Chapter 28: The Person on the Path is Like Jade (Third Update)

In the mountain forest at night, the howling of wolves echoed.

But this sound only lasted for a moment before gradually dissipating, as if a presence far more ferocious than them was walking by in solitude.

Walking in the pitch black, the sense of loss in Xu Qing’s heart could not be quickly buried; having grown up in the slums, he was already accustomed to parting, but this time it felt somewhat profound.

That hollow feeling inside made his mood sink, and in his silence, his figure appeared all the more desolate.

It was not until dawn was approaching that he, having walked all night, saw the campsite under the morning light.

Inside the campsite, the lights were sparse.

Xu Qing thought of the past; no matter how late he returned from the forbidden zone, he could always see the lights of one dwelling, which had always been lit for him.

But today, in that direction, one lamp was gone forever.

The sense of loneliness grew heavier; Xu Qing walked silently into the campsite, arrived before the pitch-black dwelling, pushed open the door, and saw the dozen or so wild dogs in the courtyard, who were also gazing at him quietly.

Looking up, the three rooms were a patch of black.

No signs of life, no lamplight, no aura.

In the kitchen, the remains of yesterday’s dinner still lingered.

Xu Qing walked in, looked at the three sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, and after a long daze, sat there in silence, lowering his head to eat the cold meal.

One bite, another bite, and after slowly swallowing, he washed the bowls and chopsticks, tidied up the kitchen, took a deep breath, and returned to his own room.

He closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

At this moment, outside the courtyard, the purple-robed elder and his servant were standing there, their gazes seemingly able to pierce through everything to see Xu Qing inside.

They were both silent; after a long while, the purple-robed elder sighed softly.

"A child of deep affection and righteousness."

"Seventh Master, should we give him a token?" the servant looked toward the purple-robed elder.

"Let us wait until we have retrieved the Cloud Dream Flower that Master Bai desires from the forbidden zone." After speaking, the purple-robed elder’s body slowly dissipated, and the servant beside him nodded, likewise dissipating along with him.

……

Just like that, the night passed.

The next morning, Xu Qing walked out of his room and subconsciously looked toward the residence of the Thunder Team, but quickly withdrew his gaze, silently went to Master Bai’s place for his lesson, and then silently returned.

He cooked a meal for one, still setting out three sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, and ate in silence.

From time to time, he would look up at the seat where the Thunder Team used to be; there... one person was missing, and the sound of conversation was missing too.

The entire meal was very quiet; the feeling of loneliness once again permeated Xu Qing’s heart, only to be forcibly suppressed by him.

After eating alone and cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, he took out the food for the wild dogs and threw it into the courtyard.

Watching the pack of wild dogs devour it, Xu Qing returned to his room and continued to meditate.

Days passed like this, one by one, and soon it was the sixth day since the Thunder Team had left.

Xu Qing had buried his loss deep in his heart and returned to his usual indifference, but if one looked closely, they would find his indifference had become even colder.

Except for when he went to Master Bai’s lessons, at all other times, the sense of vigilance on Xu Qing remained constant; he was no stranger to this state, for in the previous six years, this... had been his norm.

Like a lone wolf.

He also cultivated more diligently than before, as if only in this way could he quickly find back the familiar solitude, until late on the seventh night, when Xu Qing’s cultivation base broke through.

He broke through from the fourth level of the Sea Mountain Art to the fifth level.

As the thumping sounds echoed within his body, the wild dogs outside also felt the force of suppression and retreated while trembling, as if an aura that made them feel awe and fear existed within Xu Qing’s room.

This time, the sounds within Xu Qing’s body lasted for a long time.

Even in terms of duration, it surpassed the previous times.

After a full half-hour, when the filth oozing from every pore on Xu Qing’s body reached its limit, his eyes snapped open.

In that instant, a fleeting purple light appeared throughout the entire room.

Furthermore, the moment his eyes opened, cracking sounds echoed from Xu Qing’s body, as if his bones were growing and his flesh and blood were being pulled and torn, with a sensation of tearing following suit.

