Chapter 38: Leaving the City

An elderly man in his sixties with a hunched back, named He Tuozi, was at the fourth level of Qi Refinement. He sported a goatee and a stooped posture, appearing indifferent; he merely offered a cupped-hand salute to Lu Xiaotian as a sign of acknowledgment.

There was also a young man in his twenties named Wang Ping. His spiritual tool was a pitch-black dark iron staff, a low-grade spiritual tool. Although not particularly sharp, he appeared to be a strength-based fighter. At the third level of Qi Refinement, he and Luo Qing were the lowest in cultivation within the group, though he seemed to possess decent actual combat strength.

"I thought there were only eight people? Why are there nine now?" Lu Xiaotian asked, looking toward Luo Yuan.

Before Luo Yuan could speak, Fan Qing waved his whisk and smiled, "There were originally only eight. However, He Tuozi possesses the recipe for the Vitality Pill. Using that as leverage, he insisted on joining the team before revealing it. Considering Little Friend Lu, I took the liberty of agreeing. I assume Fellow Daoist Luo won't have any objections?"

"Naturally, I have no objection. An extra person in the team means an extra measure of strength," Luo Yuan said, shaking his head.

"If that is the case, why has the departure time, which was originally agreed upon, been moved forward by nearly a month?" Lu Xiaotian did not take Fan Qing's goodwill to heart. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world; without kinship or prior connection, he did not believe Fan Qing would do all this just for a pill recipe.

"He Tuozi also provided information regarding the Silver-Winged Centipede. I am determined to obtain its demon core. On this trip, I will take nothing but the Silver-Winged Centipede's core; I shall not claim any spiritual herbs or spirit stones encountered along the way. What do you think, Little Friend Lu?" Fan Qing said.

Lu Xiaotian remembered that the Silver-Winged Centipede's core was a requirement for a sect mission of the Barbarian Beast Sect. The Barbarian Beast Sect was a quite powerful sect; it seemed Fan Qing's ambitions were not small. However, most spiritual items in the Wangyue Mountains had already been harvested by other cultivators. No one was certain which direction to travel to encounter the desired items, so going anywhere made little difference to Lu Xiaotian, or anyone else for that matter.

"Give me the Vitality Pill recipe, and I will have no objections," Lu Xiaotian said.

"I heard Little Friend Lu has many Qi Gathering Pills. This old man is quite poor; I wouldn't dare hope for mid-stage Qi Refinement pills, but five Qi Gathering Pills will suffice."

A smile finally appeared on He Tuozi's cold face. Like most mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, when the perfect pill was unavailable, they had to make do with inferior ones.

Lu Xiaotian tossed a pill bottle directly to He Tuozi. Clutching the Vitality Pill recipe in his hand, a hint of joy welled up in his heart. At his current pace, he should be able to use this recipe in less than two years. He was, however, somewhat curious about the deal He Tuozi had struck with Fan Qing.

The vastness of the Wangyue Mountains far exceeded the imagination of ordinary mortals, stretching for millions of miles. Within the mountains, canyons, streams, lakes, waterfalls, and forests filled with towering trees were everywhere, creating a complex and intricate terrain. Even the map scrolls sold by vendors in Wangyue City were merely the tip of the iceberg regarding this massive mountain range. Based on the descriptions and records left by other cultivators who had entered and exited, the approximate terrain of the surrounding areas was marked. However, if one ventured too deep, they could still easily become lost.

The mountains were teeming with demon beasts, demon insects, and demon birds. Even with hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators moving in batches through the area, they were like pebbles in the ocean. Once lost, it wouldn't be long before one was swallowed by the demon beasts of the Wangyue Mountains.

At the city gates, thousands of rogue cultivators had split into hundreds of small teams to enter the mountains. Many ostentatious cultivators wore shimmering spiritual armor, making them quite conspicuous.

There were also cultivators who raised spiritual beasts, riding ferocious tiger or wolf spiritual beasts. Some even rode giant black eagles with wingspans exceeding ten feet, drawing admiration from the cultivators below. A second-order spiritual bird, in terms of pure strength, was already no inferior to most mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, and its ability to fly made traveling anywhere much more convenient.

Suddenly, Lu Xiaotian felt a venomous gaze staring at him from the crowd. Since beginning his cultivation, his senses had become much sharper; he was particularly sensitive to danger and such overtly malicious stares.

Lu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes and looked back, only to see a middle-aged man in blue robes carrying a giant sword staring intently at him. The man looked vaguely familiar, but Lu Xiaotian could not recall where he had met him or why the man held such intense hostility toward him. However, the man was only at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, while Lu Xiaotian's cultivation was even higher. What was there to fear? Thinking this, Lu Xiaotian glared back fiercely.

Situ Yong was startled. Ever since his son's death, he had not spent a single day without being immersed in the pain of loss. After collecting a likeness of Lu Xiaotian's face...

He had traveled through mountains and rivers to reach Wangyue City. Amidst the vast sea of people, he had thought there was no longer any hope of seeing his son's killer, only to encounter him unexpectedly at the city gate. Amidst his shock and joy, Situ Yong was horrified to discover that the youth's cultivation was actually a level higher than his own. What was he to do? Seeing Lu Xiaotian's retaliatory glare, Situ Yong turned his head away, while simultaneously calculating his next move.

