340: Return to Qingshan (asking for monthly ticket)

Twenty li outside Tianxiong Pass.

The atmosphere was very strange.

A Body Profound expert waited specifically on the road to stop Chen Yuan, saying he admired his demeanor and wanted to get to know him!

He had already thought about what methods to use to solve the trouble, but he had never expected such a scene.

Immediately, his eyes became playful.

Given his current situation, he had offended countless people, big and small, and the imperial court had probably marked him. Yet, someone dared to associate with him?

Looking at the layer of snow on the other party's bamboo hat, it seemed the person had been waiting for a while.

Chen Yuan became interested. After all, it was rare to encounter a wild Body Profound expert. So he stepped down from the Void Realm, his robes fluttering, and landed on the peak, standing three zhang away from the bamboo-hatted Body Profound expert.

"When did Your Excellency start waiting here?"

"Yesterday at You Shi."

"Oh? That's truly unexpected. Your Excellency, as a Body Profound expert, can go anywhere in the world. Stopping This General, what kind of Opportunity are you seeking? This General truly cannot think of a reason."

As Chen Yuan spoke, a faint golden light flickered in his eyes, examining the other party.

This person had piercing eyes, eight-character eyebrows, a bronze complexion, a stubble beard, a face weathered by wind and frost, and wore a wide linen shirt with a black border and a black cloth wrapped around his neck, a common attire.

But the Qi and blood within his body surged like a river, and his Dantian furnace was vigorous and boiling.

Under Chen Yuan's Dharma Eye, in this person's five internal organs, two Divine Lights, one earth and one green, indicated that two Divine Repositories had been ignited, showing considerable strength.

This person had just introduced himself as a Jianghu wanderer, but Chen Yuan did not believe him, and his tone carried a hint of hidden meaning.

The other party, this Body Profound expert who called himself Yuwen Guang, listened to Chen Yuan's words, his eyebrows slightly raised, and said with a profound tone:

"This General seems to underestimate himself. In yesterday's battle, This General defeated three Body Profound experts amidst tens of thousands of troops, single-handedly fought a Town Demon Envoy, and finally even resisted a Dragon Tiger. Your demeanor shook Tianxiong Pass. This matter will soon spread throughout the imperial court and the Jianghu. This General will become a highly sought-after figure by then."

"By then, who in the world will not know you!"

"And This General's deeds on the Demon Battlefield have filled me with admiration. Moreover, like This General, I am displeased with the imperial court. This General fought for Sichuan, bathed in blood on the battlefield, yet was treated this way in the end. It's truly not worth it."

This person first praised Chen Yuan, then expressed injustice for him, but his words gradually revealed that he had ulterior motives.

Chen Yuan's mind was sharp, and he naturally sensed it. He figured the other party was about to get to the point.

"Your Excellency has said so much. Let's get straight to the point. There's no need for these pleasantries."

He spoke calmly.

"Ninth Zhonglang is a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush either. I travel the Jianghu, making friends with like-minded individuals. Nowadays, the imperial court is corrupt, and demons run rampant, leading to widespread suffering and countless deaths. We lament this sight and strive to fight, only seeking a bright and clear world."

"I admire Ninth Zhonglang's demeanor and wish to invite Ninth Zhonglang to introduce me to some like-minded friends. If there is a need in the future, we can help each other."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan understood.

He had originally thought the other party was seeking an Opportunity, perhaps wanting to recommend himself to join his ranks, but he had been mistaken; it was the other party who wanted to invite him to join them.

And the meaning behind the other party's words was that they valued Chen Yuan's defiance of the imperial court, seeing that he had rebellious intentions.

Without waiting for the other party to finish, Chen Yuan said with a playful tone,

"Listening to Your Excellency's words, do you and your companions intend to rebel?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the other party's tone faltered. He hadn't expected Chen Yuan to be so direct. He steadied his tone and said,

"Heaven is unjust, and the earth is unfair. We merely wander the Jianghu with swords drawn!"

Chen Yuan immediately smiled, "Your Excellency's aspirations are admirable. Coincidentally, demons are causing chaos in Sichuan now, and the people are suffering. This is precisely when you all are needed. Your Excellency can tell your Jianghu friends that they can go to the front lines at Chuanzhong Pass. This General will be waiting for you there."

"This?"

The Body Profound expert named Yuwen Guang raised his eyebrows.

"Didn't Your Excellency say you wander the Jianghu with swords drawn, slaying demons and devils, seeking like-minded individuals, and thus stopped This General? Why are you now making things difficult?"

Yuwen Guang's expression became serious, "I sincerely invite This General. Why must This General play riddles with me?"

Chen Yuan, however, had a forced smile, "True is true, and false is false. Next time you stop This General, remember to tell the truth, otherwise it spoils the mood. This General thought Your Excellency truly possessed that Jianghu spirit."

