I've earned a decent amount of silver, so I won't have to worry about money for the time being.
Grateful guys. So full of the desire to help others like this.
Moreover, according to what they said, these kind-hearted folks will keep showing up regularly from now on.
What a thankful turn of events.
The reform-through-labor classes will continue for a while, huh?
They say the students will gather on their own? Then it really pays to keep up this little scam.
Anyway, back inside the city, I stood in the middle of the main street and pondered for a moment.
I'd already checked out an inn. What now?
No need to stick around here.
This place called Luotian was a city nestled between treacherous mountains.
China's huge population made it seem bustling, but they said it was basically a remote backwater.
The closest major city from here? That would be Chang'an, of course.
An all-day trek south—about eight to ten days, they said.
Chang'an, huh. Famous place. I knew it well.
If you knew the Three Kingdoms or wuxia tales, there was no way you wouldn't.
Capital to countless dynasties. The greatest of great cities.
So yeah, better to head there than linger in a dump like this.
Alright then, let's go. No point overthinking it.
The sun was still high in the sky.
Ordinary folks might take eight full days on foot, but it wouldn't take me that long.
I could probably make it before sunset.
Should be plenty of time.
So I headed back out the city gates.
Grabbed a random passerby and asked which way to Chang'an—just the direction.
Luckily, the road wasn't hard to find.
Mountain path, sure, but it was well-paved, so following it shouldn't lead to any wrong turns.
With that, I set off.
Once I confirmed no one was around, I started moving in earnest.
For sixty-seven years trapped in that cavern, I'd swung my sword until I was sick of it, but I hadn't had much chance to use lightness skill.
No matter how big the cave was, it wasn't spacious enough for real qinggong.
I'd just gone through the motions, spinning in circles.
Maybe that's why this moment—pounding the earth and racing forward—felt so exhilarating.
Put simply, it was fun.
The ever-shifting terrain, the spots to plant my feet, the rushing wind, gauging distances.
Gorges, cliffs, wild beasts popping up out of nowhere, carts and travelers on the trails.
Whenever people appeared, I'd deliberately veer off the path and circle around.
No need to show myself unnecessarily.
This speed of mine might be downright freakish even in a world of martial arts.
I'm definitely strong. Sure, I've only met third-rate scrubs so far, but I can tell.
Transformation Realm. And Manifestation Realm.
Even scouring this vast continent, there probably aren't many at the Manifestation Realm.
Not a ton at Transformation Realm either, I figured.
Anyway, I kept running.
The bundle on my back was a bit annoying, but it didn't hinder me.
Truth be told, this wasn't just running—it was practically flying.
Each push off the ground sent scenery whipping by dozens of meters at a time.
Ah, units here are in zhang, right? Gotta watch my mouth.
My speed felt about equal to a car on the road.
Like sticking your hand out a car window—the wind pressure was just like that.
Wish I could measure it. Any way to do that?
Watching the scenery fly by was fun at first, but it started getting boring.
Time for some more constructive thinking.
Since I'm moving anyway, might as well refine my lightness technique a bit.
The Obliterating Origin Divine Art came with its own lightness skill.
Obliterating Origin Instant Step. A bland name with zero flair.
The principle was pretty complex.
But after fifteen years piecing together my insights, I'd stripped it down and fixed it up into something pretty simple now.
Basically, lighten your body and time the push-off just right to add rebound force where your foot hits the ground.
Truth be told, that rebound part isn't all that simple.
Most people probably couldn't pull it off easily.
Only I can, because it's me.
Even so, I wouldn't call it perfectly smooth yet.
Difference in proficiency, I guess?
Stable footing on smooth ground? No problem.
But stepping on uneven dirt or tree branches like this? Still a bit clumsy.
Well, it's getting smoother bit by bit.
Before I knew it, I'd descended from the mountains.
Now I could go even faster. Hiding my form would be trickier in open areas, though...
So I completely abandoned the road, bounding only through fields and desolate spots with no people.
Good thing I'd used the sun to confirm my direction—no chance of going astray.
I passed a few cities and villages.
Saw plenty of people, but none noticed me.
Civilians. Regular folk. No connection to martial arts.
To me, they felt just like NPCs in a game.
More precisely, they seemed like a slightly different species from the 'people' I knew.
I'm a modern man.
Lived in 21st-century Korea. These folks were living in medieval China.
Honestly, that was the one downside to ending up in a wuxia world.
