Chapter Eight: A New Path

The mundane world truly is an excellent place to conceal oneself from the cultivators. Take, for instance, the cultivators seeking the Sun family's transport services this time. If not for Long Ba's unexpected arrival, Yuanhe would likely have been suffering terribly by now. Yet, the ordinary world cannot ultimately escape the cultivators’ relentless search. If they so desire, they could unearth whatever they seek, even if it is buried several feet underground. Thus, Lei Yan was not as optimistic as Yuanhe.

Watching Lei Yan lower his head in contemplation, Yuanhe offered a grim smile. “Now that you know this secret, do you think those cultivators will let you go?”

“Are you forcing me to kill you?” Lei Yan lifted his gaze toward Yuanhe, trapped within the formation, and answered confidently, “They won’t find out. Because you won’t tell. Of course, Long Ba is indeed a troublesome clue...” As he spoke, Lei Yan fell into thought. If Yuanhe were to die, Long Ba would become the sole lead. Thus, Yuanhe could not die yet. “If you wish to avenge the Medicine Sect, I need some time. You understand what I mean.”

The moment Lei Yan spoke, Yuanhe understood. Lei Yan wanted him to buy time. It was, indeed, the best approach: he could delay the cultivators, and at the same time obscure the clue that was Long Ba. Yet, if he truly did this, it meant facing the torture of those cultivators. Yuanhe’s expression shifted several times, uncertain and unable to decide.

Seeing Yuanhe’s hesitation, Lei Yan realized that without a dose of encouragement, Yuanhe might truly shrink back. Thinking thus, Lei Yan murmured to himself, “I wonder what the founder left behind—was it a cultivation method, or spiritual artifacts? Being the founder of the Medicine Sect, I imagine there must be plenty of pills, too.”

“Yes, with those, avenging the Medicine Sect is within reach.” Yuanhe suddenly saw clearly, perhaps trusting the founder of his sect. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Remember your promise to me. Don’t let me down.” Yuanhe had considered searching for the treasure himself, but the persistent sects made him lose heart. In his current state, he could not hope to find the treasure under their watchful eyes. If he wished for vengeance, he could only rely on Lei Yan.

“Don’t worry,” Lei Yan replied, patting his chest. “By the way, where is the Medicine Sect? And that Niu Family Village?”

“Niu Family Village is in the southwest border region of Qingzhou; you can ask around. As for the Medicine Sect, you need not go there. It’s already destroyed; there’s no point,” Yuanhe said calmly.

Lei Yan nodded. “Yuanhe, I must ensure there are no traces left. I need to seal you again. Please try to buy me a week.”

“I’ll do my best,” Yuanhe said, uncertain. He truly could not guarantee he’d survive a week under the cultivators’ hands. With that, he crouched down.

Lei Yan turned his true energy within. A tangible beam of light shot from his right palm and sank into the infant-sealing array. At the same time, he intoned, “Seal.”

Rays of light emanated from the spirit stones of the infant-sealing array, forming bands in midair, binding Yuanhe like ropes. Gradually, the light contracted, and the rectangular spirit stone within the array seemed to suck the radiance inside, as if it were a vacuum. Not only the light vanished, but also Yuanhe’s nascent soul.

Watching the still-glimmering spirit stone, Lei Yan knew he had to restore the formation, at least so it would not be obvious someone had tampered with it. He returned the spirit stones to their original positions at the cardinal points and removed the outer formation. Satisfied, Lei Yan nodded; from the surface, it was difficult to detect anyone had interfered with the infant-sealing array.

Having finished, Lei Yan looked to Qingling at his side. But the moment he did, his expression changed. Qingling’s face was twisted with pain; sweat beads dripped from her forehead. “Is she suffering a cultivation deviation?” Without hesitation, Lei Yan rushed to her back and tried to infuse his true energy into her body, but as soon as it entered, it was repelled.

Lei Yan’s brows furrowed. In that instant, he sensed the chaotic true energy within Qingling, like a headless fly crashing about and rejecting external energy.

