Sitting on the bed, Zhang Yu pondered several things.
First, he needed complete knowledge about the empire, the sects, and the strength within this world.
Then, he had to inquire about the Ming Wu Sect, learn its details, and discover the path leading to it.
He also needed to earn money during his journey—otherwise, he would die within the first week. On top of that, he had to grow stronger, for wealth and strength were the two essential conditions for survival.
"I will be busy in the coming days… hah." Zhang Yu whispered.
Yet, regardless of all these matters, he had not—nor would he ever—forget his first goal: finding his missing sister.
"Thinking about it… so much has happened since Tu Yuan attacked our village," Zhang Yu sighed as he recalled.
"But I still don't understand… how did I kill Tu Yuan's men? The last thing I remember was that disgusting scene of scattered remains before I buried my father and left home."
"I don't know… but surely Wuqi had a hand in this. He's the only one capable of making me do such things."
"But after that… my sister and her shattered mind, and my actions back then… I am truly ashamed. I don't deserve a sister like Yu'er. I betrayed her and made her fear me. To her, I was a ghost—or perhaps a murderer…"
Zhang Yu let out a sharp breath, then lay back on the bed, one hand resting under his head, the other raised in his sight.
"Wuqi was right… Back then, my foolishness and arrogance were sky-high. But now—are his words truly the truth? Looking back, everything he said was completely right. I denied it then, only to realize later that he was correct… But until when?"
"Should I listen to him? Even if I believe his words, I don't know how to become what he wants! Ruthless? Selfish? Doing whatever it takes to reach my goal? But how do I even do that?!"
Zhang Yu clenched his fist and bit his lips. "I realize Wuqi wants me to shut off my heart, my feelings—everything that could pull my eyes away from the goal."
"But how the hell do I do that?!" he shouted.
Startled, Zhang Yu quickly covered his mouth. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he forgot himself. Luckily, his voice wasn't too loud, or the villagers would have barged in.
After a moment, he calmed down and returned to bed. "I'm still human… But if I become a machine that rushes toward one single goal, even if I succeed, would I ever be happy? And how, if I've lost all emotions?"
"What is more important—the goal, or my humanity, the meaning of being human?"
"How do I reach my goal without being dragged astray by emotions…?"
"I don't understand…"
"What is a human, anyway?"
At that moment, a memory surfaced. A closed space, with words that were both sound and soundless at once.
"What is a human in your eyes, Zhang Yu?"
"A human? Isn't it just a being that lives by eating and drinking, forming relationships along the way?"
"Your understanding is shallow. That is only the surface. Humanity is complex—but only within itself. From the outside, your answer is perfectly correct."
"The relationships a human builds are what make him complex; they allow him to explore the depths of himself. Yet humans themselves have no true knowledge of what happens within—sorrow, grief, joy, anger, hatred…"
"All these emotions are merely tools the mind uses to give you a chance to understand yourself, just like pain. You wouldn't know something is wrong unless pain or illness appeared, right?"
"But humanity by nature is ignorant and unlearned. It holds no wisdom, no light. Yet, as something is taken, something is also given. Humanity has the innate ability to learn, and to inherit."
"And that very ability to learn and inherit is the cause of its curse and suffering."
"What happens when one person reaches wisdom and enlightenment? It means his lineage would mostly be enlightened, surpassing other humans."
"Through superiority, some would lean toward owning others as livestock, while others would prefer creating spaces to live out their petty lives."
"On this foundation, differences between humans quickly emerged. Hostility was born, customs arose, human knowledge developed, and order appeared."
"What is virtue? What is good? What is evil? What is corruption? All are customs humans created because of their entanglement in relationships, forgetting the foundation—themselves."
"If one human kills another, is it evil? No. He did it for a purpose. How can purpose be evil? Before purpose, humans are nothing more than tools, like cattle or wood. But because humans are doubtful, cowardly, weak, they will create anything just to condemn your act. Evil? Hahaha… Just say his act negatively affected your own purpose!"
Suddenly, Zhang Yu drifted into sleep. He didn't even think about the memory further. It was as if he had been forced to slumber.
---
Thick clouds gathered, as though determined to hide the sun that day. Was the sun shy? No… perhaps it feared that being seen daily would bore the creatures of the world.
Strands of light pierced the clouds, reaching the cracks of an old room.
