An Opportunity to Escape

What Strategist Ji did not know was that this had been a small trick Dong Fuyi played before his Divine Thought dissipated, solely to give Li Yan a greater chance of escape. He had deliberately concocted such a treasure map. The terrain marked on it had been imparted to him by that strand of Divine Sense wandering outside while he slept within the jade book. Back then, in order to find a method to dispel the fire poison, Strategist Ji had traveled nearly every route from his former search for immortality. Thus, the Divine Sense within the jade book naturally knew where he had been, and for Dong Fuyi, finding such a place among those memories could not have been easier.

Yet there were certain subtleties to drawing this map. The journey could not be too short, lest Strategist Ji find the place too quickly and, upon discovering it was fake, return just as swiftly. At the same time, it could not be too far. Deep within Great Green Mountain lurked exceedingly formidable demons and ghosts, creatures no minor cultivator like Strategist Ji could handle. Given Strategist Ji's scheming nature, if it went too deep, he definitely would not go. If he did, he would only die faster, and the loss would outweigh the gain. Therefore, Dong Fuyi had to find somewhere within his tolerance, then piece together the terrain of several other places to create this map that was both true and false.

This would prolong the time he needed to investigate and verify it, granting Li Yan more time to flee this place. But by then, Dong Fuyi's exchange with Li Yan had already reached the brink of his Divine Thought's collapse. In barely over twenty breaths, he hurriedly conveyed the necessary matters, then could only force himself to use his last thread of spiritual power to carve this map. Before he could tell Li Yan about it, he had vanished like smoke and scattered like clouds. Li Yan knew nothing of this.

Throughout the entire noon, Strategist Ji pondered whether this matter was true or false, whether it was feasible. If it truly was the place he had judged it to be, there would be no small amount of danger. Whether he could even retreat unscathed was another matter. Even if he safely reached that location and found where the "Great Poison Life Spirit Art" was marked on the map, how would he enter the treasure site? And what dangers would await after entering? All of it was unpredictable. Yet if he did not go, then the jade book he had opened only after so many years of bitter anticipation had truly given him a sliver of hope. How could he willingly let this chance to survive slip away? In the end, he failed to devise a foolproof plan before Li Yan arrived.

After Li Yan entered the room and sat down cross-legged, Strategist Ji steadied his mind and asked with a smile, "How do you feel now?"

Li Yan hurriedly replied respectfully, "Reporting to Teacher, this disciple feels that my body is much lighter than before, and my six senses are also considerably sharper."

Joy surged within Strategist Ji's heart upon hearing this. His face was filled with the expression of an elder greatly comforted. "Good, good. This means that through your efforts during this period, you have successfully entered the first level of the Wood Yin Technique. Your diligence has not escaped your teacher's eyes. Very good, very good. But you must guard against pride and impatience, and continue cultivating like this. In the few days remaining to your teacher, I hope I can personally witness you achieve some small success. Then my painstaking efforts will not have been in vain, and I will not have failed the sect's patriarchs." By the end, the joy on his face had turned into loneliness.

Li Yan's expression also became somewhat worried. "Teacher, your health will surely be fine."

"This disciple will certainly not fail the sect's great trust and will redouble my efforts in cultivation. Only, only..." Li Yan answered with resolute finality, but then hesitation entered his words.

Strategist Ji had initially remained calm, but as he listened, he could not help frowning. "What is it?"

Li Yan looked at Strategist Ji, his expression uncertain. "Only, only, after advancing to the first level, it is fine when I do not circulate my technique. But once I do, the restless heat within my dantian seems to stir up even more fiercely. It seems this disciple may have encountered some problem in cultivation."

