Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao never expected to encounter Yu Xiyi again in the desolate north.

Especially when he was on the brink of life and death, it was surprising to meet this guy who was more or less considered a friend.

So when Chen Chao slowly woke up, his initial reaction was sheer bewilderment. After looking around and realizing that the two of them were in a cave halfway up a snow-covered mountain, with the wind and snow howling outside, sending chills through his body, he could only smile bitterly and say, "Didn't expect it to be you."

Yu Xiyi had built a fire and was sitting beside it, enjoying the warmth. Hearing Chen Chao's words, he rolled his eyes and said, "You should be grateful. It's a good thing it was me. If it were anyone else, with your notorious reputation, your head and body would definitely be in two separate places by now."

Chen Chao struggled to sit up, asking curiously, "Did you come just to save me?"

Yu Xiyi looked surprised and replied, "Do you think you're some peerless beauty or a Great Sword Immortal I've admired for years?"

Chen Chao shook his head.

Yu Xiyi tossed another dry log into the fire and sighed, "It was just a coincidence, I happened to run into you. Though it would've been better if you'd just died back there, would've saved me the trouble of dragging you all the way here."

Hearing this, Chen Chao finally noticed that Yu Xiyi's complexion did not look very good either. His face was pale as paper, clearly suffering from numerous injuries.

Chen Chao said self-mockingly, "Looks like the two of us are really in the same boat."

Yu Xiyi frowned and replied, "I'm not like you. I came to the desolate north to kill demons, actively seeking trouble. Oh... and you're still serving as an official in Great Liang. Damn it... I guess we really are in the same boat after all."

Chen Chao remained silent.

"But you, kid, have really made something of yourself. That Yuan Ling had such a great reputation in the demon race, and you just killed him like that? Even I wouldn't be so sure I could pull that off."

Yu Xiyi was a bit annoyed as he said, "Back then, you were far behind me. How the hell are you catching up so fast now? I'm almost being overtaken by you!"

Chen Chao scooted closer to the fire. "I thought it wouldn't be long before you reached the sword immortal realm. Why does it seem like you've stagnated instead? Did you hit some kind of bottleneck?"

Although Yu Xiyi was considered part of the younger generation of cultivators, he was actually much older than people like Yun Jianyue and Chen Chao. When they first met, Yu Xiyi's cultivation realm was already quite high, as he had reached the Great Beyond Realm. His name was not on the foreign lands' Latent Dragon List, likely because of his background in the Sword Sect and his peculiar behavior that was always elusive. If his name had been on the list, he might have easily claimed the top spot years ago. But now that they met, the gap between their realms had significantly narrowed.

Back then, Yun Jianyue had not even stepped into the Great Beyond.

Chen Chao was even further behind.

Hearing Chen Chao bring this up, Yu Xiyi grew irritated and did not want to talk much about it.

Cultivator realms, Bitter Sea, Great Beyond, Nepenthe, one could only reach the Great Beyond after crossing the Bitter Sea. But after reaching the Great Beyond, could one truly achieve Nepenthe [forgetting worries], how could it be easy at all?

"Maybe I'll never become a sword immortal in this lifetime."

For some reason, Yu Xiyi finally spoke softly, but there was not much bitterness or frustration in his voice, just a hint of confusion.

His mental state seemed to have encountered some issues.

Chen Chao opened his mouth, originally wanting to ask in more detail. But after thinking it over, he simply asked, "Got any medicine? Give me two pills. I'm about to die from the pain."

Yu Xiyi said nothing and just took out a bottle of pills from his chest and tossed it to Chen Chao. "Sword Essence Pills from the Sword Sect. They're precious for sword cultivators, though the effect won't be as good for you. You can take a few more. However, the sword qi contained inside will need to be suppressed or resolved. Otherwise, the loss will outweigh the gains."

Chen Chao nodded and did not get greedy. He started by swallowing just one. Almost immediately, he felt a sharp sword intent rushing wildly through his meridians. The effects of the Sword Essence Pill were quick, and that sword intent was meant to clear his meridians, though the method was rather forceful - direct and to the point; very much like a sword cultivator's style.

After clearing his meridians, the sword intent did not dissipate but continued to rush through his meridians, making Chen Chao extremely uncomfortable.

As Chen Chao circulated the white mist inside his body to subdue the sword intent, the discomfort eased considerably.

