After nearly half a day, Li Yu was finally done talking. The sun had begun to dip towards the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. He felt a lot better. The raw, aching grief had subsided, replaced by a quiet, peaceful sense of closure.

It felt as if a burden he didn’t even know he had been carrying had become that bit lighter. He stood up and turned to Cyra, who was now floating on a hill a respectful distance away.

“I’m sorry, Cyra. You didn’t need to see all that.” Li Yu called out to her.

“Do not apologize for honoring your parents, Li Yu. I hope it brought you some peace.” Cyra replied back with a smile.

He looked at the grassy hill at the winding Azure Serpent River and a genuine smile touched his lips for the first time that day. “It did,” he said. “It was something I should have done sooner but I never did. I think some part of me was afraid to come back, afraid to see it all again.”

A new resolve settled in his heart. He decided that he would make this area his own safe place. He contacted Kui and asked him to start buying all the land from Clearwater Village and expanding outwards for at least a mile.

He told Kui to offer the villagers a price so good that they wouldn’t have to worry about money for the rest of their lives, with their lifestyle increasing slightly as well to what it was here. It was a final act to settle any karma he might have left in the village.

He knew he had gotten some help after his parents died but he didn’t know who helped him and who didn’t. He didn’t realize it until he was a bit older but it would have been incredibly tough for him to survive without at least some help. He didn’t feel like those things mattered anymore. After all of this time he wanted to just let it all go. Let everyone here live a decent life, it didn’t cost much for mortals.

He told Kui he wanted the whole area for himself, a private place for him and those he cherished. Kui, of course, agreed to handle it personally. Li Yu was sure that Kui would take care of the matter as soon as possible and do a great job as he had always done.

Li Yu took one last look at the small hill and flew off to return to the sect with Cyra. Khaos, who had been there with them the entire time, vanished from his spot as well after Li Yu left. His gaze lingering on the small hill by the river. He was back inside the Koi Sanctuary in his usual spot.

Back at the sect, Li Yu was still feeling the emotional drain of the day. He laid down in his room and just stared at the ceiling, his mind a quiet, swirling vortex of memories and newfound peace. It wasn’t until two days later that he finally moved and left his room. He didn’t have any kind of epiphany; he simply needed time to himself.

When he finally left his room, Cyra was waiting outside for him.

“Kui contacted us while you were in your room. A sect to the west, one that specialized in formations called the Myriad Veins Sect, had invited the Golden Shell Guild to attend a series of lectures and demonstrations. It seems that the guild has become a large trading partner with them.”

She explained that this was one of the top sects for formations because the western territories bordered a large section of land that the beast controlled. It was teeming with a lot of powerful beasts, so they and the sects in that area are more reinforced with formations than others.

This led to formation knowledge being used more often and further refined. This area quickly became a powerhouse in formations, their knowledge and expertise leveraged across the continent by other sects and clans.

This was the kind of event Li Yu had asked his people to look out for. He wanted to further his knowledge of different aspects of cultivation. He didn’t plan on becoming a formation master. Li Yu tried reading texts on formations before and they did not draw his interest. It was almost like reading in a language he didn’t understand.

While formations didn’t draw his interest, he still thought it was beneficial to learn as much as he could. The information could come in handy one day. Hearing a true expert give a lecture on his area of expertise was always an enlightening event. While he might not be able to use formations himself, perhaps he will hear or learn something that he could incorporate into his own style.

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He agreed to go immediately. “Fat Pig, Bai Yan who is following him, you and I will go to this sect to listen.” Li Yu said to Cyra after consideration. Everyone else was quite busy already and and no one on his team currently had any real interests in formations.

Fat Pig and Bai Yan arrived the next day to pick them up on the Golden Voyage and they started to head west. Since the event was in two days, they were able to take their time a bit. At the start of the journey. Li Yu who would always take time to enjoy the foods of towns and cities they pass by was mostly staring out in a daze. His mind was still clearly recovering from his emotional moment.

