Chapter 1247: Better to Be a Dog in Dao Province

Chapter 1246: Better to Be a Dog in Dao Province

The newly disguised Jin Wutu walked alone through the desolate mountain paths.

After half a day, he arrived at a small settlement hidden among the barren hills.

This mountain hamlet was a shabby market born out of chaos, a place where displaced, fugitive, or outlawed barbarian cultivators would occasionally meet to trade goods, exchange stolen items, or engage in shady dealings.

When Jin Wutu entered, the mountain trail was narrow, with makeshift stalls lined on both sides.

The vendors were all ragged, grim-faced barbarians whose snake-like eyes fixed sharply on him.

Jin Wutu ignored their stares, walking straight ahead until he reached the deepest corner, where a tiny, deserted teahouse stood.

It was so small that it had only a single broken door, a weathered wooden signboard, and one tea table.

On the table sat a teapot and two cups—no guests, no shopkeeper.

Jin Wutu stepped forward, acting as both guest and host.

He poured himself a cup of tea, cut his finger, let a drop of blood fall into it, then raised the cup and drank it all.

The moment he swallowed, his body began to tremble violently.

His skin bubbled, and his muscles twisted grotesquely.

The tea worked like a potent poison—rushing through his blood, purging every inch of his body.

After a few moments, nothing seemed amiss.

The tea’s poison-like essence turned into a faint smoke that drifted upward from his head.

Jin Wutu’s flesh and skin slowly returned to normal.

Just then, a middle-aged voice spoke calmly:

“Not bad. Your flesh hasn’t been marked, nor have you attracted anything unclean…”

Jin Wutu looked up—and at some point, a figure in a straw raincoat and bamboo hat had appeared before him.

The man was short and slightly plump, his face hidden, but his demeanor exuded a faint air of authority and warmth.

Jin Wutu’s expression changed immediately, as though seeing a great benefactor.

He rose quickly and bowed.

“Elder You, it’s been a long time.”

The man called Elder You nodded slightly.

But then, a sudden fluctuation of divine sense rippled through the air—as if the mere mention of “Elder You” had stirred unseen minds lurking in the shadows.

Elder You’s cautious nature kicked in. His face darkened; he turned sharply, scanning the surroundings.

Yet all was empty.

His gaze tightened.

“Did you leave any trace when you came here?”

Jin Wutu hurriedly replied,

“Absolutely not. I changed clothes twice, changed my skin twice, even altered my flesh and blood. I was extremely careful—no one could have followed.”

Elder You frowned.

He could tell Jin Wutu wasn’t lying.

The man’s Flesh-Shedding Art indeed possessed the power to erase all traces—which was exactly why Elder You had chosen to use him.

And even if that art failed, the “Blood-Purging Tea” he’d drunk would have scoured him from the inside out—a near-perfect anti-tracking method.

With Elder You’s decades of experience as a spy among various factions, no one should’ve been able to trace him—unless… some ancient monster had acted personally.

But such “old monsters” were always schemers hiding behind curtains, far too lofty to bother with trivial tracking.

Elder You spread his divine sense once more, scanning every corner and blade of grass nearby, then finally exhaled in relief and sat opposite Jin Wutu.

Jin Wutu stood, head lowered and posture humble.

Elder You said, “Sit.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Jin Wutu replied quickly.

“Sit.” Elder You’s tone brooked no refusal.

Jin Wutu obeyed at once, sitting respectfully. Then he immediately stood again, refilled the elder’s cup, and said reverently,

“Elder, please enjoy your tea.”

Only after that did he carefully sit down again.

Both were Golden Core cultivators, but in front of Elder You, Jin Wutu behaved like a trembling Qi-Refining novice.

Elder You sipped his tea and asked: “Everything done?”

“All done,” Jin Wutu replied.

Seeing the elder silent, he continued in a low tone:

“The deal is complete. The Great Chieftain is dead. Now Lu-Gu leads the Shugu Tribe—but their treasury is completely drained.”

Elder You nodded faintly.

Silence hung between them.

After some hesitation, Jin Wutu finally mustered his courage and whispered,

“Elder… about my matter…”

Elder You’s gaze flicked toward him.

“Your matter?”

“Yes… you once promised—no, granted me the mercy—that if I accomplished everything, you’d find a way to bring me to Dao Province.”

