Chapter 941: Escape

A few days later, when Jin Xiu came to bring A Ze his meal again, she found him on Cliff Mountain, riding the wind and playfully chasing two sparrows.

"A Ze—time to eat!"

Hearing her call, A Ze quickly flew towards the house.

"Sister Jin, I can fly now! It's so fast, much faster than running in the mountains! I can fly with you!"

A Ze seemed to shake off his long-standing gloom, flying excitedly to Jin Xiu and telling her about his exhilaration. The two sparrows didn't fly far either, circling around them, sometimes getting blown away by the wind A Ze commanded, but quickly returning.

"Hahaha, Sister Jin, look, I've made friends with them!"

"A Ze, you're amazing! You'll definitely achieve enlightenment in the future! Come on, quickly see what delicious food I brought you today!"

Cultivators on Nine Peaks Mountain naturally didn't need to eat every day, and A Ze was no exception. Jin Xiu also needed to cultivate, but she still brought delicious food to A Ze every two or three days.

"Haha, there's roasted chicken and spirit fruit, and glutinous rice dumplings! Thank you, Sister Jin, these are all my favorites!"

The two chatted and laughed as they returned to the house. This time, Jin Xiu also ate with A Ze. When she finished clearing the dishes and returned, a smile remained on her face. Seeing A Ze regain his vitality and the sect leader allowing him to practice righteous cultivation, her long-held worries vanished.

In the not-so-long period that followed, A Ze's progress was astonishingly fast. Jin Xiu knew that if outsiders viewed A Ze's cultivation progress from her perspective, they might well become envious.

It was as if his suppressed talents from all those years were finally unleashed. Not only did the threshold for techniques like controlling the wind pose no obstacle to A Ze, but his progress in other control methods was also remarkably swift. He could manipulate objects at will, and even visualize spiritual patterns in his mind to enhance his control over spiritual energy with his magic. He could even form hand seals and cast dharma sigil spells.

One day, Jin Xiu was cultivating with A Ze by a small waterfall and pond on Cliff Mountain. Suddenly, A Ze, who was sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes. A flicker of electricity seemed to pass through them. The next moment, he brought his hands together to form a seal, then extended his right index finger, pinky, and thumb to form a three-finger array, pointing sharply forward.

"Shake Mountain!"

"Boom—rumble…"

His three fingers struck the cliff face next to the small waterfall, unleashing a violent roar, followed by a slight tremor of the ground. Even the waterfall's flow dispersed, creating a fine mist that rained down on A Ze and Jin Xiu.

Jin Xiu stared at A Ze in astonishment. She stood up and walked to the spot on the cliff face he had struck, finding a triangular indentation with a slightly rounded top edge. It looked as if a small piece of the rock had been pressed inward, yet the rock itself was not shattered, only a little darker in color.

At that moment, a continuous rumbling echoed through the mountain, startling many birds into flight.

"A Ze, you're incredible! I can only cast spells by forming hand signs, but you can already perform seals! I'm so envious of your talent... But what kind of seal is that?"

Jin Xiu was both surprised and delighted, yet also very puzzled. The cultivation methods A Ze practiced were all handpicked by her, and while there were texts on seals, they were mostly theoretical works to broaden one's understanding of immortal arts. How could he perform a seal, and one that clearly didn't resemble any from Nine Peaks Mountain?

A Ze, equally delighted, replied directly.

"Sister Jin, this isn't a Nine Peaks Mountain seal. This is Mr. Ji's seal. I can only mimic its form, but without its true essence. If Mr. Ji were to use it, the rock peak would surely have been blasted away!"

"Mr. Ji's? He taught you seals? No, that can't be..."

Jin Xiu's words suddenly stopped. She remembered. Years ago, she and A Ze had witnessed Mr. Ji use a seal in a netherworld realm within Nine Peaks Grotto-heaven. At the time, she had asked about it, and Mr. Ji had told her it was the 'Mountain Shake Seal'.

"A Ze, did you just remember that seal you saw years ago and use it now?"

"I just used the Nine Peaks Mountain seal theory and pieced together the feeling I had back then to try it out. To truly cultivate it, even if Mr. Ji were willing to teach, it wouldn't be easy to achieve."

Jin Xiu's eyes widened. She suddenly felt as if her heart, dedicated to immortal cultivation, had suffered immense damage. It truly was a case of "comparison is the thief of joy."

"I think if your talent were truly known throughout Nine Peaks Mountain, the elders in the sect would fight tooth and nail to take you as their disciple!"

"Haha, really? Please don't praise me so much, Sister Jin. Oh, by the way, Sister Jin, could I see the token the sect leader gave you?"

"What's so interesting about it?"

Although Jin Xiu asked this, she unfastened the token from her waist and handed it to A Ze. He took it and found the dark token to be warm, unsure if it was the token itself or Jin Xiu's warmth.

"With this, can I go to the Scripture Pavilion to choose texts? When can I go by myself?"

Seeing A Ze's eagerness, Jin Xiu thought for a moment and said,

"The Sect Leader hasn't said you can't go. Now that you can fly and there are no barriers around, the restrictions on Cliff Mountain are practically meaningless... How about this, let's go to the Scripture Pavilion I usually visit, and I'll show you the way!"

"Really?"

Now it was A Ze's turn to widen his eyes, and Jin Xiu lightly tapped his forehead.

"Your Sister Jin is a cultivator who keeps her word. Do you think I'd lie to you? Let's go!"

"Okay!"

