"The ones I chopped down from heaven back then are still alive, of course."
The Butcher and The Blind Man walked away one after another. Though their steps were slow, their speed was great. The Butcher's voice drifted back: "This hand I traded my lower body for. The divine flesh on it was probably refined into pills and eaten by someone—only the bones remain."
"Mu-er, remember to come back to the village for New Year!" The Blind Man's voice called from afar.
Qin Mu watched them leave and smiled slightly, waving at their retreating figures: "I'll definitely come back for New Year!"
The Blind Man seemed to see him waving without turning his head, just raising his arm to wave back.
"Grandpa Blind is truly amazing," Qin Mu praised. "He can see everything clearly from so far away."
Before long, a deep voice echoed across the grassland from the distance: "Junior Brother Qin, Brother Qin, Qin—"
Hearing it was Ba Shan Jijiu's voice, Qin Mu called out loudly: "I'm here!"
But the voice continued shouting: "Doctor Qin, Doctor Qin, Qin—"
Qin Mu responded again, but Ba Shan Jijiu's voice kept calling from afar. Qin Mu suddenly realized: "Ba Shan Jijiu must still be hundreds of li away. His voice can reach here, but mine can't travel that far."
Ling Yuxiu woke up and quickly said: "Cowherd, let me handle it!" With a wave of her hand, she unleashed a flame divine art. A fireball exploded in midair, sending waves of fire rolling across the land.
Qin Mu silently praised her quick thinking, then smiled: "It's no use. He's still hundreds of li away—he can't see it."
Fox Ling'er and Green Ox also woke up. Green Ox looked around and, not seeing The Butcher or The Blind Man, asked: "Where are the old masters?"
"They've left."
Hearing Ba Shan Jijiu still calling, trying different ways to hail him, Qin Mu sighed. Ba Shan Jijiu's voice was indeed loud, and he could talk a lot—hard to imagine such a rough man could be so loquacious. He said: "Let's head toward the Border Pass first. If Ba Shan Jijiu can't find us, he'll definitely go there."
Green Ox revealed his true form. Qin Mu helped Fox Ling'er onto his back, and Ling Yuxiu jumped up too. Green Ox broke into a run toward the Border Pass. Qin Mu looked at the girl beside him and asked: "Are your wounds healed?"
Ling Yuxiu nodded: "Even the scars are gone. Look—there was a sword wound here at my waist, but now it's completely healed."
She lifted her clothes to reveal her waist, turning to the side: "Right here."
Her skin was very delicate, even her waist was quite fair, suggesting she rarely went out in the sun. Qin Mu's skin was originally somewhat dark—from swimming bare-chested in the Yong River during summer as a child, his skin would peel from the sun, and sometimes giant fish from the river would chase him.
During his time at the Imperial Academy, Qin Mu had no chance to run around naked, and his skin gradually became fairer. But compared to Ling Yuxiu, he still looked somewhat dark.
Qin Mu extended a finger and touched the wound. He could still feel some slight swelling there.
Ling Yuxiu felt it tickle and giggled.
Qin Mu said: "Don't move. Let me dissolve the blood stagnation here, or it will remain swollen."
Ling Yuxiu immediately held still, keeping her clothes lifted. Qin Mu transformed his own essence into Green Dragon essence, threading wisps of essence through his fingertip, carefully controlling it to penetrate her skin and dissolve the stagnation.
Ling Yuxiu felt a numb, ticklish sensation and giggled again: "You're making me so ticklish—I have a ticklish spot there."
Without looking up, Qin Mu said: "Endure it. It won't tickle in a moment—it might hurt a little."
After a while, Ling Yuxiu felt a pricking pain. She looked down and saw Qin Mu using the Heavenly Fragrance Silk Handkerchief to wipe away the blood that had seeped from her skin. Once the stagnation was removed, no trace remained on the skin.
Ling Yuxiu lowered her clothes and blinked her big eyes: "Divine Doctor, there are a few wounds on my back—I wonder if there are scars..."
Fox Ling'er said crisply: "I applied medicine to your back wounds. Before applying the ointment, I already squeezed out the blood stagnation for you. There won't be any scars."
Ling Yuxiu looked at her. The little fox smiled sweetly—very fake.
"Hmph, fox spirit!" the girl and the fox spirit thought simultaneously.
Fox Ling'er blinked and asked: "Sister Yuxiu, how old are you this year?"
Ling Yuxiu's eyes flickered: "How old are you?"
"I'm twelve."
"I'm sixteen."
"You're one year older than the Young Master!"
...
Ling Yuxiu felt as if the little fox had pounced and stabbed her twice in the heart. She was deeply hurt. Though this fox was small, her attacks were fierce and sudden, impossible to guard against.
She had long noticed the little fox's intentions—every night, deliberately crawling into Qin Mu's bed, pretending to be innocent, shamelessly acting cute without any modesty.
And now, this little minx had started launching offensive attacks.
Though Ling Yuxiu was usually carefree, appearing to be a big-hearted girl with rare boldness and magnanimity, she also had a delicate side. She smiled sweetly: "Sister Ling, the fur on your paws is so soft—why haven't you tried transforming into human hands?"