"This General still has military duties. That's all."

With that, Chen Yuan stomped his foot, directly soaring into the air and leaping onto the Gǔdiāo circling above.

And the peak of that mountain, with his stomp, exploded with a boom, sending rocks flying.

The Body Profound expert quickly flew away to avoid it, shattering the incoming stones, then looked up, watching a silver light flash and disappear into the distant horizon.

After Chen Yuan left, this person's gaze turned gloomy.

Immediately after, about a dozen breaths later, two figures appeared in this Void Realm, standing on either side of Yuwen Guang.

One had a full beard, a thick, bear-like body, and a straight, yellow eyebrow; the other wore a scholar's cap and a scholar's robe. Both had reached the Body Profound Realm.

The two newcomers looked in the direction Chen Yuan had disappeared, their eyes flickering.

"How was it?" the scholar-robed figure asked.

"Why ask? It's obvious it didn't succeed. Normal. I didn't expect such a character to emerge from Sichuan, even more arrogant than me. I like him," the bearded man immediately interjected, his voice like muffled thunder.

"Hmph, indeed arrogant. If this were Yan..." Yuwen Guang was a bit angry.

"Looks like Old Guang was angered by someone, haha," the bearded man gloated.

The middle-aged man in the scholar's robe, with the appearance of a scholar, patted the other's shoulder, "My dear brother, do not be angry. We are used to acting as we please, gathering in Yan, but this is Sichuan. Since we cannot be friends, let's not be enemies. After this battle, this person will surely be soaring in Sichuan, and with the protection of the Zhenmo General here, he is even harder to provoke. Besides, we came to Sichuan to seek Opportunity. We just watched that great battle yesterday and tried to contact this Zhonglang General to see if we could walk the same Dao. Since it didn't work out, we should go with the flow."

"Alright, let's go. Let's head to Baidi City first. My subordinates in Yan reported not long ago that their hall took in a distressed young woman. When asked about her background, she provided an interesting piece of information. She said her ancestors once entered a night ferry. It is rumored that this ship was where a Great Divine Power Practitioner once debated scriptures. After this Great Divine Power Practitioner died, the ship seemed to gain sentience, guiding those with Destiny in the rivers within the Great Qian territory to temper their Dao Heart. And the young woman said this ship has been roaming Sichuan for these years, with its last appearance being in Baidi City, Sichuan!"

"This rumor has piqued my interest. After all, to what Realm must one Cultivate in martial arts for this ship to still travel the world after its owner's death? Thinking about it carefully, it's quite unbelievable!"

The scholar-robed figure revealed a piece of information, his eyes flickering with interest.

As soon as these words were spoken, they successfully diverted the attention of the remaining two.

"There's such a strange tale?" Yuwen Guang, wearing the bamboo hat, turned his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, "Brother Fan doesn't seem to have finished."

"That's right!" The scholar-robed figure stroked his foot-long beard, "I specifically sent people to inquire about this rumor, unraveling it bit by bit, and indeed, I've had some success."

"It is rumored that several hundred years ago, in the Jianghuai region, there was a Dragon Tiger expert of the Legalist school who had such a ship, which is highly consistent with the rumor. However, too much time has passed, and many specific details cannot be verified. I suspect this ship became a place of creation after that Dragon Tiger's demise."

As he spoke, the scholar-robed Hunter named Fan emphasized his tone, and Yuwen Guang and the bearded Hunter's eyes immediately flashed with brilliance.

Dragon Tiger Creation!

That was something Body Profound experts dreamed of. Each Heavenly Gate was a new Heaven, and many Body Profound experts spent their entire lives unable to even touch the fringes of creation.

"Brother said entering this ship requires a token? Has Brother obtained it?"

The middle-aged man in the scholar's robe smiled and shook his head, "Naturally not. My subordinates said it's a lamp. Both of you, my dear brothers, should rein in your gazes. Hehe, it's just a baseless rumor anyway; we're just going to try our luck. Besides, Sichuan is undergoing great changes this time, and we're already here. And if a Dragon Tiger expert's creation were so easy to encounter, what would be left for us?"

"Alright then, let's go take a look!"

"Let's go!"

Soon, the three transformed into streaks of light and disappeared from their original spot.

A moment after the three left, in the Void Realm near that mountain, a golden light suddenly flashed, and then a golden figure emerged from it.

The golden light receded, revealing Chen Yuan!

It turned out he hadn't left; he had merely feigned a departure, then used his Dharma Eye's golden light to conceal himself, hiding there.

And the three hadn't noticed him at all.

At this moment, Chen Yuan's expression was peculiar.

He had heard the conversation of the three clearly.

Three Body Profound experts, from the Yan Jianghu. They used the word 'gather,' seemingly playing the role of Jianghu bigwigs, or perhaps rebels?

