I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 148 Before leaving
When Xie Yuan opened his eyes again, he looked at the beams and ceiling above his head which looked a little different, and blinked a few times.

I haven't slept here for a long time. I almost forgot that this is my bed...

He sat up, looked around, and found that the room was empty again. He felt strangely uncomfortable.

No need to fetch water for others.

Xie Yuan quickly fetched some water to wash himself. The cool water of late spring splashed on his face, which did not make him feel cold, but refreshed him. He finally recovered the energy he had consumed from reading the Black Book.

Walking into the yard, he stood quietly in front of the flower bed for a moment, took a deep breath of the fragrance of the blooming flowers, and then strode out.

In Shen Longteng's study.

The vigorous and ruddy old escort leader looked at Xie Yuan with a smile on his face. Ever since the destruction of the Vajra Sect, Shen Longteng's face, which was originally ruddy due to the abundant blood and energy, was full of joy every day, as if he had a second spring. He even personally went on several escort missions, and he was in high spirits.

He smiled and said:
"Xie Yuan, how did you find time to come to my place? Others say that you practiced magic skills behind closed doors, and some say that you spent all day getting food and secretly kept a beautiful wife inside, haha. Young boy, I don't believe that you are that hungry and thirsty. You eat so much food. Is it because your skills have improved recently? When will you catch up with me?"

Xie Yuan laughed dryly:

"Chief Escort, you know me well. I have no interest in anything else except practicing martial arts."

"After all, you are still a young man with barely all your hair grown. But you are eighteen years old, so it's time to save some trouble. As a man, you should travel around and gain more experience. You should experience the taste of a woman as soon as possible, so as not to suffer in the future."

Shen Longteng smiled meaningfully.

Xie Yuan maintained a polite smile and changed the subject:
"Captain Escort, I came to you today to report something."

"Oh? You said."

"Yu Chunsheng's immediate superior and backer, Peng Yue, was recently transferred..."

Xie Yuan then selected relevant parts from Situ Qin's letter and told Shen Longteng in detail.

After listening to this, Shen Longteng stroked his steel whiskers and squinted his eyes:

"I know that he used the connections of Peng Yue, the Chief Justice. I also heard recently that something big happened in the capital, but I didn't know the details. Xie Yuan, you are very well-informed."

The escort agency has been operating for many years, but its influence is limited to a few places in the northern part of Yunzhou.

Shen Longteng, who has been famous for decades, doesn't have enough connections to reach this level, but Xie Yuan can get first-hand information?

Seeing Shen Longteng's expression of admiration and surprise, Xie Yuan said modestly:

"I was recuperating in the capital city and just happened to hear about it from a friend."

"You are an extraordinary friend to be able to hear such news."

The old escort leader seemed to be thinking about something, but he did not try to find out more. Instead, he said slowly:
"Peng Yue has gone to Beijing. Yu Chunsheng is now without support or foundation. He is completely floating like a duckweed."

Thinking back to the past... no, just recently, Yu Chunsheng still had a powerful backer, and the Vajra Sect provided endless support. His position in Yunzhao was deeply rooted, and neither the escort agency nor the county magistrate could do anything to him.

And now...

Shen Longteng's eyes flickered, and a fierce look flashed across his face:
"This is easy. He won't be able to wear his official uniform for long. Just dig out all the things he did, and there's no need to do anything else. Without anyone to protect him, he will be thrown into prison soon. The position of county lieutenant is not big, but it's not small either. There are still many people who are interested in it. By then... humph.

"Haha, I don't know if County Lieutenant Yu can keep his big white ass safe after entering the prison that he has controlled for many years."

Shen Longteng was born into a wealthy family and never spoke in a polite manner. He was in high spirits and laughed so loudly that the window paper shook.

Xie Yuan also felt a little sad. Not long ago, he felt that it would be difficult to overthrow Yu Chunsheng quickly, but in the blink of an eye, the situation had reversed. He was afraid that more than just the escort agency were eyeing him covetously.

However, whether it was his roots, the Jin Gang Sect, or his backer, Peng Yue, it seemed that they were all destroyed by himself.

Xie Yuan felt somewhat relieved, but not completely.

Staring at me and trying to hurt me? It's not that easy to let it go.

His own revenge, the revenge of the escort agency... Thinking of what Yu Chunsheng had done, he must kill this beast with his own hands to end the matter.

Seeing that Shen Longteng was already planning where to make a breakthrough, Xie Yuan pulled Yu Chunsheng off the horse and quietly drank tea beside him.

After a while, Shen Longteng came back to his senses, looked at Xie Yuan, and praised:
"Xie Yuan, if the escort agency hadn't found you, I'm afraid the Vajra Sect would still be showing off today. Hiss, they wanted to target you in the first place, so Xing Yang accepted you. Haha, I really messed with the wrong people..."

Xie Yuan said a few humble words, and Shen Longteng asked again:
"Xie Yuan, have you made much progress in your training recently?"

"I was lucky enough to break through the fourth level." Xie Yuan said.

It had been a few days since he broke through the fourth level, but he had never told anyone about it. In fact, he had been staying in the courtyard all day, so how could he have the time to communicate with others?
Shen Longteng was stunned for a moment, as if he was surprised but also expected it, so his reaction was not too big. Anyway, with Xie Yuan's talent, it seemed normal for him to break through every once in a while.

