Several weeks passed after Bai Yongsheng and Xiao Ran left Wujiang City.
The attack ended relatively quickly. Although Lei Jiangxue, the city guards, and others fought back, the city still fell to the enemy onslaught.
It seemed the attack was nearing its end, but for unknown reasons, the enemies began fighting each other, continuing the chaos.
With great effort, the warriors managed to rescue as many people as possible and helped them relocate to another city.
After some time, reinforcements from the capital arrived. They immediately divided into those who protected the civilians and those who pacified the attackers.
By this time, Bai Yongsheng was already far from the city and arrived in a small town near the Yanshi Sect, a mid-ranking sect.
Before leaving, Bai Yongsheng took with him a large amount of gold and silver.
Thanks to this, he was able to buy a small house on the outskirts between the city and the Yanshi Sect.
"Hmm... Now that I'm out of the picture, the plot will continue as usual."
"In the book, Bai Yunsheng was supposed to disappear from the main pages after Zhou Yulong beat him up the first time they met. But in my case, that didn't happen... And by just existing, I'm already breaking the novel's core narrative..." he thought to himself.
Right now, Bai Yunsheng had bought a few books for Xiao Ran and was buying groceries.
"Thankfully, I won't have to interfere any further. Some invisible villain will appear and throw a spanner in the works for Zhou Yulong, so as long as I stay out of the picture, I won't have to wait for the butterfly effect!"
These thoughts made the corners of his mouth lift slightly.
"Good morning, Mr. Bai. You look cheerful today!" a hoarse voice said next to him.
Looking up, Bai Yongsheng saw a tall, elderly man with narrowed eyes, long dark hair, and a goatee.
The young man bowed respectfully.
"Hello, Master Bo. How are you?"
The old man chuckled and stroked his beard.
"Everything is fine. As usual, actually!"
They walked together, discussing routine matters. Master Bo spoke of the successes of his research and the exploits of his granddaughter, and Bai Yongsheng listened politely.
"Master Bo. A brilliant scholar and master of formation. In the novel, he plays the role of a major villain who will cause countless casualties in the future..." Bai Yongsheng recalled.
"I don't particularly want to attract this old man's attention and then get into trouble. So it's best if I remain polite and keep him at arm's length!"
As they walked, the old man and the young man came across a square filled with stalls. The stalls bore signs with the names of masters and their schools.
"Hmm? What's this?" Bai Yunsheng asked, looking at the commotion among the stalls.
Master Bo stroked his beard and replied with a slight smile.
"This? It's just a student selection process! Every two years, masters from various schools of the Yanshi Sect and several smaller sects come to this place to recruit disciples.
"Young people can choose which sect they want to join, and the masters decide whether to accept them or not!"
"Since the Yanshi Sect is a mid-ranking sect, it's natural for many to want to join, which reduces the chances of the smaller sects. Therefore, to ensure you don't recruit all the trash, the masters from the Yanshi Sect are holding a short test, and if you pass it, you can join us."
"Sometimes, senior sects or major families can come here and snatch the most talented ones," Master Bo explained, adding grumpily, "Because of that, we've lost incredibly gifted young men and women three times!"
Bai Yunsheng nodded silently as he listened to the old man's story, looking at the young people approaching the stalls and submitting applications to join.
"Hmm... So it's like that very same disciple selection from the cultivation story! And how do they determine talent? After all, in this world, cultivation only begins upon ascending to the Immortal Realm!"
"And to ascend to the Immortal Realm, you must simultaneously strengthen your body, accumulate Dao energy, and fill your Void Core with Dao Worm!"
While Bai Yunsheng was thinking to himself, a young girl with long black hair tied in a high ponytail, bright blue eyes, and a slight smile on her face slowly approached them. She wore a Yanshi Sect uniform that hugged her body, and a sword engraved with a moon and cloud patterns hung from her waist.
Master Bo smiled broadly and crossed his arms.
"Just look at who fate has brought us! The eldest disciple of the Yanshi Sect leader herself has come to visit!"
The girl blushed slightly and smiled.
"Don't call me that, Grandpa! It sounds strange..." Her gaze met Bai Yunsheng's, and she smiled sweetly. "Good afternoon, Master Bai!"
The indifferent-looking boy nodded and greeted her.
A small girl with black hair and dark eyes peered out from behind her. Bai Yunsheng picked her up.
"What are you doing here, Xiao Ran?" he asked in his indifferent voice.
The girl looked at him with her dark eyes and replied.
