Leaving

The next morning, Ye Yun was woken by the street vendors' cries. He opened the window and gazed at the crowds coming and going below, his mind in a daze. Scenes like this had once existed only on television, but now they were right before his eyes, making everything feel like a dream.

He shook his head, casting aside his jumble of thoughts. After checking his belongings, he took his longsword and left the inn. He bought a few buns from a stall outside, then headed for the place where Gu Dahai and the others were staying. He had promised the women he would take them home.

Before he reached the courtyard, Ye Yun heard a commotion. His heart tightened, but when he turned the corner and saw what was happening at the entrance, he relaxed. Gu Dahai and the others were safe. The courtyard was so lively because Gu Dahai had called over a crowd of vendors, who had brought breakfast with them.

After breakfast, Ye Yun asked for their opinions, then summoned the local officials. Although most of the women were from Heyang City, they had all been reported missing. Without official confirmation, they would still be considered unregistered residents and missing persons even if they returned home. Only after the officials confirmed their identities, recorded the matter, and summoned their families to claim them could their household registrations be restored.

Things should not have gone so smoothly. After all, wealth tempted people, and few could resist greed when faced with several chests of glittering valuables. The officials sent over by the authorities had failed to resist, too. But when they saw the longsword in Ye Yun's hand fly above their heads, they suppressed their greed and set to work respectfully.

By noon, of the fifty-three people Ye Yun had rescued from Boss Chen's lair, forty-seven had received the compensation that belonged to them and returned home. Six were not claimed by their families because they had been violated. Of those six, four chose to enter religious life, while the remaining two decided to stay in the courtyard.

Ye Yun felt furious and sorry for them, but that was simply how this world worked. Even as a "master" of Qingyun Sect, he couldn't change it. Even if the families had taken the women back under pressure, there was no guarantee they would have been happy. They might well have suffered even more.

To Ye Yun's surprise, only one of the several chests of valuables was claimed. He set aside a small portion for the two women who were staying in the courtyard, and gave a little to the four women preparing to enter religious life. He handed the rest over to the authorities to find the rightful owners. Anything they couldn't trace would be used to support the city's poor and elderly who had no family. Since Gu Dahai had worked alongside him the whole time, Ye Yun wasn't about to leave him without a reward. The Thick Earth Art would have been the best choice, but Gu Dahai was unfortunately too old to cultivate it. In the end, Ye Yun gave him three Little Yellow Pills and a bottle of Clear Spirit Powder that could increase his cultivation. Once he'd settled everything, Ye Yun left. With his status, no one in Heyang City would dare to cause them trouble.

Ye Yun didn't rush to leave Heyang City. Since he had come down to gain experience, he wanted to take in the city's customs and way of life. Unfortunately, he was still rather young, and he was short on money, so there were many things he couldn't experience.

Ye Yun stayed in Heyang City for only one day before leaving. He'd found there was little to do there. The place was much like ancient Huaxia, with few forms of entertainment, and the one pastime worth mentioning was beyond his reach because of his age. So, after sampling the city's snacks and asking Gu Dahai to keep the Meteorite Copper safe for him, he decided to move on.

Three months later, Ye Yun arrived in a small city called Cang'er City, nearly ten thousand li from Qingyun Mountain. He had come because three days earlier, a demonic cultivator had told him there was a Spiritual Spring in the mountains outside the city. There would surely be a Spiritual Item near the spring, and that was what he was after.

"I hope I don't come up empty again. Otherwise, I really will go mad." Looking at the somewhat desolate city, Ye Yun muttered under his breath. In the past three months, he had received five leads on Spiritual Items, but had found only one medicinal herb. The rest had either been completely made up or he had arrived too late. It had nearly driven him mad. But this lead had come from a demonic cultivator, so it should be reliable.

Ye Yun had considered going after the Mysterious Fire Mirror, but he remembered that it was in the hands of the Three-Tailed Fox. Although he was stronger than Zhang Xiaofan, he wasn't sure he could withstand the fox's charms. As for the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury, even a badly wounded Blackwater Mysterious Snake had nearly wiped out Zhang Xiaofan and the others. The Yellow Bird guarding the treasury was even stronger than the snake, and it was in peak condition. Going there would be suicide. For now, Ye Yun just wanted to wait quietly until the system had collected enough energy for him to return to the present day. There were treasures aplenty across the myriad worlds; he could collect them at his leisure later.

With time to spare, Ye Yun found an inn and settled in. Then he took his longsword and set out. The demonic cultivator had only given him a general direction, so he expected the search to take a while. When he spotted several dark figures darting across the street, he quickened his pace.

After leaving the city, Ye Yun found a secluded spot, formed a sword seal, and flew toward the direction the demonic cultivator had indicated. But after flying for some distance, he realized something was wrong. Spiritual Items were usually found in remote places, where they could survive undisturbed. Yet when he reached the general area the demonic cultivator had described, he found a small village. If he still hadn't realized he'd been tricked, he might as well have given up.

"I haven't found a Spiritual Spring here, but that man probably wasn't lying about everything. There really should be one nearby, or his people wouldn't have shown up here. All I need to do now is follow them. They've never done anything good, so I can rob them without feeling bad. Right, that's the plan."

Having made up his mind, Ye Yun hurried back toward the city. But to his annoyance, the people he had spotted earlier had already left. Once they were out of the city and in the forest beyond, finding them would be difficult.

Just as Ye Yun was at a loss, several men emerging from an inn caught his attention. Their clothes looked ordinary, but as they walked, they subtly maintained a defensive formation that could both attack and defend. It was discreet, but Ye Yun had crossed paths with members of this sect several times and recognized them at a glance. He quietly followed them from behind.