Entering the Mountain

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

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

There was no doubt that the jungle would be more dangerous at night, so he had to be fully prepared.

Fortunately, he had already thought of this, so while he was reading in Old Man Zhao's house, he focused on books about demonic beasts, medicinal herbs, and ores.

This way, he wouldn't miss any treasures.

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

So now, all he needed was to prepare some insect repellent powder and the like.

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, but he still cautioned him before he left.

Lu Ming wasn't a child. Having experienced ups and downs in his past life, he naturally knew how unpredictable people could be.

Furthermore, he had grown up reading countless wuxia novels, so he was quite knowledgeable.

However, a warmth spread through his heart, and he could feel 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 slung his long saber over his shoulder and left with a flourish.

"A fledgling eagle taking flight, whether it soars or perishes, depends on its own steps."

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

From his time spent with Lu Ming, he knew that Lu Ming's mindset far surpassed that of ordinary people.

So he wasn't too worried.

Of course, there were still dangers, and significant ones at that, but as he had said, whether he soared or perished would depend on Lu Ming's own journey.

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

However, after some thought, he abandoned the idea.

The reasons were twofold: first, he shouldn't carry too many things when entering the mountains this time;

second, he feared that someone might be lying in wait nearby.

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

Moreover, 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 for the south gate.

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

Deep within the forest where Lu Ming had awakened last time, the completely uncovered stone coffin lay alone in the silence. Not even the chirping of insects could be heard.

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.

"Sect Leader, we've been staking this place out for over half a month. It seems the person who left footprints here isn't coming back."

said a young man.

The burly man frowned as he looked at the stone coffin before turning to an old man wearing a hat.

"What do you think, Advisor Liu?"

Advisor Liu fanned himself with a folding fan and confidently replied:

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, it's the same as I said. Besides that person's footprints, there's also the paw prints of a fierce tiger. Coupled with the small chest of gold and silver left in the tomb, we can deduce that the person must have been startled away by that fierce tiger just as they were collecting items from the stone coffin."

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

The burly man remained noncommittal and turned to another person. "Have you found that fierce tiger?"

The man quickly replied, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, not yet. That fierce tiger probably doesn't live in this forest, as 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 keeping watch near the official road seen anyone suspicious recently?"

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, no." The man hesitated.

"In other words, neither the person nor the tiger has been found, and it's uncertain 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 previously confident advisor stopped fanning himself.

"Hmph!"

Seeing no one could give him a definitive answer, the burly man snorted, grabbed the edge of the stone coffin, and then the stone coffin, like tofu, had a piece easily torn off and crushed into powder.

It was clear his expression was one of extreme unwillingness. Anyone could imagine that the truly valuable treasure was inside the stone coffin.

But now, only scattered bones remained inside.

"Let's stake out for a few more days, and continue searching for clues. We must confirm if that person is dead!"

"Yes!"

On the other side, Lu Ming naturally didn't know he had unintentionally avoided a skirmish. He was currently galloping along the official road, employing his Soaring Cloud Skill.

A burst of excitement.

He discovered that practicing his Lightness Skill in open areas felt completely different from practicing it in confined spaces. It was a feeling of breaking free from restraints and roaming the world at will.

So exhilarating.

"Now I feel a bit like a knight-errant from a wuxia novel."

Holding his long saber, Lu Ming glanced back at the city left far behind him, sighed, then collected his thoughts and focused on his journey.

The south city gate was always bustling, but the farther one got from the gate, the fewer people there were. After turning onto the path leading into the Shuofeng Mountain Range, people became even scarcer.

He basically encountered no one.

However, Lu Ming became even more cautious, because the surroundings were no longer open. Strictly speaking, this was already 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 a path, and the forest became denser. This meant he had finally arrived.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared to step inside.

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

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

Seeing Lu Ming, he was clearly a bit surprised. However, after giving Lu Ming a cold glance, he simply walked past him as if he were nothing.

"As expected of someone who dares to enter the mountains; even a random person has reached the seventh level of Inner Qi."

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 to him.

In the wilderness, everywhere was filled with killing – between man and beast, man and man. Not acknowledging each other 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, visibility wasn't great.

So he proceeded very slowly.

It took him more than a quarter of an hour before he encountered his first opponent.