South Cliff City

"Miss." Without the slightest hesitation, the tall figure strode up to Hu Jiujiu and dropped to one knee.

His voice was low and respectful, like an instinct carved into his bones through countless drills.

"It's you. You scared me to death." Recognizing him, Hu Jiujiu relaxed her tense body and patted her chest, her tone carrying a trace of relief. "I'm not going back. I haven't had enough fun yet."

"Miss, the master sent word that if I fail to bring you back within three days, I alone will be held accountable."

A trace of helplessness and panic seeped into the tall figure's voice. Caught between this father and daughter, he truly had it rough on both sides.

"Hmph, I knew he'd use this trick to threaten me." Hu Jiujiu pouted. "You shouldn't have followed me in the first place."

The tall figure fell silent for a moment, then his gaze landed on Lin Yu. After choosing his words carefully, he said, "Miss, this man has considerable talent in alchemy. Shall we bring him back to the clan?"

Hu Jiujiu was slightly stunned, then shook her head. "Forget it. We'll talk about it next time."

When she said this, a hint of tenderness hid in her voice, one she had not even noticed herself.

She did not want to force Lin Yu. He had his own path to walk and goals he wished to pursue.

What was the point of something gained by force? She wanted him to willingly visit the Demon Clan and stand openly before her father.

Hu Jiujiu turned and walked over to the sleeping Lin Yu, crouching beside him.

Moonlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows across Lin Yu's face.

He slept deeply, his breathing even and long, utterly unaware of everything happening around him.

Hu Jiujiu took a charcoal pencil from her clothes and carefully wrote on a flat stone slab beside him, stroke by stroke: "I'm going back. Don't worry. My name is actually Hu Jiujiu. You promised to visit the Demon Clan. Don't go dying halfway there. You must take care of yourself."

As she wrote the final sentence, her nose stung slightly. After this parting, she had no idea when they would meet again.

The outside world was fraught with danger. Sometimes this man was brilliant beyond measure, and sometimes he was foolish enough to make people worry.

After thinking about it, Hu Jiujiu drew a little fox after the message.

The fox's nine tails were raised in a fierce, clawing display, yet it wore a mischievous expression, its head tilted and one eye winking. It was the very image of herself.

"All right, let's go." Hu Jiujiu stood up, dusted off her hands, took a deep breath, and put on that carefree expression again.

The tall figure respectfully acknowledged the order, rose to his feet, and waved his right hand.

A thick shadow surged from his sleeve and wrapped Hu Jiujiu tightly within it, blurring both of their figures.

The next instant, the shadow turned into a black gust of wind that swept into the night sky and vanished without a trace.

Once he could no longer sense Hu Jiujiu and the other man with his soul perception, Lin Yu slowly opened his eyes.

He turned his head and glanced at Yao Chen, who had been knocked unconscious and lay slumped on the ground.

Lin Yu withdrew his gaze and looked at the flat stone slab beside him.

The writing was crooked, clearly scrawled in haste, yet every stroke had been written with care.

At the end, the little Nine-Tailed Fox had its head tilted, nine tails raised in a fierce display, and one eye blinking. Its impish appearance was vivid and lifelike.

Lin Yu stared at the little fox for quite a while, and a smile unconsciously curled at the corner of his lips.

The night was still deep, and Lin Yu did not wake Yao Chen.

He tossed several pieces of dry wood into the campfire. The flames flared up again, crackling as they licked at the newly added fuel.

He sat there like that until the sky began to pale at dawn.

After daybreak, Lin Yu stretched and nudged the still-snoring Yao Chen with his foot. "Get up. Time to work."

Yao Chen groggily opened his eyes, rubbing his throbbing temples with a bewildered expression. "How did I fall asleep? Last night..."

"You were too tired." Lin Yu said it casually without further explanation, then turned and headed toward the bamboo grove by the river.

The two cut more than a dozen thick bamboo stalks from the grove, bound them tightly side by side with vines, and laid a layer of flattened bamboo strips across the middle as a deck.

In less than two hours, they had assembled a simple yet sturdy bamboo raft.

Together, they pushed the raft into the river and jumped aboard, each picking up a sharpened bamboo pole to use as a punt.

The water was so clear that the smooth pebbles carpeting the riverbed were visible. Every now and then, several silver-white fish darted beneath the raft.

The green mountains on both banks resembled dark ink, while the cries of apes and birds rang without end. Morning mist still coiled around the mountainsides like a white ribbon.

Lin Yu planted his bamboo pole against a rock on the bank and shoved hard, sending the raft slowly drifting toward the middle of the river with the current.

"Brother Lin, where are we going?" Yao Chen stood at the center of the raft, his youthful face filled with excitement and unease over the unknown journey.

Lin Yu lay on the raft with his hands behind his head and one leg crossed over the other, letting the warm sunlight fall across his face. Looking thoroughly at ease, he said, "Of course, we're going to Sacred Pill City, where the Pill Tower is!"

"What kind of place is the Pill Tower?" Yao Chen pressed, his eyes full of curiosity.

He had grown up in the Medicine Clan and knew almost nothing about the outside world.

Lin Yu turned to look at him, a smile rising on his lips. "A ninth-grade alchemist presides there. It's the holy land of all alchemists!"

At those words, Yao Chen's breathing quickened. His hands unconsciously tightened around the bamboo pole, and a yearning light ignited in his eyes.

A ninth-grade alchemist was an existence standing at the pinnacle of alchemy, a height that every alchemist did not even dare dream of reaching.

The raft drifted downstream, and the scenery along both banks constantly changed.

The sheer cliffs gradually lowered, replaced by rolling hills.

The rushing river also became calm, its surface widening more and more, like a silver ribbon gradually unfurling into a vast mirror.

A day later, the raft had drifted beyond the borders of the Shennong Mountains.

The river suddenly opened up, breaking free from the narrow mountain cliffs on either side and entering an endless plain.

The riverbanks had also changed from towering cliff faces to gentle pebble shores. Reeds and wild grass grew thickly along the water, and several egrets startled by the raft flapped their wings and flew into the distance.

The current here had become extremely slow. The raft bobbed along, almost completely still.

"Abandon the raft. We'll have to travel on foot from here."

Yao Chen nodded and followed Lin Yu off the raft. Their feet landed on the pebble shore, making the stones crunch beneath them.

They headed east along the riverbank, traveling by day and resting by night. When thirsty, they drank spring water; when hungry, Lin Yu hunted rabbits and wild chickens to roast.

After walking for nearly a month, the outline of a city finally appeared before them.

South Cliff City.

Its walls were not particularly grand, yet they possessed a weighty, weathered air. Three ancient characters were carved above the city gate.

Merchants and travelers streamed endlessly along the official road outside the city. Peddlers carrying shoulder poles, traders driving horse-drawn carts, and fighters traveling alone with swords on their backs—people of every kind formed a noisy tide flowing through the gates.