He sighed:
"Your training speed is truly unprecedented in my life. So in the future, are you going to leave the escort agency?"

Xie Yuan nodded silently.

In addition to talking about Yu Chunsheng today, he also said goodbye in advance and gave a shot of prevention. He was not new to the Fourth Training, so he needed to hone his skills for a while before making a new plan.

"Are you planning to go to Yunshan Sword Sect? I heard from Old Wu that the deacon has already left."

Shen Longteng asked.

The Lin siblings had said goodbye to him a few days ago and conveyed Cui Zhi's regrets, saying that whenever he figured it out, he could go to Yunshan Outer Gate to find him.

Xie Yuan shook his head:

"The Yunshan Sword Sect is not suitable for me. As for the next step... I haven't decided yet. I might go to Yunzhou Prefecture or Yanzhou in the northeast to travel, or maybe go directly to the capital, Central Plains or Jiangnan. The world is so big, I want to see it."

"A good man has ambitions in all directions, that's good."

Shen Longteng sighed:

"I had this idea when I was young. I even thought about working in the escort agency business because I wanted to be more open to different places. Maybe one day, I could plant the escort flags of Longteng Escort Agency all over the Dali Dynasty. At that time, I thought that the name 'Longteng in Yunzhou, Longteng in Yunzhou' was too modest! As a result, after so many years, I have only made a name for myself in half of Yunzhou, but I still feel it is not easy. Looking back, it has been half of my life..."

The old escort leader sighed for a moment, looking at Xie Yuan's vigor, as if he saw his own shadow when he was young.

But he felt that Xie Yuan must be different from him.

He smiled slightly and asked:

"It's a pity that you don't plan to join the Yunshan Sword Sect. It's a good place... But you must have your own ideas, so there's no need to say more. But what about your subsequent cultivation methods? Do you have any ideas about the method of Qi and blood transformation?"

Xie Yuan pondered for a moment. He asked Mu Chaoyun, but the master just asked him to practice step by step. The Golden Bell Cover would be enough for him to achieve the transformation of qi and blood naturally.

As for the special methods and tricks needed to break through this great realm and the ways to stimulate the body's potential that others had mentioned, Mu Chaoyun said that they were not necessary and did not elaborate.

I don't know what it means. Did he guess that he has this golden finger? This is impossible.

Even if Xie Yuan has special abilities, as long as he has a technique, he can keep practicing without encountering bottlenecks. But if there is no follow-up, for example, the previous Iron Shirt is a technique that can only be practiced to the second level, he cannot create something out of nothing with the Iron Shirt - unless he comprehends the later Golden Bell Cover. Just like a road, no matter how difficult it is to walk, Xie Yuan can walk on it, provided that it is a road.

Although the Golden Bell Cover can reach the Qi and Blood Transformation Realm, this kind of crossing of a great realm requires special methods, accumulation, polishing, a solid foundation, and a long-term development. However, there is no such trick in the Golden Bell Cover technique he has comprehended.

Why does Mu Chaoyun seem too lazy to talk to me? Is my foundation so good?
Seeing that he was silent, Shen Longteng spoke up:

"Although I reached the Qi and Blood Transformation Stage, it was by chance. To be honest, I don't know how I achieved the breakthrough.

"That was many years ago. A nobleman from the escort agency not only saved my life, but also helped me set up the escort agency. He also gave me a training formula that allowed me to break through the realm. But I gave that formula to Lao Wei, Lao Chu and others, and it had no effect. It was because of my training situation that it was used by one person only."

Shen Longteng shook his head and did not talk much about the past of the escort agency. Instead, he continued:
"So even though I was lucky enough to break through, it was hard to sustain. For many years, I have only just reached the level of Qi and blood transformation, neither going up nor down. In addition to not having a method, another reason is that I don't have internal strength... Well, if there is a way to cultivate it, maybe it will be different. But at my age now, I'm afraid it's too late.

"Xie Yuan, when you break through in the future, you must pay attention. If you can find the inner strength as soon as possible, you must practice it. Although it is difficult, it is the key to help you go far in the future. In theory, you can reach the top level of Qi and blood transformation by practicing external skills alone, but that is theory. In fact, according to my estimation, at most you can reach the second level, and if there is no special opportunity, that's the limit. As for the higher Grandmaster level, I have never heard of practicing only external skills..."

The old escort leader patiently and earnestly taught Xie Yuan, who listened attentively.

Even though Xie Yuan already knew many things, he still sincerely accepted the kindness and the elder's experience and wisdom, and kept them in mind.

Afterwards, Xie Yuan returned to his own courtyard, practiced martial arts every day, and gradually got used to living alone.

He hesitated for a long time about the bathtub in the room, but just let it sit there quietly and empty, and then he used the bathtub he got later.

What if it's useful in the future?

Whenever he looked at the small flower garden, which was so pleasing to the eye, Xie Yuan would always remember that there was a cold and aloof master who had lived here for a long time, leaving an indelible mark.

He has been practicing martial arts behind closed doors in the yard all day long and taking care of Mu Chaoyun for a long time.

Although he had a special status, Xie Yuan still wondered if he should go on a few more escort missions before leaving to make use of his remaining energy. He had to do something of his own. Then he could say goodbye.

However, on this day, there was suddenly another visitor in his yard.

(End of this chapter)