China. This being Chinese turf.
Modern Chinese are a different breed—more vicious, maybe?
But ancient ones aren't much better.
Humans I could never warm up to?
That's probably why I crushed those third-raters without hesitation.
I didn't flinch at laying hands on these people.
Likely because deep down, I think like that.
That they're Chinese. A race I can never like.
To be honest, there's a reason I think that way.
A big reason I'm heading to Chang'an, in fact.
Women. And sex.
After eating real food for the first time in sixty-seven years, those desires I'd grown numb to—shattered and gone—started quietly reviving.
I wanted to hold a woman. The lust was surging uncontrollably.
The problem? This is China.
Luckily, their speech sounds natural to me—no garbled "weequibaowang seisese" like back when I was Korean.
Still, there was this subtle aversion. Because it's China. Because they're Chinese.
Time to compromise with reality.
If I just yield a little, I can enjoy this world.
So instead of thinking of it as medieval China, I'll treat it as some other world entirely.
It's not like fantasy worlds are tacked onto Europe or whatever.
Same here. Just a murim world. Not China.
With that, I reached an agreement with myself.
Ah, tough negotiation. But results are results—good enough.
So I'll do whatever I can in this world.
No need to tie my own hands. Live as I please.
And thanks to that mindset, diligently pushing forward, I reached my destination before sunset.
Chang'an. Right before its massive walls and gates.
Still a bit before sundown.
Is the day long? Or did I get here ridiculously fast?
Whatever. I straightened my wind-tousled hair and clothes, then stepped through the gates.
Only then did I truly grasp how tiny Luotian had been.
Bustling.
Chang'an was bustling—like, unbelievably so for this era.
If I'd arrived at night, I might not have felt it this strongly.
Or maybe the nightscape would have been impressive too?
Anyway, deciding quick and coming here was the right call.
Now, where to?
Somewhere for lodging and women? Only one answer came to mind.
A brothel. Where they sell women, booze, and laughs.
Bound to be some. Standard wuxia trope.
But I didn't want some sleazy dive.
Rejuvenation to Youth and Bone Transformation and Marrow Shedding mean no STDs, but still—grimy spots were a hard pass.
Might as well hit the classiest one.
That means I'd need money, right?
Not enough from shaking down those third-raters.
So I asked passersby for directions to Chang'an's biggest merchant house.
Asked five people: four recommended Xi'an Merchant House, one said Yang'an Merchant House.
Hmm. That one connected to Yang'an maybe? Who knows.
Anyway, straight to Xi'an Merchant House.
My shabby clothes probably didn't help—their treatment from the entrance was downright shabby.
I said I had elixirs to sell, but they eyed me up and down like I was trash.
After a long wait, they finally escorted me inside.
Not the main building, though—some out-of-the-way spot.
Seemed suspicious, but deep in merchant territory, so I figured it was fine and followed quietly.
Arrived at a slightly rundown building.
A dull-looking man greeted me there.
Not really greeted.
Just stared at me with a curt expression, like he hated his job.
Attitude like he was doing me a favor by even bothering.
"You here to sell elixirs? Let's see 'em."
Yeah. I get it.
Blame my ragged clothes. That's why the cold shoulder.
Didn't make me mad, though.
I just wanted to shock them a little while I was here.
Originally, I hadn't planned to sell anything too pricey.
Elixirs are expensive. Pricier than the same weight in gold.
Sure, cheap ones exist, but the real deal for boosting inner power? Name your price.
The cavern where I trained had quite a few top-grade ones.
Courtesy of whatever summoned me?
Or maybe 'sorry for trapping you, so here's some premium compensation'?
Whatever. I rummaged through my bundle and pulled out a top-grade elixir.
Palm-sized wooden box. The characters "Jaso Pill" etched on it.
Jaso Pill.
Wudang Sect's signature elixir. On par with Shaolin Temple's Great Return Pill.
The man's bored expression changed. Eyes widened, suspicion and shock leaking through.
When I opened the box, it turned to outright astonishment.
The room filled with a pure, clear aura.
Even a merchant ignorant of martial arts would recognize this.
No—if he didn't, he wasn't a merchant.
"G-guh! N-no way!? Wait, this can't—! Hold on, sir! Great hero! I'll fetch the boss right away!"
With that, the man bolted outside in a panic.
Works like a charm. Now I'm curious what they'd do with the other elixirs.