In the evening, in the courtyard of the Su Family residence, Su Ci sat leisurely in a reclining chair, sipping homemade fruit juice from time to time while admiring the sunset glow, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation.
Ever since she became a disciple of Pei Yuan, she had not dared to slack off, and her schedule was always packed full. This was the first time in three years that she had the leisure to enjoy the scenery like this.
Looking at the brilliant glowing clouds on the horizon, Su Ci's thoughts drifted into the distance, and she recalled Li Xiangyi in his fiery red robes.
Li Xiangyi's bright and dazzling figure involuntarily surfaced in her mind. Their chance encounter earlier in the day had given Su Ci a vivid experience of his unique charm.
Pei Yuan was gentle and refined. He remained calm and collected at all times, as if nothing in the world could ever faze him. Unlike Pei Yuan, Li Xiangyi was high-spirited and full of vigor; he was just like the Shaoshi Sword in his hand—sharp, dazzling, and brimming with uncontainable edge.
Su Ci had never encountered such a person in either her past or present life. Inevitably, she felt a rising curiosity about him and the martial arts world of the present day.
At the same time, Li Xiangyi's appearance not only shattered the peaceful routine of the small town, but also stirred ripples deep within Su Ci's heart. An urge welled up from the depths of her soul to go out and see the world.
She wanted to gaze upon the magnificent rivers and mountains of Daxi, taste the culinary delights of different places, make a few like-minded friends, and explore a much wider realm.
More importantly, Su Ci's medical skills had hit a bottleneck and stubbornly refused to advance to mastery, and she knew this was because she lacked sufficient practical experience. Moreover, Huajian You and Lijing Yidao were both just a hair's breadth away from reaching level 90.
Progress in martial arts required not only the passage of time, but also accumulated experience through battles with formidable experts. Perhaps it was time to pack up and go out into the world.
Having finalized her plans for the future, Su Ci stood up, gently brushed away a fallen leaf from her shoulder, and stretched her back. Then she finished off her fruit juice in one gulp and walked back to her room.
She decided that tomorrow she would go to the medical clinic, prepare a sufficient stock of self-defense medicines, and then set off.
Back inside, Su Ci set about packing her traveling bags with immense enthusiasm. Aside from a few essential changes of clothing, she did not plan to bring too much luggage—she wanted whatever was most convenient.
Early the next morning, Su Ci arrived at the medical clinic and set to work puttering around with her medicinal herbs.
With skillful hands, she worked almost like a magician, combining various medicinal roots, fruits, and leaves in precise proportions. Some were ground into fine powders, while others were rolled into pills.
These items each had their own unique functions: treating internal and external injuries, counteracting poisons, paralyzing or poisoning troublemakers, alongside indispensable home-and-travel essentials like the Jiuhua Yulu Pill—the variety was inexhaustible.
In short, she brewed up a batch of every single medicinal formula she knew for which the clinic had the raw materials, arming herself to the teeth.
After a busy morning, Su Ci filled the porcelain bottles she had bought to the brim, and her heart felt much more settled.
Once she had affixed labels to every bottle and transferred them all into the System Space so she could grab whatever she needed at a moment's notice, she finally stopped with a look of deep satisfaction.
Having finished compounding the medicines, Su Ci tidied up everything in the clinic that needed attention. She cast one last sweep of her gaze around the place where she had spent the past three years, and then locked the front door with a trace of reluctance.
After bidding farewell to the neighboring residents and posting a notice on the front door to inform the neighborhood that she was going on a long journey of uncertain duration, Su Ci finally departed.
Leading her horse and carrying her packed luggage outside the city gates, Su Ci looked back once more at the familiar little town. A pang of reluctance tugged at her heart, but it was far outweighed by her curiosity and anticipation for the unknown world waiting ahead.
——————
"Green peaks and verdant pavilions where flower-loving deer call,
Sparse stars and bright moon mirrored on water and cloud.
Departing into the mortal realm, we lose track of the years,
And know not where to seek the peach blossom paradise once more."
These were the lines used to describe the Wanhua Valley, nestled deep within the Qinling mountains.
As a disciple of Wanhua Valley, Su Ci naturally longed to see what the true Wanhua Valley looked like, and whether the scenery was truly as breathtaking as it was in the game.
Pity that in this real world, there was no Wanhua Valley. Fortunately, while there was no Wanhua Valley, the Qinling mountains still existed; taking a trip there to appreciate its magnificent scenery would be a fine choice nonetheless.
Having chosen her direction, Su Ci rode her horse along the official highway, leisurely making her way toward the Qinling mountains. Since she was in no rush, she decided that every day she would simply travel as far as her feet—or rather, her horse's hooves—could take her.
As night fell, a silver-plate moon had already hung high in the sky, and the occasional sporadic call of a bird echoed through the woods, making the surrounding stillness feel even more profound. The moonlight cascading down cast a mysterious veil over Su Ci's solitary figure.
Seeing that it was getting late, Su Ci had no intention of traveling through the night and decided to rest here until morning before setting off again.
She found a secluded, wind-sheltered spot to tie up her horse, sprinkled a circle of insect-repellent powder around the perimeter, lit a campfire, and took out her provisions to begin her evening meal.
Suddenly, Su Ci's ears twitched. She seemed to catch a faint sound.
She concentrated her mind and strained her ears to distinguish the noise.
Abruptly, Su Ci's expression shifted. She immediately got to her feet, extinguished the campfire, hurried over to where her horse was tied, and recalled the animal back into the System Space. Then she leaped up into a tree and concealed herself among the branches.
Scarcely a few breaths later, a flurry of hurried footsteps shattered the peace of the night.
Su Ci immediately heightened her vigilance, slowed her breathing, and prepared to wait and see how the situation unfolded.
At that moment, a man burst into her field of vision.
Caked in blood, he was running frantically toward the grove of trees, pursued closely by four burly men brandishing sabers and swords.
As luck would have it, just as the fleeing man reached the tree where Su Ci was hiding, he stumbled and collapsed heavily onto the ground. Before he could even push himself back up, his pursuers caught up to him.
Su Ci had no desire to meddle in troublesome affairs. Adhering to the mindset that less trouble was better than more, she was just about to leave.
"Run! Let's see you keep running if you've got the guts!"
"The secret manual is something our Jinyuan Alliance wants! How dare you refuse to hand it over?!"
"Exactly. Our alliance leader condescended to take a fancy to your manual, which is your supreme honor. Why couldn't you just obediently hand it over? What a stubborn, unappreciative wretch."
"Hand over the manual, or don't blame us for being ruthless!" The men surrounded the fallen figure in a tight circle, shouting vicious threats.
Although the man on the ground was heavily wounded, he refused to bow his head. Gritting his teeth, he spat out:
"Impossible! This manual is my Lin family's heirloom—what right do you animals have to demand it? You slaughtered thirteen members of my Lin family; even if I die, I will never hand it over to you!"
"Don't waste your breath on a dying man. Just kill him and search his body; the manual must be hidden on him. I refuse to believe he won't talk, or that we won't find the manual," the man who appeared to be the leader said impatiently to the others behind him.
With that, he waved his hand, and the three men swarmed forward, raising their blades to hack down at the man on the ground.