Volume One: A Thousand Years of the Flowing Stream Chapter 56: A Single Flute Pierces the Clouds

Sun Zikai grabbed Runan with one hand and held Qu Yuezhe with the other, crossing the due north gate of the Yanming Sect in two or three strides.

"Brother, don't joke around with me like this. We can't afford to lose that kind of face. Put me down, you two go ahead, just don't drag me along! We're going to get ourselves killed!" Qu Yuezhe's struggle was entirely useless, as Sun Zikai's strength was matchless.

Yet, after dashing thirty miles, Sun Zikai came to a halt. Clicking his tongue, he muttered, "I almost forgot about good old brother Cheng Xu. We have to bring him along." Lowering his head, he frowned and said, "What are you doing? You've covered my hand in spit."

Runan had been desperately biting the hand Sun Zikai used to gag her. Unfortunately, she felt as though her teeth were about to shatter without causing Sun Zikai the slightest flicker of pain.

Sun Zikai released his grip, and Runan shrieked, "Put me down!"

Having no choice, he set the two of them down. Runan, her eyes brimming with tears of fright, snapped, "Junior Brother Sun, persecuting fellow sect disciples is a grave crime!"

"I am taking you to the Qiling General Domain. Don't you want to go?"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Runan's voice pitched up in panic.

Qu Yuezhe sat down on the ground, clutching his head, and sighed, "Ah, I knew I shouldn't have been drinking with him."

"I am not drunk," Sun Zikai said. "I am truly going."

"You've lost your mind!" Runan was furious and turned as if to walk right back.

Sun Zikai watched her take three or four steps away, while Qu Yuezhe stood up, patted his shoulder, and followed her back.

Sun Zikai shrugged, turned to head north, and said, "As you like. Go back and continue living as good-for-nothings. I am going to seize my own destiny. If everyone else absorbs that domain's aura, how could I possibly abstain?"

His words failed to move their hearts immediately, but after Sun Zikai had unhurriedly walked another three miles, Runan and Qu Yuezhe reappeared behind him. Runan called out to him, asking, "Dawn is about to break."

"That's why we need to hurry."

"What makes you think you can go? If you're discovered, not only will you implicate the entire Yanming Sect, but you will also face the brutal punishments of the Zhaoge Wu clan!"

"That is why I will not be discovered," Sun Zikai replied calmly.

Qu Yuezhe retorted, "Impossible, there are far too many experts there."

Sun Zikai halted, turned around, and spread his hands. "You two simply want to see what I am relying on, so you can judge whether you might also be able to snatch some benefits."

The two remained silent for a moment before Runan spoke up. "I am indeed unwilling to resign myself to this, but on what grounds do you think you can pull this off?"

Sun Zikai had intended to offer a proper explanation, but suddenly losing the desire to waste his breath, he said, "My master gave me a supreme treasure long ago. Blending into the outer perimeter of the Qiling General Domain will be an absolute breeze."

"What treasure? How could such a thing exist? Without a guide from the Zhaoge Wu clan, you won't even find the Qiling General Domain," Runan said.

"Believe it or not, suit yourself. By the way, what is the relationship between my master and Sect Master Wu? Surely you aren't unaware. Do you really think Sect Master Wu hasn't made any preparations? Ridiculous, let's go!"

"Wait, I'm coming too, but... I won't get close, I'll just watch from afar." Runan was hesitant, and Qu Yuezhe dared even less to court disaster, yet neither of them was willing to abandon that infinitesimal possibility.

"Then lead the way!"

"I need to go back and tell my master first... No, I cannot tell my master."

Qu Yuezhe likewise chimed in, "If I dared mention this to my father, I'd be carried out of the Yanming Sect on a wooden plank tomorrow."

The pair nervously embarked on the journey with Sun Zikai, yet they found this rule-defying behavior somewhat exhilarating, stirring a subtle sense of anticipation in their hearts.

Upon inquiring, Sun Zikai learned that the Northern Territory lay several thousand miles away, and Yanming Sect disciples traveled there aboard "Cloud Skiffs." A "Cloud Skiff" was actually a massive vessel lifted into the air by several Core Formation realm experts pooling their spiritual energy together. Capable of traveling through the clouds, it drastically increased travel efficiency.

Though Sun Zikai was fully capable of carrying all three of them through flight, he was not yet ready to expose his true strength.

While journeying, Runan exhausted him with endless questions, inadvertently exposing her own secret.

She suddenly asked, "Didn't you always have an ultra-powerful Core Formation realm expert by your side? You could have him carry us on our way."

