Yu Ci didn't harbor any particular distaste towards Cheng Rong or the Thousands Spirits Sect. After wandering the world for over a decade, he understood that as long as one lived, such exchanges of interests were inevitable. In fact, this was the most common form of interaction between people. On the other hand, instances of instant rapport, complete trust, or life-and-death friendships were rare, and thus all the more precious due to their rarity.
Cheng Rong, although not a competent persuader, was self-aware. He knew that achieving his goal at the first meeting with Yu Ci was unrealistic. Therefore, he seized upon the "Ghost-Face Flower," a gift from Yu Ci, to invite Yu Ci to visit the Thousands Spirits Sect's headquarters. Despite repeated refusals, he naturally handed over his contact information, thus ensuring at least a minimal line of communication between the two parties.
Having stayed in the Still Heart Temple for a few days, Yu Ci knew that the so-called "exclusive rights" were not as simple as the Thousands Spirits Sect imagined. Various factors were intertwined, and unless he specifically asked Old Daoist Yu Zhou, it would be difficult to know all the details. However, since the Thousands Spirits Sect had this plan, Yu Ci was happy to be at ease:
Managing relationships, a task that only bears fruit over a long time, was better left to others to worry about. He held onto the key chain of interests; why should he worry about the rest?
Finally, Cheng Rong bid farewell to Yu Ci with a sense of urgency and regret, and of course, he took away the young girl who was still somewhat defiant.
Yu Ci continued his journey of finding herbs. The day's events, which might have been a focus for others for some time, were nothing more than a minor episode for him, a small embellishment in his busy work.
***********
Time flowed ceaselessly. The scope of Yu Ci's search widened, but his gains were diminishing. When his Merit Points accumulated to two hundred and four, his progress came to a complete halt.
Then, the first snow of the winter fell.
The sun had already set beyond the mountains. Yu Ci stood in a small valley about sixty miles from Sky Rift Valley, watching the cold mountain stream passing through the valley. This was the very place where he had intercepted the Herb Gatherers for questioning when he first returned to Sky Rift Valley. Downstream, another group of Herb Gatherers was returning along the stream.
The group was taken aback when they saw a handsome Taoist like Yu Ci standing upstream. The forty or so people didn't exchange the usual greetings of chance encounters on the road, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense.
Yu Ci understood.
It was the end of half a year's work and the time to go home for the New Year. The Herb Gatherers who usually lingered in Sky Rift Valley had stopped working, packed their bags, called their friends, and began to return home one after another. At the same time, it was also the most chaotic time.
Collecting Shrimp Whisker Grass was always a fruitless endeavor. It could no longer be obtained from the wild, nor could it be taken from others. At this time, all sorts of nefarious methods such as theft, robbery, kidnapping, and deception found their place. The already appalling order of everyday life would decay to a point unimaginable to the average person. To the Herb Gatherers, this handsome Taoist appeared to be deliberately blocking their path with dubious intentions.
In fact, Yu Ci was indeed targeting them.
Seeing the Herb Gatherers acting as if they were facing a great enemy, Yu Ci remained silent. His gaze swept from left to right as if he was casually glancing around. However, the Herb Gatherers who met his gaze felt as if they were punched hard in the chest, leaving them breathless for a moment and causing a stir in the crowd. He heard whispers of titles such as "Immortal" among them, indicating that his purpose had been achieved.
The situation seemed eerie and bizarre, but it was merely the use of divine intent. This was not a concept invented by Yu Ci himself. Back at the Still Heart Temple, Jin Huan had attempted to suppress others with his aura, his gaze alone exuding an air of "even the setting sun is insufficient, tearing the heavens down with it," far surpassing Yu Ci's.
However, this level was enough, at least enough to stir up some unpleasant memories.
Among this group of Herb Gatherers, the expressions of half dramatically changed. Those with a faint heart had instinctively tried to flee but were held back by their more clear-headed companions, narrowly avoiding a panic.
The atmosphere became extraordinarily strange.
Yu Ci initially intended to gather information about the Medicinal Grass in the Sky Rift Valley by blocking their path. Seeing this situation, he felt surprised. He hadn't paid much attention to their identities in the Divine Map before. Now, as his gaze swept over their faces, he suddenly realized:
"You are..."
Many faces showed embarrassment and fear. But one man in the front row reacted incredibly quickly, dropping to his knees on the cold, hard sand and gravel by the stream:
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"Immortal, we no longer engage in our previous occupations!"
This action reminded many others, and almost half of the forty-odd people in the group knelt down. They all swore that they had mended their ways, honestly gathering herbs, and absolutely not engaging in any harmful activities. Those Herb Gatherers who didn't kneel down at first were first confused, then fearful, and finally didn't know where to put their hands and feet, so they simply knelt down with the others, forming an impressive sea of people.
Yu Ci saw clearly that half of these people were the swindlers from the ruined temple in the wilderness. The one who knelt first, wasn't he the very active dark-faced man?
His gaze swept over the heads of the crowd, and without any effort, he spotted the Daoist Xuanqing, who was trying to shrink into the crowd. This man didn't dare to raise his head and was still trembling.
Yu Ci furrowed his brows, saying, "Stand up. Good timing, I have something to ask you all."
