Meanwhile in Ye Hua's Point of View, things were utterly different from what they should be.
He had just finished meditating after a fierce battle with a spirit beast. "Finally, All the herbs and cores are ready." he thought, A sense of quiet satisfaction settled over him.
Then, out of nowhere a sudden voice fell in ear, "Da—"
His senses sharpened. "Who is that? How did he get so close without me noticing?"
A young man stood there, smiling strangely. He studied him carefully, "First Layer of Qi Refining Realm? No way. I'm at the peak Foundation Realm, anyone beneath me should've been detected. I should've sensed him from far away."
"A First layer in this region, Even if it is the entrance of the Inner region, he is just at first layer of the Qi Refining realm."
"No… it can't be, how it can be. I can't even sense His Cultivation aura, this means... his cultivation is not lower than mine? and he's purposely hiding his aura?"
Then this young man spoke, and explained that he is badly injured and lost, with his poor acting and asked for his help getting out.
"Lost? Injured? Hmph! Too convenient." Suspicion clouded Ye Hua's thoughts. "Is he playing weak? Trying to trick me? As if I'd fall for something so obvious."
He kept his guard up. But when he pulled out two talismans, Ye hua's expression shifted. "These… defensive talismans. Strong enough to block the strike from experts… even higher than the Foundation Realm."
Still, he can't trust him, maybe he is just trying to lure him into a trap. But the fact is these talismans can be considered to have life saving value.
"Could he actually be in trouble?" his mind was lost with swirling thoughts.
If that were the case, turning her away would be downright heartless. As someone raised with the noble traditions of his homeland, leaving others to perish wasn't in his nature.
Maybe he should help him out.
Still he didn't trust him a bit. "I will use my artifact with a defensive formation. If he tries anything, it would paralyze him long enough for me to retreat."
They flew at high speed. The whole time, he kept my keen sense locked on him. Yuan sat leaned against the edge of the artifact, cheek resting on his hand like he was lost in deep thought or perhaps pretending to be.
{After a while}
"Is he meditating? Or pretending to sleep to catch me off guard? Does he think I'm that easy to trick? Only a fool would do that near a stranger in a place like this, hmph! As if I'd fall for something like this."
The young man's vigilance did not waver. Yet Yuan didn't move. Not a twitch, not a flicker of hostility. By the time they reached the border of the Mountain Ranges, he still hadn't stirred.
Soon, they reached the outskirts of Jiye Village. Ye hua brought the artifact down gently. Xu Yuan still hadn't stirred.
"Brother Xu… we've arrived," He reached over and shook him lightly
But he mumbled drowsily "Hehe… let's go inside the room…"
"Eh?"
It struck him hard like a bolt of lightning. "He's dreaming! About some room or something… And all this time, I had been watching him with hawk-like vigilance, preparing to strike at the slightest movement."
"How… the hell does someone sleep so easily in such a situation? Even if you have high cultivation, still you need to be a little cautious." he muttered, torn between reluctant emotion.
For the first time in a long while, he laughed quietly to himself "Looks like I've learned something new today."
—
—
Throughout the entire journey, Xu Yuan desperately dreamed—dreams filled with fairies, their soft laughter, their delicate figures, his face crushed between their tender mounds, as though he had stepped into the pages of the novels he once read. Just as he reached the best part, things were about to go to bed a voice dragged him back.
"Brother Xu!"
Breaking the sweet dream his eyes opened slowly. "B…Brother Ye?"
"We've reached Jiye Village. It lies a few Li away from the Beast Mountain Range." Ye Hua spoke in a soft tone.
Xu Yuan stretched lazily and nodded "Ah~ thank you, Brother Ye. Here, as promised the talismans."
Ye Hua accepted them, sliding the slips into his storage pouch. His gaze lingered on Xu Yuan for a moment before he said quietly, "Brother Xu, you are… different from most people I've met. Carefree, almost too carefree."
Xu Yuan didn't entirely understand the meaning of his words, but he enjoyed the praise.
Straightening his back, he cleared his throat and spoke in a solemn voice, as though quoting from some profound scripture.
"Brother Ye! A man who fears the path ahead will stumble a thousand times before taking a single step. But a man who dares to walk it, even if he stumbles, is already nearer to the Dao."
He paused dramatically, then added with a twinkle in his eye "…And if fairies are waiting at the end of that path, then why not run instead of walk?"
Ye Hua blinked. Despite it was difficult to put those profound words right in such a situation, he laughed aloud, his suspicion melting into amusement.
"Hahaha! Brother Xu, you truly are an admirable person. If fate allows, I would like to share wine with you some day."
Xu Yuan puffed up his chest, clearly pleased with himself. "Wine, women, and the Dao! Brother Ye, I would never feel good to decline!"
Ye Hua again burst into laughter "Hahaha!" and shook his head slightly and asked. "If you don't mind…
May I ask for your real name?"
"Real name?" Xu Yuan blinked in confusion "Didn't I already tell you? I am Xu Yuan."
For a long moment, Ye Hua stared at him, as though trying to read through every layer of his soul. Yet the more he looked, the less he understood.
This man so carefree, so unrestrained gave off the air of someone who had long since grasped experiences beyond reach.
Then he stepped on his hovering artifact. "Brother Xu, I must part ways here. There are matters I cannot delay."
As Ye Hua's artifact flew and was about to fade into the horizon, he looked back one last time, his voice echoing with rare sincerity. "My name… is Zhi Chen, I look forward to the day we meet again."
Xu Yuan scratched his head, watching him vanish into the horizon. "Zhi… Chen? The hell? Why did he give me a fake name before?"
He huffed, then waved dismissively. "Tch, whatever, Still he was nice enough… even if he gives out villain vibes."
Then he sighed dramatically. "Aiye~ meeting experts is really dangerous. I should be the one giving out fake names like Bai Chen! Xue Mei! Zh... the—no, wait, that one sounds wrong…"
[Ding!]
"System! Ah–Reward time…
Hehe… Show what it is!"
[Congratulation host, You have completed the Mission]
***[CHOSE ONE REWARD]***
[1. A hidden secret about your body]
[2. A secret dual cultivation art]
"Huh? A hidden secret about my body… and a dual cultivation art?!" Xu Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Both look Fine But what should I choose...." he thought to himself while walking slowly through the village, deeply lost.
Soon, the lively noise of the market reached his ears, vendors shouting, cultivators bargaining, the smell of roasted meat filling the air.
"Hey mister! See this tier 2 beast core here!"
"Young Man! Care for some charms. It will bring you good luck!"
Yuan ignored them, his mind on the choice. "Well, Dual Cultivation art is useless for me now… but a hidden secret about my body? That sounds special!"
"Ok, I choose first!"
[Ding!]
[A hidden secret about your body]
[Host your body had absorbed an unbloomed lotus of unknown origin. It has tempered your body, providing extraordinary strength. Your meridians and veins have been reforged. So, now the host can cultivate any technique freely. Even techniques that usually made for special physiques can be practiced, making the cultivation progress much faster. And additionally Host will also be able to recover his previous cultivation fast. Other effects are still unknown.]
"Unknown origin?" Yuan's expression darkened. "Even the system can't tell its origin?"
[Ding!]
[System can detect it but host's cultivation is too low.]
[Raise your cultivation, Host! Tsk!]
"You—!" Yuan clenched his fists, but before he could argue further, suddenly a small body collided into him.
"Ah—!"