Chapter Sixty-Five: Stay

Liu Pan did not kill Elder Qu. After all, they had no personal enmity, and Elder Qu was merely a lackey running errands for the Sunblaze Sect. If he were to take his life, it would feel like wanton slaughter, and that was not something Liu Pan could bring himself to do.

He reached out, took the storage pouch hanging from the longsword, and called out to the still-dazed Liu Kuang. Then, riding his sword, he soared into the distance.

Liu Kuang started, glanced back toward the direction of White Forest Town—perhaps wanting one last look at the Liu clan, or maybe just curious to see Elder Qu’s dumbfounded expression—then mounted his blade and flew off as well.

A long while passed before Elder Qu, finding the situation odd, cautiously opened his eyes.

Since leaving White Forest Town, Liu Kuang had been silent. All his life, he’d trained with all his might to avenge his parents. Now that his great revenge was complete, he felt a hollowness within.

To put it plainly, Liu Kuang had little attachment to the Liu clan. Not just because, when the second elder was discovered to have caused his parents’ deaths, some of the clan chose to stand idly by. More importantly, his parents’ remains were never returned to the clan, and not even a cenotaph for them existed in White Forest Town. What was there in such a clan for him to care about?

Flying along, watching the direction Liu Pan took, a strange look flickered in Liu Kuang’s eyes, but he said nothing and simply followed silently behind.

Half an hour later, a town much the same size as White Forest Town appeared before them. Liu Pan wasted no time, descending by sword just outside the town.

“After a busy morning, let’s rest this afternoon in Green Forest Town, pick up a few things, and leave tonight,” Liu Pan said casually, stretching as if genuinely tired.

Liu Kuang’s gaze flickered at this arrangement but he asked nothing. In truth, he rather wanted to linger in this town for a while. But since the Sunblaze Sect already knew they’d returned to White Forest Town, he only entertained the thought and said nothing aloud.

Stretching, Liu Pan seemed to recall something and fished out a handful of gold coins from his storage pouch, handing them to Liu Kuang. “Here you go. Buy whatever you want. We’ll go our separate ways and meet back here before dark.”

If Liu Kuang hadn’t already guessed why Liu Pan chose to pause in this town, he understood now—it was all for him.

Accepting the coins, Liu Kuang stepped into the town, murmuring a soft “Thank you” as he went.

Hearing Liu Kuang’s thanks, Liu Pan’s lips curled into a faint smile. Since leaving White Forest Town, this was the first time Liu Kuang had spoken.

Glancing up at the sky, Liu Pan too entered the town. The real reason for lingering here wasn’t rest; now that he and Liu Kuang had awakened their spiritual power, their vigor had increased dramatically, and they could go for days without sleep and feel little fatigue.

But since they were here, he might as well find something to do.

Weighing the storage pouch at his waist, Liu Pan considered for a moment and made straight for the Green Forest Town market.

The pouch he’d taken from Elder Qu, aside from a pile of gold and silver, contained nothing of real value. In small, remote places like the southern border, storage pouches of cultivators were often filled with little more than precious metals.

This wasn’t Liu Pan’s first time browsing a market, but it still felt novel to him.

The layout of the markets on the Heavenpeak Continent did not differ much from those on Earth. Hawkers wandered about, and there were rows of street stalls. The biggest difference, of course, lay in what was for sale.

It was these goods that fascinated Liu Pan. Perhaps to an ordinary person they were nothing special, but to someone like Liu Pan, unaccustomed to such sights, it was as if he had discovered a new world.

Grilled snail skewers at snack stands, rolling gourd greens at the vegetable stalls, the jaw-breaking cakes sold from shoulder poles—what on earth were these things? If not for having crossed into his own novel, Liu Pan would never have believed his book contained so many oddities.

He walked, browsed, bought, and ate. By the time he’d covered most of the market, he was happily stuffed.

Finishing the last coriander meatball from his bamboo skewer and swallowing it down, Liu Pan let out a long breath, then retraced his steps to revisit a few shops he’d noted earlier for proper errands.

Buying provisions, buying clothes—there wasn’t much else to do. In under half an hour, Liu Pan had finished his shopping.

