Upon hearing this, the old Daoist pondered for a moment before nodding. He then took a roll of Brocade and Silk from his robes.
With a light flick of his wrist, the roll of Brocade and Silk floated like a weightless feather, drifting leisurely across the ten-meter gap to land steadily in front of Xu Yunfan.
Xu Yunfan reflexively reached out and caught it. He opened it and saw the words "Pure Yang Qi Skill" written prominently upon it.
He raised an eyebrow, waving the roll of Brocade and Silk in his hand. Just as he was about to speak, Li Haomiao strained to shout, "That one's better!"
Xu Yunfan clamped his mouth shut, a smile spreading across his face. Even the loathsome old Daoist suddenly seemed a bit more agreeable.
The old Daoist's gaze then swept over to Fang Mushan, who stood beside Xu Yunfan. His expression flickered as he spoke, "This humble Daoist is Bi Sheng of the Taoist Sect. Young man, are you willing to follow me?"
Fang Mushan, standing at the side, froze. He pointed at himself reflexively, his face a mask of confusion. "Daoist, are you talking to me?"
Bi Sheng gave a slight nod, a gentle smile gracing his features. "Your aptitude is superb. You possess Innate Divine Strength, and your Blood Qi is as vigorous as a flood dragon's. You are truly an exceptional talent. Are you willing to join my Taoist Sect?"
Fang Mushan had, of course, heard of the Taoist Sect's formidable reputation. He was overjoyed and accepted without a moment's hesitation.
As he started to walk, he paused, turned to Xu Yunfan, and cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute. "Brother Xu," he said, a hint of apology in his tone, "thank you for taking care of me on this journey. If we have the chance in the future, let's meet again."
Xu Yunfan smiled in response. "My swift boat has already passed ten thousand mountains. Go on ahead, Brother Fang."
Once Fang Mushan reached Li Haomiao's side, Bi Sheng, without so much as a glance at Xu Yunfan, reached out with two hands as wide as cattail fans. He grabbed one person in each hand and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
'They're gone!'
Xu Yunfan stared into the distance for a long while before slowly pulling back his gaze. He composed himself and glanced down at the Pure Yang Qi Skill in his hand, thinking to himself.
'He can't recognize treasure when he sees it. I, on the other hand, am a cheater... Is my aptitude really that bad?'
Just as Xu Yunfan was about to turn and descend Jiyun Mountain, his steps suddenly halted. His gaze shifted to Li Miaoyun, who had almost completely blended into the world of ice and snow.
With her internal qi sealed by Li Haomiao's True Power, she was no different from an ordinary, weak woman. In the sub-zero environment of the summit, with temperatures of ten to twenty degrees below freezing, she would soon die if left alone.
'This person is of great use…'
Xu Yunfan couldn't help but look up at the sky.
'If she's so useful, you should've taken her with you!'
This put Xu Yunfan in a bit of a predicament. He mulled it over for a moment, then decided to pretend he hadn't seen her and turned to leave quickly. Once he was off Jiyun Mountain, the world was his oyster. Why waste time on Li Miaoyun?
Li Miaoyun struggled to lift her head, her expression dazed as she watched Xu Yunfan rapidly disappear from view.
Ever since becoming the Saintess of the Celestial Pivot Start Sect, she had been the center of attention wherever she went. Everyone showed her the utmost respect. Even the Empress had always treated her with great kindness.
But now, she was being discarded like trash, not even worthy of a second glance.
Soon, she collected herself, forced her body upright, and began to slowly make her way down the mountain.
The soles of her feet, which had never bothered her before, now felt a needle-like chill. It made her stagger. The bone-chilling cold of her surroundings caused her to shiver uncontrollably.
She steadied her breathing and moved forward slowly, one step at a time.
After some time, she suddenly felt her body grow warm. It even began to feel feverishly hot.
She stopped walking and sat down to rest, looking up at the heavy, goose-feather snow that had begun to fall again.
She reached out her hand, caught a snowflake, and brought it close to her eyes, watching it quietly.
