Chapter Sixty-Eight: Returning to Drunken Immortal Pavilion

On the third floor of Drunken Immortal Tavern in Carefree Town, there were few patrons at this hour. He Tianshu, Yao Xueqing, Li Sibai, and two senior brothers who had come to help were seated at a table by the window, eating and drinking, each reflecting on how arduous their journey down the mountain had been.

According to He Tianshu, Gong Degang had already returned to the sect some time ago, his injuries much improved. Even Guo Feng had managed to make it back. Those who saw him reported that his clothes were in tatters, his body reeked with a foul stench, and everyone avoided him as if he carried a plague. Yet, despite his wretched appearance, his spirits were inexplicably high—as if some great fortune had befallen him. He would burst into loud laughter whenever he saw someone, frightening others into hiding, thinking he had lost his mind.

When He Tianshu was readying help to go back down the mountain and carry Li Sibai home, he never caught sight of Guo Jian. There were only vague rumors that the Ice Spirit Grass had already reached the hands of the person who commissioned the task. The employer was said to be delighted, and Guo Jian received the full reward without a single coin deducted.

He Tianshu then asked Li Sibai about what had happened after they parted ways. This time, Li Sibai did not hold anything back and recounted the entire sequence of events.

By the end, He Tianshu looked utterly incredulous. “You’re saying you and that woman in green fought a ground-rank wolf spider together?”

Li Sibai nodded.

“And then you were stung in the calf by the wolf spider, and its poison entered your body?”

Li Sibai nodded again.

“But you didn’t die. When you woke up, you were lying in the cave?”

Li Sibai nodded once more.

“This makes no sense. If that really was a ground-rank wolf spider, the poison should have killed you in moments. Could it be that the woman in green saved you? But that can’t be. She was an enemy before. Maybe it made sense for her to help fight the spider for her own survival, but why would she save you once she was safe? Unless...”

He Tianshu grinned mischievously at Li Sibai.

Li Sibai quickly shook his head, as if his neck were a rattle drum. Yao Xueqing looked at He Tianshu with confusion, not understanding the implication.

Li Sibai added, “I really don’t know who saved me. I was unconscious at the time and have no memory of what happened afterward.”

He Tianshu nodded in acceptance. When they found Li Sibai in the cave, he was still unconscious, so he believed Li Sibai’s account. But the matter remained a mystery.

“Xiaobai, how do you feel now? Any lingering effects?” Yao Xueqing, uninterested in idle speculation, was more concerned about Li Sibai’s health.

Grateful, Li Sibai glanced at Yao Xueqing and shook his head. Having eaten something, he felt much better, with no apparent problems, though there were things he could not speak of yet.

Earlier, on the road, when he tried to circulate his true energy, he found that the white battle aura surged uncontrollably, much more than before. This strange phenomenon puzzled him, but he had no one to confide in. At that moment, he missed Caiyao and the Old Tree Spirit intensely.

Li Sibai resolved that once he returned, he would make time to visit the Dark Forest and ask Caiyao and the Old Tree Spirit about the changes inside his body.

Seeing Li Sibai lost in thought, He Tianshu also grew pensive. He wondered if the agreement he had made with Guo Jian still stood. Judging by Guo Jian’s manner and the information he’d received, Guo Jian must have gotten what he wanted. But would he keep his word? Since his return, He Tianshu hadn’t seen him once—was he deliberately avoiding him?

Though He Tianshu was the favored disciple of Master Yunfeng, the sect leader, he knew he couldn’t afford to offend Guo Jian. The Guo family was illustrious, and Guo Jian’s strength surpassed his own. If Guo Jian decided to renege on his promise, there was nothing He Tianshu could do but accept his misfortune.

Yet while he could resign himself to bad luck, what about those who had ventured out with him? At least they had managed to obtain the two hundred Xuantian Jade Purity Pills. But how should they divide them?

He Tianshu brooded over it, growing increasingly gloomy. He drank more to ease his frustrations, the accumulated tension of recent days finally finding release. Before long, he was drunk.

The two disciples He Tianshu had brought along drank little—they were not especially strong and were only there to lend a hand, having not experienced the earlier ordeals. Seeing He Tianshu drunk, they hoisted him off to rest in a guest room at the rear courtyard, leaving only Yao Xueqing and Li Sibai at the table.

Yao Xueqing looked at Li Sibai. This junior brother, three years younger than herself, had always been like a little brother to her. It was because of her recommendation that he joined them at Jade Pearl Peak, only to endure so many hardships and nearly lose his life. The reward of five hundred Xuantian Jade Purity Pills she had once hoped for now seemed almost unattainable. Guilt gnawed at her, yet she did not know how to express it.

Li Sibai seemed to guess her thoughts. Pouring himself another cup, he said, “Senior sister, you don’t need to worry. I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I? Even if we don’t get the reward, there’s still hope. And even if we truly lose it, I’ve gained plenty of experience on this journey. I feel my true energy has increased quite a bit. I still have time to prepare. If nothing else, you can help me train when we get back.”

Hearing this, Yao Xueqing’s mood lifted, and the look she gave Li Sibai softened.

Li Sibai, however, did not understand what was in her mind and hurriedly added, “If you don’t have time to help, it’s alright. I was planning to train in the Dark Forest for a while. This trip to Jade Pearl Peak taught me a lot—real combat is indeed the best way to improve. I think the Dark Forest should be easier than Jade Pearl Peak’s wilds. I should be able to handle it alone.”

Yao Xueqing, however, was uneasy again. She recalled Li Sibai’s ordeal in the Doomsday Marsh during the last inner sect trial and quickly said, “It’s nothing—I’ll go with you. Your wounds haven’t fully healed, and the Dark Forest is still dangerous. Besides, have you forgotten about the Doomsday Marsh last time?”

Li Sibai clicked his tongue at her words. Her reminder sent a chill down his spine, sobering him up considerably. He agreed at once to Yao Xueqing’s suggestion. The two promised that once they returned to the sect, Yao Xueqing would continue to help Li Sibai train, striving to break through to the first level of the Heart of the Zither Realm as soon as possible.