A Run of Good Luck

At noon the next day, Yang Yunhai returned to Lonely Grass Village.

After resting for the night, he set out early for Spirit Hall in Notting City.

After meeting Ma Xiunuo, the latter personally helped test his Soul Power and experienced his Second Soul Skill firsthand. Once he confirmed that it could only Drain Soul Power, he immediately said he would file a report as soon as possible.

Seeing this, Yang Yunhai asked Ma Xiunuo about maps and explained that he wanted to spend this time wandering around Notting City before traveling farther to other cities after the New Year. He had rarely left home and was afraid of getting lost or encountering accidents on the road.

Yang Yunhai's Soul Power had already reached level 21, enough to meet the graduation requirements of an Intermediate Soul Master Academy. Naturally, he would not remain in a small place like Notting City. Since he was graduating early and still had time before the New Year, it was only natural that he wanted to visit other places around his hometown before setting off on a long journey. Therefore, Ma Xiunuo naturally supported Yang Yunhai's idea and request.

Afterward, he returned to his room and took down a terrain map of the area around Notting City, specially provided by Spirit Hall, from the wall and gave it to Yang Yunhai as a farewell gift. As for maps of other places, he truly did not have any. He was merely the manager of a branch hall, and the territory under his jurisdiction was only so large. Naturally, his superiors would not issue him maps covering a wider area. Therefore, he could only remind Yang Yunhai to stick to the Official Road whenever possible.

Yang Yunhai thanked him profusely. After collecting that month's Spirit Master subsidy, he politely bid farewell and left.

He traveled all the way back to Lonely Grass Village.

Entering his small room, he quickly took out the map and spread it over the bed.

Spirit Hall's specialized maps were drawn by flying Spirit Masters who conducted firsthand aerial observations. According to Ma Xiunuo, the original version covered the entire continent. Apart from certain dangerous lands occupied by Soul Beasts, which could not be surveyed closely and were left blank, the terrain elsewhere was depicted with considerable accuracy.

Distances were also marked using measurements.

However, since the maps were observed from the air rather than through detailed ground-level searches and investigations, and because of the limitations of the paper itself, they could not mark things such as the exact height of every mountain or the precise number of streams in a forest.

"The one in my hand probably isn't even a copy of the original. It's a condensed version. Makes sense. A map accurate down to bridges and paths would be called a military map. How could a tiny branch hall in Notting City get its hands on something like that?"

Yang Yunhai sighed as he examined it.

"Still, it's enough. It may be condensed, but I can clearly see the general terrain. The surrounding mountain ranges, rivers, and villages are all marked." With that thought, his fingertip moved and quickly stopped at the location of Holy Soul Village. He raised his eyes and surveyed the surrounding area.

"There's a fairly wide river in the middle, and the terrain around the outside is steep. It takes half a day to reach the interior from the outskirts. Half a day... Even if the mountains are treacherous, with Tang San's cultivation in the original story, he shouldn't have been slow. So the area must be quite large."

He muttered as he searched.

Before long, his pupils contracted, and his gaze locked onto the middle section of a mountain range.

"Holy shit! Doesn't this crossbar represent a Waterfall?!" He was immediately startled.

"Of course. A Waterfall twenty meters wide and nearly two hundred meters high couldn't be hidden even by the tallest trees. Unless someone was blind, they'd be able to see it from the sky!" His heart settled somewhat as he examined it closely. "These densely packed connected-peak symbols outside clearly indicate steep terrain. It's also not far from Holy Soul Village, less than three hundred li away. With Tang Hao's strength, he could probably make a round trip in a day."

"I really have to thank that flying Spirit Master from Spirit Hall who came here to draw this map!" A smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

To him, that crossbar marking the Waterfall was simply a stroke of divine inspiration!

He had thought he would have to spend a great deal of time searching mountain after mountain. Who would have thought he would find it without any effort? Every condition matched. He could practically conclude that this was the mountain range he had been looking for.

Still, to be safe, Yang Yunhai examined all the other mountain ranges around Holy Soul Village.

In the end, he concluded that only the previous mountain range met every condition.

"Then where is the Blue Silver King?" Having confirmed the location of the Blue Silver Emperor, Yang Yunhai could not help but wonder.

"In the original story, Tang Hao took Tang San on the road for five days before they finally reached a primeval forest, which was the Blue Silver King's territory. Five days of travel, a primeval forest, and an eighty-five-thousand-year Blue Silver King within it that had never been discovered... It must be a sizable Soul Beast forest, nothing ordinary mountain woods could compare to," he thought to himself.

His gaze swept across the map, and he shook his head slightly.

With the Waterfall as the center, the region reachable within five days already extended beyond the map's surveyed range.

"Looks like I can only find a map covering a wider area later."

"For now, I'll cultivate properly and wait until Tang San graduates from Notting Academy." With that thought, he rolled up the map again.

