Teaming Up

The other party grunted and raised their staff again. In a flash, Liu Xiaolou rolled about ten feet to the right. With a flick of his wrist, the Misty Incense Tendon was revealed, ready for a desperate counterattack.

Seeing Liu Xiaolou escape, the other party freed their right hand and changed it into a palm. In the dark night, their single palm subtly glowed with a radiant light that resembled a crane spreading its wings, ready to take flight.

"I'll beat you in this pitch blackness!"

Just then, a voice boomed from the net where Zuo Gaofeng was hanging, "Tan Bazhang!"

This loud shout instantly interrupted the fierce battle. Liu Xiaolou froze, staring intently at the person. The other party also froze, then hopped back three steps, leaning slightly forward as they looked back and forth between Liu Xiaolou and the netted Zuo Gaofeng.

"It's me, Zuo Gaofeng! The one you're hitting is my sworn brother Liu, Liu Xiaolou of the Three Xuan Sect!"

"Oh dear!" The person slapped their forehead, dropped the iron staff, and tore off their black mask. They rushed over, lowered the net, and kept muttering, "My apologies, my apologies! We're all friends here!"

As the mask came off, Liu Xiaolou recognized him as Tan Bazhang, whom he had met once before.

That previous meeting had also been thanks to Wei Hongqing. This person was also a victim of Wei Hongqing's wandering, and they had all cursed together on Ghost Dream Cliff that day!

Zuo Gaofeng, now free from the net, asked curiously, "Brother Tan, what are you doing here in Wuling Mountain?"

Tan Bazhang said sheepishly, "I was planning a long trip, but I ran into some bandits on the way and lost all my travel money. I figured this mountain would be a good place to do some business. Who would have thought my first customer would be two brothers? Oh, please forgive my rudeness!"

He then turned to Liu Xiaolou to apologize again, "Brother Liu, please be magnanimous and don't hold my rashness against me!"

Liu Xiaolou could only force a smile, "It's nothing, it's nothing."

Tan Bazhang gave him a thumbs-up, "Brother Liu, you have excellent skills! My life's cultivation in that one staff strike was easily blocked by you. I'm truly impressed, truly impressed!"

Liu Xiaolou's wrist was still trembling, and he certainly hadn't blocked it "easily." But since he wasn't familiar with Tan Bazhang, he didn't dare show weakness and simply said with a calm demeanor, "You flatter me, you flatter me!"

Zuo Gaofeng was slightly more familiar with Tan Bazhang and chatted with him for a bit, asking where he was headed. Tan Bazhang said his Tan Family cousins in Yuanling had summoned him for something, and he was rushing to meet them. As for what the matter was, it was a family affair, so Zuo Gaofeng didn't pry further.

However, since Tan Bazhang had lost his travel money, and fellow travelers should help each other out, Zuo Gaofeng gave him ten taels of silver. Tan Bazhang accepted it without any hesitation.

Zuo Gaofeng said, "There are too many insects, snakes, and fierce beasts in the mountains, not to mention bandits. It's not safe for you to travel alone, Brother Tan. Why don't we travel together out of the mountain?"

Tan Bazhang immediately nodded, "Damn it, there are too many scoundrels on this road. I'd be delighted to travel with you two."

And so, the three of them happily set off together, crossing mountains and ridges. By noon the next day, they had left the Wuling Mountain area.

All good things must come to an end, and with different destinations, they had to part ways here. Although their journey through Wuling Mountain was short, they had forged a deep friendship. As they parted, they were reluctant to leave each other, bidding farewell and wishing each other well.

"We brothers met in Wuling Mountain, so we are fated. If you ever need anything in the future, you can find me at Half-Acre Gorge. I will not refuse!"

"Brother Zuo, your words are true. Since we are fated, we will meet again. Then, Brother Tan will drink with Brother Zuo and Brother Liu!"

"This younger brother thanks both of you, elder brothers. When we meet again, we won't stop drinking until we're drunk!"

With that, Zuo Gaofeng headed northeast, Tan Bazhang went southeast, and Liu Xiaolou set off on the road directly east. The three brothers were close to tears.

