"The Pytha... what theorem?"
"Pythagorean what?"
As soon as Yang An asked his question, the siblings Pan Shi and Pan Yu, their hands slick with grease as they held their roasted meat, looked at him with dumbfounded expressions. They both asked in unison.
'What a strange question.'
"Er..."
Seeing the siblings' reaction, especially Pan Yu's, it really didn't seem like an act. She genuinely didn't know the Pythagorean theorem. Yang An was stunned.
'That can't be right.'
'She knows internet slang, and she even found so many seasonings that correspond to modern ones.'
'Logically, only someone from modern society would know these things.'
But Pan Yu's expression didn't look fake; she seemed genuinely bewildered by his question.
'Could it be... that this transmigrator wasn't well-educated? Someone who slipped through the cracks of their schooling? Is that why she doesn't know a household mathematical term like the Pythagorean theorem?'
"Fellow Daoist Yang, what's wrong?"
Seeing Yang An in a daze, Pan Shi asked with confusion. By now, the brother and sister had already devoured most of the roasted meat in their hands, but Yang An hadn't taken a single bite.
"It's nothing. I just suddenly thought of some things from the past. If Fellow Daoist Pan Yu doesn't know, then never mind."
Yang An snapped back to his senses and replied, hurriedly starting to gnaw on the hind leg in his hands.
He hadn't had a full meal in days, let alone roasted meat that tasted just like he remembered. At this moment, he couldn't resist the urge to fill his stomach first.
In a flash, he devoured the entire hind leg. The piglet itself wasn't large to begin with, and the three of them polished it off in just a few bites.
Before long, all three had eaten their share clean, leaving behind only a pile of bones on the ground. Not even a shred of meat was spared.
Pan Shi, seemingly still wanting more, licked his fingers without any regard for his image.
Only after she finished eating did Pan Yu compose herself, once again reverting to her demure, ladylike appearance.
Yang An couldn't help but lick the grease from his lips. The aftertaste was truly unforgettable. Still, he couldn't stop himself from looking at Pan Yu again, deciding to ask another question, this time about the origin of the seasonings.
"Fellow Daoist Pan Yu, how do you know of these seasonings? I've never seen them before. To think such wondrous things exist in the world."
He pretended he had never seen them and was greatly curious.
As soon as this question was raised, before Pan Yu could answer, Pan Shi burst out laughing.
"I knew Fellow Daoist Yang wouldn't be able to resist asking!"
"Oh? And why do you say that, Fellow Daoist?"
Yang An looked at him.
"Actually, it's related to the Cultivation Technique my junior sister practices.
"As you know, Fellow Daoist, for us Cultivators who wish to defy fate, we must make trade-offs on our path of cultivation. The more you wish to obtain, the greater the price you must pay."
Yang An nodded.
Through his own Purification Ability, he had already caught a glimpse of this truth: anything related to cultivation came with a price for its use. This must be the "trade-off" Pan Shi was talking about.
So, when Pan Shi reached this point, Yang An basically understood. He could roughly guess why Pan Yu's words and actions were so similar to a transmigrator's.
Pan Shi continued:
"The Cultivation Technique my sister practices isn't a secret art from our Sansong Mountain. It's a fragment of an ancient Cultivation Technique, the third of the seven volumes of the *Charming Record*, called the *Micro Dream Scripture*."
"The price for practicing this Cultivation Technique is to enter illusions. Because of this, my sister is able to see things from another world."
"That's also why she's able to find such rare and wondrous things. They're actually products that have already been discovered in that other world; it just so happens that corresponding things exist in our world as well."
'So that's how it is.' Yang An's expression showed his understanding.
So Pan Yu wasn't actually a transmigrator. It was just because of her Cultivation Technique that she happened to be able to see things from the modern world.
Upon learning this, Yang An couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, though he also felt a little wistful.
On one hand, he was afraid that if there were other transmigrators in this world besides himself, it would mean his own transmigration wasn't just a simple accident.
But on the other hand, knowing Pan Yu wasn't a transmigrator, he lost that feeling of meeting someone from home in a foreign land. He felt a bit disappointed, a rather contradictory emotion.
'But then again, the Cultivation Techniques of this world are truly wondrous, to even have an effect like this, allowing someone to make contact with another world.'
However, Yang An also knew that the truth probably wasn't as simple as Pan Shi made it out to be.
Their relationship wasn't yet at a point where they could share their deepest secrets; it would be foolish to speak so intimately with a new acquaintance.
'If the only effect was having illusions of seeing another world, that couldn't really be called a "price." There were probably secrets involved that outsiders weren't privy to.'
But that had nothing to do with Yang An, and he couldn't probe any deeper, or he might be seen as having ulterior motives.
So the topic was quickly dropped.
In his subsequent conversation with Pan Shi, Yang An couldn't help but think about his own situation.
Although he had learned the Lighting Technique and fused with the Sacrificial Bone that could generate Buddha's Radiance, giving him the ability to resist Demon Fiends, the Lighting Technique took a heavy toll on his body. Unless he used an external object, he couldn't maintain it for long. It could only be used as a life-saving measure in a critical moment.
'So I'm not a Cultivator, just an ordinary person who has grasped a sliver of power.'
And for an ordinary person like him, surviving in this world full of Demon Fiends was extremely difficult.
Furthermore, he possessed the Purification Ability, which could negate the side effects of cultivation-related items. It was as if he were tailor-made to embark on the path of cultivation.
'It seemed he had no other choice.'
But if he wanted to become a Cultivator like Pan Shi and his sister, he needed to have his own Cultivation Technique and learn more about the ways of cultivation.
'But where could he find such a Cultivation Technique?'
'Should he travel to famous mountains and great rivers in search of an Immortal Mountain Sect?'
'Or should he attach himself to some power and look for an opportunity from the bottom up?'
'All of those options seemed too far-fetched and weren't suitable for his current situation.'
The only opportunity currently before him was the Communal Feast soon to be held at the Xiyue River.
Many Cultivators would gather there, and he would have a chance to come into contact with many cultivation resources.
If he wanted to step onto the path of cultivation, his only choice was to follow Pan Shi and Pan Yu to the Xiyue River.
Originally, Yang An had planned to leave Jiunan Town first and then consider whether to part ways with Pan Shi and Pan Yu. But as things stood, it seemed he had no choice but to follow this path to the end.
After resting a while longer, Pan Shi soon suggested they continue their journey. With a good sense of fire safety, he extinguished the campfire.
Yang An didn't object, and the three of them quickly left the spot, continuing toward the Xiyue River.
Through their conversation, Yang An learned that they weren't too far from the Xiyue River. If they moved quickly, they could probably reach their destination by tomorrow morning.
The awkward thing was, as Cultivators, Pan Shi and his sister had a foundation in Body Techniques and could travel two hundred li a day without issue.
But for Yang An, who was just an ordinary person, this was a problem.
Left with no choice, Yang An could only continue to pretend that his body hadn't fully recovered. Citing his temporary inability to use Mana, he suggested that Pan Shi and Pan Yu go on ahead, saying he would arrive a little later.
But upon hearing Yang An's suggestion, the siblings didn't choose to leave him behind. Without saying anything, they still decided to travel with Yang An, accommodating his pace.
Yang An could only brace himself and continue the journey.
Thus, while they could have reached the banks of the Xiyue River by the next morning at their normal pace, it would now likely be delayed until the morning of the third day.
But that night, when the sky had turned completely dark...
They arrived at a village.
It was an unavoidable stop on the way to their destination.