Perhaps, even if hidden one day, the sun hoped a single ray would give birth to another sun.
Inside the room, Zhang Yu sat. His features calm, his body still, his eyes fixed only on the rays of light.
"The Dao…", a whisper left his lips. "What did Yi Shou mean by Dao?"
He clenched his fist and pulled the blanket aside, gritting his teeth. "Yu'er… If you are alive, your brother will find you—even if you're at the farthest end of this earth!"
His eyes were bloodshot and furious, yet also sorrowful.
At that moment, countless thoughts ran through his mind—Yi Shou's words, his life until now, the meaning of his existence, and why he was doing all this.
There were no answers, only questions—questions that spawned others, leaping endlessly in his mind.
He was scattered, torn between many things he had to do. Saving his sister was his priority, but what could he truly achieve?
"Wuqi…"
"I want to search for her, to go to the farthest corners of the world, to cling to even the faintest chance she still lives! But… Wuqi won't allow it. He surely gave me a specific mission."
"But thinking about it… how could I even reach the ends of the earth? I am weak—pathetically weak! Boasting about reaching such places… I know I can't do it."
"Yet my will to save her is real! It's real…"
He could not hold himself back. His expression twisted in pain, and though he tried his hardest not to cry, tears still fell.
Drops of sorrow ran down his face and dripped onto his jaw, falling freely.
The earth received them, cradling them silently—doing what Zhang Yu himself could not bear to think of.
"I want to become stronger—strong enough that no one dares to obstruct me or my sister again!" He clenched his fists, pressing them against the bed.
His teeth ground against each other, his brows furrowed deeply.
"If I don't start now, I will gain nothing. Delaying even a moment might mean Yu'er's death, and failing Wuqi's orders!"
"I will go… No—I am forced to move forward! Who cares that I'm just a villager? I will prove that even villagers have dreams, and their pursuit is real, not false!"
His eyes gleamed with determination, gray veins flashing faintly within his pupils.
"I know I've said this many times before, but this time… I'll move forward without hesitation! If either good or evil can serve me on this path, then so be it!"
"My path… begins now!"
---
Click!
The door opened, and a young man entered with a bowl in his hand—Yi Shou.
"I see you're awake," Yi Shou said calmly.
"Yes, I woke up not long ago," Zhang Yu replied cautiously, trying to regain his composure.
"Good. Take this soup and drink it. Then you can ask me whatever you want."
Zhang Yu nodded, took the soup, and finished it within moments.
He wiped his mouth and caught his breath. Before he could speak, Yi Shou extended his palm before him.
"Before you say anything, I want you to promise me that the moment you finish, you will leave."
Zhang Yu froze. He had already intended to leave, but hearing it spoken directly to him…
It felt like a knife had pierced his heart. His pupils trembled, but pressing his lips together, he forced himself to stay calm.
"You have my word. I was planning to leave anyway."
Only then did Yi Shou sigh in relief. His gaze turned cold, stripped of all emotion.
Zhang Yu began, "Then tell me everything about the Dao, Heaven's Gift, the sects of cultivation, the nature of cultivation itself, how to cultivate, how to fight… In short, everything about the Dao, and how to grow stronger."
"But before all that—tell me first about the Ming Wu Sect!"
---
Time passed swiftly. The sun was already halfway down its path; it was noon.
After gaining the information he wanted, Zhang Yu took a new robe, packed his belongings, and set off—without bidding farewell to anyone.
After walking about a hundred steps, he felt an overwhelming urge to look back. But he bit his lips until they bled, and forced himself onward.
Those crimson drops on the ground marked a path that declared: there would be no return.
Just a hat, a robe, a bag, and himself.
---
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu walked on, unaware of what was happening behind him.
As fierce winds swept the land, the villagers—few as they were—emerged all at once. Xiao'er, Yi Shou, their families, their kin—everyone gathered at one point.
Without a word, with lifeless gazes, they stared at one another.
Suddenly, the world and time froze. And in the next instant, every villager's face was wiped blank—flat skin without features.
Then, their heads exploded simultaneously, followed by their bodies.
The worn-out old houses were now painted red. Cracks and gaps filled with flesh and scattered entrails.
The earth itself seemed to bleed, soaked with torrents of blood. Brains and bones crushed the weak grass beneath them.
A violent wind blew again, sweeping away all signs of blood and death.
