Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Li Tai nodded.

"This Lu the Third is a major bandit chief from the West Desert. He’s a merciless killer with profound cultivation. He’s not to be underestimated."

Xie Yuan understood now. So, Lu the Third was from the West Desert.

To the west and north of Yunzhou lay the Beidu Mountain Range, stretching for a thousand miles. Beyond the Beidu Mountain Range was a vast expanse of desert. Since it was located outside the western borders of the Great Li Dynasty, it was known as the West Desert.

The West Desert served as a buffer zone between the Great Li Dynasty and the nations of the Western Regions. It was a lawless land, long a haven for fugitives and demonic cultivators—a place of utter chaos.

Since Lu the Third was a Grandmaster who had started as a desert bandit, tracking and raiding were his stock-in-trade. Once he set his sights on you, escape was nearly impossible. That explained why he and Miss Yun had been caught despite fleeing so far, and how he had repeatedly found them even with Miss Yun’s incredible concealment abilities.

However, the West Desert and Yunzhou were separated by Beidu Mountain and weren’t adjacent. ’How did he end up here?’

Li Tai continued,

"As for this female Grandmaster, I’ve never heard of her. But based on your description of her Body Technique, she might be from the Mu family of Beidu Mountain."

’The Mu family of Beidu Mountain?’

’There are families living inside Beidu Mountain... Hmm.’

Xie Yuan shook his head. Even if there were Martial Dao clans in the mountains, it was perfectly normal that a former mountain woodsman like him wouldn’t have known about them.

Situ Qin chimed in with an explanation,

"The Mu family of Beidu Mountain is a reclusive clan that few people know about. Though their name isn’t well-known, their strength is nothing to scoff at. They perennially have a member on the Flying Dragon List and are considered a first-rate power just below the eight great clans.

"The Mu family is famous for divination and Arrays. They hole up in the mountains studying all sorts of esoteric arts. They have a decent relationship with the Daoist sects but have little contact with other clans, so I don’t know much about them either."

Hearing this, Xie Yuan nodded slightly. Based on the description, it seemed highly likely that Miss Yun was from the Mu family.

’She must have escaped in the end... leaving me behind.’

The thought made Xie Yuan a little uncomfortable, but he also felt that anyone would have made the same choice.

She had already been injured trying to help him. Fleeing when she could do no more was a perfectly rational decision.

’But I was innocent in all of this...’ Xie Yuan shook his head, pushing the thoughts away.

Just then, Li Tai cupped his hands toward Situ Qin and said apologetically,

"Miss, when Lu the Third wanted to leave just now, it wasn’t wise for me to stop him."

Situ Qin waved her small hands repeatedly.

"Tai Bo, there’s no need to explain. I trust your judgment. Besides, I’ve told you before: you are responsible for my safety and you are my elder, but you are not my family’s slave."

Li Tai looked ashamed and repeatedly said he didn’t deserve such words.

Xie Yuan glanced discreetly at Situ Qin, then at Li Tai, his mind reeling.

’This Tai Bo is an expert on the Flying Dragon List, yet she has a Flying Dragon List Master as her personal bodyguard... I doubt even a princess would receive such treatment. Is she the direct heiress of some great clan?’

Li Tai turned back to Xie Yuan and said politely,

"Master Xie, my primary duty is the young miss’s safety..."

Xie Yuan quickly cupped his hands.

"You’re too kind, Senior. This junior understands. Besides, I would not dare ask another to settle today’s grudge for me. I will repay it with my own hands one day."

He spoke the last words with firm, deliberate resolve.

Li Tai’s responsibility was to protect Situ Qin, not to vent Xie Yuan’s anger for him.

If he gave chase, it would be unacceptable for anything to happen to Situ Qin while she was left behind. And if he brought Situ Qin with him to fight Lu the Third, it would be inappropriate, even if he was the stronger of the two.

Seeing Xie Yuan’s resolute expression and his complete lack of fear at the prospect of taking revenge on a Grandmaster, both Li Tai and Situ Qin secretly admired the young man’s spirit.

Li Tai said,

"From what you’ve said, you were caught up in a disaster you had no part in. I could have held him down just now and let you land a few blows to vent your anger. I guarantee he wouldn’t have dared to fight back."

It was a domineering offer, but Xie Yuan shook his head and replied,

"Relying on borrowed power and overestimating myself would only bring me shame. When this junior’s cultivation is sufficient, I will personally enter the West Desert and take his head."

Xie Yuan’s tone was calm, as if he were stating an inevitable fact.

He could never forget the contempt Lu the Third had shown for his life, or the feeling of being toyed with like an ant.

His cultivation was insufficient. When threatened, he was so powerless he couldn’t even leave behind a scar to make his enemy remember the pain.

Xie Yuan clenched his fists, secretly vowing to train with all his might.

