Chapter 834: I Have a Friend

Li Yi did not refuse Wei's proposal and chose to move to another place to talk.

He thought Wei would pick some nice spot, but instead the man led him straight into a private booth at an internet cafe—after all that, it was still just about going online.

"You like the internet so much, why don't you open your own internet cafe?" Li Yi said. "If you're short on money, I'll invest. Consider it a consultation fee."

He was generous with his money, for a cultivator had little interest in gold.

At these words, the man named Wei's eyes lit up: "Open an internet cafe? That makes sense—why didn't I think of that? You're truly sharp, you've just jolted me awake. But no need for funding—I may have just been kicked out of my company, but I'm not unemployed. I'm only retrieving what was taken from me. And I'm not short on cash—not even one cafe, even ten or twenty, I can afford."

Li Yi said: "Let's get to the point. I came to Dachang City to seek help from Yang Jian. If you know him, can you help me get in touch?"

"Of course. I'll give you something in return."

When seeking favors, Li Yi preferred offering something in return—it avoided debt and created mutual benefit, making future contact easier.

"If you're looking for Yang Jian, you've come to the right person. I do know him—but you're vague and unclear. Why should I trust you?" Wei stroked his chin.

"I'm not asking you to trust me," Li Yi said. "Trust is troublesome. Name your terms—anything at all."

"So cocky?"

Wei studied Li Yi again: "From your full-body tattoos, I can tell you're no decent man—probably like me, never finished school, dropped out early to run the streets. Doesn't matter. Since you're so sincere, I'll give you a chance."

He leaned in close: "I have a friend who loves movies, but lately he's been too weak. His body isn't what it was in high school. Do you have any good solutions?"

"You're impotent?" Li Yi said.

Wei immediately stepped back, waving his hands: "Hey, what impotence? Don't talk nonsense like that. My friend has a strong sense of pride—you insult him like that, I'll be upset. Back in the day, he was a real man. Maybe he's just been down lately, that's why he needs help."

"Wait, let me check…" Li Yi now looked at the Crimson Gold Five Elements Bracelet on his wrist.

He used his Primordial Spirit to sense inside, searching for pills that could restore a man's vigor.

Though many rare herbs could achieve this, he needed something ordinary people could take—something to strengthen the body without granting supernatural power. He didn't want to draw attention from officials who might trace him back. He still feared the irrational supernatural forces of this world.

Soon, he found it among an unremarkable pile of miscellaneous items.

There were several chests from the Four Seas and Eight Continents, still holding potent elixirs—but even those were too strong for ordinary people, only powerful martial artists could swallow them.

Fortunately, Li Yi pulled out a few vials of Blood-Invigorating Pills.

These were for Qi-Blood Realm martial artists, brewed from various tonics, capable of strengthening blood and qi—even ordinary people could take them.

"This can cure your problem," Li Yi quickly pulled out one vial and handed it to Wei.

"What's this?"

Wei took the porcelain bottle curiously, opened it, and peered inside—inside were blood-red pills, smelling faintly of herbal medicine.

"These are Blood-Invigorating Pills. They replenish blood and qi. Most men lose vigor because their blood and qi decline. If blood and qi are strong enough, the body has no ailments. This vial is a gift. Take one when you feel weak—it'll last months."

"Really that powerful?" Wei was excited but skeptical. "Is this real? You're not fooling me, are you?"

"You're so smart—who could fool you?" Li Yi said.

"Didn't expect you to have such good judgment, knowing you can't trick me." Wei nodded slightly, then shoved the vial into his pocket and reached out again: "One vial isn't enough. I have another friend with the same problem—give me a few more."

Li Yi, seeing this, handed him a few more vials.

Wei accepted them and nodded in satisfaction: "You're so generous—I'll make sure to thank my friends properly."

"No need to thank me. Just tell me where Yang Jian is," Li Yi said.

Wei said: "A few years ago, if you'd come to me, I'd have called him right away. But now I can't reach him—he's vanished. No one knows where he went."

"Completely vanished? Hasn't contacted anyone at all?" Li Yi asked.

Wei said: "He won't even contact me—why would he contact anyone else? This involves the supernatural circle, and I'm not a Ghost Master—I don't understand it well. But I'm certain he's still alive. Many think he's dead, but I know he isn't."

"Vanished… but alive?" Li Yi silently shook his head.

A Ghost Master in the supernatural circle could hide well—finding him would be hard.

But logically, someone must know his whereabouts. He just hadn't found them yet.

