Youth must be seized while it is still young; how could one remain forever in youth? Chapter Ninety-Eight: Packing the Luggage

“Senior Sister Zhang, that is how matters stand.”

Bai Qingzhou sat in the courtyard of Zhang Zhiyan’s residence.

“You mean the one who injured you that day has appeared again?” Zhang Zhiyan asked, glancing at him and summing it up in a sentence.

“Yes.” Bai Qingzhou answered slowly. “After I was wounded that day, Brother Chen Li searched for him in Lotus Market, but never ran into him. I never expected Old Luo to be the one who spotted him this time...”

“He dares to show himself in broad daylight. He must have some reason for it,” Zhang Zhiyan guessed.

“Our sect master said the same,” Bai Qingzhou replied.

At that, Zhang Zhiyan’s tone changed at once. Grinding her teeth, she said, “But since he dared scheme so deeply to harm you, we must not let him escape!”

Bai Qingzhou lifted his eyes and secretly looked at her. At that moment, her face was filled with indignation, her brows arched in anger; her pale neck traced an exquisite curve, and even her profile remained breathtakingly lovely.

For a moment, he did not know how to answer.

Zhang Zhiyan steadied her emotions and asked again, “When shall we set out?”

Hearing this, Bai Qingzhou withdrew his gaze and said quietly, “If it is convenient for Senior Sister, we can leave later today.”

“No problem. I’ll make some preparations and come find you afterward,” Zhang Zhiyan agreed at once.

“Then I’ll take my leave first.” Bai Qingzhou clasped his hands and bowed.

Having said that, he turned and left.

“Wait!”

Zhang Zhiyan’s voice made Bai Qingzhou halt immediately.

But he did not turn back, only stood silently where he was.

“Qingzhou...” Zhang Zhiyan asked in a sorrowful voice, “Have you thought it through regarding Qin Feng?”

“Yes.”

“And what is your decision?”

“I’ll find him and ask him face to face, and then...” Bai Qingzhou trailed off.

“And then what?”

“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

“Ah... all right then.” Zhang Zhiyan sighed. “Go back first. I’ll be there shortly.”

Bai Qingzhou nodded lightly and then stepped out of the small courtyard.

Qin Feng had been his close friend for many years. Back when they survived together in the mountain stronghold, they had depended on each other for life itself. For Bai Qingzhou now to say he would kill him, he truly could not bring himself to speak such words. Nor could he do it.

So after this time of contemplation, all he wanted was to find Qin Feng in person and ask clearly why he had acted in such a way. Only after that would he decide what came next.

...

After leaving the courtyard, Bai Qingzhou once again went to the gate to find Ruan Xiuqi and told him he would soon be going to the market town to work. The news sent Ruan Xiuqi into wild delight. After all, he had always longed to work in the market town. Now that such a pleasant surprise had come so suddenly, he immediately dragged Bai Qingzhou back toward the courtyard, intending to pack in haste and not waste even a moment.

Bai Qingzhou also returned to his own courtyard and began packing the things he would need for the trip to the market town.

He emptied his storage pouch in a heap, then sorted through everything one by one.

“Who would have thought it would be this ruined...”

Looking at the damaged Brass Breastplate before him, Bai Qingzhou could not help sighing. This piece of armor had saved his life.

Not to mention the great battle at the Dragon-Tiger Mountain, where it had blocked blow after blow. Even on that day in the forest of demon beasts, it was only because the Brass Breastplate had taken the impact that he had not been split in two by the rough and burly cultivator.

Calling it a fortunate treasure would not be an exaggeration.

“I’ll have to go to the market town and find an artifact refiner to repair it...” Bai Qingzhou silently made up his mind, then put the Brass Breastplate into his storage pouch.

He then checked the items laid out on the ground once more.

Azure Skies Sword, Rainbow Bridge Sword, Immortal Wind Falcon, Nourishing Qi Pill, Blood Restoring Pill, Qi Refining Pill, Spirit Awakening Pill, Ice Block Talisman, Gravity Talisman, Swift Step Talisman, Golden Armor Talisman, Thunderbolt Talisman...

Pills, magical implements, and talismans would all be taken with him.

As for the remaining cultivation arts, manuals, sword treatises, and the like, they would be left stored in the courtyard.

Bai Qingzhou examined each item carefully. After confirming that nothing was amiss, he put them into the storage pouch.

Inside the pouch, apart from some magical implements he used often, there were also many weapons belonging to other cultivators.

Among them was the burly cultivator’s great blade, as well as several spoils assigned by the two elders after this battle.

“These clumsy implements—I’ll sell them all in the market town this time,” Bai Qingzhou murmured to himself.

After the spoils had been distributed, he had received over a hundred lower-grade spirit stones. Together with the other magical implements, talismans, and so on, his total share came to more than three hundred spirit stones.

More than he had earned from fighting and killing in the forest for more than half a year.

And their entire group had roughly seized several thousand lower-grade spirit stones altogether. This made Bai Qingzhou sigh inwardly; war truly was a very easy way to get rich.

Half an hour later.

Bai Qingzhou had packed everything he needed into his storage pouch and stepped lightly out of the room.

“Li Er,” Bai Qingzhou called softly from the courtyard.

The sound rippled outward like water and immediately reached Li Er’s room.

Before long, Li Er appeared before Bai Qingzhou.

“Immortal Master, did you need me?”

“Yes. There is something I need to tell you.”

“Please give your instructions, Immortal Master,” Li Er replied respectfully.

“It’s like this: I have matters to attend to in the market town, and I may not be back for some time. During this period, I’ll leave the house in your care,” Bai Qingzhou said calmly.

“Yes. That is what I should do.”

Li Er clasped his hands and assented, his expression unchanged.

“Oh, right,” Bai Qingzhou suddenly remembered and continued, “Go and call Ji Nian over here.”

“Understood.” Li Er turned and left.

Watching Li Er’s retreating figure, Bai Qingzhou fell silent in his heart. As time passed, Li Er’s back had gradually bent, and signs of old age were already showing.

In addition to the enormous blow he had suffered this time, this man, still in the prime of life, seemed to have aged more than ten years all at once, as though he had already reached the dusk of his years.

Soon, Li Er returned with Ji Nian.

Once Ji Nian arrived before him, she immediately bowed and said respectfully, “Immortal Master.”

“Ji Nian, you haven’t been back home for quite some time, have you?” Bai Qingzhou asked gently, looking at the woman in her twenties before him.

Ji Nian lowered her head in thought, then answered honestly, “Since the last time I returned to the sect until today, it has been almost more than two years since I went back.”

“Time does pass quickly...” Bai Qingzhou paused, then continued, “Today I may be going to the market town to handle some affairs, and I might not return any time soon. You have little to do in the mountain during this period, so I grant you leave to go home and rest, and to keep company with your family.”

Hearing this, Ji Nian immediately knelt, choking up as she thanked him. “This servant thanks Immortal Master for your grace...”

“Mm,” Bai Qingzhou said with a light nod, then added, “Take some gold and silver back with you.”

“Thank you, Immortal Master!” Ji Nian replied.

Bai Qingzhou raised his head and looked toward Li Er standing behind her, then asked softly, “And you, Li Er? If you wish to go down the mountain, that is also fine.”

Li Er shook his head bitterly and said, “Replying to Immortal Master, I have no more ties in the mortal world. Going down the mountain would be pointless. I would rather stay on the mountain and wait for your return, Immortal Master.”

“That works as well...”