After waiting for Pei Lengxue to rest for two days and adjust the meridians within her body, Ye Anping realized that there were only three months left before their journey to the Chi Dragon Mansion. So, he took some time and, along with his junior sister, went to the Main Peak of the sect to take on a mission. Using this mission as an excuse, he requested a four-month leave from the elder at the Sky Cloud Peak.

Afterward, he informed Xiao Yunluo and Feng Yudie about his departure and left the Profound Star Sect, heading towards the Chi Dragon Mansion. Xiao Yunluo readily agreed to accompany him on this journey, but after he left, she tearfully cut down all the bamboo in the courtyard next to their three-room house.

As for Feng Yudie, when Pei Lengxue mentioned it to her, she clung to Pei Lengxue’s legs, crying and begging to go together. In the end, Pei Lengxue gave her a good scolding.

In any case, no matter what happened, they would all meet again with Feng Yudie and Xiao Yunluo at the Chi Dragon Mansion.

Boom!

After a muffled thunderclap, a heavy rain poured down from the sky. At the Clear River Dock, porters and laborers covered their heads with their hands as they ran back and forth, and boats of various sizes were swaying in the turbulent waves along the riverbank.

Ye Anping held an oiled-paper umbrella and stood at the bow of a painted boat, gazing fixedly at the small ferry boats rushing into the dock in the distance.

Beside him, Pei Lengxue had just bought a roasted sweet potato from a street vendor and was eating it with a satisfied expression.

A month had passed since they had smoothly arrived in Clear River City, which was only about thirty miles away from Chi Dragon Mansion.

Seeing that there was only a small piece of sweet potato left in her hand, Pei Lengxue hesitated for a moment and then, after glancing at her senior brother, handed it to him.

“Senior Brother, this is for you.”

“It’s okay, you can eat it yourself. Senior Brother is not hungry.”

“Mmm…” Pei Lengxue nodded, pursing her lips. She glanced at the distance and asked, “Senior Brother, we’ve been waiting here for three days.”

“Getting bored?”

“No…”

Ye Anping turned to look at her, and seeing the two small crumbs of sweet potato still on her lips, he reached out and picked them off.

Pei Lengxue was slightly stunned, thinking that he wanted to eat the sweet potato from her lips. However, she saw Ye Anping flick his finger, and the sweet potato crumbs he had taken from her lips fell into the surging river.

“…”

Pei Lengxue felt a bit helpless and sighed, “Senior Brother, who are we waiting for?”

“The young master of the Dragon-Slaying Society.”

“Who?”

“A young master, just remember that. Don’t take his life, just knock him out. As for the guards, try not to kill them either. Leave a way out. But if the guards have a cultivation level above the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, don’t show mercy.”

“Oh…”

Pei Lengxue nodded with only a partial understanding. She had no idea why her senior brother wanted to rob someone from the Dragon-Slaying Society, but she didn’t need to use her brain. She just had to follow her senior brother’s instructions.

— Senior brother is her brain

Ye Anping exhaled a breath and continued to gaze down at the river surface in the pouring rain. After a while, a small ferry boat, capable of carrying more than thirty people, appeared on the river. Ye Anping closed his eyes and quickly extended his spiritual sense.

Instantly, thirty faces entered his mind.

“They’re here. Junior sister, cover your face.”

“Ah– Alright!”

The two of them exchanged a glance and simultaneously took out a black piece of cloth from their storage pouches to conceal their faces. Then, they jumped from the bow of the painted boat onto the dock.

Meanwhile, on the small ferry boat:

A young man who appeared to be around sixteen years old was leaning over a wooden barrel with a grim expression on his face. His name was Jiang Yu, and he was currently a cultivator at the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage. His father had been the 27th leader of the Dragon-Slaying Society, but sadly, he had passed away two months ago due to reaching the end of his lifespan. As a result, the position of leader had fallen to Jiang Yu.

Therefore, Jiang Yu, who had originally been cultivating in the mountains, had to leave and prepare to take on the role of the young master at the Dragon-Slaying Society’s headquarters in Du Chun City.

A middle-aged man with a weathered complexion beside Jiang Yu chuckled and quickly stepped forward to pat his back. “Young Master, you’re at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and you’re still feeling seasick?”

“Ugh…” Jiang Yu gave him an unpleasant look and said, “I’m only at the fourth level of Qi Refining– why wouldn’t I get seasick? I haven’t even learned how to control a flying sword yet.”

