Chapter 70

In the mountain stream, a bamboo raft floated downstream.

On the raft sat a scholar in a blue robe and a child no more than four or five years old.

The two sat on the raft, not only not paddling to speed up, but also controlling the raft to prevent it from drifting too fast with the current.

Suddenly, a few bubbles appeared in the water beside the raft, and then a black-clad youth emerged from the water, drenched, landing lightly on the raft and greedily breathing in the fresh air.

"If only I had Master’s Black Cloud Banner, we wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble." The black-clad youth was naturally Xiao Yan, whose internal magic power circulated, causing steam to rise from his body and instantly drying his clothes.

Zhu Yi said, "It’s no use talking about it now. Although this method is still slow, at least it won’t expose our whereabouts."

The little one jumped up from the raft and laughed, "It’s my turn." He dived into the water, swam to the bottom, and found Xiao Yan’s black iron greatsword, which had left a straight line in the sand at the bottom of the stream.

The little one grabbed the black iron greatsword. The weight was secondary; the key was that his magic power became sluggish. He thought, "This thing of Master is truly peculiar. Although it’s a burden, it’s a pity to throw it away. I’ll take it back for Master to see."

Then the little one dragged one end of the black iron greatsword along the bottom of the stream, looking up at the raft to ensure his direction.

Xiao Yan smiled bitterly, "Am I risking my life for money?"

Zhu Yi smiled slightly, "Master often says, 'There are always more solutions than problems.' Although simple, it makes a lot of sense."

The three of them had been in a daze in the mountains for a long time, and finally came up with this not-so-good plan: using the waterway to hide their tracks. However, the black iron greatsword was too heavy for a small boat or bamboo raft to carry, so they had to take turns dragging it underwater.

About ten miles behind them, a group of people were chasing along the stream.

The leader was a young man, Yu Tian, a direct descendant of the Yu family. He looked handsome, but his face was extremely gloomy. "This mountain stream has countless branches. It’s easy to take the wrong path if we keep chasing like this."

He turned and walked to the back of the group, where an old man in black with a simple appearance was sitting in a chair, eyes closed, being carried by several Yu family servants on a sedan chair.

Yu Tian bowed respectfully, "Old Master Yue, please lend a hand. This is very important for the family."

The old man in black, called Old Master Yue, didn’t even blink, and said indifferently, "I’m only responsible for your safety. I won’t get involved in anything else."

Yu Tian frowned slightly but didn’t dare to persuade further. He stepped aside, thinking, "Why did the family send this old monster? What bad luck." He didn’t dare to say this out loud, but instead glanced at Old Master Yue with fear, then quickly lowered his head and turned to leave.

Old Master Yue didn’t reveal any magic power, but sitting there with his eyes closed, he was like an immovable mountain.

...

The bamboo raft turned a bend in the river, and the view opened up. Zhu Yi stood at the front of the raft and looked into the distance, "We need to get back on land soon, or we’ll get too far off course."

Xiao Yan nodded and used his magic power to communicate with the little one, then jumped ashore with Zhu Yi.

The little one also dragged the black iron greatsword out of the water, handed it back to Xiao Yan, and walked along, recovering his magic power.

Zhu Yi asked, "There are pursuers behind us. Should we return to Mount Hengyue to wait, or go directly to find Master?"

Xiao Yan was thinking and hadn’t answered yet when a hoarse voice suddenly sounded, "Young Master Yi, you’ve already apprenticed to someone else? This is not good. Lord Hou once said that you must not practice martial arts or Daoism until you have mastered the classics."

The faces of Zhu Yi and his two companions changed simultaneously. Zhu Yi’s eyebrows twitched, and he calmly called out, "Mr. Tao Er."

The newcomer was a withered old man, the second steward of Lord Xuanji’s mansion, Mr. Tao Er.

As Mr. Tao Er appeared, more and more cultivators from the mansion emerged from the forest behind him.

Mr. Tao Er looked at Zhu Yi carefully and showed an admiring expression, "In less than half a year, you’ve reached the sixth level of Qi Cultivation. Young Master Yi, you have great talent, worthy of Lord Hou’s bloodline."

"But you’ve disobeyed Lord Hou’s instructions, which is not good."

Zhu Yi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Father’s cultivation is deep, that’s his ability. My current cultivation comes from my own efforts and my Master’s teachings."

Mr. Tao Er shook his head, "Young Master Yi, you don’t understand. Lord Hou is fair and wise. His arrangements are always right. You just need to follow the path he has laid out for you."

Hearing this, not only Zhu Yi, but also Xiao Yan and the little one frowned.

Mr. Tao Er didn’t care and continued slowly, "This old servant came out for two reasons: to investigate the disappearance of Huang San and to find Young Master Yi."

Zhu Yi said calmly, "Huang San and the others were killed by Liu Yang, a Golden Core cultivator from the Shushan Sword Sect. I witnessed it with my own eyes."

"Shushan Sword Sect." Mr. Tao Er nodded and asked, "How did you escape, Young Master Yi? What about those rebels from the Liefeng Society?"

Zhu Yi answered, "The Liefeng Society people escaped through a teleportation array. My Master saved me, and I’ve been learning Daoism from him ever since."

Mr. Tao Er hummed, "If that’s the case, we can only do this for now. Young Master Yi, please come back with this old servant. You’ve been away from home for many days, and Lord Hou and Lady are very worried about you."

Zhu Yi said quietly, "I want to learn Daoism from my Master. When I achieve something, I will naturally return."

Mr. Tao Er laughed, "Young Master Yi, you’re joking. Although you’re not Lord Hou’s direct son and can’t learn his great Daoic powers, Lord Hou will arrange a suitable Master for you. You don’t need to find one yourself."

"So, Young Master Yi, please come back to the capital with this old servant." Mr. Tao Er said matter-of-factly, "If you’re worried about your Master causing trouble, this old servant can talk to him. If he’s a true Daoist master, he will understand and won’t be heartless enough to separate you from your parents and family."

Xiao Yan and the little one’s expressions changed slightly, and they were about to move but were stopped by Zhu Yi. Zhu Yi looked at Mr. Tao Er and said calmly, "My Master saved my life and taught me. Once a teacher, always a teacher. I appreciate Mr. Tao Er’s kindness, but please tell Father that I will definitely return to the capital one day, but not now."

Mr. Tao Er looked at Zhu Yi for a moment and sighed, "Young Master Yi is usually the most filial, but now you’ve been led astray. Your Master must be a wicked person. Please tell this old servant where he is now. I’ll deal with this evil person."

"Such an evil person should have his cultivation revoked, be immersed in a cesspool, and paraded through the streets to warn others."

Not only did Xiao Yan and the little one show anger, but Zhu Yi’s face also darkened. However, Mr. Tao Er continued, "Before I came out, Lord Hou instructed this old servant to bring Young Master Yi back to the mansion safely if I found him."

"Lord Hou’s orders must be carried out."

As he spoke, the cultivators from Lord Xuanji’s mansion spread out, surrounding Zhu Yi and his two companions.

For a moment, the hearts of Zhu Yi and his companions sank to the bottom.

...

Inside the Netherworld Pearl, in the middle of the long river, Wang Lin in the light ball had not yet awakened. Lin Feng sat quietly on the light ball, his mind still carefully studying the Netherworld Nirvana Sutra on the black stone pillar.

Suddenly, the Netherworld True Water in the distance made a splashing sound, and a figure was being carried by the surging Netherworld True Water, rapidly approaching.

The figure was Si Kong Nan. Seeing Lin Feng, he laughed loudly, "Youngster, for the humiliation you inflicted on me before, I will repay you a hundredfold!"