Chapter 109: Parting Ways

Yang Xiao, Yu Jing, and Cang Yuan first buried the bodies of Yu Yong and Jiao Fei, then they headed to the Murong family’s Spirit Herb Garden.

For cultivators, dying outside was quite ordinary, so they didn’t fuss over it. Generally, when a cultivator died, their body would either be buried on the spot or cremated. Both methods were simple: to bury someone like Yu Yong and Jiao Fei, they only needed to punch a hole in the ground, then lay them inside. For cremation, they merely had to summon a flame to burn the bodies.

After handling Yu Yong and Jiao Fei’s remains, Yang Xiao, Yu Jing, and Cang Yuan proceeded directly to the Murong family’s Spirit Herb Garden.

Meanwhile, Prince Rui and Qi Feng discussed matters once more. Naturally, their conversation concerned Yang Xiao and the others.

“Master, are you really going to hand over the Spirit Herbs in the garden to Yang Xiao and his group just like that? Isn’t that a bit too lenient? Besides, they refused to join the Rui Prince’s Mansion earlier. No matter how well we treat them, they might never feel grateful,” Qi Feng said.

“These individuals are indeed exceptional. It won’t harm us to befriend them deliberately. They might prove useful in the future. Besides, they’ve already made contributions and deserve some rewards. Feng’er, don’t overthink this. For now, we should focus on swiftly eradicating the remaining Murong family forces and take over their assets as soon as possible,” Prince Rui replied.

“Very well, I will follow your orders,” Qi Feng said reluctantly. Although dissatisfied, he dared not defy his master and decided to comply.

Yang Xiao, Yu Jing, and Cang Yuan soon arrived at the Murong family’s Spirit Herb Garden. They gathered a considerable amount of spirit herbs, enough to craft many pills. With these medicines, their cultivation would undoubtedly rise significantly in the future.

“We’ve collected quite a bit of spirit herbs now. I think we should leave as soon as possible to avoid any further surprises,” Yang Xiao said.

“Agreed. Let’s leave quickly,” Cang Yuan responded.

Yu Jing nodded in agreement.

The three then swiftly departed from the Murong family’s estate. During their exit, they didn’t notify Prince Rui. After returning briefly to the inn to pack, they left Murong Town directly.

Only after traveling a considerable distance from Murong Town did they slow their pace.

“Brother Cang Yuan, Miss Yu Jing, what are your plans from here?” Yang Xiao asked.

“I intend to return to Huayun City. Brother Yang, what about you?” Cang Yuan replied.

“I plan to join the Xianping Sect. Actually, before heading to the Murong family, my brother and I agreed that once we obtained spirit herbs, we would join Xianping together. It’s the only sect with a relatively high number of female disciples, which is advantageous for refining pills using their earth fire vein. But now, my brother has passed away, so I must join alone,” Yu Jing explained.

“Since we have the spirit herbs, we indeed should find a good earth fire vein to refine pills. The Five Sects are the best choice,” Yang Xiao nodded.

“Brother Yang, do you want to join one of the Five Sects? Why not join the Xianping Sect with me? Being a rogue cultivator is tough—I know this well. In the past, my brother and I wandered everywhere. We once temporarily settled on Reef Mountain, which had a fine earth fire vein. It was a good place to cultivate. But later, a powerful rogue cultivator named Du Xin arrived. Rogue cultivators fight fiercely. My brother and I weren't a match, so we had to leave Reef Mountain. That’s my past experience, so I agree with your choice to join one of the Five Sects,” Yu Jing recalled.

“I see. Not bad. I’ve long planned to join one of the Five Sects too, but I want to join the Tianjian Sect. As you know, I use a sword, so Tianjian suits me better,” Yang Xiao said.

“Joining the Five Sects is a fine idea, but once you become a disciple, you’ll face many restrictions. You won’t have much freedom to do as you please. I won’t consider it, especially since I’m older and probably won’t be highly regarded even if I join. I prefer to be free. But both of you are young. If you join the Five Sects, the higher-ups will likely nurture you carefully. That could be an opportunity for you. Ultimately, the decision is yours,” Cang Yuan said.

“However, if you don’t join the Five Sects, I can still help you refine pills in Huayun City. There’s a secret earth fire vein beneath the Treasure Gathering Shop. I’m acquainted with the shopkeeper, so I can borrow it for pill refining. Brother Yang, Miss Yu Jing, what do you think?” Cang Yuan continued.

“I appreciate your kindness, Brother Cang Yuan, but I also know people in the Tianjian Sect. If I go there, refining pills should be easy, so there’s no need to trouble you,” Yang Xiao replied.

Naturally, Yang Xiao didn’t want others to know when he was refining pills. He also wasn’t familiar with the earth fire veins in Huayun City—any mishap there could be troublesome. Since many covet wealth in this world, one must always be cautious.

“I won’t trouble you either, Brother Cang Yuan. Maybe we’ll meet again someday,” Yu Jing said.

“Very well. Since our paths differ, we must part here. Take care, both of you,” Cang Yuan said, bowing slightly before flying toward Huayun City.

“Then Yu Jing and I will part ways here,” Yu Jing said, bowing to Yang Xiao.

“Miss Yu Jing, do you want me to see you off? The Xianping Sect is still quite far from here. Are you sure you can travel alone?” Yang Xiao asked.