CHAPTER 692: CHAPTER 623: SEVERAL TEACHERS

This is not something that can be easily guarded against. A few elders clearly want to set her up with someone...

Thinking of Keynes on the plane, it’s likely that probing began as soon as she returned.

She has Jun Lii, they are legally married, and they have two precious sons, so there’s really no reason to marry someone new.

But this dance targeting her, with both people and ghosts showing off, Yan Yueqing accepted it calmly, wanting to see what else they were planning.

The welcome ceremony was exceptionally grand, and in just one night, the important members of the family almost all knew—that their Young Master had returned.

The next day.

The Jiang Family head’s residence stood majestically in the cloud-enshrouded, Immortal Realm-like mountains of the S Continent.

Here, the extraordinary convenience brought by top-notch technology coexists with the long-standing charm of ancient Eastern culture, creating a seamless blend of two entirely different temperaments through exquisite design.

Yan Yueqing rested for a short night in the luxurious yet tranquil bedroom, temporarily pushing the overt and covert probing by the Jiang Family elders at last night’s dance, along with the shadows left by Jiang Ke, to the depths of her mind.

At dawn, the thin mist flowed like gossamer among the ancient trees.

Accompanied by the gentle yet unmistakably caring gaze of her mother Jiang Yu, Yan Yueqing treaded the winding path to the Jiang Family’s forbidden rear mountain.

The mountain path was rugged, flanked by ancient trees towering mightily with gnarled branches. The lush canopies almost obscured the sky, letting through only fragmented flickering golden light through the gaps.

The air was crisp and pure, with each breath seemingly cleansing the dust from the soul’s depths, bringing a peculiar tranquility.

Jiang Yu’s steps were steady; her voice gentle, breaking the stillness of the mountain woods: "Knowing you’re back, several teachers are very happy. Teacher Feng Yuzhen returned to Hua Country, and you’ve met her. Now she resides with Junior Brother Zhang and is unlikely to return."

Teacher Feng, now over ninety, having returned to her homeland, naturally would not leave again easily.

Yan Yueqing nodded.

Jiang Yu continued, "Teacher Jiang Chuanning is still in Hua Country handling important matters for you and will probably return next month. Mr. Li from the political world passed away due to illness shortly after you left the Jiang Family... The only one still meditating in the mountains is Mr. Gu Shouzhuo, who has stayed at the deepest part of the back mountain, the ’Panshi Residence.’"

Yan Yueqing slightly nodded. Although her memories of Mr. Gu were somewhat blurred due to her rebirth, the sense of awe originating from the depths of her soul was as clear as a brand.

The Jiang Family had always spared no effort in nurturing each generation’s successors, attracting brilliant minds from all over the world.

Each teacher represented the pinnacle of a particular field.

And Mr. Gu Shouzhuo was the "Panshi" who forged her muscles, tempered her will, and helped her endure countless rigorous training sessions.

Passing through a dense, verdant bamboo forest with rustling Bamboo Leaves, a clearing suddenly opened up before her.

A simple stone house constructed entirely from massive boulders stood quietly on a naturally formed stone platform.

The stone house was extremely austere, devoid of any carvings, yet it exuded a sense of gravitas and antiquity, akin to being one with the mountains.

At the edge of the stone platform, a slender figure donned in gray, aged training attire practiced martial arts at an exceptionally slow, almost frozen pace.

At a glance, his movements appeared to be extremely simple, merely a cycle of basic stances, yet there was an indescribable rhythm to them.

His arms extended like ancient pines cracking branches open, his steps moved like old turtles wading through water. Every breath seemed in harmony with the mountain wind, every drop in the shoulder seemed in resonance with the earth. His frame wasn’t tall, appearing somewhat thin and frail, yet standing there, he emanated an irrefutable stability as if he was an integral part of the Panshi Residence, rooted in this expanse of heaven and earth.

At the edge of the bamboo grove, Jiang Yu quietly halted and cast an encouraging glance at Yan Yueqing, signaling her to proceed alone.

Taking a deep breath, that crisp air seemed to carry a certain strength, settling her turbulent emotions.

She adjusted her clothing, which wasn’t disheveled, and walked resolutely towards the small courtyard in the center of the stone platform. About five steps away from the practicing figure, she halted, folded her hands in front, bowed deeply with a solemn and ancient gesture of deference, her voice clear and respectful:

"Teacher, disciple Xiaoxing, has returned."

The martial arts movements, slow as time’s flow, suddenly paused with her words.

The gray-clad figure slowly turned around.

A slender face met Yan Yueqing’s gaze.

Time had etched deep lines upon his forehead and at the corners of his eyes, yet those eyes shone astoundingly bright, deep as ancient wells of cold pools, as if they contained millennia-old starlight capable of piercing through skin to see the deepest parts of human hearts. He was her physical training teacher, Gu Shouzhuo.

Gu Shouzhuo’s tranquil gaze fell upon Yan Yueqing, devoid of any semblance of joy or warm pleasantries usually accompanying reunions after long absences; there was only an almost tangible scrutiny, precise as if from a precision instrument.

His eyes, seemingly able to penetrate the mysteries of time and space, lingered on Yan Yueqing’s face, around her body, especially on those eyes that seemed to have rekindled life, for only a few fleeting moments.

Subsequently, his brow, akin to one carved from stone, minutely furrowed, barely perceptible, as if beholding a certain unexpected yet reasonable complex scenario.

"Xiaoxing." Gu Shouzhuo’s voice was low and steady, not loud nor soft, yet it carried a peculiar penetrative power, reverberating clearly across the tranquil mountain platform, overshadowing the rustling of Bamboo Leaves, "Come closer."

Yan Yueqing complied, stepping forward again, only three paces away from her teacher. She could clearly feel the teacher’s mountain-like solemn yet starry sky-boundless aura.

Gu Shouzhuo no longer spoke, merely continued to watch her quietly and intently. Time seemed to stretch out at this moment. The mountain wind blew continuously, rustling through the bamboo forest, making an unending soughing sound which accentuated the breath-stopping silence between them.

Yan Yueqing could even hear the calm and powerful thumping of her heart within her chest. This half-minute silence held more oppressive force than any severe admonishment, as if her soul was being measured and dissected by an invisible gaze repeatedly.

Finally, Gu Shouzhuo slowly spoke, his tone held an uncharacteristic heaviness, breaking the silence:

"You..." his gaze seemed to transform into a beam piercing through Yan Yueqing’s flesh and bones, directly seeing her soul’s essence, "have undergone an extremely bizarre and complex ’change’."

Carefully choosing his words, each syllable seemed laden with tremendous weight, "Your spirit is unsettled, the foundational essence severely damaged. Though currently appearing ’restored’ and stable, at the core, there remain minute yet profound ’fissures’ unhealed, akin to crystalline cracks on fine porcelain. Your aura is mixed and impure as if... an immensely powerful ’external force’ forcibly patched the shattered pieces together anew, leaving fresh traces."

Yan Yueqing’s heart trembled violently!

Indeed! This Teacher Gu’s unfathomable perceptive ability far exceeded her expectations!

With one glance, he almost pierced through the core secret of her rebirth return—Jun Lii (Su Zihu)’s time-travel intervention from the future!