Yet the middle-aged coachman could feel nothing at all.
Instead, he was astonished as to why the two Demon beasts had suddenly frozen in place, a look of sheer terror flashing across their faces.
Could it be that they were completely cowed by my overwhelming aura?
What a golden opportunity!
Without the slightest hesitation, the middle-aged coachman unleashed a flurry of palms.
Bang! Bang!!!
The wolf demon and bear demon vomited blood and went flying backward, entirely robbed of any chance to fight back.
The middle-aged man looked at his own hands in astonishment.
"Am I really this powerful?"
He found it hard to believe.
Logically speaking, either one of these two Demon beasts should have been more than enough to give him a terribly hard time.
Yet right now, he seemed fully capable of handling both of them with ease.
The wolf and bear demons were knocked flat to the ground.
They tried to clamber back up.
Yet that same oppressive might descended upon them once more, crushing the breath out of their lungs and keeping them pinned firmly to the earth.
"A Demon King! There's a Demon King!"
Terror gripped the hearts of the two Demon beasts, yet they couldn't utter so much as a peep!
Chapter 21: Master Calligrapher Ye Qingyun
The middle-aged coachman struck again.
The two Demon beasts felt like crying, though no tears came.
Clearly, this fellow was no match for them, yet for some reason, they were utterly unable to fight back.
They could only stand there and take a beating.
It was too infuriating.
They had never felt so utterly humiliated in all their lives.
The middle-aged coachman, however, found it immensely satisfying.
With merely the cultivation of the Core Condensation (early) stage, he was rubbing two Demon beasts of the Core Condensation (middle) stage into the dirt.
Utterly exhilarating!
Before long, the wolf and bear demons were battered and bruised, vomiting blood and shrieking in agony.
Damao, sitting atop the carriage, let out a massive yawn.
The oppressive weight pressing down on the two Demon beasts instantly vanished into thin air.
Sensing this, the bear and wolf demons scrambled to their feet and bolted into the distance without daring to look back.
They didn't dare linger here a moment longer.
If that terrifying pressure were to return, the two of them would truly leave their lives right here.
"I never expected these people to have a Demon King protecting them! We almost bought the farm!"
"It must be that the Demon King showed mercy, otherwise neither of us would have stood a chance of escaping."
The bear and wolf demons ran for all they were worth.
In the blink of an eye, they had vanished without a trace.
The middle-aged coachman didn't pursue them.
He quickly returned to the front of the carriage.
"Young Miss, those two Demon beasts have been beaten off."
The young master still harbored lingering fears. "They won't come back, will they?"
The middle-aged coachman shook his head.
"I shouldn't think so."
The young master breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good."
The middle-aged coachman hesitated for a moment.
"Young Miss, I have a feeling there is an expert secretly helping us out."
The young master was taken aback.
"Why do you say that?"
The middle-aged coachman explained, "The cultivation levels of those two Demon beasts were actually higher than mine. By all rights, dealing with even one would have been a struggle; it should have been completely impossible for me to defeat both."
"Yet just now, those two Demon beasts acted as if they were suppressed by some invisible force, letting me strike them at will without offering any resistance."
"If not for that, I would have been no match for them at all."
Hearing this, the young master had to admit it sounded quite logical.
The question was, where on earth was this expert who was helping them?
They hadn't hired any powerful protectors to travel in secret with them on this trip, after all.
Could it be...?
Both the middle-aged coachman and the young master simultaneously cast their gazes toward Ye Qingyun, who was cowering inside the carriage.
"Could it be him?"
Both of them made the same silent guess.
Of everyone present, Ye Qingyun was the only one whose background and true strength remained a complete mystery to them.
Yet the young master quickly dismissed the thought.
"He's just a mortal without a shred of cultivation. He can't possibly be any sort of expert."
The young master muttered inwardly.
The middle-aged coachman, however, was not so sure.
He stared at Ye Qingyun, trying to glean some clue.
