Chapter 618: Chapter 354: Yizhuang Escort
Huangfu Yi opened his eyes, staring blankly at the mountains ahead.
He no longer remembered how he had escaped from the cave of the Carefree Demoness alive.
Nor did he know how he had emerged alive from the battlefield of Outer Heaven.
He truly did not know, did not understand, did not comprehend, and therefore could not remember.
In a blink of an eye, when he came back to his senses, he was already deep within the mountains and forests.
The fragments of memory in his mind were confused and unclear: the catfish in the Jade, the battlefield of Outer Heaven, the fierce battles of Yangjingbang, Mechanical Divine Soldiers, Soldier Armor Battle Remains, Gamma Rays, Super Electromagnetic Cannon, all flashing before his eyes like a revolving lantern. Uncertain whether these were his own or someone else’s memories, knowledge, experiences, and emotions clashed and mingled fiercely in his mind, like a vortex of Chaos, like the intermingling of Yin and Yang, indistinguishable for a time, surging inexplicably.
But the intense medicinal fragrance of the Elixir in his mouth, the turbulent and clashing Qi Flow in his Qi Sea, the numb and stabbing pain through his meridians and lungs, even the red marks on his chest and arms from being bound by immortal silk, all confirmed an undeniable fact.
He had survived, returned, and now he was in Taiji Heaven, and he was Huangfu Yi.
He still needed to seek the Dao and find the Immortal, to request the Sword Immortal of Nine Yin Mountain to emerge and slay the Blood Demon, to save all living beings under heaven.
Huangfu Yi took a deep breath, rubbed his face to regain clarity, then attempted to practice a set of Gang Fist, stretching his muscles and bones, adapting to his body that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
The True Qi infused by the demoness still remained unraveled, running like snakes and rats through his meridians, but it seemed his body had gradually adapted to the chaotic Dao Power within, at least he was no longer as sensitive as when he was hung in the cave, gradually enduring the intense stimulus of a century’s Dao Power.
The Elixir that had originally filled his mouth, at least the size of a pigeon egg, had now been digested by his saliva, leaving only a piece about the size of a corn kernel under his tongue. The wounds on his body had also healed and scabbed over, no longer painful, clearly indicating that he had passed a considerable amount of time in his dream...
No, since everything in the stone chamber was not some strange spring dream. Was the battlefield of Outer Heaven really just a nightmare?
For a moment, Huangfu Yi sighed with relief, only to fall into a deeper state of confusion, both body and mind exhausted. The growling hunger in his stomach then interrupted his thoughts.
Regardless of whether it was a dream or not, move forward. If not for seeking the Dao and finding the Immortal, vanquishing demons and slaying the Blood Demon, then at least to fill his stomach, and by the way, find a pair of pants...
Fortunately, Huangfu Yi’s Luck seemed quite good, with opportunities arising at every crisis. Winding through the small paths in the forest for a while, he found a Yizhuang.
In the depths of the forest, where demons and ghosts roamed, naturally no one would run a post or inn in such a place.
But even in the most remote places, there would inevitably be nearby hunters, patrolling soldiers, or traveling merchant caravans passing through, needing a place to rest for the night, sheltered from the wind and rain.
Thus, during times of peace, the gentry landlords of nearby villages and towns would build roads and bridges, setting up Yizhuang and homes along the mountain paths for travelers to stay overnight, providing some rice, flour, and oil for use.
If they occasionally encountered someone who had died on the road, they could also collect the remains and store them temporarily to prevent the corpse from transforming into a Demon, with constables from the town or nearby cultivators coming to inspect and bury at intervals.
Unfortunately, in times of such instability, the land was filled with bones, death everywhere, far beyond anyone’s control, and this Yizhuang had been abandoned for a long time, left unswept.
Huangfu Yi climbed into the Yizhuang and checked it out, finding over ten dried corpses already in the coffins in the courtyard, some oddly gnawed apart by wild beasts, indicating that no one had managed this place for a while. He apologized to the deceased, changed into clothes he found there, and dug a pit in the back courtyard to bury them properly.
Then he rummaged through the back courtyard storage, finding only some old bread. He gnawed on it to stave off hunger, physically exhausted, he climbed to the beams in the back courtyard and collapsed into sleep, to avoid being devoured by demons and beasts.
He did not know how long he had slept when suddenly a noise outside woke Huangfu Yi. Lifting a tile, he climbed out to the rooftop to see the commotion. As it turned out, it was already late at night, and a caravan was spending the night at the Yizhuang.
The escort personnel were busy in the front courtyard, leading mules and horses, moving luggage, sweeping the Yizhuang for temporary residence.
"Hey! What evil person dares to spy from the beam!"
Daring to wander in the forest, naturally, there were skilled guards with the dart team, so as soon as Huangfu Yi’s head emerged, he was detected. Immediately, two darts masters dashed out from the front courtyard, slingshots in hand ready to shoot.
"Hold your hand, I am Bai Yi, a rural hunter, resting in the Yizhuang, with no malice."
Huangfu Yi quickly spoke up, trying to resolve the misunderstanding.
"Lies!"
Suddenly a shout of anger came from the entrance of the Yizhuang, and Huangfu Yi turned to the voice, only to see a cart stopped at the Yizhuang entrance, driven by a burly elder with gray and white whiskers.
This person was clad in an indigo flower-patterned great cloak, wearing Cowhide Ring Armor underneath, a Nine-Section Steel Whip held horizontally, its braided head carved with a fierce beast’s mouth. At a glance, one could tell he was a veteran of the battlefield, a seasoned wanderer of the Jianghu, an expert in external martial arts. He glared at Huangfu Yi and immediately pointed it out.
"You are not a hunter at all! The hardened muscles on your body, calluses at the tiger’s mouth, clearly show you are skilled with swords! There’s corpse oil and bloodstains on your shirt; you took these clothes off the dead!"
"Where are you from, daring to rob my Wei Yuan’s goods! Spy on Iron Arm Ren’s dart! Who tipped you off and leaked our whereabouts! How many companions do you have, where are they now! Speak quickly!"