Chapter 173: 173. Chapter 170: Liu Changlao

173. Chapter 170: Liu Changlao's Apology

Ding Huan now clearly understood that his previous understanding of low-level demonic beasts had been wrong.

The Level Seven Hanba was the absolute top-tier creature; the demonic dragon on Earth was barely even a Level Two demonic beast.

Changlao Gu said:

"Originally, Han were cultivated from zombies, and forming a Han requires extremely stringent conditions."

"Han come in many varieties; the one we encountered this time was likely a Hanba, a demonic beast that releases illusionary poison, which is why we mistook the forest for an open road."

"Thank you, Changlao Gu, for your guidance," Ding Huan sincerely thanked.

Without Changlao Gu's reminder, he would never have understood what a Hanba was.

Gu Youchang smiled:

"You have great insight. Even if your elemental roots are mediocre, you could still join a sect."

Hearing this, Ding Huan was overjoyed—was Changlao Gu going to recommend him to the Yanyue Sect? This was a tremendous stroke of luck.

To Ding Huan's disappointment, Changlao Gu did not comment on his joining the Yanyue Sect; instead, he shifted the topic elsewhere.

Ding Huan did not know that Gu Youchang had also sincerely wanted to promise him entry into the Yanyue Sect.

Gu Youchang greatly admired Ding Huan's abilities.

But he lacked the authority—he was only a Guardian Elder.

Getting someone with subpar talent into the Yanyue Sect was no simple matter.

One misstep could earn him accusations of abusing power for personal gain.

So he planned to report this matter to the Sect Master upon returning and recommend Ding Huan for admission, leaving the final decision to the Sect Master or the Pin Changlao in charge of recruiting disciples.

Seeing that Changlao Gu had no intention of discussing sect admission, Ding Huan spoke up:

"Changlao Gu, I deeply admire your ability to set up arrays. Is learning array arts simple?"

Since he couldn't join the sect, he'd learn array arts instead.

He'd saved Gu's life—was it too much to ask for some array knowledge in return? If Gu refused even this, he'd never save the old man again.

Changlao Gu laughed heartily and pulled out a jade slip, handing it to Ding Huan:

"This is a jade slip on array arts I acquired long ago—my entire array knowledge came from it. Now I give it to you. If you have any questions, ask me anytime."

He was a straightforward man; having received Ding Huan's favor, he felt uneasy if he didn't repay it.

He also found Ding Huan's open, unreserved nature agreeable.

Ding Huan was overjoyed—he hadn't expected such a reward, and quickly took it, thanking him:

"Thank you, Changlao Gu. This is exactly what I've longed for."

"Alright, I won't disturb you studying the array jade slip. Remember, if you have questions, ask me anytime—I'll be patrolling outside at night."

Changlao Gu spoke these words and walked out.

Ding Huan sighed deeply—this was true integrity. He repaid kindness openly, unlike that Qiong Zhishi, who was hesitant and reluctant—even if he took the gift, he'd never give anything back.

If Qiong Zhishi survived and returned, Ding Huan would reclaim the Ningxing Bamboo.

Even throwing a meat bun to a dog might earn the dog's affection; giving the Ningxing Bamboo to Qiong Zhishi wouldn't even make a sound.

The array jade slip was something Ding Huan had long desired.

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Upon receiving the jade slip, Ding Huan immediately became absorbed in it.

Changlao Gu expected Ding Huan to emerge soon to ask questions, because array arts were uniquely profound and complex—without guidance, one could hardly even begin.

But he didn't know Ding Huan had no shortage of foundational knowledge.

With the key to unlock it, Ding Huan plunged fully into the ocean of array knowledge.

Any question he had, once raised, would instantly be answered in his mind with full clarity.

At this moment, Ding Huan was truly grateful for that leather scroll—it was truly an encyclopedia.

The night passed quickly; Ding Huan gained a basic understanding of array composition and the first-layer connections between array flags, directions, techniques, space, and array formations.

But Ding Huan knew he couldn't continue studying—dawn was coming, and they needed to keep moving.

Even though they were now on a safe road, they still had to exit the Dahu Canyon as soon as possible.

As Ding Huan stepped out of camp, he saw over a dozen disheveled people rushing toward them.

The scene was all too familiar—two days ago, Han Weicheng had charged this way in exactly the same manner.

"Changlao Liu?" Changlao Gu recognized the person leading them as Liu Liu Yinzhu of the Zixia Valley.

Liu Liu Yinzhu was dazed and disoriented; upon seeing Gu Youchang, she seemed doused with cold water and instantly snapped back to clarity.

"Changlao Gu…" Liu Liu Yinzhu nearly wept with emotion.

She felt as if she had been reborn.

Seeing the others still dazed, Gu Youchang barked sharply:

"Stop right now."