'Master, I've disappointed you. I failed to bring Li Haomiao back.'
Li Miaoyun whispered, mumbling something unintelligible. As time went on, snow gradually covered her body until she was completely buried, her original form no longer visible.
"How pitiful!"
Behind a large boulder not far away, Xu Yunfan casually tossed aside the rock he was holding, his face a picture of mock sympathy. If she hadn't died on her own, he would've had to finish the job with a couple of rocks. This outcome was perfect.
It was the first time he had watched someone die like this. Especially someone like Li Miaoyun, who was so beautiful that, with her qi sealed, she was a truly pitiable sight.
'A good death! A wonderful death!'
Xu Yunfan suppressed his excitement. Li Miaoyun's threat to kill both him and Fang Mushan was still fresh in his mind.
Her words had left him deeply unsettled. If he had simply fled, he would have been constantly looking over his shoulder, unable to eat or sleep in peace.
That was why he had resolved to bring Fang Mushan back here. And as it turned out, his decision had been the right one.
Li Haomiao was a decent person, and Xu Yunfan was willing to help him as long as it was within his power.
As for getting close to finish Li Miaoyun off himself, Xu Yunfan would never take such a risk. The woman was too bizarre; heaven only knew what kind of last-ditch, self-destructive moves she might have.
It was far better to just wait patiently for her to die.
Xu Yunfan waited silently in place for a full Hour. His surroundings were deathly still, with only the occasional whisper of the cold wind in his ears.
He waited until the sky began to show the pale light of dawn and the sun slowly peeked over the horizon.
In an instant, a ray of golden light sliced through the sky like a sharp sword, pouring down to envelop the entirety of Jiyun Mountain.
The once-gloomy Jiyun Mountain now seemed to be trimmed in gold, shining brilliantly. Every inch of land and every single stone glittered, bathed in the warm, golden sunlight.
Xu Yunfan slowly rose to his feet and stretched. He took one last look at Li Miaoyun's snowy grave in the distance, and after confirming that nothing was amiss, he turned and departed swiftly.
Soon, the heavy snow had completely covered his tracks.
With his departure, the mound of snow covering Li Miaoyun seemed to become an eternal monument. The snow on the summit of Jiyun Mountain never melted. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Li Miaoyun would be laid to rest here forever.
On the other side of Jiyun Mountain, a range of peaks rose and fell, snaking across the land like a sleeping dragon. They also resembled a surging tide of intermingled white and green, rolling on until it merged with the horizon.
Lush, snow-covered trees were scattered throughout, their snow-white, emerald-green, and withered-yellow hues weaving together to create a picturesque landscape.
It was a world apart from The Eight-Hundred-Mile Desolate River Ice-Plains that lay behind Xu Yunfan.
'This is quite a nice environment.'
'Even in my past life, a sight like this was rare.'
As the saying goes, the ascent is easy, but the descent is hard.
However, with a Light Body Technique like Flying Leg, Xu Yunfan's descent was incredibly fast. He reached the foot of the mountain in just under half a day.
Along the way, Xu Yunfan practiced Flying Leg constantly, and his Skill Level shot up.
'As you put power into your legs, you seem to grasp the essence of Flying Leg. Your Skill Level has increased.'
'As you sprint with all your might, the key principles of Flying Leg flash through your mind. In an instant, you break through your speed bottleneck. Your Skill Level has greatly increased.'
'...'
By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, Xu Yunfan glanced at his Flying Leg Skill Level in his field of vision.
779 points.
He glanced back at Jiyun Mountain, a tempting thought flickering in his eyes.
'Maybe if I run up and down a few more times, Flying Leg will also reach the Great Success Realm.'
Flying Leg was a Light Body Skill, a type of Martial Arts that trained the tendons. If he could master it to the stage of Great Success, his tendon training would reach Great Success as well.
(Author's Note: I have a question. There's actually more to Li Miaoyun's storyline, but I'm worried you all might find it tedious. What are your thoughts, my esteemed readers?)