Mi Lu didn’t immediately greet the two men. Instead, he quietly hid behind a tree, watching as they knocked on the gate of a farmhouse.

It wasn’t long before the door opened.

The two men once again unfolded the portrait, asking about Mi Lu’s whereabouts.

Mi Lu began to ponder.

He had thought many times that Hulü Yan’s control over him must have a distance limit.

If that weren’t the case, Hulü Yan’s organs had been taken by several people, if not dozens, so why was he the only one Hulü Yan could control?

So, from another perspective—

Could it be that once he got far enough away, he’d be free from Hulü Yan’s control?

If that were true, now was a perfect opportunity.

With the help of these two men, his chances of successfully escaping would increase dramatically. As long as he could get out of Hulü Yan’s control range, it would be too late for Hulü Yan to do anything once he noticed.

Mi Lu’s heartbeat quickened.

He was so nervous that even his breathing became rapid.

If he could seize this chance, he could turn everything around and start over.

Then he could take his time figuring out how to help Hulü Yan recover his organs.

Mi Lu’s mind raced, and after calming the storm of emotions in his heart, he quietly trailed behind the two men.

Seeing that the two men passed by the abandoned house without a second glance, he silently shortened the distance between himself and them.

Just a little farther.

Go farther.

Out of Hulü Yan’s control.

He had been too naïve before, thinking everything was so simple.

Only by returning to the Mi Family could he figure things out.

He wanted to go home!

He needed to go home!!

At that moment, Mi Lu seemed to see the dawn of hope.

“Sigh, we’ve been searching for so long and still haven’t found the young master. Who knows if he’s dead or alive…”

“Pah! Don’t say such things if you can’t speak properly! The young master is blessed, and surely he’ll make it through this ordeal and return to us safely.”

“But…” One of the men suddenly stopped mid-sentence and turned to look behind him.

The other man immediately became alert and also turned, but saw nothing unusual. “What is it?” he asked.

“I thought I heard something,” the man scratched his head, “but maybe I misheard.”

“Probably just a stray cat or dog.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

The two men continued walking farther away as they talked.

Behind a tree, Mi Lu’s face had turned pale as he leaned against the trunk, watching the two men slowly shrink into distant specks.

He thought about chasing after them, but his legs felt incredibly heavy.

A whirlpool had formed in his mind, sweeping away all his thoughts.

Including the desire to escape.

He wasn’t sure if what he was doing was right or wrong, but this was his choice.

At worst, he’d die and start the next cycle.

After all, he was used to reincarnation by now.

Mi Lu closed his eyes for a moment. Once the turbulent emotions in his heart settled, he withdrew his hand and slowly stood upright.

He was ready to go back and find Hulü Yan.

But as soon as he turned around, a familiar figure unexpectedly entered his line of sight.

That person stood not far away, their shadow stretched long by the sunlight, with crisscrossing fields and wild grasses behind them, as well as trees whose dry leaves trembled in the wind.

The autumn wind blew cold, making that figure appear even more isolated.

For a brief moment, Mi Lu seemed to feel a sense of loneliness emanating from that person.

But that feeling vanished as quickly as it came.

When he looked again, all he saw was Hulü Yan’s deathly pale face and his almost indifferent expression.

Mi Lu was utterly shocked.

How had Hulü Yan followed him?

After spending half a month with Hulü Yan, he was well aware of how deformed Hulü Yan’s limbs were. If Hulü Yan hadn’t struggled to even walk, Mi Lu wouldn’t have been carrying him around the whole time.

And yet, here was Hulü Yan, dragging his deformed limbs and following him!

As Hulü Yan walked toward him, Mi Lu was shocked to think that perhaps Hulü Yan’s deformities had been corrected.

But just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard a dull thud—Hulü Yan had lost his balance and fallen to the ground.

So, Hulü Yan’s deformities hadn’t been corrected after all; he had simply refused to let Mi Lu leave.

His release of Mi Lu earlier wasn’t because he trusted him, but because he was testing him—

Testing to see if Mi Lu would give up.

Testing to see if Mi Lu would leave.

And so, Hulü Yan had followed him.