After hearing Li Yan's account, Strategist Ji's face remained as still as an ancient well. He chuckled. "I thought it was something serious, but it was only this. You have only just entered the first level, and your teacher had not yet had time to explain it. There is no harm in this. First, you have only just entered the first-level realm, and it has not yet stabilized. Second, as I told you before, the reason our sect's martial arts are so tyrannical and peerless is that our internal cultivation method differs from those of other sects. Now that you have entered the first level, you can no longer practice the 'Breath Guiding Art.' You must cultivate the corresponding first-level mantra technique. Third, after entering the first level, its primary purpose is to make the medicinal liquid within your meridians begin fully merging, stabilizing and strengthening your foundation. Only when your foundation is secure can the internal power in your dantian become condensed and your meridians toughened. Before you reach the second level, you will continually be affected by the power of the residual medicinal liquid in your body. Therefore, there is no need to worry. Once you cultivate the Wood Yin Technique to the second level, everything will return to normal."

Upon hearing this, the hesitation on Li Yan's face gradually turned into determination. Seeing this, Strategist Ji nodded in satisfaction. "Your teacher will now pass you the first-level cultivation mantra. Commit it firmly to memory." With a flip of his right hand, a sheet of paper appeared on the table, bearing roughly a hundred characters.

Li Yan bent slightly at the waist in thanks, then picked up the mantra from the table and sat down where he was to study it carefully. A moment later, he had read it through once and raised his head toward his teacher. Seeing this, Strategist Ji began to explain it word by word, sentence by sentence.

Watching Li Yan's figure disappear through the doorway, Strategist Ji swept his right hand across the sheet of paper on the table. It floated up without wind, then spontaneously combusted in midair and turned to ash. He stared blankly at the doorway. After half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he seemed to have made some decision. He immediately rose to his full height and slowly walked toward the door.

Li Yan had no idea that he had originally possessed a great chance of escaping this place. But Heaven did not comply with man's wishes. Dong Fuyi had not had time to tell him of the measure he left behind, causing him to miss such an excellent chance to save his life for nothing.

Time was always too thin, slipping through the gaps between one's fingers like fine sand and flowing water. Li Yan cultivated bitterly in the valley every day, often emerging only once every two or three days. At this time, he still could not abstain from food, but his physique was already vastly different from that of an ordinary person. He could go one or two days without food or water. Sometimes he became so immersed in cultivation that he only realized several more days had passed when hunger woke him from it.

Several times when he emerged from cultivation, he gave others the impression that he had become prone to fury. At the slightest displeasure, he would unleash a torrent of scolding upon them, leaving the women who brought him meals constantly trembling in fear. In the end, Chen An and Li Yin had no choice but to bring him food instead. Yet gradually, they discovered that Li Yan began giving even them sour looks, leaving the two deeply frustrated.

The two were Strategist Ji's trusted confidants. Before each departure, Strategist Ji would instruct them to take good care of Li Yan. Whatever he requested, they were to satisfy it to the best of their ability. However, they were not to let Li Yan easily leave the strategist's residence. His cultivation was becoming more urgent by the day and could not be neglected; otherwise, they were to report the entire matter and its cause to him.

As Li Yan's temper worsened, Chen An and Li Yin began complaining in private. Yet Strategist Ji had left more than ten days ago and had not returned. They did not know what business had taken him away. In the past, whenever their lord went out, he would return to the valley after half a day or one night at most. They had no idea what had happened this time.

But over the following days, Chen An and Li Yin began to feel slightly more at ease. No one knew what new mischief the master in the rear mountain valley had gotten up to, but he had them find brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. He would often take books, poetry collections, and the like from the shelves in his room and copy the words within them, writing for half a day or even an entire day at a time. Ink and paper covered the floor, and they had to carefully clean it up, then put on smiling faces and ask Li Yan how he wished these sheets handled: mounted and hung on the wall, or sorted out and stored away in a large chest.

Impatiently, Li Yan told them to take those randomly scribbled sheets and get out. They could only carry them away, but they did not dare throw them out. They feared that one day this master would lose his mind and recall those ghost-talisman-like scribbles, demanding them back. If they could not produce them then, they would inevitably receive another round of foul abuse. Thus, they could only find several large chests to store them in.

