The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Huanzhen kept looking back at the town in the distance as he walked, his heart aching. He walked faster and faster until he was running wildly against the wind. He knew that Xuan Yangzi could hold off Yin Xinghai for him, but he couldn't hold off his subordinates.

Only when he entered the mountains did he have a chance. He climbed upwards until he reached the summit. He turned around, his face covered in tears, sweat and tears mingling together, making him look as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Just then, the sky changed abruptly. The small town was suddenly shrouded in dark clouds, while the mountain where Wang Zhenhuan was located remained clear and sunny. He immediately realized that Xuan Yangzi was battling Yin Xinghai.

Seeing that he had successfully summoned heavenly lightning, a glimmer of hope rose in Wang Zhenhuan's heart. The dark clouds were as black as ink, with thunder and lightning flashing continuously within them. Soon, bolts of heavenly lightning struck down towards the town.

The thunder was as dense as rain that day, and even from this distance, Wang Zhen could see it clearly from the mountaintop. The thunder came quickly and went quickly, stopping in just a few breaths.

boom--

After the thunder subsided, a deafening roar suddenly echoed through the town. A massive plume of dust rose into the air, smashing a large hole in the still-lingering dark clouds. Wang Zhenhuan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if something had snapped.

A powerful shockwave rippled outwards from the town. By the time it reached Wang Zhenhuan's face, it had transformed into a gentle breeze. This breeze caressed his cheeks, carrying the aura of Xuan Yangzi.

At this moment, he finally understood that Xuan Yangzi had completely left him. With a thud, he knelt down facing the direction of the town and kowtowed three times on the ground until his head bled.

He stood up and wiped his face with his sleeve. He turned and walked into the depths of the mountains, clutching tightly the bag of dry rations that Xuan Yangzi had given him before he left.

He was filled with sorrow, but he dared not stop for even a moment. Although it was late autumn, the mountains were covered with tall vegetation, mostly evergreen pines, whose branches stretched and intertwined at higher elevations, making them perfect for concealing one's figure.

Fearing discovery by Yin Xinghai's men, he minimized his tracks, avoiding stepping on fallen leaves. He didn't break branches blocking his path, but simply crawled under them.

Although he had anticipated that Xuan Yangzi would fight Yin Laoguai to the death when he left, he never expected that Xuan Yangzi would go to see Yin Laoguai with a death wish.

After walking for about half an hour, he found a rock and sat down, hugging his knees. His eyes were filled with the orange hues of late autumn, and his eyes were misty with confusion.

Wang Huanzhen suddenly felt the world was incredibly quiet, so quiet that only the distant chirping of birds could be heard. He suddenly had an urge to go back, to return to that small town, and see if Xuan Yangzi was truly gone.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. Leaving aside whether he could find his way back, what would be the point if there was nothing left there?

Remembering Xuan Yangzi's parting instructions to find a secluded place and break through to the True Realm, Wang Huanzhen had a goal in mind. He got up, packed his provisions, took out his dagger, and headed west.

Once a person has a direction, the confusion and loneliness will lessen. Although he didn't know martial arts, having a dagger on him gave him a lot of confidence. After all, he wasn't familiar with this place.

Whether it's tigers and leopards in the mountains or pursuers behind him, none of them are things he can handle right now. Because of his fear of encountering wild beasts, Wang Zhenhuan didn't head deeper into the forest.

He followed the ridge southwestward. He set off at the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM) and walked for more than an hour, until noon. He was drenched in sweat and parched, and was about to find a shady place to rest.

Suddenly he heard the sound of water, and his heart leaped with joy. Following the sound, he found a stream in a ravine to the north. He hurriedly ran over, scooped up water to drink, and washed his face with it.

The stream wasn't large, only about two feet wide. After leaping across, he followed the current upstream. Usually, in places with streams like this, there are pools of water in the depressions.

Sure enough, he saw a pool about four feet square upstream. The water was crystal clear and completely visible. Upon closer inspection, he could see a few small fish at the bottom.

Now that the Jurchens have invaded the south, coupled with rampant bandits in the mountains, this is an unlucky year. Almost everything edible in the mountains has been eaten. There's only one possibility that there are still fish in this pool.

That's because few people come and go here!

This discovery delighted Wang Zhen, even though he didn't know the situation of Yin Laoguai. However, judging from the scene of the battle, he felt that Yin Laoguai's chances of survival were slim.

This place is rarely visited by people, and it's unlikely that the Yin Old Monster's men would come here. So after thinking it over, Wang Zhenhuan decided to search around here to see if he could find a place to stay.

It was just past noon, with two hours left until sunset. He had plenty of time, so Wang Zhenhuan wasn't in a hurry and began searching along the pool little by little.

In the mountains, the best place to stay is undoubtedly a naturally formed cave. However, caves are not everywhere, and where there are caves, they are usually occupied by wild animals.

Wang Zhenhuan searched around but couldn't find the cave, so he returned to the pool somewhat dejectedly. Since following Xuan Yangzi into the Dao, he had gradually begun to believe in fate.

When he first met Xuan Yangzi, he divined for Wang Huanzhen, saying that his opportunity to enter the Dao was both far away and right before his eyes. Unexpectedly, this opportunity turned out to be Xuan Yangzi himself; this was destiny.

So when Wang Zhen found no place to stay, he realized that perhaps Heaven did not want him to rest there. With a sigh, he packed his provisions and prepared to find another place.

Just as he turned around, a rock suddenly tumbled down from above the pool. The rock carried away the vines on the cliff, revealing a crack. The crack was not high off the ground, only about three inches wide.

When Wang Zhen saw the crack, he was stunned. He stepped forward and examined the crevice carefully. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head: if he had nowhere to live, why not just build one himself?

Without hesitation, he put down his dry rations, took his dagger, and headed into the woods. He didn't cut down the large trees, but only the small ones, about the thickness of his arm. After chopping them down, he used the dagger to trim the branches.

They dragged the branches back and stuck them into the cracks in the stones, quickly assembling the framework of a house. They laid the cut branches on the roof and then covered it with fallen leaves, which not only provided shelter from the rain but also kept them warm.

Finally, he moved some stones and built a simple fence. Night had fallen. He lit a fire, sat down, and took out some dry rations to eat.

Suddenly he felt someone calling his name from behind. He turned around, but only the raging autumn wind answered him…