Seeing that a Jade Plaque had actually been hidden inside the stone pillow, Ye Fei froze, then hurried over and picked it up.
It was a square Jade Plaque the size of his palm, engraved with the words "Free and Easy."
"What is this Jade Plaque?"
Holding the Jade Plaque, Ye Fei looked at Ye Canglong in puzzlement.
"You've heard of the Free and Easy Gate, haven't you?"
Ye Canglong sat back down in his chair and spoke unhurriedly.
"Yes. The Free and Easy Gate is on Green Pine Mountain, ten thousand li south of Hongcang Mountain. It's even more powerful than the Void-Surpassing Gate. Could this Jade Plaque be...?"
In an instant, Ye Fei connected the dots.
"That's right. This Jade Plaque is an Initiation Token for the Free and Easy Gate."
"With this Jade Plaque, you can join the Free and Easy Gate directly, without taking the entrance assessment."
Ye Canglong nodded and spoke slowly.
"How is that possible?"
"I can join the Free and Easy Gate directly even without spiritual roots?"
"If this Jade Plaque is so useful, how did you get it, Father? Why didn't you use it yourself?"
Hearing that the Jade Plaque was so useful, Ye Fei stared at Ye Canglong in disbelief.
"Haven't you always wanted to know how your father lost his eyes?"
"Today, I'll tell you. I traded these eyes for this Jade Plaque."
"When you reach Green Pine Mountain, drip a drop of blood onto this Jade Plaque, and someone will come to guide you in. Just give her the Jade Plaque then."
Ye Canglong gently stroked the two dark red scars beneath his brows, as though recalling something, his voice somewhat subdued.
"Father, what exactly happened?"
"Why did you trade your eyes for this Jade Plaque?"
Though his heart ached, Ye Fei could not help asking.
"For the same reason as you-to stand my ground and leave no knot in my heart."
"Go. If you wait until the Wang family's immortal master arrives, you may not be able to leave."
Ye Canglong sighed deeply and waved for Ye Fei to leave quickly.
"What will happen to you if I leave, Father?"
Ye Fei hesitated.
"You knocked Wang Hai unconscious, but he isn't badly hurt."
"Even if you stayed, your life wouldn't be in danger. At most, you'd take a beating."
"But if you remain here, Wang Hai will probably keep targeting you. Sooner or later, something will happen. Better to leave early and seek an opportunity."
"You may have no spiritual roots, but that doesn't mean there's no hope. Once you enter the Free and Easy Gate, you might find an opportunity."
"Don't worry about me. You're the one who caused the trouble. Over something this minor, even the Wang family's immortal master won't lay a hand on me."
Ye Canglong smiled calmly.
"Don't worry, Father. Once I reach the Free and Easy Gate, I'll find a way to cultivate spiritual roots. I won't let you down."
Having thought it through, Ye Fei dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times to Ye Canglong, striking his forehead firmly against the ground.
"Go!"
"Remember, whether you have spiritual roots or not, the path to immortality will never bar someone whose heart is set on becoming an immortal."
After a soft sigh, Ye Canglong urged Ye Fei to leave once more.
Seeing this, Ye Fei took one long look at Ye Canglong, gripped the Jade Plaque tightly, and turned to leave the courtyard.
A cup of tea's time later.
On a hillside three li outside Hidden Dragon Village.
Gazing at the dilapidated thatched cottage in the distance, Ye Fei clenched both fists, his eyes resolute.
"Father, don't worry. No matter how hard it is, I'll become an immortal master."
After one last look at Hidden Dragon Village, Ye Fei turned and entered the mountain forest behind him.
Having grown up in these woods, Ye Fei knew them well. In just a quarter of an hour, he reached an official road leading south.
For immortal masters who could soar through the skies and burrow through the earth, ten thousand li might not be far.
But for a mortal like Ye Fei, it was like a heavenly chasm, a journey long enough to drive a man to despair.
Fortunately, Ye Fei had practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed stamina far beyond that of ordinary people. Though he encountered many hardships and setbacks along the way, he managed to turn every danger into safety.
Half a year later, he finally reached Green Pine Mountain.
Had Ye Fei not been skilled enough to hunt wild game whenever he needed, he might not have arrived even with another half a year.
"Finally."
Looking at the vast mountain range before him, Ye Fei let out a deep breath.
He found an open spot, took out the Jade Plaque, bit his finger, and dripped a drop of fresh blood onto it.
The instant the blood landed on the Jade Plaque, it was absorbed.
Then the purple Jade Plaque shuddered all over and released a streak of purple light, which shot straight into the depths of Green Pine Mountain and vanished.
Though Ye Fei did not know what the purple light was, he could guess its purpose.
He stood quietly where he was and waited.
Meanwhile, inside a cave abode on Green Bamboo Peak at the Free and Easy Gate, a beautiful woman in a yellow dress suddenly opened her eyes.
