Zhao Yunxiao started off a little uncertain.
This was not uncertainty towards the topic at hand, but uncertainty towards himself. After all, this was his first time delivering a cultivation lecture.
Still, he made sure to put on a confident front, carefully hiding this side of his emotions from the bandits who were listening intently to his words.
Fortunately, the more he spoke, the less need there was for pretence.
Slowly but steadily, confidence started to well up from within him.
This was a confidence that naturally arose from having made ample preparation.
After all, he had spent the past few days tirelessly studying the Moonlight Sutra, even going to the extent of repeatedly bouncing his ideas off Nie Hanchang.
During this time, he had broken it down to the smallest details, making sure that he did not miss even the slightest hints of conceptual tidbits embedded within.
He had revised the explanation over and over, making sure that he did not neglect to address any possible forms of interpretation.
The first two chapters of the Moonlight Sutra were long, but his explanations were even longer.
And right now, he was even further elaborating on the explanation piece, ensuring that the bandits truly understood his intended message.
Unlike Elder Mo Tianfeng's monthly cultivation lecture, there were no law phenomena or anything fantastic of the like.
But that did not matter.
The absence of such phenomena did not shake the bandits' undivided attention to his words, nor did it prevent the message from getting across.
Some of the bandits even sat down on the rocky ground, closing their eyes to block out all distractions while focusing on Zhao Yunxiao's lecture, looking one step closer to the proper cultivators that they were aspiring to become.
In fact, they were not the only ones benefitting from this.
Compared to attending Elder Mo Tianfeng's amazing monthly cultivation lecture, Zhao Yunxiao actually felt an even greater level of satisfaction from giving this seemingly ordinary lecture of his.
Even he could not put a finger to the exact reason why, only knowing that this was a surreal feeling that he had never experienced in his life.
He had yet to realise it, but through this act of helping the bandits, his understanding of cultivation had risen to a whole new level.
By the time Zhao Yunxiao finally ended his lecture, the sun was already setting over the horizon, dyeing the sky in a beautiful gradient of orange light.
It was truly an apt timing.
The setting sun marked the end of the day, just as this stage of their lives was rapidly coming to an end.
Perhaps after today, the bandits would no longer qualify to be mentioned as ordinary mortals.
Along with the rise of tomorrow's morning sun, the bandits would effectively be joining the ranks of cultivators.
No, that's not right, either.
These people were no longer bandits.
They were champions of the moonlight.
"I don't know how much you will gain out of this. But if what I just said can eventually help you gain strength in the future, I do hope that strength would be used for good instead of evil," Zhao Yunxiao concluded. "Hopefully, that is the first thing that people will think of when they hear the phrase Moonlight Champions in the future."
"Moonlight Champions..." Jin Kequn smiled for a moment before kowtowing. "Thank you, Young Sir. Your wisdom knows no bounds!"
It was just a simple rephrasing of the term that they had used to refer to themselves before, but such a change was already more than enough to please Jin Kequn.
In his eyes, their benefactor had just bestowed a new name upon them to mark this new beginning.
From today onwards, their group shall be called the Moonlight Champions!
"Your wisdom knows no bounds!" the rest of them promptly followed suit.
Zhao Yunxiao had mixed feelings when he watched the entire group bow down towards him.
This time, he did not stop them immediately.
In order to decrease the chances of the Moonlight Champions deviating from the orthodox path, he needed them to remember that he was the one who had guided them on this path, and that he would return to provide them even more guidance in the future.
For as long as this idea remained stuck in their heads, they would have to think twice before doing anything that went against his wish for them to do good!
"Rise," Zhao Yunxiao eventually said after a minute. "We will be leaving early next morning. I'm just letting you know now that there's no need to prepare a farewell or anything like that."
"I understand," Jin Kequn nodded.
He felt regretful that Zhao Yunxiao would be leaving so soon, but he also understood that this was inevitable.
After all, there was nothing about this place that would make a cultivator like Zhao Yunxiao want to stay for long.
That night, Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang had an early rest for the first time in days.
Now that they were done simplifying the Moonlight Sutra, they no longer had to stay up like they did over the past few nights.
And even before the sun rose the next morning, Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang were already up and about.
Knock-! Knock-!
There was no response.
"We are leaving this place. Will you be staying or leaving as well?" Zhao Yunxiao called out impatiently.
This time, the door to the hut flew open almost immediately, revealing a flustered Lou Yuan within.
"Why are you suddenly leaving? Where are you going?" Lou Yuan questioned.
"We are done with our business here, so there's no reason for us to stay any longer," Zhao Yunxiao answered matter-of-factly. "We just wanted to let you know, rather than having you come out to find us gone."
"Of course I won't stay here alone!" Lou Yuan retorted. "But why are you suddenly leaving? I am yet to be done with the halberd design!"
"I thought as much, but that can't be helped. We don't have time to stay here until you are done," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged.
He had hoped that Lou Yuan would be able to complete the promised halberd design before they left, but there was no other way around it.
After all, who knows how long more it would take?
While it was certainly better to have another halberd design for reference, it was not as though he must have it, either. Zhao Yunxiao was already more than satisfied with the blueprint that he had come up with himself!
However, Lou Yuan had other plans.