Sun Zikai froze, turning his head to ask, "How do you know about that?"

Qu Yuezhe looked suspicious. "What ultra-powerful expert?"

Runan's expression grew tense and uneasy as she hastily stammered, "It's nothing, I was just talking nonsense."

Sun Zikai let it go with a smile, but he filed it away in his mind and spoke no more of the matter.

Yet travel remained a major problem. Fortunately, just before dawn broke, they spotted a figure gliding through the sky.

Sun Zikai's eyes lit up with joy. He drew his saber and slashed it against the ground to create sparks. The person in the sky noticed the glint below, hesitated at first, and then slowly descended.

Runan and Qu Yuezhe felt their hearts leap into their throats. Qu Yuezhe stammered in terror, "It's a Core Formation realm master! We're finished, we're totally finished!"

Sun Zikai looked up with a smile and said coldly, "Do you want to go to the Qiling General Domain or not? If you want to go, do exactly as I say, and don't you dare ruin this for me!"

Moments later, the person landed before the three of them. The newcomer stood upon a plum-blossom flute, holding a young disciple with his right hand.

Sun Zikai immediately bowed and said, "Senior Mou, Senior Brother Cheng Xu, it has been a while. I was just planning to look for Senior Brother, but guessing that you would also be heading to the Qiling General Domain, I saved myself the extra trip."

The newcomer was none other than Mou Qiuhe of the Dongchen Sect and his disciple Cheng Xu. Mou Qiuhe maintained a frosty expression toward Sun Zikai, demanding, "Why are you here?"

"I had the same thought as Senior. Since our paths coincide, I must trouble Senior to carry us along for the ride."

At this, Runan lowered her voice and whispered, "Who is this?"

"Senior Mou from the Dongchen Sect, Mou Qiuhe... My master's..." Sun Zikai mumbled intentionally.

Runan feigned great astonishment and gasped, "You mean... she is your master's secret lover?"

"Audacious!" Mou Qiuhe's spiritual pressure surged outward, forcing all three of them to their knees.

Runan hurriedly begged for mercy, crying out, "Senior, spare my life! I... I just spoke without thinking! I've heard my master mention you a few times in the past... and it simply slipped out..."

"Who is your master?" Mou Qiuhe asked coldly.

"My master is Zhi Weici of the Apothecary Faction."

"That woman? What did she say about me?!"

"I... I dare not say..." Runan was genuinely terrified.

"Speak!"

"My master said that Mou Qiuhe and Fu Zhe of the Dongchen Sect are a pair of star-crossed lovers. Elder Fu Zhe is just too proud to admit it; he wanted to defect to the Dongchen Sect ages ago, and he even had a massive falling-out with Sect Master Wu Lanmu over it!"

"Is that true?" Mou Qiuhe lowered her head in disbelief, then instantly whipped her gaze back toward Sun Zikai with a majestic glare.

Sun Zikai assumed an expression of absolute innocence. "Senior Brother Cheng Xu and I were wronged for nothing, and my master has been imprisoned by the Chixi Sect, his life hanging by a thread."

"What!" Mou Qiuhe was greatly shocked, her face contorted with visible fury. "Why would they imprison him?"

"They wanted me dead, and my master refused to allow it even at the cost of his life." Sun Zikai rubbed the corner of his eye, where spiritual moisture condensed into genuine droplets resembling tears, which then streamed down his face. He continued tearfully, "I heard that every few days they cut off my master's meals. My master is a man who values his pride above all else; he refuses to utter a single word, just enduring it stubbornly. It's been nearly two months now, and I have no idea how my master is holding up."

"Um..." Cheng Xu, standing to the side, could no longer bear it. He had already witnessed Sun Zikai's utterly shameless talent for making things up out of whole cloth. "Master, don't rush into conclusions just yet. Actually—"

"Blockhead!" Mou Qiuhe clenched her fists tightly. "With them holding him captive, why hasn't he thought of escaping?! Your Yanming Sect is truly spineless. A sect master is humiliated like this, yet you all sit idly by and do nothing."

"Senior, don't you know my master's temperament? He would rather suffer himself than implicate others, alas..." Sun Zikai shook his head.

"Um, Master, I think—" Cheng Xu had no wish to see his own master led around by the nose by Sun Zikai, but Mou Qiuhe's deep affection for Fu Zhe ran far too profound to be masked by years of feigned indifference.

