When Yang Kai woke, he was no longer in that tree hollow, but lying on a stretch of open wilderness.
Lingering pain in his head made him shudder at the memory of what had transpired.
Though he had only just reached the realm of a Shaman and unlocked his spiritual sense, his foundation was far beyond what any ordinary Shaman could compare to. Yet a single touch from Qing had sent his soul reeling — clearly an immense amount of information had been transferred to him, far more than he could currently bear, which was why he had passed out instantly.
He had no time to carefully examine what information Qing had actually transmitted. When Yang Kai turned his head to look around, his gaze met a pair of clear, bright eyes.
After a long pause, Yang Kai finally asked, "How come you're here?"
The petite girl shrugged her shoulders. "Grandpa Qing asked me to go out with you and see the world. He said I've been living in Frost Snow City my whole life and know too little about the outside."
"So this is what you wanted me to look after..." Yang Kai muttered, stroking his chin.
Earlier, Qing had mentioned needing a small favor and wanting to entrust something to him. Now it was clear — what Qing wanted to entrust him with was Butterfly. Sixteen years ago, Butterfly had been abandoned beneath the Evergreen Divine Tree, and Qing had raised her. But Butterfly was different from Qing; she couldn't stay locked inside Frost Snow City forever. However, her identity was far too sensitive. Going out alone would not necessarily be safe — she could easily become a target.
With Yang Kai looking after her, things would be different.
Before he lost consciousness, Qing's final words seemed to have mentioned Butterfly as well...
Thinking this through, Yang Kai felt at ease.
After all, Butterfly was a Great Shaman — probably not much weaker than he currently was. Even if he wanted to look after her, there was likely little he could add. Qing probably just wanted her to gain more experience by having her tag along.
"Where are we?" Yang Kai stood up and looked around, bewildered.
Butterfly said, "Grandpa Qing sent us out with a clone. We're about five hundred li from Frost Snow City, to the east." As she spoke, she pointed off to the side.
Yang Kai turned to look and saw a person-tall evergreen tree standing by the roadside, radiating an aura identical to Qing's.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and examined the evergreen tree with interest.
Butterfly said beside him, "Don't worry. The Frost Snow Tribe doesn't know you've left yet. They probably still think you're inside the tree hollow."
"Senior Qing is quite resourceful," Yang Kai praised.
Butterfly smiled. "That's Grandpa Qing for you!" The admiration in her voice was plain to see. She turned to Yang Kai and asked, "Where are we going?"
"Let me see..." As he spoke, Yang Kai took out the map the village chief had given him. After studying it for a moment, he located their position, compared it with his surroundings, and determined the direction they needed to travel.
When he had left the village in winter, he had told the village chief he would return once spring arrived.
Now that spring was not far off and his goal for leaving — to cultivate — had been achieved, it was only natural that he return. Cangnan Village was remote and seldom visited by outsiders, making it an ideal place for secluded cultivation. Once he restored his peak strength, there would still be plenty of time to explore this world.
"Can you fly?" Yang Kai stowed the map and glanced at Butterfly.
Butterfly let out a soft laugh. As an incantation left her lips, a pair of brilliantly colored wings materialized behind her back. The girl seemed to have truly transformed into a beautiful butterfly, dancing gracefully through the air — a breathtaking sight.
With a beat of her wings, Butterfly soared into the air above, looking down at Yang Kai and waving her hand. "Let's go — what are you spacing out for?"
Yang Kai suppressed the admiration in his eyes and shifted his movement to take the lead.
This was Butterfly's first time leaving Frost Snow City, and she was quite curious about the outside world. Her beautiful eyes constantly swept over her surroundings, her lovely face alight with delight. It was as though everything in this world was fresh and new to her.
Yet she didn't bother Yang Kai, simply admiring the scenery along the way on her own, letting out occasional exclamations of wonder.
Yang Kai, meanwhile, traveled onward while digesting the information Qing had previously imparted to him.
He had assumed it was simply a cultivation manual, but the more he examined it, the more astonished he became. This information could not be summarized as a single cultivation technique — the sheer volume of it encompassed nearly the essence of Qing's entire life.
Although Qing was a tree demon who had remained stationed in Frost Snow City without ever leaving, his lifespan stretched across thousands, tens of thousands, even tens of tens of thousands of years. Throughout that vast stretch of time, the seas had shifted to fields and back again, yet Qing alone had endured, standing unwavering.
He had witnessed all manner of people, lived through the rise and fall of eras and the ebb and flow of trends.
The knowledge he possessed was vast and profound. Within him lay an epitome of the entire ancient age.
And what he had poured into Yang Kai was all of that knowledge and experience. The cultivation techniques and sorcery were secondary — what mattered most was the essence distilled from his countless lifetimes.
What was this all about?
Yang Kai didn't believe that doing him a small favor was reason enough for Qing to bestow such a precious gift.
It could be said that this gift would be enough to tempt even an existence at the Great Emperor level, and it held tremendous benefit for his future Cultivation. As long as he could digest this knowledge, Yang Kai's path of Cultivation from here on out would undoubtedly be smooth and unobstructed.
Yang Kai was certain that this was the greatest gain from this entire expedition into the secret realm — nothing else could possibly compare.