Encountering Bugui on the Road

Zhang Xuezhou had never walked such a long mountain road.

The mountains stretched as far as the eye could see, with no end in sight.

People wound their way along the mountain paths, though in many places they could hardly be called paths at all, with only a few faint footprints to mark the way.

"Dad, why do we live somewhere so remote?"

Though he knew he had created the dream himself and that many things in it made no sense, Zhang Xuezhou could not help asking the question buried in his heart as he trudged along, groaning and complaining.

If he could, he would much rather have set the dream he had created in a city than spent more than ten years cooped up in a little mountain village.

He had taken the Qi and Blood Pill, and his body was far stronger than before, but he had already been walking for more than half a month to get out of the mountains where Zhang Household Village lay.

It was an extraordinarily long trek.

But when Zhang Zhong mentioned that they had traveled less than seven hundred li in half a month and still had nearly three hundred li of mountain road ahead, Zhang Xuezhou could not help getting a headache.

"Because your father can't do anything but hunt," Lady Yourong said with a laugh. "He's had very little schooling and doesn't know how to do business. He even gets cheated when he buys things, so how could he make a living in town?"

"Nobody taught me when I was little. Otherwise, if I'd applied myself, maybe I could've found something to do in the city!"

Zhang Zhong replied sullenly.

His reason was no different from Zhang Xuezhou's situation in real life. Although Zhang Xuezhou lived in a city in reality, his father, Zhang Weimeng, really did not know how to do business.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that Zhang Weimeng had been taken in by people selling a concept like school-district housing, leaving his life unsettled even at thirty-four.

The Zhang Zhong in his dream was evidently some kind of copy of Zhang Weimeng.

Hearing Lady Yourong mention the embarrassing times Zhang Zhong had been cheated in his youth, Zhang Xuezhou felt that dreams arose from the heart, with so many things resembling and echoing one another.

Zhang Zhong had once left the mountains, but his lack of skills had ultimately brought him back.

When the mountain villagers chose where to settle, they picked a place with water and good hunting, carving a patch of paradise out of the mountains through sheer effort.

"Our Zhang Household Village may be a little remote, but we haven't had any natural disasters or man-made calamities all these years. You could say we've lived in peace!"

Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou longed more for the city, Zhang Zhong had to bring up some other factors.

"Things aren't all calm waters and gentle winds in the cities outside. Yao and other evils are one thing: there aren't enough of them to amount to much, and they rarely run wild in big cities or towns. The real man-made calamity is the Nu people of Xiong State crossing the border to raid from time to time. Those people were once so powerful that even our dynasty's ruler had to submit..."

Zhang Zhong went on and on about the dangers outside.

He was considered a well-traveled man in Zhang Household Village. He had not only seen cities, but also Yao and the Nu people of Xiong State.

They were an extraordinarily formidable people. Their entire tribe was skilled in battle, and they spent almost their whole lives hunting on horseback.

But the Nu people did not limit their hunting to wild beasts; their targets also included human realms.

In the Nu people's eyes, there was no difference between humans and wild beasts. As long as they could seize something for their own use, they would do it.

It could be said that theirs was a powerful nation of robbers: once they set their sights on a target, they would inevitably wage war.

For nearly a hundred years, the Great Han Dynasty had been the target of the Xiong Nu people's hunts.

"Those people are big and tall, ride like the wind, and are skilled with bows and blades. They have boundless strength, and the somewhat stronger ones all possess Yao arts. They're overbearing and defy all reason..."

Zhang Zhong spoke of the military exploit that had made him a squad leader.

"That was just a Nu ten-man commander..."

"A ten-man commander in a Nu legion commands ten soldiers. Our squad leaders command five!"

"That's the lowest-ranking officer in a Nu legion, no different from one of our squad leaders!"

"An officer in charge of ten is bound to be stronger than one in charge of five... All right, you have a point!"

Zhang Zhong had intended to give a full account of his exploit in killing a Xiong Nu ten-man commander back then, but after Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly questioned him, he had to admit that a ten-man commander was indeed a cut above, and that the price they had paid-three squad leaders' lives-was about right.

"To stand out among ten men and become an officer, you'd have to be better than someone who stood out among five," Zhang Xuezhou said. "If someone with your skills had to compete against ten men, you might never have become a squad leader in your whole life!"

"Can't you leave your dad a little face?"

Zhang Zhong flicked Zhang Xuezhou on the forehead irritably. Only when he saw Zhang Xuezhou bolt several steps away in pain did he nod in satisfaction.

Zhang Xuezhou before Realm Entry and Zhang Xuezhou afterward were two completely different people.

The Zhang Xuezhou before him was far more than thirty percent stronger than he had been before.

