Ye Fan pulled the folded note out of his pocket once more to remind himself of the next destination. After a quick glance, he returned the note to his pocket and began walking away from the Pavilion. Navigating the cobblestone streets of Giant Skull City with confidence, it didn't take long before he arrived in front of a general store.
He quickly bought some rations and other necessities, whatever the general store was willing to part with. This process repeated as he found other general stores in the commercial district. Each session didn't take long as he didn't negotiate long with the shops. If he had known that the final trial would be today, he would've been able to talk it out with one of the shops ahead of time to get the best price. As Ye Fan saw the gate to the city coming up in the distance, he checked his spatial artifact to make a quick mental note of his inventory.
The artifact had enough dry rations for a month, a sturdy carving knife, a bow, a substantial amount of arrows, a few jars of water, some pots of wine, cooking equipment, and materials needed to set up some shelter. He still had some herbs that he had previously picked and would be sufficient for light wounds. There were leftover gauze and salves since he had overestimated the amount he would need in the last outing. The first time he went bandit hunting he made the mistake of bringing too little and it ended up with many captives dying so he made it a habit to buy more than he’d estimated, just in case. He hadn’t had to use any of the medical supplies that he bought last time so there were too many. The spatial artifact kept the medical supplies from the weather so the leftovers would be sufficient for now.
As he walked absentmindedly along, he bumped into a figure walking alongside the carriage. Ye Fan stumbled and was about to lose his footing but was caught by the same figure. A kindly male voice addressed him with genuine worry.
"Woah! Are you okay, Fellow Daoist?"
Bowing and cupping his fist, Ye Fan apologized to the figure.
"I apologize for bumping into you. I was lost in my thoughts and wasn’t looking. Thank you for helping me, Fellow Daoist."
The figure chuckled and replied in a kindhearted manner.
"No worries, the way of cultivation is long. Why meet as enemies when we can part as friends?"
Ye Fan let out a sigh of relief and raised his head. The speaker looked about fifteen years old and had a higher cultivation base than Ye Fan. He wore yellow and black robes with matching silk shoes. This sect disciple held a plain-sheathed sword attached to his waist on his left side. A red tassel hung off the loop of the pommel with an amateurish knot. A wooden plaque hung on his right side with the character for Harmony "和" engraved on it. His eyes were sky blue, but his face was plain. His hair was tied up into a ponytail by a band of yellow-black silk.
The Sect Disciple cupped his fist and interrupted Ye Fan's inspection.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"It was nice to meet you, Fellow Daoist, but I've got to attend to my duties. If you're ever free, be sure to visit the Harmony Sect. My name is Su Yang."
Ye Fan cupped his fist in return and gave his response before getting out of the way.
"Then, I'll take my leave. Nice to meet you, Daoist Yang. My name is Ye Fan. "
As Ye Fan walked away from the Harmony Sect’s carriage escort, the spectators were all impressed at the humility of the Sect Disciple and began to discuss among themselves.
"I've always heard that those from the Harmony Sect were polite, but it's my first time meeting one in person."
An old man sitting in his stall nearby exclaimed to his colleagues. One of his neighbors commented with great surprise.
"Old Lu, I didn't know you had connections in the cultivation world."
"My son used to interact with wandering cultivators so I know a little."
"What's so special about this Harmony Sect, old Lu?"
"All I know is that they're located in the center of the Chi Dynasty, are polite, and a big player in the Central Continent."
The spectators began spreading this information and discussing the cultivators among themselves. Most of the sects in the North of the Dynasty were arrogant or aloof to itinerant cultivators so it was a nice change. Many people had favorable impressions and were looking at the carriage escort with friendly gazes, some others held suspicions in their heart to their intentions, and the rest were afraid of the storm that would come from a new player in the region. After all, when Gods fought, mortals suffered most.
Su Yang ignored the murmurings of the crowd and turned to the carriage, cupping his fist and bowing.
"Sorry for the wait, young miss. I had some personal business to take care of."
The curtains stayed closed as the voice of a young girl came from the carriage. It was a soft and soothing voice that gave others a good impression.
"There's nothing to apologize about. Let's keep going."
Su Yang nodded before returning to his position at the front left corner. The carriage continued rolling down the cobblestone road with four male and four female cultivators in matching uniforms following at the side.
* * *
Ye Fan reached the gate and gave his farewell to the guards at the gate.
"Goodbye, Uncles! Thank you for your work! I'll be sure to remind Uncle Hu to have a drink with everyone."
He waved for a few seconds while backing up from the gate before turning around. As he left the plains, Ye Fan entered the forest and climbed a tree. The whole way back to the courtyard, he jumped from treetop to treetop. The feeling that navigating treetops gave him was extremely comforting. The rushing air, the sound of rustling leaves, and the gentle warmth that came from cascading rays. All of these factors made him feel at ease.
When he entered the courtyard, it was empty. The traces in the sand were still present from the morning training, and he couldn’t find any new traces of activity overwriting them.
“Is the next test a game of hide-and-seek?”
Ye Fan mused to himself. He viewed his Master with the utmost respect. In fact, he practically worshipped him. The more time he spent with his Master the more unfathomable he found him to be. Although Ye Fan had pestered his Master for more information about his background, he never received a straight answer.
“You’ll know in the future.”
“Focus on your cultivation.”
“You’ve lost your prey.”
These were the kind of responses that he would receive. That last one was when he first started hunting, training was the only opportunity for him to ask questions. During his free time, he would sometimes try to find his master but it was as if his master knew his every step and planned around him. After the first few times, he decided to approach Uncle Hu who would accompany them.
“Master Immortal was out on the lake.”
“Master Immortal decided to go for a walk today.”
“Master Immortal wanted to ride along the river’s currents.”
“You shouldn’t be so clingy, young master. Master Immortal is giving you time to rest.”
Uncle Hu was willing to respond to all of his young master’s questions. The last one was advice given out of goodwill. Despite this, he was persistent. He knew his master was an impressive figure in the cultivation world and was determined to be a figure who was worthy of being his master's disciple. Ye Fan had thought of following his Master directly after training, but that was still a layer of rudeness that he wasn’t willing to pass yet.