Scheming

Ever since Xia Mo broke through to Dou Zhe in the small valley, he had followed Xiao Yi Xian to Qingshan Town.

Through Xiao Yi Xian's recommendation, Xia Mo demonstrated his knowledge of basic medicinal herbs to Boss Yao of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, successfully impressing the skinflaying boss.

After some "friendly negotiations," the final agreement was this: Xia Mo would be hired as a physician's apprentice at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion in Qingshan Town, with a base salary of five gold coins per month. Medical fees would be split seventy-thirty, and any medicinal herbs found while accompanying mercenaries into the Monster Mountain Range would be purchased at half price. Boss Yao truly lived up to the name Yao the Skinflayer.

Even under such terms, Xia Mo could only accept. He and Xiao Yi Xian were still young and had nowhere else to go. Moreover, Xiao Yi Xian had been taken in by Boss Yao. Though his intentions were far from pure, at least he had allowed Xiao Yi Xian to live happily in Qingshan Town.

Still, Xia Mo did not fear him at his current strength. If he could not win, he could run. His wings did not require Dou Qi, after all. It would merely create unnecessary trouble and affect his future plans, so it was best for everyone to remain at peace.

More importantly, Xia Mo did not have a single gold coin on him. The only way to quickly amass wealth was to find the cave treasure on the outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range. Not only did it contain a large number of gold coins and medicinal herbs, but also cultivation methods and Dou Techniques. Altogether, it should be worth several million gold coins.

A physician's apprentice at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion in Qingshan Town might be insignificant to truly important figures, but this identity was quite valuable to him. In a small town where Dou Shi stood at the peak, physicians were people who could save lives.

His most urgent task was to locate that cave treasure, quickly earn enough money for a low-grade Storage Ring, and then find an opportunity to bring back the wealth from the cave. With that initial capital, he could rapidly raise his strength.

After breaking through to Dou Zhe, Xia Mo had already gathered Phoenix Flame within his body and sensed that he possessed a wood attribute. This made him breathe a huge sigh of relief. In this Dou Qi world where strength reigned supreme and the weak were prey to the strong, aside from powerful experts, Alchemists occupied a class of their own. Whether low-level or high-level cultivators, everyone needed medicinal pills; only the grades they required differed.

Especially since if someone killed an Alchemist through force and word got out, obtaining medicinal pills afterward would become extremely difficult. Naturally, this did not include Alchemists who brought death upon themselves. From this alone, having the status of a high-level Alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent was incomparable. Some high-level Alchemists were immensely powerful themselves, and they also had countless "good friends" willing to help them for a single pill.

The Dou Qi Continent was vast. Even powerful experts could not traverse the entire continent, so many senior experts without descendants chose, at the end of their lives, to leave behind their inheritances in various ways, waiting for those destined to find them.

So if one day you fell off a cliff, do not panic. Get up and take two more steps forward. Perhaps you would become a powerful expert. This was no empty claim; such legends of powerful experts were far from rare across the continent.

One month later, at dawn, Xia Mo stood at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. Facing the morning glow, he looked toward the place of his birth in this life—the Monster Mountain Range. It was full of opportunities, but even more blood and tears.

Over the past month, Xia Mo had successfully cultivated the Profound-tier high-grade cultivation method from his inherited memories, the Ancient Dragon Jade, and his cultivation had advanced to a two-star Dou Zhe. Advancing one star in a month felt painfully slow to Xia Mo. After all, Xiao Yan had risen to a four-star Dou Zhe in a single month after cultivating the Flame Mantra. But then he remembered that the Flame Mantra was a Yellow-tier low-grade cultivation method while the Ancient Dragon Jade was Profound-tier high-grade, and Xiao Yan even had an old grandpa with him. He no longer dwelled on it so much.

"The Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion is heading into the mountains to gather herbs! We need to hire thirty people, and your strength must not be below Dou Zhe! Those who want to sign up, line up here! Hurry, hurry! We depart once the slots are filled!"

The Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was the medicinal herb shop closest to the Monster Mountain Range. Mercenaries tended to be rough when gathering herbs, so every month, the pavilion hired its own team to enter the Monster Mountain Range and collect medicinal herbs. Each time, a physician or physician's apprentice accompanied them to ensure they gathered suitable herbs. Moreover, the Monster Mountain Range was fraught with danger. Even with a large team, injuries were unavoidable. This was an excellent opportunity to learn.

The nearby mercenaries rushed over to line up when they heard the announcement. The Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion paid rather well, and there was even a physician in the team. That was security.

"Me! Me! I'm a two-star Dou Zhe!"

"I'm three-star!"

"Ah, I only have Nine-stage Dou Qi."

Before long, the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion's hired team was full. This was Xiao Yi Xian's first time leading a team into the mountains to gather herbs since completing her apprenticeship. However, she had treated many people and held considerable prestige in Qingshan Town. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare touch her. After all, they licked blood from the edge of a blade in the Monster Mountain Range, and no one knew when they might need Xiao Yi Xian to save them.

However, Xia Mo had volunteered to accompany Xiao Yi Xian on this trip, worried that something might happen to her. Most physicians were unwilling to follow teams into the mountains to gather herbs. They could make money simply by seeing patients and treating injuries in town, so why risk their lives in the Monster Mountain Range?

Once the team had assembled and packed their equipment, they prepared to set out. Since each trip took several days, Boss Yao had even come personally to remind them to protect the equipment. Although they were only heading into the outer region, no one knew whether an accident might occur in the Monster Mountain Range.

Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian sat in a carriage at the center of the formation. "Set off!" At Xiao Yi Xian's command, the large group headed toward the Monster Mountain Range. Magical beasts roamed the range, and dangers lurked everywhere. Few people traveled alone there; generally, they worked as a team.

Along the way, Xia Mo spotted no fewer than three or four other mercenary groups. They merely exchanged glances before quickly moving on. Magical beasts were dangerous, but the human heart was even more dangerous. The team watched their surroundings vigilantly, weapons in hand, advancing silently toward their destination.

These veteran mercenaries, who had spent many years in the Monster Mountain Range, displayed an indescribable tacit understanding despite never having worked together before. Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian moved at the center of the team, surrounded by the others. Half a day of such tense, high-intensity travel had no effect on Xia Mo, a magical beast, but it was difficult for Xiao Yi Xian.

Xiao Yi Xian looked frail to begin with. Before her Poison Body of Calamity awakened, she had not even possessed the strength of a Dou Zhe before meeting Xiao Yan, much less now. "Stop for a moment. Let me check the map," Xiao Yi Xian called out.

Upon hearing Xiao Yi Xian's words, the surrounding mercenaries spread out to stand guard while Xia Mo leaned over and studied the crude map with her.

"We should be here already. We ought to reach our destination by noon tomorrow. But after we finish this afternoon's stretch, the rest of the route has many cliffs and the mountain paths are difficult to travel. We definitely cannot move at night," Xiao Yi Xian said while looking at the map.

"Then we should pick up the pace this afternoon and try to reach the area near the cliffs by dusk to set up camp. We can rest for the night and continue tomorrow. Traveling at night could easily cause an accident and throw the team into chaos," Xia Mo replied as he studied the map.

Xiao Yi Xian spoke to a mercenary who appeared to carry some authority, and the team continued onward.

Xia Mo constantly observed the surroundings, deepening his impression of the route. He had been nearby when Yao the Skinflayer spoke with Xiao Yi Xian, so he knew this medicinal herb basin was a place where the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion frequently gathered herbs. Though there were no particularly precious medicinal herbs, it was still immensely profitable for a medicinal herb shop like the pavilion, which had physicians. In particular, the cliffs marked on the map deserved Xia Mo's close attention.

To find the cave treasure, Xia Mo repeatedly asked Xiao Yi Xian about the appearance of the White Orchid Fruit and what it looked like after withering. With Xia Mo's soul power and racial talent, after impressing the image so deeply upon his mind, he would find that plant even if it had turned to ashes.