Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Chapter 97: Opportunity Delivered to the Door

"Go hide in the room. Don't come out unless necessary!" Zhang Xuan instructed Sun Qiang before turning and walking towards the door. He opened it to find Liu Tianzheng standing with a stranger, a young man about his age with a gloomy expression that suggested he wasn't easy to get along with.

However, Zhang Xuan wasn't concerned about that. He clasped his hands in greeting and said, "If you're here to persuade Liu Mingyue to go home, I'm afraid I can't help. You'll have to talk to her directly."

Liu Tianzheng shook his head. "Teacher Zhang, you misunderstand. I'm not here for that. This friend of mine heard about you and came specifically to consult with you on some matters."

Zhang Xuan looked puzzled. What could anyone possibly need to consult him about? He had been keeping a low profile since he started cultivating. After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but if it's just something trivial, I'll have to decline. I'm quite busy today and don't have the time."

As if expecting this response, Liu Tianzheng pulled out a stack of Source Coins and handed them over. "Teacher Zhang, please don't refuse so hastily. I was wrong to insist on taking Mingyue home earlier and to raise my hand against you. I sincerely apologize and hope you can understand the concerns of a father. To express my regret, I've brought 50,000 Source Coins as a token of my apology."

"Do you think a little money can make me agree to answer your questions?" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow but then quickly nodded. "Yes, I can accept that."

He took the Source Coins, counted them, and pocketed them with satisfaction. Smiling, he gestured towards the inside, "Please, Liu Clan Head and your friend, come in!"

As a teacher respected by the world, maintaining dignity was important, but there was no need to turn down money. Not when it was practically being handed to him.

Since the teacher's quarters had no living room and were a bit dim, Zhang Xuan led them to an octagonal pavilion in the courtyard and sat down, inviting the others to join him.

A glance at the young man confirmed two things to Zhang Xuan.

First, the young man's status was clearly higher than Liu Tianzheng's. Liu Tianzheng hadn't dared to sit until this young man did, which indicated respect.

Second, it seemed that Liu Tianzheng had noticed something strange about Zhang Xuan and had brought this person to investigate. The young man hadn't taken his eyes off Zhang Xuan since arriving as if trying to find something out.

Fortunately, the Heaven's Path technique allowed Zhang Xuan to conceal his aura, including his cultivation, techniques, and True Energy circulation. Not even someone as powerful as City Lord Yu could discern anything if Zhang Xuan didn't want to reveal it.

Zhang Xuan figured Liu Tianzheng had likely noticed something odd during their fight and brought this person along to probe further.

"It's a pity my Heaven's Fate Energy is exhausted; otherwise, I could have used the Library to check this guy's background."

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but Zhang Xuan kept a calm expression as he asked, "Liu Clan Head, your friend looks unfamiliar. I don't recall seeing him in White Roc City before."

Liu Tianzheng smiled. "This is Lord Xu Xin from the imperial capital. He heard about how you, Teacher Zhang, became a guest elder of the Chen family at such a young age and how exceptional your teaching is. That's why he decided to visit you."

"The imperial capital?" Zhang Xuan's mind began to form a preliminary judgment.

He explained, "Liu Clan Head, you flatter me. Teaching is like cooking—a dish might suit one person's taste and not another's. It's possible that my classes just happen to suit your daughter, which is why she's been reluctant to return home. With time, she'll understand your intentions."

As a Master Teacher, handling relationships between students and their parents was crucial. Zhang Xuan had long mastered the art of saying what needed to be said to smooth things over without causing offense.

As far as he was concerned, it wasn't his business if Liu Mingyue decided to maintain or sever ties with her father in the future.

"Ah…"

Liu Tianzheng was momentarily taken aback but then realized that Zhang Xuan's words made a lot of sense.

Zhang Xuan continued, "As for becoming a guest elder of the Chen family, I just happen to have a knack for taming horses. It's nothing special."

"That's not quite right," Liu Tianzheng countered. "White Roc City has many skilled horse tamers. Take Zhou Qun, for example—he's known for taming both the Cangback Eagle and Dao Li. Why did the Chen family choose to hire you instead of him? More importantly, why do experts like Zhou Qun respect you so much, even wanting to apprentice under you?"

"Well…"

Zhang Xuan was at a loss for words, but before he could think of a response, Xu Xin spoke up casually, "Taming horses is just a minor skill. No matter how well you tame a horse, what does it really matter… Thank you!"

He hadn't finished his sentence when he noticed a tea kettle being picked up and poured into his cup until it was full. Then it moved on to Liu Tianzheng's cup.

Xu Xin was about to take a sip when he noticed Liu Tianzheng's strange expression and felt a hand restrain his arm. "Lord Xu…"

"What's the matter?" Xu Xin was about to scold Liu Tianzheng but then noticed the source of his friend's concern and nearly dropped his cup.

