20: Chapter 20 Farewell to Zhongnan Mountain

The morning mist was like a veil, and Zhongnan Mountain was bathed in a hazy bluish-white.

Lu Mingyuan stood at the fork at the foot of the mountain. To the left was the small path leading to Qingyang Town, and to the right was the official road extending toward the Southeast. He chose the official road—Longhu Mountain was in the Southeast, a thousand li away. Although the official road was a longer route, it was safe and steady.

Looking back, the main peak of Zhongnan Mountain was faintly visible in the mist, like a light-ink landscape painting. Four months ago, he had fled into this mountain in a wretched state, soaked to the bone, having lost his book box, and facing a bleak future. Four months later, he walked out of this mountain already a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, possessing extraordinary talents and carrying precious treasures. Though the road ahead was dangerous, his heart was clear.

Parting is for better growth.

These words echoed in his heart at this moment. If not for parting from Zhongnan Mountain, how could he see the wider world? If not for parting from his master, how could he face the wind and rain alone and truly grow up?

"Zhongnan Mountain..." he whispered these three words and gave a deep bow.

This bow was out of respect for the mountain, his master, and the self that had undergone a transformation here.

Straightening up, he no longer looked back and stepped onto the Southeast official road.

The official road was wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. Straight green poplars were planted along the roadside, their leaves already fallen, their branches like iron strokes and silver hooks in the morning mist. There were already travelers on the road: peddlers carrying poles, old farmers driving donkey carts, and traveling merchants moving together. The creaking of wheels on the stone road, the sound of footsteps, and the murmurs of conversation blended into the unique bustle of the Mortal World.

Lu Mingyuan walked along the roadside, leaning on his tingchao staff. The staff made a crisp "tap-tap" sound as it hit the ground, creating a peculiar harmony with the surrounding noise. He deliberately restrained his aura, suppressing his cultivation from the Foundation Establishment Stage to around the third level of Qi Refining—this was Xuanweizi's advice: "When traveling abroad, do not be ostentatious. The third level of Qi Refining is neither too high nor too low; it will neither invite contempt nor provoke greed."

After walking for about three li, a tea stall appeared ahead. It had a thatched roof and a bamboo frame, with several coarse wooden tables and stools set out underneath. An old man was boiling water before a stove, white steam puffing from the copper kettle's spout, and the fragrance of tea mingled with the scent of firewood.

Lu Mingyuan indeed felt a bit hungry, so he walked into the tea stall and picked a table near the edge to sit down.

"Guest, would you like tea or food?" the old man walked over, his apron stained with tea.

"A bowl of tea and two buns." Lu Mingyuan took a few copper coins from his robes—this was small change he had specifically kept in a money pouch outside his qiankun bag for daily expenses.

"Alright."

The old man brought a coarse ceramic bowl; the tea was a brownish-yellow with a few coarse tea leaves floating in it. The buns, however, were white, plump, and hot, giving off the fragrance of wheat. Lu Mingyuan ate slowly, listening to the conversations of the other guests in the stall.

"Have you heard? Something strange has happened in the Northwest again." A man who looked like an itinerant merchant at the neighboring table lowered his voice.

"What strange thing?" his companion asked.

"I returned from Longxi the day before yesterday and passed through Dingxi Town. I heard that at Eagle Mountain, thirty li outside the town, every bird and beast on the entire mountain died overnight! Their deaths were gruesome, as if their flesh and blood had been sucked dry by something, leaving nothing but skin and bones."

"Is that true? Could it be a plague?"

"It's not a plague," the merchant shook his head. "I went to see it myself. There was an... indescribable evil aura on that mountain. If you stay too long, you feel a shudder in your heart. The town invited a Taoist to perform a ritual, but the next day, that Taoist also went mad, muttering nonsense about 'red eyes' and 'wanting to eat people'..."

Lu Mingyuan paused with the bun in his hand.

Northwest... red eyes... flesh and blood sucked dry...

He remembered the roar coming from The Rift last night and the "Chaos Evil Entities" Xuanweizi had mentioned. Could it be that something has already crawled through The Rift and sneaked into the Primordial World?

"Guest, your tea is cold. Would you like some hot tea?" The old man came over with the copper kettle.

Lu Mingyuan snapped back to his senses: "No, thank you." He quickly finished his buns, settled the bill, and got up to leave.

Walking out of the tea stall, he activated his Eye of Clarity and looked toward the Northwest. His vision pierced through the morning mist and over the mountains and rivers, and he could vaguely sense a faint, unsettling aura permeating the sky there. That aura was completely different from the pure and ethereal Spiritual Qi in Zhongnan Mountain; it was turbid, violent, and filled with greed and the desire for destruction.

"I must hurry my journey," he murmured.

The official road extended forward, with more and more forks in the path. At every fork, Lu Mingyuan would stop and spread out the map Xuanweizi had given him for comparison. The map was finely drawn, not only marking mountains, rivers, and towns but also indicating suggested routes with thin lines—avoiding dangerous places, bypassing bandit-infested areas, and trying to take safe and accessible roads.

At noon, he reached a courier station.

The courier station was not large, with an earthen wall surrounding the courtyard. Several horses were tied up inside, and people dressed as government officials were coming and going. Lu Mingyuan originally intended to continue his journey, but he saw a notice posted on the outer wall of the station. The paper was brand new and the ink was still wet, clearly having been posted not long ago.

The notice was issued by the government, offering a bounty for the capture of a group of roving bandits. The Bandit Leader was named "Wang Meng," one-eyed, with a scar on his right cheek, a former Frontier Army Scout who had now gathered bandits to plunder passing merchants. The reward was fifty taels.

