Still clad in his usual attire, Chu Weiyang carried a bamboo basket on his back, a sword in one hand, and a coiled jade snake in the other, trekking deeper into the southern forest.
Delving to the roots, passing through a few crude restrictions, a small wooden tower, within a few short days, even though sleep was hard to come by, the environment still brought Chu Weiyang an indescribable peace. Now, venturing into the vast forest, Chu Weiyang found himself with a complex sentiment of things being familiar yet different.
It was as if he had never broken free from gazing up at the vastness of the world.
The tranquility and shelter seemed like an unrealistic dream, perhaps a cold wind, perhaps a cold rain, ready to dissipate the dream.
Opening his eyes, he found himself lost in the bewildering mortal realm.
However, compared to his past self, the current Chu Weiyang was more prepared, even though he trod through mud, he avoided much embarrassment.
In no time, Chu Weiyang even had the leisure to pause briefly, picking a few poisonous herbs, turning them into a powder with a wave of his divine power, and feeding it bit by bit to the white jade poisonous snake.
Unlike Chu Weiyang's current ailing body, regardless of the aspect of cultivation progress, it partly depended on opportunities, partly on the fate bestowed by the heavens.
Since the jade snake had been refined through the "Green Bamboo Pill Scripture," from the moment it gained sentience upon crawling out of the large jar, it had already stepped into the realm of demonic beasts. The natural bloodline bestowed upon them allowed them to at least not worry about cultivation bottlenecks within a complete realm.
Eat, drink, sleep.
Eat heartily, drink heartily, sleep heartily.
This was their cultivation.
Chu Weiyang hoped to quickly accumulate the cultivation of the white jade poisonous snake. Even in the face of the danger of the snake rebelling against its master, Chu Weiyang did not want to face the almost instinctive killing intent of others, as if they were looking at a demon!
Perhaps Yan Jianming had never thought of killing Chu Weiyang, but at that moment, Chu Weiyang had indeed thought of killing Yan Jianming!
But he held back.
Just as he had said himself.
Those seemingly intense and rich emotions did not solve any problems.
He continued on for a while.
Suddenly, the steward's arm propped up on the edge of the basket behind him, poking his head out.
This action indicated that in the steward's exploration and sensing, Yan Jianming had stopped tracking them.
"Killing a peak Qi Refinement cultivator is not as difficult as you imagine. If you are fully prepared, just your Thunder Awakening Sword can end his life, without needing the jade snake."
"It's not that I look down on the 'Green Bamboo Pill Scripture.' In fact, when it comes to using the jade snake, there may not be any chance of success. In the Qi Refinement realm, the gap between cultivators and demonic beasts is too great..."
"Of course, if you want to be cautious, perhaps using the Thunder Awakening Sword, or the Clear Bright Sword, with a more profound sword intent nurtured within, your chances will be higher!"
"But just like the question you asked Yan Jianming, you also need to ask yourself."
"He is not some scum from the market in Heyuan Town."
"He is a disciple under the Danxia Old Mother of Tingchang Mountain."
"Are you really prepared to kill him?"
In response to this, Chu Weiyang fell into a brief silence.
After a moment, Chu Weiyang calmly shook his head.
"If I kill him, then the only path left is to flee to Zhenhai Daocheng."
"But I am actually thinking of another question."
"I always feel that we cannot just wait for things to change unexpectedly."
"The last time I waited for a change was the collapse of the Demon-Sealing Cave. To wait for this change, I stayed trapped in the stone cave for who knows how many years, ending up with a body full of ailments."
Do we have to wait a few more years this time? I am afraid I won't have that luxury anymore."
"And in life, many times, waiting doesn't bring about unexpected opportunities, but rather piles up more troubles and karma."
"When in adversity, change; when change comes, adapt; when adapted, endure."
"For example, if the young master of the Chunyu family and Yan Jianming both disappear in this vast wilderness, what will happen next?"
"Or, if by chance, they come face to face with the disciples of the Sword Sect who have been pursuing me, and then get captured by the Sword Sect, what will happen next?"
"Or, if it is destined, when people find the young master of the Chunyu family again, he has already passed the seven-day mourning period, with fatal wounds imbued with sword intent all over his body, what will happen next?"
"In fact, compared to someone like Yan Jianming, who has enough cultivation and a mild temperament, focusing on not making mistakes as the top priority."
"Someone with a reckless personality like the young master of the Chunyu family may have more flaws."
"He was once suppressed in the Demon-Sealing Cave for a period of time. You are the steward, you must have seen him, tell me about the details."
At this, the steward appeared somewhat surprised.
"I only saw him a few times, a young master with a very bad temper from a prestigious family. I didn't want to deal with such trivial matters at the time, so I didn't pay much attention. Now, it's hard to recall the details, and besides, didn't Yan Jianming just have a sincere conversation with you, telling you everything in detail, why ask me?"
Chu Weiyang chuckled and shook his head.
"I didn't believe a word Yan Jianming said!"
"Perhaps he was momentarily taken aback by me, but he is not foolish enough to tell me all the details! In his eyes, the young master of the Chunyu family is a troublemaker. Am I, who dares to provoke, not a troublemaker?"
"There's no difference. If he said he would take the young master of the Chunyu family for a simple stroll in the forest, and they really meet, the most straightforward action he might take is to kill us both!"
"This situation is becoming more and more incomprehensible. There may be some major event about to happen, layer upon layer, suffocating people to death."
"Now, to prepare for a breakthrough, we must do our best to sever karma! Only by escaping early can we do the right thing!"
With that, Chu Weiyang's footsteps suddenly halted.
In front of him, an unusual clearing in the forest, with a shallow pool in the center of the open ground.
Carefully examining the details around the pool, Chu Weiyang spoke again.
"Did Yan Jianming say to go east or west earlier?"
The steward scratched his head.
"He said to go west!"
Without hesitation, Chu Weiyang turned his body.
"Then we will go east!"
After walking for a while, the land under Chu Weiyang's feet gradually dried up, no longer muddy as before.
About half a day passed.
Even the flat terrain suddenly became undulating at this moment.
Just then, as Chu Weiyang was about to continue walking towards the distance from a lower point, suddenly, a side of the mound exploded!
Three people rolled out in a sorry state in front of Chu Weiyang.
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"What's this commotion? Gentlemen, since we've met on this path, I, Yan Jianyin under the Danxia Old Mother of Tingchang Mountain, would like to have a chat with you!"
Many books are now hard to find, so let's cherish what we have.