Chapter 21: Alone into the Mountains (Please Keep Reading)

In the depths of the Hundred-Thousand Mountains, Chen Yinshan and his wife unexpectedly discovered a two-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Fruit. Seeing no one around and no monsters lurking nearby, they swiftly stowed it away in their storage pouch. But as they prepared to leave the mountains, a spirit pet belonging to a disciple of Joy Mountain sensed the Fire Spirit Fruit. Without the slightest courtesy, the disciple demanded they hand it over.

Chen Yinshan was furious and wanted to refuse, but Zhao Guili immediately stopped him. There was no other way—they were too weak, while their adversary was a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator backed by Joy Mountain. Though Joy Mountain now stood beleaguered on all sides, it remained untouchable for lowly itinerant cultivators like them. If their enemy discovered they had settled in Qing'an City, endless trouble would surely follow.

Remembering what Li Guanxuan had once said, Zhao Guili ultimately handed over the Fire Spirit Fruit and hurried away with Chen Yinshan from the mountains. Who could have foreseen... that the Joy Mountain disciple would suddenly go back on his word, turning their ordeal into a cruel game?

To survive, Zhao Guili suggested she and Chen Yinshan split up, so at least one might escape with their life. In the end, the Joy Mountain disciple abandoned the pursuit of Chen Yinshan, instead chasing after Zhao Guili with his spirit pet. A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator hunting someone who had just reached the third layer—everyone knew what such an outcome would be.

After listening to Old Chen's story, Li Guanxuan fell silent, a powerful sense of helplessness rising in his heart. Before the disciples of the great sects, people like them—lowly itinerant cultivators—were little more than slaves. When pleased, they let them go. When displeased, they toyed with them, finally murdering and robbing them for amusement.

Suddenly, Chen Yinshan looked up sharply, his eyes wide, the red veins around his pupils spreading like spiderwebs across the whites, and said, “Old Li! Tell me, do you think Guili could still be alive? I went to investigate the direction she fled for several days—I never found her body, only some traces of blood... Do you think she could still be alive? Yes, she’s so clever, so quick-witted. She must have escaped. She must still be alive!”

Li Guanxuan gazed at Chen Yinshan, now teetering on the edge of madness. Though the hope was slim, for Chen Yinshan it was the pillar that kept him going. Li Guanxuan nodded, showing his support, though he said nothing.

“I have to find her!” Chen Yinshan stood, hope flickering in his eyes, a strand of determination shining through as he declared, “No matter the outcome, I must search for her. As the old saying goes: If alive, see the person; if dead, see the body. People like us, mere itinerant cultivators, may never be able to contend with Joy Mountain. I don’t expect vengeance, only that I might find her in these vast mountains—that alone would make it all worthwhile.”

Li Guanxuan listened quietly to his old friend’s heartfelt words. In the Hundred-Thousand Mountains, countless bones lay buried. Even mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, let alone late-stage or early Foundation Establishment practitioners, dared not venture too deep.

But Li Guanxuan knew he could neither stop Chen Yinshan nor help him. Fourth-layer Qi Refining, first-rank high-grade talisman master—how could he possibly contend with Joy Mountain? Perhaps, centuries hence, he might level the entire sect. But then... Chen Yinshan would likely be long gone, and even the culprit from Joy Mountain might no longer exist.

“Want a drink?” Li Guanxuan asked, producing two jars of spirit wine. “The real strong stuff.”

At such a moment, words were useless; sharing a drink with an old friend was enough. He possessed the Velvet Blossom Spirit Tree and could live forever… but Chen Yinshan could not. One day, he would lose this confidant who understood him.

Innate talent had already determined the fate of so many lowly cultivators. Without a stroke of fortune, it was nearly impossible to rise above their station in a lifetime.

The two men sat in the courtyard, drinking in silence. Life had worn away their edges; they had long learned to swallow their bitterness instead of speaking it, preferring to quietly digest their pain alone. A few hours spent comforting each other were less effective than half an hour of peaceful solitude.

Qin Jiyue watched the two men drinking in the courtyard, not quarreling, not making a fuss, unusually quiet. She thought men were truly strange creatures.

After a long, long time...

Chen Yinshan gazed at the starry sky, some brilliant, others emitting only a faint glow, and sighed, “Sometimes I think, maybe I should just end it all. Perhaps in the next life, I’ll be born with extraordinary talent as a disciple of the immortals.”

Li Guanxuan smiled, “Or maybe it’ll be as wretched as it is now.”

“Damn it all…” Chen Yinshan cursed, laughing. His mood gradually calmed, resigned to the cruel reality.

What could he do? Seek revenge against Joy Mountain? He might not even get past their gates before being blasted to dust.

Zhao Guili had fought desperately to buy him a chance at life—not so he could throw himself back into death.

“Old Li.”

“Mm?”

“Others may not have noticed, but Guili and I both know: your fortunes have changed entirely thanks to Rongxin. Without her, you wouldn’t have this luck…”

“What are you getting at?”

“No matter what happens in the future, don’t let her down. Don’t let anyone bully her. If you lose her, you may lose all your luck as well.”

Chen Yinshan spoke earnestly and sincerely. He couldn’t do much for Li Guanxuan, only offer a few heartfelt words.

Li Guanxuan took a sip of wine and said candidly, “If I am well, she is well; if I live, she lives.”

Hearing this, Chen Yinshan was finally at ease.

People like them, mere itinerant cultivators, would never stumble upon miraculous opportunities. When fate offered even a sliver of change, it must be held tightly.

“Old Li, if I die someday, don’t bother seeking vengeance for me. It’s our lot in life—nothing can be done. I only hope that, if you encounter something like what happened to me, you’ll help if you can, and if not, let it go. We do what we can.”

“Of course, you understand these things better than I do. After all, you always circle around several times before going home, much more cautious than I ever was…”

“In any case, if this time in the Hundred-Thousand Mountains I encounter such trouble and have the strength, I’ll surely cut down those sect disciples who torment others for fun…”

“My old dream was to reach Foundation Establishment; now I only hope… for a fairer world, where those who strive to live have a chance to survive. People shouldn’t always be scarred and suffering…”

“I’m tired. Haven’t slept for days. Let me rest here for a while…”

Chen Yinshan’s face was flushed, his eyes hazy with drunkenness, muttering as if in a dream.

Li Guanxuan didn’t disturb him, gazing up at the brilliant river of stars, murmuring, “One day, winter will end and the galaxy will shine forever.”

At dawn, Chen Yinshan departed.

He entered the mountains alone.

…

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