They continued to ride their horses, with Xu Fengnian constantly asking about the magic tricks Zhou Yan was supposed to be teaching. Since Zhou Yan himself didn't know any, he replied, "Your aptitude is too poor; you can't learn it."
"Is my aptitude poor?" Xu Fengnian looked at Old Huang.
"Yes," Old Huang answered without hesitation, then burst into laughter.
"Old Huang, you scoundrel..." Xu Fengnian was helpless.
As night fell, they built a campfire. Nangong Pushi drew her saber and said, "This saber is named Xiudong, three feet two inches long, weighing ten pounds and nine ounces. Its edge is blunt and unpretentious, like the world's sabers."
Then, Nangong Pushi drew another saber, saying, "This saber is Chunlei, two feet four inches long, weighing one pound and three ounces. It can slice through hair and is incomparably sharp, like the wickedness in people's hearts."
Zhou Yan took out a sword he had previously obtained and introduced it, "This sword is called Duan Yun Jian. It was the first spirit artifact refined by a blacksmith in my clan."
"Spirit artifact?" Xu Fengnian's curiosity was piqued, and he asked, "What is a spirit artifact?"
"When a weapon reaches its ultimate form, it develops a spirit. That's what we call a spirit artifact," Zhou Yan explained.
"How is that possible? Do you take me for a three-year-old?" Xu Fengnian didn't believe him at all.
"Clang!"
With a resonant sword cry, the sword in Zhou Yan's hand flew high into the sky, emitting a dazzling light before descending and circling the group. Only then was it caught by Zhou Yan.
Throughout this entire process, not a single ripple of internal energy emanated from Zhou Yan, leaving the three stunned.
Xu Fengnian, having never practiced martial arts and possessing no internal energy, was surprised but assumed it was merely Zhou Yan's strength.
However, only Old Huang and Nangong Pushi were truly shocked. They could not sense any flow of internal energy from Zhou Yan, making them wonder how he achieved such a feat.
Seeing Nangong Pushi's bewildered expression, Zhou Yan asked, "Do you want to learn?"
"What are the conditions?" Nangong Pushi was direct, clearly wanting to learn.
"It's very simple. Leave this world with me. Not only will I gift you a spirit artifact saber, but I'll also teach you various powerful spells, the kind that allow you to fly and burrow through the earth," Zhou Yan said.
"Fly and burrow through the earth?" Nangong Pushi blinked.
Upon hearing this, Xu Fengnian quickly chimed in, "I want to learn too."
"Young Master, you're finally willing to learn martial arts!" Old Huang exclaimed excitedly.
Xu Fengnian retorted, "Learn what martial arts? Didn't you hear Zhou Yan talking about spells? The kind he was playing with just now."
Old Huang: ヽ(。_°)ノ
Zhou Yan: ～(´ー｀～)
Nangong Pushi: ヾ(=･w･=)o
"Let's talk later," Nangong Pushi was still somewhat unclear about what Zhou Yan meant.
The next day, they arrived at a roadside inn.
"Waiter, bring us wine!" Xu Fengnian slammed the table, startling the waiter awake.
The waiter glanced at the group. Apart from Nangong Pushi's pristine appearance, Xu Fengnian, Old Huang, and Zhou Yan did not look like people of means. Zhou Yan tossed a silver coin to the waiter, who then happily served them wine.
Xu Fengnian looked at Zhou Yan and asked, "How much money do you actually have?"
Zhou Yan replied, "This is my last piece. I'm truly out. From now on, I'll have to rely on you."
"Once we return to Beiliang, you won't be short of anything," Xu Fengnian was never one to lack funds.
Soon, the Fengzi Battalion arrived. Ning Emei, however, was very impolite to Xu Fengnian, refusing even to dismount. But Xu Fengnian was accustomed to this.
After eating and drinking their fill, Xu Fengnian led Zhou Yan and the others into the city and returned home.
Zhou Yan and Nangong Pushi were both assigned to guest rooms. A maid even brought Zhou Yan bathing water and clothes.
From this point on, Zhou Yan only needed to wait for Xu Xiao to send Xu Fengnian out on another journey.
For now, he could relax, eat, drink, and enjoy himself.
In the evening, after dinner, Zhou Yan saw Nangong Pushi practicing her saber. He walked out. Nangong Pushi's cultivation level seemed decent, likely around the sixtieth level or so, comparable to his current realm.
"Your saber skills are impressive," Zhou Yan complimented.
"Your swordplay today was very peculiar. I'd like to learn from you," Nangong Pushi said.
"Alright." Zhou Yan took out the Duan Yun Jian and swung it casually towards Nangong Pushi. Nangong Pushi, wielding her two sabers, blocked the sword with a clang.
However, under Zhou Yan's control, the Duan Yun Jian attacked Nangong Pushi again. Nangong Pushi frowned. If this continued, she feared she would be the one to collapse from exhaustion.
Therefore, Nangong Pushi tried to close the distance to Zhou Yan, but Zhou Yan gave her no opportunity. The more they fought, the more alarmed Nangong Pushi became.
She believed her martial arts to be among the best of the younger generation in the martial world, yet she couldn't fathom Zhou Yan's strength, nor could she even get close to him.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Nangong Pushi was panting. She said to Zhou Yan, "I can't fight anymore."
Nangong Pushi was deeply frustrated. The opponent had merely entangled her, preventing her from getting close; his techniques were truly formidable.
"What kind of martial art is this? How come I haven't seen you use any internal energy?" Nangong Pushi was extremely curious.
"If you want to learn, I will definitely teach you, as long as you leave this world with me," Zhou Yan began his persuasion.
"What do you mean by leaving this world?" Nangong Pushi still didn't understand.
"It means going to another place. There, you can learn even more powerful martial arts, far beyond your imagination. People around our age there are incredibly strong, each far surpassing you. Would you like to see it?"
Having arrived in this world, Nangong Pushi was someone Zhou Yan absolutely had to take with him. As for others, to be frank, Zhou Yan was indifferent.
Although the maids around Xu Fengnian were all attractive, they were infatuated with Xu Fengnian, which held no interest for Zhou Yan. Nangong Pushi was different: skilled in martial arts, beautiful, and with her by his side, there wouldn't be too much interaction with Xu Fengnian.
"What? There's such a place!" Nangong Pushi was greatly surprised, then nodded and said, "Alright. After I finish reading all the martial arts at Tingting Pavilion, I'll go with you to see it."
Zhou Yan immediately heard a notification and felt a surge of smugness. *See? Once you've seen it, I won't let you return.*
*Yes, successfully persuaded.* Ah, no, successfully convinced one person. Zhou Yan wondered if he should try to persuade Xu Fengnian and all of Beiliang to leave as well.
But he considered the immense difficulty and the presence of Xu Xiao, that old fox. The possibility was zero.
However, Zhou Yan was determined to persuade as many people as possible... to take some with him. Ideally, he would take Li Chungang, and he was confident he could do so.
After all, he could regenerate Li Chungang's severed arm and even help him break through to true immortalhood.
Since he had arrived in this world, Xu Fengnian, the protagonist, could only step aside.