Chapter 136: Abandoning the Curved for the Straight

The sky had yet to brighten. Two horse-drawn carriages stood ready for departure. Old Qin, Qin Shuanzi, and Qin Zhuzi sat on their respective carriage benches, waiting only for the crack of a whip to resume their journey.

Dang Guiyi stood excitedly before the carriages. He carried a large bundle on his shoulders, filled with tiger pelts, wolf skins, and tiger bones—the spoils of his labor from half the night. He had claimed he was headed to the State of Zhongshan and, since their paths aligned, he intended to tag along.

Yu Ye was still busy burying the campfire. It was the rule of the road: once travelers departed, the fire had to be extinguished to prevent embers from reigniting and endangering the forest.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, everyone is waiting for you—" Dang Guiyi urged, looking quite anxious. Old Qin and his two nephews remained silent, waiting patiently.

Yu Ye covered the embers with soil and stamped them out with his feet. He clapped his hands, walked over to Qin Zhuzi’s carriage, retrieved his bamboo hat, and then stepped back a few paces. With a smile, he said, "Many thanks to Uncle Qin and my two brothers for your care along the way. Alas, I have matters to attend to, so I must bid you farewell today. Perhaps we shall meet again if fate allows."

Old Qin jumped down from the wagon, startled. "But I promised the goods depot manager that I would deliver you to Qiong City..."

Yu Ye put on his hat and dismissed the concern lightly. "That is no fault of yours, Uncle Qin; it was my own decision. When you see the manager again, simply tell him as much."

Dang Guiyi chimed in urgently, "Hey, this is no place to linger, you..."

Yu Ye pulled Dang Guiyi behind him and bowed. "Uncle Qin, brothers, safe travels!"

Old Qin nodded, said nothing more, and hopped back onto his wagon. With a sharp crack of the whip, the carriages pulled away. Qin Shuanzi and Qin Zhuzi waved goodbye to Yu Ye, their faces showing expressions of relief.

Not long after the wagons departed, Qin Zhuzi noticed a small parcel beside him. He picked it up and opened it, only to find two large silver ingots inside. He hurriedly looked back, but the roadside was already empty.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, Fellow Daoist Yu, wait for me—"

"Why are you following me?"

"I’m heading to the State of Zhongshan!"

"Suit yourself!"

"Oh, if you hadn't stopped me, I would have already left on the carriage! Now you’re chasing me away like this—what exactly do you want me to do?"

Deep in the woods, the two figures came to a halt. One was Yu Ye; the other was Dang Guiyi, who continued to grumble incessantly.

Yu Ye raised a hand to silence him. "It is not a matter of what I want you to do; you should know that well enough!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You brought disaster upon us last night, and the innocent have been caught in the crossfire. Old Qin stayed awake half the night, anxious and fearful because of it. If the Ten-Thousand Beast Manor comes seeking vengeance, his family will surely be implicated. Old Qin, despite his own hardships, is a kind man who refused to utter a word of complaint. But you and I cannot play the fool; where would our conscience be?"

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You... was it not you who provoked Qi Jun? If the Ten-Thousand Beast Manor comes for revenge, they will surely view the Qin family as accomplices. Wouldn't the three of them suffer an unprovoked catastrophe?"

"I was slaying demons and eliminating evil; what was wrong with that?"

"I am not saying you were wrong, but you should not have dragged Old Qin into it."

"I didn't kill Qi Jun." Dang Guiyi stood tall, looking righteous.

Yu Ye felt a pang of helplessness. He waved his hand and said, "Fine, I am the one who killed him. That is why I chose to leave—to avoid implicating the innocent. Remember this: you and I have no connection to the Qin family."

*Thump.*

Dang Guiyi dropped his heavy bundle and sat down on the ground, indifferent. "As far as I know, the Ten-Thousand Beast Manor is a cultivation family; they won't trouble ordinary mortals. You are overthinking it!"

"A cultivation family?"

"Families with many cultivators among them are called cultivation families. The Qi family of the Ten-Thousand Beast Manor is said to be skilled in the art of beast taming."

"If that is the case, why did you provoke the Qi family?"

"I don't know the art of divination; how was I to know the monster came from the Ten-Thousand Beast Manor? Besides, it was you who offended them, not me!"

Yu Ye shook his head and sat down nearby, his brows furrowed in frustration.

The journey south had been smooth until he met Dang Guiyi, after which trouble followed him like a shadow. He blamed himself for wandering the streets of Malin City, for responding to a stranger's greeting, for letting Dang Guiyi provoke Qi Jun, and for killing Qi Jun himself.

But what was done was done; complaining was useless. Parting ways with the Qin family was a matter of conscience. Since he had stirred up this mess, he could not let the innocent suffer.

The journey to the State of Zhongshan was still long, and he needed to find a way forward. Yu Ye flipped his hand and produced a map scroll. He studied the map of Qizhou, hoping to find a shortcut.

Seeing him silent, Dang Guiyi couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Yu, you are young and your cultivation seems low, yet your methods are not weak. Your supply of spirit talismans is endless, and even your storage ring is extraordinary. You must come from a cultivation family, yet you hide your true strength and claim to be a rogue cultivator. Am I right?"

During last night's danger, Yu Ye was the one who killed the man and burned the corpse, using over a dozen talismans. Such wealth was far beyond that of a mere rogue. Especially the ease with which he slew an expert in the Qi Refining stage—it showed he had killed many times before and was hiding his true level.

Yu Ye focused on the map.

