The Trap on Red-Silk Mountain
The other side had three unfamiliar cultivators, all at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
This wasn't the Greenwood Sect, and they weren't his colleagues, so Bully at Home wouldn't take effect.
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[You quietly scattered some Spirit-Eroding Powder over yourself, concealing the signs of your Foundation Establishment cultivation.]
[The presence you gave off dropped to Qi Refining Perfection.]
[Spirit-Eroding Powder was a poison effective even against those in the Foundation Establishment Realm, yet you had somehow used it as a Qi-concealing powder.]
[You didn't take the mountain path they had followed.]
[You made your way around the lava ridge, releasing your Divine Sense for only half a breath at a time and keeping more than two hundred zhang away from them.]
[When the monk ahead reached the cave entrance, he suddenly stopped.]
[He didn't turn around. He merely moved one bead on his wooden prayer beads, then said in a clear voice,]
["Fellow Daoist, come with us."]
[You stood motionless behind a black rock, concealing every trace of your presence.]
[You couldn't tell whether he had discovered you or was bluffing.]
[The monk waited three breaths. When no one answered, he paid it no mind and said calmly,]
["If you won't come, so be it."]
[With that, the monk stepped into the cave.]
[His two companions looked at his retreating figure and exchanged glances, but said nothing and followed him inside.]
[You waited another half a quarter of an hour. Only after making sure the three had gone far ahead did you enter the cave.]
[As soon as you stepped inside, fire Spiritual Qi rushed at your face.]
[The concentration of Spiritual Qi in the cave was actually no less than at the Greenwood Sect's mountain gate.]
[You had only gone a hundred zhang when the first scream came from deep within the cave. A second followed immediately after.]
[Keeping your expression unchanged, you pressed close to the stone wall and released only a wisp of Divine Sense.]
[The fire crows in the cave formed a crow formation led by a Spirit Awakening Late Stage crow and attacked in swarms.]
[A Demon Beast at the Spirit Awakening Late Stage was equivalent to a Human Race cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.]
[The lead crow was twice the size of the others. Every time it beat its wings, the flight paths of the other fire crows shifted in unison.]
[It simply hovered behind the crow formation, like a general truly directing his troops.]
[The cultivator with the iron staff lay on the ground, half his body charred black.]
[The remains of seven or eight fire crows lay scattered before him. Clearly, he had taken quite a few down with him before he died.]
[Three fire crows had torn through the sword cultivator's shield, and his chest had already caved in.]
[His flying sword was embedded in the cave wall, with two fire crows still impaled on its blade.]
[The monk held up a golden alms bowl alone and retreated seven steps in a row.]
[With every step he took back, the rock beneath his feet cracked.]
[The fire crows forced him to retreat deeper into the cave.]
[The monk spat out a mouthful of blood and suddenly looked in your direction.]
["Fellow Daoist back there, I can't hold on any longer."]
["If you don't act now, you won't be able to escape once I'm dead."]
[You still didn't move.]
[The monk kicked a fire crow aside, a trace of struggle appearing on his face, then said,]
["I have information about a secret realm. There's golden-patterned yellow bud ganoderma inside."]
[As an Alchemist, you naturally knew what the monk meant.]
[Golden-patterned yellow bud ganoderma was the main ingredient in the Yellow Fang Pill.]
[The Yellow Fang Pill was a breakthrough pill for those at Foundation Establishment seeking to reach Golden Core.]
[Han Changqing, the person with the highest cultivation in the Greenwood Sect, was only at Foundation Establishment Perfection.]
[Bring that thing to the Greenwood Sect, and the people in the main hall would beat each other's brains out over it.]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Continue watching. After the monk dies, search his soul or loot his corpse.]
[B: Take action. Save the monk first, then get the information about the secret realm.]
[C: Shout a price from a distance, demand that the monk pay a deposit first, and offer a seven-day, no-questions-asked refund.]
Since the monk had dared to reveal the golden-patterned yellow bud ganoderma on the spot, he had most likely taken precautions.
If Lu Ping really waited until he died, he might not get anything.