’This debt from today... one day, I will repay it in full.’

Seeing Xie Yuan’s backbone, the two onlookers were filled with admiration. Li Tai gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed his approval, while Situ Qin clapped her hands.

"Excellent, excellent! The young Darts Master has great ambition! Revenge is such an interesting affair. When the day comes, you have to take me to the desert to have some fun!"

Xie Yuan shook his head helplessly. ’What’s so fun about that?’

But he had already spoken quite a bit, and when he tried to say more, his throat ached, making it difficult to speak.

Seeing this, Situ Qin pulled Xie Yuan along.

"Come on, we’re almost at Yunzhou Prefecture. I invited you as a guest before and you refused, so now you can come to my home and recuperate for a few days."

’Yunzhou Prefecture?’

Xie Yuan hadn’t expected to have traveled so far. Miss Yun must have been fleeing south while carrying him to have gotten so close to Yunzhou Prefecture. He couldn’t help but marvel at the speed of a Grandmaster.

’I wonder where Miss Yun is now...’

Xie Yuan followed Situ Qin and Li Tai toward the prefectural city to the south.

In a hidden corner of the mountain forest beside the main road.

A tall, slender, and devastatingly beautiful woman stood in the center of a clearing, surrounded by several small Array flags.

She was still wearing the same lake-blue dress. It had never been suited for her height, and now it looked like a short skirt, revealing a pair of slender, fair, and smooth calves.

But Xie Yuan had seen none of this beauty, nor her flawless, melon-seed-shaped face. Even Lu the Third, who had fought her for so long, had subconsciously overlooked it all. After all, he couldn’t even keep up with her Body Technique.

A dark aura emanated from the woman’s body. A black-and-white lotus flower materialized in her palm, bobbing restlessly, seeming to grow more agitated by the moment.

Her serene face flickered with a myriad of expressions as if she were struggling with a decision. Finally, her brows knitted together, her mind made up.

She looked into the distance, as if about to act, but suddenly froze.

She closed her eyes slightly and her fingers moved through a few quick calculations. When she opened them again, her eyes were hazy, as if they held an entire sea of mist and clouds.

Her expression relaxed slightly. With a wave of her hand, she retrieved the Array flags. She clapped her hands together, and the lotus vanished without a trace.

She moved through the forest once more, and all traces of her presence vanished, as if no one had ever been there.

She gazed into the distance and murmured to herself,

"He truly is a person of great fortune. I just don’t know..."

The woman let out a soft sigh, tinged with exhaustion and gravity, and disappeared into the woods.

...

Yunzhou Prefecture was a picture of prosperity. Its long streets were wide enough for four carriages to travel abreast, vendors hawked their wares without end, and pedestrians flowed like a woven tapestry of silk, a bustling scene that stretched for miles.

And Xie Yuan saw all of this from the window of a horse-drawn carriage.

’This crowd density is no different from the pedestrian streets of my past life. I can’t believe the productivity in this world can support such prosperity.’

Xie Yuan sighed with wonder. Yunzhao County was decent enough, but it paled in comparison to this place.

He lowered the curtain and looked at the young maid inside the carriage who was staring at him warily. He gave her a polite smile.

The young maid froze for a moment, then shook her head back and forth like a rattle-drum and shot Xie Yuan a fierce glare.

"Xiaoqing, what are you doing?"

Situ Qin asked, puzzled.

The maid named Xiaoqing looked at the mistress she was shielding, then at Xie Yuan across from them. Though the carriage was spacious, she still advised,

"Miss, men and women must maintain their distance..."

"This carriage is huge. We aren’t even touching, are we?"

Xiaoqing faltered, seemingly at a loss for words. She thought for a moment, then said,

"But Miss, you are not yet married! How can you be in the same room alone with a man?"

"But you’re here too, aren’t you?"

Situ Qin smiled and patted the young maid’s head.

The young maid looked dazed. That seemed to make sense, yet something still felt wrong.

She racked her brain for a moment before insisting,

"But Miss..."

"That’s enough. He’s injured. Or would you rather carry him on your back and walk?"

"Huh? Me?"

Xiaoqing pointed at herself blankly. She glanced at Xie Yuan’s face, and her own pretty little face inexplicably turned red.

"It’s not... No! Men and women must maintain their distance."

Xie Yuan found this amusing. ’This young maid has the temperament of an old-fashioned scholar.’

In this world where the Martial Dao flourished, social customs were quite open. There was no rule that women had to stay confined to their chambers, forbidden from showing their faces in public. It was normal even for the young ladies of great clans to make friends and associate with young men. The martial world was full of heroes, and heroines were by no means a rare sight.

"Master Xie, we’re almost there."

Xie Yuan looked ahead and could faintly make out a stretch of magnificent mansions.