Elder You asked lightly,

“You truly wish to go to Dao Province?”

“Of course,” Jin Wutu said eagerly.

“Since I was young, I’ve longed for Dao Province. I’ve sworn that in this life, I must go there to cultivate.”

His eyes burned with suppressed fury.

“My greatest mistake was being born here—in this Great Wilderness. Savage. Ignorant. Crude. Inferior. Servile. A land fit only for lowborn beasts to crawl and survive.”

“All my sins began with birth—born in the wrong place, in the wrong flesh.”

“But if I lived in Dao Province… everything would be different.”

“Dao Province is the holy land of cultivation—where everyone pursues the Dao, where all are equal and free. Boundless spiritual resources, infinite techniques, the radiant heart of heaven and earth—an everlasting morning star!”

“No one would refuse Dao Province. Only in Dao Province can one truly cultivate. Only there can one become a real cultivator.”

“Better to be a dog in Dao Province, than a man of the Great Wilderness!”

Jin Wutu’s eyes blazed with longing as he spoke with naked sincerity.

Elder You, born and raised in Dao Province himself, regarded him with a complex expression—a mix of faint disdain and subtle admiration.

After a pause, his disdain faded, replaced by a deep appreciation.

He nodded and sighed,

“Ambition makes a man noble. You have it—and that already places you above most.”

“Only people like you deserve to be born and live in Dao Province.”

Jin Wutu’s face lit up with joy, as if his entire life’s path had been illuminated—his soul “sublimated.”

“Elder You, then… when can I go to Dao Province?” he asked, trembling with excitement.

Elder You took another calm sip of tea.

“No hurry,” he said softly.

But those simple words struck Jin Wutu like a whip.

He leapt up, agitation breaking through his restraint.

“Elder You… I must hurry! I can’t wait any longer!”

He paced anxiously, then burst out:

“I can’t stand it anymore! I’m sick of the Great Wilderness—its ugly savages, its filth, its stench! The food is crude, the clothes reek of beasts, even the air smells foul! I can’t endure another day!”

“The only reason I live… is to go to Dao Province.”

“Even my cultivation was for this!”

“The Flesh-Shedding Art of my ancestors is agonizing—every shedding feels like death. But I’ve endured it, only because I dream of reaching Dao Province!”

“There, I’ll be reborn—cast off this inferior barbarian skin, become a true Dao Province cultivator, and live anew!”

“I’ve waited too long… too long! If I don’t go soon, I’ll go mad—!”

Elder You glanced at him coldly.

At once, Jin Wutu froze, realizing that he had lost his composure before such a “noble person.”

Elder You would surely look down on him for it. Shame flooded him.

He blamed his “lowly barbarian blood” for the emotional loss of control.

He bowed deeply. “Please forgive my rudeness, Elder.”

Elder You merely nodded without reply.

Jin Wutu stood there, heart pounding, then spoke again—his voice low and desperate:

“Elder You… I truly can’t stay here any longer.”

“I must leave the Great Wilderness as soon as possible.”

“It was by your command that I conspired with the Bifang Tribe, sowed discord, and pushed the Great Chieftain to slay Lord Shi-Gu.”

“After I was captured, I ‘went along with the plan,’ made it seem like the Great Chieftain plotted everything. That enraged Lu-Gu, who then led his warriors to kill the Great Chieftain.”

“Now the deal’s done. The Great Chieftain is dead. No one can prove anything anymore.”

“I’ve done everything required. I can’t stay here another day. If anyone learns the truth, Lu-Gu will rip me apart and eat me alive!”

“And besides… besides…”

Terror crept over Jin Wutu’s face.

“Lord Shi-Gu… he seems dead… but also not. I can feel him… like his ghost still clings to me…”

Elder You frowned deeply.

“It’s true!” Jin Wutu quickly said. “Elder You, I’m not speaking nonsense! That night… I really seemed to see Lord Shigu. I don’t know if he was dead or alive…”

“I just have this feeling—that he’ll come back… crawl out from hell to seek me…”

Jin Wutu’s face turned pale as paper.

Elder You said indifferently, “Alive is alive, dead is dead. The line between life and death cannot be crossed. Even if you truly saw Shigu, it was likely just some corpse-refining trick. Don’t let it weigh on your heart.”

Jin Wutu slowly nodded, though fear still lingered in his eyes.

