Li Yuan's account had shown Xu Yang that cultivators truly existed in this world. Curiosity welled up inside him about these mysterious cultivators. If he really became an immortal, could he live forever?
Even to his dying breath, Li Yuan had clung to his dream of cultivating immortality. It seemed that living forever might truly be possible. At the thought, Xu Yang grew eager too. The lure of eternal life was immense—not to mention gaining mighty strength and roaming the world at will.
After letting his imagination run wild for a moment, Xu Yang came back to himself. He looked at Li Yuan's corpse, picked up the green porcelain bottle, and dissolved the body. In no time, it had become a puddle of yellow water.
He glanced out of the temple. Dawn had already broken, but Xu Yang was in no rush to leave now. He had dissolved all the corpses in the temple, so no one would know anyone had died there. He no longer feared the authorities searching the place.
He bundled up the pile of belongings and stashed it in a concealed corner. Starving, Xu Yang pulled out the rest of his flatbread and stuffed it into his mouth in great, greedy bites. He wolfed it down, took a drink of water, and immediately began inspecting his spoils.
He set aside the items he had gotten from the old man. That old codger had been covered in poison; who knew whether the things might be deadly, too? If Xu Yang accidentally poisoned himself, he'd be in a real mess. So he examined Li Yuan's belongings first.
There were some banknotes, three porcelain bottles, two tokens, and two books. Xu Yang put away the banknotes and bottles, then turned his attention to the other items. One token was Li Yuan's proof of identity as an imperial secret agent. The other was a pass given to him by an immortal; with it, one could meet that immortal.
As for the books, one was the Heavenly Demon Great Art, and the other was Ice Palm. According to Li Yuan, both were top-tier martial arts manuals. Xu Yang was frustrated to find he couldn't understand them at all. He recognized some of the characters, but couldn't make sense of the text. Fortunately, Li Yuan had anticipated this before he died and made arrangements.
After examining the things, Xu Yang suddenly remembered the bundle the old man had hidden the day before. He hurried behind the Buddha statue, and when he came back out, he had a bundle in his hands.
But Xu Yang didn't inspect it right away. Instead, he packed all the belongings together, slung them over his back, and headed for Xiao Liu Township.
Half an hour later, Xu Yang arrived at a secluded courtyard. It was the old man's home, a place Li Yuan had told him about. It was remote enough to serve as a temporary place to stay.
Xu Yang pushed open the gate and walked inside. At a glance, he saw that the house was sparsely furnished, with old furniture. Some medicines were piled in a side room. Thankfully, there were enough supplies for him to live there for a while.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed. In a dense forest near Xiao Liu Township, Xu Yang stood before a thick tree. He raised his right hand and lightly struck the trunk. With a soft smack, a palm print an inch deep appeared, and flecks of frost formed around it. Xu Yang's face lit up.
"Haha, I finally did it. Ice Palm is at the minor mastery stage. It's time to follow Master Li's instructions and leave this place." After a year of grueling martial arts practice, Xu Yang had finally made real progress, and he was thrilled.
A year ago, he had obtained the martial arts manuals but couldn't understand them. Luckily, he was quick-witted. Using the silver Li Yuan had left behind, he joined a martial arts school in the county seat. The school didn't teach any profound martial arts, but it did cover the basics, including the body's acupoints and meridians.
Those were exactly the fundamentals Xu Yang had lacked. Once he had filled in the gaps at the school, his martial arts advanced by leaps and bounds. After all, Li Yuan had once passed his power on to Xu Yang, cleansing and reshaping his body and greatly improving his aptitude. Xu Yang also had some of Li Yuan's power inside him, and he was practicing superior martial arts.
Back at his lodgings, Xu Yang took out several manuals and channeled his energy. They immediately crumbled into scraps. He tossed the shredded paper into the stove, and the manuals turned to ash. He had memorized all of them, so it was best to destroy the originals and keep them from attracting unwanted attention.
Now that his martial arts had reached the minor mastery stage, it was time to go out and gain experience. Li Yuan had also left him some things to take care of, so he might as well handle them. More importantly, he needed to find a way to break through to the Xiantian realm and enter the Immortal Realm.
Thinking of this left Xu Yang rather frustrated. The treasure that Li Yuan and the other man had fought over had ended up in his hands, yet it was completely useless. The so-called treasure was nothing more than a small, pitch-black sword and a three-headed, six-armed statue. Both were only the size of a finger, like children's toys.
