Chapter 24: Heading Down the Mountain Together

Back in his bamboo cottage, Li Qingyun gave a self-deprecating smile, ground his ink, spread out paper, and picked up his brush to write a letter home.

"Having departed from your kind guidance and left home to enter the temple, a full ten days have passed in the blink of an eye…"

"Maple Mountain is beautiful, its scenery like a painting, yet I find myself melancholy, with no heart to appreciate it. Now that the true Dharma lies before me, my heart has grown cold as ash. Without Dao Bone or Spiritual Root, am I truly destined to fade into obscurity among ordinary men?"

"The autumn wind blows cold, and winter snow comes again. I think fondly of the manor in days past — Father's righteousness, Mother's kindness, Elder Brother's fraternal warmth, and the laughter that filled our halls. Whenever I think that I may achieve nothing in cultivation, that I would fail the high hopes of all above and below, and waste this life away, sorrow wells up unbidden, and tears dampen my collar…"

As he wrote, he found himself thinking of how, not long after he had transmigrated into this body, his birth mother — the Marquis of Qinghe's concubine, Lady Liu — had suddenly fallen gravely ill and passed away in haste. He could not help but let some genuine emotion seep into the words between the lines.

When he wrote of "Father's righteousness and Mother's kindness," the "Mother's kindness" naturally referred not to the venomous Lady Cui, Mistress of the Manor, but to his birth mother, Lady Liu.

After the Soul-Devouring Gu incident, Li Qingyun now suspected more than ever that Lady Liu's sudden death from illness must have had something to do with Lady Cui and the Heir.

But the Unorthodox Path had too many insidious methods to guard against, and there was no evidence.

"Lady Cui… heh…"

He sealed the letter and made a quick trip to the External Affairs Hall to send it off.

The postage was rather expensive — it cost him a full twenty taels of silver, very much in keeping with Lingbao Temple's style.

The External Affairs Hall handled most of the temple's outward-facing affairs. It also maintained a dedicated caravan service, driving spiritual horses and pack beasts to travel across various regions. Daoists of sufficient cultivation from within the temple served as escorts, transporting goods back and forth, gathering rare resources from different areas, and incidentally carrying letters for disciples in the rear mountain.

Caravan missions from the temple were often hotly contested among disciples.

When Li Qingyun went to send his letter, he saw over a dozen Daoists arguing loudly, spittle flying, faces flushed and necks red, apparently fighting over an escort assignment on a particular route.

Having run a large business himself, he understood perfectly well: in any goods transport operation, a certain percentage of losses was always permissible. For a grand establishment like Lingbao Temple, even a small leak would be more than enough to fill these disciples' pockets.

He had also noticed during his time in the rear mountain that very few disciples possessed Storage Bag magical artifacts. For hauling heavier items, most relied on carrying things on their shoulders and backs. So the Lingbao Temple caravan yard was a noisy, bustling affair, not unlike a mundane courier station.

Only just now in the dining hall had he seen the wealthy Gu Zijian and that Cui Xinghuo — both had hundred-treasure pouches hanging at their waists.

This made it clear that even the most basic storage magical artifact, the hundred-treasure pouch, was extremely expensive and rare, beyond the means of ordinary disciples to acquire.

It was far removed from the cultivation world he had imagined, where everyone would have a storage magical artifact at hand.

Perhaps, even though he was already at Lingbao Temple, there was still a layer of distance between him and the true Cultivation World.

Lingbao Temple on Maple Mountain was not so different from the Transcendent noble clans of the secular world — both were engaged with the mundane, collecting incense offerings and resources, while incidentally offering protection to the surrounding populace.

He had barely returned to his bamboo cottage after sending the letter when Zhao Yifan came knocking at his door.

This gave Li Qingyun a slight inward start. The fact that Zhao Yifan had been able to find his address here meant he had investigated Li Qingyun beforehand.

By any reckoning, Li Qingyun had only been in the temple for a short time, yet he had already mastered a respectable thunder art — comparable to a thunder arts prodigy!

"If Zhao Yifan ever asks about this, I can only brush it off with 'natural talent'… Hmm, maybe I could make up a story about being struck by lightning as a child and coming out unscathed — does that count as having an affinity for thunder?"

