Chapter 38 - Fate
Since Xu Chen had grown tired of staying in the space, he asked Gu Yao to let him see what was going on outside. Gu Yao didn’t mind fulfilling this harmless request.
“Senior, what’s going on?” Gu Yao spoke while simultaneously communicating with Xu Chen in his mind.
“I know this kid. I didn’t expect him to come here too. What’s your relationship with him? You two seem pretty close,” Xu Chen said with a click of his tongue. He had crossed paths with the young man outside before, and now seeing him here in this unfamiliar place, he couldn’t help but marvel at the strange ways fate worked.
Wait a minute. Looking at his stagnant aura, could it be that he also got here through the spatial rift? Thinking of this, Xu Chen couldn’t help but feel a bit schadenfreude. Was this kid lucky or unlucky?
It was lucky because if he’d stayed in the original secret realm, he would have been severely injured and couldn’t have fought off those cultivators who attacked him. He would have eventually died.
“I told you why I ended up in this damned place, didn’t I?”
Gu Yao could sense Xu Chen grinding his teeth. When he first met Xu Chen, he thought of him as an unreachable, exalted senior. But after a few interactions, Gu Yao realized that the man was completely different from the lofty image he had first given off. The moment he opened his mouth, the image of a pure, untainted figure immediately crumbled, just like right now.
“Senior, you mentioned before that you fell through a spatial rift and ended up here. By the way, Brother Ye also unfortunately fell into a spatial rift… Could it be… the same one?” Gu Yao connected the two events in his mind.
“That’s right. Tsk tsk, this kid was in bad shape at that time. It seems he was betrayed by his fellow disciples and was being hunted down. But that gave me the opportunity to escape from that secret realm. They were fighting so intensely that the spatial restrictions in the secret realm loosened. In a way, I saved this kid’s life, otherwise, how could he have escaped from those cultivators?”
“I overheard their conversation. They’re from a sect called Lingyun Sect. This kid’s name is Zhong Changye, right? Tsk tsk, this kid was originally a Golden Core cultivator, but now he’s dropped all the way back to the Qi Refining stage.” Xu Chen spoke with a tone full of schadenfreude, not thinking about his own situation, where even his physical body was gone.
Gu Yao couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated. Clearly, Xu Chen was a senior, yet he was mocking Chi Changye in such a tone. Xu Chen’s image in Gu Yao’s mind had once again collapsed, but he did take note of Xu Chen’s words. It turned out that Chi Changye came from a sect called Lingyun Sect and had been betrayed and hunted by his fellow disciples.
Moreover, it seemed that Brother Ye’s surname was actually Zhong, but now he had changed it to Chi. Was it because he no longer wanted to carry the Zhong surname?
“Brother Ye now goes by Chi Changye, not Zhong Changye,” Gu Yao corrected Xu Chen.
Xu Chen responded with an indifferent “oh,” not particularly caring. After all, he didn’t think Gu Yao would reveal his presence to Chi Changye. Whether he went by Zhong Changye or Chi Changye, what difference did it make?
“What’s wrong?” Chi Changye asked, noticing the subtle look in Gu Yao’s eyes.
Gu Yao quickly smiled to cover up his complex emotions. “Nothing, I just think Brother Ye is really capable.”
Among all his emotions, the one thing he didn’t feel was sympathy. After all, Chi Changye had once been a Golden Core cultivator—how could someone like him, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, feel sympathy? That would be a joke. With Chi Changye’s former cultivation and strength, even in his current state, he could crush Gu Yao with a finger.
Xu Chen had been locked in the Pill Pavilion for quite a while. It was rare for him to be able to see the outside world, so he urged Gu Yao to take him out for a walk. After listening to the endless rambling of a senior in his mind, Gu Yao was thoroughly fed up. Reluctantly, he had to go out for a stroll. He told Chi Changye that he was going out to relax, and Chi Changye didn’t object.
As they stepped outside, Gu Yao noticed that it had indeed become much quieter. It seemed that everyone had rushed off to explore the relic.
“Ugh, what kind of place is this? How can they sell this garbage at a stall? Look at those spirit herbs— their spiritual light is so dim, they’re practically weeds. How can they sell that? And over there, the way they’re handling the herbs is wrong. This completely ruins their medicinal properties. It’s like they’re selling useless weeds. And over there…”
Gu Yao rubbed his forehead in frustration. Senior Xu had been constantly buzzing in his mind, like someone tapping on his skull with a small hammer. Unable to endure it any longer, Gu Yao had no choice but to speak up. “Senior, you’re making my head feel like it’s about to explode. This is a small place, and the cultivators here have limited experience. It’s nothing like the places you’ve been to.”
He then added, “Senior, I just found you at this market.”
Xu Chen paused for a moment before calling out again. “What do you mean, ‘found me’? You just got lucky and stumbled upon the Pill Pavilion. I’m just staying here!”
He had just said this place was selling trash, and now this little brat, Gu Yao, said he found him—didn’t that imply…
Xu Chen was furious! He wasn’t someone who associated with trash. It could only be said that some people had such poor judgment, mistaking the Pill Pavilion for garbage.
“Alright, alright, I get it. But if you keep distracting me like this, Brother Ye will notice something’s off,” Gu Yao warned. Chi Changye had already looked at him with concern several times, and he didn’t want to reveal anything unusual.
