Chapter 943: Departure

With a glum look on his face, Chu Li marched back into the Spirit Medicine Nursery, entered his house and began packing his stuff.

He left the Treasured Pill Scripture and the Thousand Herb Scripture behind as he had already seared their contents into his mind which allowed him to recall them whenever he wished. As such, he had no need to bring them along with him.

While Chu Li was packing, Zhou Huang and Xu Jingya walked in on him.

“What’s the matter this time!? You’re heading out yet again?!” Zhou Huang yelled frantically the moment he entered. “Lil punk, have you forgotten that you’re now part of the Spirit Medicine Nursery!”

On the other hand, Xu Jingya had a shocked look on his face. “Did you receive a new assignment, Senior Brother Zhao?!”

Chu Li put down his things and then clasped his fists together. “Old Man Zhou, Junior Sister Xu, I’m really going to leave the Spirit Medicine Nursery this time. I’ll be heading down the mountain!”

“How’s that possible?” A look of dissatisfaction hung on Elder Zhou’s face. “It has not even been a year!”

Chu Li answered, “I’m a Branch Leader now. I’ll be heading to Gale City to take on the role of Branch Leader, and I won’t be returning.”

“Branch Leader?” Elder Zhou scrunched his brows. “Ah, I remember now, you are indeed a Branch Leader. However, what’s with the rush? Why don’t you first nurture a spirit herb in the Spirit Medicine Nursery and accumulate some merit!”

For Zhao Dahe, accumulating merit in the Spirit Medicine Nursery was but a simple task for him. After all, in order to gain merit outside, he would need to constantly wager his life by engaging in battle. However, even if he had massacred a bunch of people, the merit he would obtain was still no match compared to planting a few spirit herbs.

Chu Li shook his head. “Since I’ve disobeyed the Saint’s order to become a Pill-refining Master in the herbalist hall, she sent me to Gale City instead. My guess is that she wants to remove me from her sight.”

“Herbalist hall?! They must be the ones who riled up the Saint!” Zhou Huang stated through his gritted teeth.

Chu Li continued, “While I am indeed talented in refining and producing pills, which is obvious from my creation of the Detachment Pill, I have no interest in it, even if goes against the Saint’s wishes.”

“Detachment Pills…” The memory quickly bubbled up to Zhou Huang’s mind, and upon recalling it, he stared at Chu Li in shock.

Chu Li harrumphed, “Well, I guess Gale City’s pretty great too since I have plenty of freedom and all!”

“Hmph, what’s so good about that?!” Zhou Huang glared at Chu Li with an ominous expression. While shaking his head, he commented, “That place is located far west! You’ve basically been exiled!”

He did not even bother to think about seeking forgiveness from the Saint as his efforts would be in vain. The Saint’s word was law and the words she spoke were absolute. Heck, even if it was the bishop who requested forgiveness, the Saint still would not budge.

Xu Jingya was standing at the corner. She could not come to terms with the decision, as even though Junior Brother Zhao was slightly ugly, he was actually a pretty good person to get along with, and he did not bear any malice.

Despite what she felt, she showed no traces of it on the surface. Instead, she calmly sent him off and requested for him to visit whenever he’s free.

“Elder Zhou, I would’ve left sooner or later anyway, it’s not like there are permanent unions in this world!” After packing up his belongings into a bundle, he hoisted it and added, “I’ll make sure to visit often. If you have anything important to talk about, just send me a message at Gale City. I’ll definitely receive it.”

“You lil brat!” Zhou Huang vehemently slammed. “Going against the Saint is like asking for death! Remember this lesson boy and be humbler next time. The Saint is like an iron mask. She will not soften up to you no matter how talented you are!”

Chu Li nonchalantly clasped his fists together before turning around to leave.

Just as he arrived at the mouth of the ravine, Li Ruolan came rushing over. She was panting heavily and her alluring face was flushed red which amplified her beauty even more.

Chu Li clasped his fists together. “Have you came to send me off as well?”

“Zhao Dahe, are you mad?” Lu Ruolan chastised. Her alluring looks had been clouded by a layer of frost.

She rushed over upon hearing the news, and her temper flared along the way. After all, Chu Li had just been promoted to the role of Patrol, but he quickly got himself demoted to Branch Leader before he had even settled down. Not only that, but he had also been assigned to Gale City as well.

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‘Reaching the rank of Patrol from Branch Leader is no easy task. Dahe was just fortunate enough to be in Falling Autumn City to encounter the Sword Moon Sect. This has caused him to wrongly assume that becoming a Patrol is easy, which in turn has caused him to be unable to appreciate its worth!’

