Chapter 2, Decision and Mysty Mountain

Translator: Raznick

 

Jing Kingdom, Cloud Province, Grey City, River Gazing Tavern

 

Grey City was a mortal city located in the southern Cloud Province region of Jing Kingdom, situated along the bank of Grey River. The city enjoyed prosperous water transportation and had a large population.

 

River Gazing Tavern in Grey City, with five floors of rooms, offered a breathtaking view. Sitting on the top floor and gazing through the window,  one could take in the entirety of Grey City.

 

Zhou Chun left the mountains not long after, arriving here, where he stayed for over a month.

 

And the Riverside Pavilion was his most frequent haunt.

 

Cultivators did not dwell among mortals. Although Grey City had a permanent population of over a hundred thousand, Zhou Chun, after observing for half a month, hardly saw any cultivators at all.

 

He did, on occasion, catch a glimpse of a cultivator,  but more likely because they were merely passing through or resting, with no intention to stay long.

 

This meant that it would be safe for Zhou Chun to say here.

 

However, cities like the bustling Grey City were filled with ordinary folk and lacked thick Qi. They were filled with bustling crowds but hardly a place for cultivation.

 

Even though Zhou Chun had the stone jar that protected him from the corrupting influence of the Savage Qi, he still couldn’t cultivate here for long periods.

 

In fact, his stay was primarily to recuperate and make sense of his prior life memories.

 

More than a month had passed since then, and he had processed and organized the memories of his previous twenty-one years.

 

As for his future path in this world of immortals, Zhou Chun had already formulated a rough plan.

 

[I come, I conquer.]

 

That’s the sort of attitude a junior high school student with delusions of grandeur would think.

 

Since he had arrived in this vast and magnificent world of cultivators, and happened to become one himself, Zhou Chun was certainly eager to explore its wonders.

 

If achievable, he would like to know and see whether immortals truly existed in this world and if anyone could achieve eternal life!

 

To achieve all this, however, it was incredibly challenging for someone like him, a rogue cultivator.

 

After thinking it over for a few days, Zhou Chun decided to follow his original plan and head towards Black Soil Ridge in Jing Kingdom’s Mist Province, returning to the embrace of the Three Absolute Sect.

 

The journey from Grey City to Black Soil Ridge spaned a thousand miles, and the road ahead was fraught with peril.

 

Zhou Chun still needed to think about how to get there.

 

Two days later, several cargo ships destined for Mist City’s Jade Town set sail from the Grey City dock, their upstream journey beginning as they slowly moved away from the city.

 

On the first large ship, Zhou Chun, dressed in white with a sword by his side, stood on the deck with his sleeves fluttering in the breeze. His arms were crossed as he gazed at the river on both sides.

 

“Hero Zhou, the route ahead is mostly safe, but you can’t be too sure there won’t be bandits hiding to intercept the convoy.

 

“If such a situation arises, we would greatly appreciate your assistance, and in return for your aid, the crew will offer compensation.”

 

Behind Zhou Chun, a stocky bald man with a short blade at his waist approached respectfully and conveyed the captain’s request in a low voice.

 

“I see.”

 

Zhou Chun did not turn around, merely giving a simple response.

 

The bald man gave a slight bow of respect and then turned and went back to report.

 

Zhou Chun put on an image of a martial arts hero, preparing to venture to Mist Province to challenge other experts like him.

 

The bald man was so in awe of him because he had previously won their trust by defeating one of them with a single move.

 

At that time, Zhou Chun had only cast a inferior first-grade mystical art called Lightness upon herself.

 

The fleet was slowly, as expected, in the first half of the journey against the current, only able to progress less than a hundred miles each day.

 

It wasn’t until they had traveled for over ten days and entered a different stream that the fleet could speed up with the assistance of favorable winds and currents.

 

Half a month after Zhou Chun boarded the ship, the fleet finally left the Cloud Province, which was mainly flatlands, and entered the mountainous Mist Province.

 

During this time, the bald man reminded him of bandits, but they had not made an appearance as of yet.

 

This afternoon, as the fleet was passing by a river bend, suddenly from the reeds on both sides came a whistle. Immediately, seven or eight small boats burst out from the redds and charged straight towards the fleet with full force.

 

“Bandits!”

 

When the bald man saw the armed individuals on the small boats, he immediately turned pale and cried out.

 

Because of this shout, several arrows immediately pierced towards him, scaring him into hiding below deck.

 

Zhou Chun, who was resting in the cabin, quickly came out upon hearing the shout.

 

He looked up and gazed at the water’s surface, his brow furrowed in concern as he was surprised to see that there were some thirty or forty river bandits.

 

With so many enemies and equipped with such formidable weapons as bows and arrows, it might be difficult for him without resorting to mystical arts.

 

And once they were used, it would no longer be possible to remain a passenger.

