Xi Yunqing did not give up. He searched the nearby mountain ridges again, but there was still no trace of Chen Xiao. Unable to find him, he finally stood atop the mountain and called out into the wilderness:
"Chen Xiao—"
To his surprise and delight, he soon heard a faint response.
"I'm here… Immortal Immortal Master Xi, is that you?"
Xi Yunqing listened carefully and quickly pinpointed the direction. He rushed over, parting a pile of withered grass to reveal a narrow crevice in the ground. At the bottom of the seven- to eight-meter-deep pit, Chen Xiao lay looking up. The moment he saw Xi Yunqing, his eyes lit up in the dim light, and a bright smile spread across his face.
"Immortal Immortal Master Xi!"
Xi Yunqing let out a breath of relief. "So you were here."
The crevice had formed due to the mountain splitting apart over time, with dry grass growing along its edges, making it nearly invisible even up close. When Du Rong, in a moment of desperation, shoved Chen Xiao with all his might, he had lost his footing and tumbled straight down the mountain. By sheer coincidence, he landed in a pile of withered grass, falling directly into the crevice below. The bottom was layered with dead leaves and dried foliage carried in by the wind. Though the fall had jolted him, he had miraculously escaped unscathed.
However, trapped alone at the bottom, with no foothold on the smooth rock walls, he had no way to climb back up. With danger lurking above, he had been too afraid to make a sound until he heard Xi Yunqing call his name, finally giving him a sense of security.
Once Xi Yunqing pulled him out, he examined him carefully. Aside from being covered in dirt and dust, Chen Xiao had not suffered a single injury.
It was astonishing.
It wasn't that Xi Yunqing wasn't relieved to see Chen Xiao unharmed, he was. But he found the sheer improbability of it baffling.
Based on past experience, anyone caught in his misfortune would at least suffer minor injuries or fall ill. Especially after encountering a vicious beast, at the very least, he should have twisted an ankle. Yet here Chen Xiao was, completely unscathed. It was the first time Xi Yunqing had seen such a thing.
Chen Xiao, oblivious to Xi Yunqing's odd expression, had his attention elsewhere the moment he stood firm. His eyes landed on the massive beast lying motionless on the ground—clearly dead. His heart clenched as he immediately began searching for Du Rong.
Spotting him lying further down the slope, he scrambled over in a panic.
"Uncle Rong!"
Chen Xiao anxiously checked him over. Though Du Rong's complexion was terrible, his chest was still faintly rising and falling. Chen Xiao let out a breath of relief.
"No need to worry," Xi Yunqing reassured him as he approached. "With proper rest, Daoist Du should recover fully in two to three months."
"But moving him in this condition will be difficult. Why not let him stay at my place for now?"
Chen Xiao had been fretting over exactly that. Hearing Xi Yunqing's offer at this critical moment filled him with immense gratitude.
"Thank you, Immortal Immortal Master Xi," he said earnestly. "You not only saved our lives but are also offering us shelter. I'm truly grateful, I don't even know how to repay your kindness."
Xi Yunqing gave a wry smile and shook his head. "You shouldn't be thanking me."
His words confused Chen Xiao, but before he could think too much about it, Xi Yunqing bent down to help Du Rong.
Chen Xiao hurried forward to assist, but Xi Yunqing frowned slightly.
"I can only carry Daoist Du alone," he said.
Chen Xiao hesitated before stepping back. "That's fine, Uncle Rong's safety comes first. I can make my way to the valley on my own."
Xi Yunqing wasn't reassured. The path through the gorge was treacherous, steep, and difficult to traverse. Even with Du Rong's protection, it had been a perilous journey. Sending Chen Xiao alone now would be far too risky.
"Wait here," he instructed. "I'll come back for you shortly."
Chen Xiao was taken aback by the kindness. "Thank you for the trouble."
After Xi Yunqing left, Chen Xiao turned his gaze to the enormous beast lying motionless nearby. He couldn't help but worry that it might suddenly come back to life. Uneasy, he shifted slightly before eventually retreating into the dry grass near the crevice for safety…
When Du Rong finally regained consciousness, he was groggy, unsure of his surroundings. His body was still weak, and even after staring blankly for a long while, he remained disoriented.
It wasn't until Chen Xiao entered the room and saw him awake that he exclaimed in surprise.
"Uncle Rong! You're awake?"
He rushed to the bedside and asked with concern, "How do you feel? Are you in pain?"
Du Rong's eyes widened as he stared at Chen Xiao for a moment before rasping out, "Young Master… we survived?"
Chen Xiao, still catching his breath, nodded heavily. "Mm. Immortal Immortal Master Xi arrived in time, he killed the beast and saved us."
Du Rong let out a deep sigh of relief. "That was a miracle." Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Where are we?"
"This is Immortal Immortal Master Xi's secluded valley," Chen Xiao replied. "You're resting on his bed."
Hearing that, Du Rong instinctively tried to sit up. "That won't do, this is too improper, too disrespectful—"
But his severe injuries left him utterly drained. The mere attempt to move took all his strength.
Chen Xiao quickly pressed him down. "Don't move! Your ribs and internal organs are injured, you can't afford to strain yourself."
"But this is unacceptable!" Du Rong protested anxiously. "It's far too impolite, far too improper—"
Chen Xiao didn't dare press down too hard on Du Rong's upper body, afraid of worsening his injuries. Just as he was wondering how to calm him down, Xi Yunqing walked in.
Seeing him, Du Rong became even more agitated, nearly rolling off the bed. "Immortal Immortal Master Xi, thank you for saving my life!" he said gratefully.
