"I know the way," Andy Hou said immediately.
After his injuries healed, he had secretly gone back to look, but by then Luna Cui was already gone.
Joe Di and Cassie Cao packed up their things, though there wasn’t much to pack—just a single bundle belonging to Joe Di. Cassie Cao felt a bit reluctant to leave; she and Joe Di had lived in this little wooden cabin for over a year.
"Cassie, Joe, you two..." Andy Hou finally sensed something was off. Until now, he had been lost in the joy of reunion. He wasn’t surprised by Cassie Cao’s appearance; after all, they’d teamed up before, and he’d occasionally seen her.
The reason Cassie Cao trusted him, Marlon Mao, and Luna Cui was because the four of them were practically bonded by life and death. Their friendship wasn’t based on profit, but on mutual support.
That’s precisely why Cassie Cao found it hard to believe Luna Cui would do such a thing.
Cassie Cao smiled sweetly. "Andy Hou, Joe and I are already married."
Andy Hou was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and said, "Congratulations, congratulations!"
After speaking, he rummaged through the worn bag on his back. After a while, he finally pulled out a medicinal herb wrapped in leaves and handed it to Joe Di, saying, "Joe, now that you and Cassie are married, I should call you Brother Joe from now on. Congratulations on your wedding! I don’t have much to offer, but this herb is something I came across by chance. Two Dire Beasts fought fiercely over it, and while they were distracted, I snatched it away."
"Thank you, Andy Hou," Cassie Cao quickly said from the side.
"Oh!" Joe Di exclaimed in surprise as he reached out to take the herb. He could sense a vibrant energy within it that made his true essence pulse.
"This is..." A sudden name flashed in Joe Di's mind, and he blurted out, "Soul-Consolidating Herb."
Joe Di looked at Andy Hou with excitement. "Thank you, this is useful to me. I need to use it right away."
Cassie Cao had lived with Joe Di for over a year, so she understood right away. She nodded to Joe Di, "Go ahead and use it. Andy Hou and I will wait for you here."
Joe Di hurried into the wooden cabin, swallowed the Soul-Consolidating Herb, and immediately felt an endless surge of spiritual energy gather around him. It was far more exhilarating than his usual cultivation.
"Joe can cultivate?" Andy Hou looked at the cabin in astonishment. Though he was only an Earth-level martial artist, he could clearly sense the fluctuations in the surrounding spiritual energy. Obviously, Joe Di was absorbing the energy of heaven and earth to cultivate, and his rate was far beyond anything Andy Hou had ever seen.
Cassie Cao nodded. "Yes, if Joe couldn’t cultivate, we wouldn’t have been able to live here for over a year. Andy Hou, did you really see Marlon Mao killed when you left?"
To Cassie Cao, whether it was Marlon Mao, Andy Hou, or Luna Cui, they were all like family. She couldn’t bear to see any of them hurt.
"When I left, Marlon Mao was still able to hold onto Luna Cui’s leg. But after I escaped, I don’t know what happened." Andy Hou said guiltily. He’d regretted running off alone countless times. Even if Marlon Mao told him to escape, he shouldn’t have just left like that.
After Cassie Cao asked a few more questions, she suddenly heard Joe Di let out a long howl. Even Cassie could now sense the fluctuations in the surrounding spiritual energy.
"What kind of technique is Joe cultivating? How is it so powerful?" Andy Hou was amazed. He vaguely sensed that Joe Di’s cultivation method was anything but ordinary.
"I don’t know either," Cassie Cao replied, then went to greet him.
Joe Di walked out of the wooden cabin, his aura and presence fundamentally changed from before.
"Did your cultivation rise another level?" Cassie Cao looked at Joe Di with excitement. The stronger he became, the more at ease she felt.
Joe Di took Cassie Cao’s hand. "Yes, I’ve stepped into the Soul Ancestor Stage, and I’ve remembered many things. I can even refine pills and forge artifacts now..."
