The weather was bright and clear that day. Gojo and Zhang Zhiwei packed their belongings and followed their master down Longhu Mountain.
Although Longhu Mountain was located in Jiangxi—part of the Jiangnan region—the Lu family resided in Zhejiang. The distance between the two places was over five hundred kilometers.
Setting out now, an ordinary person would need at least a month to arrive. After all, the roads of this era were nothing like the well-paved ones of later times.
But as cultivators, Gojo and the others naturally had methods of travel far beyond ordinary people.
For example, members of the Fire Virtue Sect could use escape techniques to travel from the Qinling Mountains to Shaoxing in an instant.
As for the Celestial Master Mansion, they could rely on various talismans—or even use Thunder Methods—to travel.
And yet—
After descending Longhu Mountain, looking at the flat official road ahead, and then at Zhang Jingqing, who had been standing there for quite some time without doing anything, Gojo froze.
Taking a deep breath, he asked slowly,
"Master… are we really going to attend this banquet… just by walking there?"
Zhang Jingqing looked at him as if he were a fool and replied,
"Otherwise, why do you think we set out so early?"
"…Senior Brother, don't you have anything to say?"
Seeing his master's firm attitude, Gojo could only turn to Zhang Zhiwei for help.
As the sixty-fourth Celestial Master, Zhang Jingqing certainly had plenty of ways to travel quickly.
Putting Thunder Methods aside, even something like a Divine Travel Talisman could take them from Longhu Mountain in the morning to Old Master Lu's residence by nightfall.
But instead, they were choosing to walk.
Gojo couldn't understand it at all.
"Heh, I listen to Master in everything!"
Zhang Zhiwei stood with his hands on his hips, eyes squinting into a grin as he spoke.
Clearly, he had no intention of contradicting their master over something like this.
"Enough talk. Let's go!"
Before Gojo could say anything more, Zhang Jingqing had already started striding forward.
Zhang Zhiwei immediately followed.
Watching the two leave, Gojo could only sigh, hoist his pack, and hurry after them.
Originally, he had planned to use this journey to train properly. By the time they reached the Lu family, even if he couldn't shine brilliantly, at least he wouldn't disgrace the reputation of the Celestial Master Mansion.
But now, it seemed he would have to cultivate while walking.
Under the lead of his master and senior brother, Gojo quickly left the boundaries of Longhu Mountain.
Thanks to the steady stream of pilgrims, the official road near Longhu Mountain was fairly well-maintained. But once they left its vicinity, the road immediately became rough and uneven, riddled with pits and mud.
In some places, a single step would sink directly into the ground.
Gojo encountered this many times. Although he reacted quickly enough to keep his clothes clean, his shoes inevitably became caked with mud.
As they continued forward, his stamina drained rapidly. Before long, he was panting heavily, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jingqing and Zhang Zhiwei continued walking steadily ahead, showing no intention of stopping.
Seeing this, Gojo clenched his teeth and forced himself to follow.
However, due to exhaustion, he had to stop every so often to catch his breath before continuing.
Fortunately, whenever he paused, Zhang Jingqing and Zhang Zhiwei would subtly slow their pace, ensuring he didn't fall too far behind.
Feeling his heart pounding violently from the constant exertion, Gojo gasped for air while pondering the meaning behind his master's insistence on walking.
From his understanding of Zhang Jingqing, there was always a purpose behind everything he did.
Whether it was teaching lessons or guiding cultivation, every action was for his benefit.
So making him walk step by step to Jiangnan must also carry some deeper intention.
"But what exactly is it?"
"Is Master trying to teach me that cultivation can't be rushed—that I need to take it one step at a time?"
"Or is it something else…?"
Lost in thought, Gojo rose and continued following behind his master and senior brother, watching their steady pace.
Unknowingly, as he immersed himself in observation, his own walking rhythm, posture, stride length, and even breathing gradually became identical to theirs.
They traveled like this for dozens of li before Gojo suddenly snapped out of it and stopped in disbelief.
"I've walked this far… and I don't feel tired at all!"
"Could it be… Master has been teaching me through the rhythm of walking?"
Looking at the two figures still moving ahead, Gojo quickly adjusted himself and followed in their exact rhythm.
At the same time, he focused his mind, placing his attention on his master while circulating the qi within his body.
With the aid of qi, he could clearly perceive the pattern of qi circulation within Zhang Jingqing's body!
It was obvious—
The Celestial Master was teaching him through action.
From then on, Gojo continued forward while mimicking his master's rhythm and adjusting the flow of qi within his own body to match.
"Not too dull, after all."
Sensing the changes in Gojo's qi circulation and stride, Zhang Jingqing nodded in satisfaction.
As they continued onward, night gradually fell.
With no villages ahead or behind, the three of them found a high slope and set up camp to cook.
After a simple meal, Zhang Jingqing gave a brief explanation of scriptures and checked on their cultivation as usual before assigning night watch duties.
Since Gojo was the weakest, he took the first half of the night, while Zhang Zhiwei took the second.
As for Zhang Jingqing—being the master—he naturally slept straight through till dawn.
The moon hung high in the sky, and the sounds of insects echoed endlessly through the surroundings.
Zhang Jingqing and Zhang Zhiwei were already lying on the ground with their eyes closed.
Meanwhile, Gojo sat by the dimly glowing embers of the fire, circulating the Golden Light Incantation.
But suddenly—
A faint tremor beneath him made him stop and look ahead.
With the enhancement of qi, he could clearly hear the distant thunder of hooves striking the ground, along with the chaotic noise of shouting voices.
In a place as desolate as this, there was only one possibility—
Horse bandits.
And they were rapidly approaching.
"They're heading this way?"
Listening carefully, Gojo spoke softly,
"Master, should I go take a look?"
If Gojo could hear it, then Zhang Jingqing—being the strongest among them—certainly could as well.
Zhang Jingqing nodded.
"Be careful."
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