In the past, half a day on a mountain road would have left Zhang Xuezhou exhausted and sprawled on the ground. Now, a full half month had passed, yet he was still full of vigor.

Zhang Zhong could even feel the Qi and Blood surging inside Zhang Xuezhou. It was in no way inferior to that of the village children who had practiced martial arts for years.

With every passing day, Zhang Xuezhou grew a little stronger.

Zhang Household Village was indeed far from the city, but not so far that it took a thousand li of mountain roads to get there.

As long as Zhang Xuezhou's body continued to improve, Zhang Zhong did not mind taking a little extra time.

He really was pressed for time, so much so that he wanted to fly straight back to Zhang Household Village to investigate the suspicious clues and find out exactly what strange things had happened there. But Zhang Zhong could not leave Zhang Xuezhou behind, especially when he was so frail and delicate.

Every bit of progress Zhang Xuezhou made gave Zhang Zhong a little more peace of mind about leaving.

There was nothing bizarre about Zhang Xuezhou's transformation. Those who had entered the realm were very different from ordinary people.

In the world as Zhang Zhong knew it, those who had entered the realm could accomplish all manner of things beyond human ability, so Zhang Xuezhou's transformation was entirely understandable.

He even wished he could break through that mysterious gateway himself and see how different he would be after Realm Entry.

But the years could not be lived again. Even if he had another chance, Zhang Zhong felt he had already done as much as he could.

In the end, he was just an ordinary villager, with limited room to climb higher. Reaching his present level already counted as a successful life.

He had many regrets in his life, but watching the disappointing Zhang Xuezhou swiftly cross a threshold he himself would have struggled to cross in a lifetime made Zhang Zhong feel deeply reassured.

"Days like these..."

While Zhang Zhong was feeling a measure of contentment, he heard Zhang Xuezhou, who was walking ahead, give a quiet cry.

When Zhang Zhong came forward, he saw that a patch of grass had been pulled aside, revealing a hook-nosed old man in a brown Daoist robe.

"Nine-Chi Daoist Priest!"

Zhang Zhong was momentarily startled, then looked at Zhang Xuezhou.

"Why did your teacher collapse here?" Zhang Zhong asked in surprise.

"Don't say anything about me and him. Don't mention a word of it. He isn't my teacher, either!"

Zhang Xuezhou took a deep breath and felt for Daoist Priest Kongxu Zou Bugui's breath with his fingers. Only when the man still showed no response did he relax.

Daoist Kongxu Zou Bugui was certainly no weakling. He was even quite well known among the great cultivators.

If Zou Bugui dealt with them, Zhang Xuezhou figured all three members of their family would be finished.

Seeing such a powerful cultivator lying in the grass on a barren mountain, Zhang Xuezhou could not help becoming wary.

He pressed Zou Bugui's Ziting acupoint several times. Just as he felt the man seemed to have a few breaths left in him, Zou Bugui's eyes opened slightly.

"Take me back to the Daoist temple. The Golden Toad Dharma King... is coming after me!"

Zou Bugui's voice was faint, and his soft, gasping breaths sounded as though they might cease at any moment. Zhang Xuezhou immediately pulled his outstretched hand back.

"He's crossed someone dangerous. Let's get out of here!"

Zhang Xuezhou spoke in a low voice.

"The Golden Toad Dharma King is severely injured. He'll use cultivators' Essence Blood to heal himself. You're a cultivator who has entered the realm too. Unless you can quickly get three hundred li away from here, you won't escape!"

Seeing the presence of someone who had entered the realm emanating from Zhang Xuezhou, Zou Bugui thought he would make a tasty little snack for the Golden Toad Dharma King.

He had just found Zhang Xuezhou's presence somewhat familiar when he saw him turn and walk away, forcing him to quickly explain what was at stake.

"Only by relying on me... relying on me can you drive back the injured Golden Toad Dharma King!"

Zou Bugui withdrew his gaze from Zhang Xuezhou, who had paused in his tracks. When he got a clear look at the faces of Zhang Zhong and Lady Yourong following behind, he could not help feeling pleased, thinking two more reliable helpers had arrived.

Under normal circumstances, a retired common soldier like Zhang Zhong would have been of little use, but with the Golden Toad Dharma King severely injured, there was undoubtedly a slight chance that Zhang Zhong could pose a threat to him.

More importantly, Zhang Zhong was an excellent hunter, skilled both at tracking and at shaking off opponents.

Zou Bugui felt there was hope that his life might be prolonged.

"Wait..."

As Zou Bugui shifted his intent gaze from Zhang Xuezhou to Zhang Zhong and Lady Yourong, he sniffed and sensed a wisp of terrifyingly familiar Yao Qi seeping from their bodies.