Mou Qiuhe immediately turned to Cheng Xu and said, "I am not going anymore. You go on by yourself; I am heading to the Chixi Sect first."

"Master!" Cheng Xu panicked. "We both were placed under a confinement order! You must not show your face!"

"Whatever the punishment, I shall bear it myself." Leaving behind the plum-blossom flute without another word, she soared hastily toward the northwest.

"Master!" Cheng Xu slapped his forehead in despair. "Oh, no—" He turned and glared furiously at Sun Zikai. "You've dragged my master into disaster! How could you do such a thing?!"

"I didn't lie to her! My master really is locked up in the Chixi Sect. If you don't believe me, ask them."

Runan nodded and confirmed, "Elder Fu Zhe has indeed been detained in the Chixi Sect for a long time."

Cheng Xu lamented in frustration, "Both my master and I were ordered into confinement. Actually, that was the sect's way of protecting me; neither of us masters and disciples knew anything of the news outside. Ah... my master was unwilling to let my talent go to waste, so she risked taking me to the Qiling General Domain to try our luck. And now look at this! Just because of your master, my master is going to suffer!" He slumped onto the ground, genuinely worried for his mentor.

Sun Zikai picked up the plum-blossom flute from Cheng Xu's hand and said, "With this item, we can travel easily. Get up, Brother Cheng, it's time for us to set off."

Cheng Xu was still furious. Sun Zikai chuckled and said, "Rest assured, the Chixi Sect treats my master quite well. After all, he is a sect master; they wouldn't dare go too far. Your master won't be mistreated upon arrival, and it will actually bring the two of them together."

"Bring what together?!" Cheng Xu snapped angrily.

"My master is already locked up, so when your master goes, she'll surely be locked up too. The two of them will definitely be locked up together. Just wait, your master will be overjoyed. I guarantee you, if anything happens to your master, I'll forfeit my life to you. Let's go, let's go, dawn is breaking."

"Where are we going? That flute is my master's wind-riding artifact; it can only carry one person. You don't expect me to stand on it and carry the three of you on my back, do you?"

A Core Formation realm expert's spiritual energy reached a sufficiently high concentration to allow flight by controlling objects, or to imbue spiritual energy into an item. Over years of nourishment, the item would develop a spiritual resonance, allowing even outsiders to ride the wind with it.

Sun Zikai told the others to wait a moment and walked off into the nearby woods. Within the time it took to burn half a stick of incense, he had actually constructed a small boat out of wood. However, this boat had dense branches and leaves bound with wooden frames on both sides, making it resemble a pair of feathered wings.

Since only Cheng Xu could operate the flute, he stepped onto it and slowly rose into the air, looking skeptical. "It's too heavy. There's no way it can carry all those things and fly."

Sun Zikai threaded a rope through the small boat, wrapped it around a dozen times, and tied a knot at the top. "Just fly forward. You two, get in quickly."

"What are you planning to do?" Runan and Qu Yuezhe asked, completely baffled. Sun Zikai told them not to chatter.

Though it felt utterly absurd, the two of them sequentially climbed into the small boat, which was just large enough to seat three people. Sun Zikai bent down and hoisted the bottom of the boat with a single hand, lifting the entire craft effortlessly. Qu Yuezhe gasped in astonishment, "Brother, your strength is monstrous!"

Sun Zikai shouted, "Fly forward and upward as much as you can!"

Though Cheng Xu had witnessed Sun Zikai's overbearing strength, he had no idea what he was up to, so he simply directed the flute upward toward the sky.

Sun Zikai leaned back, aimed for a moment, and then hurled the boat with one hand. The vessel shot forward like an arrow, soaring diagonally for nearly a hundred yards straight beneath Cheng Xu's plum-blossom flute. Catching the hint instantly, Cheng Xu flicked his ankle, hooking the plum-blossom flute securely into the rope knot on the boat. Then, crouching slightly, Sun Zikai leaped into the air.

Runan felt a jolt behind her, turned her head, and saw Sun Zikai standing with his toes braced against the stern of the boat. She couldn't help but gasp in shock, "How did you get up here? Why on earth is your strength so terrifying?"

Sun Zikai offered no reply, silently channeling the wind to steady the small boat. Thus, relying solely on a single flute, the four of them climbed straight into the clouds and surged forward at high speed.

The wind howled fiercely, prompting Runan to shout, "Sun Zikai, I actually believe you might be able to sneak into the Qiling General Domain now!"

Qu Yuezhe also yelled out, "I didn't witness it that day, but right now I'm certain Ma Yuhong is no match for you!"