Uncle Rong strongly rejected Chen Xiao's offer to cook, and after tasting his own cooking, Chen Xiao had no choice but to agree. This time, he had managed to turn plain rice porridge into a burnt, bitter mess, and his attempt at stir-frying vegetables ended up as dried, overly salted greens. He had to admit, perhaps he simply had no talent for home cooking.
Immortal Immortal Master Xi had not expected that the two of them would become bedridden patients just from cooking. After that, Chen Xiao resigned himself to chewing on dry rations and drinking hot water, after all, the only thing he could do properly in the kitchen was boil water. Meanwhile, Du Rong resorted to taking Fasting Pills and Nourishing Pills for a few more days. By then, his fractured ribs had nearly healed, allowing him to get out of bed and move around.
As soon as he was able to move, the first thing Du Rong did was cook a plate of stir-fried vegetables with meat. It wasn't particularly delicious, but compared to Chen Xiao's disastrous cooking, it was a vast improvement. At the very least, it filled their stomachs.
Chen Xiao was so moved that he no longer dared to complain about ordinary cooking. Only through comparison could one learn to appreciate things, food that was merely average was far better than food that could destroy one's taste buds.
Once Du Rong regained mobility, his injuries improved by the day. Immortal Immortal Master Xi had estimated that he would recover in two to three months, and indeed, there were no complications. By the time two months had passed since their encounter with the ferocious beast, Du Rong had almost fully recovered. This time, with a steady supply of Nourishing Pills, he was in much better condition than he had been after his previous injury, no lingering fatigue.
Now that Du Rong was healthy again, Chen Xiao planned to bid farewell to Xi Yunqing and resume his interrupted training journey.
While Du Rong was recovering, Chen Xiao had been so bored that he had nearly memorized the number of trees in the valley. Occasionally, he would run into Xi Yunqing and chat for a while, but for the most part, their conversations revolved around whether Chen Xiao needed anything. At first, Chen Xiao was too embarrassed to ask for anything, after all, they had already disturbed Immortal Immortal Master Xi enough. But eventually, his boredom got the better of him, and he asked Xi Yunqing for some books to read.
Xi Yunqing agreed and brought back a few travel journals from Hanshan City. Most of these were records of training experiences written by cultivators, dry, factual accounts with no entertainment value. However, Chen Xiao found them utterly fascinating. Such books were inaccessible to ordinary people; only cultivators had the chance to read these secret records of experiences.
Apart from bringing Chen Xiao books, Xi Yunqing rarely left his own courtyard. Chen Xiao felt that cultivators were even more reclusive than the most extreme shut-ins in the world.
It had been five or six days since their last meeting. Chen Xiao and Du Rong headed to the eastern courtyard, where the gate was open as usual. They walked straight to the main house, and Du Rong called out loudly, "Immortal Immortal Master Xi, thank you for taking us in these past days. Today, we've come to bid you farewell."
Xi Yunqing had been meditating in the quiet chamber but emerged upon hearing them. He invited them into the guest hall and said, "Fellow Daoist Du has only just recovered. There's no need to rush your departure."
Du Rong chuckled. "I've been resting so long my bones are starting to rust. I can't wait to get moving again."
Since Du Rong had made up his mind, Xi Yunqing did not insist. Instead, he turned to Chen Xiao and asked, "Have you packed your belongings?"
Chen Xiao, full of energy, responded briskly, "Thank you for your concern, Immortal Immortal Master Xi. I'm all set."
The last time they had packed their supplies was at the end of winter, when Du Rong had bought some hard biscuits, dehydrated food specifically made for cultivators, capable of lasting a long time. This time, since they had been staying in the valley and had no place to purchase such provisions, Du Rong had simply used flour from the kitchen to make flatbreads, which he dried for storage. They would have to make do with that.
Although Chen Xiao was eager to venture back into the mountains, he still felt a bit regretful. He wanted to help Xi Yunqing investigate his condition, but unfortunately, he lacked the strength to make any progress. Even if he spoke up, Xi Yunqing would never believe him, let alone cooperate. However, Chen Xiao was not discouraged. He resolved to strengthen himself first and wait for the right time to bring it up.
Xi Yunqing nodded slowly before saying, "In that case, let's set off."
Chen Xiao and Du Rong stood up, preparing to bow and take their leave. But before they could, Xi Yunqing also rose to his feet. Before they could say a word, he was already heading toward the door.
Du Rong hurriedly said, "Immortal Immortal Master Xi, there's no need to see us off!"
Xi Yunqing turned slightly and replied, "I'm not seeing you off, I'll be traveling with you."
"Huh?" Both Du Rong and Chen Xiao exclaimed in unison.
With one hand resting behind his back, Xi Yunqing gave a composed, serene smile. "I've accepted a task from Zhishi Hall to investigate the recent disturbances caused by the Black-Eyed Azure Serpent. Since our paths align, why not travel together?"
Chen Xiao immediately nodded. "That would be great! I couldn't ask for more!" This way, he would have more opportunities to observe Xi Yunqing and study whether any fiendish energy was leaking from him.
Little did he know that Xi Yunqing was thinking the exact same thing.
