50: Farewell, settlement, and...

Her eyes were lifeless, and her spirit was gone.

Zhou Yan had come to understand the actual situation of those symptoms after obtaining the path of evolution.

It was because Little Three-Flower and Han Yue's Souls had been intertwined for too long, making it difficult for either to be too far from the other.

Although Zhou Yan had no way to completely separate their Souls.

It was still possible to return parts of their Souls to each and then use certain means to stabilize them, maintaining the independence of both individuals.

Since it wasn't a Soul issue, then this was... He walked up to her and silently crouched down, trying his best to be level with her.

Han Yue trembled violently, burying her head even lower, her thin shoulders tensing up.

Zhou Yan didn't ask questions, nor did he offer hollow comfort. He simply reached out, picked up a wooden stool that had been overturned nearby, and set it upright. Then, he tidied and smoothed the messy bedding.

These subtle sounds of restoring order seemed exceptionally clear in the deathly silent room.

After finishing these tasks, he looked at Han Yue again, noticing her cold, trembling hands.

It was getting dark, and the temperature had dropped.

He took off his newly changed robe and gently draped it over the girl's thin frame.

The oversized robe almost completely enveloped her, carrying an unfamiliar body heat that warded off the night's chill.

Han Yue was startled by the warmth; her hollow eyes blinked and very slowly lifted to look at Zhou Yan.

There was little expression on his face, but his gaze was steady, standing there silently like a mountain.

He said nothing, simply staying by her side in silence.

As Han Yue looked at Zhou Yan, the emotions she had been suppressing were finally released.

Large teardrops rolled from her eyes without warning, sliding down her pale cheeks.

She made no sound, only weeping silently, her body trembling slightly from the suppressed crying.

Zhou Yan remained silent.

He reached out his broad palm and, as gently as possible, used his thumb to wipe away the tears that kept welling up.

Then, he reached out and gently patted the top of her small head.

Feeling that clumsy yet firm touch, Han Yue reached out and tightly gripped a corner of Zhou Yan's robe, like a drowning person clutching at a lone piece of driftwood, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She buried her face in the fabric that still held his warmth, and suppressed sobs finally leaked out in low whimpers.

"Big Brother Zhou... my parents are actually... dead, aren't they?"

Zhou Yan fell silent for a moment after hearing these words.

That damn Yi Sanyi, surely he didn't tell Han Yue everything?

He remembered the final words of Han Yue's father, Jia Sanyi, who wanted Han Yue to hate him so that the hatred would sustain her will to live.

But he only raised his hand and continued to wipe away her tears.

"They aren't dead," Zhou Yan's voice was low but certain. "They have gone to a very distant and beautiful place, and they cannot return for the time being."

He looked into the girl's eyes, which had suddenly lit up yet were full of confusion, and continued, "That place can only be reached by becoming strong enough."

"As long as you Cultivate diligently and continuously improve your Realm, there will come a day when you can surely cross the sea of clouds and reunite with them."

Han Yue's crying gradually stopped, though her small hands still tightly clutched his lapel, as if grasping onto this sole hope.

Both are motivations to live, so why can't it be hope? Perhaps being locked up for too long had muddled her mind.

The next day.

Langqi Village, village entrance.

"Brother Zhou, aren't you coming?"

Han Wenqing held Han Yue's hand, while Han Yue held Little Three-Flower in her arms. Han Wenqing still hoped to travel with Zhou Yan for a while longer.

Because he knew that for an Immortal figure like Zhou Yan, given their own status and talent, this might be the last time they ever met.

After searching through the night, Han Wenqing had eventually found Han Yue's home.

Seeing that Han Yue had already fallen asleep while still tightly clutching Zhou Yan's hand, he knew that Brother Zhou had already comforted his young niece.

Regarding this, Han Wenqing could only marvel at how all-capable Zhou Yan was.

My Big Brother Zhou has the potential for Mahayana!

However, once he regained his composure, Han Wenqing was left only with worry.

He wasn't worried about himself, but about Han Yue.

If a person meets someone too extraordinary too early in life, they might suffer for it in the future.

"Yes. I still have some matters to attend to, so you two should head out first."

Zhou Yan looked at the reluctant Han Yue. Although there was still some sadness on her face, her eyes had brightened; she must have begun to emerge from the shadow.

Though Han Yue was young, she understood many things. She might have already guessed what happened to her parents.

Her current determination was likely due to her blind trust in the all-powerful Heavenly Venerable Zhou in her heart.

"Then take care, Brother Zhou. May your path to immortality be smooth."

