A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Seeing that his friend was in a bad mood, Zhou Ping sat down next to him, looking a little awkward.

When Duan Yu saw him approaching, he tilted his head and started picking his ear, acting as if to keep out unauthorized people.

"Senior Brother Duan, I was only able to find you by pure luck!"

Zhou Ping pretended to be nonchalant and casually said this. Seeing that the other person's ears twitched, he continued...

"There was something wrong with where you were standing. If you hadn't broken off a branch, I wouldn't have been able to spot you so quickly."

Upon hearing this, Duan Yu suddenly realized what was happening and looked over, then got up and rushed towards the spot where he had just been hiding.

"As expected... I knew it! How could the Floating Shadow Step be so weak? It turns out I'm just not skilled enough!"

Duan Yu searched carefully on the ground for a moment, then picked up a thin branch. Judging from the freshness of the break, it was probably the one he had just broken off not long ago.

"Young boy, how could you hear such a thin twig break so clearly?!"

Then, Duan Yu walked towards Zhou Ping with a tree branch in his hand, his handsome face filled with disbelief.

"As you know, I didn't learn any other skills from practicing martial arts, but my sense of hearing and smell became exceptionally sensitive."

Zhou Ping pursed his lips self-deprecatingly, took the branch from Duan Yu's hand, and casually broke it into several pieces.

"Tsk tsk! The Azure Origin Skill that everyone envies, after a few years of practice, has only produced this bizarre ability. I really don't know what you and the Jin Clan are still persisting in!"

Duan Yu finally found an opportunity to "get back at" Zhou Ping, and he began to mock him mercilessly.

Zhou Ping's eyebrows twitched; he really wanted to rush up and kick him in the butt.

But considering the other party's current martial arts prowess, he realized he was no match for them and could only sit back down dejectedly.

"Your vindictive nature is really not suited for the Flying Shadow Hall; you don't understand the meaning of forbearance at all!"

After Duan Yu had his fill of verbal sparring, seeing Zhou Ping's discomfiture, he cheerfully sat down next to him and put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

The two hadn't bickered like this in a long time since they met in the outer sect.

Aside from exchanging a few words with others about cultivation, Zhou Ping usually spends most of his time alone in the Jin Clan.

In addition, he has always been calm and taciturn since childhood, and in the eyes of others, he has always been like a block of wood, difficult to approach.

Only when he was with Duan Yu did he act like a boy next door, no longer so "gloomy and listless".

"Get to the point! Have you found out anything?"

Zhou Ping suppressed his annoyance and regained his usual composure.

Seeing that the other party had suddenly become serious, Duan Yu had no choice but to abandon his nonchalant attitude.

"As a newcomer to Feiying Hall, I don't have much access to useful information yet."

"But judging from some conversations I overheard from other senior brothers, the Longquan Sword Sect probably won't stop anytime soon."

Duan Yu thought for a moment and answered with a slight reluctance.

The struggle between the two major martial arts sects involves many aspects, but given his current qualifications, it is undoubtedly wishful thinking for him to have access to core-level intelligence.

This was quite a blow to him, who always prided himself on being an expert in all kinds of information.

"That's enough. Now that we know neither side will stop fighting anytime soon, we need to make some preparations for the future."

Zhou Ping rested his chin on one hand and rubbed the remaining twig fragments in his other hand, gazing absently at the bottomless cliff.

Duan Yu seemed a little confused about Zhou Ping's thoughts, and a hint of doubt arose in his heart. He couldn't help but ask.

"Plans? What plans? We don't even have the qualifications to play, what plans can we make?"

After he finished speaking, he saw Zhou Ping staring at him as if he were a fool.

"What's with that expression? Did I say something wrong?"

Zhou Ping was in no mood for beating around the bush. He pointed at Duan Yu's head, looking incredulous.

"My God! You're actually thinking about how to get on the field?"

"What's going on in your head? A normal person would be trying to avoid this kind of danger, and you actually want to get involved?!"

"You've only learned a few tricks in two or three years; even if you died out there, no one would be there to collect your body!"

Looking at Duan Yu's blank expression, Zhou Ping wished he could crack open his head and see what made him different from a normal person.

"As formal disciples of the Green Bamboo Sect, shouldn't we serve our sect and fight on the front lines?"

Duan Yu held Zhou Ping's finger to his forehead and said with great ambition.

"Excellent! Senior Brother Duan is truly righteous; I humbly submit!"

Zhou Ping raised his hand and bowed to Duan Yu, his face full of admiration.

Duan Yu's forehead twitched slightly as he watched his friend's exaggerated and insincere praise.

That's so fake!

Zhou Ping's already expressionless dark face was now desperately trying to suppress a laugh, making him look rather irritating.

"So tell me, what should we do? Are we going to run away together?!"

Duan Yu was completely baffled, wondering what the meticulous Zhou Ping was trying to express.

"Good! Run away!"

Zhou Ping looked at Duan Yu and nodded in satisfaction.

"If things really get critical, we must have a means of escape!"

"Are you serious?!"

Duan Yu quickly looked around, and after confirming that no one was eavesdropping, he cautiously approached Zhou Ping, lowered his voice, and asked in a slightly trembling voice.

Zhou Ping nodded at him with a serious expression, seemingly unaware of how outrageous his words had been.

"Big Boy Zhou! My dear Big Boy Zhou! If those inside the gate hear you saying this, do you know what kind of punishment you'll suffer!?"

"Outer disciples can run away if they want; they can't take the sect's precious inheritance with them anyway, and the sect usually turns a blind eye. But if a formal disciple betrays the sect, it's a capital offense!"

Duan Yu swallowed nervously, seemingly feeling he hadn't emphasized the seriousness of the matter, and continued...

"If we get caught, not only will we be killed, but our families will suffer too!"

Normally, Zhou Ping always appeared mature and steady in front of him, never doing anything exciting or adventurous.

Who would have thought that these words would be so audacious!

"Don't get agitated. I'm talking about a critical moment. If it really comes to that, shouldn't you run and wait to die?"

Zhou Ping clapped his hands lightly, cleaning the crumbs from his palms. Once Duan Yu had calmed down, he continued speaking.

"Senior Brother Duan, think about it carefully. The two sects have been at peace for decades, so how come they've suddenly started fighting to the death in recent years?"

"This... is definitely a conflict of interest!"

Duan Yu frowned and thought for a moment, then felt that this was the most likely possibility.

"Yes and no."

Zhou Ping nodded, then immediately shook his head.

"The Longquan Sword Sect and our Qingzhu Sect are of similar strength. If it were for some petty gains, the two sides would not be fighting to the death like this today. After the battle, they should have sat down to negotiate long ago."

"No one would risk their entire fortune for a few benefits."

Duan Yu listened and found it very reasonable, nodding repeatedly.

"and then?"

Seeing that Zhou Ping had stopped and was no longer speaking, he looked up in surprise.

"What's the 'then' part? If I could guess it all, would I need you to gather information for me?"

Zhou Ping shrugged, looking like he had nothing to say.