18. Peace of Mind

A group of servants, their cultivation ranging from the third to the eighth tier of Qi Refinement, stood around nervously. None dared step forward, but neither did they dare disobey. Li Miao found the situation rather amusing. He was in no great mood today, and with someone volunteering themselves for a beating, what could have pleased him more?

“Who is this boy?” he asked the madam.

She managed a dry laugh and replied, “Ah, this young master is Sun Hong, the little heir of the Sun family of Longling. His great-grandfather is none other than Elder Sun He, one of the four grandmasters of Longling.”

With this introduction, Sun Hong’s confidence swelled. He swaggered up to Li Miao and threatened, “Did you hear that, you brat? I advise you to kneel and beg for mercy, or when my great-grandfather arrives, not even ten lives would be enough to save you!”

Li Miao sneered. The phrase “the four grandmasters of Longling” had been mentioned to him only a couple of days ago by Guo Yunzhi, referring to the four most powerful individuals in Longling County—Xu Yong of the Hundred Herbs Sect, Daoist Songshi of Cold Mountain Valley, the hermit of Falling Flower Lake, and Sun He of Longling County itself. Their strength was roughly equal, all at the initial stage of the Origin Return realm, and they were all rather advanced in years—old men and women, every one of them.

But cultivators at that level hardly deserved Li Miao’s deference. He ignored Sun Hong entirely and addressed the black-robed cultivators instead. “No need to trouble yourselves. If I give you all a beating, you’ll have an excuse to report back.”

With that, he moved his foot, his figure darting forward. In a storm of blows like lightning, he threw nine punches—one for each man—sending them flying. The brothel erupted in a cacophony of shattering tables and chairs, the scene descending into even greater chaos.

The Qi Refining cultivators barely had time to react; scarcely had his words left his lips before they were sprawled all over the floor. Sun Hong was left dumbstruck, mouth agape, wanting to curse but unable to utter a word.

Li Miao approached him, mimicking Sun Hong’s earlier posturing: one foot propped on a chair, he patted the boy’s face and said, “You’re only fit to be a grandson. You’d best stop pretending to be the master.”

With a disdainful chuckle, he strode away. The brothel resounded with hysterical screams as Sun Hong shrieked, “Find out who he is! I swear, I’ll have him torn to pieces!”

After leaving the brothel, Li Miao went straight back to the Hundred Herbs Sect. He and He Tianxiang arrived at Qihuang Peak at nearly the same time, though their paths did not cross—one was anxious to visit Huo Zhong, the other returned to the Riverside Pavilion.

In front of the bamboo hut, Li Miao sat on the ground, quietly reflecting on the events of recent days, striving to calm his mind. In just a few short days, the things he had experienced had already left a profound impact on him. Whether it was Guo’er or the Spirit Butterfly, both were enough to change the course of his life.

Guo’er was manageable; the girl was obedient and took all her cues from him. The Spirit Butterfly, however, was more troublesome. The appearance of the Crimson Demon Yang Yan was merely a warning—what awaited him in the future might be ten times more perilous.

Yet with danger came rare and wondrous opportunities. That tiny jade butterfly, requiring even the threshold of the Origin Return realm for a master, hinted at ancient secrets and would surely prove a peerless and world-shaking treasure.

“Cultivate well. In this world, the only thing worth relying on is your own strength…” he murmured softly to himself, then closed his eyes and began to channel the Heart of the Universe cultivation technique, entering a meditative state.

The next morning, Guo’er rose early as usual, fetching breakfast for two from the front mountain and waiting for him to finish his meditation. When Li Miao opened his eyes, she was practicing the long fist routine she had learned the previous day, her small frame moving through the motions with impressive form, though lacking a bit in spirit.

Watching the earnest way she practiced, his mood, previously gloomy, lifted considerably. He sat quietly on the side, admiring the “little martial artist’s” display.

After finishing her practice, Guo’er noticed he was awake and ran over, beaming. “Uncle, what are we learning today?”

Li Miao gave her a mysterious smile.

Guo’er immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

“Stance training,” Li Miao replied.

“Ugh…” The little girl pulled a long face, her lips pouting high, then sighed and obediently assumed a horse stance in place.