No matter how he looked, he couldn't find anything unusual about them. They were, however, incredibly sturdy; neither blades nor fire could damage them in the slightest. He had no idea what they were made of. If he hadn't noticed how indestructible they were, he would have tossed the toys away long ago. Hoping to uncover their secret, he kept both of them close to him.
Early the next morning, Xu Yang left Xiao Liu Township with his bundle and headed for the county seat. After arriving, he bought some dry rations, then turned toward Yuelai Inn. His only friend was there. He didn't know when he might see him again after leaving his hometown, so he wanted to say goodbye to Xiao Wang.
Xu Yang walked into the inn. A waiter showed him to a private room on the second floor. He turned to the waiter and said, "Hey, where's your coworker Wang Dong? I'm a friend of his. Sorry for the trouble, but could you tell him I'm waiting here?" As he spoke, Xu Yang tossed him some coins.
The waiter hurriedly thanked him for the tip and left. A moment later, he came back with Wang Dong. Wang Dong was startled to see Xu Yang. He hurried over, opening his mouth to ask a question.
Xu Yang quickly raised a hand to stop him. Turning to the waiter, he said, "Bring out all the restaurant's signature dishes, and a pot of Bamboo Leaf Green. Keep the rest as a tip." As he spoke, he took out a silver ingot and tossed it to the waiter. The waiter caught it, agreed repeatedly, and went out to make the arrangements.
Xu Yang and Wang Dong took their seats. Wang Dong hurriedly asked, "Yangzi, where have you been all this time? I went to the temple to look for you several times, but you were nowhere to be found."
"Haha, Brother Wang, it's a long story. Your little brother struck it lucky and met a benefactor. I haven't lived in that broken temple for a long time. I came to say goodbye to you."
"Yangzi, you're leaving? Where are you going?" Wang Dong asked.
"Your little brother is going to Mountain City Prefecture, the county seat's capital. My benefactor is from Mountain City. He saw how clever I was, took me on as a subordinate, and asked me to go back with him." Xu Yang sounded delighted.
Wang Dong looked envious. "You're one lucky fellow, brother. Congratulations. But you and I won't be able to see each other easily from now on." His face dimmed as he spoke.
Xu Yang sighed, his expression turning somber as well. "That's why I came to say goodbye, Brother Wang. If you hadn't looked after me all these years, I'd have starved to death and gone to join the old beggar long ago."
Just then, the waiter came in with the food and wine. Xu Yang quickly said, "Brother Wang, the food and wine are here. Let's eat and talk." Once the waiter had set everything down and left, the two immediately picked up their bowls and chopsticks and dug in.
After a few rounds of food and drink, the two paused for a while. Xu Yang took a book and a banknote from his robe and placed them in front of Wang Dong. Wang Dong froze, then picked them up and glanced at them. His expression changed at once. He looked up at Xu Yang and asked, "Brother, what's this?"
Xu Yang smiled. "A gift for you, Brother Wang. We're about to part, and it won't be easy to meet again. Take these. It's my way of thanking you for looking after your little brother all these years."
Wang Dong stared at the things in his hands, his face flushed with excitement. His voice turned hoarse. "I only helped you with a few little things. These are far too valuable. I can't accept them!" Even as he said it, his hands clutched the book and banknote tightly.
Xu Yang could tell he was tempted, but that was only human nature. Xu Yang would have felt the same way once. He laughed. "What are you saying, Brother Wang? You've been kind to me. I know you've always wanted to marry the innkeeper's daughter. Now that your little brother has made good, of course I'm going to give you a hand."
"The book is a martial arts manual. Keep it somewhere safe, Brother Wang. If you practice it little by little, you'll be able to protect yourself." Xu Yang urged him.
Wang Dong nodded excitedly to show he understood, then tucked everything into his robe. Neither of them said anything more. They raised their cups and drained them. After that, they ate and chatted until they were full and thoroughly satisfied. Xu Yang stood up to say goodbye. Wang Dong saw him out of the inn and stood at the entrance, watching Xu Yang disappear into the distance.
Xu Yang took one last look back at Wang Dong, then turned and left the hometown that had raised him. He set out on the road to Mountain City Prefecture, beginning a life of twists and turns.
Before you continue