23: Chapter 23 Leaving the City

Ye Chen committed the name to memory.

Lin Qingxue was hinting to him that the place might be suitable for him to Cultivate ice-attribute Cultivation Techniques.

“I understand.” Ye Chen nodded.

After a few more words of exchange, Scarface, unable to stay for long, took his leave first.

Ye Chen sat in the cubicle, his finger lightly tapping the tabletop, his eyes flickering.

Leave Qingyun City, go to the Black Wind Mountain Range, and use these ten days to increase his strength with all his might!

Then, during the Grand Competition, he would return with dignity and settle things once and for all with Wang Teng, Ye Hu, and the others!

A plan gradually became clear in his mind.

At that moment, the medicine shop clerk also brought in the prepared medicinal herbs, all packed up.

Ye Chen paid the Spirit Stones, took the herbs, put on a bamboo hat, lowered the brim, and walked out of the Hundred Herbs Hall.

He needed to go back and pick up Xiaoyu, and then leave the city as soon as possible.

Sunlight spilled onto the bustling streets. Ye Chen blended into the crowd, his steps firm.

Danger lurked everywhere, but opportunities coexisted. The Tianyun Sword Sect...

Perhaps this was his chance to jump out of the quagmire of Qingyun City and head towards a broader world.

And the prerequisite for all of this was that he must survive the Grand Competition and win!

...By the time Ye Chen returned to Aunt Liu's house, the sun had already risen high.

The alley was a bit more lively; several women sat at their doors picking vegetables. When they saw Ye Chen walking past quickly with his head down, the sound of their whispering lowered, and their eyes darted away.

Aunt Liu heard the knock and opened the door nervously. Seeing it was Ye Chen, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly let him in.

“Brother!”

Xiaoyu hadn't slept at all. She was sitting on the edge of the kanga with red eyes; seeing Ye Chen, she immediately ran over.

“It’s fine now.” Ye Chen patted her back and said to Aunt Liu.

“Aunt Liu, great kindness cannot be expressed in words. Xiaoyu and I must leave immediately.”

“Leaving now? To where?” Aunt Liu asked worriedly.

“Out of the city.”

Ye Chen was concise. “The city is not peaceful.”

Aunt Liu opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she only sighed. She turned to take a bundle from the cabinet and stuffed it into Ye Chen's hands.

“A few steamed buns and some pickles to eat on the road. Be careful, Brother Chen.”

Ye Chen took the still-warm bundle, a wave of warmth in his heart.

“Aunt Liu, take care. If there is a chance in the future, I will thank you again.”

He delayed no further, took Xiaoyu's hand, and whispered.

“Xiaoyu, follow me closely. No matter what you see, don’t make a sound.”

Xiaoyu nodded vigorously, her small hand tightly gripping her brother's fingers.

Ye Chen took a deep breath, pulled out the small jade bottle Scarface had given him, poured out a light brown “disguise pill” that emitted a strange medicinal fragrance, and swallowed it.

As the pill entered his stomach, a stream of heat spread out. The skin on his face itched slightly, and a faint “crack-crack” sound came from his bones.

After a few breaths, the heat receded. He felt his appearance had undergone an indescribable change, and his aura was much more restrained.

He checked his reflection in the water vat; the image in the water was a sallow-faced, ordinary-looking youth who would be impossible to find in a crowd.

Even Xiaoyu's eyes widened, and she curiously reached out to touch his face.

“Brother, you’ve changed!”

“Just a small trick.”

Ye Chen lowered his voice, put on his bamboo hat to cover most of his face, and said, “Let’s go.”

He pushed open the back door, looked left and right alertly, and pulled Xiaoyu along as they quickly merged into the flow of people in the alley.

He did not take the main street leading to the main city gate, but instead specifically chose winding alleys, heading toward the North Gate where the flow of people was usually lighter.

Along the way, Ye Chen’s mind was highly focused, his eyes watching in all directions and his ears listening to everything.