Li Miao realized he was beginning to enjoy the role of teacher. Watching Guo’er’s alternating expressions—joy, resignation, and pitiful innocence—he found the process of guiding her a rather delightful experience.

While eating the breakfast Guo’er brought, he lectured in all seriousness, “A solid foundation in stance is the most basic requirement for combat. If your footing is unsteady, you’ll be knocked down by a strong gust of wind, let alone in a real fight.”

Unaware of the sly side to her teacher, Guo’er listened intently, standing dutifully like a model student.

Finally, when the morning’s lesson was over, her limbs were numb with exhaustion. Li Miao, as usual, used primordial energy to nourish her body and asked, “Girl, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

Guo’er, resting her head on his knee, puzzled, replied, “Why do you ask, Uncle?”

Li Miao said, “The Hundred Herbs Sect isn’t ours—we can’t stay here forever. Once we’ve fulfilled our promise to the Guo brothers, we’ll leave.”

They were homeless now. He had no wish to return to Zhongyun Mountain, fearing it would sadden Guo’er, and no other place held any sense of belonging.

Guo’er thought for a moment and answered, “I want to go… to Xinzhou.”

“Xinzhou? Why?” Li Miao was surprised. Xinzhou spanned ninety thousand miles, containing twelve provinces, over a hundred and seventy counties, and thousands of districts. The land beneath their feet was already part of Xinzhou. But what Guo’er meant was the capital of Xinzhou—the city of Xinzhou itself!

That place was thirty thousand miles from Pangshan Prefecture. Why would the girl want to go so far?

Guo’er replied, “I remember Master once said he found me in Xinzhou. I want to go there… and see it for myself.”

Li Miao found this even more puzzling. “You met your master in Xinzhou? But… how did he get there?”

It was a journey of over thirty thousand miles. Xuan Zhenzi, a mere mortal, even if he encountered no danger and traveled several hundred miles a day, would need over half a year for a round trip! Not to mention the countless demons and rogue cultivators along the way—such a journey would be almost impossible for a mortal.

Guo’er explained, “Master said that after Zhongyun Mountain was destroyed, he spent many confused years wandering, and somehow ended up in Xinzhou. Later, he found me, wanted to take me as a disciple, so he stole a donkey and spent nearly a year traveling back from Xinzhou.”

Li Miao understood, and could not help but admire Xuan Zhenzi. At that time, Guo’er had only just turned one month old. An old beggar and Taoist priest with nothing to his name, yet he managed to carry her across tens of thousands of miles and safely return to Zhongyun Mountain—a feat not easily accomplished!

“So you want to return to Xinzhou to see if you can find your family, is that it?” he asked.

Guo’er lowered her gaze, hesitated for a long time, then shook her head. “No. Only Master… and you, are my family. I just want to go to Xinzhou to see… just to see, that’s all.”

Her voice was soft, her eyes avoiding his, as if afraid he would see through her hidden thoughts.

Li Miao saw all this and felt a pang in his heart. She claimed not to care, but as an abandoned child, how could she truly not wish to know where her family was? She simply knew she’d been discarded since infancy, and searching would be meaningless—that’s why she answered so.

At thirteen, she understood far more than most.

Li Miao sighed inwardly and said, “Very well, when there’s a chance, I’ll take you to Xinzhou. But before that, you’d better become strong.”

Guo’er nodded, “Mm. I’ll become very strong, so that… so Master can be at peace.”

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. The red-haired elder, Yang Yan, had not shown himself again, much to Li Miao’s relief—the matter of the Spirit Butterfly would not trouble him for now.

He did hear that the Sun family of Longling was looking everywhere for him, seemingly unwilling to let matters rest. But this did not concern him; the Sun family was no match for the Hundred Herbs Sect, and there were few who could challenge him—unless Sun He himself stepped in, they were not worth fearing.

In these days, he remained at ease atop Qihuang Peak, spending nearly all his time training Guo’er in the basics, with only the occasional conversation with Xu Yong.

After several days of primordial energy nourishment, Guo’er’s small body had begun to grow; she now looked more like an eight- or nine-year-old than a child of seven or eight.

