The power of the True Fire of Samadhi certainly did not disappoint Ji Yuan. While this giant corpse wasn’t particularly advanced in terms of cultivation alone, things like the living dead were truly exceptional, often possessing strength that far exceeded their own abilities. Without sufficient methods of restraint, an ordinary cultivator would likely be defeated.

‘Fortunately, you met me. ‘

At present, without the pressure of facing too many targets, Ji Yuan was free to ponder such thoughts. He glanced at the ashes on the ground, which had become indistinguishable from the earth after being washed away by the heavy rain.

“Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.”

With that, Ji Yuan turned around and walked step by step back to the abandoned house. The Golden-Armored Warrior stood outside the doorway, not entering. After Ji Yuan went inside, he transformed back into a slip of yellow paper in a cloud of dusty light and flew back into Ji Yuan’s hands.

Ji Yuan put the yellow paper into his sleeve, glanced at the end of the rafters, and then looked at Huang Zhixian, Han Ming and other quiet individuals in the room. The tension on their faces had still not faded.

“It’s all right now.”

Hearing Ji Yuan’s words, many breathed a sigh of relief, and there was a palpable loosening of the tension in the air.

“Thank you, Mr. Ji, for rescuing us!”

“Yes, thank you, Mr. Ji, for saving us!”

“Thank you, Sir, for saving our lives!”

“Thank you, Sir!”

…

Everyone bowed to Ji Yuan, even the little girl, who imitated her elders.

Ji Yuan didn’t shy away, accepting everyone’s greetings before turning and closing the broken doors.

“Everyone, rest! The night is still long, and everyone will have to travel tomorrow. Don’t worry, there will be no further danger tonight.”

After finishing these words, Ji Yuan walked to a corner, picked up a stool that had been blown over by the strong wind, and sat down on it, leaning against the wall. He took out “A Historical Account from Outside the Tao” and began to read again, essentially conveying a general attitude of not wanting to speak further.

Han Ming and Huang Zhixian offered him hot water and food respectively, and Ji Yuan also thanked them, saying that he didn’t need any.

Despite their curiosity and the thousands of words they wished to express, seeing Mr. Ji’s current position, everyone glanced at each other, and didn’t dare to disturb him.

The fire at the door had been extinguished and soaked through, but Mr. Ji had quietly dissipated all the moisture in the hall, so when Huang Zhixian took a stick from the innermost campfire to rekindle it, it ignited easily.

Everyone gathered once more around the two fires to warm themselves. Once the warmth of the fires melted away the tension and fear in their hearts, many began to grow excited again. This time it was not mixed with fear, but rather pure excitement.

Everyone harbored this certain curiosity and desire, and now, with an immortal sitting in the room, any normal person would be unable to resist. However, Mr. Ji was currently absorbed in reading, and couldn’t be disturbed, so they had to settle for the next best thing. After all, there was still the last remaining bandit, who had gone out with Mr. Ji previously.

Huang Zhixian looked at the bandit huddled in the corner. Everyone was filled with excitement and joy. Although Han Ming and even his two old horses were fine, Ba Zi was the only one who wasn’t. He was thankful to have survived, but this was perhaps only temporary. The others drank hot water and ate biscuits, while he could only huddle alone in the corner.

If Ji Yuan had not already dried the clothes on his body, he would probably have still been shivering with cold.

“Hey, your name is Ba Zi, right?”

“Uh… yes, yes!”

Ba zi subconsciously glanced at Ji Yuan, who was sitting nearby. Seeing no reaction, eh could only answer nervously.

“Here, a hot toasted biscuit.”

Seeing the biscuit Huang Zhixian offered him, Ba Zi was stunned for a moment. He gulped, then hesitantly took it. He took one bite and couldn’t stop, stuffing his mouth with more and more, until it was completely full, and only then did he begin to chew.

Ba Zi had been the one most frightened tonight, and his energy had been greatly depleted. He had not eaten since before the fight that nightfall, and he was already starving.

After chewing for a while and swallowing the pieces of biscuit in his mouth, he began to gnaw on the rest.

At this moment, Han Ming also came over and handed him a bamboo tube.

“Drink some hot water.”

“Umm…thanks…”

Once Ba Zi took the bamboo tube and tested the temperature, he poured the water into his mouth, gulped it down, and began to take bites of the biscuit again.

This kind of biscuit had a little salt added to it, and it was dry and hard when not yet baked. Although it didn’t look all that big, it was definitely enough to be filling. Usually, one would need to tear off pieces and chew repeatedly, and while it would normally take a while to finish one, for Ba Zi, it was gone in but a moment.

“Glug glug glug glug…”

The hot water in the bamboo tube was also gulped down in one breath.

“Haaah…”

Ba zi felt reinvigorated, much better now.