The disguise pill’s effect was quite good. Combined with his deliberate restraint of his aura, he was not conspicuous while mixed in the crowd leaving the city.

However, he could feel that the atmosphere in the city was tenser than usual. There were more patrols of soldiers, their sharp eyes scanning the pedestrians.

As they neared the North Gate, his gaze narrowed. Beside the gate passage, in addition to the soldiers performing routine checks, there were several men wearing the attire of Wang family guards.

They were sizing up everyone leaving the city with unfriendly eyes, paying special attention to those with children or lone young men.

It was Wang Teng's people!

They were blocking him!

Ye Chen didn't stop his pace. Pulling Xiaoyu, he naturally blended in behind a pack horse caravan preparing to leave the city, hunching his back slightly and mimicking the posture of those traveling merchants.

Xiaoyu was also clever, lowering her head and playing with the corner of her clothes.

“Halt! What are you doing?” A Wang family guard stopped the leader of the pack horse caravan.

“Officer, this lowly one is a mountain goods merchant, leaving the city to return to my village.”

The leader put on a smiling face and handed over a few copper coins.

The guard weighed the copper coins, his gaze sweeping over the group and landing on Ye Chen and Xiaoyu.

“What about these two? Are they also part of your group?”

“Yes, yes, yes. This is my nephew and his younger sister, coming along to see the world.”

The leader said quickly.

The guard sized Ye Chen up from head to toe. Seeing his sallow face, ordinary clothes, and weak aura, he didn't look like someone with a cultivation base.

He then looked at the timid Xiaoyu and waved his hand.

“Go on, go on! Hurry up!”

Ye Chen’s heart settled slightly. Pulling Xiaoyu, he followed the pack horse caravan slowly through the gate passage.

Just as he was about to step out of the city gate, his peripheral vision caught something atop the gate tower.

A hunched figure in a black robe was leaning against the railing, looking into the distance, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd below.

It was that Ghost Old Man!

Ye Chen’s heart tightened. He immediately buried his head even lower, pulled Xiaoyu closer to him, and quickened his pace, walking out of the city gate while mixed in the crowd.

It wasn't until they had walked about a mile and left the tall walls of Qingyun City behind them.

Only then did Ye Chen breathe a slight sigh of relief, but he still didn't dare to be careless. He pulled Xiaoyu away from the official road and ducked into the woods by the roadside.

“Brother, that person on the gate tower just now was so scary.”

Xiaoyu said softly, her heart still fluttering with fear.

“It’s okay, we’ve already left the city.” Ye Chen comforted her, though he didn't dare to relax in the slightest.

Ghost Old Man being on the gate tower indicated that the Wang family's search net was spread very wide. It might not even be safe outside the city.

He identified the direction and, following Scarface's tip, headed toward the Black Wind Mountain Range to the north. The official road could not be taken; it was too conspicuous.

He took Xiaoyu through mountain forest paths. Although difficult to travel, they were more hidden.

The Black Wind Mountain Range stretched for thousands of miles and was the largest mountain range in northern Qingyun Prefecture. Yao Beasts ran rampant inside, and dangerous places were everywhere; ordinary people didn't dare to go deep.

However, in the outer reaches of the mountain range, there were some relatively safe areas that were often visited by herb gatherers and low-level Cultivators.

The effect of the disguise pill could last for twelve watches. He had to find that “Cold Pool Secluded Valley” and settle down within this time.

The mountain roads were rugged. For Xiaoyu, who was still an ordinary person, walking was quite strenuous. Before they had gone far, she was gasping for breath, her small face flushed red.

Ye Chen simply carried her on his back and used his movement technique to travel quickly through the forest.

Lying on her brother's broad back, Xiaoyu felt much more at ease, curiously looking at the unfamiliar mountain forest scenery around her.

“Brother, are we going to stay in the mountains for a long time?”

“Not for long. Once Brother finishes his business, I’ll take you to a better place.”

Ye Chen said softly.

