Lu Li returned to his room in a daze and fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.
He did not know that someone had already set their sights on him.
Inside the main hall of Youlong Stronghold's Grand Martial Courtyard, the skeletal old man in black leaned back in a grand chair. He gazed indifferently at Zhang Dawu, who knelt trembling on the floor. "Judging by your expression, you still haven't uncovered that man's origins."
"S-Senior, spare me! That Qin Shouren seems to have appeared from nowhere. I secretly investigated all of Youlong Town, but no one knows him. I-I suspect he isn't a Rogue Cultivator from Youlong Town at all..." Zhang Dawu pressed his forehead to the floor, his teeth chattering in the bone-deep cold.
"Ai, truly useless!"
The black-robed old man slowly rose and walked toward the door. The expressionless Zhang Yu followed with stiff, mechanical steps.
Zhang Dawu was just about to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
The black-robed old man suddenly stopped beside him and pressed down with one palm. With a muffled bang, a cluster of pitch-black ice needles reduced Zhang Dawu's head to pulp.
He turned his palm over. Wisps of blood Qi rose from the corpse and flowed into his withered hand.
In just a few breaths, Zhang Dawu's body transformed into a dried corpse.
Throughout it all, Zhang Yu showed neither expression nor reaction.
"Not from Youlong Town, huh." The old man murmured to himself, stretched out his hand to beckon, and a square bronze coffin rapidly enlarged in his palm, then slowly landed in the center of the hall. He said indifferently, "Go in."
At his command, Zhang Yu stepped forward, pushed the coffin lid aside, and lay inside.
The old man beckoned, and the coffin vanished. "Brat, you dared destroy this old man's spirit corpse. No one in this world can save you now!" His figure flashed and streaked into the night like a meteor.
The next day.
Lu Li stood on the stone bridge at the center of the emerald lake, one hand behind his back as he stared into the distance. Behind him, Xiao He stood in jade-green robes with her hands clasped, silently watching him.
After a long time.
Lu Li turned around and asked, "Do you have Spirit Roots?"
Xiao He shook her head. "The Great Chief gave me a Spirit-Awakening Pill, but he said I have no affinity with the immortal path."
Lu Li nodded, took a stack of banknotes from his storage space, and handed them to Xiao He, "Take it. Spend it sparingly. These banknotes should be enough for you."
She had no affinity with the immortal path. Even if Lu Li wished to help her, there was nothing he could do.
"Young master, you're..." Xiao He shook her head, not accepting them.
"Take it." Lu Li caught her hand and pressed the banknotes into it. "I'm leaving, and I don't know whether I'll return. This courtyard is pleasant enough. Stay if you wish. If you cannot bear living here alone, you may leave."
After speaking, he shook his head, turned around, and walked towards the outer courtyard.
"Young Master... I'll wait for you to return!" Xiao He stood on the bridge, staring after Lu Li as her trembling voice carried across the lake.
Lu Li didn't look back. First, he found Chu Fankong to explain his departure intentions. Chu Fankong didn't try to persuade him to stay, just reminded him to be careful outside and to come back to visit when he had time.
Lu Li nodded in agreement. Originally, he intended to bid farewell to Li Chenghu as well, but on second thought, he decided not to. Instead, he asked Chu Fankong to relay the message to Li Chenghu after he had left.
As for Lei Ming's side, Lu Li didn't go there either.
After leaving Earth Tiger Stronghold, Lu Li visited Jubao Hall to purchase Talismans. Most were Low Grade, with only a handful at Mid Grade. Since Lu Li wanted the entire stock, the shop sold him more than a hundred at a price of two or three True Essence Pills each.
Lu Li counted thirty-five Swift Travel Talismans, fifty Explosion Talismans, ten Quicksand Talismans, and fifteen Flame Bullet Talismans.
Mid Grade Talismans could only truly threaten cultivators at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement or below. Against anyone stronger, they might cause some trouble but little real harm.
Quantity, however, could make up for quality. Throwing the entire batch at once would be another matter entirely.
Approaching noon.
Lu Li rode a black horse out of the town from the West Gate, then headed north along the foothills of the branch mountain range.
Lu Li's destination was Mount Qingliang in Liangzhou, where the Daoist temple in which Zhang Song had once imprisoned them still stood.
There was earth fire there that could be used for alchemy.
By evening,
Lu Li had crossed from the southern side of the mountain to the north, where an unremarkable town came into view.
Outside the town's south gate, Lu Li stopped.
"Shuiyun Town, what a predestined connection indeed."
Lu Li looked up at the simple plaque mounted on the wooden gate, his eyes flickering, then urged his horse into town.
Shuiyun Town had only two main roads crossing at its center. Lu Li rode along the north-south street past rows of dilapidated houses. Compared with Dihu Town, this place was little more than a remote mountain village.
Not far along, the shop on Lu Li's right side turned into a wall. After walking a little further, a courtyard gate appeared.
Lu Li frowned at the three black characters reading 'Shuiyun Stronghold' above the courtyard gate, then dismounted.
At this moment, the courtyard gate was closed. Lu Li stared at the gate for a moment before stepping forward to knock.
Knock knock knock...
After seven or eight consecutive knocks, the sound of running footsteps finally came from inside the courtyard.
"Who the fuck-"
The gate creaked open. A bare-chested brute had only spoken half a curse when Lu Li seized his throat and tightened his fingers. Blood spurted from the man's neck.
The brute was not yet dead. His eyes bulged with terror as he forced out a plea. "S-Senior... spare me..."
Lu Li glanced toward the houses behind the courtyard and asked indifferently, "Where's Xu Shan?"
It was too quiet here. Apart from this burly man, there didn't seem to be anyone else, which puzzled Lu Li.
"B-Great Chief has gone out." The burly man said with difficulty.
"Where to?"
"I...I don't know. Probably...probably headed west for road ambushing, following the usual routine."
"Road ambushing?"
"J-just...just robbing passing rogue cultivators and...and Qingyang Sect's little cultivators..."
"Heh, truly taking up the bandit trade." Lu Li smiled faintly, then abruptly exerted force. The burly man instantly stopped breathing, falling to the ground with a thud.
Without another glance at the corpse, Lu Li headed toward the buildings ahead.
After searching around, he found nothing of value. There were indeed several servants here, but they were all ordinary mortals. Lu Li chased all these servants out of the stronghold, then set the stronghold ablaze.
The servants watched in terror, their faces drained of blood. When the Great Chief returned, he would surely kill them for this.
Lu Li glanced at the several servants, "All of you, get far away. Whoever dares to save the fire, I'll kill them!"
He released his aura and pressed it down upon the crowd. The servants fled in panic, stumbling over one another.
Lu Li looked at their fleeing figures, stroked his chin, and left satisfied.
"Westward, huh. Perfectly along the way. I wonder how strong that Xu Shan is...should I kill him or not?"
Before long, Lu Li reached Shuiyun Town's western gate, still weighing the decision in his mind...