Now, only Qi Yuan and Kuang Huan's wife were in the room.

He glanced at her. "I need to make a call."

Then, he pulled out his phone and dialed. Yang Shan's voice came through the other end.

—What are you calling me for, kid?

"I'm here to go through the back door," Qi Yuan answered plainly.

He wasn't someone who sought privilege. However, with his newly acquired mental health certificate, using one small privilege should be okay.

Yang Shan sounded genuinely puzzled.

—What back door?

"A friend of mine has gotten into some trouble. I need to go abroad and pull him out."

—Are you serious? You're decent in combat, but if you run into gene soldiers, you will be in trouble.

Yang Shan still didn't fully grasp what was happening. He worried that reaching the martial peak had gone to Qi Yuan’s head and that he was picking unnecessary fights.

Ignoring it, Qi Yuan pressed on. "I won't be able to attend the Martial Arts Tournament in two days. Can you help me skip the city-level rounds and go straight into the national competition?"

As a peak martial artist, Yang Shan was a recognized name in martial circles. That was why Qi Yuan had thought to ask him.

Yang Shan considered it.

—Well, with your ability, bypassing the city level and going straight to nationals isn’t unreasonable. Here's what we'll do: once you're back, I'll take you through a special channel to enter the national competition. You'll have to fight someone as a test, though.

Qi Yuan exhaled in relief. "No problem."

The alternative would have been to arrange it in person with the organizing committee, which would have been a real nuisance. This was a much cleaner solution.

About half an hour later, Kuang Xi returned.

She explained with a hint of respect, "Mr. Qi, the route has been arranged. We will drive to the airport and fly to Dian City. When we land, we'll switch to a car. Someone will be there to meet you. The journey will take roughly two and a half days."

Qi Yuan nodded. "Alright."

He'd treat it as a sightseeing trip.

***

Two days passed. Qi Yuan sat in the back of a car, his gaze calm and steady. The driver was broad and powerfully built, with a pistol holstered at his waist. He was one of Kuang Huan's trusted mercenaries.

The car rolled along the open road. The driver kept his eyes forward but glanced back at Qi Yuan now and then. He didn't know who Qi Yuan was, only that word had come down that this man was going to rescue his boss. He couldn't fathom how.

Just then, Qi Yuan said, "Stop the car."

The car braked immediately.

The driver turned around, puzzled. "What is it?"

Qi Yuan stepped out. "There's something interesting up ahead. I didn't expect to run into it out here."

The terrain ahead was almost a desert, with clumps of dry grass threading through sandy yellow dirt. The air was parched, and the wind kicked up little swirls of grit with every gust. Scattered across the ground were the occasional plastic water bottles. Somewhere nearby, a used condom hung from a shrub.

Qi Yuan stopped in front of a plant and studied it attentively. "This is Cuilong Grass, excellent for blood purification."

Blood purification had its uses in immortal cultivation, too. Cultivators who came from the bloodlines of ancient fearsome beasts would sometimes use Cuilong Grass and similar materials to refine them.

For ordinary cultivators, though, it was useless. Immortal cultivation had nothing to do with lineage. Qi Yuan himself had no personal use for the grass. Nevertheless, it could come in handy for Martial Dao.

Having stumbled across it, he wasn't about to leave it behind. He crouched and dug the plant up by the roots.

The driver watched with total bewilderment, silently adding yet another entry to the growing list of strange things about this man.

Qi Yuan climbed back in. "Alright. Back in the car. Let's keep moving."

His long coat settled around him. His hair had grown out considerably from three months ago. If he changed into traditional robes, he could pass for someone out of a classical painting.

The driver pulled back onto the road. "The route we're on now is a trafficking route. Shortly, we'll join a convoy of smugglers from Yuelang. We will blend in with them and get into Wugui."

"Hm. They're still smuggling? Aren't the two countries at war?"

The driver's tone hinted at something he couldn't quite say outright. "We’re talking about high-end goods here—things the nobility of both countries want. For example, there’s Timi Wine, a specialty of Yuelang Country. Brewed from the mountain springs unique to the Tila Mountains, it is extremely popular among Wugui's upper class and aristocracy.

"Even when everything else shuts down during wartime, Timi Wine never does. These smuggling caravans are essentially running goods for the elites on both sides. The people down below are bleeding and dying, but the people up on top still have to live a good life."

He knew which side of that divide he stood on.

"No wonder everyone wants to be powerful," Qi Yuan murmured.

The driver's eyes went distant with undisguised longing. "Even Wugui's upper class lives like that. I can't imagine what life is like for the Seven Martial Stars."

Even a towering figure like his boss couldn’t compare to the Seven Martial Stars.

Qi Yuan just smiled faintly.

About two hours later, the car pulled into a small town.

The driver turned to Qi Yuan. "Mr. Qi, just follow my lead from here."

He had briefed Qi Yuan on the plan during the drive. Everything was arranged.

Qi Yuan nodded. "Got it."

The driver added, "There's still time to turn back. Once we join the convoy, we can't simply head straight home."

These were words Kuang Huan's wife had instructed him to pass along. Once they proceeded, there would be no clean exit. The front lines were a hail of bullets. One could be killed by a drone just for wandering around out there.

"Once Kuang Huan is out, we'll head back." Qi Yuan smiled softly. "Let's be quick about it. The air out here is too dry. I don't want to stay any longer than I have to."

The driver wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or dismayed. After all, he would support Qi Yuan every step of the way. If Qi Yuan died, so would he.

The driver had almost hoped the strange man would back out. However, since the man was determined to go, he would follow.

His boss had given him his life. Sacrificing himself for his boss was only right. For a man like him, the world really was that simple.