The village was no more—reduced to nothing but barren farmland.
No houses, no people, no animals. Nothing remained to prove life had ever existed there.
---
Days drifted like wind. The sun and moon traded places countless times. The wind roamed freely—heralding new beginnings for some, painful endings for others.
On a road paved for carriages, a youth walked tirelessly forward.
Zhang Yu had been traveling for a week now. From what Yi Shou had told him, the nearest city—Duo City—was about a week's distance from the village.
From what Zhang Yu saw, he was indeed close. Carriages came and went, a clear sign of human and trade activity nearby.
Realizing how near he was, Zhang Yu's face lit with a wide smile as he ran, laughing toward the city.
After a while, towering walls appeared before him.
Majestic—two dragons carved into the walls, one on the left and the other on the right, their heads meeting above the main gate.
This was Duo City, the central city of Yu Province.
In the Long Wu Empire, each province consisted of several cities, but one was chosen as the capital of the province—the central city.
Zhang Yu was stunned. He had never seen buildings so tall, so vast in his entire life.
"I… I can't even see the end of these walls!" he gasped.
He estimated the walls to be at least six hundred meters tall. As for their width… a mere villager like him couldn't even begin to guess.
They were majestic beyond doubt—not only the walls, but also the golden carvings and historical symbols of both the province and the empire itself.
In short, this was a sight Zhang Yu had never seen before.
For Yu Province, located in the north of the empire, was of middling size and influence. And for a villager like Zhang Yu, who had known nothing but his home village, this was a complete upheaval of his poor imagination.
His heart pounded wildly—he had finally reached the first step of his goal.
With a broad smile, he stepped forward and arrived at the gate.
Three guards stood there—one to the left, one to the right, and one in the center.
The middle guard questioned entrants, collected fees, and checked identities and purposes for entering.
After waiting for some time, Zhang Yu finally stood before the guard.
The three guards scrutinized him as if their eyes could pierce through his very body. Their expressions were devoid of emotion, bound only to duty.
"Name? Purpose of entry? Where are you from?" asked the central guard.
"My name is Zhang Yu, sir. I am an orphan, and I came here hoping to find suitable work. I came from a distant village in the same province."
The guard paused briefly, then continued, "Do you have the entrance fee?"
"No, sir."
"Then your details will be recorded. You must pay within one month. If you're late by even a day, the fee doubles, and you must pay it the following month. You have three months in total."
Zhang Yu nodded and proceeded through the paperwork.
After several formalities, he was allowed to enter.
With his very first step, a completely new world unfolded before him!
His eyes widened in astonishment, his tongue tied in silence.
The sound of passersby, horse hooves, and carriages filled his ears instantly.
As he observed, he noticed the magnificent architecture. His reaction was silent awe, though he failed to hide his astonishment.
Lavish buildings rose everywhere. People dressed in splendid, costly clothes crowded the streets. Such garments—Zhang Yu would never have dared touch them, let alone wear them.
But what drew his eyes most of all was a towering building—two dragon bodies intertwined, their heads meeting above as they roared at one another.
This was the Imperial Building, the residence of the imperial envoy, the city lord, and other important figures.
Such buildings were common in every provincial capital—a symbol of the Long Wu Empire.
"The Eternal War Dragons…" Zhang Yu murmured, recognizing the symbol.
Suddenly, a loud shout startled him from behind. "Hey, you! Move aside! Are you a damned statue blocking the road?!"
Zhang Yu, frozen in awe, had forgotten to step aside, disrupting traffic.
After a quick apology, he moved away.
He walked the city streets, staring at everything like a child seeing the world for the first time.
"Come take a look at this weapon set! The best in this street—starting at just ten silver pieces!"
"Used clothes! Used clothes! They look brand new, with a scented pouch included, only two silver pieces!"
"Animal hides and meat! Whatever you want, we have it here!"
"Fresh vegetables and fruits! High-quality rice harvested and cleaned just yesterday!"
The cries of vendors filled Zhang Yu's ears. Their goods were diverse—strange, yet fascinating.
He wanted to buy something, but he was completely broke. Even beggars were richer than him.
But then, he stopped in his tracks at a particular voice:
"Job opportunity! Job opportunity! We're looking for a waiter for our inn and restaurant! Good pay—five silver pieces a month!"
---