Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 174: Chapter 148: Before Leaving

When Xie Yuan opened his eyes again, he stared at the slightly unfamiliar beams and ceiling above him and blinked a few times.

’I haven’t slept here in so long, I almost forgot this was my bed...’

He sat up and glanced around. Seeing the room empty once more, he felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

’No need to fetch water for anyone else anymore.’

Xie Yuan deftly fetched water to wash up. The cool, late-spring water splashed against his face. It wasn’t icy, but it was enough to jolt him awake, finally restoring the mental energy he had expended studying the Black Celestial Book.

Walking into the courtyard, he stood quietly before the flowerbed for a moment, taking a deep breath of the blooming fragrance, then strode out the gate.

「In Shen Longteng’s study.」

The hale and hearty, red-faced Old Leader looked at Xie Yuan, his face wreathed in smiles. Ever since the Vajra Sect was destroyed, Shen Longteng’s face, already ruddy from his abundant Qi and Blood, had been radiating joy every day. It was as if he’d found a new lease on life. He’d even personally run a few escorts, a perfect example of how good fortune puts a man in high spirits.

He said with a laugh,

"Xie Yuan, what brings you here? People are saying you’ve locked yourself away to practice a Divine Skill. Some even say you’re fetching meals all day because you’re secretly hiding a beautiful woman in there, haha. You’re just a wet-behind-the-ears kid. I don’t believe for a second you’re that thirsty. Eating so much food... your skills must have improved again recently, right? When are you going to catch up to me?"

Xie Yuan gave a dry laugh.

"Chief, you know me. Aside from training, I have no interest in other things."

"You’re still just a fresh-faced kid, after all. But you should be eighteen by traditional counting, so it’s about time you learned a thing or two. A real man, traveling far and wide, ought to experience more of the world. You should get a taste of what a woman is like sooner rather than later, lest you get taken advantage of in the future."

Shen Longteng grinned, his words full of meaning.

Xie Yuan maintained a polite smile and changed the subject.

"Chief, I came to see you today to report something."

"Oh? Go on."

"Yu Chunsheng’s direct superior and backer, Peng Yue, was recently transferred..."

Xie Yuan then recounted the relevant details from Situ Qin’s letter to Shen Longteng.

After listening, Shen Longteng stroked the steel-like stubble on his chin, his eyes narrowing.

"I knew he was relying on his connection to Inspector General Peng Yue. I’d also heard something big was happening over in the prefecture city, but I didn’t know the details. Xie Yuan, you’re certainly well-informed."

The Escort Agency had been operating for years, but its influence was limited to a few areas in northern Yunzhou.

Shen Longteng had been famous for decades, yet his network didn’t reach that high. How was it that Xie Yuan could get firsthand information?

Seeing Shen Longteng’s impressed and astonished expression, Xie Yuan said humbly,

"I happened to hear about it from a friend while I was recovering in Yunzhou Prefecture."

"To hear news like this, your friend must be quite extraordinary."

The Old Leader seemed lost in thought but didn’t press for more details. Instead, he said slowly,

"Peng Yue has gone to the Capital City. Yu Chunsheng is now without a backer above or a foundation below. He’s completely adrift."

Thinking back... no, not long ago at all, Yu Chunsheng still had a powerful backer. The Vajra Sect provided him with an endless stream of support, and his position in Yunzhao was deeply entrenched. Neither the Escort Agency nor the County Magistrate could do anything about him.

But now...

A sharp glint flashed in Shen Longteng’s eyes.

"This makes things much easier. He won’t be wearing that official’s uniform for much longer. Just dig up all the things he’s done, and we won’t even need to lift another finger. Without anyone protecting him, he’ll be in a prison cell soon enough. The position of County Captain isn’t huge, but it’s not insignificant either. Plenty of people are interested in it. When the time comes... hmph."

"Heh, I wonder if Yu County Captain will be able to protect his own ass when he’s thrown into the very jail he’s controlled for so many years."

Shen Longteng came from a background of heroic wanderers and never minced his words. Caught up in the moment, he let out a boisterous laugh that made the paper on the windowpanes rustle.

Xie Yuan also sighed with emotion. Not long ago, he’d thought it would be difficult to take down Yu Chunsheng quickly. But in the blink of an eye, the tables had turned. He suspected the Escort Agency wasn’t the only one eyeing him like a tiger now.

’But whether it was his foundation, the Vajra Sect, or his backer, Peng Yue, it seems I was the one who got rid of them for him.’

Xie Yuan felt a sense of satisfaction, but it wasn’t complete.

’You’ve been targeting me, trying to harm me? I won’t let it go that easily.’

’My own grudge, the Escort Agency’s grudge... Thinking of all the things Yu Chunsheng has done, I have to kill this beast with my own hands to truly end it.’

Seeing that Shen Longteng was already plotting where to make his opening move to bring Yu Chunsheng down, Xie Yuan quietly sipped his tea by the side.

After a while, Shen Longteng came back to his senses and looked at Xie Yuan with praise.

"Ah, Xie Yuan, if the Escort Agency hadn’t picked up a treasure like you, the Vajra Sect would probably still be strutting around today. Hiss... they were the ones who wanted to target you back then, which is why Xingyang brought you in. Heh, they really picked a fight with the wrong person..."

Xie Yuan offered a few humble words, and Shen Longteng asked another question.

"Xie Yuan, have you made much progress in your training recently?"

"I was lucky enough to break through to the Fourth Training."

Xie Yuan said.

He had broken through to the Fourth Training several days ago but just hadn’t told anyone. In fact, he had been cooped up in his small courtyard all this time, so how could he have had the leisure to chat with others?

Shen Longteng was stunned for a moment. It seemed both surprising and expected, so his reaction wasn’t too dramatic. In any case, with Xie Yuan’s talent, breaking through every so often seemed perfectly normal.

