The burly man holding a spear leaped down from the roof, landing between Chen Xi and the Taoist, and asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you?"
"Like you, I'm here to protect him, though I arrived later than you," the Taoist replied calmly. "Chen Hou, we've already confirmed your spiritual talent. Although we outsiders prioritize cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao, protecting your life is a must."
"Hmph, if I recall correctly, there are quite a few among you who don't follow orders!" the burly man with the spear glared at the Taoist, slightly bowing as he spoke.
After receiving the news about Chen Xi's spiritual talent and confirming it multiple times, Tong Yuan had sent out his biggest card, his junior brother Han Qiong. This was because Tong Yuan hadn't fully recovered yet; otherwise, he would have come himself.
Although Han Qiong wasn't as skilled as Tong Yuan in martial arts, he was not far behind. As one of the earliest top experts to break through to the level of internal energy release, even without secret techniques or martial arts skills, it wouldn't be easy for Lü Bu to defeat Han Qiong. Moreover, Han Qiong had a vast array of secret techniques. For this reason, Han Qiong had been following Chen Xi all this time without being noticed.
Similarly, the Taoist had also been following, but he was even more brazen. When he saw Chen Xi boarding a ship at the coast of Donglai, Nanhua, who had originally planned to return to the mountains to meditate, abandoned his plans. He saw in Chen Xi the hope of ascension. Since ascending through normal channels seemed impossible, achieving great merits and ascending in a flash seemed like a viable alternative.
At first, Nanhua had regretted his actions, thinking he had caused chaos by unleashing fierce beasts and empowering warriors, which led to turmoil across the land. But after meeting Chen Xi, Nanhua realized he had been mistaken all along!
Upon seeing Chen Xi, Nanhua had an epiphany. Fortune and misfortune coexist. Although his actions had brought about fierce beasts, they had also given birth to a young man capable of creating decades of peace. If he could ensure Chen Xi's safe growth, the Han Dynasty could enjoy favorable weather for a hundred years, with millions of people living in peace and prosperity. Such immense merit would undoubtedly allow him to ascend!
After that realization, Nanhua followed Chen Xi without saying a word, refraining from intervening in any wars, focusing solely on protecting Chen Xi. His task was to deflect any attack that could threaten Chen Xi, which explained why Chen Xi hadn't encountered a single arrow during the entire Yangtze River battle.
"Chen Hou, there's no need to concern yourself with who we are. Just know that we're here to protect you. Rest assured, we mean you no harm. Although I don't particularly like this guy, his strength is such that he won't be at a disadvantage against any of Liu Xuande's generals," Nanhua said, noticing Chen Xi's hesitation.
"You've been following me for half a year?" Chen Xi asked, frowning.
"Chen Hou, your senses are indeed sharp. There were several times I almost got caught," the burly man with the spear said with a smile.
Chen Xi furrowed his brow. From that one sentence, he knew this man was likely a top expert. His senses were extremely keen, just like that time with Zuo Ci. Although Zuo Ci had been careless, Chen Xi's ability to sense things couldn't be denied.
"No wonder I sometimes felt like someone was following me, making me paranoid," Chen Xi said with resignation. If this expert had been following him for half a year, he would have already been dead if they intended to kill him. Even if they had wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have been able to react in time. This also confirmed that they meant no harm.
Top strategists like Fazheng possess immense spiritual power. If they were to face off against top generals like Guan and Zhang head-on and channel all their mental energy into the general's mind, it would result in the strategist's death, and the general would either die or have a mental breakdown, leading to madness. However, it's hard to imagine any expert at the internal energy release level succumbing as easily as Hua Xiong did in front of Li Ru, where a single blade from afar would be enough to settle the matter.
"However, Chen Hou, we only protect you. We won't show ourselves under normal circumstances," Nanhua said, looking at Chen Xi. "We protect you out of duty. We don't need anything in return, but we will only protect you."
"Hmm," Chen Xi nodded. "I understand."
"Old Taoist, since you're also here to protect him, I have a question for you. Can we kill Yu Ji? He's a dangerous individual, and we've agreed to eliminate him. We don't want to cause a large-scale conflict with you, so I'm asking in advance!" Han Qiong asked coldly, seeing that Chen Xi was no longer on guard.
"Yu Ji? If he targets someone else, that's one thing. But if he dares to come here, I'll kill him without hesitation!" Nanhua's eyes flashed with a cold light. If Yu Ji really tried to disrupt the grand order and kill Chen Xi, Nanhua wouldn't show mercy. Even if they had crossed paths before, he would still kill him without hesitation!
"That's good to hear!" Han Qiong then leaped into the air and disappeared, leaving only a voice from the sky: "Rest assured, Chen Hou. If I leave, I will notify you, and someone will take over my duty."
Chen Xi was left dumbfounded. The man had just vanished. How was that even possible? He couldn't help but look at the Taoist beside him.
"Chen Hou, I appeared only to verify things for you and to avoid any potential accidents in the future. I haven't met that man before," Nanhua said as he looked in a particular direction. He couldn't deny that experience comes with age. Han Qiong's presence had nearly faded entirely, like a stone in that corner. When Han Qiong disappeared, Zhuge Liang unleashed his spiritual talent but still couldn't locate him.
"Am I really that important?" Chen Xi asked curiously.
"Extremely important. If things continue as they are, you will save countless people, earning immeasurable merit," Nanhua said solemnly, bowing deeply before silently vanishing, leaving the four of them staring at each other.
"Ahem," Chen Xi coughed a few times, drawing the attention of the other three. He looked a bit uncomfortable. "I didn't even know someone was secretly protecting me."
"This is only natural. You don't realize how crucial your spiritual talent is to the world," the old man sitting on the platform said calmly. "You are too important to the people."
"You make me sound like some kind of mascot," Chen Xi said with a bitter smile. "Let's talk about something else. I don't want to think about how important I am." He then found a stone bench and sat down, abandoning any pretense of formality.
"Feel free, Chen Hou. Zijia, come out," the old man smiled at Chen Xi and then called out to someone inside. Soon, a boy of about eleven or twelve years old emerged and knelt beside the old man.
"Is this your grandson?" Chen Xi asked curiously.
"This is Lu Zigan's son, Lu Zijia," the old man replied, shaking his head and pointing to the boy.