Chapter 77: Sailing with the Wind and Against It

Hearing the whispers around him, Yang Fan's mood, already sour, grew even more dismal. He had always disliked Bai Feiyu, and now, after being made the subject of these people's gossip, he wished he could vanish from sight altogether.

Bai Feiyu, too, caught the murmurs. He turned to Yang Fan and smiled, saying, "A true man keeps his promises, adapts as needed, and is not constrained by trivial matters. No matter how many hardships lie ahead, he does not falter in the slightest."

With those words, Bai Feiyu returned to the courtyard, leaving Yang Fan stunned and alone.

Yang Fan was taken aback by Bai Feiyu's remarks. This was not the Earth of his previous life; sayings like these were unknown in this world. He felt shaken by Bai Feiyu's wisdom, realizing that Bai Feiyu's rapid rise, and his victory over Yang Fan, was not without reason. Such profound words were beyond the reach of ordinary men.

Clearly, Bai Feiyu was telling him: to become strong, one must forge ahead through adversity; a true man adapts and perseveres. If one can endure, the world opens up; if not, one is destined to fail.

Was this not his own predicament? His hatred for Bai Feiyu was deep, and he could not bear the gossip of others, clearly wanting to retreat. Now, it seemed he could not step back; instead, he had to face everything bravely.

After all, a true man is not troubled by trivialities.

Bai Feiyu had no idea that his casual words would have such a profound effect, essentially brainwashing Yang Fan and inspiring him to imagine so much. In truth, Bai Feiyu had merely intended to provoke him, to remind him that a man must keep his word or he is no man at all.

It was nothing more than a straightforward tactic, and who could have guessed Yang Fan would treat these words as guiding principles for life, finding the courage to face everything...

...

The next morning, Bai Feiyu rose early, drew a basin of water from the well, and after a simple wash, stood at his door, exuding an air of otherworldly grace.

Soon after, Qian Shuang appeared before him.

"Junior Sister Qian Shuang, you've arrived?" Bai Feiyu greeted her with an elegant smile, embodying the demeanor of a cultivated immortal.

Qian Shuang nodded, then said, "Junior Brother Feiyu, you should call on Senior Brother Yang Fan. He may be growing impatient..."

As she mentioned impatience, Qian Shuang suddenly realized the matter was quite abrupt. Decided only yesterday, Bai Feiyu probably had not informed Senior Brother Yang Fan yet...

Yang Fan, it seemed, had made no mental preparations at all. She wondered, would such an abrupt summons lead him to lash out or challenge Bai Feiyu?

The thought left Qian Shuang worried, fearing a conflict between the two.

However, the scene that followed completely confounded her expectations.

Bai Feiyu walked to Yang Fan's residence and loudly called to him, "Hey, Yang Fan, come out! I'm heading out on a mission, and I've signed you up for it as well!"

Qian Shuang then saw Senior Brother Yang Fan emerge from his new courtyard, heavy dark circles beneath his eyes as if he had not slept all night, yet his face was calm and composed, as if resigned to fate.

Despite Bai Feiyu calling him out so publicly, Yang Fan seemed completely unbothered, as though it no longer mattered to him.

Qian Shuang was baffled—what had happened? How had Senior Brother Yang Fan changed so much?

From her understanding, Yang Fan would at least resist, perhaps even flatly refuse and then engage in a fierce battle with Bai Feiyu, ending in a stalemate.

Yet Yang Fan seemed entirely unaffected, as if he had long been Bai Feiyu’s loyal follower.

"Let's go. This time, we are to escort something very important, four of us in total," Bai Feiyu said. "You’re my follower now, so you must obey me. I’ve signed you up as well."

He spoke bluntly, and to Qian Shuang’s astonishment, Yang Fan nodded in agreement, as if he would unconditionally obey Bai Feiyu’s orders.

What was happening?

Qian Shuang could not understand how Yang Fan, so spirited and stubborn, could have been tamed by Bai Feiyu in just one night. How could such a transformation occur? It seemed impossible.

Nevertheless, Qian Shuang did not dwell on it, knowing they needed to hurry to the Mission Hall. Otherwise, if she stood there puzzling over Yang Fan’s change, he might grow embarrassed and resist Bai Feiyu after all.

In truth, Qian Shuang was overthinking. The entire previous night, Yang Fan had been contemplating Bai Feiyu’s words, realizing their depth and how they had awakened him. If he were to confront Bai Feiyu head-on, that would be truly foolish.

A true man adapts; since he had lost for now, what was the harm in being Bai Feiyu’s follower? When he eventually surpassed him, letting Bai Feiyu boast and stir up trouble, only for all matters to depend on Yang Fan, everything would be reversed.

Patience brings boundless opportunity...

Yang Fan understood these principles clearly and knew what he needed to do.

Qian Shuang led Yang Fan and Bai Feiyu to the front of the Mission Hall, where three carriages were already prepared. One carriage was for transporting the item they were to escort—a spiritual artifact awarded by the Gui Xu Sect to a subordinate minor sect.

Another carriage contained their daily supplies and fodder for the horses.

The final carriage was for their own use during the journey.

This time, the Gui Xu Sect had arranged everything; they only needed to take the map and proceed directly to the minor sect.

Bai Feiyu stepped forward, took the map, and saw a slender youth approaching.

"Allow me to introduce him. His name is Shi Yuan, a disciple from the Heaven Ranking, cultivation at the ninth level of the Haoqi Realm."

"This time, the four of you will escort the artifact together. It is imperative that it reaches the minor sect safely, with no mistakes allowed."

"If anything goes wrong, the artifact is of great importance to the sect, and you will be docked spirit stones."

"Not only that, you will have to accept the sect's punishment."

"Of course, if you succeed, the reward is ten thousand spirit stones, divided evenly—each of you will receive two thousand five hundred."