"No, this would not do," Lou Yuan looked extremely dissatisfied. "I will be following you until I am done with the halberd design. There is no way that I will allow you to leave before admitting to my superiority!"
"You will be following us?" Zhao Yunxiao repeated it in surprise. "Do you even know where we are going? Are you sure you aren't just saying this because you are afraid of being captured by others if we were to leave you alone?"
"How rude! This is just a once-off matter!" Lou Yuan crossed his arms unhappily. "And of course I would have to follow you. After doubting my awesomeness like that, don't even think that you can just run away without any repercussions!"
Zhao Yunxiao exchanged glances with Nie Hanchang, and the latter shrugged nonchalantly.
From the looks of it, Nie Hanchang was leaving the decision to him again.
"If you really wish to follow us, I won't decline as well," Zhao Yunxiao started. "However, you would have to take care of yourself. We are not going to just lug around a burden on our journey."
"What burden?! You are the burden!" Lou Yuan snapped. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself, so you just have to worry about yourselves!"
"Yes, yes, so capable that you got yourself captured and unable to escape," Zhao Yunxiao scoffed. "That aside, do you even have a horse?"
"This..." Lou Yuan felt the corner of his lips twitch as he suddenly remembered that Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang had come on horseback.
And he had only just said that he would not be a burden... this slap to the face came far too soon!
"You can ride behind me," Zhao Yunxiao said with a helpless sigh. "Pack up your things and let's get going."
"S-Sure..."
Despite the early hour, many members of the Moonlight Champions were already awake.
When they noticed Zhao Yunxiao's group of three walking past, all of them stopped whatever they were doing to give them a deep bow.
No words were exchanged, but the reverence in their hearts was unmistakable.
"Why are they suddenly acting like this?" Lou Yuan asked uneasily.
He did not get any answers, but he chose not to probe any further.
Perhaps he already had an answer in his heart.
The group led the horses down to the foot of the rocky Stoneyard Hill before finally getting on horseback. From there, they set off to their next destination – Ghost Fog Valley.
***
Green Bull Inn – an old and simple two-storey inn that was located near the entrance to the mystical Ghost Fog Valley.
Yet despite the treacherous reputation of Ghost Fog Valley that boasted a high fatality rate to visitors, the inn was actually enjoying a rather brisk business atmosphere.
The main dining area contained around twenty separate tables, and just about every single one of them was seated with customers.
Zhao Yunxiao, Nie Hanchang, and Lou Yuan were seated at one of those tables as well, with a wide variety of dishes laid out before them.
It was truly a sumptuous feast, a fitting reward for a long day of travelling.
This was something that Zhao Yunxiao would never have ordered usually, and that was the case this time as well.
Initially, he had only wanted to order some simple dishes and be done with it. It was only at Lou Yuan's insistence that they increased the number of orders, though Zhao Yunxiao only agreed when Lou Yuan promised to foot the bill.
"Are you guys new to the valley?" a bald man from the adjacent table asked.
The bald man looked to be in his mid-thirties, was well-built, and donned fitting battle robes. He wore a set of flexible armour over his robes, and had a sheathed sabre hanging on his belt.
One look was enough to tell that this was a battle-hardened warrior who was always ready for a fight!
He was not the only one, either.
The other three men seated at his table gave off a similar vibe, and so did most other customers in the inn.
It was almost as though this inn was a gathering place for warriors and soldiers alike.
"Yes, we have just arrived," Zhao Yunxiao clasped his fists towards the man. "May I know if this big brother has any advice that you feel might be helpful to us?"
"Since you are asking so nicely, I guess I have no choice but to say something," the bald man looked them over from head to toe. "Your physiques are pretty good, but you seem a little underprepared in terms of your gear. If you want to hear my honest opinion, then I would suggest that you go get some weapons and armour before coming back."
"Why do we need weapons? Isn't the main danger of the valley due to the fog?" Zhao Yunxiao asked in surprise. "Or has there been a change in the situation here?"
Ghost Fog Valley had always been considered a dangerous area, but it was mainly because of the thick mist shrouding the area.
This mist made it extremely difficult to navigate within the valley, and even those familiar with the local terrain could end up not being able to find their way out.
In the end, nobody knew how many people failed to leave after entering every year, but it was estimated to be at least in the double digits, if not more.
But that was a purely navigational issue.
How would donning weapons and armour help with overcoming such a problem?
"Damn, you weren't joking when you said that you have just arrived," the bald man shook his head in disapproval. "But I guess it is also fortunate that you decided to drop by instead of heading straight into the valley. This way, at least you won't be caught off-guard when you enter."
"Hahaha! Quit scaring the kids! Don't you see how nervous they look because of you?" one of the bald man's companions laughed.
"Shut up! At least I am being kind enough to give them helpful advice. What have you done for anyone but yourself?" the bald man snapped before turning back to Zhao Yunxiao. "The fog might have been the only threat in the past, but things have changed in recent years."
"How so?" Zhao Yunxiao frowned.
"Thieves and scavengers," the bald man said solemnly. "Then again, considering the number of people getting lost in the valley every year, I guess this is only to be expected. Nowadays, there are more and more of such groups roaming the valley, specifically targeting visitors to the valley. If you are unlucky enough to encounter any of them, even ending up lost and penniless in the middle of nowhere might already be considered a fortunate outcome!"