Gradually, he moved farther away from Departure Peak.
Not a single cloud could be seen in the clear sky. Fortunately, the rosy dawn spread beneath the newly risen great sun, lending Liu Dongqing's trail another layer of cover.
At this moment.
He sat upright aboard a narrow Dharma boat that looked exceedingly old and battered, gazing into the vast lands north of the Southern Border.
After leisurely taking in the view for some time.
Liu Dongqing lowered his head again and looked at the three jade talismans resting in his hands.
After his nighttime "earnest explanation of the stakes" to Jiang Xiuyong had made the latter understand that saving him meant saving himself, Liu Dongqing had also quite thoroughly "borrowed" some traveling funds from that down-and-out young master.
This Dharma boat had once been Jiang Xiuyong's "ride."
Of the three jade talismans in Liu Dongqing's hands, one contained the decree secretly delivered from Departure Peak in the dead of night, while another was an identity jade pendant representing Liu Dongqing's diplomatic mission.
The remaining one was a jade talisman Liu Dongqing had once coveted after seeing Zhang Qiwei's steward use one with storage capabilities.
Naturally, this jade talisman had also been generously sponsored by Jiang Xiuyong.
More than that, it held all the family assets from Liu Dongqing's little courtyard: unused precious pills, spiritual materials purchased beforehand at the marketplace early that morning, and, most importantly, the jade vat containing the Bloodthirsty Medicinal Vine.
As for the bedroom in Liu Dongqing's courtyard, it had long since become truly "bare as four walls." Only a wooden box remained upon the table, containing a Departing Fire Pill Liu Dongqing had specifically left behind for Zhang Qiwei.
Besides that, there was also a pouch of spirit stones he had squeezed from between Jiang