A horse stood before him, holding the kettle in its mouth, pouring tea for them. When it noticed Xu Xin looking, the horse's large eyes seemed to smile, and it even nodded as if in greeting.

Xu Xin's eyelid twitched, and he quickly looked at the young man across from him. Zhang Xuan's expression was equally displeased, and he rebuked the horse, "This tea has gone cold. Why didn't you make some fresh tea? Is this how you treat guests?"

The horse, embarrassed, retreated to the kitchen, where it began adding wood to the fire to boil water.

"???"

Xu Xin was dumbfounded.

It had just poured tea, and now it was boiling water. If it weren't so large and muscular, he would have suspected it was a cultivator disguised as a horse.

"And you call this 'nothing special'?" Xu Xin couldn't hold back anymore.

He had seen horses that recognized their masters, horses that could shield their masters from arrows, but this was the first time he'd seen a horse that could serve tea like a servant.

He had initially thought Zhang Xuan's horse-taming skills were simply about making horses obedient, but it turned out that Zhang Xuan's idea of "nothing special" was this!

"We don't have any servants, so I have to rely on it… Besides, this horse was tamed by the Liu family and given to me as a gift a few days ago. I'm not sure why it's so capable," Zhang Xuan deflected.

"Is that so?" Xu Xin looked at Liu Tianzheng.

"It's true. This Dao Li was only given to Teacher Zhang the day before yesterday!" Liu Tianzheng couldn't lie.

Xu Xin asked, "Could it do this when it was with you? Boil water and pour tea?"

Liu Tianzheng shook his head quickly. "No, it couldn't!"

When Dao Li was with the Liu family, it was treated like an elder, with dedicated servants taking care of it. No one had ever heard of it serving others.

Zhang Xuan explained, "I suppose Liu Clan Head hadn't fully tamed it. Once you've truly tamed a horse, it's not much different from a trained monkey—it can dress itself, cook meals, and more. Asking it to boil water and pour tea is no big deal."

"That makes sense…" Xu Xin and Liu Tianzheng exchanged glances. While they still felt something was off, it didn't seem so shocking anymore.

Some powerful beasts were highly intelligent, and the most advanced Source Beasts could even behave just like humans, performing various tasks with proper training. Although this horse was just an ordinary animal, with enough practice, it could learn these skills.

Realizing there was no point in dwelling on this, Xu Xin turned his attention back to Zhang Xuan. "I heard from Liu Clan Head that your cultivation wasn't particularly strong three days ago, yet now you can fight on equal footing with him. Could you explain how you've cultivated?"

Seeing that this was indeed the question they had come to ask, Zhang Xuan sighed, feigning embarrassment. "The truth is… I've been cultivating for a long time, but my circumstances made it difficult to show my abilities. Now that I've been honored with an appointment as a teacher by Dean Lu, I no longer have to hide my cultivation."

Since it was impossible to explain how he had gained such strength in such a short time, Zhang Xuan decided to adjust the timeline, suggesting that he had been cultivating for years.

Back when he worked as a groom, he had kept a low profile. Even if someone tried to investigate further, there wouldn't be any traceable evidence from the Source World, so no one would be able to uncover the truth.

"You've been cultivating for a long time?"

Xu Xin and Liu Tianzheng exchanged glances.

Given Zhang Xuan's age, if he had started cultivating at sixteen, like Liu Mingyue, and was now around twenty-five or twenty-six, his current strength wouldn't be surprising.

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan explained calmly. "I've been cultivating for a long time, but due to my previous position, I didn't have the opportunity to reveal my abilities. Now that I'm a teacher, I can openly display my true strength."

Satisfied with his explanation, Zhang Xuan looked at Xu Xin, puzzled. "Lord Xu, you've asked so many detailed questions. Have I done something wrong or offended someone? Is that why you're investigating me?"

"Not at all."

Liu Tianzheng smiled and exchanged another glance with Xu Xin. With a nod from Xu Xin, Liu Tianzheng explained, "In fact, Lord Xu Xin is a Fate Guardian. He's here looking for talented individuals to take back to the Destiny Hall for special training."

They couldn't openly accuse Zhang Xuan of being a Chaotic Fate Practitioner, so claiming they were searching for talent was a more acceptable explanation.

Liu Tianzheng watched Zhang Xuan closely for any reaction, but instead of panicking, Zhang Xuan's face showed only confusion.

"A Fate Guardian? What's that?" Zhang Xuan asked, genuinely curious.

"Fate Guardians are protectors of Destiny Masters," Liu Tianzheng replied, intrigued. "You've never heard of them before, Teacher Zhang?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Seeing his sincerity, Xu Xin frowned. If Zhang Xuan didn't even know what a Fate Guardian was, he couldn't possibly be the rumored Chaotic Fate Practitioner. Apart from the horse, everything about Zhang Xuan seemed perfectly normal. Had they guessed wrong?

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