Even if it meant dragging his deformed limbs forward, he would crawl to him.

Realizing this, Mi Lu shuddered.

Cold sweat ran down his back as he stood frozen, his mind paralyzed, like a stone, unable to move.

If he had tried to escape, the outcome would have been clear.

Not only would he have lost his life, but the two men and even the entire Mi Family would have been implicated immediately.

He had almost taken a step into the abyss.

He had followed Hulü Yan for hundreds of years, so how could he forget that Hulü Yan was a person who held grudges to the extreme?

As Mi Lu stood in a daze, Hulü Yan stumbled toward him and, without even stabilizing his footing, grabbed Mi Lu’s wrist.

In that instant, excruciating pain shot through Mi Lu’s arm.

He could even hear a faint cracking sound from his wrist.

At the same time, Hulü Yan’s unstable body fell against him.

Looking down, Mi Lu saw Hulü Yan’s fingers digging into his wrist so deeply they nearly pierced his skin.

—

Although Mi Lu had made up his mind not to return to the Mi Family, the fact that they were still searching all over the Capital City for him forced him to head northwest, away from the Capital.

The northwest terrain was strange, filled with rugged mountains and deep forests, sparsely populated, and the towns and villages were far apart, making it hard to track someone’s movements.

Moreover, the spiritual energy in that area was abundant. If he didn’t mind the environment, it could be a perfect place for cultivation.

Mi Lu carried Hulü Yan during the day and searched for a suitable place to rest at night.

While resting, he didn’t forget to cultivate.

Within two days, he once again broke through the peak of Qi Refining and successfully entered the Foundation Establishment stage.

Learning from his previous mistakes, Mi Lu was much more cautious this time. He kept his distance from Hulü Yan while Hulü Yan was awake, only carrying him after he fell asleep.

But, halfway through their journey, Hulü Yan woke up like a ghost in the night and drained Mi Lu back to the Qi Refining stage.

Mi Lu: “…”

Ahhhhh!

His cultivation!!!

Devastated and unable to bear it any longer, Mi Lu threw Hulü Yan to the ground.

Hulü Yan lay there like a ragdoll, completely motionless.

Furious, Mi Lu cursed, “You’re just insatiable! Sucking once or twice is fine, but how can you keep doing it over and over?”

Hulü Yan didn’t respond, his expression unchanging.

“Don’t play dumb.” Mi Lu lifted his robe in frustration and squatted beside Hulü Yan, his anger flaring. “I know you can hear me.”

Hulü Yan remained silent.

Realizing this, Mi Lu thought, What does it matter if he can hear me?

Hulü Yan’s tongue had been sacrificed, so even if he could hear, he couldn’t respond.

Mi Lu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and tried a different approach: “How about we make a deal?”

Hulü Yan stayed silent.

Mi Lu said, “If you understand what I’m saying, just nod.”

Still, there was no response from Hulü Yan.

Mi Lu studied him for a long time but couldn’t see any sign of a nod, leaving him confused.

Did I guess wrong?

Could it be that Hulü Yan really couldn’t hear him?

But just a few days ago, Hulü Yan had responded to something he said.

Unable to figure it out and with Hulü Yan refusing to cooperate, Mi Lu finally said, “I’ll let you drain my spiritual power, but I have one condition: you can’t drain all of my cultivation. It’s not just for my sake, but for yours too.”

Hulü Yan’s hollow eye sockets stared up at the sky, like a piece of wood.

“You see, I have to carry you around all day and protect you from bad people and wild beasts. If my cultivation keeps staying at the same level, you’ll be in danger too, right? We’re in this together, and you can’t just focus on your own progress!”

Mi Lu reasoned with him passionately, making a solid argument.

If Hulü Yan had any sense of self-interest, he’d understand and agree to a compromise.

Unless Hulü Yan only saw him as a disposable blood bag.

But Hulü Yan was still a fourteen-year-old boy—he should understand the concept of sustainable growth.

Not to mention, Hulü Yan had gone through so much growing up; he wasn’t an inexperienced child.

Mi Lu looked at Hulü Yan expectantly.

But Hulü Yan closed his eyes.

Mi Lu: “Hmm?”