He sighed.

"Your cultivation speed is truly something I’ve never seen in my life. So, after a little more time, are you... planning to leave the Escort Agency?"

Xie Yuan nodded silently.

Besides discussing Yu Chunsheng, he had also come today to give advance notice of his departure. He wasn’t a newcomer to the Fourth Training anymore. He would polish his skills for a while longer before making new plans.

"Are you planning to go to the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect? I heard from Old Wu that their Deacon has already left."

Shen Longteng asked.

The Lin family siblings had already said their goodbyes a few days ago. They had also conveyed Cui Zhi’s regrets, saying that whenever Xie Yuan changed his mind, he could go find him in the Outer Sect of Cloud Mountain.

Xie Yuan shook his head.

"The Cloud Mountain Sword Sect isn’t a good fit for me. As for my next step... I haven’t decided yet. I might travel to Yunzhou Prefecture or Yanzhou to the northeast. Or maybe I’ll go directly to the Capital City, the Central Plains, or Jiangnan. The world is so big, I want to go and see it."

"A good man’s ambition lies in all four corners of the world. That’s good, too."

Shen Longteng said with a sigh,

"I had similar thoughts when I was young. I even got into the Escort Agency business thinking I wouldn’t be tied to one place, that I could see the world. I thought that maybe one day, I could plant the flag of the Longteng Escort Agency in every corner of the Great Li Dynasty. Back then, I even felt our chant, ’Longteng of Yunzhou, Yunzhou’s Longteng,’ was too modest! But after all these years, I’ve only managed to make a name for myself in half of Yunzhou, and even that wasn’t easy. Looking back, half my life is already gone..."

The Old Leader was overcome with emotion for a moment, seeing the youthful vigor in Xie Yuan as if he were seeing a shadow of his younger self.

But he felt that Xie Yuan would definitely be different from him.

He smiled faintly and asked,

"It’s a bit of a shame you’re not planning to enter the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect; it’s a good place... But you surely have your own ideas, so no need to say more. I’m just wondering about your future cultivation methods. Have you made any headway on a technique for Qi and Blood Metamorphosis?"

Xie Yuan pondered for a moment. He had asked Mu Chaoyun, but the Grandmaster had simply told him to train step-by-step, saying the Golden Bell Shield was enough for him to naturally reach the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm.

As for the special methods and secret techniques that others said were needed to break through this major realm, methods to stimulate the body’s potential, Mu Chaoyun had said he didn’t need them and hadn’t elaborated.

’I don’t know what she meant. Could she have predicted that I have this Golden Finger? That’s impossible.’

Besides, even with his special ability, he could keep training without encountering bottlenecks as long as he had a Cultivation Technique. But if there was no continuation—like how the Iron Cloth Shirt was only a technique up to the Second Training—he couldn’t just create something from nothing out of it, unless he comprehended the subsequent Golden Bell Shield. It was like a road; no matter how difficult it was to travel, Xie Yuan could walk it, but there had to be a road in the first place.

Although the Golden Bell Shield could supposedly reach the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, when crossing such a major realm, having a special method to accumulate power, polish skills, solidify one’s foundation, and build up strength for a decisive burst would be more beneficial in the long run. But the Golden Bell Shield Cultivation Technique he had comprehended didn’t contain any such secrets.

’Why did Mu Chaoyun look like she couldn’t be bothered to explain it to me? Is my foundation really that good?’

Seeing him remain silent, Shen Longteng spoke.

"Although I’ve reached the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, it was a fortunate accident. To be honest, I don’t know how I broke through myself."

"Many years ago, a noble patron of the Escort Agency not only saved my life but later helped me establish the agency and gave me a chant for a training method that allowed me to break through the realm. But I had Old Wei and Old Chu try that chant, and it had no effect. It seems it was tailored specifically for my cultivation situation."

Shen Longteng shook his head, not elaborating on the Escort Agency’s old stories, and continued,

"So, while I was lucky to break through, I couldn’t advance any further. For many years, I’ve been stuck at the level of a fresh Qi Blood First Transformation, unable to go up or down. Besides not having a method, another reason is that I don’t have Inner Power... Sigh, if I had a nurturing technique, perhaps things would be different. But at my age, I’m afraid it’s already too late."

"Xie Yuan, when you break through in the future, you must be careful. Find an Inner Power technique as soon as you can and start practicing it. It’s very difficult, but it’s the key to going far. In theory, one can reach the peak of the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm by purely training external skills, but that’s just theory. In reality, by my estimation, you could reach the Second Transformation at most. Without some special opportunity, that’s the end of the road. As for the Grandmaster Realm above that, I’ve never heard of anyone reaching it just by training external skills..."

The Old Leader guided him patiently and taught him earnestly, and Xie Yuan listened with a serious expression.

Even though Xie Yuan already knew many of these things, he sincerely accepted this kindness and the elder’s experienced wisdom, taking it all to heart.

Afterward, Xie Yuan returned to his small courtyard. He trained every day and gradually grew accustomed to being alone again.

He hesitated for a long time over the bathtub in the room, but in the end, he left it standing there empty and used the one he had acquired later.

’What if it’s needed again someday?’

And whenever he looked at the small, delightful flowerbed, Xie Yuan would always remember the cool and detached Grandmaster who had lived there for so long, leaving behind an indelible mark.

He had spent a very long time cooped up in his courtyard all day, training and looking after Mu Chaoyun.

Although his status was special, Xie Yuan still wondered if he should run a few major escorts before he left. He wanted to contribute a little more, to do the job he was meant to do. After that, it would feel more appropriate to speak of his departure.

However, on this particular day, his courtyard suddenly had another visitor.

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