Qingling, trapped in agony, was exhausted. She wanted to give up, but her mind was full of Lei Yan’s shadow. She murmured, “I’m so tired, so tired. Brother Lei, let me rest a while.”

If Qingling gave up, she might truly die. Lei Yan felt a pang in his heart; Qingling had left an indelible mark upon him. Yet with her true energy so scattered, he could do nothing. Only Qingling herself could regulate it, for it was her own body. Thus he whispered by her ear, “Ling, focus your mind. Calm yourself. Slowly guide the true energy in your dantian to gather the scattered energy back. I’ll help you.”

Just as Qingling was about to give up, Lei Yan’s voice reached her ears, and a sudden hope for life arose. “I can’t rest. Brother Lei will worry.” Forcing herself past the faintness, she slowly drew the energy from her dantian toward the scattered true energy. Seeing this, Lei Yan knew the time was right. He infused his own true energy again, and this time, guided by Qingling, it was not repelled.

At that moment, Second Brother Leng and Zhao Six hurried in from outside, their faces anxious. Chaos reigned outside: the Wind Shelter and Sand Lion organizations were converging on Long Ba. Long Ba seemed a juicy target, attracting even smaller groups. If they did not leave soon, escape would be impossible. Reaching the northeast corner, they found Lei Yan tending to Qingling’s injuries. Unsure why Qingling was wounded, they paused in concern. “Could it be the box?”

Leng and Zhao exchanged a glance and fell silent. Whether it was due to the box or not, at this moment, Lei Yan and Qingling could not be disturbed.

Time passed, and the scattered true energy within Qingling finally calmed. Lei Yan wiped sweat from his brow and stood, looking at Leng and Zhao. “What’s the situation outside?”

The two exchanged glances, and Zhao spoke. “The Sun family seems to have contacted the Wind Shelter and Sand Lion organizations. Perhaps those who left Long Ba drew their attention. They’re heading this way now.”

“And what about Lu Kai?” Lei Yan noticed Lu Kai hadn’t arrived and asked immediately.

No sooner had Lei Yan spoken than Lu Kai, who had been waiting outside, called out, “Here, here!”

“Let’s talk outside,” Lei Yan said as he stepped out of the wooden hut. If they left together, it would draw attention; they had to disperse for now. Just outside, Lei Yan addressed Leng and the others, “People outside are heading our way. Leaving together is too conspicuous. We need to split up temporarily and regroup at Niu Family Village in the southwest border region of Qingzhou. Is that clear?”

The ten responded respectfully, without a hint of doubt.

“Be careful, all of you,” Lei Yan said with a wave. “Scatter.”

Watching the group depart, Lei Yan turned and re-entered the hut. At that moment, Qingling opened her eyes. After being treated with true energy, her complexion had improved greatly. Lei Yan gazed into her eyes and said, “Ling, thank you.”

“Don’t be silly, why thank me?” Qingling answered shyly.

“But if you ever do something so reckless again, I’ll have to consider letting you leave,” Lei Yan said seriously. He knew all too well: Qingling’s cultivation deviation was entirely due to him. When arranging the infant-sealing array, she had recklessly infused her true energy into his body, disregarding her own safety.

“I won’t, I won’t. Why are you so fierce?” Qingling suddenly felt aggrieved, her eyes reddening as tears streamed down uncontrollably. She knew Lei Yan spoke out of concern, but his words still stung.

“Ah…” Lei Yan sighed helplessly.

“Women seem to need coaxing,” he thought, and pulled Qingling into his arms, comforting her. “Do you know? You mean more to me than my own life. So you must take care of yourself—or I’ll never forgive you.”

Suddenly, Qingling felt the world spinning, her ears filled with the sound of his heartbeat. She sobbed softly and murmured assent.

“Let’s go,” Lei Yan said to Qingling, who was still sniffling. The box containing Yuanhe he planned to leave behind; only by abandoning it would he lull the cultivators into lowering their guard.

“Brother Lei, you’ve learned the secret, haven’t you?” Qingling, startled, pointed to the box.

Lei Yan nodded, taking Qingling’s hand as they walked outside.