He Liuhun

"He Liuhun, time to head back."

"No hurry, no hurry. That young lady over there seems to be watching me from afar."

"Hahaha, don't be an idiot, He Liuhun. That's the Gao family's daughter, someone who lives on Immortal Mountain. Why would she look at a lowly soldier like you? Come on, let's go. I'll treat you to drinks at Mengchang Tavern later. You pay."

He Liuhun gave the flighty Qifu Zhen a helpless look.

More than four years had passed since they escaped the Demon Cave. Their superior had given them a savage beating for abandoning their posts without permission. In truth, the Lian Nu Yi had launched a night raid and slaughtered people in the frontier towns. Their commanders were furious and naturally took their anger out on them. They had then been exiled to Huaishuo and stripped of their former ranks, reduced to a pair of patrol soldiers.

Li Yuanji, on the other hand, had found himself connections and gone to work as a clerk for the higher-ups, deliberately distancing himself from the two tribesmen. The only other man left, Li Si, had been swallowed and killed a few days ago by a monster that had appeared from who knew where.

Inside Mengchang Tavern, Qifu Zhen was already thoroughly drunk. Swaying on his feet, he cursed, "What a damned, rotten world. I'm going home."

He Liuhun glanced at him, feeling a little guilty.

He had been the one to bring Qifu Zhen out to enlist back then. He Liuhun was handsome, possessed considerable natural strength, and handled people and affairs with tact, earning himself much goodwill. Thus, he had won recognition and caught the eyes of influential people, who often helped him along. Qifu Zhen had benefited alongside him, until a bolt of inexplicable misfortune struck and knocked them both back to square one.

Qifu Zhen often complained, but out of consideration for him, he had never left.

He Liuhun took a sip of wine and could not help thinking again of that man from four years ago. Fierce and domineering were not enough to describe him. After fighting his way through the demons' lair, he could simply have escaped alone, yet he had still spared a thought for the few mortals with him. A merciful rakshasa, perhaps.

If I'd practiced immortal arts back then too, might things have turned out differently?

As he thought this, he secretly tried rousing the Turbidity-Linking Method again. There was still no response whatsoever. He could not help sighing. "Someone of my lowly lot was only indulging in fantasies."

While He Liuhun was thinking this, someone suddenly clamped a firm grip around his wrist, with such force that it seemed his bones might be crushed. In pain, He Liuhun turned to look.

Qifu Zhen's hair hung loose, his clothes sticky with spilled wine. His face was contorted, and the green eyes distinctive to the Lian Nu Yi were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at He Liuhun in utter terror. "I saw it clearly. I saw it clearly! The monster that ate Li Si was..."

Horrified, He Liuhun no longer had any thought to spare for brotherly affection. He threw a punch with all his strength, knocking Qifu Zhen unconscious on the spot. Facing the gazes turning toward him throughout the tavern, He Liuhun supported Qifu Zhen with one arm and laughed. "He's drunk, he's drunk! Haha, keep drinking, brothers."

The tavern was noisy, so naturally no one had heard what Qifu Zhen said. They were merely curious to see these two close brothers come to blows. Now that He Liuhun had explained, they paid it no further mind and went back to drinking.

He Liuhun carried the unconscious Qifu Zhen out, supporting him under the arm. Looking at the young man's swollen, reddened left cheek, he could not help sighing. "How can lowly people like us find a place to survive? I know Li Si's death frightened you. I, He Liuhun, have let you down. Let's go. We're going home."

At last, He Liuhun let go of that lingering unwillingness to give up.

After returning to the barracks and settling him down, he lit a lamp and prepared to write a Return Petition. Just then, the lamplight dimmed for an instant.

He Liuhun was about to reach out to shield the flame, but another pair of hands moved faster, steadily blocking the draft and protecting the flame. He was about to offer his thanks when he suddenly froze. Looking up, he met a pair of long, narrow eyes.

"You!"

He Liuhun's eyes widened, and he sprang to his feet in shock.

The man, however, quietly sat down. He glanced at the Return Petition on the table before turning his gaze back to the startled, uncertain He Liuhun with a smile. "An old acquaintance from the Demon Cave. Have you been well?"

He Liuhun looked at the men sleeping in the barracks, then at the man before him. He opened his mouth, hesitated, and only after a long while bowed. "He Liuhun pays his respects to the exalted immortal."

