Seeking Immortality 033

Xu Xiaoya had finally shaken off the annoying Zhou Lian and settled down in Jing'an. She was much more mature now, able to handle certain problems with ease. And since Jing'an was so close to the capital, everything here was far better than elsewhere—at least there weren’t corpses bobbing up in the river every other day.

Aside from teaching a few kids how to cultivate their minds, Xu Xiaoya’s greatest pleasure was sitting on a big rock by the bridge, staring off into space. Here, people came and went, and she often overheard all kinds of bizarre stories—from secret court affairs to ghost tales from the countryside.

Most importantly, she could still catch news about Fang Zhiyi.

One day, she heard that a major incident had occurred in the west: a local bully’s militia had been wiped out, their heads hung in the fields, even catching the attention of high-ranking officials. The next day, she heard that a human-meat shop had been torched. The boss behind the shop was said to be incredibly powerful, but when the messenger pushed open the door, he found the whole family dead.

Over time, people began to notice a young figure appearing again and again.

"Tell me about it! I was terrified at the time. He turned around, face covered in blood, and I thought he was going to silence me. But then he just grinned at me and walked off," said a traveling merchant, setting down a huge bundle of tea leaves and slapping his chest as he spoke.

"That means you got lucky," said a listener beside him.

Just then, someone else chimed in: "Hey, I’ve heard it too. They say the killer was just a half-grown kid, wielding a—"

"Black sword?"

"That’s right!"

Xu Xiaoya bit her lip from where she sat nearby. She had been wondering all along whether it was Gousheng responsible for all of this. Now it seemed his situation was just as precarious.

Rumors about Fang Zhiyi kept spreading. Some people swore they had seen him with their own eyes, saying he was a terrifying figure who ate human flesh raw. Others said they had seen a chivalrous swordsman, wearing a bamboo hat, his swordplay graceful and elegant.

The string of bloody incidents across the region finally alarmed the imperial court. Officials were dispatched to the common folk to investigate, but the rumors were all over the place. Some said the murderer was a rich young master, some said a wandering monk, and others swore it was a woman.

Xu Xiaoya nearly laughed. They had no idea he was just an orphan with no parents to speak of.

She quietly picked up a twig and began drawing on the ground. A few strokes in, the figure of a strangely dressed person appeared. She stared at the drawing and started giggling to herself.

"Sister Xiaoya!"

Her foot quickly swept over it, wiping the portrait clean.

No matter what others said about Gousheng—whether they called him a villain—in her eyes, he would always be a good person.

"Sister Xiaoya," said Yuanbao, who was missing a hand, running up to her. "We’ve finished reciting everything. We’re waiting for you to teach us the new stuff!"

"Finished already?" Xu Xiaoya raised an eyebrow. She had learned to read characters under the Widow Li’s tough tutelage. Later, to understand the book Gousheng had left behind, she had copied down the characters she didn’t know, taken them to the city to ask a scholar, and then taught them to the children. Over time, she had finished reading that alchemical manual.

But much of the content had been blacked out, with tiny new characters scribbled in the margins.

Xu Xiaoya stood up and followed Yuanbao back toward the shop.

"Sister Xiaoya, are we going to start making pills soon? But I’ve heard alchemy is banned by the court..." Yuanbao looked around cautiously before whispering.

Xu Xiaoya smiled at him. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"I trust him too. Just follow along. It’s not like we’re going to make a big show of it..." Thinking about the alchemy techniques Gousheng had mentioned, Xu Xiaoya felt a stir of excitement.

As she passed a corner, she noticed a wanted poster on the wall. It showed a big-bearded man with a sword on his back, a bamboo hat, and a face full of pockmarks.

Xu Xiaoya sighed. They would never catch Gousheng—not in a thousand years.

But as more and more government officers flooded the streets, she realized something serious was happening. Even her little shop was visited at least three or four times a day by different groups of officials, and their sketches of the criminal were beginning to look strikingly like Gousheng.

What exactly had Gousheng done?

Meanwhile, elsewhere, an old Cripple was staring up at the sky.

"Hmph. I really did see a dragon, but none of you believe me!" He rubbed his broken leg. "If it weren’t for that dragon, my leg wouldn’t have been crushed by a rock!"

A shadow fell over him.

The old Cripple turned around and, recognizing the newcomer, froze. "Gousheng? Is that you? You... you’ve come back?"

When the farmhands returned from the fields and passed by, they all started teasing the old Cripple.

But he just puffed up with pride. You don’t believe me? Well, someone does! He clutched the silver Gousheng had given him, feeling almost disdainful toward these bumpkins who had never seen anything.

Gousheng seemed different now. He had asked about the location where the Cripple had seen the dragon... Was he planning to go see it himself? That kid sure had nerve. What was so interesting about that thing anyway?

The moon hung high in the sky. In the silent mountain forest, a figure trudged uphill, cursing under his breath.

"Little Hei may have given you to me, but what’s the point? Every time I ask for a location, you say ‘danger level high, danger level high’... I swear you’re just irresponsible."

Xiaoxiaohei looked totally innocent.

"Host, I’m only concerned for your safety. You should go back to the village and live a peaceful life..."

"Shut up, you wooden head. I’ve borrowed this body, so I have to do what needs to be done for him."

Fang Zhiyi finally found a spot where he could see the stars. He looked up and started calculating in his hands, but the result made him disappointed.

Strange. The immortal sect the original owner had found couldn’t be traced at all?

He felt a wave of defeat, plopped down on the ground, and pounded his sore legs.

"Unbelievable. The original owner, just a mortal, stumbled his way into an immortal sect. And here I am, coming with all sincerity, and these things are hiding from me?"

The farther he went into the deep mountains, the more treacherous the path became. At first, there were small trails made by hunters and woodcutters, but now, he was just going by instinct, and it felt terrible.

He gave up, bundled his clothes tighter, and muttered, "Forget it. Gousheng, it’s not that I don’t want to help you—I’ve got nothing left to try."

He fell asleep until morning. A tickling sensation on his cheek made him snap awake.

An old man was smiling at him.

"Young man, lost, are you?" The old man was holding a dog-tail grass stalk.

"Lost my—" Fang Zhiyi opened his mouth to curse, then suddenly stopped himself. "Who are you?"

The old man coughed a few times. "Me? I live nearby. I came out to gather firewood and found you sleeping here. Let me tell you, there are wild animals around here. I couldn’t just leave you, so I woke you..."

Seeing Fang Zhiyi staring fixedly at him, the old man felt a bit uncomfortable and looked down at his own clothes, which were clearly torn by someone. "Young man? What business do you have here?"