Chapter 32: One Setback, One Lesson

"Wait, why are you riding back this way?"

As Feng Xue was reflecting on himself, Seeing Liu Yunxi suddenly let out a startled cry; hearing this, Feng Xue replied with surprise:

"You know the way?"

"Of course I do! If I didn't recognize the route after just going back and forth once, I'd be an idiot!" Seeing Liu Yunxi scoffed; Feng Xue smiled inwardly but still explained:

"I don't know this area at all, and I don't know where to go, so I just followed the railway."

"But you're on a dirt road now!" Seeing Liu Yunxi's occasional display of illiteracy made Feng Xue want to laugh; he offered a brief explanation:

"The railway isn't for walking—it's for trains. And the only train station I know is right outside Gangdu City, so if we circle around Gangdu, we'll find the railway again. Then we just follow it in the opposite direction, and we'll definitely hit a big city."

"Don't understand." Seeing Liu Yunxi spat out a simple reply; Feng Xue wasn't surprised and didn't bother explaining what a train was—after all, once she saw one…

"Woooo—"

Sometimes fate is just that convenient: at that very moment, a distant whistle sounded. Feng Xue pedaled harder, and with a bumpy ride, the Liuxian-brand bicycle, powered entirely by human effort, raced toward the source of the sound…

But of course, even if the bicycle were a demon, it couldn't catch a train; Feng Xue didn't care—he'd at least seen the tracks.

Riding slowly along the railway, Feng Xue found the journey too dull, so he pulled out two candles and stuck them on the handlebars, planning to ride while training his Qi output.

He wasn't afraid of falling—he'd already trained "Rapid Chanting" to six characters per second, so before he hit the ground, he could make Seeing Liu Yunxi turn into a cushion.

But…

"Wax is dripping on me!"

As the candles burned, Seeing Liu Yunxi protested; Feng Xue merely replied dryly:

"Your hands are made of iron—what are you afraid of, heat?"

"Heat isn't the main issue—it's just uncomfortable! Wouldn't you hate sticky stuff clinging to your head?" Seeing Liu Yunxi grumbled, though she wasn't truly angry; her protest was merely a stance—signaling she "didn't consent to repaying the debt this way." Conversely, Feng Xue's various actions that defied her wishes and caused her discomfort were also gradually reducing the debt.

But this couldn't be thought about too deeply—if the Spirit of Human Dao mistook it for tacit approval, things would get wildly out of hand!

Fortunately, Seeing Liu Yunxi was at least somewhat a cultivator, and her ability to clear distractions still existed.

Unaware he was inadvertently helping Seeing Liu Yunxi with her heart cultivation, Feng Xue simply stared at the two candles, continuously adjusting his Qi output.

He'd already bought the spirit ghost, but to begin practicing Spirit Control Art, he needed at least the ability to cast the Call Lightning Spell—otherwise, he might not even get the spirit ghost to recognize him as its master.

Thus, while cultivating and riding, speed naturally remained slow; after two hours, they'd covered less than ten kilometers. Seeing a distinctly classical roadside stall, Feng Xue was surprised and slowed down to approach it.

As he drew closer, an old man sitting beneath a canvas awning, smoking a pipe, came into view. With no station in sight, Feng Xue was puzzled; after checking with a shoulder glance and confirming the man had only about ten years left to live, he approached:

"Old man, you set up a stall out here—do you even get customers?"

"You…" The old man opened his mouth as if to retort, but seeing Feng Xue pushing a sleek little bicycle and dressed in fine clothes, noting his pale skin and lack of sunburn, he changed his tone:

"Ahem, Young Master, you may not know—though the railway is convenient, it's made of cast iron, and there's always some rogue trying to steal from it. Bandits think they can haul off chunks to forge into swords and knives; common folk might even want extra hoes and knives from it.

"It might happen only once a month or so, but when it does, forget retrieving the stolen parts—if a train comes along, it becomes dangerous. You know, these days, anyone who rides the train is someone of status, so this road needs regular patrols. If anything goes wrong, someone must be able to report it quickly.

"But stations are over a hundred li apart; setting up barracks every few miles is impossible. Giving each patrolman a bicycle? Even less likely. So everyone agreed: just set up stalls along the route, so the patrol soldiers can get a drink. Young Master, you look weary—why not rest here? I've got nothing else, but a bowl of hot tea I can offer."

"I see." Feng Xue nodded silently, but didn't let his guard down.

After being tricked by the rickshaw driver, Feng Xue had learned not to underestimate anyone; now, thinking carefully, he sensed something deeper.

The old man's words were simple, but they weren't just idle talk—they were a hint. What he said was true, but this job wasn't something an ordinary family could handle. Forget wild beasts and bandits in the wilderness—just collecting money from the patrolmen alone required skill. His words weren't just revealing he had connections; they were also warning him that soldiers familiar with him frequently passed this road.

Thinking of this, Feng Xue pulled out several copper coins from his pocket and placed them beside the old man's tea table, feigning casualness:

"I am indeed tired—allow me to rest here a while, Old Man."

The old man glanced at the coins, swept them into his palm with his fingers, and his eyes darted as if weighing something.

Just as he was about to ask if Feng Xue wanted hot tea, he saw the young man wave his hand—suddenly producing a steel cup from nowhere.

The cup opened, and the water poured out still steaming white vapor; the old man's pupils shrank, and all his extra thoughts vanished.

Seeing the old man intimidated, Feng Xue nodded inwardly—in This World, the existence of mystery cultivators wasn't secret; showing he was different actually avoided trouble. Now that he had the Pot Heaven pouch, he no longer needed to carry a bulky, attention-drawing bag—this should reduce some danger.

Of course, Feng Xue knew not everyone fell for this. Like the armed soldiers in Ping'an County who feared a well-dressed commoner, gangsters in Gangdu who'd seen rich people every day dared rob on the street. There were surely bandits who'd attack even cultivators—and fools who didn't even know what a cultivator was, thinking it was just magic tricks.

"In short—caution is best."

Feng Xue muttered to himself, brought Seeing Liu Yunxi close, closed his eyes, entered meditation, extracted just enough Qi to envelop his surroundings, then began resting.

He'd spent most of yesterday riding; even though his body had soaked in Qi for three straight days, he now probably couldn't walk without spreading his legs.

Funny enough, though the Qi was drawn from his own body, soaking in it actually gave his body a slight boost—even if minimal, it was like a meter running backward. (Note ①)

(End of Chapter)