Volume 1, Chapter 18: Father, I Want to Cultivate

At the foot of Stony Mountain.

"Why have you stopped?" Lin Yusheng looked at Liu Yiyun.

Liu Yiyun shook his head. "My horse is gone."

They were over a thousand miles from the Vault of Heaven Sacred Ground. If he couldn't travel by mount, he had no idea how long it would take to reach his destination on foot.

"Oh? My condolences," Lin Yusheng said, bowing her head. "Please, stay strong."

"???"

Is she insane?

Liu Yiyun couldn't be bothered to explain, so he changed the subject. "Is your home in this direction as well?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Then where is your home?"

"Qianyuan Province, Starfall City."

Liu Yiyun’s predecessor had spent his spare time reading about local anecdotes in the library, so he was quite familiar with the various sects, clans, and cities of the Southern Region. After a moment of thought, memories regarding Starfall City surfaced.

Starfall City had been founded thirteen hundred years ago by the rogue cultivator Starfall Master, located three hundred miles west of Azure Cloud City.

Azure Cloud City and the Vault of Heaven Sacred Ground were both in Qianyuan Province, while the Joyous Union Sect of Azure Province was thousands of miles to the west of Azure Cloud City. In that case, had Lin Yusheng already walked past her own home?

He stared into Lin Yusheng’s eyes, which shone with the clear, naive innocence of a college student. "Are you pathologically directionless?"

"Huh? How did you know, Young Master?"

Case closed!

Liu Yiyun’s voice rose in volume. "If you’re directionless, why would you go traveling to that godforsaken Star-Pulling Sea all by yourself? Aren't you afraid of getting lost?"

"I wasn't by myself; I had a servant with me."

"And where is that servant now?"

"Oh, he was killed by the young master of the Joyous Union Sect who happened to pass by."

"The cultivation world is so dangerous, yet your family let you go to the Star-Pulling Sea? Did you run away from home?"

"Huh? How did you know, Young Master?"

Well, case closed again.

Damn it, I really am a sucker!

"Hah! Forget it, I'll take you back." Liu Yiyun couldn't help but feel defeated by such a young mistress. If he truly left Lin Yusheng to her own devices, she would either be eaten by monsters or snatched up by human traffickers like the young master of the Joyous Union Sect within half a day.

"Oh, Young Master, you’re so kind!" Upon hearing that Liu Yiyun would escort her home, Lin Yusheng took his hand and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

Fortunately, Lin Yusheng was a "coquette," which made Liu Yiyun feel slightly less miserable. If she had been a shrew, he would have just left her there to be eaten by monsters.

He looked at the sun slowly rising above and then at Lin Yusheng’s delicate feet. He thought that, at her pace, she wouldn't even reach Starfall City by tonight, let alone make it back to the Vault of Heaven Sacred Ground to grind for cultivation.

Liu Yiyun took off his menial disciple robe and draped it over Lin Yusheng; her Joyous Union Sect attire was far too conspicuous in broad daylight, and he had a padded coat underneath anyway.

After draping it over her, he squatted down in front of her. "Get on. You're too slow; I'll carry you."

"Mm," Lin Yusheng hummed, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz. She felt a bit embarrassed, but she climbed onto his back nonetheless.

Liu Yiyun felt how soft she was and blushed. Suddenly filled with energy, he stepped out and began to run forward.

"By the way, Miss Lin, the Joyous Union Sect is so far away, how did you end up over here?"

"We had horses back then."

...

Five hours later, they finally arrived at Starfall City, leaving Liu Yiyun utterly exhausted.

Entering the city required a fee of one tael of silver, but he didn't have a single copper to his name. It was only when Lin Yusheng stepped forward that the guards allowed them inside.

The Lin family, where Lin Yusheng resided, was quite a significant clan in Starfall City. Even outside the courtyard walls, Liu Yiyun could sense several auras far stronger than his own—they were undoubtedly Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Miss Lin, go back and change your clothes first. Remember to return my robe later. Don't tell anyone else, or it will bring me trouble. Also, bring me two flatbreads. And—oh, right—ten taels of silver; I need to buy a horse..." Standing at a secluded back gate of the Lin estate, Liu Yiyun gave Lin Yusheng constant instructions, terrified of missing any vital detail.

And it was important—take the flatbreads, for instance. He could normally go days without eating by absorbing spiritual energy, but after last night's battle and this morning's mad dash, he was starving.

Lin Yusheng was quick; she returned in less than ten minutes.

She had removed her veil and was now dressed in a purple, gold-embroidered gown, carrying a wooden box in her hands with his robe folded on top.

Liu Yiyun took one look and froze. She was too beautiful!

How beautiful, exactly?

He instantly understood why so many people in his past life claimed that purple carried a certain charm.

If the little snake girl, who could transform into a long-legged, silk-stocking-wearing seductress, was a hundred out of a hundred, then Lin Yusheng was at least a ninety-nine.

The kicker was that the little snake girl used charms and illusions, basing her appearance on the ceiling of beauty in the Heaven Profound Continent!

Lin Yusheng, relying solely on her own natural beauty, reached the level of the ceiling fan hanging just below that ceiling.

It was beyond words!

More importantly, the two had completely opposite temperaments.

The little snake girl exuded an irresistible charm that whispered, "I am here to seduce you."

Lin Yusheng, however, carried the gentle, dignified grace of a well-bred young lady, making one want to be close to her yet keep a respectful distance, fearing that any contact might sully her. She was truly a masterpiece of the mortal world.

And the most, most, most important thing of all: she was human, and they didn't have