Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 111 Cutting down trees is faster

Tang Xiaoyu, holding Zhu Ye's hand, practically swaggered over the entire city.

Although it is called "flying", in essence it is still about stepping on the eaves or roof with the toes, circulating true qi, and using the force to move forward.

Upon receiving the news, Heshi Lieren immediately gave chase, but...

They couldn't catch up.

As a fourth-rank Venerable, as long as he doesn't encounter a martial artist with cultivation above the Grandmaster level, even if he can't win a fight, he shouldn't be unable to catch up...

Heshi Lieren even fell into self-doubt—because he really couldn't remember any martial artist who was so young and had such a high level of cultivation!
There are only a handful of grandmasters and great grandmasters in the world, so why would someone so unknown suddenly appear... Could he be a "remnant of the previous dynasty"?!
But the woman's age doesn't match up!

Even some reclusive old folks can't possibly look like they're only in their twenties!

Heshi Lieren couldn't understand it at all, so he had to write two letters to explain the situation, one to Emperor Murong Zhen of Xiao Kingdom and the other to Military Commissioner Mu Feng.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, Tang Xiaoyu grabbed Zhu Ye and flew all the way to the Sword Casting Manor before finally putting Zhu Ye down, who was so exhausted that she could barely keep up.

The two stopped beside the official road, one standing and the other slumped, one with a rosy complexion as usual, and the other with a flushed face and heavy breathing.

While panting heavily, Zhu Ye pressed on, "Miss Tang, you, you are already, huff, huff, you have already reached the cultivation level of a second-grade Grandmaster? I, Zhu Ye, have never heard of your great name before!"

Tang Xiaoyu's expression was slightly unnatural, and she shook her head, denying, "I am not a second-grade grandmaster."

"Huh? Could it be a third-grade Innate Venerable? But... how could a third-grade Innate Venerable achieve such a feat?"

Zhu Ye looked puzzled. As he spoke, he took out a small booklet from his pocket, and then pulled out a small calligraphy brush, about the thickness of a finger, from somewhere. He licked it with his saliva and began writing in the booklet.

Tang Xiaoyu rolled her eyes at this "professional habit": "You should rest, we still have a long way to go!"

"I understand, I understand!"

Before she knew it, Zhu Ye's accent had picked up a bit of a Sichuan accent from Tang Xiaoyu.

After a while, once Zhu Ye had finished recuperating, the two resumed their journey.

This time, neither of them used their lightness skills or inner energy to travel. Instead, they followed the official road obediently. Before long, they encountered another lone traveler.

From afar, Tang Xiaoyu saw a dark figure crouching beside a tree, with some sticks and tree trunks split in two piled up next to him, like firewood that hadn't been chopped. The figure himself was holding a broad axe, completely motionless, which startled Tang Xiaoyu.

She tugged at Zhu Ye's sleeve and whispered, "Mr. Zhu, Mr. Zhu, look over there, why is that person lying on the ground? Is he dying?"

Despite her soft voice, the man still heard her. He gruffly retorted, "You're the one who's no good! I'm perfectly fine!"

Tang Xiaoyu was startled by the man's fierce tone and couldn't help but move behind Zhu Ye, whispering, "What's so fierce about him..." "Young brother, my friend is just outspoken. He was worried, so his words were a bit harsh. Please forgive him!"

Zhu Ye cupped his hands in greeting to the man and explained, "May I ask why you are here, young brother? Are you also here to participate in the Immortal Destiny Conference?"

The man's attitude remained poor, but he still replied, "Nonsense! Coming to this godforsaken place at this time of year, the only reason we're here is to attend that damn Immortal Fate Conference!"

Zhu Ye cupped his hands in apology and said, "Hehe, it was my fault for being so talkative."

The man continued, "Hmph, but let me warn you, there's nowhere to stay near White Stone Mountain these days! Even the Sword Forging Manor is packed! If you want a place to stay, you'd better set up a wooden shed before dark! Otherwise, you'll have to sleep in the open!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ye and Tang Xiaoyu finally understood what the "firewood" next to that person was for.

Even more embarrassing is...

Do you know how to build a wooden shed?

Tang Xiaoyu looked at Zhu Ye with eyes full of trust.

Zhu Ye smiled awkwardly and replied, "I'm just a broker who sells information; I don't need to learn how to build a wooden shed..."

"That's troublesome! I don't know how to do it either!"

Tang Xiaoyu confidently put her hands on her hips, then rolled her eyes and walked straight to the person who had just given her a cold shoulder, saying, "Since you're also here to participate in the Immortal Destiny Conference, how about we build a temporary wooden house and stay there for a while? My swordsmanship is very powerful; I can definitely chop down trees faster than you!"

The man initially wanted to refuse, but upon hearing that "cutting down trees is faster," he became somewhat tempted.

It turned out that this man was named Huang Wu. He was originally a carpenter living in the capital of Xiao Kingdom. After hearing about the Immortal Gathering, Huang Wu, who believed in the "immortal theory," was more convinced than people in other places. He immediately sold all his family property and came to Baozhou.

He had personally witnessed the flying fox spirit and the immortals of the White Stone Immortal Sect!
However, because it took him some effort to sell his possessions, by the time he arrived near Baishi Mountain, there was nowhere left to stay.

The nearby counties, and even those a hundred miles away, are all full of people. The large dormitories that the Sword Forging Manor sold at a low price are all full. Even the batch of old wooden sheds that were hastily made for the martial arts tournament have been sold off completely and taken by the immortal seekers who have nowhere to live. They have settled down at the foot of White Stone Mountain. If you didn't know better, you would think that the Beggars' Sect was holding a big meeting!
Fortunately, Huang Wu was a carpenter by trade and knew a little about building houses. Besides, it was just a temporary shelter from the wind and rain, so it didn't need to be very well-organized. Therefore, he decided to build a wooden shed to live in first.

But who would have thought that the wood on White Stone Mountain, which seemed to grow by drinking some kind of water, was incredibly difficult to chop. After only a short while, he couldn't lift the axe anymore and had to squat down by the roadside to rest his feet...

That's when they met Tang Xiaoyu and Zhu Ye.

Huang Wu didn't understand martial arts, nor had he ever practiced it, so he couldn't tell that Tang Xiaoyu and Zhu Ye were highly skilled and not ordinary people. He simply assumed they were just passersby who had struck up a conversation with him.

When Tang Xiaoyu mentioned the power of his "sword in the box," Huang Wufang realized that the two people in front of him were actually martial artists.

However, in Huang Wu's mind, what the two men said did make sense—although he had never witnessed it, martial artists must be able to chop down trees very quickly!
Thinking this through, Huang Wu nodded and began to direct the two of them without any hesitation—

"Yes! We only need trees this thick. Cut a few more, otherwise they won't be able to support the roof!"

(End of this chapter)