Those were two beams of light—gazes, really—cast down from powerful cultivators flying overhead, sweeping across the grasslands. The golden brilliance flashed past the little hillside village below, then moved on into the distance.
Quinn Shepherd let out a breath, opened the door, and looked up at the sky. He saw the two great stars trailing columns of light, sweeping a radius of six or seven miles, growing fainter as they traveled away.
"I wonder how Libationer Barrett is holding up..."
He was genuinely worried.
Those must have been Loulan Golden Palace experts—Witch King-level cultivators—searching the grasslands. The Jadehide Ox left no tracks, and this little village was hidden in the hills, full of old folks who slept early with no lights on, so the Witch King passed by without noticing it.
But the fact that this Witch King was searching all the way out here meant Libationer Barrett hadn’t managed to block him—Barrett was likely wounded, or besieged.
"Go to sleep!"
Quinn tossed Lynn Ling a small jade vial, saying firmly, "Sis, dragon saliva works wonders on your injuries. Apply it now and get some sleep. Tomorrow morning we set out at first light!"
Lynn Ling nodded and went inside. After a moment, the girl popped her head out the door, her black hair falling over her chest and one smooth shoulder visible, the rest of her body hidden behind the door—clearly embarrassed. "Cowherd, there are places I can't reach... It's not convenient to apply the ointment myself..."
"I'll help you!"
Lina the Spirit Fox bounded over, grinning, "Let me help you apply it—no need to trouble the young master!"
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, before dawn, Quinn was already up, stretching his limbs. A few village elders had risen too—the sound of feeding chickens, driving sheep from the pen, greetings exchanged. For a moment, Quinn felt as if he’d returned to Oldridge Village in the Great Ruins.
"Young couple, are you up yet? Breakfast is ready—come eat at our place!" called the old grandmother outside.
Quinn answered, woke Lynn Ling and the Jadehide Ox, then dragged Lina the Spirit Fox out from under the covers, and stepped out of the ramshackle house.
Just then, a voice outside the village said, "There’s a village here—let’s ask for directions."
"Ask for what? I never get lost!"
A fiery voice sneered, "I’ve been here before—blocked that place for a hundred days straight. How could I possibly get lost?"
Quinn froze, disbelief written on his face, and hurried toward the village entrance.
"Doesn’t hurt to ask for directions. You say you remember the way, but you’ve dragged me all over the grasslands. I’m not like that lame bastard who runs so fast..."
Quinn hurried to the village entrance and saw a blind man tapping along with a bamboo staff, beside him a bearded, half-bodied old man with two butcher knives strapped to his back, looking fierce.
Quinn was stunned and overjoyed. He rushed over and, without warning, hugged the half-bodied old man tightly, then tossed him aside and crushed the dry, skinny blind man in a bear hug.
"Butcher, I told you we took the wrong road again, didn’t I?"
Grandpa Blind quickly turned his head to avoid Quinn, struggling as he called to the dazed Butcher in the corner, "You dragged me out beyond the frontier, and now look—you brought me back to the Great Ruins, back to our own village! Quinn, let go, you’re strangling me! Where’s the Village Chief? Is Granny back too? Apothecary, stop hiding—I see you!"
After a moment, Grandpa Blind and Butcher greeted the village elders. The old villagers, seeing these newcomers were even older and more crippled than themselves, were quietly impressed, admiring their toughness.
Lynn Ling came out, hair freshly washed, and was startled by the two elders. She darted back inside, heart pounding. "Those are the two old men who scared me and Young General Qin on the Yong River!"
Quinn avoided the elders, pulled out his cloth storage bag, tipped it up, and dug around inside. After a moment, he fished out two legs, then half a golden torso. "Grandpa Butcher, is this the golden lower body you lost?"
"No. That’s not my body."
Butcher examined the golden lower body, then sliced one leg with a knife and touched the golden blood, frowning. "This seems like the Witch‑Venerable’s. I fought that old bastard before—I know his blood. This lower body is mostly dead, not worth reusing."
Quinn touched the golden blood too. It was half-congealed, but still held a trace of fiery nature—a drop even wriggled on his fingertip, trying to burrow into his body.
Quinn quickly channeled his yuanqi, turning it into Vermilion Bird qi and burning away the drop of blood after a long effort. He said, "If this is the Witch‑Venerable’s lower body, then Grandpa Butcher’s must be with the Martial Venerable."
"That old bastard admires me—to this degree?"
Butcher stroked his beard, smug. "So, if he has a son, is it his son or mine?"
His stubble was as stiff as steel bristles, rasping loudly as he ran his hand over it.
The more he thought about it, the prouder he became, bursting into laughter.
Grandpa Blind said calmly, "If he really gives you a son—or a whole brood—would you claim them or not?"
Butcher was stunned, his face falling as all his pride vanished.
Grandpa Blind’s one remark left Butcher crestfallen. He turned to Quinn, "Quinn, how did you all end up here?"
Quinn explained the whole story. Grandpa Blind exclaimed, "You really went to block the gate of Loulan Golden Palace? Reckless! I came out with Butcher for the same reason—to go to Loulan Golden Palace. We found out Butcher’s lower body was stolen by them, and he wants it back. Who knows if it can still be reattached."
Quinn laughed, "If it’s dead, it can’t be reattached. But if Grandpa Butcher’s lower body is with the Witch‑Venerable, and he grafted it on while it was still alive, then we just need to find the Witch‑Venerable, chop off his lower half, and I can reattach it for Grandpa Butcher!"