65

Waking up the next day, Yang Ze could feel his body had recovered a bit. Although not completely healed, there was no problem moving around. 

Clenching his fists, he slowly twisted his upper body while sitting on the bed. After making sure that the pain was bearable, he slowly got up from the bed before looking at his surroundings. 

It was a simple room without many decorations. There was a bed, a chair, a table upon which a bunch of clothes were placed, and a small window opposite the door. Yang Ze only glanced once before heading out of the door. 

"Ugh!" The moment he stepped outside, the sudden sunlight blinded him momentarily. It took him a while to adjust to the lights before he could finally see his surroundings. He seemed to be in the middle of the forest with a small river in the distance. Behind him were three crude wooden houses that seemed to be made in a hurry. In the distance were the figures of the old man and the woman with a wooden table in front of them, upon which a bunch of herbs were placed.

The moment Yang Ze looked at them, the old man who was instructing Ye Wan suddenly stopped, turned around, and nodded to Yang Ze, as if inviting him there.

"Huff." Taking a deep breath, Yang Ze slowly walked forward. There would be occasional pain throughout his body, making it hard for him to walk with ease. But for him who had gone through so much, this amount of pain was nothing.

It took him a while to reach there, but finally, Yang Ze was standing beside the old man, looking at Ye Wan, who had finally noticed his presence. 

"Hey... How are you feeling?" Ye Wan, who was engrossed in the herb, exclaimed as soon as she sensed another presence beside her master. Taking a few steps forward, she arrived in front of Yang Ze while observing him from top to bottom. Besides his pale face, he seemed fine. At least much better than the state she found him in.

"Thank you for saving me." Yang Ze thanked her from the bottom of his heart. If not for these two, god knows what might have happened to him. 

"Where am I?" This was what he wanted to know the most. After that weird dream or illusion, whatever that was, Yang Ze found it hard to stay calm. Every moment, he felt like someone was watching him from the shadows. Needless to say, for him, every second felt like he was sitting on a chair of needles. 

"We are in Mistveil Edge." It was the old man who replied. Though he didn't want to involve himself with the boy, answering him was of no trouble. In fact, he even wanted to point out the road for him so that he could leave. 

"Mistveil Edge?" This was the first time Yang Ze had heard this name. "Where is this?" 

"...." The old man squinted his eyes while looking at the boy before replying in a flat tone. "Outskirts of the Mistveil Forest."

Listening to the old man, Yang Ze was stunned. He even wanted to curse at the old man for being this oblivious. Taking a deep breath, he forced a smile upon his face before rephrasing his question.

"I mean, can you tell me about the surrounding cities?" Yang Ze didn't ask about Yuyang City or Darati, lest he give away his identity. After going through so much, the last thing he wanted was more trouble. So, after thinking about it for a while, he decided to ask about the surrounding cities. 

"There aren't any cities." The old man's answer stunned Yang Ze. 

"What do you mean by 'no cities'? So, what is the nearest place where people gather?" The moment he asked this question, Yang Ze couldn't help but look at the two people beside him again. From the moment he regained consciousness, he never asked about them. Could it be that he was reduced by a bunch of villagers from a remote village who have no idea about the world outside?

The more Yang Ze thought about it, the more it seemed plausible. And just when he was sure of it, he saw the old man letting out a sigh. And with this sigh, the aura of heaven and earth trembled for a moment. 

*Thump...

For the old man, it was an instinct, but Yang Ze felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat. Those below Innate could not perceive the aura of heaven and earth, but for those in Innate, every change is easily observable, especially from such a close range.

The first thought that came to Yang Ze's mind was to get ready for another battle. But it seemed that he thought too much. The old man in front of him didn't know that the boy was an Innate powerhouse. After all, unless one reveals it themselves, it is extremely difficult to find others' realms just by observing them. It was true for Qi condensing, it was true for Qi guiding, and it seemed to be true for Innate powerhouses, too.

Just when he was wondering about his next course of action, he heard a soft voice speaking to him.

"Currently, we are in the area of Moonlit Sect." It was Ye Wan who replied to Yang Ze's question. Looking at his confused expression, she patiently explained everything to him. 

Her explanation took almost an hour, and throughout her explanation, Yang Ze's face went from white to blue and finally black. Taking a deep breath, he massaged his temples as he thought about everything that he had been told.

