In Order To Ascend, I Became A Modern Wage Slave - Chapter 47: Xun Yu Part 3

Chapter 47: Xun Yu Part 3

 

However, Xi Yu didn’t expect that his reckless actions that day left Xi Yi uneasy, prompting him to quickly come up with a countermeasure to deal with him.

 

The next day, each of them had a hood placed over their heads, and every pair of children was escorted to the “execution ground” by a burly man.

 

Xi Yu was the exception, as only one person was assigned to escort him.

 

Xi Yu glanced down, spotting a small section of his dark blue hair ribbon exposed. He wondered if Lian Bei would still recognize him.

 

It seemed he hadn’t experienced this before. Could Bai Fan have written this scene to cater to Xi Yi’s long-standing wish to kill him?

 

Xi Yu suddenly halted his steps. Unsure of when Lian Bei would arrive, he decided to buy himself some time. “What are we going to do now?” he asked.

 

“Something big.”

 

“What kind of big thing?”

 

The burly man didn’t respond. Xi Yu, small as he was, couldn’t resist for long. After a few stops and starts, the man grew impatient and picked him up to continue walking. Surrounded by people, Xi Yu found himself in the middle, flanked by other crying children. At some point, his own cheeks became wet, and his voice turned choked.

 

When they were bound together with ropes, Lian Bei still had not appeared.

 

Beside him, a small boy sobbed loudly, “Am I going to die? I don’t want to die!”

 

“You won’t. Someone will come to save us,” Xi Yu reassured him.

 

This sacrificial ritual was a royal event, and the security was bound to be tight. For Lian Bei to fight his way in alone was already a feat.

 

Xi Yu was certain he would come, but he needed to buy him some time.

 

However, based on Lian Bei’s current abilities, Xi Yu estimated that rescuing a dozen children would already be the best possible outcome.

 

Where was Lian Bei?

 

Xi Yu closed his eyes, hoping he would faint quickly.

 

As the blazing flames drew closer, sweat beaded on Xi Yu’s forehead. The screams of the other children filled the air ahead.

 

Indeed, he fainted. But this time, he didn’t return to Lian Bei’s side. Instead, he lost his physical form, floating in the air as a full-fledged observer of the chaos below.

 

He saw Lian Bei charging back with his sword, filled with killing intent, yet deftly avoiding everyone in his path. It was unclear how he located Xi Yu so accurately amidst the chaos. His actions appeared deliberate, but hints of panic were evident. Rescuing Xi Yu seemed almost accidental, as if he grabbed him in haste due to time constraints.

 

Xi Yu clung to a small boy with one hand and a small girl with the other.

 

If he had saved anyone else, the scene afterward wouldn’t have been so chaotic. As soon as Xi Yi recognized what was happening, he leaped from his chair and immediately ordered his men to give chase and stop Lian Bei.

 

Xi Yu initially thought that Lian Bei, as a cultivator, wouldn’t have trouble breaking out with just three children. Breathing a sigh of relief, he felt “himself” had finally survived, only to see Lian Bei struck in the right shoulder by an arrow. The sudden jolt nearly sent him tumbling to the ground.

 

“Stop,” Xi Yi suddenly ordered his men to halt.

 

He stared in the direction Lian Bei and the others had fled—toward the Divine Punishment Grounds.

 

The emperor furrowed his brows. “How could this happen?”

 

“Don’t worry, Father. They won’t escape,” Xi Yi said calmly. “They’ve gone to the Divine Punishment Grounds. It is their fate. Stealing the gods’ children warrants punishment. This has nothing to do with us. There’s no need to panic. Proceed as planned.”

 

At that time, Xi Yi had yet to explore the Divine Punishment Grounds himself. He had no idea how perilous it was inside, but barging in recklessly would likely lead to certain death.

 

Surrounded entirely by Xi Yi’s men, there was no other route but that one.

 

Xi Yu could only watch helplessly from above. He tried to create wind to guide Lian Bei toward an exit but realized that in his current state, he had completely become a mere observer. He could only watch their actions and was powerless to intervene.

 

How could this be?

 

Could the book demon have discovered his existence? Was this its doing?

 

So far, aside from switching between his two bodies, he hadn’t noticed anything else unusual.

 

It was still daylight outside, but the Divine Punishment Grounds were pitch black. Lian Bei, with the three children, could only steel himself and venture deeper into the unknown.

 

Xi Yu walked backward ahead of them, facing Lian Bei.

 

Holding his head low, Xi Yu looked at the younger version of himself being led by Lian Bei. Tear-streaked and obedient, his smaller self clung to Lian Bei’s side, holding another boy’s hand in his other.

 

It was the first time he had observed himself from a third-person perspective, and he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

 

A thought suddenly crossed his mind: Could this truly have happened? Had he and Lian Bei once shared such a fleeting connection?

 

The thought made him smile.

 

Sometimes, people go to great lengths to imagine a bond with someone.

 

Young Xi Yu asked, “Where are we going?”

 

“Taking you home,” Lian Bei replied. “Where is your home?”

 

“My home?” Young Xi Yu pondered for a moment and then shook his head. “My brother’s name is Xi Yi, and my mother is Mo Yesui. I don’t know where my home is.”

 

Xi Yu stopped abruptly, staring at his younger self. Even at that age, he surely understood his identity as the second prince of the dynasty. How could he not know?

 

Recalling Xi Yi’s calm demeanor earlier, Xi Yu suspected his dear older brother had used some bizarre technique to make him forget.