Three years earlier, Li Fuchan had consumed the Resurrection Clam's yang essence and regrown his body. Following the rivers downstream, he had made his way overseas.

Although his fate was something of a trap, with careful planning, he could still reap his fair share of benefits. Moreover, his luck had improved since leaving the mainland. Not only had he temporarily resolved the trouble of the Three Lights washing away his mind, but he had also learned much overseas that he would never have heard on land.

As it turned out, cultivation in the south these days was broadly known as the "hundred-scene profound immortal way." He had heard no further mention of any "supreme purity method," however, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

The west was occupied by the Buddhist Land, while the north had numerous Dao Lineages and traditions. There was much discord among the three regions.

Before Outer Scenery, the "hundred-scene profound immortal way" actually had another realm called "Aperture Opening."

The "Three Lights Method" he practiced was, in essence, an Ancient Art Cultivator's practice. It bypassed Aperture Opening in a single step and reached Outer Scenery. Though it possessed many marvels and considerable power, its Dao Lineage had long since been severed. What was more, the flying earthworm had reversed it once. He could forget about reaching full mastery of Outer Scenery in this lifetime.

Fortunately, the "Three Lights Method" cultivated Life Force. So long as he could change his Dao Lineage and begin cultivating anew, there was still hope.

He had also learned why he had run into walls everywhere on the mainland. It was actually because Emperor Zhao had a feud with Dragonkind. Burdened with his fate, Li Fuchan was naturally shunned.

It amounted to this: I dislike you, so vast though the world may be, there is nowhere in it for you.

For a moment, he could not help being stunned by such immense supernatural ability, such overwhelming power.

He had spent a year doing dirty work for overseas aristocratic clans and earning some spirit stones. Then he had combined the golden duke with other spirit iron to forge a flying sword, naming it "Coughing Thunder." Anyone who heard the name and prepared for some thunderous display from the sword would surely fall to its invisible, silent killing shot.

Once everything was done, he returned.

The whole point had been to see the projection of his fatal tribulation clearly. Leaving the future price aside for now, it would not do to gain nothing before dying.

His body had now fully regrown, so he need not fear dying easily. Later, he could directly inherit this consciousness, effectively saving himself four years for free, without having to suffer Jia Hua's schemes.

But he still felt that was not enough. If he wanted a place in this world, he had to find a way to continue cultivating.

With a cheat in hand, why wouldn't I make my move?

Thus, he had come without hesitation to seek his guaranteed fallback from Jia Hua. If he died, he would merely start another run. Any price would come later.

Before that, however, he first sought out He Liuhun, his old acquaintance from the Demon Cave, because he had a thought in mind:

The human tribulation the flying earthworm said that immortal mentioned might not refer to me. I'm a variable. Otherwise, there's no telling whether things would have gone this badly. I might as well try those people from the Demon Cave. Who knows? A blind cat might stumble upon a dead mouse.

"Enough, there's no need for ceremony. I came specifically to find you because there's something I want you to do."

Before He Liuhun could speak, Li Fuchan placed an ancient book in his hands.

He Liuhun merely glanced at it, and his heart jolted. Excitement rose within him, and he immediately moved to kneel, already crying out, "He Liuhun pays his respects to his master!"

Li Fuchan hastily caught him and held him up, saying coldly, "There is some affinity between us. I see a glimmer of wisdom in you, and you were born with a pair of green eyes. You surely won't rest until you've stirred up wind and rain. When you cause trouble in the future, don't reveal my name. That will be repayment enough."

As his words fell, Li Fuchan vanished.

Only once he had walked outside the barracks did Li Fuchan breathe a sigh of relief. "Now to see which of these men is the true human tribulation. Once he practices an Ancient Art Cultivator's method and cuts off his path forward, that immortal certainly won't leave him alone. Then I can follow his example. That's my first fallback. Next, I'll go to Jia Hua for the second."

After Li Fuchan left, He Liuhun stood stunned for a long time. It all felt somewhat unreal.

The path of immortal cultivation I've yearned for has simply fallen into my hands?

He went over and pried open the eyelids of Qifu Zhen, who was unconscious from drink and the blow. He, too, had a pair of green eyes.

Recalling Li Fuchan's words, he found them rather absurd, as though they had been made up on the spot.