Seeking Immortality 032

"You're an adult now, and still crying?" Fang Zhiyi patted the back of the girl in front of him.

Half a year had passed, and this once timid great benefactor seemed to have changed a lot.

"You, you, I—I didn't sell the yard you bought. I thought I'd go back in a while and wait for you..."

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "Hey, what a coincidence. I happened to pass by here."

"Gousheng, do you have to leave again?"

Fang Zhiyi looked at her. "Of course. I just came to say hello and see how those kids are doing." He frowned. "Looks like one is missing?"

Thinking of the child who had died, Xu Xiaoya lowered her head. "It's all my fault... If it weren't for me..."

"If it weren't for you, they would all be dead," Fang Zhiyi said. "Do what you can handle. No one can be perfect."

Xu Xiaoya looked at Fang Zhiyi. He seemed exhausted, taller, and his face had grown leaner. She had often thought about what she would say when she saw him again, but now she couldn't find the words.

Just then, someone shouted from behind.

Xu Xiaoya snapped to attention and grabbed the reins. "Giddyup!"

Fang Zhiyi nearly stumbled from the jolt. "Hey, what are you doing!"

"You don't know—that Zhou Lian is so disgusting! I went to take a peek earlier, and I think he saw me!"

Fang Zhiyi froze. Zhou Lian? That fool had run into Xu Xiaoya after all?

"Even worse, he thinks I like him!"

Fang Zhiyi almost couldn't hold back his laughter. What kind of absurd plot was this?

Luckily, they quickly left the area and shook off Zhou Lian.

Seeing this, Xu Xiaoya gradually slowed the carriage down. She wanted to vent about everything Zhou Lian had done, but Fang Zhiyi patted her shoulder.

"I don't have much time. Listen carefully."

Xu Xiaoya fell silent.

As her eyes grew wider and wider, she finally yanked the reins, stopping the carriage. She turned to ask something, only to find that Fang Zhiyi had already vanished. Only the kids remained in the carriage.

"Where's Gousheng?"

"He... he... he jumped off the carriage and left," the oldest child said, holding a bundle. "He said to give this to you."

Xu Xiaoya took it, stunned. Opening it, she found various pills, a stack of silver notes, and a tattered book.

"He... he said he didn't need them anymore, so he'd give them to you. From now on, you're on your own."

The carriage paused briefly before moving on.

Xu Xiaoya's gaze gradually grew resolute. If there was anyone in the world she could trust, it was Gousheng.

Not long after the carriage left, someone sped up on stilts, muttering to himself: "The young master sure knows how to make me work for free—not just as a bodyguard but also to chase people off... Who's there?"

A figure with a sword slowly descended from a tree nearby.

"You spotted me?"

"My ears are top-notch, you know. Ask anyone in the Imperial Observatory... Anyway, I digress. Who are you, daring to ambush me?"

Fang Zhiyi chuckled. "I'm not ambushing you. Just passing through."

Zhongli's eyes narrowed as he looked at the sword in Fang Zhiyi's hand. "What a sinister thing... I can smell the blood on you from miles away. Nearly knocked me over."

Fang Zhiyi smirked. "I have no intention of becoming an enemy of the Imperial Observatory right now. How about you go your way, and I go mine?"

Zhongli thought for a moment. "Deal."

But as he stepped forward, Fang Zhiyi moved sideways, blocking his path.

"Brother, what's the meaning of this?" Zhongli forced an ugly smile.

Fang Zhiyi smiled back. "I mean, you should go back the other way."

"And if I don't agree?"

"You will." The sword in Fang Zhiyi's hand let out a deep, resonant hum.

Zhongli looked at the hilt, which was adorned with all sorts of bizarre trinkets—a human finger bone, rusty copper coins, even a strip of torn cloth. His pupils shrank instantly.

"Forget it. I'm just a messenger, barely paid for a month's work. I'm not risking my life. I'll go!" Zhongli raised his hands, backed off a few steps, and took off running.

Fang Zhiyi watched him go. "Running that fast on stilts—what a talent..."

Learning that Zhongli hadn't found Xu Xiaoya's trail, Zhou Lian felt disappointed. He had hoped Zhongli and his men would capture her so he could personally enlighten her. At the thought of Xu Xiaoya's pretty face, his heart stirred.

"Young Master Zhou, Miss Cousin is awake and wants to see you!" a servant announced. Zhou Lian immediately put Xu Xiaoya out of his mind and hurried off to see his cousin.

As soon as he was gone, Zhongli nudged his partner, his face full of mystery. "Zhao Yue, guess who I saw?"

Zhao Yue gave him a flat look. "With your speed, chasing a girl shouldn't be a problem. Did you run into a master?"

"You bet! I think that kid might be the dark cultivator everyone's been gossiping about—the one sucking souls!"

Zhao Yue's expression finally shifted. "How do you know?"

"Damn, his aura—the sword he carried was decked out with the personal talismans of those lowlifes: Crone Yin's finger bone, Fire Wheel King's copper bell, let me think... and some I didn't recognize."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing much. Just told me to leave."

"..."

"Forget it. We only do what we're told from above. Who cares about this stuff? But I kinda like that kid—he did what I've always wanted."

"..."

"This Zhou Lian is so annoying. How about next time we don't come? We'll say... say you're getting married?"

"..."

"Or say your grandma had a chubby baby boy, and we're off to the feast?"

"...Get lost!" Zhao Yue finally spoke. "And remember, don't tell anyone you saw him, or we'll both be in trouble."

"No way..."

"No way? Are you an idiot? Don't you know how many big families have died recently?"

"You mean... that kid's involved?"

Zhao Yue didn't answer.

"Good thing I played it smart," Zhongli said, dramatically patting his chest.

In Jing'an City, a young woman rented a remote shop. On her first day, she hung up a sign offering to exorcise evil spirits.

But no one paid her any mind. This was the emperor's domain, just two hundred li from the capital, firmly under the Imperial Observatory's control. Those lawless heroes and warriors never stirred up trouble here.

By the same token, plenty of people here claimed to banish evil.

So Xu Xiaoya's arrival caused little stir. She simply followed Fang Zhiyi's instructions and found a place to stay.

Gousheng said that Zhou Lian was traveling abroad and had come here on his own, so he would most likely not follow.

Now it was just a matter of quietly waiting for Gousheng to arrive—he had said he would definitely come.

Xu Xiaoya glanced at the children helping her move things, and suddenly remembered the cultivation technique Gousheng had taught her earlier. That’s right, why hadn’t she thought of it sooner?

“Put down whatever you’re holding and come here.”