Medicine Peak was over three hundred li west of Yashan, while Kunwu was over three hundred li east of Yashan.

The Blackwind Cave was north of Medicine Peak, with its entrance facing north.

In the Blackwind Cave, Jian Chou had been blown by the black wind and inspired by the Wind-Swallowing Stone structures on the cave walls, suddenly achieving enlightenment.

She opened all the pores on her body, transformed herself into a Wind-Swallowing Stone, and felt the trajectory of the wind. The strange patterns the black wind had carved on her bones also began to function at that moment, automatically starting to operate and circulate.

At that moment, she mysteriously matched the trajectory and rhythm of the wind, instantly feeling herself transform into a gust of wind, echoing with countless winds in the world, free to go wherever she wished.

Where the wind went, she went.

That feeling was so wonderful that she didn’t want to wake up from it at all.

The fifth layer of the “Human Artifact” body refining method, “Black Wind Patterned Bones,” stated that this layer depended greatly on opportunity.

What was called “opportunity” was probably what she had encountered.

Without the Blackwind Cave, there would be no Wind-Swallowing Stones. Without Wind-Swallowing Stones, naturally, there would be no enlightenment for Jian Chou. And even if Jian Chou had enlightenment, without the previously completed black wind-patterned bones, she probably couldn’t have sensed the “wind.”

Every pattern on her bones was left by the wind, whether wind blades, searing wind, or ice wind.

Her bones were the trajectory of wind.

Thus, riding the wind out, she encountered no obstacles all the way.

The Blackwind Cave faced north, so calculating with her fingers, Jian Chou felt she had very likely gone north.

The morning sun’s rays enveloped the earth. At the end of Jian Chou’s sight, those few thatched houses seemed to have no activity.

In this wilderness overgrown with countless weeds, there were only those few thatched houses. Who had built them? Were there still people living there now?

Jian Chou was quite uncertain in her heart.

But there was no choice. Looking in all directions, besides herself, there was no second living person here.

Jian Chou briefly tidied her appearance, smoothing out her disheveled hair. After taking inventory, she carefully picked up Little Marten to examine it.

“Awoo!”

Look, look, look what the hell!

Little Marten glared at Jian Chou with dissatisfaction, hugging the pig-like sleeping Dijiang Guyu tightly.

For some reason, seeing this scene, Jian Chou only wanted to slap it: of course, slap the Dijiang Guyu.

Wasn’t this little bone a bone spirit?

Calculating, how long had it been sleeping?

Ever since she brought it back from the Beast Fighting Arena, it had been sleeping continuously. Jian Chou estimated that they were now close to the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly, maybe it had already started. That bone jade had been sleeping for at least two years.

So it was the master here!

She had taken in two little creatures—one that only knew how to throw tantrums at home, roaring and shouting at her, seemingly useless except for scavenging junk, and one that had cried once after being picked up, shed a drop of bone marrow, and then only knew how to sleep, sleep, sleep.

Had she taken in two little pets, or was she raising two little ancestors?

Jian Chou couldn’t figure it out for a moment.

Her stare at Little Marten and the bone jade wrote: Sooner or later, I’ll make a pot of marten meat and big bone soup.

Perhaps…

Master was also drooling over them for a long time?

This thought popped into Jian Chou’s mind, and she sighed again: “Forget it, I won’t argue with you two. I’ll go ahead and take a look and ask for directions.”

The urgent matter was to know where this place was, and secondly, to confirm whether the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly had started and whether she could still make it in time.

Sigh.

What a sin.

The consequences of being addicted to cultivation were severe. Even if Jian Chou had a hundred more chances in the future…

She would still cultivate the same way.

Now it was treating a dead horse like a living one. Jian Chou saw that no one had come out of the thatched houses for a long time—maybe no one lived there at all. Hope was extremely slim, but she still had to go look.

What if?

She instinctively wanted to summon Ghost Axe, but the moment spiritual power surged through her body, Jian Chou suddenly froze.

Why not try the new ability?

Wind.

I wish to ride the wind.

