The journey from Riverside Village to Anyang Prefecture spanned roughly a hundred miles.
With Lorian Vale's usual speed, it would have been a trivial distance, but his wounds had yet to heal, and he was saddled with Evan Reed—a "burden" who could only travel by foot.
Fortunately, Evan scavenged a few horses once ridden by bandits in the wilderness. He also retrieved a flatbed cart from the village and hitched the horses to it, crafting a makeshift carriage. Together, they could now ride rather than walk.
He tethered a few extra horses to the cart's rear and gathered some decent weapons, intending to sell them in Anyang Prefecture for coin.
Though immortals had little need for worldly goods, Evan Reed clearly had no intention of depending on Lorian Vale for sustenance. He was determined to fend for himself.
Traveling side by side, conversation naturally arose, deepening their understanding of one another.
Evan spun a tale of his origins: he hailed from Sunny Ridge Village on the far side of Verdant Mist Mountain. His family was poor, so he set out for Anyang Prefecture to find work. At twelve, he was deemed half a laborer in this world, and it wasn't unusual for boys his age to venture out alone. Having visited Sunny Ridge before, he could answer any questions with ease if pressed. But Lorian Vale didn't probe further, seemingly convinced.
Lorian Vale, however, was guarded about his own past. He revealed only that he was a cultivator who had long forsaken the mundane world and wished not to dwell on it. As for the title "Immortal Master," he forbade it, insisting instead on being called "True Master."
Though he was reluctant to share, Evan peppered him with questions.
"Why can I only call you 'True Master' and not 'Immortal Master'?"
"Because I'm not yet an immortal. Only those who ascend to the Immortal Ascension Realm can claim even half that title."
"What's the Immortal Ascension Realm?"
"It's the fifth realm of cultivation."
"And what are the five realms?"
"The five realms of cultivation are: Spirit Platform Realm, Transcendent Mortal Realm, Heavenly Heart Realm, Violet Palace Realm, and Immortal Ascension Realm. The Immortal Ascension Realm is the final realm. Upon reaching it, one's spiritual energy transforms into immortal essence, and they become an Earth Immortal."
"Then what are Spirit Platform Realm, Transcendent Mortal Realm, Heavenly Heart Realm, and Violet Palace Realm? And what's an Earth Immortal?"
"…"
The more Lorian Vale answered, the more questions Evan conjured.
At first, Lorian Vale found the boy sharp-witted for his age, mature in his actions. Now, he saw him as just a child—ignorant and naive.
The ignorance was genuine; the naivety, a pretense.
For the first time in his life, Evan played the role of an innocent, guileless youth. I'm underage—who's afraid of me? He tossed out every forbidden question without hesitation.
Lorian Vale, exasperated, humored him at first but soon feigned deafness and silence.
Even so, Evan gleaned much.
He learned that cultivation was divided into five realms. The first four were collectively termed cultivators or immortal practitioners, while only the fifth realm, the Immortal Ascension Realm, marked true entry into immortality, earning one the title of "immortal."
The first realm, Spirit Platform Realm, was for apprentices—too lowly to even be called a Spirit Master, lest it be deemed presumptuous.
Though the cultivation world appeared chaotic, it adhered to rigid hierarchies:
Spirit Platform Realm cultivators were Spirit Apprentices.Transcendent Mortal Realm cultivators were Spirit Masters.Heavenly Heart Realm practitioners were True Masters.Violet Palace Realm cultivators were True Lords or Heavenly Venerables.Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators were true Immortals.
Mortals, in their ignorance, dubbed any cultivator an "immortal," and cultivators rarely corrected them. Among themselves, however, the distinctions were strict.
Should someone dare call themselves a True Master before reaching the Heavenly Heart Realm, trouble would find them unbidden.
As for Lorian Vale, he was a Heavenly Heart Realm True Master.
Learning that this awe-inspiring figure—who could level mountains with a thought—was merely "mid-tier" stunned Evan. What unimaginable power did those in the Violet Palace Realm or Immortal Ascension Realm wield?
Thankfully, he kept this musing to himself, or Lorian Vale might have given him a stern rebuke.
Mid-tier?
Do you know how arduous cultivation is?
In the Qixia Realm, Heavenly Heart Realm practitioners were formidable. Violet Palace Realm cultivators were grandmasters who founded sects, and those in the Immortal Ascension Realm were legends—most having pierced the boundary winds to explore beyond the realm.
Thus, Heavenly Heart Realm practitioners were the backbone of Qixia's cultivation world.
It was precisely because he was a Heavenly Heart Realm True Master that Lorian Vale could kill with his divine sense. Yet his injuries had weakened even that, shrinking its reach.
Evan also discovered that Lorian Vale wasn't from the Wenxin Kingdom.
He hailed from the Moqiu Kingdom.
In the Qixia Realm, there existed a beast akin to a tapir, born with three eyes, swift as lightning, ferocious and bloodthirsty, its cry like an infant's wail.