Yet no matter how closely he observed, he could not detect the faintest trace of an expert about Ye Qingyun.
"Could I be overthinking things?"
The middle-aged coachman secretly wondered.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ye Qingyun asked with a puzzled expression.
"It's nothing."
The young master shook his head.
The middle-aged coachman kept his thoughts to himself as well.
He whipped the horses into a gallop, eager to put as much distance between them and this place as possible.
Inside the carriage, the young master kept stealing glances at Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun felt thoroughly uncomfortable under that gaze.
"What's your name?"
It was only then that the young master realized she didn't even know what Ye Qingyun was called.
"Ye Qingyun."
The young master blinked in surprise. "Are you a member of the Ye Family?"
Ye Qingyun looked completely blank.
"The Ye Family? What Ye Family?"
Seeing that Ye Qingyun didn't seem to be feigning ignorance—and knowing that a member of the Ye Family wouldn't be completely devoid of cultivation—the young master dropped the subject.
"Never mind."
The young master offered a perfunctory reply.
Ye Qingyun was left speechless.
Acting all mysterious.
What kind of game are they playing?
"Are you surnamed Xiao?"
He took the initiative to ask.
"Mhm, my name is Xiao Shi."
"Xiao Shi [Disappear]? That sounds rather unlucky."
Ye Qingyun remarked.
Xiao Shi's face darkened.
"Not 'disappear', it's Xiao Shi—*shi* as in poetry, prose, and song."
"Ah, I see, I see."
Xiao Shi rolled her eyes.
Ye Qingyun stroked the rabbit nestled in his arms.
"Um, wouldn't it be better if you just let me go? I'm just an ordinary person, and I'm no use to you anyway."
Xiao Shi let out a soft huff.
"Who says you're no use? You can tell me stories."
Ye Qingyun gave a wry smile. "How about I write down the story of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* for you to read at your leisure, and then you let me go? How does that sound?"
Hearing this, Xiao Shi considered it a reasonable proposition.
Though willful, she knew when to draw the line.
Dragging Ye Qingyun along all this way and making him tell stories for so long was already quite enough.
To keep dragging him along after this would indeed be pushing it.
"Go ahead and write it then."
"You got it."
Ye Qingyun immediately set to work.
Pen and paper were readily available in the carriage. Though it was a writing brush, Ye Qingyun had long since mastered the art of calligraphy under the harsh and grueling training of the system.
Whether it was running script, regular script, or cursive script, he could handle them all with effortless ease.
He could effortlessly reach the level of a master calligrapher.
At first, Xiao Shi didn't pay much attention.
But when she glanced over and caught sight of the characters Ye Qingyun was writing, she froze in her tracks.
Ye Qingyun's handwriting was free, graceful, and transcendent; every single character was so exquisite that it brought a sense of effortless comfort to the viewer.
Watching his posture as the brush touched the paper was nothing short of an absolute delight.
"Your handwriting is actually this good?"
Xiao Shi asked in astonishment.
Ye Qingyun smiled faintly.
"It's alright, just passable."
Passable?
Xiao Shi stared at those powerful yet delicate characters.
If this was considered passable, then her own handwriting could only be described as a chicken scratching in the dirt.
He wrote for a solid entire night.
That was how long it took Ye Qingyun to finish writing out *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*.
Naturally, to save time, Ye Qingyun had condensed the narrative down to the core plot points, which was why he was able to wrap it up in a single night.
"All done at last."
Ye Qingyun rubbed his aching, sore wrist and handed the dozen or so pages of manuscript over to Xiao Shi.
"Right, let me draw an illustration to go with it."
Ye Qingyun produced one more drawing.
It was none other than the scene of Guo Jing drawing his bow to shoot the giant eagles.
Naturally, this artwork was executed with consummate skill.
Ye Qingyun's drawing abilities, much like his mastery of calligraphy, had been forged through the merciless tortures of the system.
One look at this painting left Xiao Shi utterly dumbstruck.
