You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

"Shadow God Cult?" Kong Mingyun's face darkened, a hint of disgust showing between his brows. "A cult that the imperial court once cracked down on, but a hundred years ago it caused quite a stir in the Great Yan."

He paused, then sneered, "It's nothing more than accumulating wealth and seducing women, deceiving fools and simpletons; it's not respectable at all."

Qi Fei nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "A hundred years ago? Could they still have caused such a commotion in the Great Yan?"

"I heard there are cultivators stationed at the Great Yan Imperial Observatory? Don't they care about those royal ancestors?"

"That happened a hundred years ago, and I don't know much about it," Kong Mingyun shook his head.

What happened a hundred years ago is a very, very long time ago for most people.

Qi Fei didn't reply, but he secretly started to make plans.

It is said that there are indeed royal family cultivators stationed in the Imperial Observatory of the Great Yan Dynasty. They are extremely mysterious, and each of them is a descendant of the emperor.

If the Shadow God Cult was able to cause a stir in the Great Yan back then, does that mean that Zhu Yixin, the protector of the Shadow God Cult, was actually not that weak?

In other words, even after three years of self-cultivation, am I not that weak?

Just then, Kongming Yun suddenly asked, "Do you still remember your studies of classics, history, philosophy, and literature from these past few years?"

"I don't remember," Qi Fei answered readily.

Kong Mingyun's face turned cold: "So you can't even remember the classic texts I made you memorize back then?"

"I can't remember."

"Fine, fine!" Kong Mingyun snorted coldly, his tone tinged with anger. "Then you can spend your whole life as a commoner."

How could he not be angry?

Back when Qi Fei was in school, he took good care of him. He originally planned to test him for another two years before formally accepting him as a disciple and teaching him carefully, so that he might become an official in the future.

For someone like Qi Fei, his background is incredibly fortunate.

And then what happened? One day, this kid suddenly stopped coming!

All his plans and trials were in vain.

gas!

Qi Fei wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with mingling in the marketplace. You can seek immortality and ask questions, which opens up even more boundless possibilities."

"A vast and boundless future?" Kong Mingyun scoffed. "It's nothing but a scourge to the country and its people!"

As a traditional Confucian scholar, he always looked down on cultivators and the pursuit of immortality.

Seeing that Qi Fei was about to say something, he waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "It would be better to cultivate oneself, establish one's destiny, and bring peace to the world, and do things for the country and the people. That is the right path."

He said in a deep voice, "Forty years ago, I passed through Haichang City and happened to see two cultivators fighting on the beach."

"That battle raged so fiercely that the seas were churning, and giant waves surged into the city, drowning countless people who became the bellies of fish and turtles. Even I, an old man, nearly perished there."

His voice was heavy with emotion: "Thirty years ago, a massacre occurred in Sanqiu Township, Pingyao City. Overnight, more than three hundred people perished!"

"It was also done by a cultivator."

"In my entire life, I have only heard legends of cultivators slaying demons and monsters, but all I have witnessed with my own eyes are the evil deeds of cultivators that wreak havoc on the local area."

He paused, a hint of desolation in his voice:

"Especially when I was young, I had a close friend who was determined to seek immortality. Later... he went mad. He was insane for a few years before he died. He didn't even outlive this old man like me."

He looked at Qi Fei and said decisively, "It's not easy for a person to live a peaceful and secure life."

"If one can cultivate oneself, manage one's family, and bring peace to the world, doing things for the country and its people, then one's life will not have been in vain. It would be far more meaningful than being a mad monk."

Qi Fei smiled and said softly, "Different pursuits."

In his past life, he served capital like a slave; in this life, he will serve a feudal dynasty like a slave.

Then wouldn't his time travel have been for nothing?

He had made up his mind.

Since someone as weak as Zhu Yixin can roam around in this world for so many years, what do I have to fear?

Going to Nanshan to find the Sword Immortal's residence was what he wanted to do.

He clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Master, farewell."

Kong Mingyun, with a long face, waved her hand dismissively: "Get lost, I hate just looking at you."

Qi Fei turned and left.

Kong Mingyun watched his retreating figure, then suddenly spoke again: "You can consider what I just said. If you change your mind, I might even take you as my disciple."

Qi Fei did not turn around, nor did he stop walking.

Kong Mingyun grew somewhat anxious, raising his voice slightly: "If you become my disciple, with your intelligence, you'll be able to participate in the autumn imperial examinations within three years! Passing the exams and becoming a Juren will be a piece of cake!"

Qi Fei had already reached the doorway.

Kong Mingyun couldn't help but stand up and take a step forward, saying, "You're really leaving? You...you can leave then! I...I'll wait for you to come find me!"

After he finished speaking, he stood with his hands behind his back in the hall, waiting.

A quarter of an hour.

Two quarters of an hour.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of the wind passing through the eaves.

Qi Fei never returned.

Kong Mingyun sighed and said, "Instead of asking about the common people, we ask about ghosts and gods; gods and immortals always do more harm than good."

The person he admired wanted to pursue the elusive path of immortals, just like his close friend from his youth.

Qi Fei had no time to ponder the old scholar's arrogance.

After leaving the school, he began to inquire about ways to get to Ghost Mountain.

This world is not like the previous one, where you could just buy a plane ticket or book a high-speed rail ticket and go. Traveling far in this world is an extremely dangerous thing.

While telling stories at the tea stall, he listened to many merchants from the north and south recount their experiences on the road.

Monsters leaping out of desolate mountains and wild ridges to devour people, bandits lurking in secluded places to rob travelers, shady inns robbing and murdering people in the middle of the night... each and every one of these stories sends chills down your spine.

Moreover, Tianlan City is three thousand miles away from Guiming Mountain. Heading southeast, one must pass through several states before reaching the southern border of the Great Yan.

The journey is so long that just thinking about it makes one dread it.

Qi Fei knew in his heart that even if he had cultivated for three years, going on this trip alone would most likely be courting death.

Moreover, he had absolutely no experience traveling alone in the wild, and even taking care of himself in the wild would be difficult.

He is indeed a cultivator, but he is not the legendary "Eighteen Donkeys of a Certain Dan".

In this world, ordinary people who want to travel far either go in groups of three or five or join caravans. Those caravans travel all over the country, have fixed routes, and have experienced guides and guards, so they are relatively much safer.

Qi Fei patiently inquired in the city for several days, specifically asking those merchant caravans who regularly engaged in trade.

He was quite lucky; he actually found a caravan that was traveling south to trade tea and furs.

Although they weren't going directly to Ghost Mountain, the path they took happened to pass near it. It was better to figure things out once they got there than to be completely clueless.

The caravan manager was a dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man surnamed Zhou, who had been traveling this route for over twenty years.

His face was weathered, and he looked like a seasoned veteran who had been traveling for many years.

He looked Qi Fei up and down, then asked, "How do you plan to travel? Will you bring your own provisions, or will the caravan provide them? Will you walk, take a carriage, or ride a horse or donkey?"