Sprinkle Evenly

The black-robed person felt a huge "Danger" sign glowing above their head just thinking about it.

"Old Black, you know that senior who guards the old data, right?"

"What about it?" the Black Goat asked, not understanding.

"He's only at the first stage of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, over 190 years old, and still clinging to life. Guess why?"

"What's it got to do with me? Stop changing the subject."

"Because he never goes looking for death. None of us are known for our combat prowess. We just need to do our own jobs, like using the Shepherd to get some Jinlan Ore, or investigating information. We never have to decide what to do next or what needs to be done. That's how we live longer."

The black-robed person was clear-headed and felt the Black Goat's current thoughts were dangerous.

"Even if the rumored missing head of Langya Academy isn't dead, even if he's hiding among the sheep, even if someone killed the Shepherd and rescued him.

And maybe because he was being hunted, or was severely injured, and had to take a cultivator who hadn't achieved the Way with him, which was very dangerous, so he could only temporarily send him to the mine.

Even if there's such a small chance of this happening, haven't you considered other problems?

Who would dare hunt the head of Langya Academy? How much courage would that take? No matter who killed that big shot, it couldn't be kept hidden forever.

The Emperor of Da Gan would personally inquire about such a matter immediately. His spies all over the world would be red-eyed, chasing every clue. Langya Academy would also spare no expense to find the killer."

"What are you thinking? I'd have to be crazy to dare hunt the head of Langya Academy," the Black Goat said, shocked. He took two steps back, thinking his companion had gone mad.

"Then why are you saying all this?"

"If there's a chance, of course, we should capture him... no, no, rescue him! Rescuing a living head of Langya Academy would be invaluable.

If we succeed, we won't have to come to this godforsaken place anymore. We can just sit at our base and give orders. We'll never give Mu Zhiqiu a chance to kill us again.

Of course, that's assuming my guess is correct."

The Black Goat couldn't help but laugh, already envisioning a better future.

"Are you sure the two of us can handle a cultivator? He might be a mortal, but he's not an ordinary one. How many cultivators have been killed by cultivators in previous years?"

"Basically certain. If he really hid in the Jinlan Mine with the Shepherd's help, then he definitely won't have much on him. Our only trouble would be those freaks in the Jinlan Mine."

"I think this is definitely not that simple. Let's not take the risk..." the black-robed person remained very cautious.

"I know what you're thinking. I've already thought of a fallback. If I'm not mistaken, and if there's a big problem, we'll just go over there. What do you call it..." the Black Goat chuckled, pointing his front hoof towards the southeast, the direction of the Great Gan Divine Dynasty.

"Become a traitor?" the black-robed person froze in place, never having considered that.

"Pah, I remember now. This is called abandoning the darkness and embracing the light, turning over a new leaf, and repenting. Then we'll be great contributors. Mu Zhiqiu will at least have to nod at us, if not greet us with a smile."

"Are you really a demon?" the black-robed person was convinced. Thinking about it, it seemed foolproof. A gamble, win and never risk their lives again, lose and there's no real loss. And if something really went wrong, there was a fallback.

"There's still one problem. Are you sure we can defeat those freaks in the Jinlan Mine? I still remember the records in the data bank.

Back then, outsiders coveted the Jinlan Mine, and many people died there. One third-stage body cultivator who had achieved a steel body had his head smashed to pieces by those freaks.

Who knows if there are still such terrifying freaks there now."

"No need to worry." The Black Goat opened its mouth and spat out a cloud of black mist, enveloping the two of them. The thin black mist dissipated in an instant, and their bodies disappeared into the air. The Black Goat smiled proudly. "If we encountered Mu Zhiqiu, this method of mine would be like lighting a lamp in a latrine at night. But those freaks are all mortals, they won't be able to discover us. And we're not going there to fight."

The black-robed person was persuaded. It wouldn't be a big problem to go and investigate first.

The person and the goat took a long detour, not daring to use any power to avoid detection. They could only run on the ground with their physical bodies, all the way to outside the Jinlan Mine.

The Black Goat's eyes moved slightly, surprised by the changes at the entrance. After looking for a moment, it decisively bypassed the left side.

The black-robed person moved with the wind, dragging the black mist that enveloped the two of them, silently drifting into the Locust tree forest on the right.

"This forest is strange. It always gives me a very dangerous feeling, but for now, it's quiet. I really don't dare to go left; it feels extremely dangerous."

The person and the goat entered Jinlan Village and immediately sensed the surge of anomalous power filling the heavens and earth. They weren't surprised by this. They only dared to use the power within their bodies, sticking to the edges as they cautiously infiltrated the outskirts of the village.

"I've forgotten something important. Do you know who we're supposed to be looking for? How will we find them? Cultivators are mortals, but everyone here is also mortal!" the black-robed person asked a soul-piercing question.

"Hiss..." The Black Goat froze, falling into thought.

An awkward silence lasted for a long time before the Black Goat said uncertainly.

"I've seen some cultivators, and they all have different auras. They all seem very wise. In your human terms, it's like 'a scholarly air naturally emanates from them.' He will definitely be different from these mortals. And to be a head of an academy, he must be quite old.