What was that supposed to mean?

Was he thinking it over, or was he just tired?

Mi Lu couldn’t figure it out, so he quickly added, “Have you thought it over? If you have, nod your head.”

Hulü Yan ignored him.

“Hey, Hulü Yan?” Mi Lu boldly leaned closer to Hulü Yan’s ear. “Are you deaf or just pretending?”

Before he could finish, he noticed something strange about Hulü Yan’s ears.

Hulü Yan’s ears were hidden beneath his thick black hair, barely visible.

Mi Lu’s cultivation had been stuck at the early Qi Refining stage for a while. He had finally reached Foundation Establishment, only to be drained back to square one by Hulü Yan.

He had been too busy cultivating to notice other things, but now that he looked closely, he realized that one of Hulü Yan’s ears was only half there.

The outer ear was almost gone, leaving only the middle and inner ear.

If Mi Lu wasn’t mistaken, this ear had been sacrificed.

Mi Lu paused for a moment, then a sudden idea struck him. He quickly moved to Hulü Yan’s other side.

Before Hulü Yan could react, Mi Lu reached out and lifted the hair covering his other ear.

A fully intact ear appeared before him.

Mi Lu: “…”

Well, well!

So Hulü Yan could hear him after all! He had just been pretending this whole time!

Frustration welled up inside Mi Lu, making him feel utterly vexed.

He thought for a moment and quickly realized where these feelings were coming from.

It was as if Hulü Yan didn’t see him as a person, only as a useful tool.

People need communication.

Tools don’t need communication.

Mi Lu felt stifled, as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat—he couldn’t swallow it, nor could he spit it out.

Even though the sun was shining directly overhead, he felt no warmth, only a chill rising from the soles of his feet.

His face turned pale as he stood up, numbly, planning to find a quiet place to be alone.

But no sooner had he gotten up than Hulü Yan staggered to his feet as well.

As Hulü Yan’s ability to absorb spiritual energy grew faster, his deformed limbs were also visibly recovering.

Although they hadn’t fully returned to normal yet, walking wasn’t as difficult as before.

Hulü Yan stood there quietly for a moment, feeling the ground beneath his feet, before abruptly walking in a specific direction.

Mi Lu had no idea what Hulü Yan intended to do, so he watched him, puzzled.

“Hulü Yan?” Mi Lu called out, “Where are you going?”

It was as if Hulü Yan didn’t hear him—or rather, Hulü Yan had always been like this.

Pretending to be deaf and mute had become his specialty these days.

Mi Lu instinctively wanted to follow him.

But just as he lifted his foot, something made him hesitate, and he set his foot back down.

He didn’t follow Hulü Yan this time, choosing instead to remain where he was.

Yet, in the next instant, a sharp pain shot through his chest.

Mi Lu’s body convulsed, and he gasped for breath.

Damn it!

It hurt so much!

Cursing inwardly, Mi Lu gritted his teeth and quickly caught up to Hulü Yan’s pace.

The moment he got close to Hulü Yan, the pain vanished as suddenly as it had come.

What an eerie, phantom-like sensation!

Mi Lu was filled with despair.

He really shouldn’t have expected anything from Hulü Yan!

Hulü Yan’s pace was slow, so to speed things up, Mi Lu once again took on the responsibility of carrying him.

As they walked, Mi Lu absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, while Hulü Yan continued to absorb Mi Lu’s spiritual power.

Perhaps Mi Lu’s heartfelt reasoning had worked, because Hulü Yan finally held back a little, allowing Mi Lu to slowly raise his cultivation again.

Although the progress was slow, at least he remained at the peak of Qi Refining.

With a few more ups and downs, he should finally reach the Foundation Establishment stage again.

Thinking about this filled Mi Lu with an odd sense of excitement—it wasn’t easy!

Although this roundabout cultivation method was quite frustrating, it did push him to new heights. After all, in his previous ten lifetimes, he had never even reached the middle stage of Qi Refining.

And so, they walked and stopped intermittently for almost a month.

Finally, on the day of the winter solstice, they arrived at a small town in the northwest.

Due to the terrain, the town was quite different from those near the Capital.