 

[Now that I’m in Mist Province. Even if I go on foot, it’ll only take a few days to reach the Black Soil Ridge.]

 

Thoughts raced through his mind, and Zhou Chun quickly came to a decision.

 

He immediately formed hand seals and cast a mystical art; soon, a ball of intense flames appeared in his hands. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, this flame transformed into a fireball the size of a clenched fist, shooting toward a small boat.

 

Suddenly, there was a roar of explosion, and the entire small boat was reduced to fragments. Several bandits on board, their bodies engulfed in flames, screamed in agony as they plunged into the river.

 

The remaining bandits watched this scene, and they were immediately terrified out of their wits.

 

“Mystical arts! There are cultivators onboard!”

 

An astute bandit couldn’t help but loudly exclaim in shock, dropping to his knees before the cargo ship from which the fireballs were flying, kowtowing and pleading, “Great Immortal Sir, spare us! We had no intention of offending you!”

 

The moment he spoke those words, the remaining bandits were terrified and immediately followed by kneeling and bowing their heads repeatedly.

 

“Please spare me, esteemed Immortal!”

 

Because the formidable reputation of cultivators struck fear into their hearts, they dared not even flee.

 

Zhou Chun saw this and immediately spoke in a cold voice, commanding them: “Get the hell out of here! I don’t want to see you lot again!”

 

However, he also did not wish to commit further acts of slaughter.

 

After the bandits made themselves scarce with endless gratitude, both the merchants and guards on the cargo ship were equally shocked. They gradually came to their senses and all couldn’t help but look over at Zhou Chun’s side.

 

The owner of the convoy, merchant Wu, approached Zhou Chun with the bald man. “Immortal Sir, forgive our rudeness for not welcoming you properly.”

 

“Mr. Wu, you’re too kind. I benefited from the convoy’s protection during the journey and was thus able to focus on my practice. This is merely a token gesture of gratitude in return.”

 

Zhou Chun lightly waved, indicating his disregard for this topic.

 

Then he looked at the man surnamed Wu in front of him. His eyes flickered with unusual color, and suddenly he said, “Mr. Wu, have you ever encountered any cultivators before? It seems to me that you don’t show the awe that ordinary people do towards them.”

 

He spoke these words, directly exposing the hypocrisy in the earlier remarks of merchant Wu, which immediately caused his eyes to flash with unease as he hurriedly called out: “No no no, esteemed Immortal, forgive me! I have nothing but respect for you!”

 

After saying those words, Wu knelt in front of Zhou Chun right then and there.

 

Upon seeing this, Zhou Chun shook her head in response. “Mr. Wu, there’s no need for that. It was a mild curiosity of mine; if you prefer not to answer, there’s no need to respond.”

 

The Wu merchant dared not take his words seriously. After wiping the non-existent sweat from his brow, he hastily responded with respect: “I dare not deceive you, Immortal. In my travels across the land, I have indeed met several Immortals and witnessed their mystical arts.”

 

Upon hearing Zhou Chun’s words, Zhang Yucheng’s eyes lit up and he couldn’t help but ask, “Oh, do you know of any nearby markets where cultivators gather?”

 

He was just asking off the top of his head; he had no real expectation that merchant Wu would actually know.

 

After all, the cultivators’ marketplace was known and accessible only to them; ordinary mortals could never know about it.

 

Unwillingly, upon hearing his words, the Wu merchant hesitated slightly and responded in a low voice, “I happened to hear a piece of news that in Mist Province’s Misty Mountain, one can often see traces of Immortals. Perhaps there is the market town you are seeking, Immortal.”

 

“Misty Mountain? How far is that from here?”

 

Zhou Chun’s eyes lit up, and he stared intently at the Wu merchant.

 

“It’s not too far. From here, after disembarking and heading northeast for about two hundred miles you’ll reach it.”

 

The Wu merchant did a quick mental calculation and responded in a low voice.

 

“Indeed, two hundred miles is not too far.”

 

Zhou Chun nodded slightly and then turned to the Wu merchant, saying, “Thank you, Mr. Wu, for your message. I will take my leave now. May we  meet again in the future.”

 

Having said that, he didn’t wait for the response from the Wu merchant and proceeded to recite the incantation, channeling a average first-grade mystical art, Soaring Art. As his robes fluttered, he glided on the wind, landing gracefully on the riverbank without touching the water’s surface, covering a width of over thirty feet in just one swift movement.

 

He then exerted more force, leaping from the riverside grassland and soaring through the air for over thirty meters, disappearing into the trees. Soon, he was completely out of sight of the ordinary people on the boat.

 

“Traveling on the wind, moving a hundred steps in one leap, it’s indeed the technique of Immortals!”

 

On the cargo ship, Mr. Wu watched with envious eyes in the direction where that figure had vanished.