Before her eyes, it seemed as if a true hero really stood amidst the desolate wilderness, clutching a treasured bow, drawing the string taut, and bringing down two eagles with a single arrow.
That overwhelming visual impact, that genuine sense of awe—
For a moment, Xiao Shi was completely captivated by the painting, sinking unconsciously into its depths and forgetting everything else.
"Ahem."
Ye Qingyun gave a light cough.
Xiao Shi continued to stare unblinkingly at the artwork.
"Um, Miss Xiao?"
Ye Qingyun reminded her out loud.
Only then did Xiao Shi snap out of her trance as if waking from a dream.
She looked blankly at Ye Qingyun.
"What is it?"
"I must bid you farewell."
Ye Qingyun said.
"Oh. Stop the carriage."
Xiao Shi called out.
The carriage ground to a halt.
Ye Qingyun immediately scooped up the rabbit and hopped down from the carriage, with Damao following close behind.
Xiao Shi poked her head out from inside the carriage.
"May we meet again by fate someday."
Ye Qingyun smiled and nodded.
The carriage rolled forward once more.
Ye Qingyun let out a long breath of relief.
Finally free.
Yet as he looked around his surroundings, his mind went blank once more.
Where the hell am I?
Chapter 22: The Shocked Out-of-This-World Expert
Ye Qingyun was lost.
To be precise, he didn't even know where he was.
A desolate wilderness at the edge of nowhere, swept by gusts of nocturnal wind, accompanied by the occasional howl of a distant wolf.
Ye Qingyun felt a prickle of panic.
He instinctively hugged the rabbit in his arms a little tighter.
Fortunately, he still had Damao by his side.
"Damao, do you know the way back?"
Ye Qingyun asked tentatively.
They say an old horse knows the way.
I wonder if an old dog is any good?
Damao let out a bark, then wagged its tail and trotted forward at a leisurely pace.
Ye Qingyun looked thoroughly suspicious.
Does this fellow really know the way?
Seeing that Ye Qingyun wasn't moving, Damao even stopped, turned back to look at him, and seemed to gesture for Ye Qingyun to follow.
Ye Qingyun had no choice.
He had to tag along.
One man, one dog, and one rabbit strolled unhurriedly through the desolate wilderness.
The dog was carefree.
The rabbit was at ease.
The man was terrified.
After walking for the better part of the night, Ye Qingyun felt his legs grow weak and sore, exhausted and famined.
"I can't walk another step. Damao, why don't you give me a ride?"
Ye Qingyun said with a miserable expression on his face.
Hearing that, Damao's canine face instantly fell.
Are you even human?
You actually expect a dog to carry you on its back?!
Don't you have any self-awareness about how much you weigh?!
Yet Ye Qingyun truly couldn't walk any further.
Seeing this, Damao trotted a short distance away and let out a couple of barks into the empty air.
Woof! Woof!
While Ye Qingyun was wondering what Damao was up to, a sudden gust of gale-force wind swept across the area.
A massive black bear came charging straight toward them.
Ye Qingyun jumped in fright.
"Damao, run!"
He rushed forward in a panic, wanting to drag Damao away, terrified that this foolish dog would be eaten by the bear.
Instead, he saw that Damao showed not a hint of fear; in fact, the dog barked a couple more times at the giant black bear.
The giant black bear squatted down right in front of Damao and nodded repeatedly, as if it could actually understand what the dog was saying.
Dog and bear began conversing right there in front of Ye Qingyun.
"What on earth?"
Ye Qingyun's mind was a mess.
Still, by the looks of it, Damao didn't seem to be in any danger.
After Damao chatted with the black bear for a moment, the beast ambled over to Ye Qingyun's side.
Frightened, Ye Qingyun shrank back a few steps.
Only to see the black bear suddenly drop flat onto its belly, presenting its back directly to Ye Qingyun.
Damao stood nearby, barking insistently at him.
"You want me to climb up? You want this bear to carry me on its back?"
