Chapter Twenty-Seven: Departure and Night Encounter

“Come now, child, don’t be sad. He will return in two years. As for whether he will have feelings for you by then, or if you two can be together, all of that depends on fate.” As Mu Xueqing grieved in silence, her grandfather’s voice sounded behind her.

“Grandfather, is that true? How do you know he’ll come back in two years? Did you make some sort of pact in the secret chamber? If he’s coming back, then why does he have to leave now?” At that moment, Mu Chenhua was as eager as a young woman in love, desperately trying to learn everything she could about the man she admired.

Her grandfather chuckled. “Silly girl, I’ll tell you what you ought to know. As for those things that you’re better off not knowing for now, I’ll keep them to myself. Just remember that in two years, he will come to the Mu family in the border town. That’s enough for you to know.” Faced with his clever granddaughter behaving this way, he could only sigh helplessly.

After riding for about three hours, Li Xingyu saw that night was falling and happened to pass through a small town. He decided to stay at the town’s only inn. Once the attendant brought up food and wine and left, Li Xingyu sat at the table and took out the token Mu Chenhua had given him. She had told him that as long as he carried this token, he could receive aid from any Mu family organization or affiliated force wherever he went. He studied the token for a while, then tucked it away in his backpack, and began to eat and drink, turning over in his mind the matters and invitation Mu Chenhua had mentioned in the secret chamber.

Li Xingyu had confidence in his own strength. Even if Mu Chenhua harbored some plot, he was sure he could protect himself, so he had not hesitated to accept her invitation into her cultivation chamber. Once inside, Mu Chenhua first expressed her gratitude for his trust. She knew well that anyone capable of reaching the Qi Refining stage was no ordinary person, and she also understood that by following her inside, Li Xingyu was taking a risk. In her place, she wasn’t sure she’d have had the courage. She had only dared make such a request because she believed what she had to offer would be incredibly tempting to Li Xingyu, and because the matter itself was so secretive.

Like Earth, Naster Star had been abandoned by the cultivation world. Moreover, since Naster Star was on the frontier of cultivator activity, and because of an accident when the cultivators left that damaged the transport array on this planet, for all these years not even a single cultivator had happened to pass by. The cultivators who had once appeared here were only on special missions, and since the spiritual energy on this world was so thin as to be unsuitable for cultivation, they did not leave behind disciples or techniques. Still, there had been many cultivators in those days, and some unique situations led to the existence of certain cultivation techniques, such as cultivators dying unexpectedly or perishing in their own caves. As for the martial arts and inner cultivation techniques on this planet, those were left behind by some of these cultivators. While this world was unsuitable for true cultivation, martial arts and inner cultivation could still be practiced, though they meant little to cultivators themselves.

What Mu Chenhua had mentioned was the existence of those ancient cultivators’ caves left behind after accidents during training. In the past, a few people on this planet had stumbled upon cultivation techniques and practiced them if they happened to possess the matching attributes, but very few had ever managed to break through, and such tales had not been heard for many years. After all, such discoveries were rare, and those with the right attributes even rarer; all the knowledge of cultivation now was only what had been passed down, and it was difficult to judge its authenticity.

However, Mu Chenhua and three other innate masters from slightly weaker families had accidentally discovered a place that might be an ancient cultivator’s cave. They had tried many ways but could not break through the cave’s defenses. They deduced that at least six innate masters would have to join forces to have a chance. All of them were at or near the peak of the innate realm, and failing to make a breakthrough, they would soon perish as their lifespan ran out. For that sliver of hope, they decided, after discussion, to each recruit one person so that eight could gather to attempt breaking through the cave’s defenses. But, fearing that news would leak and draw experts from the Heavenly Gift Empire and other nations, they swore never to reveal it to anyone. Before parting, they agreed to set out again in two years, meeting at a secret Mu family outpost outside the border town.

Only after securing Li Xingyu’s sworn promise not to reveal anything he heard, whether or not he accepted the invitation, did Mu Chenhua tell him all this and let him decide whether to join. Truthfully, cultivation techniques didn’t especially tempt Li Xingyu, but the idea of an ancient cultivator’s cave piqued his interest. Though he already had cultivation techniques, his knowledge of the broader world of cultivation was scant, mostly pieced together from scattered records. This cave, however, might contain treasures left by ancient cultivators—perhaps things that could benefit him. For this reason, after thinking for a while, Li Xingyu decided to join the venture. Upon learning the specifics, he found there was plenty of time before the agreed date—enough to continue traveling to other cities. As the saying goes, reading ten thousand books pales in comparison to traveling ten thousand miles. Exploring the world would not only help him understand this planet but also, he knew, all fateful opportunities must be encountered by chance in one’s wanderings. Thus, even after deciding to join, he did not remain at the Mu estate but chose to leave.

As Li Xingyu sat quietly drinking and pondering, he suddenly heard movement outside. Listening closely, he judged that it was likely not directed at him, so he did not get up, merely paying attention to what was happening outside.

At that moment, two men in black were crouched on the roof above the room opposite Li Xingyu’s. They peered through gaps in the tiles, observing the room below while whispering softly to each other. Though their voices were low, Li Xingyu’s senses were far sharper than an ordinary person’s; by focusing his attention in that direction, he could make out most of the conversation. After listening for a while, he realized these two were planning to kidnap a woman in the room below. From their talk, he gathered that she was the only daughter of the leader of the Wanderer’s Sect, a martial arts clan, and that they wished to use her to trade with the sect for something.

When he understood that this matter involved the martial world of the Heavenly Gift Empire, Li Xingyu became interested. He had hoped to learn about the martial circles of the empire, as he knew that on Naster Star, there were two principal powers: one consisting of the imperial court and the families clustered around it, and the other made up of martial sects, gangs, and various organizations. These two powers were by no means entirely separate; rather, they were deeply intertwined, with countless connections and mutual infiltration.

“That girl’s skills aren’t high, and with the Sect Master’s special knockout incense, she’ll be easy enough to handle. It’s the fellow in the next room who’s tricky—the personal disciple of the head of the Myriad Arts Sect. That kid’s skills aren’t great, but the Myriad Arts people are experts with incense, traps, and mechanisms. The incense probably won’t work on him. Even with your strength, big brother, you might not be able to defeat him quickly, and if we dawdle, we could get into trouble here on the Myriad Arts Sect’s turf.”

“Never mind that. It would be a shame to let such a good opportunity slip by tonight. Let’s just knock out the girl and take her away. If we’re careful, maybe we won’t alert the other guy.”

“All right, I’ll follow your lead, big brother.”

Hearing this, Li Xingyu debated whether to intervene. Since it seemed there was already a protector in the next room, he decided not to act rashly and to see how things developed. Besides, he was curious about this so-called Myriad Arts Sect and wished to study the arts they were reputed for. If they were accomplished in mechanisms and such, it meant their mechanical skills must be advanced indeed.

Second update for today. I’ll try to post another chapter tonight.

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