From the first moment he saw Deng Baiyi, Xie Xuanyi knew.
This person was no ordinary woman.
To give up half of one's family wealth for a prophecy, in exchange for a future, how many would dare to do such a thing?
"Cultivation..."
When Deng Chicheng heard these two words, he was momentarily stunned, then he looked at his daughter and suddenly understood the reason for her previous nervousness.
In the eyes of most people.
Cultivators were beings beyond reach.
Common folk, upon seeing them, must bow respectfully, perform kowtows, and humbly address them as "Immortal Master."
Some things, if not born with, could hardly ever be obtained.
He anxiously looked at Xie Xuanyi, knowing that if he could follow this Sword Immortal in cultivation, it would be a tremendously good fortune, far better than moving houses!
Xie Xuanyi put down the teacup and gave Deng Chicheng a meaningful glance.
Deng Chicheng got the hint and quickly dismissed the servants.
After everyone had gone to the back courtyard.
In the great hall, only Xie Xuanyi and Deng Baiyi remained.
"Do you wish to cultivate?" Xie Xuanyi asked with a slight smile.
"Yes."
Deng Baiyi said earnestly, "Mainly, I want to cultivate with you."
"Who you cultivate with is still cultivation."
Xie Xuanyi shook his head and said, "A master leads you to the door, cultivation depends on the individual. This matter mainly depends on talent. Some people are naturally gifted and can comprehend the Dao on their own without guidance. Others, however, no matter how much guidance they receive, still progress slowly."
Deng Baiyi looked thoughtful, as if she understood but did not quite grasp it.
"I can introduce you to the path, but I cannot be your master."
Xie Xuanyi said unhurriedly, "It's not that I am unwilling, but that I cannot… There are some reasons I cannot explain conveniently, but since I promised you a great opportunity, I will not go back on my word. I will find you a good master."
Deng Baiyi's eyes lit up.
That was the response she wanted.
"Lichao City."
Deng Baiyi stated a place.
She placed her hands on the stone table, stood up, and looked directly into Xie Xuanyi's eyes, lowering her voice slowly, "The Taoist told me, if you wake up and want to find the Flying Sword, go to Lichao City. I don't know any more clues... If you don't trust me, take me with you."
"Lichao City?"
Xie Xuanyi frowned slightly. The name sounded familiar.
He remembered.
East and south of Yuzhu Town, in the area of Qing State, near the North Sea, there indeed was such a city, neither large nor small, famous for 'viewing tides.' Every year during the lunar August, it was the season of high tides, attracting many tourists to watch.
Lichao City was adjacent to the North Sea.
After he threw himself into the North Sea that year, it was quite possible that he was washed ashore by the sea.
In that case.
Lichao City was indeed worth exploring.
"What did that Taoist look like?"
Xie Xuanyi tapped lightly on the stone table with his finger.
Deng Baiyi thought carefully and said, "He had the look of a saint, with white beard and white hair, dressed in a white robe, looking just like a highly cultivated master."
"Is that why you believe him? It's not that simple," Xie Xuanyi chuckled, arms crossed, leaning slightly back.
"Do I have a choice?"
Deng Baiyi slowly sat down, her eyes filled with self-mockery. Her hands, previously pressing on the stone table, dug into her palms, leaving deep red marks.
Yuzhu Town was besieged by a Great Demon, and Tu Fei explicitly named her to be taken into his household.
A weak woman, what more could she struggle against.
"Since he is a highly cultivated master, why didn't you ask him to kill the demon?"
Xie Xuanyi remained calm.
The more he recalled, the more he felt...the events he encountered after waking up from the coffin all emitted a subtle scent of conspiracy.
It was as if someone was pulling the strings, step by step, setting up this scenario.
Deng Baiyi said hoarsely, "Of course, I asked, but his price was too high. I couldn't afford it."
Xie Xuanyi asked gravely, "Price?"
"To kill these demons, he wanted half of my life!"
Deng Baiyi said bitterly, "To point out a path to survival, he only wants half of my family wealth. Which would you choose?"
Xie Xuanyi fell silent.
In his memory, cultivators who could divine and direct lost souls were mostly from the Taoist sect.
Taoists act without overstepping, follow their desires, and believe in karma.
If there is a fate, warning or even lending a hand is quite normal.
But demanding a "payment" was unheard of.
The people of the Taoist sect don't have this habit.
Just asking Deng Baiyi for half of her life alone, it was clear that the mysterious and peculiar White Robed Taoist was definitely not a good person.
Xie Xuanyi quietly pondered for a moment.
A moment later, he made a decision.
"Prepare the carriage, pack up the belongings. Those who wish to relocate, follow me and leave Yuzhu Town for Lichao City."
