Hearing Ye Bufan's words, Ye Qingyi fell silent for a few seconds, then said, "Did you also get the piece held by the Living Yama?"
"Your humble brother is not talented enough. I fought with the Living Yama a few days ago, and he lost in the end," Ye Bufan said nonchalantly.
"Congratulations, congratulations," Ye Qingyi immediately said. "So, your call isn't to ask me about the woodcutter's whereabouts and information, is it?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Bufan laughed and said, "Sister Ye, as expected of Sister Ye. I haven't said anything, and you already know the purpose of my call."
"Go away, go away," Ye Qingyi's voice rang through the phone. "Don't you think about how long your sister has lived? How could I not see through your little tricks?"
"By the way," Ye Qingyi continued. "That old man you met last time, who was at the late stage of Core Formation, has he been wandering around the tavern recently, even asking about you there? You should be careful."
"That old man," Ye Bufan said, slightly stunned. He hadn't expected Li Zheng to still be looking for him.
"He seems to be quite fond of you," Ye Qingyi said with a mischievous grin.
"He said he's from a place called Xuantian Sect in the Xuanwu Starfield, and that he wants to take me as a disciple," Ye Bufan replied. "But I'm not interested."
"Xuanwu Starfield, Xuantian Sect," Ye Qingyi murmured a few times. "It seems that cultivators from different starfields have already arrived on our Blue Star."
"The shackles have disappeared, and spiritual energy has exploded. Although the cultivation speed will be much faster than before, the celestial seal is still ongoing. These people won't be able to make any big moves for now. They're all at the late stage of Core Formation, just like any others," Ye Bufan said. "This is where our advantage lies. We can rely on the celestial seal to protect the Nine Provinces and simultaneously seek out another path."
"Do you have a plan already?" Ye Qingyi asked.
"Sort of. It's good to have multiple plans prepared. After all, change always outpaces our plans; everything is in flux," Ye Bufan said. "Please send me the woodcutter's location."
"Why is Brother Ye being so formal with his sister?" Ye Qingyi smiled faintly. After hanging up the phone, she sent Ye Bufan an address.
"Zhuang Mountain..." Ye Bufan was momentarily confused by the name of the location. "Such a large mountain, is there no specific location?"
"Good luck," Ye Qingyi said.
Ye Qingyi's words seemed to have a deeper meaning, and Ye Bufan immediately had a bad premonition.
After resting briefly at the hotel, Ye Bufan went to the lobby. Little Tiger saw Ye Bufan and happily waved at him. He had transformed into the hotel's lobby manager.
"Mr. Ye, thank you," Wang Xiaohu said, about to kneel before Ye Bufan again. Ye Bufan used his suction palm to pull Wang Xiaohu up.
"I told you..."
Wang Xiaohu immediately understood and said, "A man's knees are made of gold."
Ye Bufan nodded. Wang Xiaohu then asked, "Mr. Ye, where are you planning to go?"
"Zhuang Mountain," Ye Bufan replied.
"Zhuang Mountain again."
Hearing the word "again" in Wang Xiaohu's voice, Ye Bufan asked, "Again? Has someone else gone to Zhuang Mountain recently?"
Wang Xiaohu nodded and said, "That person has already left. Mr. Ye should remember her; it was the girl in the black dress who spoke up for me that day. Her name is Mingyue."
"Mingyue..." Ye Bufan murmured her name. "Do you know why she went to Zhuang Mountain?"
Wang Xiaohu shook his head blankly and said, "It's a guest's privacy, and it's not for us to inquire. If she doesn't say, I wouldn't know."
"That's true," Ye Bufan mused for a moment, then bid farewell to Wang Xiaohu. He drove himself away from Yuncheng towards Zhuang Mountain.
Zhuang Mountain was some distance from Yuncheng, located to the southwest. Ye Bufan traveled south from the northwest for a day by bus and finally arrived at a small county town.
It was still more than twenty kilometers to Zhuang Mountain from here. After leaving the station and exiting the town, Ye Bufan began to fly on his sword towards Zhuang Mountain.
Zhuang Mountain was vast, with many villages around it. Ye Bufan had specifically bought a map when he left the county town.
Since he didn't know the woodcutter's exact location, Ye Bufan could only start searching from the outermost area of Zhuang Mountain and gradually move inwards.
However, Ye Bufan's analysis was that the woodcutter, being so mysterious and needing to make a living, wouldn't be too far from human settlements. He deliberately slowed down when passing by some villages.
After a few days of this, on the morning of the fourth day, Ye Bufan arrived at a village with very few people, mostly elderly residents staying behind.
However, as soon as he entered the village, Ye Bufan noticed that the elderly residents had stoves lit in their homes, and there were piles of firewood outside their doors, all freshly added.
These elderly people were all in their sixties and seventies, and it would be extremely difficult for them to go into the mountains to chop wood.
"Old grandpa, did the woodcutter chop this firewood for you?"
Ye Bufan saw an old man sitting by his doorstep basking in the sun, so he walked up and asked.
The elder looked up at Ye Bufan, then lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"This..."
This was the first time Ye Bufan had encountered such a situation. He could only walk further into the village. As Ye Bufan walked away, the old man slowly opened his eyes again and watched Ye Bufan's retreating figure.
"Could this be the one the woodcutter spoke of, who has gathered three Dragon Emperor Tokens?" the old man murmured to himself, then shook his head and closed his eyes again.
Ye Bufan wandered around the village and vaguely heard a clear singing voice from the forest in the back mountains. The song was roughly about: "Watching the chess game, the woodcutter's axe rings, slowly walking by the clouds and valleys. Selling firewood to buy wine, laughing heartily to entertain oneself. The autumn paths are high, leaning against the pine roots under the moon, sleeping until dawn. Recognizing the old forest, climbing cliffs and crossing ridges, holding an axe to break withered vines. Gathering it into a load, singing in the market, exchanging it for three liters of rice. No quarrels or scheming, prices are steady. Not knowing clever tricks or calculations, indifferent to honor or disgrace, living a tranquil life."
Following the sound, Ye Bufan walked a few steps deeper into the mountains and found a bamboo house on the mountainside, which had a slight resemblance to the Green Bamboo Tavern.
About a kilometer from the bamboo house, a person was holding a wood-chopping knife and looking at firewood.
Ye Bufan slowly walked towards the person. As he got closer, the energy within his Dragon Emperor Token began to stir restlessly.
However, after listening to the person's singing, the Dragon Emperor Token's energy calmed down again, which was truly magical.