"Joe, you can refine pills and forge artifacts?" Andy Hou looked at him in disbelief. Those abilities were reserved for peerless experts, revered by all. For Joe Di to claim he could do it was almost unimaginable.
Joe Di hesitated for a moment, then said, "That’s right, I’m sure I can do it."
It was just like the Five-Yin Six-Yang Healing Art; Joe Di had mastered it instinctively. After testing himself, he was certain there was no exaggeration—he truly knew these skills. He was now thoroughly familiar with pill refinement, and believed it would be just like the Five-Yin Six-Yang Healing Art: genuine and reliable.
"That’s wonderful, Brother Joe! Once you’re out in the world, you’ll be revered by all. Even though Luna Cui set me up, I didn’t come away empty-handed—I obtained a martial cultivation technique..." As he spoke, Andy Hou took out an object from his old leather bag, even more battered than the bag itself, and carefully handed it to Joe Di.
Joe Di took it and examined it. It appeared to be made of some kind of leather, with writing that was somewhat faded but still legible upon close inspection. Most importantly, it had diagrams of human figures practicing cultivation.
After just a few glances, Joe Di handed the item back to Andy Hou and said, "I doubt this thing is worth much, Andy. You shouldn’t bother cultivating it. After stepping into the Soul Ancestor Stage, I recalled a cultivation technique called the Starspace Technique. From today on, you’ll cultivate the Starspace Technique with me."
Then Joe Di turned to Cassie Cao. "Senior Sister, you should cultivate the Starspace Technique with me too."
Cassie Cao nodded eagerly. She longed to cultivate and finally understand what was happening with her body—and why her lifespan was so short, barely more than a year.
"Joe, can I really cultivate with you?" Andy Hou grew excited. He’d seen the commotion Joe Di caused while cultivating, and Joe had just said he could refine pills and forge artifacts. Clearly, the inheritance Joe received was far superior to anything Andy Hou could have hoped for.
Joe Di answered confidently, "Of course you can. Now, let’s go to the place where you and Marlon Mao were ambushed and see what we can find."
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From Andy Hou’s familiarity with the route, Joe Di and Cassie Cao could tell he must have returned many times.
Half a day later, the three of them returned to the stone cave from before. Cassie Cao stopped at the entrance and said, "This is it. I left here to search for Joe Di, got lost, and couldn’t find my way back. I didn’t expect it to be just half a day’s journey."
Andy Hou quickly said, "Cassie, it’s lucky you got lost. Otherwise, things might have been even more dangerous."
Cassie Cao shook her head. "I don’t know why Luna Cui did this. If Joe and I had been there, maybe Luna Cui wouldn’t have done it."
Andy Hou sighed inwardly but said nothing more. He’d experienced it firsthand; Cassie just didn’t want to face such a cruel reality. But she was right—if Cassie and Brother Joe had been there, Luna Cui probably wouldn’t have dared to set them up. Even if Luna Cui tried, she couldn’t have betrayed all four of them at once.
Joe Di walked into the stone cave. It was a mess inside, and at the back were marks where Marlon Mao and the others had dug. Past the opening they’d made, there was not only a stream but also a shrine. The shrine was built beside the stream, but now everything on it was scattered on the ground. Joe Di bent down and picked up a stone nearby, which still had traces of blood on it.
Seeing Joe Di pick up the stone, Andy Hou shook his head. "That’s Marlon Mao’s blood. He was ambushed right there. I’ve come back several times since, but I never saw any sign of Luna Cui or Marlon Mao."
"What level have you reached in your cultivation now?" Joe Di suddenly turned to Andy Hou.
Andy Hou answered without hesitation, "I’m an Earth-level martial artist."
"Andy Hou, you’ve reached Earth-level?" Cassie Cao exclaimed in shock. Earth-level martial artists were already local powerhouses—no wonder Andy Hou could survive here.
"That technique is remarkable. What I got was probably just a fragment—the main part went to Luna Cui. I’m Earth-level, so she’s probably surpassed Sky-level by now..." Andy Hou said.