Moreover, with both energy and training, her physical strength increased significantly. The once frail girl could now lift stones weighing forty or fifty pounds. Pleased with her progress, Guo’er became more enthusiastic, no longer dreading stance training, but wishing she could practice for hours on end—even at night, she was reluctant to rest.

But Li Miao knew well that cultivation required balance, not exhaustion. Each night at dusk, he would give her a deep energy nourishment, then send her obediently to bed.

This marked the tenth day since Li Miao had arrived in the world of cultivation. As usual, he was in front of the bamboo hut, teaching Guo’er a new fist technique, when a streak of blue light appeared in the distance—Guo Yunzhi, flying on his sword, landed atop Qihuang Peak.

The brothers had been gone many days, and now one had finally returned. It seemed that the business at Qianyuan Mountain was about to begin.

“Brother Li,” Guo Yunzhi called, heading straight for the Riverside Pavilion.

“How did it go?” Li Miao asked.

Guo Yunzhi replied calmly, “Everything is ready. We’ve contacted many allies—my sect, the Scarlet Sky Sword Sect, has sent a Sword Elder at the Origin Return realm to assist. Everyone is gathering at Pingxia Town near Qianyuan Mountain. Once we’re assembled, we’ll make our move.”

“Have you learned the strength of the monsters at Qianyuan Mountain?” Li Miao pressed.

As the saying goes, know your enemy and yourself, and you need not fear a hundred battles. If they were to fight, it was best to know their opponent’s strength; otherwise, a rash move might result in severe losses.

Guo Yunzhi answered, “Daoist Zhemei has scouted Qianyuan Mountain. There are two great demons and over ten lesser ones. The number of spirit-cultivating monsters is large, more than five hundred, all summoned by the great demons—not to be underestimated.”

The great demons were equivalent to cultivators of the Origin Return realm, while the lesser demons at full cultivation matched late-stage Condensing Truth cultivators. This was no small force, but not insurmountable.

Li Miao nodded, “Good. Then let’s set out at once.”

Guo’er was still practicing, and since his trip to Qianyuan Mountain would take a day or two, he made sure to instruct her to rest more and focus on martial forms rather than exhausting her energy, as the absence of his energy nourishment might put her at risk.

She nodded obediently. Leaving two streams of primordial energy within her, he departed with Guo Yunzhi.

But as they reached the front mountain, a young man in coarse robes blocked their path. “Wait, I’m coming with you.”

It was He Tianxiang.

Guo Yunzhi was surprised. “Brother He, when did you break through to the next realm?”

He Tianxiang glanced at Li Miao, his expression odd, and replied, “A few days ago. I’ve just stabilized my cultivation and mastered several new spells. I heard you were going to exterminate demons, so I’d like to test myself as well.”

“Excellent! With your help, we’ll be even stronger!” Guo Yunzhi said politely, and the three of them set off together.

Though two of the three were Condensing Truth cultivators and could fly with their artifacts, carrying the non-flying Li Miao would waste too much energy on a journey of five or six hundred miles. So they used their true energy to hasten their steps instead. Even so, they covered twenty or thirty miles in a quarter of an hour.

Along the way, He Tianxiang kept glancing at Li Miao, repeatedly picking up his pace as if to test the difference in their abilities. Li Miao noticed but only smiled inwardly, keeping pace with ease, his steps calm and measured.

After a while, He Tianxiang grew discouraged. “I thought after my breakthrough the gap between us would narrow, but it’s still vast.”

On the day of the tournament, when he saw Li Miao defeat Liu Xuanfeng, a mid-stage Condensing Truth cultivator, with only early-stage cultivation, he had realized Li Miao’s strength was fearsome. But only now, seeing the consistency and precision with which Li Miao moved, did he understand the gap wasn’t only in cultivation, but in technique and power as well.

Guo Yunzhi laughed, “Brother Li’s skills are superb. Even Yun Yi and I, sword cultivators specializing in combat, cannot match him. Brother He, your sect focuses on alchemy—don’t trouble yourself with comparisons.”

He Tianxiang laughed awkwardly. After all, even Liu Xuanfeng had lost; what did he, a recent breakthrough, have to compare?

“Brother Li, there’s something I must thank you for,” He Tianxiang said.