Morning light spilled across Dawn Manor.
After depositing a vial of his own fourth rank blood in the black market ghost domain and handing it personally to Yan Yu, Li Yuan felt every last preparation was finally in place.
Now he just had to decide how exactly to leave.
Xue Ning fetched an old map and spread it across the table.
Together they studied it and came up with two options—
The first route was the straight shot. From Cloudpeak Province, Li Yuan could fly southeast into Hidden River Province without detouring through the war-torn Silkfloss Province. The land below was mostly wilderness. With steady flight and sensible caution, he would arrive in roughly half a month.
The second route was taking the official road. Li Yuan would travel from Cloudpeak Province through Silkfloss Province into Hidden River Province. Then he would take a ferry south along the Eternal Rest River into Gemhill County. Even with luck, that trip would take at least three months.
“Dearest, if you want to break through by challenging people to duels, take this one. A battlefield like Silkfloss Province is crawling with fifth rank powerhouses.” Xue Ning tapped the second route. She paused, as though weighing whether to say more.
Li Yuan ran a hand through her hair and voiced the rest himself. “And on the way I can visit Ping’an, see how the boy’s getting on.”
Warmth flickered in Xue Ning’s eyes. “Won’t that bring you trouble?”
Li Yuan smiled. “What trouble? He’s my son too. Besides, you’ve seen my Mortal World Transformation. Slipping into the Holy Tree Temple is easy.”
“Our son’s already 27 years old,” she murmured, half-dreaming. “Perhaps he’s even given us a grandchild. I picture him tall and handsome, with a clever, gentle wife …”
“I’m more afraid he’s chasing skirts.” Li Yuan sighed.
“That would be your influence,” she teased.
Li Yuan almost retorted that his own marriages were strategic, not frivolous.
He’d married Xue Ning for a stable rear base and her keen eyes; Cui Huayin to master weaponsmithing and quietly craft a spirit artifact once he hit fifth rank; Yao Jue to keep an escape hatch inside the Holy Tree Temple, even if that meant revealing a sliver of his true strength; Jing Shuixiang for deeper access to the Holy Tree Temple’s third gate; and Jen’gal Snow to pry open the unwelcoming gates Western Extremes.
Tactical choices all, yet he cherished each woman and shouldered real responsibility, determined to bring them happiness.
Drawing Xue Ning close, Li Yuan grinned. “I’m hopelessly devoted to you. How could you doubt my purity of heart?”
“Pah.” She slapped his arm in playful scorn. “Sweet talker! And I’m hardly a young bride anymore.”
“In my eyes,” he whispered, “you’re forever the girl I married on that spring morning.”
Color crept into her cheeks despite herself.
Li Yuan settled on taking the official road. Time wasn’t pressing, and the longer road served three purposes.
First, to study humanity. Mortal World Transformation was more than a mask; posture, habits—every nuance—had to ring true. Real world observation would keep his disguises flawless.
Second, to seek worthy rivals. Sharp fights bred sharp breakthroughs and offered a clearer picture of the wider world.
Third, to check on his son. If possible, he’d even let the boy meet Xue Ning.
Only after those tasks would he slip quietly into Gemhill County to harvest the ripened seeds.
Li Yuan transformed into a towering, broad-shouldered bald man, pulled a mask over his face, and wrapped himself in a weather-faded gray cloak. From a distance, he looked like a giant bat dissolving into the sky.
He took to the sky, watching, listening, and taking mental notes of every human drama that played out below. All the while invisible numbers flickered behind his eyes as he observed every subtle shift in the ever changing world.
Most of the figures floating through his vision were the dull kind, hovering around between 0~9.
Now and then, a brighter eighth or ninth rank signature would flare then wink out again.
Seventh rank readings were few and far between.
Ten-odd days later, Li Yuan crossed the border into Silkfloss Province and kept cruising at altitude.
A fifth rank martial artist could sense anything within six kilometers; swooping straight over a bustling town meant good odds of bumping into another fifth rank. And because neither the Holy Tree Temple nor the Lotus Cult claimed him as one of their own, any curious powerhouse who noticed would almost certainly lift off and investigate.
Li Yuan tossed a few coppers onto the counter of a roadside tavern and nibbled a lazy afternoon snack. Then without sparing the stairs so much as a glance, he pushed off the railing and flew away.
He’d stayed at high altitude in the beginning. But after that failed to draw any attention, he soon dropped low, skimming rooftops.
The results were immediate. A fish immediately took the bait.
Within minutes, a white-robed beauty rocked skyward. Sleeves billowing like twin sails, twin swords flashed like cold starlight. Her skin looked fresh-rinsed, a haze of mist hung about her, and the 1,480~3,650 hovering above her head marked her a rather formidable fifth rank.
“You there!” she called, voice crisp. “Why the mask? Name yourself!”
Li Yuan had rehearsed this scene. He halted, scratched his bald pate, and pretended sudden awe.
“A fairy!” he gasped.
The woman frowned. “Who are you?”
He spoke in broad country tones. “I’m just a wandering fella. Surname Dian, given name Wei, but you can just call me Bubba. I’m from Nineguard County up in Cloudpeak Province. One day I blundered into the mountains, lucked onto a secret art, and now I’m out lookin’ for someone to have a scrap with.”
“A scrap…?” Her brow creased. “First take off the mask.”
Li Yuan didn’t hesitate. His Mortal World Transformation had received the approval of Yan Yu herself. Off came the mask, revealing a wide honest face. Then followed the cowl, revealing a bright bald head.
“Yup, fightin’,” he said cheerfully. “When I first started trainin’, my dog Ol’ Yeller could spar a few rounds. Then I got strong, slapped the poor mutt dead with one palm.”
His smile slipped into genuine grief. “Poor Ol’ Yeller…”
“Ol’ Yeller was your…?”
“My dog! Aint ya been listenin’ to a word I’ve been saying? Old thing. Shame I killed ’im. Poor Ol’ Yeller.”
The man was a huge lump of muscle but seemed to have the innocence of a child. Seeing every emotion plainly splashed across his face, the woman answered with a proper clasped-fist salute. “I am Bai Xiayi, an elder of Moon Reflection Tower. My earlier tone was discourteous.”
Li Yuan recalled the Moon Reflection Tower, which represented water within the Five Elements Alliance. Apparently, the elements were already visiting each other’s houses.
“Then, Miss Bai, will you fight me?” he asked.
“You mean a duel?” She raised an eyebrow.
“A friendly bout between peers. Use whatever skills you have, but no killing.”
Bai Xiayi chuckled. “Very well, on one condition. Afterward you come back with me. The Lotus Cult is ravaging the land; hermits like you could aid our cause. With us you’ll find plenty of opponents to scrap with. And as a fifth rank you really should have a spirit artifact. Our weaponsmith can fix that. You’ll soon learn there’s a gulf between a fifth rank with and without a spirit weapon.”
She finished her speech and discovered the big bald man gazing at her with glassy, unreadable eyes, as if he’d understood not a word. The moment she stopped talking those eyes lit up.
“Finally!” He burst out, “Fairy! Errr, Miss Bai, let’s fight now!”
“Very well,” she sighed. “Forgive my offense.”