Having cleared the air, Xu Lingguang no longer concerned himself with what Song Nanchu was pondering. After resting for a while, he cleaned up the blood he had coughed up, ate a handful of sour-sweet wild berries, and felt ready to go again.
“Stay here and don’t wander off. I’m going to explore the area to familiarize myself with the terrain and see if I can find a shortcut to sneak back to Qingyu Sect.”
Xu Lingguang wrapped a large bundle of wild berries in leaves and placed them beside Song Nanchu. Glancing at the sky, he added, “If I don’t find an opportunity to return to Qingyu Sect, I’ll be back before sunset. If I don’t return, it means I’ve managed to get back to Qingyu Sect.”
Seeing Song Nanchu listlessly hanging his head, unsure if he was even listening attentively, Xu Lingguang added another remark: “Of course, if I never come back, it might also mean something happened to me. In that case, you’ll have to fend for yourself.”
With that, he picked up a small pouch of wild berries, grabbed a straight wooden stick he had found, and left.
He seemed quite experienced in traversing mountainous terrain. When passing through dense thickets and forests, he would first tap around with the stick to ensure no dangerous beasts were hiding inside before stepping forward.
Song Nanchu watched his figure gradually disappear into the foliage, then listlessly retreated back into the shadows.
Xu Lingguang circled around the edge of Ailao Mountain for half the journey before realizing the mountain’s range was simply too vast. He estimated that even walking until sunset might not be enough to complete the circuit, so he decisively gave up. Relying on his memory, he chose a relatively safe and not-too-distant path to circle back to Qingyu Sect.
He was truly frightened by those relentless cultivators, and his heart pounded with anxiety as he stepped out of Ailao Mountain. Fortunately, his luck hadn’t completely run out. Whether those cultivators hadn’t noticed him or had already dispersed, Xu Lingguang managed to return to Qingyu Sect smoothly just before nightfall.
Zhou Fuying was leaning against a large tree branch near the entrance of Qingyu Sect, taking a nap.
The sight of him made Xu Lingguang furious. His eyes scanned the surroundings before he finally picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it at Zhou Fuying, declaring with fierce determination, “Unfilial disciple! Your master has returned.”
Zhou Fuying had sensed Xu Lingguang’s approach the moment he drew near and, of course, knew he had somehow survived yet again.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and his previously decent mood instantly turned gloomy.
His earlier act of deliberately abandoning Xu Lingguang had been too obvious, and Xu Lingguang was clearly aware of it. Neither of them bothered with any more hypocritical pretenses.
Looking down at Xu Lingguang from his perch, Zhou Fuying chuckled coldly. “Master must be a reincarnated raccoon dog.”
With nine lives, he simply refused to die.
Xu Lingguang forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Thanks for the compliment.”
Without another word, he ignored Zhou Fuying and strode inside, heading straight to find Yu Jun.
Zhou Fuying leaped down from the tree, unsheathing his sword to block Xu Lingguang’s path. “Since you’re back, you might as well stay.”
His pitch-black sword carried such heavy killing intent that even approaching it made Xu Lingguang feel an indescribable pressure. However, he was here to deliver a message and felt fully justified, so he lifted his chin and mustered his courage. “Step aside. I need to speak with Yu Jun.”
Zhou Fuying curled his lip, a mocking smile playing on his face. “What a coincidence. I need to speak with you too.”
He was clearly determined to be unreasonable. Xu Lingguang snorted, imitating his posture by crossing his arms and said arrogantly, “Song Nanchu is injured and recuperating on Ailao Mountain. I came to deliver a message for him. If you keep blocking me and waste time, Song Nanchu might end up as food for the Chenghuang.”
Zhou Fuying’s expression shifted slightly. He instinctively doubted Xu Lingguang’s words but quickly realized that, after losing his memory, Xu Lingguang shouldn’t know about the relationship between Song Nanchu and the black snake.
He scrutinized Xu Lingguang with a sinister gaze, as if trying to strip him to the bone and see what exactly was inside.
