Chapter 60: A Fateful Encounter
Meng Xueli had no way to refute this.
The night before, he had struggled to fall asleep. Xiao Tingyun didn’t want to knock him out, so instead, he recited a few chapters from Introduction to the Dao for him to listen to. The book used simple language, explaining the profound concepts of cultivation in an easy-to-understand manner, making it perfect for a calm and soothing reading tone. As Meng Xueli listened to the book written by Ji Xiao, he naturally dreamed of Ji Xiao.
But this morning, he woke up in Xiao Tingyun’s arms, which made him feel even more uncomfortable. Ah, all the nonsense he had said last night about strange dreams—he had woken up and forgotten everything. It was clear now that he had been deceiving himself.
Why was his good, obedient disciple now teetering between “filial piety” and “rebellion”? Being a person was really tough; being a demon didn’t require these kinds of worries.
On the opposite side of the stone pool, the mining team heard Meng Xueli’s startled scream. The three of them were immediately on high alert.
The array master and the tool refiner turned to flee, while the one-legged martial cultivator hobbled over with his sword. They were used to running for their lives, as no matter who showed up, there was a high chance they wouldn’t be able to win.
The array master: “Brother Meng, Brother Xiao, what’s happening? Are we being attacked?”
The tool refiner shouted, “Where are the enemies? Where are they?”
The martial cultivator asked, “Which way do we run? Should we split up? Where do we meet?”
Meng Xueli: “…”. The awkward atmosphere between him and Xiao Tingyun vanished instantly with the distraction.
“There really are enemies,” Ji Xiao smiled and turned to the dense forest behind him. “Come out.”
Meng Xueli extended his spiritual sense and his expression changed slightly. His body leapt into the air, summoning his sword, Hundred Generations of Time.
In the forest, three people were sneakily hiding behind a large rock. They didn’t have time to retaliate, nor were they able to throw out talismans or magic tools to defend themselves. Before they could react, one of them was lifted and thrown by Meng Xueli’s sword, sent flying toward the stone pool.
The mining team only saw a blur, as if Meng Xueli had disappeared into thin air, leaving them frozen in place.
The next moment, “thump, thump, thump,” one after another, the enemies were thrown out from the forest like dumplings, hitting the ground and kicking up dust. Their cries of pain and pleas for mercy filled the air.
The mining team was stunned: “Impressive!”
The last one to be thrown out cried out, “Sword cultivator, spare me!”
Before the sword reached his neck, the man spoke at a lightning speed: “My name is Li Shunqi, I’m twenty-seven years old, from a small sect in the West Mountain. It’s nothing remarkable! Our sect only has nine members, and I am one of them! I took a risk to enter this secret realm to make a living. Please, I beg you, let me go and I’ll leave immediately!”
His rapid-fire plea completely changed the atmosphere.
Meng Xueli was confused. “…Huh?” He felt like this moment was strangely familiar.
Ji Xiao knew where the problem lay and looked at the array master in the mining team, who had introduced himself first yesterday. “Are you from the same sect as this man?”
Wang Xiaohua shook his head repeatedly. “He’s from the West Mountain, and I’m far overseas. We’re not connected at all! But knowing how to say the longest, most pleasant-sounding plea for mercy in the shortest time possible is a survival skill every poor array master must learn!”
Meng Xueli recalled Liu Jing from the Jing Di team, who was obsessed with Soul Summoning Array, always mentioning ghosts. Liu Jing was from the Wuyin Sect, so he probably wasn’t poor, but he certainly wasn’t normal.
The three men continued explaining, “It’s a misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding. We came here to mine. We were just passing by and were about to head for the teleportation array!”
“We were hiding over there, just waiting for you to leave.”
Meng Xueli had made his appearance with overwhelming force, and the three men instantly lost their will to resist, focusing solely on begging for mercy.
Meng Xueli understood and exchanged a glance with Xiao Tingyun. Xiao Tingyun nodded, signaling for him to decide.
So, Meng Xueli smiled, “Don’t be afraid, we’re not bad people. It’s unsafe to head to the teleportation array like this. You might encounter some bandits who steal and kill. The bandits in the secret realm are particularly nasty—they rob you and then pretend to be helpless sheep to deceive you!”
The three men on the ground were confused, huddling together, trembling as they watched him, thinking to themselves, Aren’t you a bandit?
Meng Xueli changed his tone, “Since we’ve met by fate, if you have anything valuable, give us three-tenths. We’ll take a protection fee and guarantee you’ll safely reach the teleportation array! Before you enter, leave a passage jade symbol with me. How’s the secret realm been for you so far?”
