Entering the Mountains

The Shuofeng Mountain Range is located a hundred miles south of Shuofeng City. At Lu Ming's current speed, it would take him at least several hours to get there.

A round trip would nearly take up the entire day, so he had to consider the possibility of spending the night in the mountains.

Undoubtedly, the jungle would be more dangerous at night, so he had to prepare thoroughly.

Fortunately, he had already thought of this. While reading in Old Man Zhao's house, he had primarily focused on content related to demonic beasts, medicinal herbs, and ores.

This was to avoid missing any treasures.

In addition, he had also specifically read many books introducing the terrain, landscape, and other features of the Shuofeng Mountain Range.

Therefore, all he needed now was to prepare some insect repellent powder and similar items.

It took him more than half a day to get everything ready.

"Remember, in the wilderness, the most terrifying thing isn't demonic beasts, but people. Don't trust others easily."

Old Man Zhao naturally knew about Lu Ming's itinerary and wasn't surprised by his choice. He simply offered this advice before Lu Ming departed.

Lu Ming wasn't a child. Having experienced ups and downs in his past life, he naturally understood the difficulty of discerning people's true intentions.

Moreover, he had grown up immersed in martial arts novels and wasn't lacking in experience.

Still, his heart warmed, feeling Old Man Zhao's genuine concern. "Don't worry, old man. I'll bring you fresh venison when I get back."

Without dwelling on sentimental matters, he then left with his long saber, a picture of carefree elegance.

"A fledgling eagle spreading its wings—whether it soars or perishes depends on your own steps."

Watching Lu Ming's figure cross the single-plank bridge, Old Man Zhao suddenly muttered to himself before lying back down.

From his interactions with Lu Ming during this period, he knew Lu Ming's mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary people.

So, he wasn't too worried.

Of course, danger still existed, and it was significant. But as he said, whether Lu Ming soared or perished would depend on his own confrontation with it.

At this moment, Lu Ming had already reached the street. He wasn't walking fast, as he was contemplating whether to retrieve the two books he had hidden outside the north city.

However, after some thought, he abandoned the idea.

The reasons were twofold: Firstly, he shouldn't carry too many items when entering the mountains this time.

Secondly, he feared someone might be lying in wait nearby.

After such a long time, Old Man Heavenly Saber's tomb must have been discovered long ago. Those who found it and saw the remaining treasures might be lurking nearby, waiting for him to return.

Furthermore, the location where he hid his books wasn't far from the tomb.

He didn't want to walk into a trap.

Therefore, without further hesitation, he quickened his pace and headed directly towards the south city gate.

The northern part of Shuofeng City wasn't entirely plains; there were also forests, though small, like little hills.

Deep within the woods where Lu Ming had last awakened, the fully exposed stone coffin lay solitary, surrounded by silence.

There wasn't even the chirping of insects.

However, after a moment, a rustling sound could be heard – the sound of footsteps on sand.

About ten people approached, led by a burly man with a full beard.

They walked directly to the stone coffin.

"Boss, we've been staking this place out for over half a month. It seems the person who left footprints isn't coming back," a young man said.

The burly man frowned as he looked at the stone coffin before him. After a moment, he turned to an old man wearing a hat and asked:

"What do you think, Advisor Liu?"

"Replying to the boss, it's the same as before. Besides that person's footprints, there's also the track of a fierce tiger here. Combined with the small chest of gold and silver left in the tomb, we can infer that the person only had time to scavenge the contents of the stone coffin before being scared away by the tiger."

"So, if he's not dead, he'll definitely come back for the treasure."

The burly man neither agreed nor disagreed. He then turned to another person and asked, "Have you found that fierce tiger yet?"

The man quickly replied, "Replying to the boss, not yet. That fierce tiger probably doesn't live in this forest, so we haven't found its den."

"However, we've already had people expand the search area." Perhaps sensing a lack of progress, he quickly added.

"Have the people watching the main road outside seen anyone suspicious recently?"

"Replying to the boss, no," the man hesitated.

"So, neither the person nor the tiger's tracks have been found, and we can't even confirm if the person was eaten?"

The burly man's voice turned cold.

The people around him quickly lowered their heads, not daring to respond. Even the confident advisor stopped fanning himself.

"Hmph!"

Seeing that no one could give him a definitive answer, the burly man snorted. He grabbed the edge of the stone coffin, and instantly, a piece of it crumbled as if it were made of tofu. He then crushed it into powder.

His expression was one of extreme unwillingness. Anyone could tell that the truly valuable treasures were inside the stone coffin.

But now, only scattered bones remained inside the stone coffin.

"Let's stake out for a few more days, and we'll continue searching for traces. We must confirm if that person is dead or not!"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, Lu Ming was naturally unaware that he had accidentally avoided a skirmish. He was currently galloping on the official road, practicing the [Cloud Soaring Skill].

A surge of excitement.

He discovered that practicing Qinggong in open areas felt completely different from practicing it in confined spaces, giving him a sense of breaking free from restraints and soaring through the heavens at will.

It was incredibly exhilarating.

"Now I feel a bit like the chivalrous heroes from those wuxia novels."

Holding his saber, Lu Ming glanced back at the city far behind him, let out a sigh, then collected his thoughts and focused on the journey.

The south city gate was always bustling, but the further one got from it, the fewer people there were. After turning onto the path leading into the Shuofeng Mountain Range, the crowds thinned out even more.

He basically didn't encounter anyone.

However, Lu Ming became even more cautious and vigilant because the surroundings were no longer open. Strictly speaking, he had entered the outer perimeter of the Shuofeng Mountain Range.

It's just that due to the constant stream of Martial Artists entering and exiting, the outer boundary of the mountain range had been continuously pushed inward.

After walking for about another half an hour, Lu Ming no longer saw any road, and the forest became denser. This meant he had finally arrived.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared to step inside.

Just then, a sound of heavy footsteps suddenly approached, as if someone was about to come out.

He quickly placed his hand on his saber hilt, on guard. In the next moment, the owner of the footsteps revealed himself – a man carrying a wild boar on his back.

Seeing Lu Ming, he was clearly surprised, but after giving Lu Ming a cold glance, he walked past him as if nothing had happened.

"As expected of someone who dares to enter the mountains; even an ordinary person is at the seventh level of inner energy."

Only after the figure disappeared did Lu Ming remove his hand from his saber hilt. He wasn't surprised that the man hadn't said a word.

In the wilderness, killing was rampant – between beasts and humans, and among humans. Not interacting was already the greatest kindness.

As for Lu Ming himself, as long as others didn't provoke him, he wouldn't initiate conflict.

Without further thought, Lu Ming continued into the mountains. Since there was no path, it was difficult to move, and with the tall, dense trees, his vision was also poor.

Therefore, he proceeded very slowly.

It wasn't until more than fifteen minutes later that he encountered his first opponent.