As Xu Yi sat down at the table, he initiated the conversation. "How are you feeling, miss?" he inquired, his cheeks flushing slightly. Anticipating the moment, he quickly averted his gaze, focusing on the view outside the window instead of directly at Mei Lin.
"I'm feeling much better, thanks to you. My wound wasn't as severe as it could have been, and it's healing quickly," Mei Lin replied gratefully.
"That's a relief to hear," Xu Yi responded, visibly relaxing. "Anyway, I'm curious about your cultivation progress these days," he continued, his face lighting up with excitement and a bright smile spreading across his face.
Mei Lin noticed the sudden change in Xu Yi's expression, so she quickly responded. "I will reach the first stage of BT soon."
"Ohh, that's perfect!" Xu Yi interrupted, his excitement evident. "I'll reach the second stage in no time. Then I can protect us from the bandits. When I saw the old guard, I realized the difference between him and me. His power was unimaginable compared to mine."
Xu Yi started talking about his cultivation and what he planned to do after they found the rest of the caravan. Mei Lin looked at him, noticing how he was completely immersed in his world, speaking enthusiastically about what would happen.
"Stop!" Mei Lin interrupted sharply. "I don't think you can protect us, even if you reach the second stage of BT. If we hadn't found the guards to help us, the bandits would have slaughtered us. We must choose whether to continue moving with the house or go on foot. The house is too big for us to protect."
Xu Yi began to consider Mei Lin's words seriously and then went downstairs to discuss the situation with his mother. Meanwhile, Mei Lin finished her dinner and retired to her room for the night. Lying in bed, her thoughts turned to her master.
'I need to find Master as fast as I can,' Mei Lin thought. 'I also need to enter the first stage of BT. Compared to others at the first stage of BT, I don't stand a chance. I need to increase my natural energy inside my cultivation sea so I can use it to help me in fights. I need to find blood flowers.'
Gradually, Mei Lin's thoughts quieted, and she drifted off to sleep, her mind set on her goals for the days ahead.
Next morning.
Mei Lin woke up very early and went to the second floor to sit on the cultivation mat and continue her cultivation. Soon she will be at the late stage to the first stage so she starts to think if they should find a caravan leader as soon as possible to be safe or continue in the tea house. 'We can't protect ourselves against the bandits. Last time it was just luck that we survived. It will depend on how Xu Yi and Xu Yi decide and if we will continue by the foot or not.'
Just before entering into her cultivation state, Mei Lin saw Xu Yi come up to the second floor with breakfast. He placed the meal on the tea table and sat down.
"Yesterday, we decided that we should wait until I reach the second stage. Once all the herbs run out and the slug starts wandering on its own, we will go by foot," Xu Yi explained.
"All right, we will wait here then," Mei Lin quickly agreed.
With their plan set, Mei Lin prepared herself to enter into a cultivation state, determined to make the most of the time they had.
The slug was already on the move when both Mei Lin and Xu Yi settled down to eat a light breakfast. After finishing their meal, they sat across from each other and entered their cultivation states. The atmosphere was serene and focused as they cultivated in silence.
Late at night, Mei Lin ended her cultivation session and opened her eyes, only to find that she was once again alone on the second floor. The quiet darkness enveloped her, and she took a moment to gather her thoughts and decided to look for flood flowers.
Mei Lin stepped outside the house, determined to search for blood flowers. She combed the area meticulously for half an hour but returned empty-handed. Frustrated by yet another unsuccessful attempt, she sighed and headed back inside.
Days went by.
After two more days, Xu Yi successfully reached the second stage of BT. Both Xu Yi and Xu Jie were extremely happy with his progress. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and the slug continued its slow journey forward. For those two days, they didn't encounter any other slug houses along the way so they decided to celebrate Xu Yi's success.
Xu Jie and Xu Yi didn't know why, but along the way, there were still traces of fighting. This was the only route out of the mountains to the central part of the Han region. From there, they would need to travel south to reach the Green Jade Sect. The mountain range served as a natural border, separating the Han region from the eastern part of the southern region. As they pressed on, the signs of past battles served as a constant reminder of the dangers that still lurking around.
Cultivators could cross the mountain range without problems, but caravans had to navigate through canyons to move between the eastern and southern parts. At the beginning and end of this canyon were two large cities. Mei Lin and the caravan were currently heading toward Peng City. From there, Mei Lin could travel to the Green Jade Sect, the overlord sect in the northeast corner of the southern part of the Han region. The journey through the canyon was crucial, as it connected the east and south, and reaching Peng City caravans usually head straight to the Green Jade Sect to sell their goods which was restocked in the Peng City.
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