Volume One: First Entry into the Dao Chapter Ninety-Three: Arrival

By this point, Ye Junze, seated upon the Lingxu Sword and flying through the sky, had gone from awkwardness at the start to growing gradually accustomed, and now he was even rather adept. He controlled the sword beneath him with ease, drifting leisurely through the air.

Savoring the joy that came with sword flight, Ye Junze closed his eyes and enjoyed the refreshing breeze that brushed his face. Aloft without a care in the world, a look of contentment spread across his features, the sort of unburdened delight that came from a wish long held in the heart finally being fulfilled today.

“If only all of this weren’t a dream.”

Lost in that carefree state, Ye Junze suddenly thought of something and murmured to himself, “Knowing it’s a dream means I’ll wake up sooner or later. Thinking about that is a little sad.”

Then he shook his head and thought inwardly, “It doesn’t matter. I just need to cultivate hard. One day, I’ll reach this level, and I’ll even reach a realm stronger than Nascent Soul.”

Silently cheering himself on, a smile returned to Ye Junze’s face.

He suddenly thought of a line of poetry: in a dream, one does not know one is a transient guest, and so one indulges in the fleeting joy of the moment.

It seemed, oddly enough, to fit his present situation.

The only difference was that he knew perfectly well that he was indeed the guest.

...

While Ye Junze’s thoughts wandered in every direction, Qi Yi and the others were already making new progress.

“Phew.”

Qi Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead after long hours of labor and let out a slow breath.

Then he muttered to himself, “At last it’s done. Looking at the time, we should be heading back soon. Still, I wonder how things are going for Yu over there.”

As he spoke, he looked toward where Wen Yu was and called out, “Yu, how is your side going?”

Wen Yu, who had been bent over doing something not far away, immediately straightened up when she heard him and replied, “Oh, Brother Qi, I’m almost done gathering everything. Just a little more.”

“All right, then wait for me. I’ll come help you,” Qi Yi answered as he walked toward her.

“No need, Brother Qi. I can finish it myself,” Wen Yu said.

This time, he did not answer at all, simply walking up to her side in silence.

Noticing him arrive, Wen Yu hurriedly turned around and said, “Brother Qi, didn’t I already say I could do it myself? You should take a break.”

“It’s fine. The sooner we finish, the sooner we go back.” Qi Yi reached out and affectionately ruffled the girl’s hair.

Wen Yu smiled sweetly and said, “Got it. Honestly, there’s nothing I can do about you. Then let’s finish quickly.”

“Okay.”

With that, Qi Yi bent down and began helping her again.

With Qi Yi’s aid, the pressure on Wen Yu eased considerably, and their progress sped up by quite a bit.

After a quarter of an hour, what Wen Yu needed to do finally came to an end.

“Huff, huff. Finally, everything’s been gathered. I’m exhausted.”

Wen Yu stood up, stretched both arms behind her, and leaned her waist back as though easing her fatigue away.

That motion fully revealed the graceful lines of the girl’s already budding figure, giving off a youthful charm and boundless vitality.

Qi Yi smiled, then mercilessly exposed her. “You were sneaking off to slack a little now and then, and you’re still tired?”

“Hey, Brother Qi, why do you always call me out like that? I wasn’t slacking. I was just balancing work and rest!” Wen Yu exclaimed, clearly a little embarrassed as she stamped her foot in protest.

“All right, all right, you’re right. Since we’re finished now, we should head back.” Qi Yi’s tone was full of indulgence.

Hearing that, Wen Yu couldn’t help but feel happy. She raised a small fist and smiled brightly. “Yay, we can finally go back.”

“Come on, let’s go over there.” With that, Qi Yi stood up first.

Wen Yu gave a sweet reply. “Okay.” Then she followed after him with light, skipping steps.

Yet the two of them, so carefree, did not know that a crisis aimed at them was quietly drawing near.

...

“Boss, we’ve arrived. Look, the one ahead is Huo Ying Star.”

A man’s voice suddenly rang out inside the silent cabin.

At the sound, the man called boss lifted his head and looked forward. “Oh? So that’s it? But wasn’t Huo Ying Star said to have completely lost its spiritual energy many years ago? Why do I sense such dense spiritual energy from above it?”

“Boss, you don’t know the whole story. Huo Ying Star really was as you said before. But during this period, something happened on that world, and spiritual energy unexpectedly began to revive on a large scale. That’s why the mainland sent people here to investigate, and those two brats from the Qi family were chosen.”

After listening, the boss nodded to show he understood. “I see. Then give the order and have the brothers get ready. Prepare to land.”

“Yes, I obey, Boss.” After speaking, the man stepped back to handle the arrangements.

Once again, a voice echoed through the quiet space. It was the same man who had just reported to the boss.

“Listen up, brothers. The boss is determined to secure this mission. If anything goes wrong with that one later, then don’t blame the boss for turning his face on you once this is over. Everyone sharpen your wits. This mission must succeed and cannot fail. If we make this deal, we’ll have plenty of money to squander again, and by then you can find whatever kind of woman you like. But first, we must make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong. Do you understand?”

“Understood!”

A neat chorus answered.

“Too quiet. Have you all not eaten enough? Louder! Let me see your resolve.”

