The Return Journey

Xu Ya’s constitution was close to that of a mortal. Unlike the energetic cultivators who only needed to meditate rather than rest, Xu Ya stared blankly at Shi Yuzhen as he cultivated for a while before drowsiness overcame her. Her head began to bob up and down, nearly hitting the tabletop.

In a place where Xu Ya could not see, Shi Yuzhen suddenly opened his eyes and stared at her in silence for a moment.

Shi Yuzhen pinched a secret seal to cast a spell, gently moving Xu Ya onto the bed to lie down.

He stared at Xu Ya in the dark room for a moment before reaching out his hand toward the space between her eyebrows.

This action yielded nothing. Xu Ya was exactly what she appeared to be at first glance, a mortal with five-element roots, a piece of cultivation waste beyond any doubt.

The Qi released by Shi Yuzhen circulated through Xu Ya’s Dantian. Although the withered Dantian showed some signs of improvement, a top-tier cultivator like Shi Yuzhen could easily see that this was merely an illusion caused by proper nutrition. After over a decade of nutritional deficiency, Xu Ya had clearly missed the best window for recovery. Even the finest medicinal pills in the world would be useless to treat her.

Shi Yuzhen withdrew his hand from where it hovered over her brow, tucked her in, and sat back down on the lounge chair in the room to regulate his breathing.

The next day, the group gathered outside the inn.

After a night of rest, everyone except Xu Ya, who could not stop yawning, looked radiant after consuming the Fried Chicken she had prepared.

The disdain they once felt for Xu Ya instantly transformed into solemn respect, and they became fully convinced of the words she had spoken the previous night.

Was this not a stroke of luck granted by the Heavenly Dao?

Recalling the freshly made Crispy Fried Chicken felt like returning to the mortal world. However, they remembered that the fried chicken they had eaten in their youth was never this crispy. Moreover, this Fried Chicken had the effect of increasing one’s cultivation, making it a rare miracle of a Culinary Cultivator.

Calculating the time, the villains within the Yunmeng Immortal Marsh would likely be anxious to come out and confirm if their plan had succeeded.

Just as a criminal always returns to the scene of the crime to confirm their masterpiece, this was a point Xu Ya, this young girl, had reminded them of.

Xu Ya could not give spoilers, so she could only use her experience from watching modern films and television to offer hints. She had summoned her courage and feigned hesitation while making the suggestion. As expected, the five of them were stunned for a moment before showing expressions of realization.

Furthermore, the village they were currently in was the only path one had to take after descending from the Yunmeng Immortal Marsh. Whether they traveled by flying sword or any other means, they would be detected here. Because of this, the place had been named Yunmeng Immortal Village.

Therefore, the six of them only needed to lie in wait and observe.

The six were divided into five groups, each hiding under the shadows of the buildings. Their gaze covered every path leading from the Marsh.

Xu Ya felt that their current positions were not hidden enough. She pulled some grass from downstairs, intending to go up and follow Shi Yuzhen to investigate.

Unexpectedly, she ran into an acquaintance.

The person was crouching right in the patch of grass that Xu Ya had just plucked bare.

It was the little beggar she had met last time at the Immortal Encounter Platform.

The little beggar seemed to have been hiding here for a long time. Compared to their last meeting, his body was covered in many new scars.

Xu Ya imagined what he must have gone through and felt a surge of sympathy. She reached behind her to pull out her treasure bag.

Xu Ya had restocked her Fried Chicken, and her current inventory was plentiful.

As soon as the food box was opened, the fragrant scent of the crispy skin immediately caught the little beggar’s attention.

The little beggar, who was so thin he was practically skin and bones, stared longingly at the Fried Chicken, his saliva nearly dripping.

Xu Ya had no intention of teasing him. She generously handed the box of Fried Chicken to him.

The little beggar did not hesitate like he had last time. As if he did not fear the heat, he practically snatched the box from Xu Ya’s hands and began to tear into the Crispy Fried Chicken ravenously.

Soon, an entire chicken had been stripped so clean that the bones were left perfectly intact.

The little beggar had not had such a full meal in a long time. He let out a hiccup and stammered an apology to Xu Ya, “Thank you, Big Sister.”

Xu Ya’s heart ached. If this were the modern world, a child of the little beggar’s age would still be a flower in a greenhouse. But now, the little beggar seemed to have no parents and just wandered around Yunmeng Immortal Village, likely suffering several beatings because of his hunger.

Xu Ya felt an inexplicable empathy for the child. Ignoring the dirt, she reached out and patted the little beggar’s head.

She then pulled another food box from her treasure bag and told the child to hold onto it.

The child took the box and hugged it tightly. Xu Ya could not delay any longer, so she patted his head once more and said goodbye.

However, in a place Xu Ya did not see, the child hurried along, following not far behind her.

Unlike Xu Ya, Shi Yuzhen possessed the powerful perception of a high-level cultivator. Xu Ya feeding the beggar did not escape his notice, nor did the fact that the little beggar was quietly following her.

However, since the child harbored no ill will, Shi Yuzhen did not drive him away. Instead, he thought Xu Ya was unexpectedly innocent and kind, even if she still seemed like a little liar with clumsy excuses.

A quarter of an hour later, an unexpected figure appeared in Yunmeng Immortal Village, leaving Shi Yuzhen stunned on the spot.

Xu Ya noticed Shi Yuzhen’s reaction. Looking over, she confirmed the figures were Master Xu and Master Chen.

Xu Ya felt a sudden, inexplicable nervousness. Could it be that the villain and the protagonist of the first half of the fragmented book were about to face off right now?

Shi Yuzhen also fell into deep thought. This was indeed different from what he had previously imagined.

