Chapter 1 The Journey Begins

Having settled everything the night before, they set off early the next morning.

Old Suanpan was right; they'd paid the price to reclaim a life, and they needed to retrieve it quickly.

Delaying too long would make the Zougui lineage lose face.

Of course, being too hasty was also unwise. They needed time for the target to feel dread and to allow allies time to gather. Seven days was ideal, enough for the news to spread, for the enemy to prepare, and then to eliminate them, ensuring both reputation and respect.

However, Old Suanpan's second point surprised Hu Ma. "We have to go in secret?"

"Of course."

Old Suanpan said, "Do you know how many spies they've placed along the road, waiting for you?"

"If you're recognized, aside from the practical trouble, it'll be embarrassing. You need to arrive quietly, then at the opportune moment, handle things decisively. That's the way to do it."

"Don't be unconvinced. Remember Tie Jun, the Datouzhao of Shousui Sect? He arrived silently, giving Yi Qian Sect no warning at all. Only outside the town did he reveal his full force."

"There's a principle here. Even though Tie Jun is a Shousui warrior, he can't just march an army across the country without overstepping his authority."

"..."

"Alright!"

Hu Ma knew this was for the sake of the Zougui lineage, so he had to listen. He pondered, "Hiding shouldn't be too difficult. My face hasn't been widely seen, and I know a little about the Yirén Sect's disguise techniques."

"No need for such trouble. Even if you haven't shown your face, they have ways to find you."

Old Suanpan waved his hand and called for Wu Ya. "Good disciple, show him the skill I had you prepare."

"Is it the skill that lets you eat a free meal without fear of being beaten?"

Wu Ya giggled, retrieving a prepared sachet and handing it to Hu Ma. "Inside is a type of insect. In the village, we call it Chou Chou Chong (Ugly Bug)."

"The villagers use it to make Gu (poison). It can block a person's aura, making them seem unremarkable. In the village, some people are jealous of others' beauty and use this Gu on them."

"Some also believe that a witch's daughter who is too beautiful will bring misfortune, so they deliberately use this Gu on their own daughters, but they don't want to truly harm their children, so they put it in a sachet."

"Wearing it makes you look ordinary; taking it off makes you beautiful again. Zhanggui age (Shopkeeper Brother) is handsome, so wearing this sachet will keep him from being recognized."

"..."

Old Suanpan quickly added, "It's not just because you're handsome. It's mainly because you Shousui warriors have a strong foundation. Experts can pick you out of a crowd at a glance. This Gu blocks your vital energy, so wearing it will have an effect."

Hu Ma glanced at him. "You didn't need to add that."

He took the sachet and wore it, feeling nothing unusual. He glanced at Wu Ya. He had already asked Old Suanpan about her the previous night.

After waking up, the Hou'er Jiu (Monkey Wine) and the Gu placed on her earlier had seemingly worked. She had lost about six months of memories before her unconsciousness, forgetting the tragic events that occurred in the valley.

Upon hearing that everyone in her village, including her father, had died, she was heartbroken. But now, having passed through the most sorrowful period, and knowing that her favorite brother was still alive, she felt a glimmer of hope.

It would be cruel to call it a blessing in disguise, but Old Suanpan had indeed taken her back to the village.

She gathered all the usable Gu raised by the villagers, and now her skills were even greater than before.

Having prepared, the group set off, heading towards Guazhou.

As Old Suanpan had predicted, along the way, they saw many Jianghu (martial world) people carrying weapons. Some were heading towards Guazhou, while others were in groups of three or five, stationed at teahouses or the edges of villages and markets.

They stared intently, suspiciously observing the travelers passing by, questioning anyone who seemed suspicious.

In Hu Ma's eyes, even if these people were from the sects, their skills were poor. Most were just Jianghu wanderers with rudimentary martial arts. The thought that such people were trying to find a Zougui lineage Datouzhao seemed absurd.

But Old Suanpan cautioned, "These people aren't even those invited by the Yan family's posting. They don't qualify."

"They just know that the Tie Men (Iron Gate) Yan family is issuing hero summons, so they're coming to attach themselves, volunteering as Yan family spies. Even if they can't really help the Yan family, they can get acquainted and make their future in the Jianghu easier."

"..."

Hu Ma said, "Don't they realize that anyone the Yan family treats so seriously is someone they can't afford to offend?"

"This is the Jianghu..."

Old Suanpan gave him a strange look. "If they weren't reckless fools who can't make a living any other way, who would come to the Jianghu?"

"You'll understand after you've been in the Jianghu for a while. It's already good if these Jianghu people know how to follow the rules. If you occasionally meet someone smart and sensible, unless it's a blood feud, you'll want to immediately become sworn brothers with them."