The man seemed dissatisfied and barked at them loudly.

“We understand!!!”

This time the unified response was several times louder than before.

Only then did the man nod in satisfaction. “That’s more like it. Everyone get ready. We’re about to land.”

“Yes!”

After giving all his instructions, the man turned and left.

Meanwhile, their craft drew ever closer to Huo Ying Star.

“Pass the order. Begin landing.”

The leader shouted loudly.

“Yes.”

The person beside him acknowledged, then called out in a booming voice, “All personnel, attention. The ship is preparing to land.”

“Yes!”

The assembled voices responded once more in perfect unison.

The moment the last cry fell away, the entire ship crashed down onto Huo Ying Star.

Its landing point was not far from where Qi Yi and Wen Yu were.

Thus, the instant the ship landed, the two of them sensed it, and even Ye Junze in the sky was naturally alarmed. All of them turned toward the direction of the ship.

“Brother Qi, what’s going on with that ship over there? Could there be new people coming here to investigate?” Wen Yu’s eyes were full of confusion as she spoke.

Qi Yi shook his head, indicating that he was not very clear either, and replied, “I don’t know. The family never said anyone besides us was being sent here. It might be people from another family.”

“That could be it, I suppose,” Wen Yu said with a nod. At the moment, that was the only explanation that seemed to make sense.

Neither of them thought in any other unpleasant direction.

But Ye Junze in the sky felt that things were not quite so simple. With his current perception, he could easily sense the atmosphere of war radiating from the ship. It was as if both the vessel and the people aboard it had experienced countless battles, carrying an extremely dense aura of slaughter.

“This is interesting. I wonder whether these people are friends or foes.”

A playful smile appeared on Ye Junze’s face as he thought this.

As for the answer, he already had some idea in his heart.

“These people don’t look like kind souls at all.”

“But what is their purpose? In this place, aside from me, only those two siblings are left. I only appeared here today. If they were truly coming for me, that would be far too far-fetched. In that case, the answer becomes rather obvious.”

“But what on earth do those siblings have that would make these people come all this way?”

Ye Junze thought over the matter again and again.

Then he shook his head and murmured, “I’d better observe a little longer before saying anything. Perhaps I’m overthinking it.”

With that, Ye Junze activated the secret method he had learned before, gradually concealing both his figure and his aura. Unless someone at the same cultivation level as him, or higher at Nascent Soul realm, came here, no one else would be able to discover that another person was hiding here.

While Ye Junze was doing this, the people on the ship had already begun disembarking in an orderly manner.

“Boss, look over there. There are two brats. They should be the Qi family’s two.”

A thin man with a somewhat pale face said to the leader at the front, and his voice was indeed the same one from before.

The leader, called Boss, let out a hearty laugh and said with satisfaction, “Good. Adviser Wei, you handled this beautifully. Once the matter is done, I’ll reward you handsomely.”

“I would not dare claim credit. It is my honor to work for the Boss.” Adviser Wei immediately clasped his hands and bowed in reply.

The man waved a hand indifferently. “I’m a man who values his promises most. I said I’d reward you, so you’ll have it. There’s no need to refuse. It’s what you deserve.”

Hearing this, Adviser Wei could say no more and could only reply, “Yes. I’ll do as the Boss says.”

The man waved again and continued, “Good. Now tell the brothers to stay sharp. Though they’re only two brats, nobody knows whether the Qi family gave them any life-saving tricks. We can’t afford to be careless and suffer a loss in a moment of negligence. Otherwise, if we ruin our own reputation and become a laughingstock, I won’t be able to show my face.”

“Yes.” Adviser Wei turned and said, “Everyone stay alert. If you can’t even handle two brats, then you may as well go find a stone and smash your own head against it.”

“Yes, Adviser Wei!”

The crowd behind him answered in unison.

Seeing this, Adviser Wei turned back to the man at the front and said, “Boss, everything has been arranged.”

The man nodded to show he understood, then said, “Good. Then let us go meet those two Qi family brats.”

With that, he took the lead and walked forward.

“Yes.” Adviser Wei bowed slightly in response, then turned and signaled, “Be quick and keep up.”

Thereupon, the group followed Adviser Wei and the man ahead of them in an orderly fashion.

Qi Yi and Wen Yu, who had been watching the ship’s movements all along, naturally saw these people approaching as well, and the direction was indeed where they were.

“Brother Qi, they’re coming this way. Should we...” Wen Yu asked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Qi Yi waved a hand and said, “Don’t act rashly yet. Let’s see where they’re from first.”

Wen Yu obediently nodded. Then, as if remembering something, she asked in confusion, “Oh, Brother Junze, why haven’t we seen him at all?”

Only then did Qi Yi realize that Ye Junze truly had not shown himself for quite some time. After looking around and failing to spot him, he replied, “Senior probably has his own matters to attend to. We needn’t worry about him.”

Wen Yu frowned slightly and said with some reluctance, “All right then.”

Meanwhile, Ye Junze, who had concealed himself, saw the people from the ship disembark, and the killing intent he had sensed earlier grew even denser.

When he saw them heading toward Qi Yi and the others, Ye Junze stroked his chin and murmured to himself, “So that’s how it is. This is getting interesting.”