Xi Yunqing strode over in a single step and reached out his hand, gently but firmly pressing Du Rong back down onto the bed. "No need to thank me, Fellow Daoist Du. This was simply my duty. If not for me, you two wouldn't have encountered this disaster in the first place."
It was because of him that Du Rong had suffered this ordeal, how could he shamelessly accept his gratitude?
At the time, Chen Xiao hadn't fully understood why Xi Yunqing had said that. But hearing it again now, he suddenly realized that the Immortal Master believed their encounter with the beast was his fault.
"That's not right," Chen Xiao said. "How could this be Immortal Immortal Master Xi's doing? No one could have predicted that the beast would appear there."
Du Rong agreed. When he first heard Xi Yunqing's words, he assumed the Immortal Master was blaming himself for keeping them overnight, which had delayed them and led to their encounter with the beast.
"That's exactly it," Du Rong said, echoing Chen Xiao. "If not for Immortal Immortal Master Xi taking us in for the night, we would have run into that beast even earlier. We would have been much farther from the valley by then, and who knows if we would've survived?"
But Xi Yunqing didn't see it that way. His past experiences told him that if he hadn't taken them in, they likely wouldn't have encountered the beast at all. However, the truth behind it wasn't something he could explain to them.
Seeing the faint bitterness in Xi Yunqing's expression, Chen Xiao fell into thought. Could it be that Xi Yunqing believed their misfortune was like the time he had led a ship's crew, only for them to be forced back to shore three times? Did he think that he was somehow bringing calamity upon others?
If that was the case, Chen Xiao couldn't confidently say it wasn't true. After all, three consecutive failed departures by the Chongxuan Sect was rather unusual.
Chen Xiao studied Xi Yunqing from head to toe. His aura was stable, there was no visible leak of baleful energy. So what was causing this phenomenon? It was certainly worth investigating. Xi Yunqing had saved his life, and if he could help him resolve this issue, it would be a way to repay the favor. The researcher's instinct within Chen Xiao stirred restlessly.
Xi Yunqing, not wanting to continue the discussion, changed the topic. "I've summoned people from Hanshan City to handle the corpse of the Black-Eyed Azure Serpent. Once they finish processing it, the earnings will be settled on-site."
Chen Xiao was puzzled, but Du Rong nodded. "I leave it to Immortal Immortal Master Xi's judgment."
Seeing Chen Xiao's confusion, Xi Yunqing explained, "That beast is called the Black-Eyed Azure. After death, its beast core and bones can be used for medicine, its flesh can be cooked for consumption, and its teeth, claws, and hide can be refined into artifacts."
For cultivators, every part of the beast was valuable.
"Oh," Chen Xiao murmured, finally understanding. They were gathering the spoils of battle. That made sense, after all the suffering and injuries they had endured, and with someone doing the labor of processing it, there ought to be some reward to balance it all out.
Noticing how casually Chen Xiao took it, Du Rong chuckled. Even Xi Yunqing's lips curved slightly as he added, "Altogether, the materials will sell for around a hundred spirit pearls."
A hundred spirit pearls?! Chen Xiao finally grasped the scale of it and couldn't help but be shocked. He hadn't expected the beast to be worth so much!
Before he could recover, Xi Yunqing dropped another surprise. "According to custom, since you two participated in hunting the Black-Eyed Azure, you'll receive half the earnings."
Chen Xiao enjoyed comfort and was certainly fond of making money, but he wasn't greedy. He felt that since Xi Yunqing had done all the work in slaying the beast, Du Rong's share was reasonable, but he himself had contributed nothing at all. However, Du Rong showed no reaction to the split, it seemed completely normal to him.
Hesitantly, Chen Xiao said, "Uncle Rong put in a lot of effort, so he deserves a share. But I didn't do anything. I can't take it. Immortal Immortal Master Xi and Uncle Rong should split it between yourselves."
Xi Yunqing and Du Rong both looked at him in surprise, clearly not expecting him to refuse.
As Chen Xiao's hired guard, Du Rong explained, "In a battle, the first group to engage the beast contributes to the overall fight. Regardless of their individual impact, they share the spoils with those who later join the fight, based on a set ratio. When we fought the Black-Eyed Azure, you and I were one unit, while Immortal Immortal Master Xi was another. That's why the split is arranged this way."
Then, Du Rong turned to Xi Yunqing and said earnestly, "But half is too much, twenty percent would already be generous."
Since Xi Yunqing had been the main force in slaying the beast, he had the right to decide the distribution. Du Rong had only fought the beast for a brief moment before being defeated, and it was Xi Yunqing who had saved him. His contribution was minimal. The fact that Xi Yunqing was offering them half was incredibly generous.
If it weren't for how difficult it would be to explain, Xi Yunqing wouldn't have wanted even that much. He firmly stated, "No need to argue, Fellow Daoist Du. Half is half."
Even after hearing this, Chen Xiao still felt uneasy about taking a share and wanted to refuse again.
Du Rong looked at him helplessly and said, "Master, as your hired guard, any spoils I earn during my employment belong to you. You are the one who decides how much to distribute to your subordinates."
His meaning was clear, if Chen Xiao refused his share, then Du Rong wouldn't be able to take his portion either.
Chen Xiao thought about it. He could let it go for himself, but he couldn't let Du Rong's efforts go unrewarded. Fine, he'd accept it for now, and once he received the spirit pearls, he could just give them to Du Rong as a bonus.
A few days later, a pouch containing sixty-five spirit pearls was delivered to Chen Xiao. Without hesitation, he gave thirty-five to Du Rong, then handed him another thirty as a reward for protecting his employer.