2-14

"I already know what you're trying to do…"

Yu Qingyu gulped loudly. '520, what now!?' he asked the system, panicked.

[Calm down. There is a possibility that he somehow came up to a wrong conclusion.]

Hearing 520's response, Yu Qingyu's shoulders relaxed a bit. That's right, Liu Wei might be wrong! At least partially. It was quite obvious that Yu Qingyu cared a lot about Zhao Weixin's cultivation, based on how much time and energy he spent on finding the cure for the demonic qi infection. He was even going on a journey with this goal in mind now. But that still shouldn't be enough for Liu Wei to be able to deduce that he intended to make Zhao Weixin the next Peak Master.

Of course, Liu Wei did in fact know everything, as he overheard his conversation with the Sect Leader the other day. But Yu Qingyu had no idea about it yet.

"So what are you going to do now?" Yu Qingyu tried asking carefully after a long moment of silence.

Liu Wei scrutinized him from head to toe, before answering, "I'm coming with you."

That… was unexpected.

Yu Qingyu already knew that in this world, just like in the previous one, Liu Wei would, most likely, not kill him. And even if he attempted to, he would lose, as the strength gap between the master and the young disciple was too significant.

But why would he want to follow him? In the previous world, he started avoiding him as soon as he figured out his identity.

Moreover, he didn't have much to gain from going with him. He might be able to hinder Yu Qingyu's plans a bit, but because of the strength difference, he was unlikely to be able to stop him. On the peak, on the other hand, Liu Wei would be able to achieve much more in Yu Qingyu's absence. He wouldn't be capable of destroying it single-handedly, but could still slowly sow some discord between the disciples, or try to damage Zhao Weixin's reputation…

Yu Qingyu's line of thought was not wrong. What he failed to consider, however, was that Liu Wei had vastly different life experiences from him. What seemed easy for Yu Qingyu, might not have necessarily been so for Liu Wei.

And that was true in this case. Liu Wei spent most of his life alone. And so, blending in, communicating with people, and living in such a community posed a lot of challenges for him. Going after Yu Qingyu and trying to mess with his journey was far easier in comparison.

Unaware of it, Yu Qingyu actually felt a bit relieved. He believed he had far fewer things to worry about when he had Liu Wei right under his eyes. But he wasn't about to say it out loud, lest Liu Wei would end up changing his mind.

He just stood in front of his bags in silence, looking outside the window, and casting quick, furtive glances at Liu Wei.

After what felt like forever, Liu Wei finally turned around and left, without a single word.

As soon as the sound of his footsteps faded away, Yu Qingyu dropped down to the floor, clutching his chest and taking a loud gasp, before slowly releasing the air, along with all the tension.

'That was so nerve-wracking!' he complained to the system. '520, what do you think I should do?'

[Host might attempt to lose him along the way. Or perhaps even kill him, when you will be in a secluded place. Then Host can simply claim he died fighting a demon. Nobody would doubt Host's words,] 520 suggested.

'Kill him?' A deep frown appeared on Yu Qingyu's face. 'How can I possibly do that?'

[It should be easy. Host's current identity is far more powerful than Liu Wei's.]

'That's not what I meant!' Yu Qingyu protested. 'I am not a murderer! I have never killed a person, and I never will! It is wrong!' Seriously, how could even the system suggest something like that? Yu Qingyu was aware that 520 had absolutely no morality on its own, but still…

520 wanted to say that there might be missions in the future that will require Yu Qingyu to kill someone… But it didn't know any details. There was no need to stress its host out when it wasn't even sure about it. Besides, that was not important right now anyway.

So instead it said, [I am aware that Host dislikes such solutions. However, since Host asked, I wanted to present the most optimal option. Aside from that, there's not much else Host can do.]

Yu Qingyu let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. 'Nevermind. I'll just deal with it as I go.'

He slowly got up and finished organizing his bags. Then, he went straight to sleep, as he was planning to leave shortly after sunrise.

Or rather, attempted to go to sleep. But because of how worried and nervous he was, he ended up not even getting a wink.

When he got up the next morning, Liu Wei was already waiting for him outside. Yu Qingyu decided to ignore him for the time being, and after a light breakfast, he departed the mountains on his sword. He flew to the nearest town, where he bought a horse.

Although flying on a sword was quicker, and most definitely much cheaper, Yu Qingyu just couldn't get used to it. And he got a horseback riding skill from the system, so why not make himself a bit more comfortable?

Liu Wei didn't follow his example. He just continued flying on his sword.

And just like that, they started traveling together, although not interacting at all. Liu Wei never let him off his sight, not even at night. Each time Yu Qingyu booked a single room at an inn for himself, Liu Wei broke in through the window, to make sure that Yu Qingyu wasn't able to sneak away and leave him behind. He didn't mind sleeping on the floor anyway.

They continued in such a manner for around two weeks, until Yu Qingyu finally lost his patience.

He bought a second horse, and started booking double rooms instead. He even started ordering double meals.

They still refused to talk to one another though. Yu Qingyu just did all those things on his own, without even a single glance at Liu Wei. Liu Wei also didn't respond. He just raised his eyebrows each time. He was skeptical of Yu Qingyu's intentions. But, at least he accepted the horse, the bed, and the food.