This time, Xu Chen really quieted down. After a while, he let out a couple of discontented hums.
After walking around, Gu Yao picked up some materials for making talismans, as well as a few inconspicuous spirit herbs hidden among a pile of other herbs. Finally, he bought some spiritual rice, vegetables, and beast meat before heading back home.
Outside Yuanyang Town, in the wilderness, a group set up camp for the night and planned to continue their journey at dawn.
Without a sound, a figure silently entered one of the tents. Upon seeing this, Tian Feiyang quickly greeted, “Aunt, you’re here. Was the journey difficult?”
His gaze was filled with admiration and longing. Not long after his aunt went into seclusion, news came back that she had successfully established her foundation! Another Foundation Establishment cultivator had joined the Tian family. However, this news was suppressed by his grandfather to prevent any reaction from the Gu and Lu families.
I must say, Grandfather’s arrangements were very thoughtful. This time, even though he knew that the news about the alchemist’s inheritance site was suspicious, and that the journey might be fraught with danger, if the Gu and Lu families teamed up against the Tian family, it was uncertain whether their group could make it back alive.
But abandoning this trip was also unacceptable. If the relic mansion really existed, and the two families got their hands on all the benefits, it would only make their power grow stronger, leaving the Tian family in a precarious position. So, they couldn’t afford not to go.
Before they set off, Grandfather had told him that he had contacted Aunt, who would join them halfway. With her, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there to provide support, the Tian family would be in an unassailable position. Now, seeing her arrive, Tian Feiyang was overjoyed.
The newcomer wore a plain green outfit, not showing off her strength, and looked quite young—about in her twenties or thirties. She spoke, “The last time I saw Feiyang, you were still a child, fussing and clinging to your mother. Now look at you, all grown up. Your cultivation is already at the peak of the fifth level. You’re about to break through, huh? It looks like you haven’t been slacking. When the Ascension Conference comes, I’ll bring you into our sect, and you’ll definitely establish your foundation in the future.”
“Thank you, Aunt. Feiyang will follow your arrangements.” Tian Feiyang had no objections, as this path had been arranged by his grandfather. It was just that the appearance of the Gu Yao and the Changxian Sect token had made him feel a bit reluctant.
“Good boy,” Tian Ru smiled, nodding in approval. “What about Feirong? Is he still as scatterbrained as the letter described? Your mother really spoils him too much. She lets him do whatever he wants, neglecting his cultivation.”
Tian Feiyang didn’t want to speak ill of his younger brother, so he just said, “Feirong has made a lot of progress recently.”
“That’s good. Go and rest now. With me here tonight, there won’t be any problems.”
…
Meanwhile, at the Gu family’s campsite, Gu Yan was also in this group. He was in a tent, listening to a report: “You said Gu Yao and that person, Chi Changye, are still staying in the town, unmoved by the news of the alchemist’s inheritance site?”
“Young Master, our people discovered that they were still leisurely strolling through the market, buying a lot of ingredients,” the black-clad cultivator reported.
“Damn it!” Gu Yan flew into a rage, and the cup in his hand shattered into powder. “Such a big piece of news, and it still didn’t lure them out of the town? Cowards, afraid of death!”
If Gu Yao and Chi Changye dared to leave Yangyang Town, Gu Yan had countless ways to make sure they died without a sound. But the two of them stubbornly refused to step into this trap, which made Gu Yan grind his teeth in frustration.
Although the token was now in his hands and there was no way to give it back, and the Changxian Sect was as good as his, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease every time he thought about how Gu Yao had casually handed it over to him.
Gu Yao had such a valuable item, yet he casually gave it away to secure a way out of the Gu family. As the eldest son of the Gu family, Gu Yan had to resort to scheming just to acquire it. If there was anyone in the Gu family who disliked Gu Yao the most, it was probably Gu Yan.
Only when Gu Yao was completely gone could Gu Yan feel truly at ease. If Gu Yao died at the jaws of a wild beast outside, even if that uncle of his, whose life or death was uncertain, came back, it wouldn’t be possible to blame the Gu family for his death. By then, Gu Yan should have entered the Changxian Sect. What could that person do to him then? He didn’t think that person could surpass the Changxian Sect.
“You don’t need to worry too much, Young Master,” the black-clad cultivator suggested. “From what I know, they will be joining the Tian family for the Ascension Conference. The journey is long, and anything could happen. It’s uncertain whether they’ll even make it to the conference alive.”
Gu Yan understood this reasoning, but the constant reports about those two made him uncomfortable. He also occasionally overheard others discussing the origins of his token, which pushed him to want to eliminate these two troublesome individuals as soon as possible. He never expected them to avoid the trap so thoroughly.
“You’re right,” he sneered. “Do they think the Tian family can protect them and ensure their safety? Fine, I’ll wait a little longer. If I can’t get rid of them this time, at least it will weaken the Tian family a bit. I heard Tian Feiyang is coming too. If he dies in the relic mansion, I wonder what the Tian family will think.”
Gu Yan smirked sinisterly. The Tian family hasn’t been at peace lately. Not to mention taking in Gu Yao, a member of the Gu family, they even caused the Gu family to lose face several times in a row. Do they really think the Gu family will let it go just like that?