Chapter 2032: Companions

Chapter 2032: Traveling Together

Late at night, deep in the mountains, Yang Xuan, clutching his bloody arm, collapsed under a rock.

He was injured, and badly so.

Earlier, he had been relentlessly pursued, and in desperation, he had hidden at an old friend's house to rest and treat his wounds.

Little did he know, that old friend had betrayed him, summoning a horde of experts and even rallying the nearby stationed troops. Yang Xuan had fought desperately to break through and escape the deadly trap, but he had sustained severe injuries in the process. Even with his Tiangang protective aura, he couldn't withstand the sheer numbers against him.

What a stroke of misfortune! Ever since he was first surrounded, he had been constantly chased and ambushed, and among his pursuers were those who had once called him brother. Instead of helping him in his time of crisis, they had kicked him while he was down. He had narrowly escaped death multiple times, coming perilously close to losing his life.

The ways of the world are harsh and cold; only through calamity can one truly see people's hearts.

Fortunately, the top-ranked Dugu Jiansheng and the second-ranked Luanshi Daokuang had not joined the hunt, or else Yang Xuan would likely have been finished.

"Being hunted by the entire martial arts world—I'm truly honored, Yang Ye," Yang Xuan said, gripping his wine flask and laughing uproariously at the sky. As he laughed, he started cursing. "Dammit, which little rat set me up?"

Achoo!

In Zhuxian Zhen, Ye Chen let out a sneeze that was impressively forceful.

"Who's cursing me?" Ye Chen rubbed his nose.

In the tavern, Yang Gelao emerged, clutching his sore back, looking as disheveled as ever.

Ye Chen wasn't surprised by this—in fact, he was used to it.

Ever since that woman woke up, Old Yang had been getting beaten almost every day. This time was actually mild; he walked out on his own. In the past, he was always sent flying out, smashing the teahouse across the street time and time again.

After a while, the teahouse owner just shut down the shop. "You jerk, I'm trying to run a business here, and you keep coming to wreck the place. Are you out of your mind?"

"Young friend, at my age, I really don't understand romance. Do you have any tips?" Yang Gelao limped over, looking dejected. "That woman isn't just hot-tempered—she's got issues! She won't even let me get a word in before she beats me up."

"Courting someone is like practicing martial arts—you can't rush it; you have to take it slow," Ye Chen said with a smile.

"Is there a quick way to master it?"

"It's not impossible." Ye Chen said thoughtfully, stroking his beard seriously. "First, you have to persevere. As the saying goes, sincerity can move even heaven and earth, and there's truth in that. Second, you need to learn to be shameless—what's the use of a man worrying about face? And third, the most important one, the essence of courtship: keep being shameless. Master these three, and your epic romance will become a beautiful legend."

"Will I get beaten to death if I do that?" Yang Gelao asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Try pursuing her first; if it doesn't work, I'll teach you some secrets," Ye Chen said, patting Old Yang on the shoulder.

Yang Gelao wanted to ask more, but Ye Chen pushed him away because a long line of people had formed behind him, waiting for fortune-telling.

This was all thanks to him. As a martial arts expert, Yang Gelao visited Ye Chen every day and stayed for hours, which caught the attention of the locals. They grew curious about Ye Chen and tried getting a reading themselves. They soon realized he wasn't a fraud—he had real skills, whether it was divining characters, predicting fortunes, or forecasting marriages, he was spot-on.

Word spread quickly—from one person to ten, and ten to a hundred—and Ye Chen's reputation grew. People kept coming for readings, one wave after another, without a break.

Ye Chen went with the flow; he was idle anyway, so he saw it as accumulating good karma.

Seeing Ye Chen was busy, Yang Gelao shook his head with a sigh and limped away.

Back at the tavern, the old man downed a few drinks.

As the saying goes, alcohol gives courage to the timid. With liquid bravery, he went and knocked on the woman's door, chattering away noisily—he must have been drunk.

The woman said nothing and calmly invited him inside.

What happened next didn't need to be seen; the sounds said it all.

Soon, the door opened, and Yang Gelao came out—not walking, but crawling. He hadn't even fully crawled out when the woman dragged him back in for another beating.

As night fell, the woman stepped out of her room for the first time and went to find Ye Chen.

"Oh, you're healed," Ye Chen said casually, looking bored.

"I heard from that man that you were the one who cured my poison," the woman said softly, her tone slightly cold, her brows furrowed. From Ye Chen, she sensed an overwhelming pressure; with her level of insight, she couldn't see through him at all. She only knew his skills were terrifyingly high. In her memory, there was no such figure in the martial arts world—a top expert hiding out as a fortune-teller was truly astonishing.

"I saved your life, so that's a favor you owe me," Ye Chen said with a leisurely smile.

"As long as it doesn't go against the ways of the martial arts world, Xia Lan will do everything in her power," the woman said, cupping her hands in respect.

"Xia Lan—what a fine name." Ye Chen rubbed his neck and began packing up his fortune-telling tools, smiling slowly. "I don't need you to kill for me or repay me in any grand way. Just stay at this tavern for three months."

"Is that all?" Xia Lan asked, surprised.

"That's all." Ye Chen smiled and picked up his table and chair, blending into the bustling crowd. With this favor, he was also helping Yang Gelao; otherwise, Xia Lan would surely leave.