At his sharp command, everyone froze, then slowly regained their senses.

Zhishi Qiong snapped to attention, his eyes instantly reddening as he rushed to Changlao Gu's side:

"Changlao Gu, I've betrayed the sect—half of these disciples died because of me."

Even without Zhishi Qiong's reminder, Gu Youchang noticed: only two Yanyue Sect Sect disciples remained behind him.

One was the disciple sent by the Yanyue Sect to assist Zhishi Qiong in recruiting; the other was a newly recruited disciple.

Seeing these battered, nearly dead disciples, those who had chosen to leave the main group with Gu Youchang felt immense relief.

If they hadn't followed Changlao Gu, they'd be dead now.

"Ding Dao you, I regret not listening to you," came a familiar voice from behind Zhishi Qiong.

Ding Huan saw Han Weicheng stumbling over with a disciple.

He thought to himself: this guy's got an absurdly long life.

Twice the Hanba failed to kill him—this guy must be blessed by the God of Luck. Whatever, judging by his state, he's probably cursed by the God of Misfortune.

Ding Huan turned his gaze to Zixia Valley again and saw six others had emerged alongside Elder Liu.

Five were newly recruited disciples, and one woman was likely an old disciple of Zixia Valley.

Sure enough, those under an elder's protection had a higher survival rate.

The last disciple trailing behind wasn't from Zixia Valley—probably from Shuanghun Sect.

Elder Qu of Shuanghun Sect was nowhere to be seen; Ding Huan could only wish he'd soon be swallowed by the Hanba.

Of the original group of over sixty, only a dozen or so had made it here.

Ding Huan actually thought they were lucky—based on his knowledge of Level Six Hanba, none should have escaped.

Six made it out, meaning this Level Six Hanba had some internal flaw.

"Elder Gu, I regret not following you," Elder Liu couldn't help blaming herself.

This time, Zixia Valley didn't just lose its newly recruited disciples—the only old disciples left were the direct disciple Mo Huaping; all others were gone, along with one steward.

Elder Gu could only sigh:

"This isn't your fault. We were all misled by the Hanba's illusionary poison—we didn't even realize we'd been wandering through the jungle."

"Hanba?" Elder Liu of Zixia Valley exclaimed in shock.

Elder Gu nodded:

"Yes, after careful analysis, I believe the entity plaguing us all along was a Hanba—and its level is likely quite high."

"So that's it," Elder Liu realized, clearly familiar with Hanba.

After speaking, Elder Liu walked toward Ding Huan:

"Ding Daoist, I apologize for ignoring your advice earlier."

Ding Huan froze—this tone felt off. She was a sect guardian elder; why would she apologize to a cook?

He could understand her thanking him.

Because if they hadn't set up camp here, Elder Liu would've passed right along the correct path—and plunged straight into the opposite valley's dense jungle.

So gratitude was warranted.

Elder Gu laughed:

"Ding Daoist says his sixth sense is strong. Back then, he was just as confused as the rest of us—only after arriving here did I finally wake up."

Ding Huan immediately understood: Elder Gu was covering for him.

Meaning: Ding Huan himself hadn't known he was under the illusionary poison—he'd simply followed his instinct to reach this place. And the first one to awaken here was Elder Gu, not Ding Huan.

He was deflecting suspicion from Ding Huan—Gu Youchang clearly sensed Ding Huan had secrets far beyond a mere "sixth sense."

Old Gu isn't bad—he's worth befriending.

Elder Liu sighed:

"We were arrogant, thinking our cultivation surpassed Ding Daoist's, so we assumed we knew better. I apologize for my arrogance—please don't hold it against me."

Ding Huan now understood: this woman intended to keep traveling with them—she needed his "sixth sense."

Hence, she lowered her stance and apologized for her earlier behavior.

Ding Huan bowed in return:

"Elder Liu, you're too humble. We've made it this far partly thanks to my sixth sense,

but mostly because Elder Gu led us here. Without him, we'd likely be no better off than you."

Elder Gu laughed:

"Enough with the formalities. Elder Liu, do you need rest? If not, let's keep moving."

Elder Liu immediately said:

"This place is dangerous everywhere—we must leave at once. Every extra second here is another second of risk."

As she spoke, she glanced at Ding Huan.

Before, she hadn't given Ding Huan a second thought—a mere cook, who cared?

Now, every word he spoke, she took seriously.

Seeing both Elder Liu and Elder Gu looking at him, Ding Huan said:

"I also think we should leave now."

Just now, Ding Huan had made a calculation: though still vague, he could barely see that departing now would be safe within the next half-hour.

Beyond that half-hour, his vision turned not blurry—but completely blank.

This made him suspect the path ahead after half an hour was strange—he planned to enter the mountains after that time, circle around, and decide based on circumstances.