"But even though people are stupid and reckless, they can be troublesome. Like now, if you came swaggering in and got entangled with these people, would you kill them or not?"

"..."

Hu Ma agreed with what he heard.

A Zougui Datouzhao kills with momentum, and spilling other blood along the way would diminish that momentum.

But seeing that the Tie Men Yan family had made such a big show of it, his own stage was set up with half the effort.

Most people probably thought that countless Jianghu people were rushing to Guazhou Prefecture, but how many would guess that a reincarnator was also mixed in, hurrying to Guazhou to participate in this reincarnator gathering, or rather, the first major Xiechui (evil spirits) carnival in twenty years?

Thinking of reincarnators, Hu Ma began to ponder another question. Taking advantage of the uneventful journey, he said to Old Suanpan, "I originally came here to ask you something."

"You've traveled far and wide and seen a lot. Have you ever heard of the concept of 'Zi Taisui (Purple Ganoderma)'?"

"..."

"Zi Taisui?"

Old Suanpan's expression visibly darkened, making it feel chilly even in broad daylight. "Why are you asking about that? Has that harmful thing reappeared?"

"..."

Hu Ma frowned slightly. "A harmful thing?"

Old Suanpan chuckled. "If it weren't for that thing, the Yi dynasty probably wouldn't have lasted just two hundred years!"

Lowering his voice, he said, "You're a Zougui Datouzhao, haven't you heard that this thing allows one to become an immortal?"

Hu Ma's heart tightened slightly, and he nodded. "I've heard of it, but I don't believe it."

"You're right not to believe it."

Old Suanpan sneered. "It's all because they're not satisfied with their lot and want to cause trouble trying to be the most carefree person in the world."

Hearing this strange term, Hu Ma was even more puzzled.

Old Suanpan was pleased with his reaction, and a hint of mockery appeared on his old face. Lowering his voice, he said, "Do you think being an emperor is carefree?"

Hu Ma thought for a moment and smiled. "Isn't that obvious?"

Old Suanpan said, "Then let me ask you another question. Even an emperor has worries, do you understand?"

Seriously discussing whether an emperor has worries seemed a bit absurd, but Hu Ma understood Old Suanpan's meaning to some extent, so he nodded.

"An emperor doesn't have to consider whether to use a gold or silver hoe in the fields tomorrow, but he'll have other worries. The country is unstable, neighboring countries are restless, he's thinking about which minister to kill, which concubine to sleep with... Perhaps his worries aren't any fewer than an ordinary person's."

"Oh? You have such insight, no wonder you're someone from the Shi Xing... young master's side..."

Old Suanpan glanced at Hu Ma in surprise, "But an emperor definitely has fewer worries than an ordinary person, at least fewer than me."

"But even an emperor is only the second most carefree person in the world, because he has worries."

"So, in the eyes of those in the sects, the most carefree person in the world is actually: the immortal..."

"It is said that those in the sects constantly learn their skills, ascend the steps, enter the Fu, and then cross the bridge, and then they think about returning home, and they still want to learn this skill to the extreme, and when they learn it to the extreme, they can become immortals..."

"At that time, all the worries in this world will disappear, no old age, no death, no illness, no disasters, no worries, truly a completely transcendent most carefree person in the world."

"..."

As he spoke, he subconsciously curled his lips, "Of course, not everyone believes this, but it's incomprehensible. Those who believe and those who don't each hold their own views and can't wait to fight. You say they're foolish, and they say you're stubborn..."

"After all, if this immortal isn't real, why did the most carefree person in the world, the smartest emperor, diligently pursue becoming this immortal before?"

Hu Ma's expression was already a bit strange. "So Zi Taisui is the key to becoming an immortal?"

"But why have I heard that eating this thing will kill people?"

"..."

"Precisely because eating this thing can make you an immortal, that's why not just anyone can touch it..."

Old Suanpan looked deeply at Hu Ma and said in a low voice, "I don't believe this, but in the eyes of those who believe it, they also know that eating this thing is easy to cause trouble, but they have another saying, that is, immortal medicine is not something anyone can eat."

"Eating this thing depends on fate!"

"Those with heavy fate can become immortals after eating it, those with light fate can only bring disaster after eating it!"

"..."

"Heavy or light fate?"

Hu Ma didn't believe in this ethereal theory, but he thought of Er Guotou's strengthened Natal Spiritual Temple after eating Zi Taisui, and a strange idea arose in his heart:

"Could it be that for this world, reincarnators all have very heavy fates?"

ps I recommend Yan Guizhengchuan's new book "Mixed in the Doomsday, Becoming an Immortal Alone". Everyone knows Xiaoguigui's reputation. This time he tried wasteland plus cultivation. Interested readers can go and take a look.