Chapter 92

Sitting cross-legged, Bu Li absorbed the soul power around him. Last night, for the first time, a large amount of soul power entered his meridians, with Du Tianci protecting and guiding him. Bu Li benefited greatly. Otherwise, there would be no such drastic change in just one night.

Since he had opened the door that had always been closed, Bu Li walked steadily, neither too fast nor too slow, at his own pace, without any impatience or delay. This was Bu Li's nature; he would just keep walking, regardless of success or failure, to know the outcome.

Dahei snored loudly, having stayed up all night guarding Bu Li. Under Du Tianci's pressure, Dahei had to forcibly restrain himself from turning and fleeing, which was a great test for him. Sometimes, Dahei was quite reliable.

Entering a meditative state, Bu Li was completely unaware of the passage of time. With Du Tianci by his side, Bu Li was not worried about encountering any danger while in deep meditation. Although Bu Li did not hear the conversation between Du Tianci and Hu Wu, he could imagine the scene from Dahei's description. Besides, this was Henshan, not the perilous Xishan.

Feeling the flow of soul power in his body, Bu Li was overjoyed. He was getting stronger, and this was undoubtedly a good thing, something he had always hoped for.

The soul power circulated through his meridians, purifying and leaving pure energy in Bu Li's meridians. After three major cycles, Bu Li finally sighed deeply, stood up, and stretched his limbs. Dahei was still sound asleep. Through the window, Bu Li saw that it was already pitch black outside, which surprised him. Usually, when he practiced, three cycles took no more than two hours. He didn't expect that after learning soul techniques, the same three cycles would take so long.

"You were too careless," Du Tianci said from the bed as Bu Li stood up.

Uh... When did he come? Bu Li instinctively turned his body, his left hand already touching the crossbow. Seeing it was Du Tianci, he smiled sheepishly.

"Soul practitioners are always cautious. A slight mistake can make you as helpless as a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others," Du Tianci said slowly. Bu Li understood this, but... he didn't expect it to take so long, and with Du Tianci protecting him. A young man who had just tasted the flavor of strength would have no self-restraint.

Bu Li knew Du Tianci's words were genuinely for his own good and said, "I was wrong, thank you, sir, for your guidance."

Du Tianci nodded slightly and said, "I know you were relaxed because I was here, but I can't always be around. More importantly, you need to form good habits to walk steadily to your destined position. Many geniuses have fallen because of a single misstep, and I don't want to see you end up like that."

Before Bu Li could say anything, Du Tianci changed the topic and said, "The secret manual of Duanjin Suiyu Gang is indeed suitable for you. I saw the arrow you shot. Although there are still some rough edges, it's quite impressive for a beginner. Someone told me that when you practice, try to do it in the courtyard where the light of the stars and moon shines. I don't know the reason, but you can try it."

Bu Li's heart stirred. This must be what Hu Wu said. The light of the stars and moon, he had opened his bloodline inheritance on a full moon night. Did starlight also have an effect? Bu Li felt he understood something. Although he didn't know why, he believed Du Tianci's words were true.

After saying what he needed to say, Du Tianci smiled and said, "Be more careful in the future, especially don't trigger Henshan's protective array again. Although it's not a big deal, frequent triggering might attract the attention of other sects."

With that, Du Tianci stood up, looked at Dahei, and smiled with interest, then turned and left, disappearing into the distance.

Bu Li pondered Du Tianci's words, thinking he should learn a couple of protective arrays. And in the future, Dahei should always be by his side to protect him.

Dahei had already woken up but was pretending to sleep with his eyes closed. Du Tianci made Dahei feel uncomfortable, as he did with all strong people. It was a deep-seated, bloodline-based aversion. Once Du Tianci left, Dahei sat up and said, "It got dark so quickly."

Seeing Dahei's eager look, Bu Li felt a bit sorry for him. Dahei, Dahei, you can't go out every night from now on. Maybe I can give you some time every few days to go out and play?

Those were future matters. Tonight, there was still a lot to do. Bu Li estimated the time and said, "Let's go down the mountain."

"What?" Dahei was surprised, then realized Bu Li was missing Cai Xiaoxian. Damn, he's just like me, can't live without a woman. How long has it been since he last saw Cai Xiaoxian, and he's already missing her? What a wimp.

