5: Chapter 5: Oath-taking and Departure, Dragon Returns to the Sea

Over the next few days, Lu Changyuan barely closed his eyes.

Inventory checks, finalizing routes, handing over the Dao soldiers—every single task was compressed into the final days before departure. It was not until the fingerprints were pressed onto the roster of the fifty Dao soldiers and the cargo holds of the spirit boat were sealed one by one that he finally stood on the Lu Family training grounds three days before departure.

The fifty Dao soldiers had already finished forming ranks.

They were dressed in uniform black armor, holding long halberds, standing straight with steady auras. Even the most ordinary among them possessed a cultivation of Qi Refining Late Stage, while their commander, Lu Hu, was at the strength of Qi Refining Perfection. This unit, if placed in any small or medium-sized Family, would be enough to sweep through a vast number of Cultivators of the same rank.

Lu Hu stood at the very front of the formation. His figure was burly and his expression resolute. Seeing Lu Changyuan approach, he cupped his fists in salute, his tone respectful, though there was a hint of imperceptible scrutiny in his eyes: "Your subordinate, Lu Hu, acting on the Family Head's orders, is here to escort the Fifth Young Lord on his journey. Please inspect us, Young Lord."

Lu Changyuan walked slowly in front of the formation, his gaze sweeping over each Dao soldier, but he did not speak.

The Dao soldiers stood straight with solemn expressions, but Lu Changyuan could feel that they had no real sense of belonging to this Fifth Young Lord who had never shown his true colors within the Family.

They were sent by the Family Head and were loyal to the Lu Family, not to him.

This problem needed to be solved.

Lu Changyuan stopped in front of the formation, turned to face the fifty Dao soldiers, and after a moment of silence, spoke: "You are all veterans of the Lu Family, and even the lowest among you has a cultivation of Qi Refining Late Stage."

No one responded; they simply waited quietly for him to continue.

"Following me to the Star Sea is not for enjoyment," he said, his tone calm. "Yao Beasts, rogue Cultivators, and harsh Spiritual Veins—you may encounter anything. I will not treat your lives lightly, but I also will not let my heart soften and ruin our mission."

He took a large brocade box from his Storage Pouch and placed it on the stone platform in the center of the training grounds, then opened it.

Fifty Medicinal Pills were arranged neatly, each one emitting a faint golden luster.

Lu Hu's eyes shifted slightly. He recognized them—Marrow Cleansing Pills, rare Medicinal Pills capable of strengthening a Cultivator's Foundation and accelerating Breakthroughs, with a market price of no less than two hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones each.

Fifty of them.

A very brief commotion broke out on the training grounds, but it was immediately suppressed by the Dao soldiers, restoring solemnity. Yet, the suppression itself said everything.

"One for each of you," Lu Changyuan said calmly. "This is an advance. If you follow me and perform meritorious service in the future, there will be even better things."

Lu Hu stared at the brocade box for a moment, then turned to the formation and said in a deep voice: "Attention, everyone."

The fifty Dao soldiers straightened their backs in unison.

However, Lu Changyuan did not immediately let them collect the Medicinal Pills.

His gaze swept from the front row of the formation to the very last person. His voice was still not loud, yet it made everyone on the training grounds hear clearly: "There are only fifty Marrow Cleansing Pills and fifty people; it seems no one loses out. But you must think clearly. I dare to give the pills first, and I will also issue orders first. Once you have eaten my things, if you encounter trouble on the Star Sea and anyone is still thinking of checking the wind direction before seeing whether their master lives or dies, then I will personally take off his head."

The wind on the training grounds suddenly stilled for a moment.

The thoughts that had been surging in the Dao soldiers because of the Marrow Cleansing Pills were forcibly pressed back into their bones by this statement.

Lu Hu looked up at Lu Changyuan, the scrutiny in his eyes diminishing, replaced by a more direct gravity. Generosity is not difficult, but a master who dares to place both grace and killing intent on the table is rare among the younger generation of the Lu Family.

"Rest assured, Young Lord," he said in a deep voice. "Since the Dao soldiers have accepted military orders, we have our own military laws."

Lu Hu turned back, knelt on one knee, and said in a booming voice: "Your subordinate, Lu Hu, is willing to take the Heavenly Dao as witness. In this life, I shall protect the Young Lord, Lu Changyuan, through fire and water, with absolute loyalty. If I violate this oath, may the Heavenly Dao destroy me."

Behind him, fifty voices sounded in unison, perfectly synchronized, shaking the flags on the training grounds until they rustled loudly.

