"Py... Pythagorean what theorem?"
"Pythagorean what?"
The moment Yang An asked his question, Pan Shi and Pan Yu, the Senior Brother and junior sister, both looked at him in bewilderment, grease all over their hands as they held their roasted meat. They asked in unison.
What kind of strange question was that?
"Uh..."
Seeing their reactions—Pan Yu's in particular—Yang An froze as well. She clearly was not pretending; she genuinely did not know the Pythagorean theorem.
That shouldn't have been possible.
She knew the modern internet term "simp," and she could even find so many seasonings corresponding to those of the modern world.
By all reason, only someone from modern society could know such things.
Yet Pan Yu's expression showed no falsehood. She was utterly baffled by his question.
Could it be that this transmigrator had a poor education, one of the fish that slipped through the net of nine-year compulsory education? Was that why she did not know the universally known mathematical term, the Pythagorean theorem?
"Fellow Daoist, what is wrong?"
Seeing Yang An spacing out, Pan Shi asked in puzzlement. By then, the Senior Brother and junior sister had already gnawed through more than half the roasted meat in their hands, while Yang An had not touched his at all.
"Nothing. I merely recalled some past events. Since Fellow Daoist Pan Yu does not know, then forget it."
Yang An came back to his senses and answered, hurriedly taking a bite from the hind leg in his hand.
He had not had a full meal in days, much less roasted meat carrying the flavors from his memories. At that moment, he could not help but fill his stomach first.
In a few swift bites, he finished the entire hind leg. The piglet was not large to begin with, and the three of them quickly divided it all up.
Before long, all three had cleaned their portions spotless. Only bones littered the ground; not even a shred of meat had been spared.
Pan Shi even licked his fingers as though he still wanted more, utterly unconcerned with his appearance.
Only after Pan Yu had finished eating did she rein herself in and return to her demure, small-town maiden manner.
Yang An could not help licking the grease from his lips. The lingering taste was truly endless, yet he still could not resist glancing at Pan Yu again. He planned to ask once more, this time beginning with the origin of those seasonings.
"Fellow Daoist Pan Yu, how did you learn of these seasonings? Why have I never seen them before? To think there are such wondrous things in this world."
He pretended that he had never seen them before and was immensely curious.
Yet before Pan Yu could answer, Pan Shi burst into hearty laughter.
"I knew Fellow Daoist Yang would not be able to resist asking!"
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
Yang An looked at him.
"Actually, this is related to the cultivation technique my junior sister practices."
As Fellow Daoist knows, if cultivators like us wish to defy the heavens and change our fate, we can only make choices and sacrifices along the path of cultivation. The more we wish to gain, the greater the price we must pay."
Yang An nodded.
Through his own purification ability, he had already glimpsed part of the truth. Anything connected to cultivation would produce a price once used. That was likely the sacrifice Pan Shi spoke of.
Thus, when Pan Shi reached this point, Yang An basically understood. He could roughly guess why Pan Yu's words and actions resembled those of a transmigrator.
Pan Shi continued:
"The technique my junior sister cultivates is not a secret inheritance of our Three Pine Mountain. It is instead a fragment of an ancient cultivation technique, the third of the seven volumes of 'Charming Records,' named the 'Subtle Dream Scripture.'"
"The price of cultivating this technique is entering illusions. Because of this, my junior sister can see things from another world."
"That is why she can discover such rare treasures. These are actually things already unearthed by people in another world; it is merely that corresponding objects happen to exist in our world as well."
So that was it. Yang An revealed an enlightened expression.
Pan Yu was not actually a transmigrator. Due to her cultivation technique, she merely happened to be able to see things from the modern world.
Learning this, Yang An could not help breathing a sigh of relief, though he also felt somewhat wistful.
He feared that there might be other transmigrators in this world besides himself, for that would mean his transmigration was not as simple as an accident.
Yet after learning that Pan Yu was not a transmigrator, he also lost that feeling of encountering an old friend in a foreign land. He felt a little disappointed, deeply conflicted.
Still, the cultivation techniques of this world truly were remarkable. They could even produce such an effect, allowing someone to come into contact with another world.
However, Yang An also knew that the truth might not be as simple as Pan Shi had described.
Their relationship had not reached the point where they could bare their hearts to one another. They could not possibly speak deeply when their acquaintance was still shallow.
If it merely caused hallucinations that let one see things from another world, it could not truly be called a price. There might be secrets within that outsiders did not know.
But that had nothing to do with Yang An, and he could not investigate further. Otherwise, others would think he harbored ulterior motives.
Thus, the topic was quickly skipped over.
During his later conversation with Pan Shi, Yang An could not help thinking of himself.
He had already learned the Lighting Method, and he had fused with the bone relic capable of producing Buddhist light, granting him the ability to resist demons and monsters.
Yet the Lighting Method consumed his body heavily. Unless he relied on external objects, he could not maintain it for long. It could only serve as a means to save his life at critical moments.
Therefore, he was not a cultivator, merely an ordinary person who had grasped a little power.
For an ordinary person like him, surviving in this world filled with demons and monsters was extraordinarily difficult.
Moreover, he possessed the ability to purify the negative effects of items related to cultivation. It was practically tailor-made for stepping onto the path of cultivation.
It seemed he had no other choice.
But if he wanted to become a cultivator like Pan Shi and Pan Yu, he had to obtain a cultivation technique of his own and learn more about cultivation.
But where was he supposed to find such a technique?
Should he seek out famous mountains and great rivers, searching for immortal mountains and sects?
Or should he attach himself to some faction and seek opportunities from the bottom?
Both options seemed far too distant and were not suited to his current circumstances.
The only opportunity before him was the Communal Feast Convention that would soon be held at the Xi Yue River.
Many cultivators would gather there, and he would have the chance to come into contact with many cultivation resources.
If he wished to step onto the path of cultivation, he could only follow Pan Shi and Pan Yu to the Xi Yue River.
Yang An had originally planned to leave Jiu Nan Town first, then decide whether to part ways with Pan Shi and Pan Yu. But now, it seemed he could only walk this road all the way to the dark.
After resting for a while longer, Pan Shi soon proposed continuing their journey. With good awareness of fire safety, he also extinguished the campfire.
Yang An did not refuse. The three quickly left the place and continued toward the Xi Yue River.
Through their conversation, Yang An learned that they were no longer far from the Xi Yue River. If they moved quickly, they could probably reach their destination by tomorrow morning.
But the awkward part was that Pan Shi and Pan Yu, being cultivators, had some foundation in movement techniques. Traveling two hundred li a day was no problem for them.
For Yang An, who was merely an ordinary person, however, that became a problem.
Helpless, Yang An could only continue pretending that his body had not fully recovered. Using his temporary inability to employ Mana as an excuse, he suggested that Pan Shi and Pan Yu go on ahead while he arrived later.
Yet upon hearing Yang An's suggestion, Pan Shi and Pan Yu did not choose to abandon him and proceed first. Without saying much, they still decided to travel with Yang An and accommodate him.
Yang An could only grit his teeth and continue onward.
Thus, what should normally have been a journey that reached the Xi Yue River by the following morning would likely be delayed until the morning of the third day.
But that evening, when the sky had already turned completely dark,
they arrived at a village.
This was an unavoidable place they had to pass through on the road to their destination.
Before you continue