It wasn’t as bustling as the Capital, and though it was officially called a town, stepping inside, one would find that it was more accurately described as a large village.

A month was enough time for Hulü Yan’s deformed limbs to fully recover, and once he was back to normal, Mi Lu no longer had to carry him.

Hulü Yan seemed to be searching for something, walking quickly, but when they entered the town, he suddenly stopped.

Mi Lu, walking behind him, also stopped, waiting to see what Hulü Yan would do next.

But Hulü Yan remained completely still.

Seeing this, Mi Lu moved closer to Hulü Yan’s intact ear and asked, “Why did you stop?”

Hulü Yan didn’t so much as glance in his direction, staring intently at the almost deserted street ahead.

Mi Lu frowned slightly.

He suddenly wondered if Hulü Yan’s eyes could see again—why else would he always act like he was staring at something?

There had been several instances where Mi Lu genuinely felt that Hulü Yan could see.

Like now.

Mi Lu scrutinized Hulü Yan’s eyes for a moment, but then realized how absurd his thought was.

Hulü Yan’s eyes had been sacrificed, leaving only two black, hollow sockets.

How could he see anything?

He definitely couldn’t!

Mi Lu figured he was overthinking it.

Seeing that Hulü Yan was still unresponsive, Mi Lu called out again, “Hulü Yan?”

Hulü Yan ignored him, seemingly absorbed in his own world.

But Hulü Yan’s pale face remained as expressionless as ever, like a pool of still water, giving no clue to what he was thinking.

Mi Lu: “…”

He hated that Hulü Yan was like a block of wood.

“Well, if that’s how it is, you can just follow me.” Mi Lu made the decision himself and grabbed Hulü Yan’s hand.

Since they were already here, they might as well stock up on supplies for the winter.

But the most urgent task was to find an inn to rest.

The sun was about to set, and moving around after dark would not only be inconvenient but also dangerous.

After searching through a couple of streets, Mi Lu finally found an inn.

Earlier, Mi Lu had wrapped both his and Hulü Yan’s faces with spare clothes from his qiankun bag.

He only left his eyes exposed, while Hulü Yan didn’t even show those.

Their strange attire drew a lot of attention the moment they stepped into the inn.

Feeling all the gazes directed at them, Mi Lu hesitated for a moment.

He casually glanced around the inn’s interior.

Surprisingly, while it had been quiet outside, the inside was quite lively.

Groups of people sat scattered throughout the inn, most of whom didn’t seem to be locals, but rather travelers like them seeking shelter in the town.

The innkeeper, with a towel slung over his shoulder and a fawning smile on his face, hurried over to greet them, “Honored guests, what can I do for you? Will you be staying or dining?”

Mi Lu kept it brief, “We need two rooms.”

“Of course!” The innkeeper bowed deeply and gestured toward the stairs, “Please, follow me this way.”

Mi Lu nodded and followed the innkeeper with Hulü Yan in tow.

As they walked, the people who had been staring at them gradually turned away.

Except for two people sitting at a table in the corner of the hall.

These two were thin and gaunt, their long hair barely concealing faces that seemed to be little more than skin stretched over bone. Their high cheekbones gave them an odd, unsettling appearance.

A few small plates of food and a jug of wine were laid out before them. One held chopsticks in his right hand, while the other rested his left hand on the edge of the table, his fingertips lightly brushing a long whip and a veiled hat placed on the table.

It wasn’t until Mi Lu and Hulü Yan disappeared around the staircase that they finally averted their gaze, but their cloudy eyes were filled with surprise and excitement.

After a long pause, one of them spoke in a low voice, “That’s him, isn’t it?”

The other replied, “It’s definitely him!”

Even if that person turned to ash, they would still recognize him—he was the one they were looking for.

What was the saying?

“It’s like searching everywhere for iron shoes, only to find him without any effort!”

They had only been delayed in this godforsaken place for half a day due to some matters, and now they had run into him!

Even the heavens were helping them!

“Wu Du¹, go inform Senior Brother of this good news,” the first man said. “The Hall Master left for Immortal Valley two hours ago, so once he arrives, we can present him with this surprise.”