He even added a little spiel he had just made up: “Han Shan sword cultivator, Dao heart guaranteed, no fraud, safe travels. Think it over?”
The three men on the ground were completely lost now.
The mining team and Meng Xueli reached an agreement on the protection fee, essentially hiring two bodyguards for the job.
Wang Xiaohua whispered to Ji Xiao, “Three against six, it all depends on you two. Do you think we can protect them?” He thought Xiao Tingyun was more composed than Meng Xueli, and since he was taller, he guessed Xiao Tingyun was the older of the two from Han Mountain.
Ji Xiao: “No problem.”
“Alright then!” The one-legged martial artist said as he called to the three people on the ground, “Come on, join the team. Fellow cultivators, introduce yourselves to each other!”
The three of them looked like frightened quail. Li Shunqi, who was quick with his words, spoke up, “I’m an array master, and these two, Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Brother Li, are both tool refiners…”
Refining artifacts and making talismans require resources. Without the support of a large sect, they would be poor in the early stages. Only by continuously cultivating until they could make mid-level or higher magical artifacts and talismans could they truly turn their fortunes around.
Wang Xiaohua asked, “What about your martial artist?”
“Ah, don’t mention it, the martial artist was hired from the ranks of loose cultivators. We bought him a talisman for passage, but yesterday when he heard we were going to use the teleportation array, he didn’t want to leave the secret realm. Today, he ran off on his own.”
The tool refiners seemed to empathize with him, “Your martial artist ran off, and our martial artist is disabled.” He turned to Meng Xueli and Xiao Tingyun, “These two are sword cultivators from Han Shan, Brother Xiao and Brother Meng. We met them on the way… kind-hearted people.”
Meng Xueli was momentarily stunned by this description.
With the group now grown from five to eight, they officially set off, heading towards the teleportation array.
Meng Xueli made an effort to keep his distance from his disciple, so he started chatting with others. The first mining team had already become familiar with him. The four of them walked together, chatting and gossiping, like they were out on a spring outing.
The second mining team was more cautious, staying silent the whole way. They felt that something about this situation was strange and hard to believe. They had been blindly protected, but it seemed like they had no choice but to follow and take things one step at a time.
Soon, they encountered another mining team. This team had just fought a fierce battle, defeating some raiders, and their martial artist had been injured in the process. Somehow, after negotiations between the two Han Shan sword cultivators, this team was absorbed into their group. Li Shunqi and the others, seeing this, let out a relieved breath. It felt as though even if they were walking towards a huge pit, the more people there were, the more reassuring it became.
The area around Green Pool was rich in mineral resources. Over the past few days, all the mining teams had the same goal: to leave as quickly as possible using the teleportation array.
The grand competition had already entered its midstage, and staying in the secret realm another day meant risking more danger.
As the group moved forward, they often encountered others. In past secret realm competitions, if two teams met, they would avoid each other to prevent being misunderstood as having hostile intentions, which might prompt the other team to attack first.
This time was different. With Meng Xueli leading the way with overwhelming strength, the teams were gathered together. As they traveled further, their numbers grew, and the “protection fee” kept getting lower. Eventually, only the talismans were required, with the understanding that they would support each other and not attack.
Three days later, a mining team of over twenty people walked along the road.
Although it was their first time participating in the competition, disciples from large sects had senior brothers to teach them, and their resources were well-prepared. As for disciples from smaller sects or loose cultivators, some were well-informed and bold, while others were completely clueless.
The team that Meng Xueli was leading now appeared impressive, with a large number of people making it seem like a powerful force. However, they were all here for the mining, and their greatest hope was to earn some cultivation resources.
In fact, it could be said that this team was made up of the weakest and most inexperienced cultivators in the entire secret realm.
“Such a fat sheep, who wouldn’t be tempted to make a profit off of them?” Meng Xueli thought to himself.
He counted the talismans he would earn in the future, and although he should have been happy, he couldn’t help but sigh.
It had already been two days since he had a proper conversation with his disciple. If this continued, it wouldn’t be good.
As the team entered a valley with a sunken terrain, night fell. The stars hung low in the sky, and they set up camp. The evening breeze was cool, and everyone sat around a campfire. Wang Xiaohua and the others had brought their own pots, bowls, and seasonings, along with dried meat, which they threw into boiling water to cook into a stew.
Li Shunqi and the others found it hard to understand their habit of eating at specific times. The secret realm was full of dangers, and they didn’t know what they would encounter tomorrow, so how could they still have the leisure to cook?
“Of course, we need to eat. Who knows if there will be another meal after this?” Wang Xiaohua said. “Come on, everyone, let’s eat and fill our stomachs so we won’t miss home.”