It turned out that this area was ruled by the Moonlit Sect, which was almost two hundred miles away from here. As for the cities... There weren't any cities in the vicinities of ten thousand miles. Even the nearest major city was almost eleven thousand miles away. Though there were a few small villages and gathering places, they were mostly founded by the retired members of the sect.

As for Darati, Ignis, and Yuyang city... she didn't mention any of them. Yang Ze hesitated, but in the end, didn't ask about them. He just stood there while thinking about his next course of action.

"I can arrange a carriage for you to go to the city." It was the old man who spoke this time. 

"Um!?" Turning his head, Yang Ze looked at the old man who was lying comfortably on a rocking chair while enjoying a cup of tea. He thought for a moment and was about to agree when Ye Wan, standing beside him, suddenly interrupted.

"Absolutely not." She almost screamed when she heard her master suggesting this idea. Both the old man and Yang Ze looked at her simultaneously. While Yang Ze was confused, the old man's expression was one of frustration and helplessness. In the end, what he was dreading the most finally happened. His dear disciple really did want to get involved with this brat.

"What I mean is that it is a rather dangerous thing to do in your current state." Clearing her throat, Ye Wan ignored their gazes before speaking further. "Besides, what are your plans?" 

"I..." Yang Ze opened his mouth to speak, but found himself at a loss for words. He truly didn't know what he was going to do. Till now, he just followed the arrangements of his so-called family. From Yuyang City to Darati. He just went with the flow. His biggest motivation at that time was to become strong and roam this new world. But now... 

"I don't know." The moment he spoke these words, Yang Ze found strength leaving his body. He truly had no idea where to go and what to do. He couldn't go back to the Yang family. On one hand, they were practically strangers, and on the other hand, according to them, he was dead. 

Darati was completely decimated after he fought with that innate powerhouse, and the city of Ignis was too close to Darati, making it rather risky. 

The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how few options he had. As for the matter of exploring new cities, he thought for a while before throwing it out of his mind, too. At the moment, he was broke. Even if he went to the nearest city, as the woman beside him just told him, what could he possibly do there? 

"Then..." Ye Wan patted him gently on his shoulder as a soft smile formed on her lips. "Why not stay with us for a while?" 

"This..." The old man wanted to stop her, but looking at her expression, he swallowed his words before shaking his head in helplessness. It was clear from this boy's wounds that it was due to an Innate powerhouse. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to make an enemy out of them. But now... he just let out a sigh before closing his eyes. 

'Forget it.' Muttering to himself, he shook his head in dissatisfaction. If worse comes to worst, he could just cut off ties with the boy and offer him up.

"Umm..." Hearing her proposal, Yang Ze was stunned for a moment. He truly didn't know how to respond. While he was thankful to them for saving his life, it was precisely because of this that he didn't want to involve them in his matter. Not to mention the group of the black clothed innate powerhouse whom he fought, there was also an unseen enemy who knew everything about him. He didn't dare to imagine the consequences if either of the two found him.

*Snort

As if sensing his hesitation, the old man let out a cold snort. He didn't want to say anything, but looking at his disciple's pleading eyes, he just waved his hand. And the moment he did, the herbs placed on the table in the distance flew towards him.

"This..." Yang Ze suddenly remembered that the old man in front of him was an innate powerhouse too. 

"Don't worry." Sensing his worries, Ye Wan spoke in a soft voice. "We are members of the Moonlit sect." Yang Ze could feel the confidence in her voice as she spoke these words.

"Though you can not join the sect, staying with us is no problem." Ye Wan's eyes were stuck on his face as she kept on speaking. "You can stay with us for a while, learn more about the world, and then if you like... You can leave."

Listening to her words, both the old man and Yang Ze fell into deep thought. Yang Ze was seriously considering her suggestion, while the old man had a constant frown on his face. He simply couldn't understand why his disciple would go so far for this boy. At one point, he even wondered if the boy was a long-lost relative of hers. But after thinking it through, he shook his head. How could this girl, who had spent most of her life under the sect's protection, possibly know him? In the end, the only explanation he could come up with was that it was because of her kind and pure nature.

As for Ye Wan, the one who had made the suggestion, her eyes never left Yang Ze's face the entire time. Her gaze would occasionally flicker as she quietly waited for his reply. Whether she made the suggestion out of the goodness of her heart or for some other reason… perhaps only she knew.