“Mm, wherever Brother goes, I will go.” Xiaoyu pressed her face against Ye Chen’s back and said softly.

Ye Chen’s heart was full of tenderness, but even more so, responsibility.

He had to become stronger as quickly as possible to give Xiaoyu a stable life.

They traveled in silence. Ye Chen pushed his speed to the limit until the sun began to tilt westward and they were dozens of miles deep into the mountain range.

The surroundings were now completely like a primeval forest, with towering ancient trees blotting out the sun. Only then did he slow his pace.

He found a sheltered cliff with a shallow cave beneath the cliff face that was relatively dry.

“We’ll rest here tonight.” Ye Chen put Xiaoyu down and carefully inspected the cave, confirming there were no traces of wild animals.

He started a small campfire and took out the steamed buns and pickles Aunt Liu had given them. The siblings shared a simple meal.

Under the firelight, Xiaoyu soon fell asleep leaning against him. She had been frightened today and had traveled a long way; she was truly exhausted.

Ye Chen, however, had no desire to sleep. He sat cross-legged at the cave entrance, keeping watch while continuing to circulate his power to heal his injuries.

The Spiritual Qi in the mountain forest was a bit denser than in the city, especially the water-attribute Spiritual Qi, which was quite beneficial for his recovery.

The jade pendant on his chest emitted a warm, gentle heat, seemingly slowly absorbing the surrounding cold Qi to replenish what had been consumed last night.

...

As the night deepened, the howls of unknown wild beasts and the chirping of insects echoed through the forest.

The effect of the disguise pill was slowly fading, and his face returned to its original contours.

Ye Chen opened his eyes, looking at the flickering flames of the campfire, his gaze firm.

Nine days left.

In these nine days, he must not only recover from his injuries but also take his strength a step further!

Just as the sky began to brighten the next morning, Ye Chen woke Xiaoyu, and the two continued their journey.

Following that vague sense of water vapor and cold Qi, he headed deeper into the mountain range, toward the places where the cold Qi was heavier.

The deeper they went, the taller the trees became, the dimmer the light grew, and the air was filled with the scent of dampness and rotting leaves.

Occasionally, a low beast roar could be heard from the distance, making one's heart tremble.

At noon, they followed a winding mountain stream upstream.

The stream water was bone-chillingly cold, and the rocks on both banks were covered in thick moss. Ye Chen could feel that the cold Qi here was significantly denser.

After walking for about another hour, a narrow canyon entrance appeared ahead.

A strong surge of cold Qi gushed out from the valley, causing Ye Chen’s spirit to lift, while even Xiaoyu couldn't help but shiver.

“It’s so cold, Brother.”

“It should be here.” A look of joy flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes.

He had Xiaoyu wait behind a large rock at the valley entrance while he carefully slipped into the canyon.

The canyon was not long, but the cliff walls on both sides were steep, and it saw no sunlight all year round.

At the bottom of the valley was a small pool. The pool water was deep black, emitting an astonishing cold Qi, with a faint white ice mist floating on the surface.

Some strange, cold-loving plants grew by the pool. The entire valley was silent; not even the sound of insects could be heard.

“Cold Pool Secluded Valley... as expected, it lives up to its name.”

Feeling the pure and dense profound yin cold qi here, Ye Chen was overjoyed.

For his cultivation, this place was simply a paradise!

He retreated to the valley entrance, brought Xiaoyu in, and found a spot under a dry stone wall a bit further from the cold pool where a little sunlight could reach.

He cleared an area to serve as a temporary base.

“Xiaoyu, we will live here for the next few days. Stay at the camp and don’t run around; Brother needs to Cultivate.”

Ye Chen instructed solemnly.

“Mm, I know. Don’t worry, Brother, I won’t run around.”

Xiaoyu nodded obediently.

After settling Xiaoyu, Ye Chen impatiently walked to the edge of the cold pool and sat down cross-legged.

He took a deep breath of the freezing air and began to circulate his Cultivation Technique.