"Has he come?"
Murmuring to herself, the beautiful woman slowly rose and gazed toward the land beyond Green Pine Mountain.
A streak of purple light flashed toward her from there and flew to her waist.
At the sight of the purple light, reminiscence filled her eyes. She raised an elegant hand and took a purple Jade Plaque from her waist.
This Jade Plaque was identical to the one in Ye Fei's hand.
"Siyu."
The beautiful woman parted her cherry-red lips, and an authoritative voice carried out of the cave abode.
"Siyu greets Master."
As soon as the beautiful woman finished speaking, a shapely young girl entered the cave abode and bowed to her.
"The son of an old acquaintance is waiting outside the mountain. Go and bring him here."
With a flick of the beautiful woman's delicate finger, the Jade Plaque flew into the girl's hand.
Putting away the Jade Plaque, the girl nodded in assent, bowed to the beautiful woman again, and turned to leave the cave abode.
"Little Crane, let's head down the mountain together."
Outside the cave abode, the girl smiled sweetly at an immortal crane guarding the entrance, then pushed off with her toes and floated lightly onto its back.
"Kree!"
As though it understood human speech, the immortal crane nodded gently to the girl, raised its head with a piercing cry, and flapped its wings, flying down the mountain.
The immortal crane was swift, vanishing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
"Since you're here, you can suffer a little first."
"If I put you in the outer sect, those people certainly won't be able to hold back. It will serve as a trial for you."
After the immortal crane left, a sharp gleam flashed through the beautiful woman's eyes, and she revealed a meaningful smile.
At the outskirts of Green Pine Mountain, Ye Fei stood waiting, craning his neck in anticipation.
He waited a full two hours. Just as he was growing anxious, a black speck appeared on the distant horizon.
The speck grew larger and larger, and within a few breaths, its shape became clear.
"What an enormous immortal crane!"
Once Ye Fei saw what the black speck was, his eyes filled with shock.
This was the first time Ye Fei had ever seen an animal so huge.
"Is the person standing on the crane an immortal master?"
As the immortal crane drew closer, Ye Fei noticed the girl standing on its back.
She wore a long blue-green dress, her skin fair, her features as lovely as a painting. Her hair danced in the wind, and she looked every bit a celestial maiden, graceful and ethereal.
Within a breath, the immortal crane stopped above Ye Fei's head. The girl pushed off with her toes and landed softly beside him.
"Hey, are you the one who wants to enter the Free and Easy Gate?"
The girl thrust her already well-developed, firm bosom toward Ye Fei and asked in a lilting voice.
"Yes, Immortal Master. That would be me."
Ye Fei hurriedly bowed to the girl and answered respectfully.
"All right, come with me. My master is waiting for you on Green Bamboo Peak."
The girl stepped forward, raised her delicate hand, and grabbed Ye Fei's arm. Then she pushed off with her toes and carried him into the air.
Ye Fei suddenly felt his body grow light. The next moment, they were both standing on the immortal crane's back.
The crane's back was about four feet wide, so they were not crowded even standing side by side.
Once they were steady, the immortal crane raised its head and let out a long cry without waiting for the girl's command. Its enormous wings beat, carrying them toward Green Bamboo Peak.
Listening to the wind howl past his ears and watching the peaks and trees race by, Ye Fei stood on the crane without daring to move a muscle.
He feared that the slightest movement would send him tumbling down to be smashed to pieces.
Besides, standing so close to the girl, he could even smell the wafts of delicate fragrance coming from her.
That scent was so distinctive that it kept his heart pounding nonstop.
"Hee-hee!"
"You don't need to be so nervous. You won't fall."
Seeing how nervous Ye Fei was, the girl smiled slightly and even turned a leisurely circle on the crane's back as she spoke.
"You must find me laughable, Immortal Master."
Ye Fei's cheeks reddened, and he smiled sheepishly.
But just as Ye Fei finished speaking, the immortal crane, which had been flying steadily, suddenly cried out for some unknown reason and flipped over in midair.
With the crane turning upside down, how could either of them keep their footing on its back?
The girl was a cultivator, after all, and handled it with ease, managing not to fall.
But Ye Fei was only a martial artist. His body plunged uncontrollably from the crane's back.
"Ah?"
"How did you fall?"
Seeing Ye Fei tumble from the crane's back, the girl was greatly alarmed and hurriedly reached out to catch him.
Though she reacted quickly, Ye Fei seemed to be drawn by something and fell so fast that she simply could not catch him.
In an instant, Ye Fei vanished from her sight.
"Azure Dragon Valley!"
"He actually fell into Azure Dragon Valley!"
The girl was about to direct the immortal crane to chase after him, but when she saw where Ye Fei had fallen, her face turned pale, drained of every trace of color.
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