Ye Qingyun was utterly astonished.
Damao nodded repeatedly.
Ye Qingyun was blown away.
The dog I raised actually has this kind of capability?!
A wave of delight washed over him. Losing all fear, he immediately hoisted himself up and sat squarely on the black bear's back.
With the black bear carrying Ye Qingyun and Damao leading the way ahead, they continued on their journey.
"Damao, is that friend of yours?"
"Woof woof!"
"Though I can't understand you, I assume that means yes."
"Woof woof!"
"Good boy, Damao. When we get back, I'll reward you with a big bone."
"Woof woof woof!"
"This bear's fur is kind of scratching my crotch, feels a bit uncomfortable..."
Black Bear: "......"
I am, at the very least, a dignified Demon beast of a bear, and you have the nerve to say my fur is scratching your crotch?!
If not out of respect for this great dog demon king, I'd have smacked your fragile human body into a meat paste with a single paw.
This black bear was none other than the bear demon that had previously appeared alongside the wolf demon.
Right now, having revealed its true form, it had been summoned by Damao to run errands and serve as Ye Qingyun's mount for the journey.
Up on a nearby hilltop, the wolf demon watched the departing bear demon, silently weeping in his heart.
"You've suffered, Brother Bear."
......
"Young Miss, we've reached the Yatian Valley."
The carriage came to a halt at the mouth of a narrow gorge.
The middle-aged coachman announced this to Xiao Shi inside the carriage.
Xiao Shi stepped out of the carriage.
By now, she had changed back into women's clothing.
If Ye Qingyun were here right now, he would undoubtedly be stunned by Xiao Shi's ethereal beauty.
When she was disguised in men's clothing, it had been hard to tell.
Yet once back in female attire, Xiao Shi proved to be one of the peerless beauties of this world.
Precisely because her appearance was far too striking, she invariably attracted a torrent of gazes wherever she went.
Xiao Shi disliked that sort of attention.
That was why she so often dressed as a man.
"We've finally arrived."
Xiao Shi looked out at the mountain pass ahead, her heart filled with brimming anticipation.
She had traveled thousands of miles from the lands of Beichuan to get here.
All for the purpose of finding an out-of-the-world expert who lived in seclusion in this place and becoming their disciple.
Xiao Shi's great-grandfather had once shared a past friendship with this very expert.
Before her great-grandfather passed away, he had instructed the Xiao family that if any of their descendants possessed exceptional talent, they should be sent to the Yatian Valley to become disciples of the expert residing within.
The expert of the valley had once made a promise to the Xiao family.
Should the Xiao family send a junior to seek apprenticeship, he would ensure that person became a world-renowned martial arts master.
Now, Xiao Shi had arrived.
Bearing the heavy expectations of the Xiao family.
"Uncle Jiu, bring the apprenticeship gifts and follow me into the valley."
"Understood!"
Uncle Jiu was the middle-aged coachman. He picked up a wrapped bundle and closely followed behind Xiao Shi as they stepped into the Yatian Valley.
The valley was exceptionally tranquil.
Before Xiao Shi and Uncle Jiu had walked very far, a thatched cottage came into view in the distance.
Beside the thatched cottage grew a peach tree.
Underneath the peach tree, a white-haired elder was taking a nap on a bamboo reclining chair.
Xiao Shi's eyes lit up.
Yet she didn't dare to approach rashly and disturb him.
She and Uncle Jiu stood quietly at a distance, waiting for the expert to wake from his slumber before stepping forward to pay their respects.
They waited for a solid two hours or more.
Only then did the white-haired elder leisurely stir awake.
"Hmm?"
The moment he opened his eyes, he spotted the two figures standing not far away.
"The little lass from the Xiao family?"
Xiao Shi hurriedly stepped forward.
"Junior Xiao Shi pays respects to Senior!"
The white-haired elder smiled faintly.
"Not bad, not bad. Your aptitude is exceptional, and you suit my tastes well."