Xu Lingguang felt a chill run down his spine. Putting on a fierce front, he glared at Zhou Fuying and turned to Yu Jun, who was approaching gracefully, to explain, “Song Nanchu has turned into a half-human, half-snake form and can’t move at all. I couldn’t carry him, so I had to come back to find you.”
Compared to Zhou Fuying, Yu Jun was much more courteous. After carefully inquiring about Song Nanchu’s condition, she pondered briefly and said, “Given the current situation, it might be safer for the senior brother to stay on Ailao Mountain for now.”
Xu Lingguang was puzzled.
Yu Jun explained, “Recently, members of the demon race have been lurking around the Qingyu Sect. If senior brother returns before fully recovering, they might forcibly take him back.”
Xu Lingguang couldn’t fully grasp the complicated entanglement between Song Nanchu and the demon race, but he immediately seized the key point: “But Song Nanchu can’t even move right now, and you can’t enter the mountain. If he goes berserk again, what am I supposed to do?”
He frowned and added, “Also, food and shelter in the mountains are big problems.”
Yu Jun sighed and offered, “Whatever you need, Master, we’ll deliver it to you. Until senior brother fully recovers, we’ll have to trouble you to take care of him.”
Xu Lingguang’s eyes lit up. He blinked and asked, “Do you have any miraculous elixirs that can cure all ailments and prolong life?”
Although he didn’t know exactly what was wrong with this body, he figured consuming more elixirs couldn’t hurt.
Yu Jun immediately guessed his little scheme upon hearing this. However, since they were the ones asking for help, and Xu Lingguang’s straightforward desire for something wasn’t particularly off-putting, she replied honestly, “We do have elixirs, but your inner core is shattered and your meridians are blocked. Taking elixirs recklessly might backfire.”
Xu Lingguang’s face scrunched up in disappointment. Sighing, he reluctantly settled for a compromise: “Then give me some food and bedding first. You probably have something like storage rings or spatial pouches, right?”
These things were practically staples in cultivation novels.
Previously, Xu Lingguang hadn’t realized that the relationship between this body and his disciples was strained, which had clouded his judgment. Now that he understood, he boldly guessed that all the good stuff had been hidden away by his three cheap disciples on purpose.
Yu Jun indeed had such items.
She took out a Sumeru Ring and handed it to Xu Lingguang: “This contains some ingredients infused with spiritual power, enough for you and senior brother to use for a few days.” Then, she gave him a bracelet adorned with a golden bell: “Since you can’t mobilize spiritual power, and senior brother is likely in the same state, communication talismans won’t work. If you need anything, shake the golden bell to let me know. There’s a gu insect I raised inside—it will send me a message.”
Xu Lingguang imitated Yu Jun’s manner and checked the items inside the Sumeru Ring. There weren’t many things inside, but they were indeed all urgently needed by Xu Lingguang at the moment. Ingredients and seasonings were fully stocked, along with some emergency wound medicine, self-defense weapons, and so on.
It seemed quite sincere after all—this trip hadn’t been in vain.
With these supplies, he could try to slowly settle down in Ailao Mountain.
—On the way here, he had actually already made up his mind. After all, he wasn’t the real Xu Lingguang, and there was no telling what grudges or entanglements existed between the three cheap disciples and the original owner. Rather than staying in the Qingyu Sect and passively waiting for conflicts to erupt, it was better to leave while he still had the initiative.
He had already scouted the flat areas along the edge of Ailao Mountain. When the time came, he would pick a suitable spot to build a small house for shelter, relying on the mountain for food and the water for sustenance—he could survive that way.
As for those rumors… he had entered and exited Ailao Mountain several times without encountering any danger. Either the legends were false, or the Chenghuang simply couldn’t be bothered to deal with insignificant nobodies in the remote corners.
As long as he was careful, it would still be better than staying in the Qingyu Sect, constantly worrying about being hunted down and living day-to-day.