In the wilderness, there was a field of wild grass. When the distant wind blew, it prostrated itself on the ground.

In that instant, Jian Chou felt it.

What was that feeling?

Jian Chou recalled, slowly closing her eyes. The battle disc under her feet suddenly flashed, and a complex Dao Seal was carved on both sides of the disc, with a Kunxian line stringing many dao characters together, connecting the two sides into a whole.

This seal: Riding the Wind!

Swish!

The entire Dao Seal lit up the moment Jian Chou opened all her body’s acupoints!

It flashed and disappeared!

In just the blink of an eye, the battle disc disappeared, the Dao Seal disappeared, and Jian Chou’s figure immediately became ethereal.

If one closed their eyes now, they wouldn’t notice there was still a person ahead!

Whoosh.

The wind came.

Jian Chou’s feet immediately left the ground. Riding that gust of wind, feeling the wind’s trajectory, this time she wasn’t going with the wind but against it, heading toward the thatched houses ahead!

Her robes fluttered, and Little Marten, standing on Jian Chou’s shoulder, hugged the Dijiang Guyu and excitedly cried out.

“Awoo!”

Flying, flying, flying up!

Jian Chou smiled slightly. She had originally thought it was a moment of enlightenment, but unexpectedly, in this process, she had formed her largest and most complex Dao Seal.

Ahead was the location of those thatched houses.

Jian Chou swept past from above. She vaguely seemed to see a broken stone tablet at some distance from the thatched houses, but she didn’t pay attention and directly closed all her body’s acupoints, immediately cutting off her connection with the wind and landing in front of those thatched houses.

There were three…

Three thatched houses in total.

Jian Chou stood in front to observe. Her current position was exactly three zhang in front of the middle thatched house.

The house structure was built from old wood dragged from somewhere unknown, topped with patches of gray-white thatch that obviously hadn’t been replaced for many years, making it look increasingly shabby.

In front was a narrow eave, with a lantern hanging on each side that looked gloomy—whether black or white was unclear.

Too old, too broken.

The two doors were tightly closed, with many mottled marks on the wood.

Three steps of rotten wood led to the two doors.

…Did this place look like someone lived here?

How did it feel like something for hunters to rest in deep mountains and old forests?

Could it be that this wilderness was also…?

Jian Chou saw that the inside didn’t look like anyone lived there. She frowned and finally walked up.

“Creak…”

The moment her foot stepped on the stairs, the rotten wood sections made sounds of being unable to bear the weight.

Jian Chou immediately felt her hair stand on end. Before she could retract her foot, she heard a “crack”!

This rotten wood looked useless, but the sound when it broke was quite loud.

Jian Chou’s foot sank into the broken and rotten wood fragments. The already decayed wood chips scattered on the silver-threaded white boots she had just changed into when tidying her appearance…

Her heart somewhat collapsed.

How many years had no one been here? It was completely in disrepair!

She shook her head, her mouth twitching, about to withdraw her foot.

“Bang!”

Just as she was about to move, the door of the thatched house opened with a loud bang!

“Who?!”

Jian Chou was almost startled. Before she could withdraw her foot, maintaining her original posture, she immediately looked up upon hearing the voice.

Then she was stunned.

Someone…

There was someone!

Although a bit short.

In that instant, her eyes emitted a strange light.

The tightly closed doors opened, and standing inside was a little person only about five feet tall, male, looking quite old, with small green bean eyes, but the whole person didn’t give off a wretched or sleazy feeling. Instead, he had a strange, simple, and honest aura.

The clothes this person wore also seemed a bit big—a dark green Daoist robe with a large circular emblem on the front.

When he saw Jian Chou, he was somewhat surprised, as if wondering how anyone could come to this place. But when he looked down at her feet, that original surprise turned into towering anger!

“Bold little thief!”

Huh?

Little thief?

Jian Chou instinctively felt something was wrong. Seeing the other party getting angry, she quickly raised her hand to explain: “This… this fellow daoist, I…”

The little person looked furious, striding out with eyes wider than copper bells!