During this time, Chen Xiao had failed to notice that Xi Yunqing's appearances followed a deliberate pattern. He had been subtly increasing their time together, shortening the intervals between their meetings. Though his current condition remained untamed, Chen Xiao had never been affected even once.
Back in the Chongxuan Sect, other disciples who spent brief moments near him would experience a series of misfortunes, eating spoiled food and getting diarrhea, being hit on the head by falling roof tiles, or tripping over nothing and landing face-first.
When he first attempted it, Xi Yunqing was fully prepared to stop at any moment, to prevent any unforeseen incidents involving Chen Xiao, and to explain and compensate him if necessary. Though his initial plan fell through, it left him pleasantly surprised.
Everything had been carried out silently in the shadows, so much so that Chen Xiao hadn't even realized that, ever since Du Rong moved into the southern courtyard, Xi Yunqing had been deliberately avoiding him. It was only today that they met again. Du Rong, being rather careless, hadn't noticed anything unusual. After all, Chen Xiao would always mention it whenever he encountered Xi Yunqing, so he saw nothing amiss.
Chen Xiao had no clue about Xi Yunqing's condition, but Xi Yunqing had already confirmed that Chen Xiao was, so far, the only person unaffected by his unique abilities. He didn't know whether this immunity was temporary or permanent, nor whether it was due to some external factor or Chen Xiao's innate constitution. If he could figure out why Chen Xiao remained unaffected, then perhaps he could learn to control his powers and no longer bring misfortune to those around him.
Despite never discussing it, the two of them had remarkably aligned goals.
Xi Yunqing smiled subtly, while Chen Xiao looked genuinely delighted, leaving only Du Rong utterly bewildered. Even if they were picking up a mission from Zhishi Hall, why would they form a team with people who were obviously dead weight?
Though confused, Du Rong felt reassured having a Golden Core stage cultivator accompanying them. He had no reason to refuse.
With that, they left the canyon, continuing the journey that Chen Xiao and his group had left unfinished.
Du Rong carried both his and Chen Xiao's packs, while Chen Xiao had a smaller bundle. As for Xi Yunqing, he walked effortlessly, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. Chen Xiao suspected that the Immortal Master must have a far more advanced storage artifact than the square box that Tong Nuonuo carried.
The thought of Tong Nuonuo, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, made Chen Xiao frown. He said worriedly, "I wonder how Nuonuo is doing. That Black-Eyed Azure Serpent came from deep within the mountains, could his team have been affected?"
During Du Rong's recovery, Chen Xiao had occasionally brought up the topic. But with one of them injured and the other without any cultivation, there was nothing they could do. They could only hope that Nuonuo's team hadn't been unfortunate enough to encounter the beast.
Du Rong could only offer comfort. "Immortal Immortal Master Tong has his own fortune. He'll be fine."
Hearing their conversation, Xi Yunqing asked, "Who is Immortal Immortal Master Tong?"
Du Rong replied, "His name is Tong Nuonuo, also a rogue cultivator. He specializes in mechanism arts. We met by chance while traveling." Out of consideration for Nuonuo's pride, he tactfully omitted the part where they had found him lost.
Chen Xiao added, "Last winter, we took the same boat to Hanshan City. At the time, he accepted a mission from Zhishi Hall and joined a team led by a Golden Core stage cultivator to venture into the mountains. It has been over five months since then." He hesitated before turning to Du Rong. "Since their leader was also at the Golden Core stage, they should have been able to handle the Black-Eyed Azure Serpent, right?"
Du Rong had only ever traveled along the outskirts of beast-infested regions, where the standard reaction to any sign of a beast was to flee with the main group. His previous encounter had been the first time he had ever faced a ferocious beast directly, and all he had felt was helplessness and the desperate need to escape.
So, when Chen Xiao posed the question, Du Rong had no answer. "I wouldn't know," he admitted.
Xi Yunqing frowned slightly. "That depends on the Golden Core cultivator's experience. If they are seasoned, they might stand a chance."
The Black-Eyed Azure Serpent had an incredibly tough hide, making it difficult to injure. Its razor-sharp claws could tear through a cultivator's armor with ease, and its flexible tail was adept at ambush attacks. On top of that, its water-based regenerative abilities meant that unless someone could kill it in a single strike, like Xi Yunqing had, dragging the fight out would only spell disaster for a mere Golden Core cultivator.
Though Xi Yunqing didn't spell it out, Chen Xiao understood his implication. He hadn't personally witnessed Xi Yunqing's battle with the beast, but he had seen its remains, its skull caved in, head nearly split in two. Not every Golden Core cultivator in this world could be as terrifyingly powerful as Xi Yunqing.
That thought weighed heavily on Chen Xiao's mind, and the group lapsed into silence. Du Rong was used to being so quiet; in most traveling parties, no one had the leisure to chat. They kept their mouths shut, focused on the path ahead, and pressed on. Xi Yunqing, too, was comfortable with this atmosphere and never initiated conversation.
The silence persisted, until they came across a shattered rocky terrain, where they found a corpse with only one leg and half of its torso remaining.