbly replied.

"This is because of Senior Brother Zhang's extraordinary talent. The elders value you highly. If it were us ordinary core disciples, the elders would never give us such an opportunity..."

...

"However, it is truly a pity that part of the medicinal herbs the sect was transporting, which were specifically allocated for Senior Brother Zhang's cultivation, have been lost!" One of them said with a regretful look.

The other Qingyun Sect disciples also agreed, showing regretful expressions.

Subsequently, the conversation among the Qingyun Sect disciples turned to the loss of the medicinal herbs.

As they talked, they got closer to Ding Qi. When Zhang Tao finished speaking to one of the Qingyun Sect disciples and turned his head, he seemed to notice something and his gaze suddenly froze.

Then, he stared blankly at Ding Qi.

Ding Qi's childhood friend had finally noticed him.

Several Qingyun Sect disciples beside him also noticed Zhang Tao's unusual behavior. Seeing Zhang Tao suddenly freeze, they followed his gaze and looked at Ding Qi with confusion.

All they saw was a man in an unremarkable gray robe standing there. This made their confusion even deeper.

"Senior Brother Zhang, do you know that person?" One of them asked Zhang Tao with surprise.

Only after being asked did Zhang Tao snap out of his daze.

"Oh, no... I don't know him." Zhang Tao hesitated for a moment before finally replied.

Hearing Zhang Tao's response from a distance, Ding Qi was stunned for a moment, then slightly narrowed his eyes.

Soon, watching Zhang Tao and the others disappear from the spot, Ding Qi stood there silently and finally sighed helplessly.

Then, Ding Qi walked away from Liangcheng, heading towards Qixia Town.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tao probably never imagined that his childhood friend was the one who had robbed the sect's medicinal herbs accumulated over a hundred years, causing chaos in the entire sect.

Ding Qi was precisely the person they were desperately searching for.

On his way back, Ding Qi recalled today's events and Zhang Tao's encounter, his expression fluctuating and occasionally showing a very strange look, as if he was puzzled about something.

However, the reason for his strange expression was not because of Zhang Tao's coldness. Ding Qi was only slightly surprised at first by Zhang Tao's change. But then, he was shocked to find that he no longer felt any emotional waves.

Today's events had only made him slightly reflective.

Suddenly, Ding Qi realized that he felt no anger, no emotional fluctuation at all about today's events.

This made Ding Qi feel particularly strange, and his expression became even more peculiar.

Ding Qi did not know that since he had cultivated the Xiantian Gong and successfully undergone the heart demon cleansing, his state of mind had undergone a complete transformation from ordinary to transcendent. Gradually, the trivial matters of the mortal world could no longer truly affect him.

Today's events naturally could not stir any waves in his heart.

"It seems not only Zhang Tao has changed. Even I... have changed. In the end, we have all changed." Ding Qi shook his head with a bitter smile, sighing inwardly.

He felt quite complex about this change and was unsure whether it was good or bad.

Suddenly, Ding Qi realized that he was no longer the naive and simple youth who had just come out of the mountain village.

The old days were long gone, never to return.