The black-cloaked men were tall, but their faces were concealed in hoods, making it impossible to make out their features. However, the cold glitter of their eyes was visible, and it made the surrounding scavengers tremble inwardly.

These black-cloaked figures seemed indifferent to life in general, as if they completely lacked humanity, and were nothing more than killing machines. As they stood there, the heat of the sixth month seemed to be driven away by them, making the area around the general store sinister and cold.

Xu Qing didn’t know who they were, but he quickly learned by listening in to the hushed reactions of the surrounding scavengers.

“It’s a law enforcement team from the Church of Departure!”

“The Church of Departure… they’re all lunatics! They hardly ever show up at scavenger basecamps. What are they doing here?”

“I heard they came looking for someone. They already searched the other cities and basecamps in the area, so now they’re here.”

Hearing the talk, Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed, and he surreptitiously took out his iron skewer. Eyes cold, he observed the general store. Only a moment later, three people walked out.

First came two people, one tall, one short.

The tall one stood as straight as a blood-splattered sword. He wore clothing different from the law enforcement team outside. His cloak was blood-red, and was embroidered with a black sun. Furthermore, his head wasn’t covered, revealing black hair and the angular face of a young man. The moment he appeared, the black-cloaked members of the law enforcement dropped to one knee in unison, and bowed their heads.

This scene caused Xu Qing’s eyes to narrow. The aura pulsing off of this red-cloaked young man reminded him of the powerful beasts he’d encountered out in the jungle.

The short individual next to the tall young man was none other than the girl Xu Qing had come to see. She grinned from ear to ear as she clasped the hand of the young man next to her.

Given the age difference between the two of them, he was apparently her older brother. And though his expression was generally cold, when he looked down at the girl, his eyes softened. At the same time, there seemed to be an indelible sadness in his expression. Apparently, he was thinking back to loved ones lost in a catastrophe.

Behind the two of them was the owner of the general store, who followed obsequiously while quietly offering flattering words.

Upon seeing all this, Xu Qing put away his iron skewer and patted the bag of crystals, trying to decide what to do.

Right then, the girl happened to notice him in the crowd.

She quickly said a few words to the young man next to her, who turned to look at Xu Qing. Then the girl pulled her hand away and ran over.

The scavengers around Xu Qing edged away from him, allowing the girl to run up to him.

“My big brother came to get me!” she said. Anticipation gleaming in her eyes, she continued, “Do you want to come with us, Big Bro Kid?”

Xu Qing shook his head.

The girl looked disappointed. However, she quickly put a smile back on her face and said, “That’s okay. When I grow up, I’ll come back and see you. I told you I was going to pay you back for saving my life, Big Bro Kid. And I will. I’m leaving with my big brother, and he treats me great. He gives me anything I need. Do you have a big brother too?”

The girl kept talking and talking, until her brother cleared his throat.

“I have to go, Big Bro Kid,” the girl said, gazing at Xu Qing. Over the past two months, he was the only person she’d gotten to know. And now she didn’t want to say goodbye.

Xu Qing pulled out one of the seven-colored crystals and handed it to her. “This crystal can get rid of scars. Take it.”

The girl looked surprised, but took the stone. She seemed like she had more to say, but then her brother called to her. With a final look at Xu Qing, she ran to her brother with the crystal in her hands. The black-cloaked men clustered around them. Looking back at Xu Qing, she waved.

He waved back. Thinking about her constant optimism and smile, he watched her leave.

“Please… stay safe,” he murmured. Then he turned and went back to his residence.

Life went on. He cooked by himself. Ate by himself. Cleaned up by himself. Meditated. Went to class. Just like that, seven days passed.

He was living now just as he’d lived back in the slums. Furthermore, he had come to the realization that Grandmaster Bai… wasn’t going to stay in the camp forever. That fact had become more than obvious a few days before when Grandmaster Bai’s convoy started to pack up.

As the grandmaster had mentioned before, he came from the Violet Lands. And from what Xu Qing had heard, the Violet Lands… were in the middle of South Phoenix.

Early in the morning, Xu Qing arrived at Grandmaster Bai’s tent, only to realize there were no guards there. Neither were Chen Feiyuan and Tingyu present.

The only person in the tent was Grandmaster Bai.

Xu Qing knew what was coming.

Grandmaster Bai gave a very detailed lecture, and Xu Qing paid very close attention. Time flew by. When it was over, Grandmaster Bai looked at Xu Qing standing there silently, and he sighed.

“I’m leaving,” he said. “Before I go, I want to explain something that you’ll find very helpful in the future. Due to an oath I took, I can’t explain directly. Whether or not you understand what I’m about to tell you will depend on your personal fortune.” Grandmaster Bai gave him a meaningful look.

