NOVPUB"So, Brother Wen, after the battle at Yanqiao Pass, you left Yan State?"
In the second layer of the Linglong Ghost Market, within a side hall.
Wang Ba and Wen Yong sat facing each other.
The once carefree and unrestrained Wen Yong now sat cross-legged with a slightly restrained demeanor.
His mind occasionally flashed back to the scene just now.
Hearing Wang Ba’s words, Wen Yong’s face, already beginning to show wrinkles, couldn’t help but reveal a trace of reminiscence and emotion:
"Indeed, after I left Yan State, I went to Song State, where I barely scraped by for a few years, only to hear the news that Yan State had been occupied by the Incense Fire Dao. Sensing the danger, I heard that Jin was stable, so I immediately moved to Chen State again. But just three days after my relocation, I learned that Song State had also been taken by the Incense Fire Dao..."
As Wen Yong spoke, he sighed and shook his head.
Wang Ba, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but feel glad for Wen Yong’s keen intuition.
Had he lingered on his decision, perhaps they would never have had the chance to meet again.
Wen Yong then turned to Wang Ba’s somewhat unfamiliar face and a smile appeared, as he carefully pulled out a token from his chest that seemed to have been frequently played with, smoothed by touch and gleaming, and held it in his palm:
"Do you still remember this?"
Wang Ba’s gaze fell on the item, but for a moment he had no recollection, and puzzled, he said:
"What is this...?"
"It seems Brother Wang has forgotten, which is understandable. To you, it was just a small matter, but it was this token that saved my life."
Wen Yong chuckled, his eyes filled with nostalgia as he put away the token and with a hint of emotion, he said:
"This was what you gave me back at Yanqiao Pass, during our fortuitous meeting, saying that in times of crisis, I could rely on this token to seek you out..."
"After moving to Chen State, the local Sect suspected me of being a spy for the Incense Fire Dao and were about to Soul Search me, when coincidentally, Elder Tang, who was rebuilding the Linglong Ghost Market here, saw me. Noticing Brother Wang’s mana aura on it, he questioned me, and I was thereby spared from death."
Upon hearing Wen Yong’s words, Wang Ba instantly understood.
He couldn’t help but sigh and said:
"This has nothing to do with me; it’s just that Brother Wen himself has good fortune..."
Wen Yong didn’t argue but merely smiled and said:
"All in the past... I have yet to congratulate Brother Wang on your successful Core Formation."
As he spoke, he hesitated slightly.
Wang Ba, with his keen perception, noticed this and said:
"If there’s something you want to ask, speak freely."
Wen Yong’s face showed a trace of apology.
He couldn’t help but ask, "May I inquire, Brother Wang... what grade is your Golden Core?"
Wang Ba hesitated slightly.
Noticing this, Wen Yong quickly said:
"Please forgive me, Brother Wang. It was just a moment of curiosity that made me speak out of turn."
Wang Ba, however, smiled and waved it off, saying:
"There’s no harm in asking. It’s not that I can’t say, but... the Golden Core I formed is considered first grade."
"First grade?!"
Wen Yong instantly widened his eyes.
But he didn’t notice the implications of Wang Ba’s use of ’considered.’
He murmured to himself:
"No wonder! No wonder!"
No wonder even Nascent Soul Cultivators are left behind by Brother Wang, Shen... no, Brother Wang. It must be because of Brother Wang’s exceptional talent, becoming a core disciple of a great Sect, that he was personally protected by an Immortal Master of Nascent Soul.
Recalling this, Wen Yong’s eyes filled with admiration and a hint of melancholy.
Years ago, they both ran the Changyi Society together on Baiyun Prairie in Yan State.
Separated by fifty years, their fortunes differed as much as heaven and earth now.
One rose like the sun, suspended high in the Vault of Heaven.
While the other lay like bones in a tomb, nameless and forgotten...
There were sighs and reflections.
And more significantly, an unspoken thought lingered in the heart, along with an unvoiced desire.
They didn’t talk for long, and soon, Zhou Lve came over with a pile of documents.
Seeing his chance slip away, Wen Yong hesitated before tactfully taking his leave.
Just as he was about to leave, Wang Ba suddenly said:
"If you need anything, just ask."
Wen Yong paused for a moment, then nodded earnestly.
"Wen Yong takes his leave."
"Uncle-Master, your friend... he wanted to ask for your help, didn’t he?"
Zhou Lve glanced at Wen Yong’s departing figure, and her straightforward nature prompted her to ask immediately.
Wang Ba replied calmly:
"The law should not be lightly imparted... If he can’t make up his mind, even if I want to help him, it won’t be easy for him to succeed."
He naturally saw through Wen Yong’s thoughts.
It was nothing more than wanting to ask for his help in achieving Golden Core, but harboring doubts about it.
This was human nature.
Given the friendship between the two, if Wen Yong were to ask, Wang Ba naturally would not hesitate to lend a hand.
However, perhaps because Wen Yong was already advanced in years, and lacked the capability to control the Qi and Blood in his body, resulting in obvious physical decline and even the appearance of white hair and wrinkles.
Attempting to make a breakthrough to Golden Core in such a state, if he failed, his death was certain.
Whether to risk it all or to quietly enjoy the last of his life, Wang Ba couldn’t decide for him; the choice was Wen Yong’s to make.
Wang Ba didn’t dwell on it any longer and immediately turned his attention to the documents Zhou Lve had brought, asking in confusion:
"Is there a problem?"
Zhou Lve shook her head and said:
"Although it’s a bit messy, there’s no major issue, but... the Ghost Market in Chen State has been operating for more than twenty years, making losses for the first dozen years. It seems to have improved only in recent years. Could it be that they..."
"No, don’t jump to conclusions," Wang Ba interjected, cutting off Zhou Lve’s wild guess.
He then explained:
"It’s expected for the Ghost Market to make losses. Just the construction of this market alone, to recover the costs in some of the poorer states, it might take half a Jiazi to achieve that."