The two stood up one after another and then rode the wind, leaving Cliff Mountain for one of the Scripture Pavilions on the Nine Great Peaks. A Ze's mood remained somewhat anxious until they flew away from Cliff Mountain without encountering any obstacles, at which point he brightened up.

A Ze held the token tightly in his hand. He wasn't sure if the Scripture Pavilion had no guards or if it was because of the token, but he entered without any hindrance. Inside, no Nine Peaks Mountain disciples paid him much attention even if he happened to encounter them. He came and went with ease, even bringing back quite a few texts.

When they returned to Cliff Mountain, A Ze's mood was clearly better than before. Jin Xiu only extended her hand to him when she was about to leave.

"Alright, give me back the token."

A Ze clutched the token, hesitating.

"Sister Jin, could I keep it here? Can we go to the Scripture Pavilion together again next time?"

Jin Xiu frowned slightly. The token had been given to her by the Sect Leader, and technically, she shouldn't lend it out casually. However, the token was essentially meant for A Ze's convenience; it was more for him than for her. It seemed there wouldn't be an issue if he kept it.

Looking at A Ze's pleading expression, though he was clearly a handsome adult, he still looked so childish, making Jin Xiu want to laugh.

"Alright, but be careful not to trespass into the meditation areas of elders or restricted areas for teaching dharma; you'll be heavily punished! Other than that, going out for a stroll should be fine!"

"Yes, I know my limits!"

Jin Xiu and A Ze exchanged smiles, and then the latter rode the wind and left Cliff Mountain. Jin Xiu felt a bit spurred on by A Ze, thinking she hadn't cultivated hard enough, and decided to go back and consult her master and grandmaster about her cultivation issues.

However, after Jin Xiu had flown far away, the smile on A Ze's face gradually faded.

'Sister Jin, I'm sorry!'

Barely half an hour after Jin Xiu left, A Ze had already packed his belongings in the house, storing useful items using the spatial storage technique he had only recently learned. He then neatly arranged all the Nine Peaks Mountain texts and spells on the table and left a letter.

The letter was A Ze's private message to Jin Xiu, and also an apology. The first thing he wrote, with deliberate frankness, was that he had stolen Jin Xiu's token, and that it pained him greatly to leave without a proper farewell. The rest of the letter expressed genuine emotion but did not reveal his destination, only stating that he would wander the world.

After completing all this, A Ze changed into the Nine Peaks Mountain disciple robe, a garment he had only symbolically tried on in front of Jin Xiu after reaching adulthood but had never worn since.

"Whoosh..."

Taking a deep breath, A Ze instantly summoned wind beneath his feet and rode it away from Cliff Mountain. He flew hidden in the mist for a long time, circling one of the Nine Peaks before heading directly towards a location he remembered.

A Ze didn't fly fast, maintaining his pace even as the faint spirit-script of a distant barrier in the sky drew closer. He remained remarkably calm, his heartbeat unwavering.

A Ze vaguely recalled that when he was young, he had seen Nine Peaks Mountain disciples appear or vanish out of thin air from the mist at the very spot where the spirit-script now appeared.

Veiled spiritual patterns seemed to be woven into the sky, occasionally shimmering with light as the wind and clouds swept past. A Ze's heart grew increasingly tense, but he forced himself to remain calm. Although he had left all the Nine Peaks Mountain texts and spells behind, he had long memorized their contents and knew exactly how to exit the grotto-heaven.

'Calm down, calm down! Visualize the boundary between heaven and earth, visualize the sect's gateway opening for me...'

A Ze's flight speed did not decrease at all. At one point, the mist ahead grew dense, appearing to swirl in a circular motion. While flying, he felt a slight sense of weightlessness and dizziness, as if a strange pressure emanated from all directions at times.

After this sensation lasted for a short while, A Ze suddenly felt his body lighten, and the surrounding wind noticeably intensified.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

A Ze looked down to see slowly drifting white clouds below. Through the gaps in the clouds, he could glimpse the earth. Slowly turning his head, he saw nine mountain peaks seemingly suspended in the sky, appearing very distant.

"I... I'm out!"

A Ze clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling slightly from overwhelming excitement. But instead of roaring to vent his emotions, he channeled his magic to ride the wind far away. He didn't fly aimlessly; instead, he headed towards Ruan Mountain Ferry, which wasn't too far.

A Ze, who had prepared for this moment for a long time, knew very well that Ruan Mountain Ferry, though under the jurisdiction of Nine Peaks Mountain, was also a hub for cultivators from all over the world, with ferries to various realms.

Ruan Mountain Ferry was bustling in A Ze's eyes, and all the novel sights overwhelmed him. However, he didn't linger; instead, he headed straight for the docking area. Seeing a massive flying ship boarding passengers, he walked directly towards it. His immediate priority was to leave this place; how to get to his desired destination could be figured out later.

Among those boarding were mortals and cultivators. A Ze didn't see anyone paying fares or showing tickets. He knew that if he didn't require private quarters, even an immortal cultivator could sometimes ride for free, so he brazenly walked straight ahead.

By the ship, there were several cultivators in golden robes, and a strange immortal beast crouched nearby. It resembled a large gray dog, with short fur but four ears.

Just as A Ze was about to walk past, the immortal beast suddenly looked at him and spoke in human tongue.

"Young Daoist, your mind is in turmoil! Remember to keep a clear heart during cultivation, lest you fall into qi deviation!"

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior. I will bear it in mind!"

A Ze bowed to the immortal beast, then quickly boarded the ship. He looked back at the beast; it seemed to be watching him, but showed no intention of stopping him.

"Phew..."

A Ze let out a long breath, quickly moved away from the boarding ramp, and headed deeper into the flying ship.