Fox Ling'er yawned and narrowed her eyes: "The Young Master likes it."
"Sister Ling, why haven't you transformed yet?"
"The Young Master likes it."
"Look—your pupils are different from ours."
"The Young Master likes it."
...
Ling Yuxiu was defeated. This little fox's defense was impenetrable, and she could counterattack simultaneously—like the Great Thunder Sound Temple's divine art Mirror Flower, Void Wall, which could reflect others' attacks back at them.
"Who taught the fox spirit this?" Ling Yuxiu, unable to compete, was somewhat indignant.
Fox Ling'er was triumphant—at the Rain-Listening Pavilion, she had consulted with the ladies there on this very art.
Ling Yuxiu suddenly found it laughable and exasperating—here she was, competing with a little fox for affection. Truly a loss of royal dignity. She had the figure and the curves—though Qin Mu's eyes were a bit blind, always saying she was a bit plump, she wasn't bad-looking at all. No matter how sharp the little fox's tactics, she hadn't even transformed yet.
She had already secured victory—there was absolutely no need to compete with this fox spirit.
They hadn't reached the Border Pass when Ba Shan Jijiu finally caught up. Seeing The Butcher had already left, the burly man was distraught, wailing and cursing Heavenly Blade.
Qin Mu comforted him for a while: "It's not that he doesn't care about you—it's that he finds you too talkative and nagging, so he left ahead. Actually, Grandpa Butcher cares about you very much. When he heard you were in danger, he was the first to rush over. Stop crying—we're at the Border Pass now. How would the Martial Khan look if people saw him crying with snot and tears everywhere?"
Ba Shan Jijiu wiped away his tears and poured out his grievances, starting from when he was a child following Heavenly Blade, even mentioning how his bed-wetting led to Heavenly Blade spanking him and making him stand as punishment, every detail of his training, washing Heavenly Blade's underwear, Heavenly Blade taking him to the neighboring village to steal ducks for soup—he revealed everything.
Qin Mu looked helplessly at Ling Yuxiu, who indicated there was nothing she could do.
Imperial Academy.
The Young Ancestor quietly packed his belongings into a small bundle. He discarded the official ribbons on the ground, hung the official seal on the gate of the Imperial Academy, then looked back at the academy and smiled.
The Law Enforcement Elder walked over quickly, carrying a small bamboo basket on his back with an umbrella and some scrolls and books inside.
"Let's go—no need to disturb anyone else," the Young Ancestor said with a smile.
The two walked down the mountain without disturbing anyone. At the gate below, the Dragon Qilin hurriedly stood up and wagged his tail.
"My time is approaching—I can't take you with me."
The young man patted the Dragon Qilin's head and shook his head: "You've followed me only to watch me die of old age. Little friend, you're free now."
*Click.*
The chain around the Dragon Qilin's neck opened. The Dragon Qilin stood bewildered, shaking his large head: "Master, if I don't follow you, where can I go?"
"You were born free—where can't you go?"
The Young Ancestor waved his hand, gazing at the Imperial Academy he had built with his own hands, reluctance in his eyes. He suddenly turned and left: "The place where this life would end—yet today I leave. I don't want to grow old and die within these walls."
One old and one young walked out of the city. The Young Ancestor stopped the Law Enforcement Elder and walked toward the person across the way.
"Fellow Daoist."
Yan Kang's National Teacher greeted him: "You're leaving now? Not planning to bid farewell to the Emperor?"
The Young Ancestor smiled: "I arrived without burden—I didn't come for the Emperor, so why should I leave for him? You invited me, and now you see me off. I'm quite happy."
Yan Kang's National Teacher sighed with emotion: "You can already face life and death directly. Your state of mind has reached heights I'll need many more years of cultivation to reach. Let me walk you a ways."
The two walked side by side, with the Law Enforcement Elder following not far behind. Yan Kang's National Teacher said: "Knowing you're leaving, I suddenly feel a great emptiness. In this world, the one who understands me best is none other than you. Without you, there's one fewer person I can talk to."
The Young Ancestor said: "Your ambition is great, your path ahead is fraught with obstacles and trials. There's nothing more I can teach you—you must rely on yourself."
Yan Kang's National Teacher stopped: "Back then I wanted to take you as my master. Why didn't you accept me?"
The Young Ancestor answered frankly: "I realized you are better than me, that your future achievements will surpass mine. I would be unworthy as your teacher, so I couldn't accept you as a disciple. What you want to do is something I never conceived of, something I could never achieve in my lifetime. I've learned much from you as well—so I cannot be your teacher."
Yan Kang's National Teacher quickened his pace to keep up: "Lately I've still been somewhat confused, somewhat troubled. Tell me—is the path we're walking the righteous one?"
"In the eyes of the so-called righteous, the path we walk is not righteous."
The Young Ancestor stopped and looked into his eyes: "We established elementary schools, academies, and the Imperial Academy. We reformed the sects, gathered the learning of countless sects to teach scholars, made commoners equal to sect disciples. In their eyes, this is heresy beyond redemption. But in our hearts—this is the righteous path! Don't care what others say. What is right is right! It won't become wrong just because the rabid dogs of the night bark at it."