 

Young Xi Yu blinked at Lian Bei with curiosity. “Who are you, and where am I?”

 

“My name is Xun Yu. This is…” Lian Bei paused. “The northern region of Xiyu.”

 

“My name is Xi Yu.” The younger Xi Yu smiled. “Yes, my brother said he would take me to the north to play.”

 

“Then your home must be in the south,” Lian Bei deduced.

 

Despite his young age, Xi Yu’s composure stood out. While the other children were still trembling with fear, he was already chatting casually with Lian Bei. In fact, he even shook the boy’s hand beside him, asking, “What’s your name? Where is your home?”

 

“Wanxiang,” the boy muttered. “Home… My home is in Xiangshui Village. She’s my sister, Wanyuan.”

 

The two had been captured because their parents succumbed to illness, leaving them homeless. When a passing burly man lured them with a meal, they fell into his trap and ended up in a den of wolves with no escape.

 

After walking for most of the day, young Xi Yu finally couldn’t move another step. Tugging at Lian Bei’s hand, he blinked his large eyes, pleading to stop and rest for a while.

 

Resting wasn’t ideal. Through the sparse gaps above, they could see nightfall approaching. The place was perilous enough in daylight. If night came, who knew what uncontrollable dangers might arise?

 

Although young Xi Yu had forgotten many important things, he still remembered some mysterious superstitions. Catching sight of the sword at Lian Bei’s side, his eyes lit up. “Can you use swordflight? We can just fly out.”

 

Lian Bei followed his gaze, his eyes falling on the wound near his sword. A fleeting sadness crossed his face. “I can’t.”

 

“Aren’t you a cultivator?” Xi Yu asked.

 

Lian Bei hesitated before responding, “No.”

 

A sudden flash of unfamiliar memories crossed Xi Yu’s mind.

 

“Trash! Trash!” Several children surrounded Lian Bei, punching and kicking him. Lian Bei didn’t fight back, crouching defensively and silently enduring the beating.

 

Looking around, they appeared to be at a mountain known as Huaxi Mountain.

 

It was said that Huaxi Mountain once housed a renowned sect. The sect had produced several immortals in the past, but over the centuries, it declined to obscurity. By Xi Yu’s time, only the elderly occasionally reminisced about its existence.

 

This knowledge came from ancient texts that Lian Bei had given him. Xi Yu had read the book most diligently and remembered it clearly.

 

Because after 400 years of obscurity, a deity named Xun Yu emerged from Huaxi Mountain.

 

Xi Yu was deeply intrigued by this figure. Logically, such a person would have been renowned in his era. Yet, apart from a brief mention in that one ancient book, there were no other records of him.

 

Xi Yu still remembered that brief passage: “Xun Yu, residing in the northern region of Xiyu. Orphaned by natural disasters, he was adopted by a Huaxi Mountain elder and began his studies. Gifted and diligent, he successfully ascended at the age of 18 and became immortal.”

 

Studying Lian Bei’s face, Xi Yu thought he must be nearing 18.

 

Was it after traversing this Divine Punishment Ground and returning the children home that he achieved his immortal ascension?

 

But the memories revealed a different picture. An elderly man with a white beard solemnly approached, chasing away the children bullying Lian Bei. However, he didn’t reprimand them. This tacit approval hinted at the sect’s tolerance for bullying.

 

The white-bearded elder stood before Lian Bei, towering over him with a stern expression. “Just a few punches and kicks, and you can’t stand? Do you think you’re fit for cultivation?”

 

Squatting on the ground, Lian Bei gritted his teeth and slowly stood, his gaze stubborn. “If I can stand, I can cultivate.”

 

“Xun Yu, haven’t I made myself clear?” The elder’s words were like a death sentence. “Your talent is too poor. Even if you train day and night for 100 or 200 years, you won’t achieve as much as others do in a few casual days. Cultivation relies primarily on talent.”

 

Lowering his head, Lian Bei clenched his fists, speaking through gritted teeth, “Master, I don’t believe I’m inferior to others.”

 

“You’re the oldest here,” the elder said coldly. “You can’t even defeat the youngest among us. Sometimes, overconfidence is a fault. People must learn to see themselves clearly.”

 

“I’ll work hard,” Lian Bei replied before turning to head toward the training ground.

 

In broad daylight, his figure seemed enveloped in shadows.

 

Thus, he persisted day after day, studying and training. Lian Bei watched as his peers, young and old, mastered the basics of swordflight while he remained stuck on rudimentary techniques. Swordflight was a distant dream.

 

Five years passed, proving his lack of talent.

 

Xi Yu, in comparison, had mastered swordflight within five days of first picking up a sword.

 

If it were him, he would have given up long ago. He couldn’t understand why Lian Bei insisted on walking this hopeless path, relentlessly pressing forward even when faced with insurmountable obstacles.

 

He was the most unimpressive senior disciple among all the sects. Whenever competitions arose, the elder would claim he was out training when asked, but in reality, he was confined indoors, watching the intense matches through a window, yearning for the day he could stand in the arena and earn thunderous applause.

 

While Lian Bei didn’t abandon himself, everyone else gave up on him. Eventually, the elder couldn’t tolerate him any longer. By then, Lian Bei was 16. Tossing him a sword, the elder ordered him to leave Huaxi Mountain and train in the outside world, with instructions not to return until he succeeded.

 

To Lian Bei, this was essentially an expulsion.

 

He didn’t argue, thanking the elder before leaving Huaxi Mountain with the sword that wasn’t truly his.