studiobondurri Chapter 28: A Chance to Escape
Chapter 28: A Chance to Escape
Chapter 28: A Chance to Escape
What Strategist Ji didn’t know was that this was a final trick Dong Fuyi had set up right before his divine sense dissipated, a calculated ploy to give Li Yan a greater chance to escape.
He had deliberately created the so-called treasure map, and the terrain and landmarks on it were infused into the jade book through a wisp of divine sense that had been wandering outside.
Back then, Strategist Ji had traveled extensively in
He stared blankly at the door for a long time. Half a cup of tea passed. Then, as if making a decision, he stood up and walked slowly toward the door.
Li Yan, of course, had no idea that he’d missed a golden chance to escape. If Dong Fuyi had only managed to tell him about the map and its purpose… but fate had not been kind.
Time is always too thin, like fine sand slipping through one’s fingers.
In the days that followed, Li Yan cultivated diligently in the valley. He would often go two or three days without leaving his room.
Though he wasn’t yet able to live without eating like advanced cultivators, his physique had already become vastly different from ordinary people.
He could now go without food or water for two full days. Sometimes he trained so intensely that he only noticed his hunger after waking from deep cultivation.
As time went on, people began to notice a change in Li Yan’s temperament, he grew more irritable, quick to anger, and would lash out with verbal abuse over the slightest displeasure. The women who delivered his meals became terrified of him.
In the end, Chen An and Li Yin had to take over the task of delivering food. But even they noticed Li Yan no longer greeted them with friendliness, leaving the two men frustrated.
Both of them were trusted aides of Ji, who had personally instructed them to take good care of Li Yan and meet all his needs, but under no circumstances should Li Yan be allowed to leave the residence freely.
Now that Li Yan was fully immersed in cultivation, slacking was not an option. If he ever wanted to go out, Ji had to be informed first.
As Li Yan's temper grew increasingly volatile, even Chen An and Li Yin began to grumble in private. But since Strategist Ji had left more than ten days ago and hadn’t returned, they had no one to turn to for guidance.
In the past, whenever Lord Ji went out, it was for no more than half a day or a single night before returning to the valley. This time, however, no one knew what had delayed him.
Surprisingly, the days that followed brought some relief to Chen An and Li Yin. For reasons they couldn’t guess, the temperamental young master in the rear valley suddenly became obsessed with writing. He asked them to bring him brush, ink, paper, and inkstones, then began copying poetry and verses from the books on his shelf.
Once he started, he could write for half a day, even a full day, leaving ink and paper scattered everywhere. But thankfully, this distraction meant fewer outbursts directed at them.
When they carefully entered to tidy up, they would wear their best smiles and ask whether he’d like the writings mounted and hung on the walls, or organized and boxed for safekeeping.
Each time, Li Yan would impatiently snap at them, telling them to get those useless scribbles out of his sight. They could only carry the papers away, not daring to throw them out.
What if the young master suddenly remembered these strange talisman-like writings one day and asked to see them? If they had discarded them, it could mean another explosive scolding. So, to be safe, they packed them into several large chests.
But just a few days later, many in the valley were surprised to notice something odd, Li Yan’s temper had gradually calmed. He even began speaking to them with a hint of courtesy once again, much like he had in the beginning. This left everyone utterly confused, unsure what had changed.
In truth, Li Yan himself was feeling frustrated. Though he was training diligently, he also had to occasionally put on a show, pretending to be earnest or acting irritable, just to keep up appearances.
But what puzzled him the most was that in the two or three times he had come out recently, his teacher had never been around. That meant no one had been there to witness his performances, making it impossible for him to gauge Ji’s reactions.
At first, he didn’t think much of it, Ji often left the valley for brief trips, and missing him occasionally was normal.
But after over ten days and several unsuccessful attempts, Li Yan began to realize something was wrong.
After one more day of observation, he finally went to the first stone room. But this time, there was no familiar voice greeting him from inside. Instead, he felt a sudden, rapid heartbeat, thumping heavily in his chest.
He stepped forward and knocked.
Silence.
He paused, then quickly made his way toward the valley’s entrance and called out loudly:
“Chen An! Chen An! Hurry over here!”
Chen An came running nervously from the stone huts outside the valley. Behind him, several guards gave him sympathetic glances.
“What now? That young master’s out in the open, shouting like this. Must be another storm brewing.”
These soldiers weren’t responsible for the inner valley; that was Chen An, Li Yin, and a few women’s job. Lately, they’d watched Chen An and his companion endure a lot of verbal abuse.
As Chen An ran up, Li Yan barked out:
“Chen An! I've come out of cultivation several times now, but I haven’t seen Teacher. Has he not been in the valley lately?”
Chen An relaxed slightly when he realized this wasn’t about punishment. He forced a smile and replied:
“Reporting, young master. Lord Ji left over ten days ago. We don’t know if he’s handling matters in the city or something else, his whereabouts are unclear.”
“What? He’s been gone over ten days?”
Li Yan’s voice rose sharply, his tone laced with genuine urgency. This time, it wasn’t an act, he was truly alarmed.
Seeing the sudden shift in his expression, Chen An’s heart quivered.
“But… isn’t it normal for Lord Ji to go out sometimes? And you never asked us before…”
Still, he didn’t dare speak disrespectfully. Glancing cautiously at Li Yan, he asked gently:
“Young master, do you need something from Lord Ji? If it’s within our ability, we’d be happy to help.”
Li Yan froze, he realized he had let his true feelings slip. Quickly regaining his composure, he put on a stern face and snapped:
“I wanted to consult Teacher about some cultivation matters. Do you think you can help with that?”
He gave Chen An a cold side glance.
Chen An’s face tightened in a grimace.
“Young master, that’s… beyond this servant’s abilities!”
“Then why ask? Tell me, do you know when he’ll return?”
Li Yan demanded.
“Uh… I really don’t know. Maybe today? Maybe tomorrow? Or perhaps-”
“Enough! ‘Maybe today, maybe tomorrow’, if you don’t know, just say so! Useless nonsense!”
With that, Li Yan turned and stormed back into the valley without another glance at Chen An.
Chen An stood at the entrance, sighing heavily.
“Damn this job… what rotten luck to be stuck with it.”
He turned back toward the open area beyond the valley, where laughter echoed faintly.
Looking up, he saw Li Yin and a few women at the kitchen door giving him helpless looks. But the nearby soldiers wore smug, mocking smiles.
They didn’t say anything, just whistled sarcastically before strolling off, leaving Chen An and Li Yin standing alone in the clearing.
Chen An scowled. He knew these guards had long resented him and Li Yin.
Why were only they and a few women allowed into the inner valley?
Everyone wanted the chance to get closer to Lord Ji. The women were one thing, they cooked or cleaned. But he and Li Yin were personal aides, constantly involved in work for Lord Ji and the young master.
That alone had alienated them from the other soldiers. And now that Li Yan had started snapping at even them, the others were clearly enjoying the show.
(Chapter End)