Upheaval in the Town

Yu Tunzhou suddenly recalled something Old Mo had once said.

At the time, he had just learned the truth that the town was a place where the various households raised Gu, and had been probing Old Mo for answers.

Old Mo had thrown an arm around his shoulders, pointed at the moon in the sky, and said, "That's a good thing! Think of it this way: there are countless martial artists under heaven, and every last one of them wants to come here and pay homage to the sun and moon. They'd beg every grandfather and grandmother they could find and still have no way in, but you wandered in without a clue. What do you call that?"

"Fate!"

Now, bathing in the morning sun atop the mountain, Yu Tunzhou recalled those words and seemed to have found something he had overlooked that day-

Why did entering this place involve paying homage to the sun and moon?

He gazed toward the distant horizon. Amid the rosy clouds of dawn, streams of golden Qi danced like dragons, their claws outstretched. Only the occasional wisp of gold escaped into the world, so faint it was nearly impossible to find.

Though he had no proof, Yu Tunzhou felt that the golden Qi flowing like dragons was the martial fortune all sides were fighting madly to seize.

For a thousand years, the various households had come in waves, each seeking to carry this thing out of the grotto-heaven.

After listening to Master Xuanku's account last night, Yu Tunzhou had come away with an inexplicable feeling that the town's present state was more like the result of a tacit understanding.

The various households had exhausted every means to strip that thousand-year-old martial sovereign of his fortune and return it to heaven and earth, but had been unable to find a good way.

So that man had simply offered the various households a path-

Want martial fortune?

Fine.

Send your finest disciples and take it by your own abilities.

Now.

As the first light of day broke and the red sun hung halfway above the sea of clouds, Yu Tunzhou withdrew his attention from the sun and rose from the cliff's edge.

The mountain wind whipped at his robes. His eyes half-closed, he examined himself with his Primordial Spirit and opened with Taiji Grasp the Sparrow's Tail. His left hand moved as though embracing a cloud, his right as though pressing down a mountain. His movements were slow to the utmost, and steady to the utmost.

The mountain wind rustled through the woods and leaves, but the moment it entered the four-foot space around him, it vanished without a trace, as though kneaded into his form and brought into perfect harmony.

For the first time, Yu Tunzhou found himself looking forward to the end of the month.

For the next few days, Yu Tunzhou stayed on the mountain and returned to his usual cultivation.

He planned to save the remaining water-fortune Dragon Qi until he reached a realm barrier.

Without the water-fortune Dragon Qi, the stark contrast with that night actually left Yu Tunzhou feeling somewhat unaccustomed. He reflected that it really was easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go from extravagance to frugality.

It was also on this day that-

Liu Qingshi came up the mountain as agreed and asked Yu Tunzhou to introduce him, so he could visit the two sages stationed there on behalf of the household behind him.

He came from Misty Clouds Grotto-Heaven, whose Daoist lineage was known as the Sunset Glow Palace.

During the visit, Yu Tunzhou learned that the Sunset Glow Palace was located on the Northern Dark Continent, was also a branch of the Daoist School, and had more women than men among its members.

"You're based on the Northern Dark Continent, so how did you come to know Miss Ao from the South Sea?" Yu Tunzhou could not help asking curiously.

"My home is on the Southern Victorious Continent, and merchant ships often travel between there and the South Sea. It was only because of my special constitution that I went all the way to the Sunset Glow Palace to seek the Dao."

Liu Qingshi smiled and took the opportunity to extend an invitation.

"Once we've left the town, Brother Yu, you should come visit my Sunset Glow Palace if you have the time."

In his view, if they both made it out of the town someday, then even if they were not immortal seeds, they would surely be among the finest of their generation.

Yu Tunzhou saw Liu Qingshi to the foot of the mountain.

He glanced toward the riverbank and found that Ao Xiyu, who was usually there, was nowhere to be seen. He guessed she was cultivating hard at home.

In the blink of an eye, it was fish-delivery day again.

This was also the last trip before the end of the month. Before he knew it, only a week remained until the first contest for fortune.