The man called Wu Du agreed, then added, “If the Hall Master had left two hours later, he could have caught him himself.”

“That would have been a different story,” the first man, Qi Sha², said with a cold smile as he glanced at the stairs. “The point is that we deliver him to the Hall Master ourselves. That way, the Hall Master will be impressed with us and will entrust us with more responsibilities in the future. Have you thought of that?”

Wu Du was enlightened and nodded in agreement, “Qi Sha, you’re so clever.”

Qi Sha said, “We should act quickly—tonight.”

“Oh, and by the way,” Wu Du suddenly changed the subject, “why is there a Qi Refining peak cultivator following him?”

“Perhaps he didn’t escape from Han Tu Abyss on his own, but with someone’s help.” Qi Sha narrowed his eyes, then smirked dismissively, “But a mere Qi Refining peak cultivator… killing him would be no harder than stepping on an ant.”

He paused for a moment before adding coldly, “Don’t leave any survivors—kill him.”

“Understood.”

Mi Lu and Hulü Yan rested in their room for a while, and Mi Lu ordered some food from the innkeeper.

It was a simple meal of porridge and side dishes.

Hulü Yan stood by the window, which was wide open. Outside, the fiery red glow of the sunset filled half the sky.

The golden light was slowly retreating beneath the horizon, and the last rays of sunlight fell on Hulü Yan’s face, giving his pale skin a faint touch of color.

Hulü Yan could probably feel the warmth of the light on his face, but his expression remained unchanged—

No.

Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a change.

If Hulü Yan’s face had previously been shrouded in frost, now that frost had melted, forming a thick layer of dark clouds.

Those dark clouds swirled, nearly covering Hulü Yan’s entire face.

Suppressed emotions like anger, gloom, and violence were hidden beneath the clouds, piling up over time like a towering mass.

Through those clouds, Mi Lu seemed to sense an undercurrent stirring.

But when he blinked, all he saw was Hulü Yan’s expressionless face, as if what he had seen moments ago was just a hallucination.

Hulü Yan turned his head to face Mi Lu.

For a brief moment, Mi Lu felt as if Hulü Yan was like a curled-up pangolin, its hard shell keeping him at a distance.

But inside that shell wasn’t soft flesh; it was darkness, thicker than ink.

All black inside.

For some reason, Mi Lu suddenly remembered something Hulü Yan had said in the ten previous cycles.

Hulü Yan had said that he wanted to be a good person too, but his life experiences were like merciless hands, pushing him further and further away from the path of goodness.

Being good was too hard, too tiring, and too frustrating.

So, why not be a villain?

If he wasn’t happy, then no one else should be happy either.

So, what had Hulü Yan experienced before the age of fourteen?

Mi Lu pushed those thoughts aside and asked Hulü Yan, “Are you hungry? Let’s eat something first, then we can go take a look at the street outside.”

Hulü Yan remained silent for a moment before turning his head back to the window.

Mi Lu, feeling awkward, rubbed his nose and sat back down at the table.

After finishing their meal, Mi Lu dragged Hulü Yan out for a walk.

He asked the innkeeper for directions to some nearby shops, and with the innkeeper’s guidance, they quickly found a tailor shop.

The shop was quite large, with fabrics displayed in the front and the workshop in the back.

The proprietress was helping two women choose fabrics when she noticed Mi Lu and Hulü Yan. She left the women to browse on their own and enthusiastically approached them.

“What can I help you with, young sirs?”

Mi Lu asked, “Do you have any ready-made clothes?”

“We do,” the proprietress replied, turning and leading them to the right side of the shop. After taking a few steps, she glanced back and asked, “Which of you is buying?”

“We both are.”

“This way, please.”

Mi Lu pulled Hulü Yan along as they followed her.

At that moment, Mi Lu overheard the two women whispering not far away.

“The young master of the Hulü Family’s birthday is next month, so we can stay here for a little while longer. We don’t get to go out often, so we should make the most of it, right?”

“But we shouldn’t be too late. It would be embarrassing if we were among the last to arrive when so many people are going.”

1. Five Poison ↩︎
2. Seven Kill ↩︎