Chapter 511: Chapter 465: Walking the Great Dao Alone
Lu Nanzhi took the letters back, and sure enough, there was a thick stack. Fortunately, Xie Jingshan had paid in advance; otherwise, Lu Nanzhi could only stare blankly.
"Xie Jingshan is now an honorary disciple of the True Martial Immortal Sect."
Lu Nanzhi piled the letters on the stone table in the courtyard. On her way out, she had specifically inquired that the female owner of Mingfang Pavilion, which Xie Jingshan had originally taken over, was a third-generation cultivator of the True Martial Immortal Sect, with some background.
She had come to Stone Gate City to open a shop to prove to her family that she could be independent.
Later, the shop was almost closed down, but thanks to Xie Jingshan’s planning, it opened eight more branches in a mere decade, becoming the best shop in the Jieshi Ridge region and is currently expanding towards the True Martial Immortal Sect.
"...I’ve been to see it, Mingshan Building has a feeling of Mountain and Sea Building, and there’s a sign at the door saying ’Only business, no miscellaneous matters’, he surely associated himself with True Martial Immortal Sect because of the shop’s affairs."
Jiang Yuebai laughed, "That’s nice, his temperament is more suitable for development within a sect; as a loose cultivator, his heart isn’t ruthless enough."
Xie Jingshan’s letters maintained their usual style; even a sentence or two was worth spending a lot to transmit. Initially, it was one letter a year, which turned into one every six months after three letters, then every three months, accumulating to now, one per month.
The latest letter and the previous one were only separated by just over ten days.
The contents were all about his business acumen and interesting sights, and the end of the letter carried heavy grumbles, complaining that Jiang Yuebai and Lu Nanzhi traveled without him.
Jiang Yuebai said, "I feel he’s worrying about us, not really complaining."
Lu Nanzhi nodded, "Yes, I’ve already replied to him, saying we’ve returned to Stone Gate City."
"I’ll write back properly when I have time and tell him our experiences over these years, otherwise he’ll scold us a lot the next time we meet."
The two tidied up the letters, and Jiang Yuebai briefly told Lu Nanzhi about what had happened after they parted.
"...You’re not planning to practice ’Chaos Nirvana Skill’ and ’Dragon God Transformation’, are you?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
Lu Nanzhi nodded firmly, "The ’Barbarian God Skill’ you gave me is quite good, Demonic Qi can also be cultivated; it’s not complicated but sufficient, defense is not the essence of a Sword Cultivator, stopping killing with killing is. I don’t want to be entrapped by too many trivial matters, ’Dragon God Transformation’ is powerful, but the cultivation process requires too many things, which would consume my time and energy, it’s unnecessary."
"You’re so clear-headed and resilient now, able to restrain your own desires; I can’t be like you. I’m greedy; I want whatever is good, and I’d rather spend time and effort to overcome difficulties than give up on good things," Jiang Yuebai said self-deprecatingly.
Lu Nanzhi smiled more gently, "You need not belittle yourself; the paths we are on are different and can’t be compared. Also, I have had no worries over food and clothing since childhood, with no shortage of cultivation resources, so I can select from a pile only what I truly need and won’t regret giving up the rest."
"You’re different; you had fewer things in hand from a young age, often struggling for survival from one meal to the next, naturally developing a habit of preparing for contingencies and hoarding resources. There’s nothing wrong with that. Even If you’re ’greedy’, I believe you can ’greedily’ achieve immortality."
Jiang Yuebai chuckled, shoving Lu Nanzhi slightly.
"You’re the eloquent one!"
"Let me show you something, Youmeng."
Lu Nanzhi called out Youmeng, which appeared from atop Lu Nanzhi’s head, yawned together with Lu Nanzhi, and looked at Jiang Yuebai warily with a shrunken head.
"How cute, what is this?"
"Dream Demon, I got it unexpectedly after we parted."
Jiang Yuebai reached out, and Youmeng swiftly retreated, refusing to come out again.
"I’ve never seen a demon with such a timid disposition before, what can it do?"