Elder You’s gaze flickered as he soothed, “Don’t worry. Everything you’ve done… I remember it well. The merits you’ve earned are enough to change your fate, to escape the mire of this Great Wilderness, and to live anew in Dao Province.”

Hearing this affirmation, Jin Wutu’s face lit up with excitement.

“However…” Elder You continued, “now is not the right time…”

“Then… when will it be?” Jin Wutu asked.

Elder You sighed. “It’s not that I don’t wish to take you away. If I could, bringing you to Dao Province right now wouldn’t be a problem. But the mission entrusted to me by the Ancestor Patriarch remains unfinished. If I return now, I’d have no face to meet him.”

He went on, “Think about it… when even I, bearing such a heavy duty, cannot yet return, how could I possibly bring you back to Dao Province?”

Jin Wutu paused to think, realizing that made sense.

“Moreover,” Elder You asked softly, “do you really want… to go to Dao Province looking like this?”

Jin Wutu blinked, confused.

Elder You said slowly, “You are a Golden Core cultivator. In the Great Wilderness, that might make you an elder or a commander, but in Dao Province, without any backing, you’d be no more than an ant. Even if going to Dao Province means a rebirth for you, the life you’d be reborn into would be… rather ordinary.”

Jin Wutu’s expression shifted. “Elder, you mean…”

Elder You said, “A person can only be reborn once, but the quality of that rebirth can still be changed.”

“In the turmoil to come, as long as you achieve greater merit and help me fulfill the Ancestor Patriarch’s long-cherished wish, it will be as though you’ve earned recognition before him. Then, with just a few words from me, I can secure you a noble birth when you arrive in Dao Province, saving you hundreds of years of struggle…”

“In other words, if you went to Dao Province now, you’d be reborn into a ‘common’ household.”

“But if you put in more effort, you could be reborn into a ‘noble’ one.”

“The difference between the two is like heaven and earth.”

Reborn… into a noble family in Dao Province…

Jin Wutu’s heart burned hot, his eyes turning red with longing.

Yet, a trace of clarity remained in his mind—he feared Elder You was only painting illusions before him. So he asked, “Elder, how much longer will your task take?”

Elder You rubbed his fingers lightly, speaking slowly, “Not long… Before I came, the Ancestor Patriarch divined that though the Great Wilderness is chaotic and shrouded in uncertainty, within a few short years, it will reach its conclusion.”

“Though we don’t yet know what that conclusion will be, it won’t be far off…”

“In just a few years… a resolution…” Jin Wutu murmured, his thoughts whirling as he made up his mind.

With a thud, he dropped to his knees before Elder You and said solemnly,

“I, Jin Wutu, am willing to serve by your side, Elder—to charge through fire and water for your Ancestor Patriarch if need be. Please command me as you wish.”

Elder You helped him up with a sigh. “You said it yourself—Dao Province is a sacred land of cultivation, where all are equal and free. There is no need to kneel.”

Filled with yearning, Jin Wutu stood, though his knees still trembled.

Elder You took out a jade slip and handed it to him. “Next, find a way to infiltrate the Wujiao Tribe, and do as the jade slip instructs…”

Jin Wutu accepted the jade slip, looking startled. “The Wujiao Tribe?”

Elder You nodded. “The Wujiao Tribe commands vast armies. Their strength is formidable. The Great Wilderness’s future will be determined by them—so we must make preparations early.”

Jin Wutu nodded. “Understood.”

Elder You said sincerely, “Once the task is done, I won’t shortchange you. You know me—I’m a trader by nature. I’ve always been fair, owing no one a debt.”

“As long as the Ancestor Patriarch’s grand plan succeeds, you will accompany me to Dao Province, and I will personally ensure you a bright future.”

Jin Wutu’s chest swelled with wild joy and gratitude. “I will serve Elder You with all my heart and life!”

Elder You nodded approvingly. “Good. Now, go and do what must be done.”

Jin Wutu tucked away the jade slip, saluted, and departed.

Before the tea table, only Elder You remained.

He sat quietly, sipping tea, his gaze following Jin Wutu’s departing figure with a subtle unreadable expression.

After a moment, his expression suddenly shifted—his hand slipped into his sleeve to touch something hidden within. His face paled slightly as he glanced around, his eyes turning deep and shadowed.

(End of this Chapter)