As the oath fell, the Dao rhythm between heaven and earth vibrated, even more noticeably than when Leng Feng had taken his oath, leaving a lingering echo above Qingyun Peak.

Lu Changyuan looked at the Dao soldiers kneeling on the ground, his expression calm, and simply nodded slightly: "Rise, collect the Medicinal Pills, and we depart in three days."

On the evening of the day before departure, Lu Changyuan went to see his birth mother.

The Lu Family's side courtyard was much colder and quieter than the main peak of Qingyun Peak, and the Spiritual Qi was also thinner. Several ordinary osmanthus trees were planted in the courtyard, currently blooming with tiny, delicate golden flowers, emitting a faint fragrance.

His birth mother, Lady Lin, was sitting under the veranda, holding a piece of clothing that had not yet been embroidered. Seeing him come, she put down her needlework and stood up.

"Are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Lady Lin looked at him for a moment, then turned and went into the house, took out a small brocade pouch, and handed it to him: "Inside are thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones I have saved over these years. It is not much, but take it to protect yourself."

Lu Changyuan took the brocade pouch without declining.

"Over in the Star Sea," Lady Lin's voice was very calm, but her fingers tightened slightly, "I hear it is very dangerous."

"Everywhere is dangerous," Lu Changyuan said, tucking the brocade pouch into his sleeve. "Staying at home is not necessarily safe either."

Lady Lin was silent for a moment, then smiled gently. The smile had a touch of bitterness, but more of it was a sense of relief: "You have been like this since you were a child, thinking everything through clearly." She raised her hand and patted his shoulder gently: "Go, and do not look back."

Lu Changyuan stood for a moment, performed a salute, and turned to leave.

Walking out of the moon gate of the side courtyard, he did not look back.

But when he reached the end of the osmanthus tree shadows, he still paused for a step.

The brocade pouch in his sleeve was not heavy; thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in his hands nowadays were merely enough to fill some minor gaps. But this was the private savings Lady Lin had saved bit by bit in a side courtyard like this in the Lu Family. It was light because there were not many Spirit Stones; it was heavy because not a single one of them had been obtained easily.

Lu Changyuan did not look back, but simply pressed the brocade pouch deeper into his sleeve before continuing on his way.

The next morning, the spirit boat set sail.

It was a medium-sized trans-oceanic spirit boat, a hundred zhang long. The hull was crafted from cold iron and spiritual wood, and the bow was carved with a soaring Azure Dragon. The sails were reinforced with Spirit Gathering Array patterns, capable of automatically absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for power.

The fifty Dao soldiers were divided along the two sides of the deck. Leng Feng stood at the bow, his hand resting on the newly equipped long sword at his waist, his gaze looking into the distance.

Lu Changyuan stood on the high platform at the stern of the boat, watching Qingyun Peak slowly shrink in his field of vision, eventually turning into a blurry outline and disappearing behind the clouds.

The Array Patterns on both sides of the hull lit up one after another as Spiritual Qi was poured in. A low horn sound spread from the bow, rippling layer after layer toward the horizon of Yunzhou. The training grounds, the mountain gate, the sea of clouds, and the main peak were all briefly connected into a line by the sound of the horn, as if it were helping him completely send this period of his youth outside the Lu Family's mountain gate.

"Young Lord," Lu Hu walked up and cupped his fists, "The route has been adjusted according to your instructions. We are bypassing Black Wind Gorge and taking the outer edge of the Thunderstorm Sea area, which is expected to take four extra days."

"Understood."

"The weather in the Thunderstorm Sea area is changeable, and the spirit boat may experience turbulence. Is it necessary to—"

"Proceed as normal," Lu Changyuan interrupted him, his gaze turning forward. "What is a little turbulence? Let everyone adapt to it."

Lu Hu acknowledged and stepped back.

The spirit boat passed through the clouds, and the land of Yunzhou below shrank rapidly, turning into a blur of green and gray. Further ahead was an endless sea, dotted with sporadic spirit boats, like fallen leaves floating on the water.

Further in the distance, one could vaguely see the outline of a massive Immortal City, shrouded in a faint mist of Spiritual Qi.

"Young Lord," Lu Hu's voice sounded again, his tone respectful, "Ahead is the first stop of the Star Sea, Zhenhai Immortal City."

Lu Changyuan looked at the outline of the Immortal City and did not speak.

The wind blew from the sea, carrying a salty, damp scent, fluttering the hem of his cyan Dharma robe.

The Dragon returns to the sea, starting from this day.