Lu Nanzhi briefly explained Youmeng’s abilities to Jiang Yuebai.
"Anan, doesn’t this mean you have two or three times the time I do? Am I going to fall behind?"
Jiang Yuebai’s eyes widened, her mind buzzing, and a sense of urgency surged up.
Lu Nanzhi laughed, "You’re just like Xie Jingshan, why compare? Cultivation is one’s own matter, comparing oneself is enough."
"Alright, then let each of us strive diligently, and meet at the pinnacle."
Lu Nanzhi took out several Jade Scrolls, "These are records from the underground palace, filled with appearances and traits of Humans, Demons, and Devils hunted by Zhur Jiuyou, and various Dragon Clan information. They’re not highly valuable, but some species we haven’t encountered in the Earth Spiritual Realm."
Jiang Yuebai happily accepted the Jade Scrolls, "What’s low value? If you miss out on good things just because you’re unfamiliar, that would be a real loss. Knowledge is priceless; let me replicate the Jade Scrolls. By the way, do you have any plans?"
Lu Nanzhi watched Jiang Yuebai replicate the Jade Scrolls, hesitated a bit, and said, "I do have plans."
Jiang Yuebai looked up and saw Lu Nanzhi’s determined gaze, knowing what she would say.
"Are you planning to travel alone?"
Lu Nanzhi admitted, "Yes, we indeed can support each other and progress together when together, but I’m cultivating the Path of Killing; I need to constantly experience battles that push me to the edge to enhance myself faster and better."
"After being trapped for twelve years, my Cultivation is approaching Golden Core Perfection, but my Sword Heart isn’t fulfilled; I need to travel far and wide, battle, and adventure to fill this missing part, otherwise I will struggle to reach Nascent Soul."
Lu Nanzhi didn’t mention how Jiang Yuebai was too strong, making her feel powerless. Being with Jiang Yuebai, she appeared to not have to worry about anything, as Jiang Yuebai would arrange everything, thoroughly and smoothly.
Such a Jiang Yuebai would make her dependent, afraid of growing lazy.
Only by putting oneself in dire situations can one unleash unexpected potential and have chances to break through personal limits.
The years in the Asura Domain were when she made the fastest progress to date.
Born in adversity, dying in ease; so it is.
Jiang Yuebai sighed, "Solo journey on the Great Dao, truly no deception."
Lu Nanzhi pressed Jiang Yuebai’s arm, "Strive individually, meet at the peak."
Jiang Yuebai smiled slightly, "Alright. The Green Dragon Realm is a circle. No matter where you go, we’ll meet again. If you get a chance to leave the Green Dragon Realm, don’t forget me, send me a letter when you’re free, and let me know you’re safe."
"You too."
The two exchanged smiles, both understanding each other’s intentions and mutual respect.
In the following days, Jiang Yuebai and Bai Jiuyou stayed in the Lotus Platform Cave Heaven, dealing with the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon’s corpse, while Lu Nanzhi contacted Zheng Yougong, who previously brought them to Stone Gate City.
He was quite reliable, and Lu Nanzhi asked him for help in handling a batch of Dragon Bone on the black market of Stone Gate City, as well as purchasing travel and cultivation materials at Mingshan Building.
After preparing, Lu Nanzhi took the Spiritual Rat, Thunder Pearl Jade Talisman, and Array Plate that Jiang Yuebai prepared for her, casually said ’I’m leaving’, like she was just going out grocery shopping.
One person, one sword, traversing difficult paths, wandering the world!
Three days after Lu Nanzhi left, Jiang Yuebai tidied everything up, especially cleaning the courtyard bought by Xie Jingshan.
She closed every window securely, watered the osmanthus tree in the yard, leaving a Planting Puppet to care for it.
Jiang Yuebai looked back at the small courtyard she hadn’t lived in for long but felt like home, laughed heartily, put on a conical hat, closed the door, and locked it.
Facing the rising sun, she walked out of Stone Gate City, passed Sword Gate Pass, through the vast forest, and vanished beneath Cuiyun Ridge.
Heading west, journeying solo!
