Leaving

After the Red and White Fiends left, the broken brush Zhou Yi had picked up provided him with a thousand points of Yin Energy—the most Yin Energy he had ever obtained at once—along with twenty points of Qi.

After this incident, Zhou Yi also prepared to head for Luoshi City. Just as Old Qin had said, Qingzhu Village was too small, so small that it could not allow him to grow. Though the Red and White Fiends had not caused any harm this time, they had still made Zhou Yi feel a trace of powerlessness. If he had Spiritual Skills, he might not have been unable to contend with the Red and White Fiends.

Before leaving, Zhou Yi cultivated the Basic Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method Old Qin had given him. It consumed a full hundred points of Yin Energy from the panel. When his mental power reached ten points, Zhou Yi only felt as though the world before him had become brighter, while his mind had become clearer than ever before, greatly enhancing his perception.

Regrettably, basic talismans could not be directly improved with Yin Energy. He could only use Yin Energy to raise their proficiency one talisman at a time. Zhou Yi did not waste Yin Energy on them. Yellow-rank talismans were not especially useful to him now, and he could improve them when the need arose.

Before setting off, Zhou Yi exchanged for the Body Refining Techniques he had not learned from the Patrol Team: one Jade Body Skill and one Bronze Man Body. Zhou Yi merged both Body Refining Techniques into his Indestructible Golden Body, then raised the merged Indestructible Golden Body to perfection as well. After this whole sequence, Zhou Yi had lost nearly another three hundred points of Yin Energy, but his vitality and blood had increased by three points.

At this point, Zhou Yi had raised everything he could improve on himself to perfection. As for blade techniques and movement techniques, Zhou Yi planned to directly learn Spiritual Skills once he reached Luoshi City.

Feeling thoroughly satisfied, Zhou Yi opened the panel.

Name: Zhou Yi

Race: Human (10%)

Vitality and Blood: 9

Spirit: 1.2

Mental Methods: Tongming Record (Perfection), Primordial Pile (Perfection)

Techniques: Body Refining, Blade Technique, Movement Technique, Other

Yin Energy: 669

Exotic Qi: Qi (25)

Seeing that the Yin Energy on the panel was still plentiful, Zhou Yi finally set his mind at ease.

Early the next morning, Zhou Yi arrived at the village entrance well ahead of time. But the moment he got there, he found two people watching him. They were none other than his master and Old Qin. A trace of warmth could not help but rise in Zhou Yi's heart.

He had been an orphan in his previous life and had never experienced the warmth of family. He had not expected to experience it after crossing over here.

Zhou Yi held the horse's reins in his hand. As for the horse, it had cost him nearly ten taels of silver.

Leading the horse, Zhou Yi walked toward the village entrance.

"If you run into any trouble, come straight back," Qu Yong said to Zhou Yi with a smile.

"Kid Zhou, remember this: out there, sometimes the most terrifying thing is not the strange. No matter what, preserving your life is what matters most!" Old Qin said sternly as he handed Zhou Yi a talisman pouch.

Zhou Yi accepted the talisman pouch. It contained a large number of Yellow-rank talismans. Closing the pouch, Zhou Yi bowed to Old Qin and his master.

He turned and leaped onto the horse's back. Zhou Yi gave Qingzhu Village and the two men one final look, then tugged the reins, and the horse broke into a run.

After running for nearly half an hour, he left the protection range of the Precious Image behind. Qingzhu Village had vanished at his back, completely out of sight.

At last, the official road appeared before Zhou Yi. It was only two meters wide, with a special kind of stone laid along both sides—Ghoul-repelling Stone. Just as its name suggested, it could not harm the strange; it simply made them feel repulsed.

If one rode along the official road at night, the strange would still break through the Ghoul-repelling Stone and devour the traveler if they spotted them.

As Zhou Yi looked upon the vast world beyond the official road, heroic spirit suddenly welled up in his chest. From this day onward, the sea would be wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky high enough for birds to fly.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yi cracked his whip through the air. Hearing its sharp report, the horse accelerated, carrying Zhou Yi swiftly down the official road.