But to Xu Qing, all of this was still within his tolerance.

While enduring it calmly, another half-hour passed, and when it all slowly ended, Xu Qing stood up; the clothes on his body were now a section too short.

His slender body looked, if not reborn, then not far from it, appearing very lean.

Especially his appearance, which was pure and clear because there was no foreign substance in his body.

This made his original delicate features even more prominent, and combined with his indifference, there was a strange charm that even filth could not conceal.

But Xu Qing did not pay attention to these things; after stepping out of the room and testing his speed, he threw a punch into mid-air, and a sound like muffled thunder echoed; its power was more than double that of the fourth level!

Even more astonishing was that when his fist landed, the spiritual energy fluctuated intensely, and it actually faintly manifested the shadow of a mountain demon, with fangs in its mouth, like a fierce ghost!

"Is this the power of one mountain demon?" Amidst the trembling of the surrounding wild dogs, Xu Qing looked at his fist and whispered to himself.

The Sea Mountain Art mentioned that each level increases the power of one tiger, and five tigers equal one mountain demon, while two mountain demons equal one champion.

But after pondering, Xu Qing felt that he did not quite match the description of the Sea Mountain Art.

His current strength was likely already at the level of seven or eight tigers, and his speed was the same; he even had some confidence that when he cultivated the Sea Mountain Art to the sixth level, he would possess the power of two mountain demons in advance.

"It should be the effect of the purple crystal, as well as the result of copying that one strike from the statue in the temple."

Xu Qing murmured in his heart, looking at his right hand; after a long silence, he slowly raised it, and the image of the statue’s strike surfaced in his mind, as if the surrounding air currents were faintly gathering.

After a while, Xu Qing did not continue, but lowered his right hand.

"Still a bit off."

Xu Qing could feel that his imitation was not enough; at this moment, he took a deep breath and was about to return to his room, but under the moonlight, as he turned, he looked down and saw his own shadow.

When he broke through earlier, all the foreign substances, as usual, had merged into the shadow; at this moment, his entire body, from inside to out, was pure and clear, without a trace of foreign substance.

Gazing at the shadow, a thought suddenly arose in Xu Qing.

"I wonder if this shadow can be controlled..."

After this thought emerged in his mind, it grew deeper and deeper, causing Xu Qing to gaze at it constantly, trying in his heart to make the shadow’s hand move, but after trying for a long time, he still could not do it.

This made Xu Qing sigh softly; he felt he was being greedy and was about to give up, but just at this moment... the hand of his shadow suddenly twitched!

This scene made Xu Qing’s eyes widen sharply, his breathing slightly rapid.

He was certain his eyes hadn't deceived him, and since his own hand hadn't moved just now, he intensified his gaze and attempts.

Until after a long while, the hand of his shadow, while Xu Qing’s own hand remained unraised, slightly... raised itself!

Just that one movement made Xu Qing feel as if his head were about to explode, leaving it completely blank.

It took a long while to recover somewhat from the headache, and while panting, his eyes revealed a intense light.

"It can be controlled!" Xu Qing lowered his head and took a deep look at the shadow.

He knew that although it was very difficult to control now, and the blankness of his brain earlier and his current headache were both telling him that the consumption of this matter was immense.

But he believed that with his practice and the improvement of his cultivation base, sooner or later, he would be able to flexibly control his own shadow.

And when that time came, the shadow... would become his weapon of surprise!

"I hope that day comes soon." Xu Qing took a deep breath, rubbed his throbbing forehead, and returned to his room to sit cross-legged and meditate.

It wasn't until morning that he recovered halfway, his expression somewhat listless.

Forcing himself to perk up, he changed into a slightly larger set of old clothes and hurried to Master Bai’s tent.

Chen Feiyuan was not there, and Master Bai had not yet arrived; only Ting Yu was there reciting the Pharmacopoeia. After seeing Xu Qing arrive, she casually raised her hand to greet him and continued reciting.