Hearing him say this, the certified and the half-hearted Herb Gatherers, after a moment of hesitation, stood up one after another. No one was a fool, and so some began to look at their companions with a changed gaze, and the whole team fell into silence.
Yu Ci found this amusing and casually asked, "Are you really done with robbery and deceit?"
Dozens of heads shook, but many faces could not hide their unease.
Yu Ci chuckled at this.
As the evening set in, a bonfire was lit in the camp. Yu Ci naturally occupied the main seat, receiving flattery and sycophantic praise without showing any reaction. Gradually, the flatterers quieted down, and those from Xuanqing's faction awkwardly fell silent, leaving the atmosphere cold.
At this point, Yu Ci began asking about the growth conditions of medicinal herbs in the nearby Sky Rift Valley. These were questions that Xuanqing's group of robbers and swindlers couldn't answer. Only a few experienced old hands among the certified Herb Gatherers could respond.
However, as time passed, the Herb Gatherers saw that Yu Ci was decently tempered and only interested in herbs, and they began to grow bolder. Some of the younger ones also started to speak. Compared to the cautious and meaningful words of the old herb workers, the young ones relayed hearsay, spilling out all sorts of information, regardless of its reliability.
Anyone else would have found this annoying, but not Yu Ci. He had the Divine Bronze Mirror, and with its wide scanning ability, he could quickly determine the truth of the rumors. He wasn't afraid to waste time, and instead saw it as an opportunity. Encouraged by his tacit approval, even Xuanqing's group began to join in. Their knowledge brought another layer of insight, and after a while, Yu Ci actually found information about two types of herbs, making the conversation somewhat fruitful.
As the discussion heated up on one side, Xuanqing was cowering and hiding on the other, remaining silent to the point of being almost forgotten. When the discussion about herbs was at its peak, he made an excuse to leave, bending his back as he exited and disappeared into the dark forest. When he was far enough away, he began to run wildly. After he had run more than ten miles, he finally caught his breath.
"Enjoy it, enjoy it, enjoy it a little longer, soon you'll be crying..."
Muttering to himself, Xuanqing took out a crushed message talisman from his sleeve and threw it on the ground. His panting had not stopped, not from exhaustion, but from extreme nervousness. Thankfully, he should be safe now. After panting a few more times, he leaned on a tree trunk to straighten up, preparing to discern the direction and run even further.
At that moment, a faint blue light lit up before his eyes.
In an instant, Xuanqing's body stiffened, his eyes the only thing he could move. A light source suddenly rose a few feet away from him, like a green lantern. The cold light spread out, illuminating the familiar figure next to him.
"What makes you think I would weep?" Yu Ci spoke softly under the emerald light.
"You... how did you catch up?"
Xuanqing's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. He retreated involuntarily but only managed two steps before hitting a tree trunk, leaving him with no room to retreat further.
"So, it's permissible for you to harm me, but not for me to seek retribution?"
Yu Ci stood still with his hands behind his back. "I heard from Zheng Da that you've acknowledged Lu Ding of the White Sun Mansion as your godfather. So, the message talisman you activated when we first met was to notify him, was it?"
Xuanqing had no idea when he had been betrayed by that scoundrel, Heizi, let alone how his carefully concealed movements had been detected by Yu Ci. Now, his mind had frozen over, his body felt like it was plunged into an icy cavern, devoid of warmth from the inside out.
In the end, only one thought remained in his mind: "If you knew all along, why didn't you run?"
"Why should I run?"
Yu Ci grinned, his teeth gleaming white under the green light, his eyes cold and distant. "Should I be thrilled to be inexplicably placed on a wanted list? Should I not seek justice for myself, vent my anger, and let them pin the crime on me?"
Xuanqing nearly choked on his own saliva. At this moment, he finally understood that his and Yu Ci's ways of thinking were fundamentally different. This madman, who disregarded the formidable power of the White Sun Mansion, was capable of anything!
At this moment, his first instinct was to beg for mercy, but then he remembered the utterly humiliating scene in the ruined temple, and the infuriating looks he'd received from behind him over the past year.
The words froze on his lips.
In the end, he let out a strangled cry, pulling out his long sword. The tip of the sword trembled violently, but it was pointed at the figure before him. Yu Ci watched silently, no longer speaking.
Perhaps it was Yu Ci's attitude that struck a nerve in Xuanqing. He suddenly screamed, "You're finished! The forces of the White Sun Mansion will be here any moment now, and you won't be able to escape..."
"The forces you're referring to, are they these?"
With that statement, Yu Ci silenced Xuanqing. At this moment, the "green lantern" floated forward, casting an eerie green light.
As it got closer, Xuanqing realized that it was not a lantern at all, but a landscape of mountains, rivers, a gust of wind through the forest, and animals on the move! As the light shifted, he saw nine figures within it, like nine ludicrous lice, darting through the mountain range that was only a foot high, heading towards a campsite across a mountain. The people there, the people there...
Xuanqing was utterly dumbfounded.
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Everyone's mind works differently. I am the kind of person who is heavily influenced by my emotions, especially when it comes to my performance. I need all the support I can get from you, my dear readers!
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e