Behind him, Xia Lan stood quietly, her expression odd, her brows furrowed even deeper. She murmured to herself, "This martial arts world is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

Since it was a favor, she wouldn't go back on her word. Three months would pass quickly.

"Female hero." Yang Gelao appeared, rubbing his hands with a cheerful grin. "Do you have anything in mind for dinner? I'll have the kitchen prepare it."

"No," Xia Lan replied indifferently.

Yang Gelao felt awkward and quickly changed the topic. "Female hero, did you know that Yang Xuan has been put on the wanted list?"

"Yang Xuan... on the wanted list?" It had to be said, Old Yang had picked a great topic—it certainly caught Xia Lan's attention, and her expression showed genuine shock. As a martial arts practitioner, how could she not know Yang Xuan? He was the third-ranked absolute expert in the martial arts world, a figure who commanded fear and respect.

"Come on, come on, let's go inside and talk about it," Yang Gelao said with a smile.

Xia Lan said nothing, gently flicked her sleeve, and returned to the tavern. She was eager to hear the full story—what was going on in the martial arts world these days, with one incident after another, and now even Yang Xuan was wanted.

Yang Gelao rubbed his hands, delighted. After so many days, he finally had a chance to talk to her. This was just the beginning, and he made a mental note to thank Ye Chen—the fortune-teller was turning out to be a great wingman.

In the blink of an eye, a few more days passed.

The martial arts world remained as turbulent as ever.

Since Yang Xuan hadn't been caught, Yan Wang was furious and sent out even more forces. The bounty on the wanted poster had more than doubled, but awkwardly, Yang Xuan was elusive and still hadn't been apprehended.

Not only was Yan Wang angry, but Yin Shan Laodao was furious too, his pent-up rage nearly causing internal injury. His killing intent toward Yang Xuan grew even stronger.

On this day, fewer people came for fortune-telling.

At his table, Ye Chen rested his chin on his hands, silent and bored.

After a while, a man arrived, dressed in a Daoist robe with a high Daoist hat, holding a whisk.

Ye Chen glanced at him and thought, hey, a fellow fortune-teller.

"This Daoist brother, your forehead is darkened," the Daoist said, stroking his beard.

"Cut the crap and speak plainly," Ye Chen said flatly.

That remark made the Daoist, who had been acting so serious a second ago, drop the act and chuckle. "Can't you leave some business for us? Don't be so ruthless."

"Don't mess around—I'm the real deal at fortune-telling; you're just scamming people."

"If you keep talking like that, I'll get someone to beat you up." The Daoist's face changed again; seeing Ye Chen wasn't budging, his friendly advice turned to threats, and he straightened up. "I'll be straight with you—I'm old friends with Dugu Jiansheng, and he has a terrible temper."

"You're talking like he has a good temper with anyone," Ye Chen scoffed.

"Hey, you've got a short fuse yourself."

"Go cool off somewhere else." Before the Daoist could roll up his sleeves, he was grabbed from behind and pulled aside.

The newcomer was Yang Gelao, who had business with Ye Chen and was getting impatient with this useless Daoist.

Seeing it was Yang Gelao, the Daoist instantly backed down, forced a laugh, and scurried away. Maybe his robe was too long, because after a couple of steps, he tripped and fell, then scrambled up and hiked up his robe to run off.

"Young friend, that method of yours isn't working," Yang Gelao said as he sat down, placing his cane on the table. That's right—he was using a walking stick these days, having been beaten up again recently.

"Take it slow; don't rush," Ye Chen coughed.

"No, no—teach me the secrets now!" Yang Gelao looked at Ye Chen eagerly. "My whole future depends on you, young friend."

Ah!

Ye Chen sighed lightly. "Fine, fine."

With that, he reached into his robe, rummaged around for a bit, and pulled out a small packet, handing it to Yang Gelao. "A specialty from Da Chu—check it out."

"Da Chu specialty?" Yang Gelao raised an eyebrow.

"It's absolutely effective."

Yang Gelao looked skeptical, given Ye Chen's character, but he carefully opened the packet. Inside was a white powder with a faint, pleasant fragrance.

A couple of seconds later, Yang Gelao glanced at Ye Chen, his mouth twitching. "Aphrodisiac?"

"Exclusive formula—guaranteed to make you feel ecstatic," Ye Chen grinned.

"Outrageous!" Yang Gelao shouted, slamming the table and standing up right away, full of righteous indignation. "I've wandered the martial arts world for decades, always upright and honorable. How could I stoop to such vile tactics?"

With that, he flicked his sleeve and stormed off.

But for all his noble words, he didn't return the packet; instead, he tucked it securely into his robe, already pondering how to slip it to Xia Lan.

"This guy has real potential to be a Da Chu man!" Ye Chen said meaningfully, stroking his beard behind him.

"I hear you're spot-on with your fortune-telling." A deep voice spoke up as a person sat down at the table.

Only then did Ye Chen turn his attention back, straightening his clothes and sitting up straight.

However, when he saw the person across from him, he paused for a moment.

The one seeking a reading was an old man, with wrinkled skin, a long white beard, and a black mole on his right cheek. His big yellow teeth were visible as he spoke.

But this wasn't really an old man—it was a disguise. Looking past the surface to the essence, he was a middle-aged man, identical to the portrait on the wanted poster.

No mistake—he was Yang Xuan, the third-ranked expert in the martial arts world, the hottest name around these days.