Ji Yuan watched this scene from the corner of his eye, and then glanced at the paper crane on the beam, staring at that corner of the room. He shook his head slightly with a faint smile, and continued to read.

“Ba Zi, you went out with Mr. Ji earlier. What happened out there?”

“Yeah, tell us about it. We’ll tell you what happened here later. That golden-armored general Mr. Ji left behind is truly formidable!”

Ba Zi glanced at Ji Yuan subconsciously, but seeing that he appeared to be ignoring him, and now that his body was warm and his stomach was full, he mustered up the courage to speak boldly.

“It was at the Southern Great Stronghold — that’s where I was before, at the bandit encampment. Mr. Ji and I traveled there. We traveled so fast all the way there… by the time we arrived, there was no one left alive in the village. Hundreds of people, hundreds of horses, all dead…”

Ba Zi showed a look of fear, then excitedly began to recount what had happened next.

“Did you know, Mr. Ji’s sword is so powerful, its strike knows no bounds. A single sweep of the blade leveled the peaks of Ai Nan Mountain… And on the way back, we flew…”

Ji Yuan couldn’t help but remark to himself as he listened to Ba Zi’s exaggerated narration.

‘Boasting is truly in human nature.’1

On the beam in the ceiling, the paper crane gazed intently at this scene, leaning forward and nodding along amidst the crowd’s oohs and aahs.

Tonight had been a tremendously stimulating experience for everyone. After the excitement of the first half of the night died passed, exhaustion set in. Almost everyone, including the night watch shift, fell asleep. Some leaned against the walls, some lay down on the spot and fell asleep, unconcerned.

Ji Yuan had originally considered leaving after they had fallen asleep, before dawn broke, but considering that this group of people had already been frightened enough, he decided to accompany them to a more populated area.

Thus, over the next period of time, Ji Yuan traveled alongside Huang Zhixian and his warriors, as well as Han Ming and his group. About ten days later, in the morning, they finally emerged from Nanyuan Road and saw a relatively bustling small town, with some passersby walking around.

Gazing at the town ahead, Huang Zhixian approached Ji Yuan and whispered.

“Mr. Ji, there is a town ahead. I would like to ask you, what should we do with Ba Zi?”

Ji Yuan had already told everyone that he would leave once they arrived at the first town. Huang Zhixian could have waited until he left to consider the matter of Ba Zi, but speaking of it now made it clear that the choice was in Ji Yuan’s hands.

Ji Yuan didn’t have any opinion on how to deal with Ba Zi, so he simply left it to Huang Zhixian and others to discuss and decide.

After a while, they arrived right outside the town. Ba Zi, who had been previously unaware of the situation, suddenly learned that everyone was planning on bringing him before the officials to be brought to justice.

Hearing this sudden news overwhelmed Ba Zi, who was under the impression that he had become familiar with everyone. In his panic, a sudden thought struck him, and he knelt before Ji Yuan, crying and begging for mercy.

“Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji, please save me! They want to send me to the authorities! Please say something, sir, if you do they will definitely let me go!”

Ba Zi burst into tears and tried to kowtow, but before he could, a hand held his head. He looked up and saw Mr. Ji gazing at him indifferently.

Ji Yuan’s peaceful voice sounded in his ears again.

“Ba Zi, everyone must take responsibility for their mistakes. Some people do so while they are alive, while some do so after death. I think it’s better to take responsibility while you are alive, as you can learn a lesson from it. Don’t worry, if you maintain the same attitude you have had thus far, you will not die young. Crying and making a fuss, refusing to take responsibility, are not the actions of an honorable man!”

With these words, Ji Yuan straightened up, bowed with cupped hands to everyone, and smiled.

“Everyone, let us say goodbye here. May we meet again!”

“Mr. Ji, take care!”

“See you soon!”

“Thank you, Mr. Ji, for your care along the journey!”

“Thank you for saving our lives, Sir!”

…

Almost everyone had tried various ways to seek the secrets of immortality along the way, and since none of them had worked, they could only bid farewell and sincerely express their gratitude.

This place was a bustling one, with people coming and going. Ba Zi’s kneeling and begging, along with everyone’s farewell, naturally attracted a lot of attention, and some bystanders gossiped about what had happened as they walked.

But in the end, it was none of their business, so many watched, but few truly stopped to look.

Ji Yuan entered the city first, and disappeared from sight. Ba Zi, still kneeling on the ground, muttered a little dejectedly.

“But I’m not an honorable man…”

----------------------------------------

T/n: LOL

JY: You should act honorably.

Ba “Dishonorable” Zi the bandit: I literally just attacked a convoy of civilians, tried to kidnap women, pretended to be dead to get out of fighting for my bandit group, then worked hard to gain this group’s favor so that they would let me go. And you’re telling me to be honorable?

1. Lit. “bragging as tall as the mountains”