“Trespassing into my Yushan Sect and breaking my sect’s stairs—what crime should this be?!”

“…”

What was he talking about?

Sect?

Yushan Sect?

And what crime should this be?

Jian Chou’s mind really couldn’t keep up. She was dazed for a long time before saying in a dreamy tone: “This… this fellow Daoist, I didn’t mean to. I got lost and came to this place, wanting to knock on the door to ask for directions. I didn’t expect your sect’s stairs to be so… not very sturdy…”

“Oh?”

The little person frowned at her, seemingly doubting the truth of her words.

His eyes rolled around as he warily surveyed Jian Chou, immediately seeing that she was a late Foundation Establishment female cultivator. Looking at her feet, at the pile of broken wood, it was like broken magical artifacts—his heart hurt so much…

“Not sturdy? How could it not be sturdy? This sect master has gone up and down these stairs so many times over the years, and they’ve never broken. How is it that they broke the moment you arrived?!”

As if to prove his words were correct, the little person directly stood on the second step in front of Jian Chou.

Jian Chou swore that in that instant, she heard “creaking” moans, as if the entire staircase was trembling with him, stretched tight like a string ready to snap at any moment…

Her gaze fell on the little person’s shoe with a hole in it. Jian Chou silently calculated the little person’s height and weight, immediately crying out in her heart: Injustice!

But how to say this?

Jian Chou felt that if she told the truth, she would probably be beaten immediately.

Perhaps seeing that Jian Chou wasn’t speaking, as if she was scared silly or repenting for her rude behavior, the little person finally snorted, putting his short hands behind his back, raising his head…

No, tilting his head up.

Tilting his head up to look at Jian Chou, standing in Jian Chou’s shadow with an expression of looking down on the world: “Now you have nothing to say? You trespassed into this sect… wait, that’s not right, how did you get in?!”

The little person had been smug in the first half, but his voice suddenly rose sharply in the second half!

At this moment, he looked at Jian Chou like she was a monster, extremely horrified.

Stretching out his finger, trembling, pointing, shaking continuously.

The little person swallowed: “How exactly did you get in?!!!”

“…”

How else could she get in?

Jian Chou was somewhat puzzled. She had just flown in on the wind, hadn’t she?

After being stunned for a long time, Jian Chou looked back in the direction she came from, was silent for a while, then said, “I flew over from that direction.”

“Are you sure it was that direction?”

The expression of “seeing a ghost” on the little person’s face became even more obvious.

He was almost gasping for air, pointing at some distant location with a trembling voice: “You… you’re saying you came from over there?”

Jian Chou looked in the direction he pointed and only then noticed there was a…

Broken stone?

No, judging by the shape, it might be a stone tablet.

There were crooked characters written on it, like very old writing, somewhat ancient, or possibly… self-created characters.

“What is that?”

Jian Chou asked when she didn’t understand.

The little person was furious: “You have eyes but can’t see—that’s my Yushan Sect’s sectgate stone tablet! Once you enter, the mountain protection formation will activate and split visitors in half to death. How exactly did you get in?!”

This powerful?

Jian Chou looked back at the three thatched houses, then at the broken wooden steps under her feet. She didn’t want to believe in any powerful mountain protection formation.

“But I just flew over from mid-air and didn’t see any mountain protection formation.”

“You you you you…”

After “you” -ing for a long time without being able to say anything, the little person was fuming, cursing loudly: “You girl are so rude, knocking on my sect’s door, breaking through my mountain protection formation, damaging my sect’s property—what exactly do you want to do?!”

“…Fellow Daoist, no, Sect Master, please forgive me. I just wanted to ask for directions.”

Jian Chou cupped her hands, looking at the little person who only reached her chest even while standing on the second step, her voice sincere.

Not lying!

“Ask for directions?”

The little person had been thinking about the mountain protection formation, but hearing her mention asking for directions, he became curious.

Jian Chou said, “I don’t know how I got to this place either. Now I want to leave here and hurry to Yashan or Kunwu… Um, do you know Kunwu?”

