In his humble abode, Su Yi immediately gave orders upon his return. "Pack up. We will leave soon."
Tea Jin was taken aback. "Leave?"
Su Yi glanced at her. "Is there a problem?"
Tea Jin's heart trembled, and she quickly shook her head. "Young Master, where are we going?"
"Gunzhou," Su Yi replied as he entered the room.
Tea Jin was left stunned. Was it decided just like that, to leave?
If they were going to leave, why didn't they join Ling Xue and the others on the boat?
Even if they were leaving, they should have prepared a day in advance, shouldn't they?
How could they just leave on a whim?
In that instant, Tea Jin couldn't quite figure out Su Yi.
However, despite her confusion, she quickly returned to her room to pack up.
In truth, there wasn't much to pack, just a few clothes.
When she walked out of her room, she saw Su Yi in the pavilion, folding up the wicker chair.
Tea Jin was dumbfounded. Who would bring a chair on a long journey?
"Young Master, should we prepare some dry rations or rain gear?"
"No need."
"Then... will you be traveling by boat, horse, or carriage?"
"On foot."
Upon hearing this answer, Tea Jin couldn't help but press her hand against her forehead, her pretty face dazed.
They were going to Gunzhou City, which was nearly 800 miles away!
Even if they rode horses at full gallop, including rest and recovery time, it would still take four to five days to reach Gunzhou City!
And now they were going on foot?
It wasn't until she followed Su Yi out of the humble abode and watched him lock the courtyard gate that Tea Jin finally snapped out of her daze and said, "Young Master, are you really going on foot?"
"You can think of it as a spontaneous hiking journey," Su Yi replied, hands behind his back, striding towards the distance. "By measuring the land with our footsteps and observing the scenery along the way with a tranquil mind, dining on the wind and dew, braving the wind and rain, it will be greatly beneficial to us cultivators."
"Cultivation? Why do I feel like you just want to follow Wen Lingxue to Gunzhou City?" Tea Jin muttered to herself.
Although filled with confusion, Tea Jin obediently followed along. However, the thought of walking all the way to Gunzhou City made her feel a bit overwhelmed.
Su Yi didn't think so much about it.
He had been stuck in the Consolidation Realm Initial Stage for several days, and if he didn't make a breakthrough soon, he would find it unbearable.
Marquis Wuling, Chen Zheng, had invited him to Blood Thistle Demon Mountain, but the beast tide there wouldn't arrive for another month.
He couldn't wait that long.
Moreover, going to Gunzhou City wasn't just a whim.
Firstly, he wanted to eliminate some hidden dangers, such as Wei Zhengyang.
Then, he would meet with Wen Lingzhuo and have a frank conversation with her.
Even if he couldn't immediately dissolve the engagement, Su Yi would still warn Wen Lingzhuo that he, Su Yi, would never tolerate being cuckolded while being officially married.
Otherwise, he wouldn't mind killing Wen Lingzhuo as well.
Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.
After all, he could turn a blind eye to certain things for the sake of Wen Lingxue's face. It would be best not to resort to violence against her sister.
Apart from that, going to Gunzhou City would also allow him to meet Weng Yunqi. He could visit the Gunzhou branch of the Yin Sha Sect and help Qian Wan gather some clues about her origins.
Furthermore, Gunzhou City was one of the core territories among the six provinces of the world. Its scale and prosperity far exceeded that of Yunhe County.
According to rumors, Gunzhou City possessed abundant resources suitable for the cultivation of martial arts masters, with a profound heritage.
The Tianyuan Academy, one of the ten major academies of Da Zhou, was located on "Tianyuan Mountain" just dozens of miles away from Gunzhou City.
Many martial arts masters from the six provinces of Gunzhou resided in the city because only a place like that could satisfy their cultivation needs.
As the saying goes, "People climb higher."
...
One day later.
Yuan Luoxi arrived cheerfully at the entrance of the Hu Lu Lane, intending to invite Su Yi to her home as a guest.
But when she saw the iron lock on the gate of the humble abode, she was immediately stunned.
Mr. Su is out?
Yuan Luoxi thought for a moment and began to inquire among the residents of Hu Lu Lane. Soon, she got her answer:
Yesterday, Su Yi had already left with Tea Jin!
Yuan Luoxi returned home with a heart full of disappointment.
When Yuan Wutong learned of this news, he was also taken aback but then sighed, saying, "As expected, someone like Mr. Su would not stay long in a small place like Yunhe County."
"But if Mr. Su wanted to leave, why didn't he say so in advance?"
Yuan Luoxi lamented.
"Why would someone like him bother to tell us?" Yuan Wutong retorted.
Yuan Luoxi was taken aback. Yes, how could someone as free-spirited as Mr. Su care about farewells and send-offs?
Yuan Wutong's expression turned serious as he warned, "My girl, we are not from the same world as him. No matter how hard you try to catch up, you will never reach him. Instead, you'll only drift further away from him."
Yuan Luoxi's face blushed, and she scolded, "Father, what are you saying? I only have admiration and respect for Mr. Su. I have no other improper thoughts."
Yuan Wutong said, "Is that so?"
Without hesitation, Yuan Luoxi replied firmly, "Of course!"
Her answer was resolute.
However, on her way back to her room, Yuan Luoxi felt a sense of confusion. Did she truly only feel admiration and respect for Mr. Su?