Chen Yuan wasn't concerned about that, because his thoughts were captivated by the latter part of their conversation.

Baidi City, night ferry, Dragon Tiger creation.

This immediately reminded him of the ship that appeared in the night when he was in Qingshan County. At that time, because of a bronze lamp, this strange ship had sucked in the souls of tens of thousands of people from Qingshan County, and he, too, had benefited from the misfortune, using the Telekinesis of the Qingshan County residents to kill the demonic thoughts that had arisen within him, thereby Breaking Through the Heavenly Gate and leading everyone back.

This incident, even after Chen Yuan advanced to Body Profound, occasionally made him feel surprised when he recalled it. At the time, his understanding was limited, and he didn't realize how strange the ship was. Later, recalling it, it was just as the middle-aged man in the scholar's robe had said: to what Realm must one Cultivate for the ship to still sail in the great rivers under the night for countless years after its owner's death, and to be able to draw in the souls of an entire county?

Thinking of this, Chen Yuan thought of Qingshan County, of the old wine seller in the alley, and of the mother and son next door who often bickered.

Although only a few months had passed, it felt like several years. He seemed to have not returned for a long time.

He had experienced too many things on this journey.

Enlightened by this brief interlude, Chen Yuan felt it was time to go back. Sichuan was not peaceful anywhere now, and he should bring the old man to his side to ensure he lived out his remaining years in comfort.

Qingshan County was over five thousand li from Tianxiong Pass, in the northeast corner of Jin Guan City, which was somewhat along the way.

Moreover, the matter at Tianxiong Pass had been resolved, and news here would quickly reach Jin Guan City, so some restless individuals would likely not dare to cause trouble easily.

After careful consideration, Chen Yuan shot forth, decisively changing direction and heading towards Qingshan County.

His speed was strange, full of a sense of longing to return home!

On this day, the wind and snow stopped. Thousands of li away, a small city nestled among mountains, by the Angry This General River, was bustling with activity.

The city walls, built of green stone, were covered in frost, and beneath the brand-new city gate tower, the characters "Qingshan" were inscribed.

But Qingshan County at this time was completely different from half a year ago.

Inside the city, it was still noisy amidst the ice and snow. The biggest change was outside the city, where buildings were densely packed, springing up everywhere.

Qingshan County had "expanded"!

Originally a remote county town located in the northeast corner of Sichuan, outside Baidi City Pass, it had now become the first county outside the pass.

No other reason: a great figure had emerged from the eight hundred li Langdang Mountain.

Under the protection of his reputation, there were no demons harming people here, and the common folk lived in peace and contentment. People from nearby county towns even came to settle here.

After all, many people outside the pass had experienced the human-demon chaos, and the one who eradicated that chaos had come from Qingshan County. As time passed, more and more people came to settle here, building houses even outside the city, gradually forming a bustling market.

On this morning, amidst the icy and snowy mountain roads, a caravan of carriages entered the territory of Qingshan County.

These carriages had parasol-like canopies and were pulled by strange beasts resembling tigers and leopards, with scales on their skin, baring their fangs. Each of them had Body Profound Cultivation.

It seemed the people inside the carriages were of extraordinary origin. It was unclear why they would come to this remote county town in such icy and snowy weather.

At the back of the caravan, at this moment, the curtain of a carriage was lifted.

"Squeak, squeak."

Chirping sounds rang out.

Then, a fluffy little head poked out from inside.

This little creature had gray fur all over its body, with a thin, long golden stripe on its back. Its eyes, like black obsidian, sparkled with agility, and it chirped excitedly, seemingly very happy.

It was a chubby golden-backed Squirrel!

Very spiritual!

And at this moment, next to the Squirrel, a tuft of white fur also poked out.

Equally fluffy, it was a small fox with snow-white, beautiful fur.

"Chirp chirp."

The little fox also made sounds in its throat, whispering to the Little Squirrel, seemingly conversing.

"You two little rascals, behave!"

At this moment, a pleasant female voice came from inside the carriage.

Then, a hand as fair as jade gently lifted the curtain, revealing a beautiful face as clear as a lotus flower.

Apricot-blossom eyes, willow eyebrows, crimson lips, dressed in white, with three pink floral marks between her brows.

This woman looked familiar; it was none other than Fang Qingzhu, who had accompanied Chen Yuan on his mission to Tianxiong Pass to quell the rebellion.

This woman and Chen Yuan had met by chance on the night ferry because of the Little Squirrel. At that time, this woman was trapped on the night ferry for a year and a half. Later, she escaped and accompanied Chen Yuan all the way to Tianxiong Pass. After a simple farewell, they parted ways outside Tianxiong Pass.

And the Little Squirrel and the little fox, due to historical issues, left with this woman.

"Qingshan County has arrived!"

At this moment, a voice rang out from the front of the caravan.