In the year 733 of the Heavenly Scene, the Grand Dharma Heavenly Venerable battled this three-eyed beast on a remote western island. After three days, he slew it, transforming it into a spiritual hill that linked the island to the mainland. This became known as Mo Hill, later Moqiu.
Such was the origin of the Moqiu Kingdom.
Wenxin lay in the far east, Moqiu in the far west. Lorian Vale had journeyed thousands of miles from west to east. Evan didn't believe it was for leisure. Given the circumstances, the truth was obvious.
He was fleeing for his life.
In plain terms, he was a fugitive immortal.
But a fugitive immortal was still an immortal, and Evan thought, I won't hold it against you.
With the cart, the hundred-mile trek took just a day. Evan drove while Lorian Vale sat on the flatbed, focusing on healing his wounds. Along the way, Evan even changed Lorian's bandages once, sparing him any effort.
By dusk, they reached Anyang Prefecture.
Eager to settle his karmic debt and part ways, Lorian Vale led Evan to the finest establishment in town, Phoenix Tower.
Repaying a life-saving favor with a mere meal felt cheap, but it was better than prolonging their entanglement.
Settling karma meant avoiding actions that bred regret or lingering ties. No one could live without some regrets, but minimizing them was the goal. This small matter shouldn't weigh heavily.
With that in mind, Lorian Vale ordered the priciest dishes—not necessarily the best—and they savored a lavish feast.
But when the bill came, Lorian Vale patted his robes and realized he had no money!
His wealth had been lost in his last battle, along with his storage bag. He had salvaged only his most vital pills and treasures, leaving mundane items like coin behind.
To mortals, money was paramount, never to be forgotten. To cultivators like Lorian Vale, worldly wealth was trivial, barely worth a thought. He carried his own spiritual provisions and rarely needed to spend, so he had overlooked it.
Normally, this wouldn't pose a problem. Wherever he went, revealing his identity as a Heavenly Heart Realm True Master would prompt local magnates, officials, and sects to shower him with gifts.
Even Wenxin's ruler would treat him with deference. So long as he wasn't stirring trouble, even the Moon-Washing Sect of Wenxin would extend courtesy.
Offer money? That would be an insult!
But this time was different. He was being hunted and needed to lie low. His exposure at Verdant Mist Mountain had been unavoidable, but now, he couldn't risk it again.
Unable to reveal himself, he suddenly found he had no means to procure wealth.
Was he to stoop to thievery like a common crook?
Or perhaps dine and dash?
That would be too humiliating.
Noticing his troubled look, Evan said, "Eat up. Don't worry—I've already arranged with the innkeeper. We'll trade one of the horses for this meal."
Lorian Vale's face flushed. "How did you know I didn't bring money?"
"Didn't I go through your things?" Evan replied.
"…"
After the meal, Evan traded a horse to the innkeeper as promised.
The bandits' horses varied in quality, but Evan had chosen the finest, each worth about forty taels of silver.
In that era, one tael of silver held the purchasing power of roughly a thousand modern dollars.
Lorian Vale's meal cost four thousand dollars—a truly extravagant sum.
Afterward, Evan remarked, "At this rate, we'll be broke in no time. We should tighten our belts from now on."
Lorian Vale's face reddened again, and he could only nod in agreement.
A grand cultivator, a Heavenly Heart Realm True Master, revered wherever he went, was now being schooled by a mere boy—a strange twist indeed.
Evan had brought six horses. After trading one, five remained. He sold them all to local merchants, netting a hundred and eighty taels of silver.
He had also looted the bandits' corpses, but they were poor—horses and weapons were their greatest assets. From over a hundred bandits, he scraped together less than ten taels. Adding the proceeds from the weapons, he amassed two hundred taels—a modest fortune.
With Lorian Vale penniless, Evan naturally covered their lodging as well.
Staying in the inn room Evan rented, Lorian Vale grew increasingly uneasy.
He had assumed that upon reaching Anyang Prefecture, Evan would rely on him for food and shelter. Instead, the roles had reversed.
Realizing he was now eating Evan's food, sleeping in Evan's rented room, and spending Evan's money—while Evan had no need of him—Lorian Vale felt a bitter pang.
How is it that instead of clearing my debt, I owe him more?
The thought gnawed at him.
Typically, he meditated each night, circulating his energy to mend his wounds.
But tonight, alone in his room, he felt restless, unfit for cultivation. Stepping into the courtyard, he began practicing the Hidden Form Sutra.
The Hidden Form Sutra was a cultivation technique he had gained through a rare opportunity—an opportunity that had also made him a fugitive.
As he channeled his energy, he noticed Evan emerge from his room and stand nearby, watching.
Cultivators loathed being observed during practice.
Lorian Vale nearly snapped at him but held back. The boy was young, ignorant of etiquette. And after Evan's care throughout their journey, chasing him off felt too callous, against his own principles. So he let him watch, reasoning that without a foundation or the proper method, Evan wouldn't grasp anything anyway.
For once, he comforted himself with that thought.