Xiao Shi was overjoyed.
"Disciple pays respects to Master!"
With that, she dropped to her knees and kowtowed heavily three times to the white-haired elder.
With a smile on his face, the white-haired elder accepted the three ritual kowtows from Xiao Shi.
"Master, this is the apprenticeship gift from my Xiao family."
Xiao Shi took the bundle from Uncle Jiu's hands and offered it up with both palms.
The white-haired elder nodded and undid the package, only for a painting to slip out from inside.
Looking somewhat awkward, Xiao Shi quickly bent down to pick up the painting.
This was the artwork Ye Qingyun had sketched for her in the carriage earlier; she had no idea how it ended up mixed in with the apprenticeship gifts.
"Master, this isn't part of the apprenticeship gift, just an ordinary painting."
Xiao Shi explained.
The white-haired elder, however, seemed rather interested in the piece.
"Hand it here and let me take a look."
Fearing that the painting might displease the white-haired elder, Xiao Shi felt a twinge of anxiety.
Yet since the white-haired elder had already spoken, Xiao Shi had no choice but to hand the painting over to him.
The elder immediately unfurled the scroll.
The moment his eyes fell upon it, the elder's expression underwent a dramatic transformation.
He sprang straight up from the rattan chair, his eyes locked onto the painting in a fixed stare.
The look on his face was as if he had just laid eyes upon some utterly terrifying existence.
Both Xiao Shi and Uncle Jiu jumped in fright.
"Master, is there something wrong with this painting?"
With trembling hands, the white-haired elder wore a look of utter shock.
"This painting... this painting..."
"This painting is extraordinary! It embodies a supreme Great Dao!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Xiao Shi and Uncle Jiu were struck dumb.
What on earth?
A supreme Great Dao?
Chapter 23: A Little Beggar
The white-haired elder stared at the painting with intense agitation, his eyeballs seeming as though they might pop right out of his head at any second.
"What a magnificent depiction of drawing a bow to shoot an eagle!"
The white-haired elder said with a trembling voice, "This painting is imbued with a desolate and heroic aura. If one can calmly meditate upon it and comprehend it, perhaps one might touch upon a Great Dao that no predecessor has ever trodden before."
"The person who could paint such a work is absolute without a doubt an unfathomable expert."
"I fear it is someone who has already grasped the Great Dao and comprehended everything in this world!"
"Who would have thought? Such a figure truly exists in this world! How I yearn to gaze upon the true face of this expert!"
As he spoke, the white-haired elder could not help pounding his own chest and stamping his feet in lamentation.
The sight left Xiao Shi and Uncle Jiu utterly bewildered.
Is this painting really that amazing?
Isn't this just something Ye Qingyun casually doodled?
Though the artwork was indeed exquisite, calling it imbued with the Great Dao was stretching it a bit too far, wasn't it?
"Master, th-this should just be an ordinary painting, right?"
Xiao Shi ventured cautiously.
The white-haired elder instantly glared at her.
"This is definitely not an ordinary painting!"
"Whoever was able to paint this is unequivocally an unfathomable out-of-the-world expert!"
"This single painting alone is worth centuries of this old man's arduous cultivation!"
What?
A single painting was worth centuries of arduous cultivation?
Xiao Shi and Uncle Jiu were truly shocked.
The two of them exchanged blank stares.
Could it be...
That the seemingly ordinary mortal Ye Qingyun was actually an unfathomably profound peerless expert?
"Where did this painting come from?"
The white-haired elder fixed his gaze firmly on Xiao Shi, burning with the desire to know the origins of this artwork.
Naturally, Xiao Shi dared not conceal the truth.
"Master, this painting was created by a young man named Ye Qingyun."
The white-haired elder fell into deep thought.
"A young man? That is likely not the expert's true appearance. An expert of such caliber must have long since mastered cultivation to a heaven-reaching degree, where altering one's countenance is as effortless as the turn of a hand."