Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 217 Reunion

More than ten days later.

Xiao Yuan is back.

He was wielding a flying sword that seemed to have lost its way.

He was wearing a tattered robe with stitches, and there were large patches of bloodstains on it.

His face showed weariness, sorrow, relief, and lingering fear.

It was as if the child had just been severely beaten, but hadn't died.

It was quite a coincidence that Chen Li was preparing to leave the city to find a secluded spot and take a spin in the air.

They had only been out of the city gate for a short while.

Then they saw Xiao Yuan flying down from mid-air.

At first, he suspected that he had mistaken someone for someone else.

But upon seeing that tattered yet still familiar robe and that signature three-strand beard, one knew it was indeed Xiao Yuan.

Chen Li blinked.

This is! ?
……

Xiao Yuan landed, retrieved his flying sword, and looked at the vast Red Pillar City before him. He felt a sense of relief and let out a long breath.

Ah, I'm finally back!

Stanley is still the best.

At that moment, I felt as if I was being watched.

He turned his head and saw Chen Li. He froze, his mouth agape as if he had seen a ghost.

He hurriedly covered his face with his sleeve.

I feel extremely ashamed.

Not long ago, he was full of vigor and went to the Divine Sword Sect against everyone's advice. But after only a few days, he returned injured, and even his only robe was torn. He was in a sorry state.

But when he came to his senses, he smiled wryly and put down his sleeve.

Now that things have come to this, any further attempt to cover it up is like burying your head in the sand, only making you a laughingstock.

……

In Stanley, at a teahouse, in a private room in the back courtyard.

"Alas, I am truly ashamed." Xiao Yuan picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, poured himself another cup, and sighed heavily, feeling depressed.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. Why go to such lengths? Ups and downs are normal in life. No one has a smooth life. It's just that the world is not good these days, and you have indeed had some bad luck these past two years," Chen Li comforted him.

Words of comfort are clearly insufficient.

Xiao Yuan looked dejected, and upon hearing the word "bad luck," his sorrow deepened.

He subconsciously smoothed his tattered robes.

The destruction of the magic array caused the robe to completely lose its magical aura, making it look almost indistinguishable from an ordinary object.

It won't fetch a good price if it's sold.

Then we'll have to spend that money to buy another one to serve as a facade, which will be another huge expense.

This trip to the Divine Sword Sect not only failed to make him a guest elder, but also brought him to the brink of death. Even the spirit stones he had painstakingly saved over two years were about to vanish. He had originally planned to save for a few more years to buy a high-grade magic weapon.

"Sigh!" Xiao Yuan sighed again, "Perhaps I'm really plagued by bad luck. Do you have any methods to change my luck?"

“I haven’t specifically learned it. I only have one technique for seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. It can help me sense good and bad luck and avoid disasters. Do you want it?” Chen Li asked.

"Is it that first-tier, fifth-level Qi cultivation technique?" Xiao Yuan said dismissively, "I've learned that too, but it's useless!" "Then you can only stay indoors and avoid going out. Stanley City is much safer than outside," Chen Li said, shrugging.

"That's all it can do!"

They drank tea for a while and said most of the comforting words.

Chen Li then began to ask what had happened: "So, what exactly happened to you?"

"Alas, the news was outdated, and I made a wasted trip. When I arrived, the Divine Sword Sect was on the verge of falling. Monsters were rampaging and eating people everywhere. The injuries on my body were caused by a sneak attack from a second-tier monster. That little bastard raised by that maid."

Speaking of this, Xiao Yuan's forehead wrinkles looked like they could trap a few flies:
"That demon beast wasn't particularly strong. In the past, I would have easily dealt with it. But now my magic weapon is only of the middle grade. I couldn't break through its defenses in a battle, and I was also injured. I had no choice but to retreat. I felt quite disheartened and didn't even go to the Divine Sword Sect's mountain gate before returning."

"It's a miracle we came back alive!" Chen Li said, then, after thinking for a moment, counted out thirty high-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and pushed them over.
"Take this money and use it to buy a better magic weapon for self-defense. Consider it a loan, and pay me back when you have the money."

In Stanley City, a second-tier high-grade magic weapon is generally priced at around thirty high-grade spirit stones.

Second-hand items are even cheaper.

In the freelance trade market near Stanley City, you can get it for less than twenty.

Xiao Yuan stared blankly at the large pile of high-grade spirit stones, his mouth moved slightly, but in the end, poverty made him lose his will: "I'm ashamed, I really do need this money. I won't be polite with you. I will definitely pay you back as soon as I have the money. I swear an oath right now!"

Chen Li quickly stopped him: "It's not that bad. We've known each other for years. Do you think I wouldn't trust you?"

For him, it was just a small amount of money, and he wouldn't care even if he lost it.

Now that his Immortal Skin and Jade Bone Technique has reached its peak, he no longer needs to take medicinal baths. By eliminating this major expense, he can save forty to fifty high-grade spirit stones a year.

However, Xiao Yuan refused no matter what, and finally made a vow.

Next, Chen Li asked the other party about what they had seen and heard on the way.

After finishing their tea, the two left the teahouse and said their goodbyes.

Chen Li looked up at the sky and saw that it was not yet noon.

They continued out of the city as planned, found a secluded place, and then released several illusory bodies, each flying to the southeast, northwest, and other directions to monitor the surroundings.

learn from mistakes.

Last time I encountered a Golden Core cultivator, I was lucky enough to escape, but I won't be so lucky every time.

When hiking in the wild, the only word to remember is "caution".

After the four illusory bodies had each flown over a hundred miles and taken their positions, Chen Li used a good-for-nothing technique before he could finally begin practicing flying with peace of mind.

Soon, he accelerated to the limit. The silvery-white protective aura made him seem like a streak of light, sometimes soaring into the sky and sometimes flying close to the ground, trying to adapt to this near-sonic speed.

Two months ago, there was a battle between Golden Core cultivators that took place in mid-air outside the city.

It had a great influence on Chen Li.

He suddenly realized that he had a major weakness.

That means they are simply not good at air combat.

Since he came into this world, all his battles have been ground combat; he has never experienced aerial combat. Furthermore, he rarely travels far from home, having done so only a handful of times in the past decade, making the opportunity to encounter such situations even rarer.

His last encounter with aerial combat was when he was ambushed and killed mid-air after returning from the Fire Cloud Sect.

However, he managed to dodge it.

By the time the illusionary body returned to launch a surprise attack, the group had already landed.

Looking back now, he still feels some regret.

This is valuable experience!

After reaching the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, Chen Li's spiritual power became even more abundant. Coupled with the "purity" and "recovery" attributes of the max-level Longevity Technique, he practiced from midday until the sun began to set. During this time, he also used two rounds of Illusionary Body Techniques, totaling eight, for observation. Yet, he still had more than half of his spiritual power remaining.

"It seems like nobody comes here. I'll come here to practice every ten days from now on," Chen Li thought to himself.