And this would be the last fish delivery before the end of the month.

Only seven days remained until the first contest for fortune.

When Yu Tunzhou arrived at the Chen Household residence to make his delivery,

Chen Xuanye opened the door. His expression was cooler than it had been last time, and he gestured for Yu Tunzhou to pour the Dragon Fish into the water vat beside him.

Yu Tunzhou stepped over the threshold, and as he walked toward the vat, Chen Xuanye's hurried voice reached his ears.

"Ji Pan of Li Fire Mountain has spread word of your Dragon Fish hunt throughout the town. On the day Liu Qingshi came down the mountain and returned home, he was ambushed on the way. He only escaped back to his residence after one of his arms was broken."

"Zhang Qinghe was attacked when he went out the day before yesterday too. Fortunately, Cao Jianjia arrived in time."

"Yue Hongyi, who's been with you, also ran into Jiang Yungu of the Jiang Household on her way out of her residence..."

"In any case, be careful!"

Yu Tunzhou frowned.

Liu Qingshi and the others had all been attacked?

And Liu Qingshi had been attacked on his way home from the mountain. Wasn't that the very day Yu Tunzhou had seen him down?

Just then, a jade pendant slipped into Yu Tunzhou's hand.

"This supplements the Spark Instruction with its True Intention. It can help you quickly grasp the Qi Ingestion Method's True Intention, Brother Yu," Chen Xuanye said sincerely. "There's nothing else to it. I just want to resolve the bad blood between us."

Yu Tunzhou gave him a long look but said little. After pouring out the Dragon Fish, he turned and left.

After watching Yu Tunzhou leave,

Chen Xuanye frowned slightly.

He had made his intentions clear and even given Yu Tunzhou what he needed most right now, yet the man was still so wary of him?

Soon, his expression grew composed again.

Just as his granduncle Xuan had said, of all the bonds in the world, affection was the most fragile. Only interests were as firm as gold and stone.

He did not need Yu Tunzhou to be endlessly grateful to him. As long as Yu Tunzhou experienced a True Intention inheritance, he would surely come back to find him!

Breaking through beyond the seventh layer of Qi Ingestion had strict requirements for one's comprehension of True Intention.

Even if Yu Tunzhou had been lucky enough to obtain the substance refined from those Dragon Fish, he would have to master True Intention to the corresponding level to break through beyond the seventh layer. Otherwise, his progress would stop there.

Unfortunately...

Even now, Chen Xuanye still felt it was a wanton waste of heaven's gifts. His comprehension of True Intention had already reached seventy percent; if he could obtain what Yu Tunzhou had, it would be no difficult matter to use it to deduce all the way to the eighth layer.

Yu Tunzhou left the Chen Household residence with a calm expression and continued delivering fish from one household to the next.

This time, many of the household disciples looked at him with more than the scrutiny they had shown before. There was unmistakable hostility and malice in their gazes as well.

Yu Tunzhou, however, was not worried about being attacked now.

Because he was currently representing Old Mo.

But the journey back to the mountain was another matter.

Had things in the town not yet reached the point of life and death? Had they broken Liu Qingshi's arm to delay their progress in breaking through the Qi Ingestion Method?

Before long,

Yu Tunzhou stood outside the Evergreen Mountain residence.

"Come in."

Xie Linchuan opened the door, evidently prepared for his arrival, and pulled him inside.

Yu Tunzhou got straight to the point. "I already heard what happened on my way here."

"Oh?" Xie Linchuan pondered for a moment. "Once you've finished delivering the fish, come back here. Wait until late at night, then find a chance to leave. They can't keep watch forever."

"If that really doesn't work, I'll go with you. Some people might dare to attack you, but not necessarily me."

Yu Tunzhou shook his head.

"We'll see. I'm planning to go to the Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple last. It's at the northernmost end, and I know a path that loops back up the mountain."

"Don't worry about me. I haven't spent these past three years here for nothing. No one knows the town's terrain better than I do. If all else fails, I'll hide in some abandoned old house. I don't believe they'd dare fight me inside one."

Xie Linchuan was speechless. Was that an option too?