Li Shunqi sighed, “If there’s no next meal, who could eat this one?”
When people feel a brief sense of security, their thoughts become uncontrollable. They think and speak more.
Li Shunqi said, “Every day, we’re on edge, afraid of running into strong enemies. We’re like dogs with our tails between our legs. It’s too miserable.”
Wang Xiaohua replied, “Isn’t life just like that? Others look at me, pitiful and miserable, while I enjoy myself, happy and content.”
Some of the others listening laughed, some sighed, and one person joined in, saying:
“Personally, I think we are just stepping stones for the disciples of large sects. It’s the same in the whole cultivation world, too—most people support a few. Cultivation is really cruel. In life, either you’re stepping on others, or you’re being stepped on. But you can never stop. Once you start, you have to climb upwards relentlessly.” After speaking, he suddenly remembered that there were disciples from Han Shan in the team. He was startled and quickly looked at the expressions of Meng Xueli and Xiao Tingyun. Seeing that they looked calm, he sighed in relief.
The firelight illuminated everyone’s faces, and the smell of the stew wafted in the wind.
Wang Xiaohua said, “You mean those few people, like the Sword Sovereign or the Realm Master? Don’t they have their troubles too? Ordinary people have their troubles, and great figures have their own. It’s just that people’s hearts are not connected, and they can’t understand each other.”
The one-legged martial artist served himself a bowl of stew, “Most people in this world are ordinary. How many have ever attained godhood? How many have become saints? Cry one day, laugh another. Drink, eat meat, and live well.”
Ji Xiao remained silent. He knew that these disciples were still young and had many misunderstandings about the way of cultivation. The twenty or so people sitting here tonight came from all over the world—from mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas—brought together by coincidence for a brief moment, like floating weeds gathering and scattering. On the long road ahead, they would eventually find their own path.
Meng Xueli’s thoughts were simpler. He listened to the others talking and thought to himself, “They can chat, but I can’t even talk to Xiao Tingyun. This is worse than being a stray dog.”
He turned to look at his disciple, only to find that the other was looking at him too. Through the noisy voices and the flickering firelight, their eyes met.
Meng Xueli walked over and sat beside Xiao Tingyun, intending to offer him a handful of pine nuts, unilaterally announcing the end of their cold war. He patted his storage bag, his face stiff, “Only one left. You can have it.”
Ji Xiao took it, peeled it, and ate it.
Meng Xueli watched him, eyes wide, “You’re really eating it?”
Ji Xiao smiled and pulled out a large handful from his own storage bag. “I have plenty left, you can have some.”
Meng Xueli felt a stir of emotion and guilt in his heart. They should have had a close relationship, like teacher and friend, but it was his decision to maintain distance that had messed things up.
“Sorry,.”
Ji Xiao replied, “I should be the one apologizing.”
Meng Xueli said, “It’s fine.”
They apologized to each other and forgave each other.
…
Soon after, two eagles circled above their heads as they entered the sunken valley. It seemed as though they were eyeing the stew in the pot. Bored cultivators on the ground threw stones to chase them away, and they did not return.
The eagles flew back to the cliffs and returned to their masters. The beast tamer, who was feeding them, said, “A mining team is coming.” The team was mostly made up of tool refiners and array masters. Since they had been using this road, it was obvious they were heading to the teleportation array.
A beast trainer lying next to a white wolf asked, “How many people?”
“Twenty-four.”
Another beast tamer, who was playing with a snake, exclaimed, “What’s going on? What are they up to?”
Although there were many of them, they were a disorganized crowd. If a real fight broke out, they would scatter like birds and beasts.
“I don’t know. At first glance, they do look impressive. Tsk, these people are struggling to make a living, but their luck is bad.”
Their captain patted the white wolf. “A thousand-mile delivery of talismans, a small gift but great sincerity. We’ll accept this gesture.” He prepared to act.
On the other side, Meng Xueli sent a message, “Your senses are sharper than mine. How many people do you think are over there?”
Ji Xiao: “Six.”
“Six talismans, we’re in luck!” Meng Xueli’s eyes lit up. He looked further into the distance, catching sight of a flash of white on the cliff. It was a white wolf, though he didn’t know whose spirit beast it was.
“It’s so beautiful, did you see it?”
Ji Xiao knew what he was referring to. “It’s a wolf. There are thirteen of them.”
Meng Xueli stood up, “Everyone, stop eating.”
Wang Xiaohua and Li Shunqi both looked up, “Huh?”
Meng Xueli said, “Get ready for a second round of food.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