Bai Yan and Fat Pig asked what had happened and Cyra explained to them what had happened. That his return to his hometown and what had happened. They nodded in understanding, this was nothing anyone could help him with. He simply needed time to sort through his own emotions.

However, Fat Pig was Fat Pig and he wasn’t going to let anything in the way between him and food. He loved to eat and drink even more than Li Yu, this time it was him dragging the group around to get his fill. “Eating and drinking should help him sort out his feelings so it should be a double win.” Fat Pig thought to himself.

Their first stop was a rugged mountain town called Stonefall, famous for its hearty cuisine. Fat Pig took the lead, guiding them to a boisterous tavern called ‘The Craghammer’s Hearth.’ He had visited this place before and couldn’t forget it.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of roasting meat and strong ale. “Four servings of the Rock-Roasted Mountain Boar,” Fat Pig boomed to the tavern keeper, “and a keg of your finest Pine Needle Ale!” The boar arrived on a massive stone platter, its skin crackling and glistening, the meat so tender it fell off the bone. The ale was a dark, potent brew with a sharp, refreshing scent of the high mountain forests.

At first, Li Yu just picked at his food but the infectious energy of the place, combined with Fat Pig’s relentless encouragement, slowly began to work its magic. They listened to a random encounter, a group of local mercenaries at a nearby table, loudly boasting about their recent hunt for a Three-Tailed Stone Cat.

They were exaggerating every detail for the benefit of the pretty serving girl. Cyra and Bai Yan watched with quiet amusement, while Fat Pig occasionally interjected with a loud laugh or a skeptical comment, starting a friendly, boisterous argument with the mercenaries. It was all in good fun and everyone knew that. It made the story become even livelier and more interesting.

Slowly but surely, Li Yu was drawn back in. He found himself smiling at the mercenaries' absurd tales and he had to admit, the boar was delicious and the ale was strong and satisfying. The simple, robust enjoyment of the moment began to chase away the lingering shadows in his mind. Sometimes that was all that was needed, the encouragement or forcing from a friend to relax and enjoy, to bring someone whose mind was turbulent.

Their next stop was Silverstream, a bustling trade city built along the banks of a wide, sparkling river. The atmosphere was completely different from the mountain town—more refined, filled with the sounds of commerce and the sights of elegantly dressed merchants. Here, Fat Pig led them to a famous restaurant overlooking the river, renowned for its delicate aquatic cuisine.

“Have you been doing your duties as Vice-Guild Leader or have you just been using funds to go around eating? You seem to know every good spot to eat everywhere.” Li Yu cheekily said to Fat Pig, teasing him.

“I have been working so hard for the guild that I have had to travel everywhere to do the work you assign us. I have to travel so much that I have grown skinny. I have no choice but to try their local delicious dishes to stay healthy” Fat Pig responded without missing a beat, slightly chuckling.

They sampled the “Three-Flavored Spirit Carp,” a fish steamed to perfection and served with three distinct sauces—one sweet, one spicy, and one savory—each bringing out a different aspect of the fish’s spiritual energy. They paired it with a light, fragrant “Lotus Blossom Wine.”

As they ate, their attention was drawn to a commotion in the plaza below. A street performer, a cultivator with a unique sound-based art, was putting on a show. He played a zither and with each note, illusions of water would spring forth. He created shimmering koi that swam through the air, a roaring waterfall that crashed silently on the cobblestones, and a gentle rain that left no one wet. The crowd was enchanted.

This time, Li Yu didn’t need any encouragement. He watched the performance with genuine fascination, discussing the intricacies of the cultivator’s technique with Cyra. He was back to his usual self, curious and engaged with the world around him. He couldn’t keep up with Fat Pig’s voracious appetite, but he was still having fun, fully immersed in the journey.

He was still a bit absent-minded, not actively looking for new aquatic life for his sanctuary. Those two days of travel, filled with new sights, sounds and flavors passed by quickly. They finally arrived at the Myriad Veins Sect.

It was a gathering of many powerful sects in the area and they were welcomed warmly. They had just heard that the formal lectures would start the next day. They were led to a courtyard where they would be able to stay the night.