If that were the case, why did she feel so disappointed and lost when she learned that Mr. Su had left without saying goodbye?
Lost in her thoughts, Yuan Luoxi returned to her room, feeling absent-minded. She couldn't bring herself to do anything and lacked energy.
"Oh, Mr. Su mentioned that he would also go to Gunzhou City. And soon, I will be going to Tianyuan Academy to cultivate. We will have a chance to meet then!"
When she thought of this, Yuan Luoxi's eyes lit up, and her face radiated a different kind of charm.
She suddenly realized that it was already late in the day, and she had foolishly sat in her room the whole day, almost starving.
"Someone, prepare a meal for me. I want to eat a good meal!"
As Yuan Luoxi walked out of her room, she was full of vigor.
At the same time, in a desolate mountainous area 300 miles away from Yunhe County, heavy rain poured down in torrents.
The night was dark, and the rain was pouring heavily, making the leaves and grass rustle.
In a cave about three zhang (about 10 meters) in size in the midst of the mountains, resembling a crude room, there was shelter from the wind and rain.
Inside the cave, a bonfire crackled, providing warmth.
Outside the cave, the night was pitch black, with pouring rain and a bitter wind that brought bone-chilling dampness.
"Master, it seems we'll have to spend the night here."
Tea Jin spoke softly.
She sat by the bonfire, dressed in a convenient and simple robe, her lustrous black hair tied up, revealing her slender and fair neck.
However, even in plain attire, her peerless beauty couldn't be hidden.
"Why worry? Hurrying along the road will only make us overlook the beauty of the mountains and rivers along the way."
On the side, Su Yi sat leisurely in a rattan chair, holding a jug of wine, drinking it sip by sip, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Tea Jin's lips twitched slightly.
"What beauty of mountains and rivers?" she thought. "Since leaving Yunhe County, we've been trudging through muddy and rugged mountain roads, surrounded by desolate mountains and wild ridges. When we're thirsty, we can only drink from springs, and when we're hungry, we have to hunt and gather wild fruits to fill our stomachs. How much hardship have we endured along this journey?"
In just a day and a night, they had encountered three sudden downpours. Their clothes had become wet and dry repeatedly, filled with the smell of sweat and dust. Even Tea Jin, who was always clean, was reaching her limit.
Su Yi glanced at Tea Jin and said, "Great masters of Buddhism have walked barefoot in coarse robes, braving the harshness and coldness of the land without fearing extreme weather. Daoist practitioners have traversed between impoverished mountains and treacherous waters, seeking to experience the wonders of the world. Confucian scholars often say, 'Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books.' Do you know why?"
Tea Jin was taken aback and asked, "Why?"
Su Yi took a sip of wine from the jug and casually replied, "The beauty of heaven and earth does not need words, and all things follow natural laws without explanation. The essence of the Dao lies under your feet as you walk along this journey."
"But why do I feel nothing of that sort?" Tea Jin asked with confusion.
Su Yi fell silent for a moment and then said, "Because you are foolish."
Tea Jin: "..."
Su Yi couldn't be bothered to discuss it further. He shifted his gaze to the darkness outside the cave, gazing into the distance.
Just then, amidst the stormy night, the sound of footsteps suddenly came, initially from a faraway distance and then growing nearer.
Tea Jin's beautiful eyes contracted, and she saw a tall and burly figure striding forward. As rain fell on him, it was instantly repelled by his imposing presence.
He exuded a formidable aura, his eyes flickering like thunder and lightning. He carried a massive sheathed sword on his back, and as he approached, an oppressive force overwhelmed everyone.
A master!
Tea Jin couldn't help but become wary. In such a desolate area, in the pouring rain of the night, the appearance of a powerful martial artist was enough to make anyone cautious.
What was even more shocking was that the burly man held a magnificent tiger in his hands, with a deep fist imprint on the tiger's collapsed head.
Clearly, he had killed it with a single punch!
This tiger weighed at least several hundred catties, yet he held it as if it were nothing.
"Apologies for the intrusion. The rain was too heavy, and when I saw the flickering firelight from afar, I hurried over. I'll leave once the rain stops."
The burly man entered the cave and casually threw the tiger's corpse to the ground before sitting down beside the bonfire.
Tea Jin couldn't help but glance at Su Yi, but he remained seated in his rattan chair, seemingly completely oblivious.
Or perhaps he was completely ignoring the arrival of this burly man.
Observing this, Tea Jin pursed her lips and remained silent.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
The burly man with a beard seemed somewhat puzzled. He glanced at Su Yi, then at Tea Jin, and finally shook his head. He didn't say anything more and leaned against the rock wall, closing his eyes to rest.
In the darkness, only the sound of wind and rain and the crackling of the bonfire filled the air.
Tea Jin sat there, feeling extremely uncomfortable. If this heavy rain continued, would they have to remain vigilant like this all the time?
Suddenly, a sound of breaking through the air echoed in the distance, amidst the night rain.
Tea Jin was taken aback. Was someone else coming?
The burly man, leaning against the rock wall, quietly opened his eyes, sat up straight, and spoke:
"You don't need to panic. Whatever happens later, just watch and don't get involved."
Su Yi, who had been silent all this time, spoke with an indifferent expression, "If you really don't want to involve us, you should leave this place now instead of uttering these useless words."