It had been like this for some time; Xu Qing had heard Ting Yu say that among the boys and girls who had come from outside a while ago, there were friends of Chen Feiyuan, so he often asked for leave to go play with them.

And Master Bai had been busy with something during this time, arriving a bit later each day and leaving quickly after the lesson ended.

Xu Qing nodded and sat to the side; as he took out his bamboo slips to silently review yesterday’s lesson, Ting Yu, who had lowered her head after greeting him, suddenly looked up again and looked at Xu Qing suspiciously.

"Why do I feel like there’s been some change in you?"

Xu Qing did not look up and continued his review.

Ting Yu’s bright eyes widened, and she examined him carefully.

Soon Master Bai arrived, so she had to let it go, but during the day’s lesson, she swept her gaze over Xu Qing many times.

If it had been in the past, Master Bai would surely have been strict, but today he seemed to have something on his mind as well; after scolding him a few times, he paid no more attention.

Until the lesson was finished and the content for tomorrow’s assessment was assigned, Master Bai left in a hurry.

After the teacher left, Xu Qing stood up and was about to leave when Ting Yu’s body swayed, and she blocked the door directly.

Xu Qing’s brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Ting Yu.

Ting Yu did not show weakness as she raised her head; on her beautiful and refined little face, her large, star-like eyes glared at Xu Qing, and her beautiful eyes scanned his height and face, dazed.

"I know, you’ve grown taller."

"Mm." Xu Qing nodded and walked around Ting Yu, wanting to leave, but Ting Yu’s body swayed and blocked him again, her eyes, bright as stars, filled with curiosity.

"Kid, your face is dirty every day, I don't even know what you look like. Today you’ve changed again; no, I have to wipe it for you and see what you actually look like."

As Ting Yu spoke, she took out a handkerchief and was about to act.

Xu Qing resisted, and just as his body was about to retreat, Ting Yu hummed.

"Kid, I helped you ask for leave; this is a favor!"

Xu Qing’s movements paused, and taking advantage of that moment of hesitation, Ting Yu’s body arrived in an instant; the handkerchief in her hand was moistened by spiritual energy and wiped gently across Xu Qing’s face.

The wiped cheek instantly revealed fair skin; Xu Qing felt impatient and was about to force his way out.

"Kid, I am your Senior Sister!" Ting Yu shouted again, and the weight of the words "Senior Sister" was clearly very heavy, causing Xu Qing’s body to freeze involuntarily.

Ting Yu’s eyes curved like crescent moons, hiding charm and cunning; this time her speed was faster, and she used the handkerchief to wipe back and forth on Xu Qing’s face.

Although Xu Qing felt strong rejection in his heart, the words "Senior Sister" ultimately made him not dodge.

Just like that, as Ting Yu wiped, Xu Qing’s face was slowly revealed.

And Ting Yu’s movements gradually slowed down, her eyes widening as she stared blankly at Xu Qing’s appearance; for some reason, sunlight appeared in her mind.

For the first time in six years, Xu Qing’s face was clean, which made him extremely uncomfortable; taking advantage of Ting Yu being stunned there, he immediately circled around and darted out of the tent at high speed.

The sunlight dazzled his face, and Xu Qing’s discomfort grew more intense, as if he were walking outside stark naked.

So he lowered his head, picked up some mud from the ground, and smeared it on his face; only then did he heave a sigh of relief, feeling much more comfortable inside, and having regained his cold demeanor, he walked toward the forbidden zone.

Not until he had left did Tingyu, inside the tent, let out a long breath and murmur softly.

"Hmm, he looks quite good."

As she spoke, she subconsciously lifted the tent flap and looked at Xu Qing’s retreating back, her elegant and delicate face slightly flushed, her heart racing as she glanced around.

"He’s much better-looking than Chen Fei; no, that’s not right, Chen Fei can’t compare to him at all."

Brothers and sisters, three chapters updated again, ten thousand words!

Monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, promotion, let’s have a wave of them!