Then he sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

Time flew by, and a month soon passed. The new term at Notting Academy came to an end.

"The New Year holiday lasts a month, so there's no rush. I can leave after the New Year. If I'm not mistaken, Tang Hao should visit the Blue Silver Emperor during the holiday, then return to the village to keep an eye on Tang San and Xiao Wu so they don't head to Shrek Academy early and run into high-level Spirit Masters on the way."

"So I can set off after the New Year. To prevent any mishaps, it doesn't matter if I take things slowly."

Yang Yunhai, sitting cross-legged on the grass of the Back Mountain, raised his head and glanced toward Notting Academy. Then he closed his eyes and continued cultivating.

A few days later, after the New Year had passed, Yang Yunhai bid farewell to the Village Chief and left the village riding the Little Black Donkey he had bought.

Spring had not yet arrived, and the weather was still chilly. To ward off the cold, to avoid the possibility of running into Tang Hao and being recognized by his face, and to keep strange mosquitoes and insects from biting him once he entered the forest, he had specifically prepared a large shawl that covered his neck, mouth, and nose tightly.

In addition, a Bamboo Hat and raincoat were necessities. What if it rained?

Since he was not in a hurry, he decided to first follow the Official Road to the nearest place before changing routes. He admired the scenery as he traveled, feeling quite leisurely.

Near noon, he looked ahead and saw a wisp of cooking smoke rising in the distance. Lowering his gaze, he saw a small tea stall standing beside the road. Inside were only several long benches and two small square tables. As for people, aside from the owner, there were three customers seated there.

Two of them appeared to be traveling together and were currently chatting animatedly.

As for the middle-aged man sitting alone at a table drinking tea, Yang Yunhai's eyes flickered the moment his gaze reached him.

He hurriedly pressed down the Bamboo Hat on his head and pulled his shawl higher.

"This leather outfit, this robe, this hairstyle, this beard, and that strip of coarse cloth tied around his head... Could that be Tang Hao?" He had never met Tang Hao, but judging from this outfit, he had to admit that it was a perfect recreation of the animated image he had seen in his previous life.

"My luck is terrible. Today really isn't a good day to travel!" he silently grumbled. He truly had not expected to run into him here.

"I just wonder whether Tang Hao is heading toward the mountains or back to Holy Soul Village," he thought.

If Tang Hao headed toward Notting City later, then there would be no doubt that he had just returned from the mountains. In that case, he would not go again for at least the next day or two, giving Yang Yunhai the perfect opening to head to the mountain range and search for the Blue Silver Emperor without any concerns.

But if Tang Hao headed toward the mountains, then Yang Yunhai would have no choice but to follow his original plan and wander around outside for a few days first.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, the little donkey slowly approached a spot not far in front of the bamboo shelter.

Just then, the middle-aged man suddenly paused in the middle of drinking tea. He glanced over at Yang Yunhai, then continued drinking tea and eating his flatbread.

"Did he sense that I'm a Spirit Master? Maybe he even saw through my cultivation, perhaps even my age. My hands are exposed, after all. He can tell from my skin." Yang Yunhai casually glanced at the stall and continued onward.

"Honored guest," the owner called out warmly when he saw someone approaching.

Yang Yunhai instinctively waved his hand, patted the donkey's leg, and urged it onward. He had shared a dormitory with Tang San for six years. Tang Hao had definitely seen him before.

If Tang Hao saw his face now and later discovered that the Blue Silver Emperor was gone, what if he suspected Yang Yunhai?

His Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass as well. If it truly evolved and changed, Tang Hao would inevitably make the connection.

"Ah..." The owner's gaze visibly dimmed as he lowered his head and continued boiling tea.

And so, Yang Yunhai rode past the small shelter and gradually disappeared into the distance.

Half the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, the middle-aged man took out two copper Soul Coins from his clothes, set them down, and stood up to leave.

"He's heading back!" Yang Yunhai, who was sitting beneath a distant tree eating flatbread, was instantly overjoyed.

After the man completely vanished from sight, Yang Yunhai wolfed down the flatbread in his hand, drank water while riding the donkey, then patted its leg and set off.

Although the New Year had only just passed, there were not many people traveling outside. Still, Yang Yunhai was following the Official Road, so he occasionally encountered pedestrians. Before he had gone far, a group of travelers in commoner's clothing appeared in his field of vision. They clearly looked like a family.

Seeing this, Yang Yunhai did not hesitate. He generously traded the donkey for some dry provisions.

The mountain range where the Blue Silver Emperor was located was steep and treacherous. He had no way to bring the donkey up with him, nor could he leave it outside, where some wild beast might eat it.

Besides, he needed to hurry now. The donkey truly could not run faster than he could.

Giving it to a commoner family meant it would at least be treated well. A donkey was a good companion that could help with work.

"What a good man!" As they watched his agile figure sprint away, a sigh rang out through the air.