49: Chapter 49 Qingzhou City

Returning to Yun Ming, having left the Sunset Glow Sect, he was in no hurry to travel. Instead, he took Er Ya along, playing as they went while teaching her to Cultivate.

Unfortunately, Er Ya's Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root was the real deal, and her progress in Cultivating was extremely slow.

Although she was naturally intelligent and could learn any Cultivation Technique, Divine Ability, or Alchemy mantra after just one try,

the path of Cultivation valued talent above all else; it was difficult to compensate for one's Innate foundation with Acquired effort.

Even though Yun Ming had passed down the "Supreme Profound Pure Qi Art" and the "Cold Spring Jade Quenching Record," Er Ya's Realm remained stuck at Qi Refining Level 2, unable to achieve a Breakthrough.

However, Er Ya had a good mindset. She didn't feel depressed about being stuck in her Realm and was, on the contrary, very open-minded about it.

Yun Ming didn't force it either; instead, he began to teach her other things.

"Er Ya, if you were out and about and encountered bandits, what would you do?" Yun Ming asked while sitting by a small creek, roasting fish.

Er Ya tilted her head. "If the bandit is just a Mortal, I would carry out justice on behalf of Heaven and kill them. If they are a fellow Cultivator, regardless of their cultivation level, running away is the best strategy."

Yun Ming flipped the slightly charred fish. "Hmm, not a bad idea. However, when you are out in the world, it is important to be steady. If it's a Mortal bandit, killing them is fine, but before you do, pretend to be weak."

"Pretend to be weak?"

"That's right. Even if the bandit is a Mortal, perhaps one of their relatives or friends is a Cultivator. Kill the small one, and a bigger one comes; kill the big one, and the old one comes. It's an endless cycle. So, you can pretend to be weak and trick them into talking. As long as the first name they report is not a Cultivator, you can directly suppress them with thunderous force."

"Why can I suppress them if the first name isn't a Cultivator?"

"That involves psychology..."

Just like that, under the infusion of Yun Ming's bizarre and abstract knowledge, Er Ya's worldview was reshaped.

In Er Ya's original imagination, Cultivators were celestial beings in the sky, living in luxury, flying through the heavens and burrowing into the earth, capable of anything.

Now, in Er Ya's imagination, Cultivators were beasts of the mountains and forests—human in Face but beastly in heart, insidious, cunning, and capable of all kinds of evil.

Seeing that Er Ya had taken his words to heart, Yun Ming was very gratified. Children need to be wary of the flashy world outside; although she might have gone a bit off track, being cautious was always beneficial.

"So, when fighting, you must never be distracted."

"Then what if they use my family or friends to threaten me?"

"Then you've already won. In a fight, both sides are risking their lives. If they use your loved ones to threaten you, it means they lack the confidence to defeat you and can only resort to such despicable tactics. At that moment, you don't need to listen to them; just execute them with thunderous force. That way, even if your family is killed, you will have avenged them on the spot. If they aren't killed, then it's even better."

After speaking, Yun Ming took a bite of the fish he had roasted and immediately spat it out. "What... what kind of fish is this?"

Er Ya also took a bite of the fish she had roasted. "Hmm, it's quite delicious."

Refusing to believe it, Yun Ming took the fish Er Ya had roasted and took a bite. The fish skin had been roasted until it was crispy and bubbly, like a thin, flaky crust.

Breaking through this layer, the snow-white fish meat inside "poofed" as it released piping hot juices—the natural oils and moisture of the fish itself.

At that very moment, the extreme freshness and sweetness of the fish, just caught from the creek, mixed with the smoky scent of burning pine branches, rushed into his mouth.

Without salt, this authentic flavor from the mountains and rivers became incredibly clear and overpowering.

It was so delicious that Yun Ming chewed and swallowed even the bones. He sucked on the wooden stick in disbelief. "This is truly bizarre. The same fish, the same pine branches, the same fire—why does the fish I roast taste like I've been practicing a Demonic Technique?"

Er Ya picked up the fish Yun Ming had roasted and took a taste. After just one chew, her whole body froze as if she had been electrocuted.

Yun Ming looked at Er Ya, who had her cheeks puffed out, and covered his Face. "If you want to spit it out, just do it. You don't need to give me any Face."

Hearing Yun Ming's words, Er Ya didn't stand on ceremony.

"Blegh!!!"

The skin of Yun Ming's fish had uneven charred black spots, showing a layer of damp, sticky dullness.

Biting into it, it wasn't crispy, but rather a tough, bitter shell mixed with the distinct, raw, pungent scent of the tree branches.

The meat inside was loose like cotton, separating into inelastic fibers between his teeth, followed by an earthy, fishy smell brought up from the riverbed mud—without salt, this stench spread without any concealment.

That Er Ya had managed to hold it in without spitting it out immediately was already giving Yun Ming a lot of Face.

"Brother, you shouldn't cook anymore in the future. It's better if Er Ya does it for you." Er Ya, having recovered, advised.

Yun Ming gave an unwilling "Oh."

Then he ate another one of Er Ya's fish. It was indeed delicious.

After dinner, the two rested for the night. As soon as dawn broke, they set off again.

Then, they arrived at the first city on their journey—Qingzhou City.

While still a long way off, the two saw the city. The towering gray brick walls stood under the sky like a silent giant.

When they got closer, they realized that a long queue had already formed outside the city gate.

All sorts of people were squeezed together: dusty caravans guarded their fully loaded cargo carts; people dragging their families along carried bundles, their Faces full of the weariness of travel; men carrying shoulder poles carefully protected the baskets on both ends; and there were also some people in thin clothing, silently huddling on the side of the line.

The air was filled with the smell of sweat, dust, and livestock, while the murmurs of various accents and the creaking of cart wheels blended together.

"Why is there a line to enter the city?" Yun Ming looked at the long queue, wondering how long this would take.

Just as Yun Ming was wondering whether to fly straight in, a man with a lecherous smile approached him.

"This Young Master, are you looking to enter the city?"

"What else?"

"I know a small path that leads directly into the city without having to wait in line. Do you need me to lead the way for you, Young Master?"

"Oh~ so you're a scalper."

"What scalper? Young Master, you are joking. However..."

Yun Ming interrupted, "Understood. It's just about money, right?" As he spoke, Yun Ming pulled a thick stack of banknotes from his Storage Pouch.

The man in front of him felt his legs go weak. An ordinary person wouldn't walk around with so much silver.

Therefore, he guessed that the person in front of him must be a big shot.

He thought to himself, "Do it. Bet on a big one. As soon as I finish this job, I'll run."

Then, with a Face full of smiles, he said, "It doesn't cost that much money, Young Master. Please, follow me, follow me."

As he spoke, he even grabbed Er Ya's arm, wanting to forcibly drag her along.

However, he tugged a few times, but Er Ya didn't budge at all. In fact, when Er Ya pulled back, he ended up falling down in front of them instead.

Yun Ming leaned down to look at him and said with a smile, "Did I ever say I was going to follow you?"

Then, pulling Er Ya, he walked straight to the city gate guards and, in front of everyone, stuffed two hundred-tael banknotes into the guard's hand.

Seeing such a large denomination of banknotes, the guard was also so scared his legs went weak. He didn't dare to accept them and let Yun Ming in directly.

Everyone at the gate was stunned.

Seeing that everyone had strange looks in their eyes, the guard said fiercely, "What are you looking at? Either get lost or wait in line honestly! Recently, Demonic Cultivators have been running rampant, and Qingzhou City is close to the Immortal Sect. If you want to stay alive, behave yourselves!"