One was Shi Yuzhen’s mentor, and the other was an uncle who had watched him cultivate since childhood. Emotionally, Shi Yuzhen was unwilling to suspect them.

Xu Ya understood. She cleared her throat, wanting to hint at something more, but the words were modified by the system as they left her mouth: “Master Chen and the others might just be down the mountain to handle some business.”

The system warning arrived immediately: [Warning! Spoiling content to book characters is prohibited! Please respond in a way that fits your character persona! Your erroneous statement has been filtered! Do not attempt this behavior again! The consequences of causing a text collapse are unimaginable!!]

Xu Ya was speechless. What kind of persona does a piece of cannon fodder like me even have?

Looking at Shi Yuzhen, who found it logically difficult to believe what he was seeing, Xu Ya let out a heavy sigh.

According to the plot, it was likely impossible to let Shi Yuzhen directly realize Master Xu was the villain here. Even though Xu Ya had modified the path of the entire cultivator squad, she couldn’t provide any more hints.

While she was at her wit’s end, Shi Yuzhen took her hand and led her downstairs, heading straight toward Master Xu and Master Chen.

Unluckily, when they stood face-to-face with the two men, both of their expressions were identical.

They first looked with surprise at the place where the two’s hands overlapped before speaking of their concerns.

Master Xu: “Xiao Ya, Disciple Shi!? What happened to you on the road? Why didn’t you return to Yunmeng Immortal Marsh in time? Where are the others?”

Master Xu: “Senior Brother, they’re fine.”

As a prophet who knew the subsequent plot, Xu Ya felt Master Xu’s current state was very much like someone trying to cover their tracks by speaking first.

Just as she was wondering how to break the deadlock, a sudden force caused Xu Ya to stumble forward.

A pair of dirty black hands wrapped around Xu Ya.

Xu Ya turned her head and saw it was the little beggar she had just fed.

While Xu Ya was feeling annoyed by this bizarre scene, the little beggar extended a single black finger to point at Master Xu and the other, saying innocently, “I see the Great Immortal again!”

The little beggar tugged at Xu Ya’s free hand, swinging it back and forth with childlike innocence while still pointing toward Master Xu. “Seen in the day, seen at night. Seen in the day, seen at night. Great Immortal!”

The child had actually deduced exactly what Xu Ya and Shi Yuzhen wanted to investigate from just those few words.

Master Xu crouched down and patted the child’s head. “You’re a very observant little friend.”

The child wanted to say more to please Xu Ya, but Master Xu interrupted him. Master Xu said, “We came to the village to negotiate for a shop. I intended to tell you once you returned, but since you were so late, Master Chen and I had no choice but to come down the mountain and put the project on hold for now.”

Hearing this, Shi Yuzhen asked the key question: “A shop?”

Master Xu: “Yes. I saw that Xiao Ya truly has talent as a Culinary Cultivator. You know Xiao Ya has had a hard life. Usually, she has no Spirit Stones to buy supplements to nourish her body. The other senior brothers and sisters have rewards from completing requests, but only Xu Ya has nothing. So, I discussed it with Master Wang and Master Chen, and we decided to fund a shop for Xu Ya. That way, she can earn some Spirit Stones to nourish herself. It just so happens your senior brothers and sisters are all craving your cooking!”

Master Xu put on his usual kind face, his hands behind his back, though his fists were clenched tight. “I was going to discuss it with Xiao Ya earlier, but then that accident happened and she went with the main force as reinforcements. We waited on the mountain for a few days before deciding to come down and talk to the shop owner first!”

Xu Ya was stunned. She brainstormed the contents of the fragmented book and was certain this extra plot point didn’t exist. Could it be that Master Xu failed to kill Shi Yuzhen during his investigation, so he came up with a new plan overnight? Starting with the Fried Chicken? Was he going to become a shareholder and secretly poison it?

Xu Ya suddenly felt a bit paranoid, unable to stop herself from overthinking. Little did she know, her thoughts were exactly what Master Xu intended to do.

That morning, after the eighteen people had quickly dispersed, Master Xu had secretly monitored the movements of Shi Yuzhen and the others.

He took a shortcut to that location and, with a casual hand seal, walked inside, ignoring the mist.

In the center of the forest were several sleeping cultivators, tied up tightly and slumped unconscious on the grass.

A cold light flashed in Master Xu’s hand. With lightning speed, he slit the throats of the unconscious cultivators to drain their blood. Instantly, the cultivators looked as if their essence had been sucked dry, shriveling up rapidly in a grotesque manner.

Master Xu worked quickly, draining the blood of over a dozen cultivators in identical fashion. Several skeletal remains crashed onto the ground one after another.

Reaching into his pocket, Master Xu pulled out a pre-prepared talisman and slapped it onto the mountain of skeletons. In an instant, they dissolved into smoke and vanished.

With that finished, Master Xu pulled a pair of specialized gloves from his sleeve and began drawing a talisman using the massive pool of foul blood on the ground.

Had Cai Wenle been present, he would have certainly recognized this as the preparation for one of the seven great forbidden arts described within the ancient tree.

The reason Heaven-Seizing Creation was branded an evil forbidden art was not merely due to its effects, but because the bloodthirsty nature of its preparation was truly bone-chilling.

The more lives sacrificed to this technique, the higher its chance of success. If the sacrifices were high-level cultivators, it would become an inescapable trap.

Wherever Master Xu’s hands passed, the foul blood instantly transformed into dense black sand. Even through his gloves, he could feel the searing heat.

He paid the heat no mind. Once the task was complete, a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, his expression one of absolute confidence.

Facing the talisman, he retreated step by step. Seeing that the Soul Snatching Talisman was complete, he couldn’t help but let out a sinister, villainous cackle. A moment later, Master Xu slipped away without a sound.