“We’re almost at the Clear River Dock. Young Master, as we agreed, I’ll escort you to the inn in Clear River City, and once you’re inside, I’ll leave.”

“Alright– Ugh…”

Jiang Yu vomited again, then took out a small bag of spirit stones from his sleeve and handed it to the man. The man took the spirit stones, weighed them for a moment, shook his head, and put them into his own storage pouch. He then sat down and remained silent.

In no time, the ferry boat docked, and Jiang Yu, shivering and unsteady, climbed ashore. He quickly opened an oiled-paper umbrella and looked towards Clear River City. Due to the heavy rain, the town was shrouded in dark clouds, and the streets were deserted.

“Sigh… Let’s go.”

Jiang Yu sighed and prepared to find a nearby inn to stay in. However, just as he walked past a street, a young man of similar height suddenly emerged from an alley. At first, he didn’t pay much attention, but when the young man turned to face him and drew a spiritual sword from his storage pouch, Jiang Yu suddenly realized that he might have encountered a bandit.

He hesitated for a moment, then quickly stopped in his tracks and looked at the Foundation Establishment stage guard he had hired.

“Hey! Aren’t you going to do something?”

“Huh?” The guard didn’t seem to have realized the situation at first, but after a while, he saw the young man blocking their path and furrowed his brow slightly. “Are we really encountering bandits?”

“What do you mean by ‘are we really encountering’? I hired you precisely for a situation like this–ugh!! I hired you for times like this.”

“…”

The guard’s brow furrowed slightly, and he immediately drew a long sword from his storage pouch. He walked up to Jiang Yu and positioned himself in front of him.

With his spiritual sense, he glanced at the young man in front of him and asked, “Fellow cultivator, both of us are at the Foundation Establishment stage. If we start fighting, we’ll likely both get injured. This young master doesn’t have many spirit stones on him, so robbing him wouldn’t be worth it.”

The young man ahead hesitated for a moment and replied, “You’re quite reasonable for a bodyguard.”

“Huh?”

“My partner has already circled behind you.”

Hearing this, the guard was suddenly shocked and quickly turned his head to look behind him. However, as he turned, an iron rod had already arrived in front of him.

Bang!

The guard was sent flying over twenty feet, his eyes rolling back as he crashed into a wall.

Jiang Yu watched as the bodyguard he had spent his entire savings on was taken care of so easily. The oiled-paper umbrella he had been holding in his hand also fell to the ground.

Then, he looked at the masked woman who had appeared in front of him, and with a deep breath, he knelt down on both knees.

“Seniors!! I beg you not to kill me. I only have two hundred spirit stones and a few bottles of Gathering Spirit Pills on me. You can have it all!”

Hearing this, Ye Anping approached him with his spiritual sword, crouching down and comforting him, “Young Master Jiang Yu, as fellow young masters, I’ll give you a piece of advice: always keep a calm mind.”

“Huh?” Jiang Yu was slightly stunned. “Do you know me?”

“Yes.”

Ye Anping shrugged and then gestured with his hand in front of Jiang Yu.

A burst of spiritual light flashed, and Jiang Yu’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, Ye Anping quickly reached out and took the small bag from his waist, inspecting its contents.

“Evidence, a letter… everything is here. That’s enough.”

After confirming the contents of the bag, he placed it into his own storage pouch. He then took out about twenty spirit stones from his storage pouch and put them into Jiang Yu’s collar. Finally, he stood up and looked at Pei Lengxue by his side.

“Junior sister, it’s done. Let’s find an inn to rest.”

“Okay…” Pei Lengxue nodded and looked at the fallen Jiang Yu, asking, “Senior brother, what are we doing here?”

“For the next few months, just call me Jiang Yu.”

“Oh…” Pei Lengxue half-understood and asked, “What about me?”

“You are my Dao companion. As for your name, just use your real name. When Senior Sister Xiao and the others arrive, they’ll probably figure it out immediately.”

“D-Dao companion?” Pei Lengxue’s eyes widened in surprise.

Seeing her reaction, Ye Anping paused for a moment and tried, “While the The Dao companion status fits better, we can change your status as my junior sister if you want.”

“It’s– it’s okay.” Pei Lengxue vigorously shook her head. “Let’s go with Dao companion… Dao companion.”