The sun rose and set, and in the blink of an eye, nearly half a month had passed.
During that time, under Duan Yu's careful guidance, Xu Xiao had finally committed the circulation routes in all thirty-six diagrams to memory.
One morning, just after Xu Xiao had finished his morning Qi-gathering cultivation, Duan Yu came with Zhong Ling to bid him farewell.
"Brother Xu, I've been away from home for too long, and Sister Zhong is homesick as well. Now that you've learned this divine art, why don't we leave the mountain?"
"That's right! We can go to my home first, and I'll have my parents host you."
Zhong Ling chimed in. For the past few days, Duan Yu and Xu Xiao had spent ten of the twelve shichen in each day studying martial arts and cultivating.
Zhong Ling had taken care of all their meals and daily needs. Fortunately, Sword Lake and Mount Wuliang were nearby, so there was no shortage of delicacies from lake and mountain.
"Leave the mountain?" Xu Xiao slowly let out a breath of turbid air.
Honestly, after spending the past few days cooped up in the Langhuan Blessed Land practicing with Duan Yu, he had been bored out of his ass.
Now that he had heard their invitation, he couldn't help feeling tempted.
But I don't have much time left. I kept Duan Yu here for nearly half a month, so I reckon the plot is already a complete mess.
Xu Xiao glanced at the countdown in his mind. It now read: 78:19:47:25.
That meant he had already been in this world for twenty-one days, and he had made some progress toward his goal.
Duan Yu had taught Xu Xiao the full circulation routes of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, and Xu Xiao himself had cultivated it up to the sixth diagram, a pace that could be called lightning-fast.
By now, a trace of internal energy had formed within Xu Xiao's body. It could circulate fully through his meridians, nourishing his body.
With the nourishment of his internal energy, Xu Xiao's body was no longer quite so withered.
He had gained a hint of life, and even his face had begun to fill out a little. He was no longer quite so frightening.
Xu Xiao didn't care if the plot had gone off the rails.
The world of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils was only a passing stop for him anyway. He would leave when his time was up, and if the plot changed, so be it.
He had come here to obtain martial arts and nourish his body. Collecting internal energy was also key, of course.
The more internal energy he had, the better it would nourish his body. Xu Xiao wasn't about to give up all those experience packs in the jianghu.
While Xu Xiao pondered, the mischievous Zhong Ling had already run over of her own accord and tugged at his sleeve, wheedling:
"Come on, Brother Xu, come see my home. It's boring to death here."
"Every day it's either fish or rabbit. I'm nearly sick of eating them. When we get to my home, I'll have my mother arrange a feast for a change of taste."
The girl's wheedling, coupled with the temptation of good food, stirred Xu Xiao's heart. In the end, he nodded his agreement.
"All right, all right. I'll go back with you and treat my five organs to a feast."
Xu Xiao nodded. As it happened, he had already mastered the Northern Darkness Divine Art's method of absorbing other people's internal energy.
Going out now would give him a chance to find some people of the jianghu along the way and absorb their internal energy, filling the gap in his own as quickly as possible.
"That's wonderful! Brother Xu, Brother Duan, let's go! We'll go to my home first, then travel the jianghu."
Zhong Ling was the first to charge out of the cave. It was clear the young girl had been thoroughly cooped up.
Xu Xiao and Duan Yu smiled, then followed her out of the cave one after the other.
Outside the cave, they were naturally still beside Sword Lake. Xu Xiao used Telekinesis to bring the three of them to a mountain path, and they proceeded on foot.
This was also the first time Xu Xiao had walked with both feet on the ground since gaining his superpowered Telekinesis.
The superpower had withered his body, leaving him with some difficulty moving his legs.
Now that Northern Darkness True Qi was nourishing his flesh, his still-scrawny legs could at least walk normally.
People still needed to walk using their own bodies. That was a requirement Xu Xiao had set for himself.
He couldn't become completely dependent on any one ability, no matter how powerful it was.
With his body receiving nourishment, Xu Xiao's Telekinesis had also begun to grow again, becoming ever more powerful.
But the more it did, the more effort Xu Xiao devoted to his internal energy.
He was afraid-afraid that one day he would become a dried-up corpse that could move only through Telekinesis.
So he worked hard to cultivate internal energy, nourishing the regrowth of his flesh in the hope of restoring his body to normal.
Body and spirit complemented each other. Xu Xiao, a complete novice in martial arts, had learned six diagrams of the Northern Darkness Divine Art in such a short time.
That was inextricably linked to the way Telekinesis had developed his brain.
Having the two in balance was Xu Xiao's ideal state, so when there was no need otherwise, he still wanted to move his body more.
Seeing that Xu Xiao was no longer floating as he usually did but walking on two feet like an ordinary person, Duan Yu and Zhong Ling slowed their pace as well.
They accompanied him at a leisurely pace along the mountain path, talking and laughing from time to time.
Before long, as afternoon approached, the three arrived at Zhong Ling's home-the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities.
But the valley was already in complete chaos. As soon as Xu Xiao and the others arrived, they heard fighting inside.
From the valley entrance onward, the corpses of soldiers and people from the valley lay scattered along the way.
"Father! Mother!" Zhong Ling shouted and rushed inside.
Duan Yu's expression changed when he saw the soldiers' bodies on the ground, and he followed her in.
Only Xu Xiao continued inward at an unhurried pace. He could more or less guess what was happening.
In the original story, Duan Yu had run away from home and met Zhong Ling by chance. After his fortuitous encounter with the Northern Darkness Divine Art, he had gone to the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities to seek help.
It was there that Duan Yu had heard that Zhong Wanchou had brought in the Four Great Evils to deal with his father, Duan Zhengchun.
Now, Xu Xiao had kept Duan Yu in the Langhuan Grotto-Heaven for twenty-one days. The Duan Family, presumably driven mad searching for Duan Yu, had run into the Four Great Evils again.
"What a tangled mess of grudges. But Duan Yu wasn't there, so how did the Duan Family come into conflict with the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities?"
Xu Xiao was curious as well. He slowly walked inside.
As soon as he entered, he saw two groups facing each other.
One side consisted of experts from the Dali Duan Clan and elite soldiers of the Kingdom of Dali. They had the greater numbers, no fewer than fifty.
On the other side were fewer than ten people from the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities, with the Four Great Evils, Zhong Wanchou, and his subordinates standing together against their opponents.
Of course, calling it a standoff was a bit of a stretch. More accurately, the Duan Clan's side had used its superior numbers to surround the valley's forces.
But the valley's side had taken a hostage, making their opponents afraid to advance for fear of harming him.
"You villain! Release our prince, and we'll let you leave!"
"If you want me to release him, then have that fellow Duan Zhengming come in person. When he does, I'll naturally let your prince go."
"Don't worry about me! Tell my imperial brother he must not leave the palace! My death alone is nothing to fear, but the Duan Family's throne must be safeguarded."
The two sides traded insults, but Duan Yu's appearance made them all freeze.
"Young master!" "Yu'er!" "Father!"
The Duan Family gathered around Duan Yu to protect him, while the Four Great Evils' side also turned their eyes to him.
"Father, what happened? Why are so many people in the valley dead? Where's Mother?"
Zhong Ling called out to the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities' side.
But Zhong Wanchou, who had always doted on her, looked at her with a complicated expression. He stammered, unable to get the words out.
Instead, Duan Zhengchun grew somewhat agitated when he saw Zhong Ling and cried out:
"Ling'er, is that you, Ling'er?"
"Chu Wanli, Zhu Danchen, protect this girl. She is my daughter."
"Huh???"
For a moment, the entire scene was in utter confusion.