He then took a few more Sword Essence Pills and similarly used the white mist to resolve the sword qi.

Gradually, color returned to his face.

Yu Xiyi observed Chen Chao and clicked his tongue. "You've got some skills. No wonder a mere martial artist like you could challenge someone like Yun Jianyue."

Chen Chao slowly opened his eyes and said softly, "Still don't know if I can make it out of the desolate north alive."

Yu Xiyi laughed, "Others have people watching over them, openly or in secret. But you, kid, are out here alone, rolling around and fighting in this freezing land. Honestly, if I hadn't run into you, you wouldn't even have the chance to reflect on things right now. But considering that our current situation is pretty similar, logically speaking, shouldn't I just run away before you get hunted down by some great demon and drag me down with you?"

"I'm afraid you're not doing much better than me. Who knows how many great demons are chasing after you right now."

Having regained some strength, Chen Chao stretched out his hands to the fire to warm them.

Yu Xiyi gave Chen Chao a disdainful look and retorted bluntly, "What fucking bullshit! Sure, although Your Father killed my share of demons, but can that compare to you? First, you killed Yuan Ling, and now even that demon princess couldn't do anything to you. Right now, you're a thorn in the side of every young demon out there. But if they can't deal with you, you can bet the great demons will come for you one by one."

Chen Chao rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. He had already understood the situation. The chances of him safely returning to the Great Liang were slim to none. With so many eyes watching his every move, it was likely the demon race had already set ambushes all around Coldgate Pass. Even if he somehow made it there, he would probably face a group of demons waiting to surround and kill him.

"This is killing me."

Chen Chao sighed heavily.

Yu Xiyi teased him, "Regretting coming this deep into the desolate north and getting involved in this mess?"

Chen Chao nodded, "I regret it so much."

Yu Xiyi burst into laughter, "What's there to be afraid of? Your Father is in a similar situation as you, there are no big shots looking out for me. If I die, then I die. Dying in the desolate north is better than spending years in bitter cultivation and eventually dying of old age in a cave."

"But I don't think I'll die that easily. Surely someone will come to save me, right?" Chen Chao muttered to himself. "After all, I'm a one-of-a-kind martial artist in the world. Doesn't anyone treasure me?"

Yu Xiyi did not hold back and scolded, "You're really full of yourself, punk."

Chen Chao chuckled, took out his wine gourd, and gulped down a mouthful before saying with a smile, "Want some alcohol?"

Without saying much, Yu Xiyi reached out, took a big swig, then wiped his mouth. "You might as well stick with me. It's better than being by yourself."

Chen Chao eyed him suspiciously, "You're planning to ditch me if we run into something we can't handle, right? I got it, you're a sword cultivator, when the time comes, you'll fly off on your sword and leave me behind as bait. There's no way I could catch up to you."

Chen Chao remembered a joke he had heard as a child. It went something like this: when facing wild beasts in the wilderness, you don't need to outrun the beast, just your buddy.

Yu Xiyi sneered, "If you didn't have your cultivation, with your personality, you wouldn't have lived to see adulthood."

"How could that be? I've always been humble, polite, and low-key. The few people I've met all said I was a good person." Chen Chao stifled a laugh, recalling the group from Jade Summit Mountain he had encountered earlier.

Yu Xiyi seemed like he wanted to say something. But in the end, he just sighed, picked up the wine gourd, and gulped down a few mouthfuls by himself.

Seeing him like that, Chen Chao grew even more curious. "What exactly happened to make you lose all your spirit, so downcast like this? You don't have a trace of a sword cultivator's air now. The Yu Xiyi from back then and you now seem worlds apart."

Yu Xiyi grumbled, "What's there to ask about? Can't alcohol shut you up?"

Chen Chao frowned, "I would want a freaking drink, but isn't the wine gourd in your hand? You could at least give me a sip."

……

……

As the saying goes, drinking drowns your sorrows. But the more Yu Xiyi drank, the clearer his eyes became, with not a hint of intoxication.

Chen Chao shook the nearly empty wine gourd, cursing inwardly. How much had this guy drunk?!

"Chen Chao..."

Yu Xiyi wanted to speak but swallowed the swords back.

Chen Chao rubbed his head and tried probing, "Is it about a girl?"

Yu Xiyi turned his head and stared wide-eyed at Chen Chao.

Chen Chao sighed and chuckled, "Looks like I hit the mark."