This “Yushan Sect” looked too… shabby. Jian Chou wasn’t looking down on people, but she was worried that this sect master might not have heard of Kunwu. In that case, she would probably have more trouble ahead.

Originally, Jian Chou was worried and didn’t hold much hope.

But unexpectedly, after hearing this, the little person who called himself the Yushan Sect master widened his green bean eyes and they lit up: “Could it be you want to go to Kunwu to watch the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly?!”

This…

Jian Chou thought for a moment and nodded: “I suppose so.”

“Excellent!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the little person immediately slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.

Jian Chou immediately looked at him.

“Ahem.”

The little person quickly coughed, put on airs, snorted, and cleared his throat: “Kunwu, naturally, this sect master knows about it. This place is at the northernmost edge of the Central Domain, bordering the Yin Sect. Within five hundred li, there’s only my Yushan Sect. So don’t think about asking anyone else. I am the sixth-generation sect master of this Yushan Sect, the famous Yushan Xing the Sixth. You can call me Sect Master Yu.”

“So it’s Sect Master Yu. I’ve long admired your name, forgive my rudeness.”

Although she didn’t quite understand what “Yushan Xing the Sixth” meant, just hearing this…

A flock of crows flew over the back of Jian Chou’s head as she quickly cupped her fists and complimented him.

Yushan Xing puffed out his chest proudly. The ill-fitting Daoist robe’s edges were sewn with needle and thread to barely keep them from falling to the ground.

Hearing that Jian Chou was so sensible, he was quite impressed and laughed: “Since you’re lost and have coincidentally entered my Yushan Sect, this sect master can’t very well not help but. This way, it happens that I recently received an invitation from Kunwu to attend the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly. There are still six days left, which is more than enough time. Taking you along wouldn’t be a problem.”

Jian Chou was stunned, then immediately delighted.

She immediately knew where she was, how long until the Left Three Thousand, and she could still make it!

Now she even had someone to guide the way.

Jian Chou’s face immediately broke into a smile, looking radiant. She quickly cupped her fists toward Yushan Xing: “In that case, thank you so much—”

“Wait!”

Yushan Xing suddenly raised his hand, stopping Jian Chou’s action.

Jian Chou was stunned. Was he going back on his word?

Yushan Xing snorted, nose pointed skyward, extending one finger and pointing down at the steps: “Don’t be in a hurry to thank me. You trespassed into my sect and damaged my sect’s property. This piece of wood made into steps was left by the first generation of Yushan Xing many years ago. If you don’t fix this wooden step for this sect master, this sect master won’t take you!”

Just this broken piece of wood was left by the first generation Yushan Xing?

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched as she looked at the two thatched houses on the left and right.

Yushan Xing noticed her gaze and said proudly: “The left is my Yushan Sect’s artifact refining and pill refining area, and the right is my Yushan Sect’s shrine for worshipping past generations of masters. Do you want to take a look?”

“…No.”

Jian Chou gave a very decisive answer.

Yushan Xing immediately gave her a look—how ungrateful!

Receiving this look, Jian Chou immediately felt a toothache. She finally couldn’t help her curiosity and carefully asked: “Um… I’ll make you a new wooden step. But why don’t I see any other members of your sect?”

Three thatched houses, a field of endless wild grass.

A lost person and a person claiming to be a sect master.

Staring at each other.

Yushan Xing touched the emblem on his Daoist robe and looked away toward the distance: “Well, the nineteen continents are vast and boundless. My Yushan Sect disciples are spread across every corner of the nineteen continents. If you’re fated, you’ll surely see them.”

“Is that so…”

Why did it always feel strange somehow…

Jian Chou fell into a peculiar contemplation.

“Alright, alright, don’t think so much.” Seeing Jian Chou deep in thought, Yushan Xing immediately interrupted her, waving his arms high and shouting: “Six days is neither long nor short, and we need to hurry too. You’d better quickly fix the sect master’s wooden steps! The Left Three Thousand Small Assembly is about to begin. If you want to watch the excitement, you’d better hurry, or this sect master won’t wait for you!”