"Or perhaps I could let Yuanbao take the blame — say I ate some strange fruit it brought back in its mouth…"

In an instant, a hundred thoughts flashed through Li Qingyun's mind. He figured he could only muddle through with Zhao Yifan using such excuses.

As the "lucky one" who had a fortune cat for a pet, having a few unusual encounters seemed perfectly reasonable…

Whether Zhao Yifan believed it or not would depend on just how "perceptive" this Senior Brother was!

Under the Qi Suppression Art, the Dharma Power aura on his body appeared to be at the level of someone who had merely developed a qi sensation. Zhao Yifan's cultivation was not enough to see through to the truth.

And even if something were exposed later, by then Li Qingyun's cultivation would have grown considerably, and he could manage the situation at will.

"Junior Brother Qingyun, have you been ready these past few days? Why don't we head down the mountain now — the temple is pressing us!"

Zhao Yifan's thick brows were relaxed, and it was clear he was in high spirits.

He wore a satchel made from exotic beast hide draped over his shoulder, its surface covered with a dozen or so pockets of various sizes, each neatly organized with talisman paper, vials, pills, gold, and silver — all within easy reach.

Combined with the rather conspicuous peach wood sword on his back, it was the standard outfit of a Daoist setting out on a journey down the mountain.

"Heh, that fellow Gu Zijian is back, and I managed to borrow his thousand-year peach wood sword. Add your thunder arts, Junior Brother, and this ghost-suppression mission will go off without a hitch…"

Zhao Yifan patted the peach wood sword on his back with a satisfied grin.

Li Qingyun channeled Dharma Power into his eyes and looked over.

Through the vision of his cultivator's eye, what had appeared to be an utterly ordinary peach wood sword suddenly blazed with a dazzling burst of crimson light, as though wreathed in dark-red flames — quite extraordinary.

"This peach wood sword really is something special!"

Li Qingyun could not help but exclaim in admiration.

Zhao Yifan laughed. "Naturally — why else would I have waited so many days? Qingyun, do you have anything to pack?"

"My purse is empty — I can't match Senior Brother's generosity. A change of clothes will do. Oh, and this cat…" Li Qingyun turned and stuffed a set of clothes into his bundle.

While rummaging around, he spotted the vial of Minor Herb Pills that Yuanbao had brought back the previous night. He decided to bring it along as well, thinking it would serve as a convenient cover story.

Then he gave a short whistle.

"Meow!" The large black cat, which had been napping on the rooftop, immediately leaped down.

Over the past few days in the rear mountain, Yuanbao had snuck off to eat all manner of fine things, and its injuries had fully healed. It now cut a magnificent figure — its feline gait carrying a certain imposing air, like a miniature black tiger.

"Qingyun, you're something else! I never expected you to have such a capable companion. Well then — since you have this spirit cat, I'll give you an extra ten percent of the take from this trip!"

The moment Zhao Yifan laid eyes on the large black cat, his eyes lit up with immediate understanding, and he praised it repeatedly.

With his wide experience, Zhao Yifan could naturally tell that Yuanbao was a rather rare spirit cat. Having it along for the trip to Yinshan Town was yet another asset!

Legend had it that certain special black cats could ward off evil — and this was a far more formidable spirit cat at that!

Zhao Yifan, knowing the value of a spirit cat and in excellent spirits, generously offered another ten percent of the mission's reward.

Even if he wasn't doing it for the Junior Brother's handsome face, he'd do it for the cat's sake!

"Heh, then let's go! Oh — do I need to report in before heading down the mountain?"

"No need. On my way here, I took care of the report for you. We can head straight down, just the two of us!"

"Alright then, let's go. I'll be counting on Senior Brother to look after me once we're off the mountain!"

Li Qingyun shut his cottage door and walked side by side with Zhao Yifan, the large black cat trailing behind them, appearing and disappearing at will.

It would slip into the undergrowth from time to time, vanishing for long stretches — never one to take the ordinary path.

Li Qingyun paid it no mind. That big black cat had more than enough ability to look after itself — there was no chance of losing it.

It was already afternoon. The two men and one cat moved briskly, making haste to descend the mountain.

Along the way, several elite disciples from the temple greeted Zhao Yifan, while casting curious and somewhat envious glances at Li Qingyun.

Their expressions were quite telling — as if to say: this good-for-nothing mortal really has all the luck, to receive such favor from Senior Brother Zhao!

Li Qingyun remained composed and unbothered.