Xu Qing looked back at him.

The moment their eyes met, Grandmaster Bai started speaking in a quiet voice.

“Kid, I want you to think back to the medicinal plants from the lessons I taught to you on the third day, the seventh day, the eleventh day, the fifteenth day, the seventeenth day, and the nineteenth day. That’s six lessons. Identify the proper plants, and then, using the ratio of 1:2:4, add in the proper amount of seven-leaf clover and refine the mixture at high heat. By doing so, you can produce a pill that everyone in this world needs. A pill equivalent to pure spirit coins. You can concoct… a white bolus!”

Hearing this, Xu Qing’s eyes went wide. He was not the same person he was two months before when he first started listening to Grandmaster Bai’s lessons. Given everything he’d learned, he knew how valuable pill formulas were. Usually, they were kept under the control of the great clans and organizations, and were considered priceless resources. That was especially true… of white boluses, which might as well be considered a currency of their own. That pill formula was so valuable it defied description. Normally speaking, it would never be revealed to anyone.

Someone who could concoct white boluses wouldn’t need a very high cultivation base. They could live a great life just with that ability.

This was an incredible favor!

Xu Qing trembled as he looked at Grandmaster Bai. Seeing his white hair and the kindly expression on his face, Xu Qing thought back to everything from the past two months.

How he had eavesdropped outside the tent, how he had attended class. How Grandmaster Bai had taught him so attentively. There was so much he wanted to say. So many words of thanks. So much gratitude. And he didn’t want to say farewell.

But all he could do was incline his head to his teacher, a man who seemed so strict, yet was so kind at heart. Clasping hands, Xu Qing bowed as deeply as he could.

“Thank you… Teacher.”

Sergeant Thunder felt like family to him. But Grandmaster Bai felt like a true teacher and Master, and was just as important to Xu Qing.

Grandmaster Bai looked at Xu Qing’s deep, formal bow, and he smiled. Despite how Xu Qing hid it, the grandmaster could see how emotional he was. He chuckled.

“Kid, I’m doing this because you’re a good student. And you’re smart. Also, I really hate those old fogies who make rules about giving out pill formulas.

“But sometimes, my status makes it impossible for me to do what I really want to do. This isn’t the first time I’ve helped someone learn the dao of medicine, and even some pill formulas. I’ve been all over South Phoenix, and I’ve taught a lot of people. We humans shouldn’t let our medicine skill decline because of matters of status.

“Finally, there’s one more thing I want to tell you. Remember this…. The world is a tavern for living beings. And the timescape is an old guest. As long as we don’t die, we’ll meet again. I hope that when we do, you’ll have made something of yourself.”

Grandmaster Bai’s words seemed very profound, especially the last part. In all Xu Qing’s years, this was probably the most meaningful thing he’d ever heard, and he committed it to heart.

Later that day as Grandmaster Bai’s caravan left the camp, the grandmaster gave Xu Qing a medicinal codex to study. Xu Qing walked the caravan out of the camp, then watched it go off into the distance. He noticed that Tingyu kept looking over her shoulder at him.

Soon, the caravan disappeared into the evening.

Xu Qing stood there for a long time, his shadow growing longer, until finally he went back into the camp.

For some reason, only a few people leaving made the camp seem very different.

It didn’t look different. It was still dirty and filled with all kinds of people. There were old folks yelling, kids crying, burly men laughing, and women whispering. Under the setting sun, life pulsed.

But it felt different.

As Xu Qing walked amidst all that, he headed, not to his residence, but to the general store where the girl used to work. Finding the new assistant there, he purchased some alcohol.

Then he returned home. That night, he didn’t eat anything.

He just looked at the empty kitchen, then at the jug of alcohol. Finally, he lifted it and took a drink.

The hot, spicy liquid poured down his throat and into his stomach, where it seemed to explode into the rest of his body. Before, Xu Qing had never liked the taste of alcohol, but tonight was different.

He took another drink.

Then another, and another.

Soon, his head began to swim. He thought about his six years in the slums. He thought about Sergeant Thunder walking into that city. He thought about Grandmaster Bai leaving with his caravan. He thought about the girl leaving.

And he especially thought about what the girl had asked him.

“Do you have a big brother too?”

Xu Qing held the jug of alcohol as he leaned against the wall and looked up at the moon.

“I do,” he murmured. “But I don’t know where he is.”

Outside was the violet-robed old man and his servant, listening in.

“The world is a tavern for living beings,” Xu Qing continued. “And the timescape is an old guest. As long as we don’t die, we’ll meet again.”