"Fellow Daoist Yu..." Dang Guiyi blinked his small eyes and produced a storage ring, looking reluctant. "This belonged to Qi Jun. I helped you retrieve it..."

Yu Ye replied casually, "You keep it."

"Yes, yes!" Dang Guiyi quickly tucked the ring away and sighed in relief. "As a scion of a cultivation family, why would you care for a few spirit stones!" He puffed out his chest and added, "Rest assured regarding our trip to Zhongshan. With me leading the way, we shall reach the Yunchuan Immortal Sect in less than a month!"

Yu Ye looked up, puzzled. "Why are you going to the Yunchuan Immortal Sect?"

"To join the sect and become a disciple, of course!"

"Join the Yunchuan Immortal Sect?"

"To tell you the truth, my master left instructions before he passed away: if I ever found myself at an impasse, I should seek refuge at the Yunchuan Immortal Sect. I had intended to go long ago, but my travels were delayed by my quest to slay demons."

"I see..."

"You are heading to the State of Zhongshan—surely you intend to join a sect as well?"

"I hadn't thought about it."

"Regardless, why not travel together?"

Yu Ye remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

Dang Guiyi jumped up in excitement and waved his hand. "Slaying demons and upholding justice—who but me? Haha!" He grabbed his bundle and urged, "Let’s go, the sun is up!"

Yu Ye rose as well and reminded him, "Why not store the tiger pelts and bones in the ring?"

Dang Guiyi’s bundle contained the skins and bones he had collected. Being short of stature, the large bundle made him look cumbersome. Coupled with the wooden sword on his back, he looked quite the oddity.

"Heh, my storage ring was left by my master; it doesn't have much space!"

"You have Qi Jun’s ring now; why not use that?"

"The ring is sealed by a restriction. I haven't practiced that technique yet, so I can't open it for now..."

"I can help you—"

"No, no need!"

Dang Guiyi walked off with his bundle, fearing Yu Ye might ask for the ring back. Yu Ye simply produced another ring and tossed it to him. "Here, I’ll give you this one."

"Oh! How can I accept this?"

"A small token of goodwill. I hope you'll look out for me as well!"

"I knew it! Only a scion of a cultivation family would be this generous!"

Yu Ye had no shortage of storage rings. Dang Guiyi, treating it like a treasure, hurriedly transferred his bundle into it, though he insisted on keeping the wooden sword on his back.

"Why carry the wooden sword?"

"Ha, you don't understand! This is a peach-wood sword, specially crafted to ward off evil spirits and ghosts. It is the vessel for my 'Five Thunders True Method.' When ordinary folk see this sword, they will know I am a cultivator who slays demons!"

As they spoke, they emerged from the woods. The day was bright.

The sun was hazy, and the morning light was vast and pale. Not far away lay the main road, but the Qin family’s carriages were long gone, and there was not a pedestrian in sight. Should they continue along the road, or find another way?

Yu Ye hesitated, but Dang Guiyi spoke up: "Our legs cannot compare to the four hooves of a strong horse. We should abandon the main road. Look—"

Following his finger, Yu Ye saw a small path winding through the forest a few miles away.

"If we use the Light Body Technique, we can cut across the wilderness and the mountains. It’s like taking the straight path instead of the curve—far faster than riding in a carriage!"

"As you wish."

"Haha, you won't regret listening to me!"

Dang Guiyi was the first cultivator Yu Ye had encountered in Qizhou, and the weakness of his cultivation and his dire circumstances were beyond anything Yu Ye could have imagined.

Just then, a sharp whistle sounded overhead. A black eagle was circling in the sky.

"Let’s go—" Dang Guiyi beckoned and darted off.

Yu Ye glanced at the eagle but paid it no mind, then chased after him. In an instant, they were running side by side. He took strides of three zhang, so catching up to Dang Guiyi was not difficult. However, Dang Guiyi began chanting under his breath, and his speed suddenly increased. Yu Ye had to exert his full strength just to keep pace, yet he still fell a step behind.

"Heh heh!" Dang Guiyi laughed proudly. "My sect has two great masterpieces: the 'Mysterious Gate Escape Techniques' and the 'Five Thunders True Method'! My master said that with these two, one could roam the five states of Qizhou and hold one's head high among all the sects of the world."

"Your master must be a great expert."

"That goes without saying!"

"A Golden Core expert?"

"No!"

"A Foundation Establishment expert?"

"No!"

"..."

"True experts are not defined by their cultivation level. One who has the sun and moon in their eyes and the universe in their heart—that is the Great Perfection of the Dao, looking down upon the cosmos as if it were small."

"I have been taught."

"Heh, that’s what my master said. He failed to reach Foundation Establishment, so he comforted himself with such words every day until his lifespan ran out and he left his disciple behind. But, he did have a friend who was a Foundation Establishment expert, and it is said he holds a significant position at the Yunchuan Immortal Sect. I am going there to seek his help."

"Do you know the name of that senior?"

"His Daoist name is Bo Yi."

*Thump.*

Yu Ye, distracted by his thoughts, tripped while crossing a small stream and bumped directly into a small tree on the bank.

Dang Guiyi turned around, surprised. "Fellow Daoist Yu?"

Yu Ye stumbled and quickly said, "It’s nothing, just an accident..."

He was about to continue when he heard Dang Guiyi gasp.

"Oh, no..."

Yu Ye looked back and couldn't help but freeze.

More than ten miles away, several figures were rushing directly toward them.