Chapter 52: Emerging from the Mountains

Chen Lin directly stated the name of the Red-Veined Ginseng, causing Bai Lingshan's eyes to instantly light up.

"Has Immortal Master seen one before!?"

Chen Lin hesitated for a moment before pulling a ginseng root from his backpack. It was about the thickness of an infant's arm, and both its leaves and stem were covered in distinct red patterns.

He had gathered several of these along the way; their value wasn't particularly high, worth roughly a few dozen spirit stones in Kaiyuan City.

"Not only have I seen them, but I also happened to dig some up. However, what do you have to trade with me?"

If the other party's purpose for entering the mountains was solely for this, Chen Lin decided to modify his plans.

He knew very little about the outside world. By traveling with these people, he could gather more information regarding the external cultivation world.

Furthermore, since the other party had to risk entering these great mountains for heavenly treasures despite being only at the second level of Qi Refinement, they likely did not hail from a major power.

"Ah!"

At this, both Bai Lingshan and the others let out cries of astonishment.

Bai Yunyue also stepped forward excitedly, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Red-Veined Ginseng in Chen Lin's hand. "Fellow Daoist, are you truly selling this Red-Veined Ginseng?"

"I am."

Chen Lin nodded.

Since he intended to leave with them, it was necessary to show appropriate goodwill.

"Then, can we trade with spirit stones?"

Bai Yunyue asked hesitantly, his voice filled with anticipation.

"Yes, fifty low-grade spirit stones!"

Chen Lin offered a moderate price.

Showing goodwill was one thing, but he couldn't sell it too cheaply; he had taken significant risks along the way.

"Really!"

Both Bai Yunyue and Bai Lingshan showed expressions of disbelief, which surprised Chen Lin.

"Then I must thank Fellow Daoist Lin for your help. If there is ever a time where I, Bai Yunyue, can be of use to you, I will certainly not hesitate!"

Bai Yunyue performed a very solemn and formal bow.

But then, he added somewhat awkwardly, "However, we left in such a hurry that we did not bring any spirit stones. Could Fellow Daoist accompany us back to retrieve them?"

He immediately explained, "I noticed just now that Fellow Daoist Lin seems to be heading toward Yellow Earth Town. My home is in Guyuan City, not far from there. It won't take up much of your time."

Guyuan City?

Chen Lin was momentarily stunned.

In the original owner's memories, he seemed to have come from this very Guyuan City; he hadn't expected such a coincidence.

However, the original owner had been trapped in Kaiyuan City for twenty years, so many memories were not very clear. He only remembered coming from a very, very small cultivation clan that made its living by refining low-level talismans.

He had no intention of returning to the original owner's home, so after the brief moment of surprise, he let it go.

He then agreed to Bai Yunyue's suggestion, and the group immediately erupted in cheers.

This was especially true for the attendants, who were merely martial artists with rudimentary skills. They were fine at brawling with ordinary people, but in these great mountains inhabited by demon beasts, they were terrified to death.

With the addition of the "powerful" cultivator Chen Lin, the safety of the group increased significantly, and their tense nerves relaxed somewhat.

In particular, after they encountered an Armored Iron Pig demon beast midway and Chen Lin slew it with a single sword strike, their attitude became even more respectful.

Chen Lin even noticed that the way Bai Lingshan looked at him held a hint of admiration.

He just wondered if she would be frightened when she saw his actual, aged appearance.

Since they were already at the edge of the mountain range, after killing the Armored Iron Pig, the group encountered no further danger. In less than a day, they could see a not-too-large cluster of buildings in the distance.

It was very simple and desolate.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, this is Yellow Earth Town. Most people living here are hunters and herbalists, though some cultivators who enter the mountains to hunt demon beasts also frequent the area, though they are all early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators like myself."

"Those who have reached your level have already learned flying spells; no one wants to live here, preferring to reside within Guyuan City."

Listening to Bai Yunyue's introduction, Chen Lin nodded.

Along the way, he had used indirect questioning to gather much of the information he wanted.

For instance, this vast mountainous region was called the Dream-Breaking Mountains by the locals, and the country where Yellow Earth Town was located was called the Yan Kingdom.

The Yan Kingdom occupied a territory on the north side of the Dream-Breaking Mountains, but there were several other countries bordering it.

The nations here did not have absolute control; the true controllers were the various cultivation factions.

This was quite logical. Given the strength of cultivators, how could mortals resist them? Even with many elite soldiers and generals, it would be useless.

There was a sect near Guyuan City called the Azure Cloud Sect.

However, this sect was somewhat weak, possessing only one Foundation Establishment cultivator, while the rest were at the Qi Refinement stage. Bai Yunyue was a disciple of this sect.

Chen Lin estimated that the strength of the Azure Cloud Sect was roughly equivalent to one of the five great families of Kaiyuan City.

The fact that a single Foundation Establishment cultivator could establish a sect showed that the level of cultivation here was not high.

Additionally, having walked out from the depths of the Dream-Breaking Mountains, he had only encountered one second-order demon beast in over twenty days, indicating that the grade of the demon beasts was also not high.

The reason for this was likely due to the scarcity of spiritual veins and the low concentration of spiritual energy in this region.

He wondered if the entire cultivation world was like this, or if it was only this place.

Bai Yunyue's information was limited to the Yan Kingdom, and since he had not been elsewhere, Chen Lin could not ask for more.

Yellow Earth Town.

It lived up to its name; the land was entirely composed of yellow soil and was very dry. Such soil was unsuitable for farming, so most people here made a living through hunting.

As the saying goes, "living off the mountains." Although the Dream-Breaking Mountains contained demon beasts, they only existed in the deep mountains; the outer regions were mostly inhabited by ordinary wild animals.

Even if a demon beast did wander out, it was a low-level one that a Qi Refinement cultivator could easily handle.

In fact, whether they were demons or ghosts, as long as they were slightly higher-ranked, they had no interest in mortals, let alone hunting in mortal cities.

Mortals possessed no spiritual power in their bodies, and their flesh was full of impurities; eating them would not only provide no benefit but would actually be harmful.

It was like how rats and cockroaches might satisfy hunger, but no one would eat them unless they were starving to an extreme degree.

The primary prey of demons and ghosts were cultivators, whose flesh, nourished by spiritual energy year-round, held a fatal attraction for them.

This information came from the original owner's memories, pieced together bit by bit through his conversation with Bai Yunyue.

"Yo, isn't this the second young master of the Bai family? Why did you come out of the mountains so quickly? Don't tell me you were scared out by some wild boars and dogs!?"

A voice like a squawking duck rang out, carrying a heavy tone of mockery that snapped Chen Lin out of his thoughts.

Although he had been lost in thought, he had remained vigilant of his surroundings and had noticed the speaker long ago.

It was a young man wearing a robe of red silk, appearing to be about twenty years old. A magnificent sword, over two feet long, hung from his waist, its red scabbard inlaid with many yellow gemstones.

He was extremely flashy.

This person was also a cultivator, with a cultivation level one stage higher than Bai Yunyue's, at the third level of Qi Refinement.

His expression was incredibly arrogant.

If he were to add a sideways glance and a cold sneer, he would look exactly like the cultivators from Kaiyuan City.