Lu Mingyuan's heart sank.

Wang Meng... was it that Wang Meng? He remembered the man in the snow who had sworn to turn over a new leaf, and the struggle and guilt in that single eye. Only a few days had passed; how could he have become a major criminal wanted by the government?

He stepped closer to take a look. The notice stated that three days ago, Wang Meng's gang had robbed a merchant caravan at Black Wind Ridge, thirty li outside Qingyang Town, killing seven people and wounding thirteen, and stealing goods worth hundreds of taels. A youth in the caravan had managed to escape and identified the Bandit Leader as the one-eyed Wang Meng.

"Impossible..." Lu Mingyuan whispered subconsciously.

"What's impossible?" an old farmer looking at the notice next to him chimed in. "These god-forsaken bandits have committed many crimes and should have been caught and beheaded long ago!"

"Has the old gentleman seen them?"

"I haven't, but I've heard people say that the One-eyed Dragon is extremely fierce and can split a horse's head with a single blow!" The old farmer shook his head and sighed. "In these times, why not stay in the frontier army instead of becoming a bandit?"

Lu Mingyuan was silent. He remembered the look on Wang Meng's face when he spoke of his starving mother, and the hand he had pressed against his chest when he swore his oath. That guilt and struggle did not seem feigned. Yet the bloody case on the notice was ironclad evidence.

Mercy is sometimes a double-edged sword—Xuanweizi's words echoed in his ears again.

He had let Wang Meng go and given him silver to encourage him to be good; that was mercy. But if Wang Meng took the money and, instead of reforming, continued to do evil or even became more vicious... then that mercy became indulgence.

"Guest, would you like to stay the night?" a station worker came over to greet him.

Lu Mingyuan shook his head and continued on his way.

However, a heavy stone seemed to weigh on his heart.

In the afternoon, the official road followed a large river. The water was turbid and turbulent, crashing against the stone walls on both banks with a booming sound. Lu Mingyuan found a flat rock by the river to sit on and took out his dry rations and water skin. There were two pancakes left that Qingfeng and Mingyue had baked. He chewed them slowly, staring blankly at the rushing river.

The river flows east and never looks back. Just like time, just like growth.

Parting is for better growth—but in growth, one must always face these difficult choices and bear these heavy consequences.

After finishing his rations, he took out the authentic edition of the classic of mountains and seas and flipped to the records of the Northwest region. The book did not describe that area much, only saying it had "many barren mountains, many Vicious Beasts, and violent earth qi." However, under Clear Sight, new silver light traces emerged on the edges of the pages—annotations that automatically appeared after sensing the relevant aura:

"In the Northwest, there is a Nether Rift, appearing with a blood light every Jiazi cycle. It has occurred frequently in recent years, and it is suspected that the heavenly dimension is loosening. Living beings near The Rift are mutating, vegetation withers, and birds and beasts go mad. Enter with caution."

Nether Rift... loosening of the heavenly dimension... mutation of living beings...

Lu Mingyuan closed the ancient scroll and looked toward the Northwest. Under his Eye of Clarity, that dark red The Rift was as eye-catching as a wound. Around The Rift, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi showed a distorted and unnatural flow, as if forcibly twisted by some power.

"I must become stronger as soon as possible." He gripped his tingchao staff.

As he continued his journey, he no longer just walked but used the "Swimming Dragon Step" movement technique from the Hunyuan Fist. His steps seemed slow, but in reality, every step was in sync with the rhythm of the earth's meridians, making his speed three times faster than normal walking without appearing abrupt. Passersby only felt a light breeze brushing past, and when they looked back, the scholar in green robes was already over ten zhang away.

At sunset, he reached a small city.

The city was named "Heyin," nestled against the mountains and by the water. The city walls were not high, but it was quite prosperous. There were soldiers guarding the city gate, checking travelers. When it was Lu Mingyuan's turn, the soldiers saw his scholar's attire, carrying a bundle and leaning on a bamboo staff, and only casually asked "Where are you from and where are you going?" before letting him through.

The city streets were crisscrossed, with many shops and wine flags flying. Lu Mingyuan found an inconspicuous little inn to stay in and asked for a room on the second floor overlooking the street. After settling in, he pushed open the wooden window and looked at the street scene.

As the first lights came on, the streets were crowded with people. Small vendors selling wontons were shouting, the sounds of finger-guessing games came from the taverns, women were picking out items in front of the rouge shops, and children were chasing each other with pinwheels...

The smoke and fire of the Mortal World, all aspects of human life.

This was the world he was to travel through. There is good and evil, sorrow and joy, persistence and betrayal, hope and despair. And he was to seek learning, ask of the Dao, experience affairs, and observe the heavens in this Mortal World.

He also had to find his own Dao in this Mortal World.

Late at night, he sat cross-legged on the bed and began his daily cultivation routine. First, he circulated the Classic of Purity and Tranquility Mind-Cultivation Technique to nurture his Chaotic Dao Foundation; then he silently recited Confucian classics to cultivate his Noble Spirit; finally, he used his Divine Thought to commune with his Magic Treasures and familiarize himself with their properties.

By the time everything was done, it was nearly the Zi hour.

He walked to the window and looked at the night sky. There was no moon tonight, and the stars were sparse. That dark red The Rift in the Northwest was still clearly visible in the darkness, like a scar that would never heal.

Leaving Zhongnan Mountain was for the sake of growth.

And growth was so that one day, he could heal such a scar.

He closed the window and went back to bed to lie down.

Tomorrow, there was still a long road to travel.