Besides, the person behind the fire crows had yet to show himself.
Taking action now meant saving the monk and finding himself a temporary meat shield.
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[You stepped out of the shadows and raised a hand, unleashing Red Fire Finger.]
[A line of fire shot through the passage and pierced a Black-Feather Fire Crow.]
[As soon as you attacked, you could no longer conceal your Foundation Establishment Early Stage presence.]
[The monk glanced at you, but said nothing.]
[As you attacked, you secretly scattered Spirit-Eroding Powder.]
[You unleashed Red Fire Finger repeatedly.]
[The lead crow noticed you and beat its wings. Three fire crows broke away from the formation and swooped at you.]
[You fired Red Fire Finger three times in quick succession, shooting down all three.]
[The monk smashed his golden alms bowl forward.]
["Fellow Daoist, your techniques are superb. It would be better if I held them off at the front."]
[Seeing that the crow formation had lost more than half its members, the lead crow finally stopped sitting safely at the back.]
[It let out a piercing shriek and dove down itself, both claws aimed straight at the monk's golden alms bowl.]
[The claw strength of a Spirit Awakening Late Stage Demon Beast was no small matter. The monk staggered back two steps, blood splitting from the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.]
[The lead crow's wings struck the stone wall, sending shards of rock flying.]
[It was wounded as well. The sword cultivator's flying sword had earlier sliced off part of its tail feathers, and a gash in its belly had been punched through by the iron staff.]
[You seized the chance to attack from the side, aiming Red Fire Finger at the base of its wing.]
[The lead crow couldn't dodge in time, and you pierced a hole through its right wing.]
[The fire crows were already an arrow at the end of its flight. With you joining the fight, the ordinary fire crows fell to the ground one after another.]
[The lead crow couldn't hold the line alone and began organizing the remaining fire crows' retreat.]
[Just then, someone clapped twice from deep inside the cave.]
[A middle-aged man walked out.]
[His complexion was bluish, and five fire rings encircled the bones of his fingers.]
[With every step he took, the remaining fire crows moved aside of their own accord.]
[The lead crow beat its wings and landed on his shoulder, docile as could be. It seemed like a different bird from the one before.]
[His cultivation was at Foundation Establishment Perfection.]
[One on the other side was a Spirit Awakening Late Stage Demon Beast, equivalent to the Human Race at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.]
[The other was a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator.]
[Two at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage against two at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage and a flock of fire crows.]
[The positions of attacker and defender had reversed.]
[The middle-aged man looked at the monk, then at you. A greedy expression appeared on his face, and he couldn't even resist licking his tongue.]
["Hahaha. I was still four Foundation Establishment cultivators' worth of flesh and blood short."]
[His gaze swept over the two corpses on the ground before settling on you and the monk.]
["I never expected to collect everything I needed in one go today. Truly, heaven is helping me!"]
[Looking at the middle-aged man's crazed appearance, the monk said,]
["You raise demons to eat people. Aren't you afraid the surrounding sects will join forces to wipe you out?"]
[Hearing the monk's words, the middle-aged man stopped laughing.]
["The sects will join forces to wipe me out? You mean the Greenwood Sect?"]
["A debt-collecting outfit like the Greenwood Sect thinks it's fit to interfere with me?"]
[While the monk and the middle-aged man were talking, you continued spreading Spirit-Eroding Powder along the ground.]
[The fire Spiritual Qi here was so dense that it suppressed the powder's scent. No one noticed you were using poison.]
[After your little maneuver, you began stalling for time.]
["Senior, you've cultivated to Foundation Establishment Perfection, yet you're still here raising birds. Surely it can't be for a few Spirit Stones?"]
[Flattery took effect.]
[When the middle-aged man heard the word "senior," the fire rings on his hand slowed slightly.]
["You have a way with words, kid. What a pity. Even people with a way with words won't spill any less blood."]
[You took another half-step back.]
["I'm just curious. Why would someone like you, Senior, stay out in a border region?"]
["Wouldn't you have better prospects in the Azure Yang Central Region?"]