— I was bored and I decided to go for a walk and when I was walking, I met sister Yue Yang and we went for a walk together. She also bought me a lot of delicious food!
Bai Yunsheng listened silently and turned his gaze to Yue Yang, recalling their meeting.
***
This happened six days after leaving Wujiang City.
Bai Yunsheng and Xiao Ran walked leisurely through the forest, heading north of Wujiang.
When they stopped to rest, Bai Yunsheng meditated, while Xiao Ran studied the techniques from the scrolls she had managed to bring with her.
Among them was the technique of a minor illusion. The technique itself doesn't change much, and even strong practitioners can simply dispel it. But even a partial illusion can be useful, so Xiao Ran learned the basics.
Because the technique was simple and due to her demonic nature, Xiao Ran was able to quickly master it and conceal her ears and tails.
Upon arriving at a small village, they stopped at an inn and ordered food.
"Xiao Ran is still young, so she needs to eat a lot!" With these thoughts in mind, Bai Yunsheng ordered several servings of noodles and a jug of juice for her, while he ordered only a small serving of noodles and a cup of tea for himself.
Sitting at their table, they waited for their orders and began to eat. Bai Yunsheng ate slowly, pondering his next plan, while Xiao Ran devoured her food.
"Since I no longer bear the status of the Wujiang City Mayor's husband, but am simply Lei Jiangxue's husband, I can no longer do whatever I please without fearing the consequences!"
"Even though I've learned the Dual Immortal Cultivation Technique, I need Li Yuhua to further my development. Without her, I won't be able to cultivate; I can only fight with Yang energy."
"I should have taken the Immortal's Diary. Then I could have just found another woman, taught her Dual Cultivation, and cultivated myself!" Bai Yunsheng thought to himself irritably. But he quickly came to his senses.
"On the other hand, why should I get stronger? I've already become practically the strongest in the mortal realm thanks to the Immortal's Dual Cultivation Technique. And I'm far from weak in combat... So my current progress is enough to prevent me from dying to a strong opponent. At least in the mortal realm..."
While Bai Yunsheng was thinking, he didn't notice how he finished his noodles and started drinking tea. Meanwhile, Xiao Ran was already on her third bowl of noodles, also tucking into pork balls.
"Come to think of it, I could take Xiao Ran to her family!" the boy suddenly realized.
"In the novel, by the time Zhou Yulong and Xiao Ran first meet, most of the Demon Fox Clan had been exterminated. Xiao Ran was one of the few who survived, and only because she was kidnapped as a child."
"By the time the Demon Fox Clan was exterminated, Xiao Ran was 16 years old. She's no more than 9 now, so I have 7 years before they're attacked..."
Bai Yunsheng, having finished his meal, silently looked at Xiao Ran, who had finished six bowls of noodles and five meatballs.
"How does that belly fit so much?!" he thought to himself, wiping her dirty face.
"Then that's what I'll do! Let's head to the Demon Fox Clan and hand Xiao Ran over to her family!"
"Of course, I originally bought her so she would protect me from Zhou Yulong beating me, but that doesn't matter anymore. If I take her back to the Demon Fox Clan, where good deeds are repaid tenfold, I'll get much more out of it!"
The corners of Bai Yunsheng's mouth lifted slightly at these thoughts, and he stroked Xiao Ran's head.
The girl pressed herself against his hand, emitting soft sounds reminiscent of a purr.
As soon as they stood up to pay for the meal and thank the host, a group of seven armed men approached.
Bai Yunsheng looked up at them and said quietly.
"What do you want?" The chill in his voice sent shivers down the strangers' spines, but they didn't leave. Instead, they took a step closer with predatory grins.
"Hey, kid!" "My friends and I are tired after a long journey... Would you like to buy us a drink?! In exchange, we'll tell you stories of our adventures!" one of them said. The others began to chuckle quietly.
Xiao Ran frowned and began to concentrate her demonic energy, but Bai Yunsheng stopped her.
"Sorry, but I must refuse..." He turned and was about to leave, when the men surrounded him.
"Oh, come on. We asked politely~ Didn't they teach you to reciprocate politeness?"
They drew closer, chuckling, while Bai Yunsheng's gaze grew colder.
Just as he clenched his fist, a figure appeared before him.
He was surprised and looked at the new face.
It was a young girl with long black hair and blue eyes. She wore the simple uniform of a disciple of the Yanshi Sect and clutched a sword engraved with a moon.
"Pitiful bandits, leave them alone!"
To be continued...