Chapter 6: Friendship

As Xu Daoyan was heading to the back mountain, he passed by Wu Xiaobai's house and ran into him.

Wu Xiaobai looked at Xu Daoyan, his face somewhat unnatural, and said, "Daoyan, last night..."

"I came here to tell you about what happened to me last night!" Xu Daoyan was very excited. He also wanted to persuade Wu Xiaobai to become the old beggar's disciple, as the two were best friends, and he naturally hoped that Xiaobai would also become stronger.

"I also want to tell you about what happened to me last night, you won't believe it!" Wu Xiaobai, hearing Xu Daoyan's words, felt that what he had experienced was too bizarre and wanted to share it with him.

Xu Daoyan was taken aback for a moment. Could it be that Wu Xiaobai had some kind of extraordinary encounter as well? He then decided not to rush into telling his story.

The two found a place where no one was around and began to talk. Wu Xiaobai recounted everything that had happened to him the previous night in detail.

Xu Daoyan looked at Wu Xiaobai and indeed found that he had become much stronger. His constitution was no longer as weak as before, and he could feel the significant change. Running to the back mountain, he didn't even pant, whereas the old Wu Xiaobai would have found it difficult to walk there.

Listening to Wu Xiaobai's account, an old man with a hammer had told Wu Xiaobai not to go home and wait for him? Xu Daoyan thought, it seems he must know the old beggar. This was his final conclusion.

"Did that old man say he would take you away?" Xu Daoyan couldn't help but ask again. If Wu Xiaobai left, he would feel very lonely.

"He did say that when the time is right, he would take me away from here. Then we won't see each other anymore. I don't know exactly when that will be." Wu Xiaobai felt very sad as he said this.

"Don't worry, Xiaobai, as long as you become stronger, we will meet again!" Xu Daoyan didn't want Wu Xiaobai to live under his protection forever.

He was kind, simple, and innocent. If he didn't become stronger, he would be bullied every day. Now that Wu Xiaobai had a similar opportunity as himself, he should encourage him to grow independently, become strong, and no longer be timid, continuously improving rather than always wanting to play together, which would only harm him.

Xu Daoyan knew that someone had taken both him and Wu Xiaobai as disciples, and this person was at least at the level of a celestial being. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and they should cherish it.

"Of course, Daoyan, I will become stronger. Didn't you have something to tell me too?" Wu Xiaobai looked at Xu Daoyan.

"Ha ha, nothing much. I found a jade bottle. My mother said it's very valuable, but compared to your opportunity, it's nothing. You should work hard!" Xu Daoyan took out the jade bottle from his chest, grinned, patted Wu Xiaobai's shoulder, and stood up, not wanting to dwell on the topic. He then asked, "How many days has Baiyan been bathing?"

"What? You want to see Baiyan bathing? Including today, it's the second day!" Wu Xiaobai suddenly showed a lecherous smile, missing two front teeth, which made him look very amusing.

Xu Daoyan rolled his eyes. He naturally wouldn't think about such things. The ghost was real, but the Taoist was fake. Making Baiyan bathe at noon every day wasn't that simple; there must be some sinister plot. That means, including today, there are six more days to prepare. Now, he was no longer the same as before and didn't plan to let the fake Taoist's plan succeed.

If he offended the fake Taoist, the entire village would likely not let him off. So, this matter needed careful consideration to figure out what was really going on.

"Are you the one who wants to see Baiyan bathing? I was just asking. Now I'm going to the back mountain to see if I can catch some mountain chickens or wild rabbits, set some traps. Do you want to come with me?" Xu Daoyan looked at Wu Xiaobai.

"Baiyan is the woman you like, I don't dare to peek. I won't go to the back mountain. My master told me to go back home and then find him again. I need to work hard to become stronger so that I can often come back to see you!" Wu Xiaobai seemed to have made up his mind. In this Pomegranate Village, besides his parents, the person he was most reluctant to leave was Xu Daoyan.

Xu Daoyan nodded, not saying much more. Friendship was a kind of power. He and Wu Xiaobai were like brothers. If Wu Xiaobai was reluctant to leave him, how could he not be?

Now, the only path before them was to become stronger, and then they could meet whenever they wanted.

Xu Daoyan turned around and ran towards the back mountain.

