Sage of Humanity

Throughout the Nine Provinces, defectors like Dong Shuye who abandoned their sects are extremely rare, for erasing the brand of one's original sect requires the expenditure of a considerable amount of merit. But Dong Shuye had no other choice.

Years of hard-earned merit spent in its entirety, burdened with the reputation and identity of a traitor, with three spiritual orifices broken, the path ahead almost severed, Dong Shuye was practically at the end of his rope.

And all of this was simply because the mountain tiger named Yiye had killed the Young Master of the Nine Stars Sect.

Had it not been for this, the Nine Stars Sect would not have accepted Xuanmen's declaration of war, and had it not been for this, he would not have taken the risk to personally set out to pursue and kill the enemy, nor would the sect's stronghold have been so easily breached.

Remembering the dead mountain tiger, Dong Shuye's anger flared, wishing he could dig up his corpse and hack it into hundreds of pieces.

Dying like that was letting him off too easy! Stay updated through empire

Fortunately, Dong Shuye was not without options. Over the years, he had made some connections at the Spirit Stream battlefield, and even though his cultivation had fallen, he still had reached Level 6, and his Level 6 was almost stronger than that of any ordinary Level 6. It was possible to find some 8th-9th grade faction to join.

But before that, he had to get far away from the Nine Stars Sect's territory. The sect headquarters were likely already searching for him.

…

"Lu Ye, are we leaving?" In the room, Yiyi asked.

Lu Ye nodded, "It's time to go." Then he turned to her, "You and Amber can stay."

"Don't you dare leave us behind!" Yiyi was somewhat annoyed. "We agreed to start this journey together and to finish it together. Do you think Amber and I are burdens?"

"Nonsense," Lu Ye flicked her forehead, "Without Amber, I would've died long ago."

Yiyi rubbed her forehead, huffing, "So I'm the most useless one."

"You're useful too."

"How am I useful?" Yiyi looked at him with anticipation.

Lu Ye thought seriously for a moment, "When I rest, it's you who keeps watch by my side, allowing me to get a good sleep."

"Oh." Yiyi lowered her head.

Lu Ye lifted her chin, "All right, we'll leave tomorrow. Go say your goodbyes to Spirit Jade."

After Yiyi left, Lu Ye stood still, thinking that he should also say goodbye to Hua Ci. He had already left without a word the last time, and regardless of anything else, she had saved him twice. It wasn't right to keep doing this.

Stepping out of the bamboo hut, he went next door and knocked lightly on the door.

Hua Ci opened the door, saw it was Lu Ye, and asked warily, "What is it this time, trying to drug me again?"

"Give me a break!" Lu Ye couldn't help but glower at her, "You fooled me last time, you think I didn't realize?"

It was only several days later that he came to his senses. How could Hua Ci, a Level 5 healing cultivator who was proficient in pharmacology, be so easily knocked out by a single elixir pill? Even if the pill had that effect, merely sniffing it couldn't possibly cause such a potent reaction.

Hence, he took out the pink elixir pill and sniffed it himself.

Nothing happened! Only then did he understand that he had been played by Hua Ci.

"You found out, huh..."

Lu Ye glowered at her again, and then he brought up the matter at hand, "I'm leaving tomorrow. I came to bid you farewell and to thank you for rescuing me twice."

Hua Ci blinked, "I'm a healer, you're a patient. You provided the spirit jade, and I saved you—it's only natural."

"Regardless, I still have to thank you," Lu Ye said earnestly.

Hua Ci smiled, "Then I wish you a smooth journey and a future as splendid as brocade."

"Thank you."

"Is there anything else?"

"Hm? No, that's it."

"Then I'm going to rest."

After the door was closed, Lu Ye suddenly remembered he had forgotten to add this woman as a friend... He raised his hand to knock, thought better of it, and gave up on the idea. With his departure this time, the chances of seeing her again were unlikely.

The next morning, as usual, Hua Ci, accompanied by Kong Niu, hurried to Liusu Place.

By the time Lu Ye left, she was already gone.

However, it was Ruan Lingyu who came to see him off, bidding a tearful farewell to Yiyi; even as Lu Ye rode Amber far away and looked back, he could still see her standing in front of the dilapidated gate, waving vigorously.

Once they descended the mountain, Amber started sprinting, with the surrounding scenery rapidly receding into the distance. Yiyi's mood wasn't very high, as over these days, she had formed a deep friendship with Ruan Lingyu, and it was naturally hard for her to part with a friend so suddenly.

Lu Ye didn't know how to comfort her, so he let her be, and busied himself by swallowing elixir pills and refining his cultivation on the tiger's back.

He was just a step away from reaching Spirit Stream Level 4, which he estimated could be achieved by tomorrow.

It wasn't until they stopped for the night that Yiyi slowly began to bounce back. She took off the storage sack tied around Amber's neck and pulled out many powders and clean cotton cloths.

"Where did all these come from?" Lu Ye asked curiously while eating grilled meat.

"Sister Hua Ci gave them," Yiyi explained. "She said if you get hurt again, these medicines can be applied externally and taken internally."

As for the clean cotton cloths, they were undoubtedly meant to dress wounds.

Looking at these items, Lu Ye felt a mix of emotions. Although Hua Ci was a bit greedy and her words could be cutting, she was undeniably a warm-hearted person.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Knowing that Lu Ye often got injured in fights, she had prepared these things for him.

"Really..." Lu Ye smirked; she could've just given these things to him when saying goodbye yesterday, yet she said nothing.

"Lu Ye, Lu Ye, did Sister Hua Ci fall for you?" Yiyi asked curiously, her face full of intrigue, while Amber, who was gnawing on a chunk of meat, also raised its head, staring intently with its tiger eyes ablaze.

"Nonsense, child." Lu Ye put the items away. He didn't think he had such charm that a few simple encounters could bewitch such a woman.

Hua Ci had healed many people; to her, he was ultimately just a somewhat wealthy patient.

But for Lu Ye, her two life-saving favors were something he needed to remember in his heart.

The Independent Wanderers Society was actually a pretty good place. If Lu Ye didn't need to go to the Righteous Blood Sect's base, staying there would have been a great choice.

Continuing his cultivation, Yiyi disappeared somewhere for a while and came back acting sneaky and stealthy.

They resumed their journey at dawn, and occasionally, Yiyi would vanish without a trace, sometimes even taking the storage sack Lu Ye gave her. When Lu Ye asked her what she was up to, she just smiled mysteriously and refused to tell him!

She and Amber had a special connection; as long as they weren't too far apart, they could sense each other, so Lu Ye wasn't worried about her getting lost.

"Yiyi, what's your last name?" Lu Ye asked, while on the back of the tiger, as Yiyi finally settled down for a while.

"I don't remember," Yiyi shook her head. There was a lot she remembered, but also much she had forgotten.

"I see..." Lu Ye thought for a moment, "Everyone should have a last name. How about you take mine?"

"Take your last name?" Yiyi tilted her head, thought about it, and then lit up with a smile: "Okay! You're called Lu Yiye, and I'll be called Lu Yiyi. It sounds like we're family!"

Suddenly, she jumped onto Amber's head, and facing the oncoming wind, she put her hands around her mouth and shouted: "My name is Lu Yiyi!"

In the open wilderness, her voice carried far and wide...