After traveling east for more than ten miles, Liu Xiaolou turned south, then traveled twenty miles before heading west again. This detour added an extra twenty to thirty miles, but fortunately, he arrived at Tianmen Mountain before nightfall.

Tianmen Mountain had two main peaks, each a hundred feet high. A natural stone bridge connected the peaks, resembling a gate to heaven, creating a magnificent sight, hence its name, Tianmen Mountain.

Liu Xiaolou was also visiting this place for the first time. Seeing the majestic Heavenly Gate, he was greatly awestruck. He gazed upwards for a long time, thinking to himself, "This divine craftsmanship could be the work of heavenly gods. Are there truly immortals and gods in the heavens? I wonder if their dwelling places look like this."

For a moment, his desire to seek immortality and cultivate the Dao became even more fervent.

Beneath this Heavenly Gate, a market town had sprung up who knows how many years ago. Dozens of sects, major families, and countless rogue cultivators from the Jingxiang region frequented it, selling all sorts of spiritual materials, spiritual flowers, spiritual herbs, spirit elixirs, magical artifacts, and magic talismans. Shops selling these items were abundant, as were inns, tea houses, brothels, gambling dens, and stables, making it incredibly prosperous.

This market town was ten times more bustling than Wu Chao Town.

Liu Xiaolou walked through the lively streets, looking from one shop to another, truly dazzled.

Dai Shenggao had said he met Wei Hongqing at the Hongji Restaurant on the east side of Tianmen Market. This sworn brother of his was known to enjoy alcohol, so the Hongji Restaurant was the obvious choice for finding him. And since it had "Hong" in its name, this was definitely the place.

He walked and searched, finally finding the Hongji Restaurant at the east end of the market town.

The three-story restaurant was quite grand. It was evening, and many customers were coming and going. The restaurant's staff shouted out greetings in a language he didn't understand, shuttling back and forth with trays, pitchers, and wine barrels.

The top floor was full, so Liu Xiaolou chose the second floor. There were no window seats available, so he found a table in a corner. He ordered three small dishes, and when the rice and drinks were served, he started eating heartily.

The Hongji Restaurant had a solid background and considerable strength. Their menu offered over ten types of spiritual birds and exotic beasts, but the prices were outrageously high, so Liu Xiaolou didn't dare order them. The three small dishes he ordered were ordinary fare, but the bowl of rice was spirit rice, and he also ordered a small pot of spirit wine. This alone cost five taels of silver, which ordinary people truly couldn't afford.

Even Liu Xiaolou could only afford such extravagance occasionally.

Putting aside the food, the spirit wine was light in flavor, and the spiritual energy was slightly lacking, much inferior to the spirit wine he had drunk at Jinping Mountain Villa. However, for spirit wine costing five taels of silver a pot, one couldn't expect much more. The waiter had recommended the superior Bamboo Leaf Green, which cost dozens or even hundreds of taels of silver, or sometimes even spirit stones. He couldn't afford that either.

He ate and drank leisurely for half an hour but still hadn't seen Wei Hongqing. Just as he was contemplating finding a waiter to inquire, someone from a private room inside, behind a curtain, called out to a waiter, "Bring another pot of Bamboo Leaf Green!"

Liu Xiaolou couldn't help but smile. "Well, well, Wei Hongqing, you're really here!"

When they met, Wei Hongqing gave him a bear hug, nearly suffocating Liu Xiaolou.

Once Wei Hongqing released him, he patted Liu Xiaolou on the shoulder and said, "Xiaolou, I knew you'd come, haha!"

Liu Xiaolou mumbled, "That old Spirit Ginseng..."

Wei Hongqing laughed, "It's truly a good thing, worthy of being a Spirit Ginseng grown on Shouyang Mountain. I steeped it in a jar of wine, and guess what? After three months, I drank it all in three days, and my cultivation advanced greatly, haha!"

Liu Xiaolou sighed helplessly and was pulled by Wei Hongqing into the private room, "Come, come, let me introduce you to a good friend!"