...
...
An hour later, a not-so-large caravan departed from Yuzhu Town.
In total, the caravan consisted of eleven people and four carriages.
Not everyone possessed the courage of Deng Baiyi to take such a gamble; nearly half of the servants from the Deng family opted to stay in Yuzhu Town.
Those who chose to leave were mostly younger.
Sitting alone in the middle carriage, Deng Chicheng felt extremely uneasy. From time to time, he lifted the curtain and looked back at the town's silhouette that was now only visible in outline... Having lived in Northern County for many years, he had always wanted to leave but never had the chance. Now that his "dream came true", he was not as happy as he had imagined.
Xie Xuanyi said he would arrange a new residence for the Deng family, a place they need not worry about being troubled by demonic creatures.
As far as he knew.
All of Northern County was in chaos, and other places might not be much better than Yuzhu Town.
The "Lichao City" they were heading to was only slightly more stable, not necessarily much safer.
The travel permit of Da Chu was incredibly hard to come by, and he totally believed this young man could take one or two people to the Central State.
But considering Xie Xuanyi's attitude.
It seemed it didn't matter how many people he took...
Is this really okay?
All sorts of questions like this surfaced in Deng Chicheng's mind, but what really unsettled him was not the relocation.
He kept lifting the curtain and looking back, actually observing the movements inside the last carriage.
The young Sword Immortal had agreed to teach his daughter cultivation!
He wondered how her cultivation was going now?
With winter approaching and the north wind as sharp as a knife, almost no one traveled in Northern County during this weather. The few carriages of the Deng family estate sped down the border highway, the sound of horse hooves resonating like striking bells and drums, yet if one were inside the last section of the caravan, it would feel as quiet as heaven.
There were three people inside this carriage.
Xie Xuanyi sat opposite Deng Baiyi.
In between them, a little girl lay fast asleep.
Jiang Huang had not awoken since she was brought back to the Deng residence. The nanny who was in charge of taking care of her had bathed her, combed her hair, and changed her clothes, originally planning to take her to another carriage for better care.
But this request was flatly rejected by Xie Xuanyi.
This little girl looked delicate and harmless, but she was actually a Great Demon with phoenix blood capable of swallowing everyone whole!
For safety's sake, it was best to keep her close and watch over her personally.
If any accident occurred, they could respond immediately.
The carriage was unusually quiet at the moment.
Deng Baiyi sat up straight, hands on her knees, head tilted back, looking intently at the yellowed talisman attached to the carriage ceiling.
She had heard of such Immortal talismans before.
But it was the first time she saw one with her own eyes — an ordinary piece of talisman paper!
Yet, with just a few sloppy ink characters, it could completely isolate all external noise from an entire carriage section!
"All things have spirits, heaven and earth have primordial energy."
Xie Xuanyi pinched a new piece of talisman paper between two fingers, and with another, he lightly dipped some ink and sketched on the paper.
"The flowers, the trees, the animals, and the rocks you see are all products of heaven and earth, and so are we. Humans and the Demon Race, we are all favored children nurtured by heaven and earth."
"The so-called 'cultivation' is the process of all living beings, with a touch of spirit, communicating with the primordial energy of heaven and earth."
"The higher the spirit, the smoother the communication process."
"And the more primordial energy... the stronger the cultivator's power naturally becomes."
Deng Baiyi stared hard at Xie Xuanyi's fingertips.
"Most people you see as Immortal Masters are actually just Qi Refining Masters who can manipulate primordial energy. In the cultivation world, they are the lowest level of existence."
Xie Xuanyi smiled, "As long as one can use a bit of heaven and earth's primordial energy, one can draw talismans, create Immortal Traces..."
He lifted the curtain and tossed the talisman paper out.
With a boom!
The talisman paper, like a flying sword, shot dozens of feet away into the woods beside them, and then exploded in an instant!
Several horses were startled, quickening their pace, and the speed of the caravan surged dramatically!
Xie Xuanyi's casual throw.
Left Deng Baiyi's heart pounding, unable to calm down for a long time.
She stretched out her arm, holding the carriage curtain open, gazing entranced at the rising smoke in the distance.
"Most Qi Refining Masters are just the lowest level of existence..."
Deng Baiyi's mind echoed with Xie Xuanyi's words.
She remembered clearly, previously, a so-called high and mighty Immortal Master had arrived in Yuzhu Town, boasting of slaying demons and eradicating evils.
But it wasn't long before he was torn apart and devoured by Tu Fei and the others!
Above Tu Fei, there was the Evil Cultivator of Yin Mountain, the Misty Taoist who practiced the Spirit Control Technique!
And Xie Xuanyi, who could slay the Misty Taoist... what kind of existence was he?