The Pine Tree Spirit's tone had become a bit unfriendly, so Li Yaner immediately turned accommodating and said,
"That's really great; the name sounds so imposing!"
The Pine Tree Spirit was satisfied,
"I think so too!"
So when Gu Shi Yi woke up after a long sleep, she found that her best friend had become the follower of the Tree Spirit residing in the broken clay pot, and the Tree Spirit was called Big Boss,
"Big Boss?"
Gu Shi Yi was a bit stunned and felt like she still hadn't fully woken up. Big Boss, full of pride, said,
"Right, it's a good name, isn't it? It sounds so powerful!"
Gu Shi Yi glanced at the clay figure, whose lips were pursed into a tight line. They exchanged glances, nodded at each other,
"It is quite imposing!"
After Gu Shi Yi had her sleep, her spirits finally revived, and the grief subsided, bringing back the feeling of hunger. She felt so hungry that her front touched her back, and she was wobbly on her feet. Hurriedly, she went outside to cook. With the leftover pig's head meat, she ate five bowls of rice. When chewing the meat, she remembered that it was the Old Taoist Priest who had bought it and couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow. She ate while tears fell, swallowing them back with her rice.
By the time she was full, it was already the middle of the night. So she sat in the courtyard, absorbing Moon Essence Qi with the clay figure while discussing their departure,
"Master told me to go to the capital before heading home, so let's head to the capital first. Didn't you say we divined it? You might find a corpse there that can revive your soul!"
Li Yaner naturally had no objections, and Big Boss also said,
"I've heard that there are many famous flowers and unusual trees in the capital. I want to go check it out and see if they're more robust or if I am!"
Having said that, it assumed a strong pose, puffing up its body. Gu Shi Yi glanced at it and couldn't be bothered with it, just continuing to list the things they needed to take away with Li Yaner,
"We must bring the contents of the bundle and the silver notes, and leave everything else behind..."
As she said this, she looked around with a sad face. After all, she had spent several years here, and the Old Taoist Priest was buried here; it was natural for her to feel reluctant to leave. Li Yaner then comforted her,
"After we finish what we need to do, we can come back here to rebuild the temple and always stay by Master's side..."
Gu Shi Yi nodded,
"Okay, we'll go to the capital first then to my home, and after that, we'll come back to accompany the Old Taoist Priest!"
Having settled their plans, they packed the next day, wrapping all the belongings they could take into a big bundle. Gu Shi Yi hung a cloth bag around her neck, which contained her best friend, shouldered the big bundle on her right, carried the broken clay pot in her left arm, and then started down the mountain looking back every three steps. From then on, it was the far ends of the world, and by the time she would return, the seas had changed.
After descending the mountain, Gu Shi Yi first headed to the small town at the foot of the mountain,
"You know, this place is called White Horse State. To the east is Looking South State, and to the west, there's Broken Dragon Ridge, beyond which lies a vast desert known as Ten Thousand Sands State. Past Ten Thousand Sands State is Great West State, and going north from there is Chenzhou. South of White State is a vast ocean called Illusion Sea, and to the north is Dumo State. White Horse State comprises several countries, with Great Yue Country being the largest. Our destination is Huangjing, the capital of Great Yue Country, and that's where my upstart senior brother serves as a national advisor..."
Gu Shi Yi, holding the broken clay pot, walked down the streets of the town, whispering to herself as she went. This was meant for Li Yaner and Big Boss to hear. Li Yaner was fine, cautiously poking her head out from Gu Shi Yi's collar, curiously observing the surroundings. Seeing the people here looked similar to her own world, except for different clothes and accents, she didn't face much of a language barrier since she had been familiar with them over the many years she had known Gu Shi Yi.
However, Big Boss, who had never been exposed to the world, was trembling with excitement. It was holding back the urge to twist around and said in a low voice,
"So many places, I want to go, I want to go, Gu Shi Yi... take me!"
When Gu Shi Yi heard that, she let out a snicker,
"You haven't seen the world, what's this? The places I talked about are just a small part of this continent. It's said that beyond Illusion Sea there's an Ancient Continent, which is even more vast. However, nobody has been able to cross Illusion Sea safely until now. Since ancient times, only a very few people have gone there and returned. It's said that the Spiritual Energy is richer there, with numerous Immortal Gates, and even more cultivators, which also means more chaos. They often fight and kill without any care for mortal beings!"
This continent also experienced a time long ago when blood flowed like rivers, not just among Immortals, but hardly any mortals were left either. Afterward, everyone saw where things were heading—they were on track to annihilate themselves!