With the stars and moon overhead, Bu Li briefly felt the changes under their light, but it didn't seem too special. There was no time to think about it, as the desire to see Cai Xiaoxian burned like a wildfire, impossible to extinguish.

After a quick tidy, Bu Li called to Dahei and jumped down from the wall like a stone. He used his right-hand dagger to stab into the cliff face to slow his descent. Dahei, without hesitation, fell like a cat, with a more graceful posture than Bu Li. If it weren't for Dahei sensing the cold aura below, they might have walked down step by step in the Shen Yi Mountains.

The forest was Bu Li and Dahei's home, where they were almost invincible. Of course, they couldn't have a child, no matter where they were.

From a cliff hundreds of feet high, Bu Li and Dahei landed almost silently. At the bottom of the cliff, Bu Li whispered, "Go find your mother bear, but come back before dawn."

Dahei chuckled, then growled softly, seemingly excited, and disappeared into the night without a word.

Bu Li identified the direction and felt something. Without searching, he headed straight for a spur of Henshan. After about half an hour, he saw a small wooden house in the forest, with a faint candlelight and blurry figures.

His heart warmed, and Bu Li quickened his pace. Even in late autumn, with countless fallen leaves and dry branches, he made no sound as he moved through the forest.

The small window was rudely covered with yellow paper, which Bu Li had used to roll cigarettes. This yellow paper was hard to come by, and Bu Li had no money. Once, a merchant passed by, and after much persuasion, he traded five wolf skins for some. Cai Xiaoxian treasured this paper and rarely used it. The window was so small that Bu Li knew it was Cai Xiaoxian's work, as she hated to waste paper and preferred to save it for rolling cigarettes.

A slender shadow danced on the window paper, as if sewing something. Bu Li moved through the forest and pushed the door open directly. The wooden door creaked, and Cai Xiaoxian, like a woman waiting for her lover, looked up expectantly. Seeing Bu Li, her face lit up with a smile, and she threw whatever she was holding, flying like a butterfly into Bu Li's arms.

"Brother!" Cai Xiaoxian clung to Bu Li like a kitten, her face pressed against his chest, feeling his warmth and heartbeat, as if that was the meaning of her existence.

Bu Li was silent, gently patting Cai Xiaoxian's back to comfort her.

The small candle on the table flickered, casting a dim, blurry light. Bu Li held Cai Xiaoxian quietly, feeling as if they had been apart for years, even though it was only one day.

Time passed, and Bu Li and Cai Xiaoxian forgot everything, as if they would stay like this until the end of time.

"Enough," Hu Wu's sinister voice sounded outside the wooden house.

This damn guy! When did he come? Why didn't I feel him? Bu Li gently patted Cai Xiaoxian's back and gently put her down.

"There's no such thing as enough; I could do this forever," Bu Li said without embarrassment, while Cai Xiaoxian blushed and hid behind Bu Li, peeking out.

"Cough, cough. Next time, you come down the mountain, remember to greet me first," Hu Wu "floated" to the door, looking at Bu Li and Cai Xiaoxian, who was clinging to Bu Li's arm and refusing to let go.

"Of course," Bu Li said confidently. Nonsense, if Cai Xiaoxian weren't at the foot of the mountain, I wouldn't have come down.

"Or do you want to be intimate first, and then I'll talk?" Hu Wu said, but he had no intention of leaving. Cai Xiaoxian, with her thin skin, was embarrassed by Hu Wu's teasing and hid behind Bu Li, no longer peeking out.

Bu Li was helpless and wished he could kill this old guy.

Seeing that Hu Wu had no intention of leaving, Bu Li said, "Come inside, it's cold outside."

"You finally realize," Hu Wu's dry, shriveled face under the black hood twitched, as if smiling, or perhaps crying.

The small wooden house was not very large, with a bed covered in a tiger skin, emitting a faint fragrance, which seemed to be Cai Xiaoxian's room. Bu Li was a bit curious and asked, "Where do you stay?"

"I found a stone cave halfway up the mountain. It's too damp in here, and staying too long can cause back and leg pain. The stone cave is drier," Hu Wu said.