As he passed by, he noticed that Cai Wu's body had disappeared, even the bloodstains were gone. This surprised Xu Daoyan. Could it be that he had just imagined killing Cai Wu?

Xu Daoyan suddenly had this illusion, as if this event had never happened. He was puzzled and recalled the incident, which was definitely not a hallucination. It must be related to the old beggar. He would ask him later!

Soon, he entered the forest on the back mountain.

The old beggar was looking at Xu Daoyan with a strange smile and said, "Why are you so diligent? You came so early? You just got back, didn't you?"

"I want to ask you, is the old man with the hammer your friend?" Xu Daoyan frowned and asked.

"It seems Wu Xiaobai has already told you about his encounter. You guessed right," the old beggar said, not taking Xu Daoyan's question seriously.

"Good, then. Is the old man with the hammer stronger, or are you stronger?" Xu Daoyan asked another question.

"Why do you care about this? In some aspects, I am stronger, and in others, he is stronger. The world has countless methods and techniques, and everyone follows a different path. There's no saying who is stronger; each has their strengths," the old beggar said calmly.

"Okay, that's good." Xu Daoyan nodded, thinking for a moment. He then looked at the old beggar and asked uncertainly, "Did you dispose of Cai Wu's body?"

"Of course. If it wasn't disposed of and found, it would be linked to you. You're still a child, and your thinking is too simple. Do you understand the concept of destroying evidence? The village chief Cai would send people to do unspeakable things. When his subordinates didn't return, he would send more people to search. If they found the body, they would suspect you. If they couldn't find the body, they wouldn't know if their people were dead or alive, and even if they suspected something, they couldn't make a fuss. They would just have to endure it," the old beggar explained to Xu Daoyan.

"..." Xu Daoyan had to admit that the old beggar had thought it through. Logically, this would prevent suspicion from falling on him and buy him some time, which was beneficial.

"Thank you, Master." Xu Daoyan knew that if the old beggar hadn't helped dispose of the body, Cai Wu's death would have quickly spread, and he didn't know what methods the village chief would use to deal with him.

"Ha ha, finally, you're willing to call me Master." The old beggar grinned, but his appearance was so unkempt that his smile was ugly. Xu Daoyan couldn't understand why a celestial being like him would look so disheveled.

In Xu Daoyan's mind, celestial beings were usually elegant and ethereal, at the very least clean and refined. This old beggar looked nothing like a celestial being.

Xu Daoyan didn't say much more, looking at the old beggar seriously and said, "Didn't you say you would teach me techniques? Teach me quickly, I want to become stronger!"

These words, Wu Xiaobai had also said to his master. Both of them had a firm resolve.

In the forest.

Seeing Xu Daoyan's focused expression, the old beggar nodded and smiled, "Since you're sincerely asking, I'll reluctantly teach you. What kind of technique do you want to learn?"

"What kind of techniques are there?" Xu Daoyan asked curiously.

"Evil techniques, killing living beings, using their life force and souls to enhance your own strength. Want to learn? In the short term, it will greatly increase your strength, making you a top person, not a problem, at least a hundred times faster cultivation speed," the old beggar said, smiling at Xu Daoyan.

"No, I won't kill innocents; that's my bottom line!" Xu Daoyan shook his head, frowning, clearly repulsed. He didn't expect the old beggar to have such techniques.

"Sexual techniques, absorbing yin energy from women to strengthen yourself. Want to learn? Women who have their yin energy absorbed will age quickly and suffer significant physical damage unless they can replenish their yin energy. Baiyan is a good candidate; her yin energy is strong and won't be depleted quickly," the old beggar asked again.

"No, I won't do anything harmful. What kind of nonsense are these? Are these the only techniques you have? If I learn these, what's the difference between me and the village chief? I disdain it!" Xu Daoyan was momentarily angry, almost ready to confront the old beggar.

"Illusion techniques, confusing enemies, making them fall into a trance, allowing you to control them. Want to learn? It can be both offensive and defensive," the old beggar chuckled.

"Yes, I can learn this!" Xu Daoyan's eyes lit up, finally hearing a powerful technique.

"Ha ha, there are countless techniques in the world, and it depends on which one you choose. The sexual and evil techniques I mentioned are side paths. Illusion techniques are not," the old beggar was satisfied with Xu Daoyan's response.

"Besides that?" Xu Daoyan asked, his curiosity fully piqued by the old beggar.