Han Wenqing's expression lost its usual flightiness as he bowed solemnly to Zhou Yan.

"Han Yue, let's go."

Watching the two walk away, Zhou Yan was preparing to wave goodbye.

At that moment, Han Yue thrust Little Three-Flower into her uncle's arms, turned, and ran toward Zhou Yan, throwing herself into his embrace.

"Big Brother Zhou, I will definitely become very strong!"

"After I find my parents, will I be able to see you again?"

Han Wenqing didn't hold much hope regarding Han Yue's question; Zhou Yan was ultimately too far beyond them.

"Life has its dreams, and each is wonderful. Your life has only just begun; everything is possible in the future."

As he spoke, Zhou Yan seemed to think of something and finally made a decision, performing a certain action.

Zhou Yan placed his hand on Han Yue's head and asked her.

"Little Han Yue, are you willing to follow me?"

Although she didn't know what Zhou Yan meant by those words, nevertheless—

"I am! I am willing to follow Big Brother Zhou!"

By the time she finished, Han Yue was almost shouting, and tears threatened to flow again.

[Ding, detectable recruitable Family member 'Han Yue' found. Recruit?]

[Ding, obtained new Family member 'Han Yue'.]

Through his Clan Chief authority, Zhou Yan quickly saw Han Yue's panel. She was slightly stronger than him, possessing a Four Spiritual Roots talent of Gold, Wood, Water, and Earth.

However, except for the Water Spiritual Root which was Excellent, every other quality was Ordinary. Combined with the chaotic influence of the four attributes, while not a debuff, there was no buff either.

Opening the equipment bar, Zhou Yan used his Clan Chief authority to uninstall all of Han Yue's Spiritual Roots except for Water.

Now, Han Yue's panel had changed into that of an artificial Single Spiritual Root Cultivator.

[Water Spiritual Root]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Cultivation Speed +40%]

Zhou Yan was very fast; his thoughts and actions were completed in an instant.

So, in Han Wenqing's eyes, Zhou Yan had merely patted Han Yue's head, unaware that at this moment, their Han Family had gained a Prodigy-level figure.

And many years later, when he was old and grey, he would often tell his descendants a story: "The Immortal patted my head, tied up my hair, and bestowed upon me longevity."

He would often boast to his descendants that although he looked like an ordinary old man, he actually had an Immortal Opportunity and had met an Immortal!

If there was any regret, it was likely bitterness; had he known such benefits existed, he would have definitely rushed over back then, crying and shouting 'Big Brother Zhou' a couple of times.

After seeing the two off, Zhou Yan entered Water City once again.

Coming to Water City this time felt even worse than the last.

Though the fishy smell was pungent before, at least there had been beautiful scenery to admire.

But now, because of Zhou Yan's peerless display, the place was littered with bodies. The mixture of blood and fishy odors was truly an eyesore.

"So uncivilized, don't they know you're not allowed to just sleep here?"

After saying that, Zhou Yan stepped over the somewhat viscous blood and arrived at the Crimson Pavilion.

Yi Sanyi was leaning against the window, holding a pipe and smoking Spirit Tobacco while looking down at Water City.

He didn't shift his gaze to Zhou Yan until he arrived.

"You're a bit late."

"The child has experienced too much, things she shouldn't have to face at her age. I had to let her get a good night's sleep before leaving."

"True enough."

"What's that in your hand?" Zhou Yan knew that the civilization of the cultivation world was somewhat advanced, but seeing this pipe, he felt it was still too conservative.

Surely he wouldn't see a cultivation world handgun in the future?

"When the old man was still alive, he liked to smoke a bit of Spirit Tobacco, insisting that this stuff was also a Spirit Medicine and beneficial for Cultivation."

"But I didn't see him make any progress; instead, his addiction just grew. After he passed away that day, he didn't leave anything behind except for this junk."

"I've been staying here all night, and since I had nothing else to do, I figured I'd dig it out to see why that old man was so obsessed with it."

He then said to Zhou Yan.

"If you don't like it, I'll put it out so it doesn't bother you."

Zhou Yan didn't really care, so Yi Sanyi continued to smoke.

Zhou Yan: "You stayed here all night?"

Yi Sanyi: "And I thought all night too."

Yi Sanyi didn't tell Zhou Yan what he had been thinking about, but simply pointed to the items on a nearby table.

"There are things on the table you might be interested in. You can take a look."

Hearing this, Zhou Yan walked to the table, where a token engraved with the character 'Jia' and a ledger were placed.

Yi Sanyi took another puff of Spirit Tobacco and said calmly.

"Under the management of Langqi Village for so many years, quite a bit of wealth has been accumulated."