"Does Yang Jian have family? Do they know where he is?" Li Yi asked.

Wei said: "He's an orphan, just like me. No family."

Li Yi looked at him: "Are you lying—or refusing to tell?"

"Can't you see the sincerity in my eyes? Everyone knows I'm Wei—famous for honesty. I never lie. Besides, I have a strange illness: whenever I lie, my… brother inexplicably shrinks a few centimeters. Don't believe me? I'll take off my pants to prove it." Wei began unfastening his belt.

"No need," Li Yi stopped him.

Judging by his behavior, Wei clearly had deep ties to Yang Jian and didn't want to reveal more.

But Li Yi understood—this world held terrifying supernatural forces. Protecting loved ones' secrets was wise.

Still, what he needed to do was vital.

If he couldn't get answers by day, he'd use the Dream-Weaving Technique at night—then Wei would speak truthfully.

Seeing Li Yi leave, A Wei calmly pulled up his pants: "Scared the hell out of me—glad he wasn't interested in my ass, or my good name would've been ruined. But this guy looks dangerously unpredictable, and he doesn't seem like a Spirit Controller at all."

Seeing Li Yi go, Wei calmly pulled up his pants: "Scared me half to death. Glad he's not into my ass—otherwise my reputation would be ruined. But this guy… he feels dangerous. And he doesn't seem like a Ghost Master."

Outside the internet cafe, Li Yi didn't wander the city. He planned to find a quiet, scenic spot and wait for nightfall.

He had a lead now—he wasn't in a hurry.

He believed that following Wei's trail would soon reveal Yang Jian's location.

Li Yi sat quietly beside a great river in the city, resting. Hours passed quickly; before he knew it, dusk had fallen, and passersby had grown scarce.

The setting sun bled crimson, staining the horizon.

Honestly, he rarely saw such peaceful, tranquil urban twilight anymore. He'd only seen it before the Heaven's Collapse. Though he'd lived in many worlds, he always felt a lack of familiarity.

Whether in the high-tech World Six or the ancient Four Seas and Eight Continents, he, a man from Earth's city, always felt out of place.

Only in World 36 did everything feel like home again.

A moment later,

The sunset never fully faded into night, and the people strolling around had quietly vanished without notice; everything was eerily silent, and that streak of red in the sky had silently spread until it now covered the entire heavens.

The sunset hadn't faded into night. The people around him had vanished without notice. Everything was unnaturally silent. The crimson streak in the sky had spread, now covering the entire heavens.

The red sky felt thick, unnatural—giving Li Yi a sense of unreality.

"Supernatural force?" Li Yi remained seated. He sensed something, and turned his gaze toward the riverbank.

There, suddenly, stood a man—appearing out of nowhere.

In this stretch of riverside, all was dead silent—only Li Yi and this man remained.

"Li Yi, you're looking for me?" A cold, emotionless voice spoke.

"Yang Jian."

Li Yi's gaze sharpened: "I heard you vanished—haven't shown up in years. Some say you're dead. I never expected you'd appear to me today."

"If you keep investigating, it'll cause me harm. And yes, I have vanished—at least, at this moment." Yang Jian said.

"At this moment?"

Li Yi's expression shifted. Though uneducated, since cultivating, his mind had grown sharper—he understood instantly.

"So you're not Yang Jian from this time. You're from the future?"

"Cultivators understand far better than ordinary people. You're right—I'm from the future. Precisely, decades ahead." Yang Jian said.

Li Yi instantly understood: "So that's it. No wonder when I crossed over, Yang Jian was just a messenger on the third floor of the Ghost Post Office—then suddenly he shattered the Cross-Dimensional Gate and attacked the Xuan Immortal Continent. I knew such power couldn't have been his then. If he's from decades ahead, it makes sense."

"Wei was right—you really can reverse time."

Yang Jian said: "This world is unique. As a cross-dimensional traveler, many things are beyond your grasp. If you have no business here, I advise you to leave quickly."

"Since you're from the future, you know why I came here. You promised—you promised to resurrect my mother." Li Yi said.

Yang Jian looked away: "Using supernatural power to reverse life and death is a grave taboo. And I never promised to resurrect your mother—that was Wei's promise. He always acts on his own."

"Isn't that the same thing? Or are you going back on your word?" Li Yi stared at him.

"Follow me."

Yang Jian hesitated, then sighed—he had to clean up Wei's mess. After all, it was his own creation.

(End of Chapter)