Sensing Liu Kuang’s presence with a thought, Liu Pan hesitated but didn’t seek him out, instead finding a quiet corner to stow away his purchases. Then, activating his cultivation technique, he circulated his internal energy to aid digestion.

As dusk fell and stars began to appear, Liu Kuang returned to their agreed meeting spot.

Frowning slightly, Liu Kuang immediately saw Liu Pan leaning by the roadside, clearly overfed.

Liu Kuang was no longer surprised by Liu Pan’s gluttony. During their half-month’s rest after leaving the Sunblaze Sect, he’d already discovered Liu Pan’s utter lack of restraint when it came to food. Even a simple roadside stall became an occasion for wild indulgence, as if the man had never eaten in his life. Sometimes Liu Kuang wondered whether Liu Pan was even of this world.

Of course, it was only a passing suspicion. There were always rumors in the cultivation world that if one reached the legendary Martial God realm, they could break through the void into another world. But these were only rumors—no one had ever proven them true, and no one from another world had ever appeared on Heavenpeak Continent.

If Liu Pan knew his voracious eating had made Liu Kuang question whether he belonged in this world, he might be mildly surprised. But he’d just laugh it off and keep eating and drinking as he pleased.

Let them wonder—there was no proof. Besides, only his soul was from Earth; the original owner of this body was a true native of Heavenpeak Continent.

“You’re back.”

Liu Pan had sensed Liu Kuang’s return long before. Burping contentedly, he handed over a few oil-paper-wrapped snacks. “Here, I bought these for you. The local treats here in Green Forest Town are really something—especially the green-skinned cattle sprouts, the flavor is just outstanding—”

Before Liu Pan could go on, Liu Kuang took the snacks and cut him off, “No need to say more, I know all about them.”

“Uh…”

Liu Pan was a little speechless—so “unromantic.” They really were from different worlds, caring about different things.

He didn’t ask what Liu Kuang had done all afternoon; instead, he stood, brushed the dust from his clothes, and said, “Enough talk, it’s getting late. Let’s head out.”

With a thought, Liu Pan’s sword left its scabbard and carried him into the sky. A strange light flickered in Liu Kuang’s eyes as he took one last look at Green Forest Town before mounting his blade and flying off.

Liu Pan dared not spend the night here, for it was not far from White Forest Town. Given the Sunblaze Sect’s proximity, staying even half a day was risky; any longer and they might catch up.

True, Liu Kuang possessed the Great Wilderness Blade, and within it, Yan—making them unafraid of anyone from the Sunblaze Sect. But Yan was external power; if they relied on it to deal with a minor sect, it would be a sign of incompetence.

Moreover, using Yan through Liu Kuang’s body was not without cost. It consumed the power of the blade’s soul, and over time, Liu Kuang’s soul would be tainted by its aura, hindering his future cultivation.

Traveling by night was no problem for those who could fly on magical weapons; only the risk of losing their way, which could be managed with care.

As for their next destination, Liu Pan had already discussed it with Liu Kuang. The result was no surprise—Liu Pan had guided the conversation to this outcome.

As the author, Liu Pan’s greatest advantage after transmigrating into his own novel was his knowledge: of maps, of people and events, of where to find opportunities and where danger lurked.

But this knowledge also meant he had to be more cautious in his actions.

In truth, escaping the Sunblaze Sect with Liu Kuang was troublesome. Alone, he could have done as he pleased, but with Liu Kuang, he had to be careful.

Still, after some thought, Liu Pan chose not to abandon Liu Kuang. Now was not the time.

Because the Great Wilderness Blade had been exposed, those sects who would be recruiting disciples at the Sunblaze Sect in a few months were now off-limits. After some consideration, Liu Pan set his sights on the distant Four-Star sect, Cloudstream Gate.

He knew of Cloudstream Gate’s story from the novel; otherwise, he wouldn’t have considered it.

In the novel, Liu Kuang went to Cloudstream Gate as a disciple of a Six-Star sect, carrying out a mission. Now, Liu Kuang intended to join Cloudstream Gate directly, as an ordinary disciple.

The former brought status and privilege; the latter would require everything to be earned by merit.

Of course, the decision to join Cloudstream Gate wasn’t just because Liu Kuang had gone there in the novel, but because it would be convenient for both Liu Pan and Liu Kuang in many ways.