"Does Brother Lu have a grudge with this person?" Luo Yuan asked in a low voice.

"I don't know him." Lu Xiaotian filtered through everyone he had offended in the past and found no connection, but he secretly noted the man's hateful gaze.

"He's only at the fourth level of Qi Refinement. If he doesn't know his place, it wouldn't be much trouble to find an opportunity to deal with him once we enter the mountains. How about this, Fellow Daoist Lu, give me a few Qi Gathering Pills, and I'll go fetch his head for you."

A fragrant breeze drifted from behind. Lu Xiaotian turned around and realized that Wang Yuan's curvaceous body was already pressed very close to him. As he turned, he nearly bumped into her prominent chest. Lu Xiaotian was a genuine virgin, and this was the first time a woman had been so close to him; his neck instantly flushed with embarrassment. He hurriedly took a step back and said, "No need. If he seeks death, I can handle him myself."

"Exactly. Brother Lu's cultivation is not lower than yours; there's no need for you to step in," Luo Qing said crossly to Wang Yuan.

"I was just trying to remind you. The deal between Fan Qing and He Tuozi is certainly not simple. These two siblings seem to trust you quite a bit. At the critical moment, only you two can keep Fan Qing in check; when that time comes, they will surely stand on your side."

Wang Yuan whispered a few words into Lu Xiaotian's ear, glanced at Luo Qing, and then giggled, stepping aside.

"That vixen!" Luo Qing muttered a low scolding and reminded Lu Xiaotian, "Brother Lu, that woman is very mysterious. Don't easily believe what she says."

"I won't." Lu Xiaotian gave a sudden smile. Luo Qing seemed to harbor some hostility toward Wang Yuan, but Wang Yuan was indeed not simple; he also felt there was something suspicious about her, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet.

"Let's move quickly. We must reach a rogue cultivator gathering point in the mountains before dark, otherwise, traveling at night is extremely dangerous," Fan Qing said.

Everyone nodded. Demon beasts were even more active at night. If they failed to reach a gathering point, their team could easily be attacked.

The other rogue cultivators leaving the city clearly shared this thought. After passing through the gates, the various groups increased their speed, stepping out with techniques like Lightness Arts and Wind-Guiding Arts, covering several yards with every stride.

The leopard's speed was not slow, but Lu Xiaotian spent most of his time cultivating and refining pills. With sufficient spirit stones inside his barrier, he wouldn't ride the leopard just to make things easier; this was a rare opportunity to practice his spells.

After casting their spells, everyone's speed increased dramatically. The towering walls of Wangyue City vanished behind them.

Upon entering the forest, although other rogue cultivator teams occasionally passed them by, there were many gathering points for rogue cultivators in the mountains. Each had its own planned resting and resupply points. As they took different directions, the number of rogue cultivators around them grew sparser.

"There are too many rogue cultivator teams on the way to the gathering point. Even if there are spiritual items, most have been picked clean by others. I know a small path that is less traveled and shorter, though the terrain is a bit worse. For us cultivators, it doesn't make much difference, and we might even get lucky and find some spiritual herbs or spirit stones along the way," He Tuozi suggested after they had been running for an hour and a half.

"Fine by me. We haven't encountered anything on this journey; it's incredibly boring." He Tuozi's suggestion was quickly echoed by Zhang Guang, who was also entering the mountains for the first time and had grown impatient with the tedious travel.

The others had no objections. Many rogue cultivators frequented this area, and there was relatively little danger during the day. At night, however, demon beasts from other areas might wander in.

"Alright then, I'll lead the way. Although there aren't any powerful demon beasts, there are some annoying demon insects and such. It's best if everyone maintains their protective shields."

As he spoke, an Earth Spirit Shield with a pale yellow glow appeared around He Tuozi's body. Its defense was inferior to Earth Spirit Armor, but it consumed less essence and could last longer, providing protection against attacks from low-level demon insects and beasts.

Luo Yuan and the others all raised their shields—Water Spirit Shields, Fire Spirit Shields, and so on. Lu Xiaotian held his sword in his right hand and pressed a spiritual talisman against his left palm, while also augmenting himself with a Vajra Shield, following the group cautiously.

He Tuozi led the group across a stream and over two small hills. They were currently on a hilltop where many tea trees grew; many of the cheapest spiritual teas served in the restaurants of Wangyue City were harvested from these very trees. A winding goat path led down, looping around a dense bamboo grove.

This time, the hot-tempered Zhang Guang was running ahead.

"Eh? Spring-Condensing Grass!"

Luo Qing had sharp eyes and happened to spot a spiritual herb partially hidden by several tea trees near the bamboo grove. Overjoyed, he dashed forward, plucked the herb, and turned to Lu Xiaotian.

"Brother Lu, can you use this herb?"

"I should be able to use it in the future. This Spring-Condensing Grass looks to be less than two years old; it's worth three low-grade spirit stones. Take this Qi Gathering Pill for now, and you can make up the difference later."

Lu Xiaotian took the Spring-Condensing Grass and placed it into his storage bag—which actually meant placing it into his barrier. Spring-Condensing Grass could be used to refine Rejuvenation Pills, which could treat many types of spell damage and, in many instances, could even save a life.

"Thank you, Brother Lu," Luo Qing said happily, taking the pill.