Early the next morning, Su Yu arrived at the courtyard on the eastern side of the Main Peak.
The courtyard gate stood open. Just as he reached it, he heard Xiao Yue's voice.
"Going around this way means taking an extra stretch of mountain road at the very least. If there really is any profound origin blood ganoderma, it'll probably be gone by the time we arrive."
"A shortcut is only useful if we can get through."
Gu Changfeng pushed an old booklet over, his finger resting on a line of text. After reading it, Xiao Yue immediately frowned.
That mountain path ran right beside a demon nest.
The map was simple. Without checking it against this record, anyone looking only at the roads could easily mistake that route for a shortcut.
"How old is this record?"
"Quite a few years."
"The demons might not be there anymore."
"Or there might be even more."
Xiao Yue opened his mouth, then shook his head. He merely disliked taking the long way around; he wasn't determined to take that route. If they ended up trapped on the mountain path, the distance they saved would mean nothing.
Seeing Su Yu enter, Shen Ningshuang invited him to sit and handed him another map.
"I made a fresh copy last night. It's a little more detailed than the one the Sect Master brought out yesterday. Have a look."
Su Yu took the map. Several vermilion markings stood out, each labeled "profound origin blood ganoderma."
He followed the roads with his eyes, then asked, "Is there profound origin blood ganoderma in all these places?"
"There was once," Shen Ningshuang said. "Most of it has already been gathered. We won't know whether it's grown back until we go inside."
Su Yu was somewhat disappointed.
He had assumed