‘He has no idea how many Branch Leaders have stayed as Branch Leaders throughout their lifetime. I count myself fortunate as I only needed to go through plenty of tribulations in order to become a Patrol, but that Zhao Dahe. He destroyed his career with that big mouth of his!’

This pained her to a great extent and she really wished that she could give him two good slaps.

As if oblivious to her expression, Chu Li commented, “Hmm, it seems that Senior Sister isn’t here to send me off.”

“Do you know how stupid your action was?” Seeing the nonchalant expression on Chu Li’s face had Li Ruolan riled up even further. Her chest was bursting with rage, and she roared. “Are you even aware of what you’ve done?”

“Well, I don’t want to be a Pill-refining Master. Refining a pill occasionally is fine, but if she wants me to sit in front of the alchemy furnace for the entire day, that’s no different from dying!” Chu Li angrily shouted, “What’s wrong with my decision?”

“You…” Li Ruolan gritted her teeth and with great anger, she said, “Can’t you just endure it for a while? It’s not like she wants you to become a Pill-refining Master forever! You’ll still have time for yourself!”

“I had no other choice. I couldn’t take it, so I rejected it.” Chu Li added, “Well, this is actually pretty good. After all, I’ll have more freedom in Gale City.”

“You’ll be stuck with the position of Branch Leader for the rest of your life if you enter Gale City!” Li Ruolan retorted.

“Being a Branch Leader for the rest of my life sounds pretty good actually.” Chu Li chuckled. “After all, no one would point fingers at me if I do or say anything wrong!”

“Zip it!” Li Ruolan took a glance at her surroundings for a moment before tugging Chu Li away. “Let’s go!”

She glared viciously at Chu Li. If this incident were to reach the Saint’s ears, she would definitely lock Chu Li up. If that were to happen, she would never let him escape, all because of his big mouth!

The two left the ravine and before long, they had exited the Great Light Peak and arrived at Chu Li’s Small Light Peak.

The two were standing in front of a straw hut in the middle of howling winds. They had locked gazes with one another, and while Li Ruolan’s visage was filled with rage, Chu Li’s was filled with indifference. As a matter of fact, one could say that it was outrageously so.

Li Ruolan could not stand his look any further, and as such, she was the first to break the silence. “What are you even planning to do?”

“I’ll do what I want to do.” Chu Li scoffed. “If it’s not something I want, not even the Saint could convince me otherwise!”

“You’re saying that you’ll go against the Saint?” Li Ruolan was furious. “She’s the Saint you know?!”

“Even the Saint has to conform sometimes!” Chu Li’s words dripped with discontent. “What’s wrong with not wanting to be a Pill-refining Master? That’s just unreasonable!”

“Once the Saint gives an order, you just obey it.” Li Ruolan continued, “If the Saint tells you to die, you must obey. Of course, the Saint would never give these kinds of orders, but if you’re to disobey her, it would mean that you’re disloyal to the church. You know what that means, right?”

Chu Li retorted, “She could only send me to Gale City at most. What could be worse than that?”

“Are you satisfied with only being a Branch Leader for the rest of your life? While this might be a great pleasure to others, you’re not like them. You’re a prodigy at martial arts, and you’re good at cultivating as well! You should be living the life of a Priest!”

Chu Li answered, “If it’s a life of doing something I take no pleasure in, what’s the use of living like a Priest?”

“Tell me, is there anyone in this world who can live as they please?” Li Ruolan thought long and hard before continuing, “Just look at how much power the Saint holds, don’t you think she’s able to act as she pleases?”

“Nope.” Chu Li shook his head.

Li Ruolan responded, “That’s smart of you. Yes, if even the Saint isn’t able to do as she pleases, what does that make of us? As such, you should learn to be humble, and focus on your martial arts when you reach Gale City. Stop stirring up trouble. I’ll try to put in a good word for you on the Saint’s end if the opportunity presents itself.”

“Sigh…” Chu Li shook his head. “Forget it, I think my life at Gale City would be great!”

Li Ruolan rolled her eyes and waved her hand. “Now leave, I’ll make sure to visit!”

With that, Li Ruolan took her leave and before long, she vanished in the thick forest. Her green apparel had blended perfectly with the verdant woods, making them hard to distinguish.

After exiting Small Light Peak, Chu Li headed off to Gale City. However, halfway through the journey, he vanished and reappeared at King An’s Imperial Palace.