He rode from the plains into the mountains and forests, from the mountains and forests to the riverside. From the moment the sun had just risen until it hung overhead, Zhou Yi had ridden along the official road for two shichen. White vapor began to continuously puff from the horse's nostrils, accompanied by heavy snorting.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi dismounted and gently patted the horse's back. He then led it beneath a large tree and tied it up. As he watched the horse eat the grass nearby, Zhou Yi took out some dry provisions from his pack and began eating as well.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhou Yi mounted the horse and continued on his journey. Finally, before the sun set, he caught sight of a post station.

The post station was not very large. It was a two-story wooden building, surrounded by numerous Ghoul-repelling Stones, standing by the side of the official road.

Leading the horse to the entrance of the post station, Zhou Yi found only an old man there. The old man was sitting on a stool outside, smoking something like dry tobacco. When he saw Zhou Yi approach, he slowly rose from the stool, took the reins from Zhou Yi's hand, and said, "Ten taels of silver!"

Zhou Yi took out the silver and handed it to the old man. Only after receiving it did the old man leisurely say, "There are plenty of vacant rooms upstairs. Pick one yourself."

After saying that, the old man ignored Zhou Yi and led the horse toward the stable.

Zhou Yi said nothing further. He went up to the second floor of the post station, chose an empty room, and began inspecting it.

The room was somewhat old. A table stood in the middle, with two wooden stools beneath it. The most conspicuous thing in the room was a piece of calligraphy visible the moment one entered. It read: Silence at Night.

It was likely meant to prevent noises at night from attracting the strange. After all, the post station did not have the protection of a Precious Image; even some villages lacked one.

As for why the post station was so expensive, Zhou Yi could understand it. In the wilds, one misstep could draw the strange, and then one would end up with not even bones left behind. Thus, those who guarded post stations were mostly older people.

Of course, there were also some post stations located along vital routes that had dedicated guards.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?" Zhou Yi placed a hand on Han Guang as he called out to the person knocking.

"The post station keeper."

Zhou Yi opened the door. The old man entered his room carrying a serving of food. After placing it on the table, the old man did not leave. Instead, he sat down on one of the wooden stools.

"Every guest who stays here gets an explanation of my rules." The old man pointed at the calligraphy in the room.

"The most important rule is not to make any noise at night. Although Ghoul-repelling Stone is laid outside the post station, there is no telling whether noise might attract some strange."

"This food is included in the ten taels of silver. I've fed your horse too."

After saying this, the old man left the room without waiting for Zhou Yi to speak.

Zhou Yi did not touch the food on the table. Though he was in the Vitality Realm, he had not yet reached the point of being immune to all poisons.

After closing the door properly, Zhou Yi took out the talisman pouch Old Qin had given him. He removed three Three Powers Talismans and began channeling his mental power into them.

The talismans began to emit a faint red glow. Zhou Yi knew the Three Powers Talismans had been activated, so he placed them by the window, the doorway, and the bedside respectively.

Only after setting up the Talisman Array did Zhou Yi sit on the bed, watching as the sky outside the window was gradually swallowed by darkness.

Knock, knock, knock.

This time, the knocking did not come from Zhou Yi's door, but from next door. Before long, the sound of the neighboring door opening followed.

The benefits of his increased mental power showed themselves now. Zhou Yi could effortlessly hear the conversation from next door.

The old man's voice reached Zhou Yi's ears again, but before he could finish speaking, a rough voice interrupted him.

"Got it, got it. Why are you nagging? I've been traveling outside for more than ten years. Do I not know the rules?"

Zhou Yi only heard the old man sigh, followed by a series of footsteps, then the sound of the door closing.

After the door closed, Zhou Yi heard the clatter of bowls and chopsticks, as well as chewing.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi shook his head. He took dry provisions from the pack he carried with him and began eating as well.

By the time Zhou Yi finished eating, the sky outside had already been completely drowned in night. He rose and shut the window, then lay down on the bed with Han Guang.

After looking over the Talisman Array in the room, Zhou Yi fell asleep in peace.