How about we don't reveal ourselves and just look around slowly? Observe them?"

"That makes sense. Let's observe slowly. Cultivators will definitely look different from the freaks here." The black-robed person looked conflicted, but since they were already here, they had no choice but to go along with it.

Like unseen ghosts, the person and the goat squatted on a small hillside. When it was time for breakfast and dinner, and people came out, they observed them one by one.

At dinner, watching the villagers eat food made from fresh Jinlan Mushrooms, the person and the goat squatted there, sniffing their noses.

"They're eating Jinlan Mushrooms, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"So extravagant. I've never even eaten them."

"Can't afford it."

As the people finished their meal, and it seemed there was still plenty left in the kitchen, the person and the goat exchanged glances. The Black Goat spoke first.

"I see they made a lot and didn't finish it. If it's not fresh, it'll be wasted. How about we help them out and prevent waste?"

The black-robed person remained silent. The Black Goat continued.

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to cause trouble. If I could eat something cooked with fresh Jinlan Mushrooms, maybe I could advance another level next year, no, this year. Even if we didn't find the person this time, it wouldn't be a complete loss. Don't you think?"

"Mmm, you're right. I heard that fresh Jinlan Mushrooms are called a fourth-grade Spiritual Medicine..."

The two of them squatted there until the kitchen was completely empty. Then, they snuck over to the kitchen. Not daring to eat too much, each of them ate a bowl of noodles and a bowl of soup.

After leaving the kitchen, they continued to squat on the hillside, keeping watch.

The next day, when they saw Yu Ziqing dragging a giant Jinlan Mushroom out of a cave, the black-robed person, who had been freezing in the cold wind all night and didn't dare waste energy, was stunned.

"You know, is there a possibility that that cave is where they harvest the Jinlan Mushrooms? We could just go find the freshest Jinlan Mushrooms ourselves, instead of sneaking into the kitchen to steal food?"

"..." The Black Goat remained silent.

A moment later, the two of them quietly slipped into the cave. When they saw the densely packed patch of Jinlan Mushrooms growing below, the Black Goat's eyes began to gleam.

"If I stayed here for a year, I could rub our boss under my hoof."

The Black Goat rushed out impatiently. The black-robed person quickly stopped it, cautiously dragging it deeper into the Mushroom Forest. In a corner near the stone wall, the two of them carefully nibbled on the freshest Jinlan Mushrooms. After they had eaten their fill, they left the cave and returned to their peeping observation.

In the afternoon, Yu Ziqing, carrying a newly replaced axe, strode into the Mushroom Forest to chop trees. Not far away, the hungry ghost emerged from behind a Jinlan Mushroom.

The hungry ghost bowed deeply to Yu Ziqing from a distance, showing utmost respect.

"Hey, I haven't seen you in days. Have you been out playing?"

Yu Ziqing was in a good mood today. He had made a breakthrough in his fist practice, and he only needed to rest once on the way back while dragging an entire Jinlan Mushroom. This visible progress naturally put him in a great mood. Now, he was striving to reach the power of one mushroom as soon as possible, so he could carry it back in one go.

The hungry ghost did not approach rashly. It extended a claw and began to draw on the ground. After finishing, it pointed at the ground for Yu Ziqing and immediately retreated a distance.

Yu Ziqing walked forward and saw that the handwriting was crooked, but the words were correct.

"There was a Black Goat, as tall as a person, and a person in black who sneaked in and stole Jinlan Mushrooms. Be careful."

Yu Ziqing frowned slightly and looked at the hungry ghost.

The hungry ghost climbed up the stone wall and pointed to a spot near the wall for Yu Ziqing. Yu Ziqing followed its gaze and saw, from a distance, that one mushroom, facing away from the entrance, had already been bitten off a large chunk.

Someone had infiltrated the village?

What was happening at the village entrance that anyone could just waltz in?

If they infiltrated, why would they come here to secretly nibble on mushrooms?

Were they crazy?

However, the Black Goat... he had heard Old Yang mention something about it...

After a moment of thought, Yu Ziqing beckoned to the hungry ghost.

"Can you wait here for me for a moment? I have a small matter, and I need your help."

The hungry ghost nodded repeatedly, immediately climbing down from the stone wall and waiting at the edge of the Mushroom Forest.

A moment later, Yu Ziqing returned, his face wrapped in a damp cloth, and a cloth bag in his hand. He carefully placed it on the ground.

"Can you help me sprinkle the contents inside onto the Jinlan Mushrooms?"

A moment later, Yu Ziqing stood dozens of feet away, watching the hungry ghost perched on top of the stone wall slowly sprinkle the powder from the cloth bag from mid-air. He nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, just like that. Sprinkle it evenly, mix it with the spores on the surface of the Jinlan Mushrooms, preferably so it's unnoticeable.

If you can sprinkle it under the caps, that would be best, sprinkle it evenly.

Yes, except for the patch we usually harvest, sprinkle every other mushroom evenly.

Is that enough? If not, I'll go get more."

As he directed, Yu Ziqing tightened the damp cloth on his face, constantly retreating, afraid of contamination.