The rising sun cast its rays upon the neatly paved official road, which had already become bustling with activity.
Woodcutters and farmers transported fresh produce and firewood with their donkey carts, while hunters carried animal pelts and medicinal herbs.
These people had traveled for over ten to twenty li in the dark, all in order to sell their goods in the county town for even a few more copper coins.
Ji Yuan walked briskly along the official road. Despite having taken many pills, his complexion remained somewhat pale, and he estimated it would take quite some time to fully recover.
Along the way, whether it was woodcutters, farmers, hunters, or herb gatherers, they all cast friendly glances at the young Daoist priest upon seeing him.
In the Great Yu Dynasty, from princes and nobles to common folk, people felt a deep affinity for Daoism. Its state religion was a Daoist temple that enjoyed incense from across a continent.
Gazing at the city whose outline was already visible, Ji Yuan felt a partial relief. He tightened the bundle on his back and the ancient long sword he carried, then quickened his pace.
Upon reaching the city gate, he didn't need to produce his identification tablet. Several guards waved him through, as he was a frequent visitor to the city for herb gathering and had become acquainted with the gatekeepers.
"Young Daoist priest, you look a bit unwell. Did your recent outing yield little?" a sergeant playfully asked.
The guards here all knew him to be a rather money-minded young Daoist priest. There had been instances where he haggled with people for a single herb, from the deep mountains all the way to the city.
Therefore, they assumed that the only thing that could make the young Daoist priest look so pale was a business deal that didn't turn a profit, or even resulted in a loss.
Ji Yuan smiled and shook his head, not offering any explanation to the guards. He simply waved his hand, signaling his departure.
From the wilderness and mountains to the sparsely populated official road, and then into the lively county town, the young Daoist priest's longing for home did not diminish at all. Instead, it grew even stronger.
Especially after the incident at Luohun Slope, he yearned to return to the Daoist temple immediately and lie on his hard wooden bed.
After passing through half the county town and walking down a small alley shaded by old trees in the courtyards, the young Daoist priest finally slowed his hurried steps.
He pushed open the large gate in front of him, finding that the bolt inside had not been removed. He surmised that at this hour, his master and senior brothers in the temple had likely not yet woken from their slumber.
Thus, Ji Yuan did not knock or call out. Instead, he stepped onto the adjacent courtyard wall and easily flipped over it.
The Daoist temple was named Xuantian Temple. It had once been renowned throughout the dynasty, even across a continent. However, over centuries of decline, it had eventually relocated to an inconspicuous corner of the city.
Apart from the main hall, the entire temple consisted only of a small courtyard on one side. Inside were three to four simple rooms and a kitchen for cooking. In ordinary times, incense was sparse, with only nearby elders occasionally coming to offer prayers.
Ji Yuan walked through the main hall where divine statues were enshrined, kicked open his own room door, set down his bundle and long sword, and comfortably lay down on the wooden bed.
Being in a familiar environment, smelling the faint medicinal scent in the room, his mind inevitably drifted back to the events at Luohun Slope.
After he had ended Li Mufeng's life with a single sword strike and exchanged a few words with Song He, he was escorted out of Luohun Slope, which was shrouded by a formation, by the couple.
During this time, the couple brought him some gold and silver, as well as several talismans, all of which were items found on Li Mufeng and his junior disciples.
However, he, who was always scolded by his master for being too fixated on money, shook his head and refused after a brief contemplation. If he were to keep this wealth, it would first create an inner conflict.
And for cultivators, maintaining a pure state of mind was of utmost importance.
As he thought, his mind inevitably turned to the white jade flying sword, a precious spiritual treasure that could hide from even powerful cultivators.
He sat up from the wooden bed, extended his index finger, and lightly touched his brow. With a thought, a white jade flying sword flew out from his Dantian.
Watching the white jade flying sword circle around him, Ji Yuan couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
Originally, he had no intention of taking on this opportunity. After all, it involved too much, including powerful cultivators stationed at Luohun Slope by Mingyue Temple, as well as numerous powerful figures who had fought fiercely in Qianyu City three hundred years ago.
He was merely a nascent cultivator in the early stages of the Enlightenment realm. If such a vast karma were to fall upon him, the least outcome would be his death.
However, in the end, Ji Yuan followed his heart and responded to the sense of closeness conveyed by the white jade flying sword.
"Sometimes, having too much good fortune is not necessarily a good thing!"
The young Daoist priest glanced at the white jade flying sword circling beside him and couldn't help but sigh.
Suddenly, he slapped out, sending the flying sword onto the wooden bed. Then, pointing at the ancient long sword on the tea table, he said, "You, it's fine if you live in my Dantian, but why did you push Yuanbao out?"
When he had accepted the white jade flying sword last night, this little fellow, exuding an aura of sentience, had, upon entering his Dantian, forcefully pushed out the ancient long sword within.
It was strange, this long sword, likely the ancestral master's sword, which he now called Yuanbao, had obediently retracted all its anomalies, behaving like a cowering tenant whose home had been usurped, daring not to show any dissatisfaction.
As Ji Yuan questioned it, before the white jade flying sword could even fly up from the wooden bed, the long sword on the tea table let out a light hum, as if indicating it didn't care about the matter.
"Yuanbao, can you have a bit more backbone!"
He smacked his forehead, filled with a sense of disappointment.
He then glanced at the happily swirling white jade sword and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he said with a sigh, "Since you've followed me, you must have a name."
"The ancestral master's sword is called Yuanbao, and the three-talent treasures bought at a bargain are called Copper Coin, Silver, and Gold Ingot..."
"Then you shall be called Xiaobai!"
Ji Yuan chuckled, seemingly pleased with the name he had chosen. Only the white jade flying sword appeared indignant, but helpless.
Finally, 'Xiaobai' spun in mid-air and ferociously pointed its tip at the young Daoist priest's brow, then retreated into the Dantian to sulk alone.
Ji Yuan didn't mind. Wasn't Yuanbao's reaction when he got his new name similar?
But in the end, didn't it also choose to accept the name he gave it!
However, he then seemed to remember something. He lightly tapped his brow and summoned the flying sword from his Dantian again. "Right, leave that lantern for me."
The white jade flying sword trembled slightly. Its sword body shifted, and a yellow paper lantern appeared out of thin air, landing on the wooden bed. After completing this task, it angrily returned to the Dantian.
Ji Yuan picked up the yellow paper lantern. The moment he held it, he could feel a few wisps of spiritual energy lingering within.
According to Song He, this was a magical artifact carefully preserved in the treasury of Mingyue Temple. Its quality was extremely good, and its power was quite considerable.
But the most important point was that this artifact not only possessed offensive capabilities, but also served to calm the spirit when lit, providing considerable convenience for cultivators during meditation and breathing exercises, as well as for refining artifacts and pills.
However, upon closer inspection, he felt a strange sensation, as if the item in his hand were not a single, unified piece.
Compared to the oil lamp inside, the material of the outer lantern, though considered precious, was not something refined by cultivators.
After a moment of thought, Ji Yuan waved his hand, and the long sword on the tea table unsheathed itself and landed steadily in his hand.
Holding the long sword 'Yuanbao', he neatly sliced down, easily removing the outer lampshade and revealing a bronze oil lamp within.
"As expected!"
Ji Yuan casually tossed the sword, which returned to its scabbard on its own. He examined the oil lamp in his hand with a pensive expression.
He had previously sensed something was amiss. The lampshade and the oil lamp appeared to be a single entity, but they were actually not connected. And after cutting off the lampshade, the oil lamp inside was indeed undamaged.
This proved that the magical artifact was unrelated to the lampshade, and its true form was the oil lamp within.