"I already gave the cash to that bastard Han Wenqing. That kid might be a bit of a mess, but he shouldn't be so low as to withhold Han Yue's Spirit Stones."

"As for these, they are kept in the Lianxing Pavilion bank. There's probably about one or two million Spirit Stones."

"It's not much, but it won't let your efforts go unrewarded."

My god, one or two million is 'not much'!

Counting the Top-Grade, Mid-Grade, and High-Grade Spirit Stones given by the Sect resources, Zhou Yan only had about one or two million in total.

(Spirit Stone Exchange Rate: One Low-Grade Spirit Stone equals one tael of silver; 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones equal one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone; 100 Mid-Grade equal one High-Grade Spirit Stone; 100 High Grade equal one Top-Grade Spirit Stone. Top-Grade Spirit Stones are special strategic resources; their actual trading price exceeds the exchange rate, and their circulation is restricted to some extent.)

Among them, the most valuable Top-Grade Spirit Stones couldn't be spent; they had to be saved to charge Formations.

Yi Sanyi giving one or two million Spirit Stones right off the bat instantly doubled Zhou Yan's net worth.

Converted, that was an extra several million taels of silver, which could rival the tax revenue of some small countries.

However, Yi Sanyi wasn't finished; the ledger next to it was the truly heavy-hitting item.

"That ledger lists the officials who took bribes from our Langqi Village."

"The reason there are only a few million Spirit Stones in the account is because of these officials; the profits were reduced several times over."

"You can imagine how greedy these guys are and how high the value of this ledger is."

"With this thing, it might come in handy sometime. Even if it doesn't, you could use it to trade for a good position in the Great Yu bureaucracy."

"However, this thing has its pros and cons; it's a double-edged sword. Before you use it, at least don't forget to withdraw the stored Spirit Stones. I'm afraid you won't get a chance to spend them otherwise."

Watching Yi Sanyi give detailed instructions as if settling his final affairs.

"What, have you changed your mind about dying and want to seek a way out from me?" Zhou Yan joked.

Yi Sanyi was momentarily choked by these words, then laughed.

"Sure, if Young Brother Zhou wants this worthless life of mine to last a few more days, I'd welcome it with both hands."

Before he could finish, Zhou Yan placed a Medicinal Pill on the table.

"This thing won't let you live, but it can let you suffer less from the toxin's torment and hold on for another month."

"Whether you use this month to enjoy a Mortal's life or to search for an Opportunity to survive, it's up to you."

"If you really can find an Opportunity to survive, then I'll accept it as your luck. But if I find out you're doing evil again, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth."

Yi Sanyi's smile froze.

"Young Brother Zhou is truly a gentle person; a villain like me doesn't even know what to say."

"But you'd better show less kindness in the future, otherwise, you'll end up with a lot of trouble."

Yi Sanyi pocketed the pill and returned to the window, his back to Zhou Yan.

"Let me give you a warning, Young Brother Zhou."

"That old Prodigy Giant Abyss was also modified by someone. Otherwise, with her cultivation, she wouldn't be able to protect the spirit fish industry, and we wouldn't have been forced to live in her shadow."

"Test subjects like us aren't qualified to know the specific details, but I know you might have provoked a big trouble."

Whether it was the effect of the pill or not, Yi Sanyi shared some secrets with Zhou Yan. Perhaps he would have said them even without the pill.

With that, there was nothing left for the two to discuss.

Except for Yi Sanyi mysteriously warning Zhou Yan as he packed the ledger and token to leave—saying that Langqi Village would become restless in half an hour and telling him to leave early—no other incidents occurred.

Zhou Yan quickly left Water City and arrived outside Langqi Village.

After walking for another half hour, he reached a small hill to rest. Just as he turned back to take one last look at the place where his journey began—

BOOM—!

A massive explosion sounded, loud enough for Zhou Yan to hear even from such a distance.

One could imagine the intensity of the blast.

Zhou Yan jumped in fright, sitting up abruptly as he watched the mushroom cloud appearing in the distance.

[Ding, killed Elite · Yi Sanyi, obtained Experience +300, Shark Tooth Necklace (Tier 1)]

[Zhou Yan]

[Qi Refining Level 10 (0/0)]

Side Quest: [Save Han Yue] completed.

[Overall Evaluation: B+]

[Comment: With a mind just beginning to open, what is seen must have omissions. The world is profound; how can all its secrets be fully perceived?]

Yet the road is long, awaiting the youth's journey. All imperfect pasts are but foreshadowing written for the future.]

Langqi Village Arc · End.