To speak honestly, the writing was truly too dreadful to behold. Some of it even looked like ghostly scribbles. No one knew what poems and songs he had copied. Yet after a few days, they discovered in astonishment that Li Yan's temper had gradually calmed considerably. His manner of speaking to them even regained some of its former politeness, leaving everyone in the valley utterly baffled.

Li Yan was also somewhat vexed. He had been cultivating very diligently lately and had to put on an act whenever he occasionally emerged. Yet what puzzled him most was that during these past two or three outings, he had not found his teacher in the valley. Naturally, there had been no opportunity to perform for him. Strategist Ji had occasionally gone out before, and it was normal for Li Yan not to see him when he emerged from cultivation, so he initially did not take it to heart. But over these past ten-odd days, he had emerged several times without seeing him even once. This suddenly made him realize that he might have missed something. After pondering for a moment, he came before the first stone house. There was none of Strategist Ji's usual voice asking after sensing him, and he already began to feel that something was wrong. He stepped forward and knocked on the door. After waiting briefly with no response from within, he hurried toward the valley entrance and loudly called for Chen An.

Chen An ran out from the stone house beyond the valley with a tense face. Behind him, the soldiers watched his back with sympathetic expressions, thinking, What is this master up to today? He actually came out of the valley and started shouting right away. These soldiers were not responsible for matters in the inner valley. Those matters were generally handled by several women, Chen An, and Li Yin. Recently, they had seen those people suffer no small amount of grief.

"Chen An, why haven't I seen Master these past few times I've emerged from cultivation? Has he not been in the valley lately?" Standing at the valley entrance, Li Yan looked at Chen An before him and asked bluntly.

"Reporting to Young Master, Lord Ji has been away for more than ten days now. I do not know whether he has business in the city or has gone elsewhere. This little one is not very clear on it," Chen An said with a placating smile, his tension immediately easing upon hearing it was only this matter.

"What? Teacher has been gone for more than ten days?" Li Yan could not help raising his voice. Anger rose in his heart. This time, it was no act—he was truly anxious.

Seeing Li Yan's expression abruptly change into one of frantic rage, Chen An could not help feeling fearful. Isn't it normal for Lord Ji to go out? Besides, you never asked. Yet he did not dare show the slightest neglect and carefully asked, "Young Master, do you have some matter to discuss with Lord Ji? If this little one can handle it, you only need tell us."

Li Yan was startled inwardly, realizing he had let his emotions show. He immediately pulled a stern face and scolded again, "I need to ask Teacher about certain problems in cultivation. Can you help with that?" As he spoke, he cast a sidelong glance at Chen An.

Chen An's face turned bitter. "Young Master, this little one truly cannot handle that."

"Then why did you ask? Tell me, do you know when Teacher will return to the residence?" Li Yan asked.

"This... this little one truly does not know. Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps..."

"Enough, enough. If you don't know, then you don't know. Why mention today or tomorrow?" After saying this, Li Yan did not look at Chen An again and turned to walk back into the valley.

Chen An stood at the valley entrance and could not help sighing. This assignment was damned unlucky. Then he turned and headed toward the open area outside the valley, where a burst of soft laughter greeted him. Looking around, apart from Li Yin standing in the clearing and several women at the kitchen door wearing helpless expressions, all the other soldiers looked at him with mockery in their eyes. He could not help snapping, "You bunch of idle layabouts! Why aren't you properly standing guard or resting? What are you doing standing around here for no reason?"

These soldiers had long disliked the two of them. Why could only Chen An, Li Yin, and those women enter the inner valley? Who did not want to get closer to their lord? The women could be overlooked, since they were merely servants who cleaned or prepared meals. But Chen An and Li Yin could often enter the valley to serve their lord and the young master. Without anyone saying so, this had already widened the gap in status between them and the rest. Recently, they had often seen the pair suffer setbacks and were quite happy to see it.

The soldiers said nothing. Amid a few "heh-heh" laughs, they let out whistles and departed one after another, leaving only Chen An and Li Yin in the clearing.