Leaving the City

A hunchbacked old man of around sixty named Hunchback He was at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining. He had a small goatee and a stooped body, and his manner seemed rather cold. He merely cupped his hands toward Lu Xiaotian, and that counted as an introduction.

There was also a young man in his twenties, Wang Ping. His spirit artifact was a pitch-black Black-Iron Staff, a low-grade spirit artifact. Though it was not particularly sharp, he appeared to follow a strength-oriented path. He was at the Third Layer of Qi Refining, and together with Luo Qing, he had the lowest cultivation in the group. Still, he looked quite capable.

"Wasn't it supposed to be only eight people? Why had it become nine now?" Lu Xiaotian looked at Luo Yuan and asked.

Before Luo Yuan could speak, Fan Qing swept his whisk and said with a smile, "There were originally only eight. Since Hunchback He possesses the pill formula for the Origin Qi Pill, he insisted on joining the team before he would reveal it. This poor Daoist considered it for Little Friend Lu's sake, so I took it upon myself to agree. Fellow Daoist Luo should have no objection, correct?"

"Of course I have no objection. One more person in the team means one more measure of strength." Luo Yuan shook his head.

"Then why had the departure date we agreed upon been moved forward by nearly a month?" Lu Xiaotian did not take Fan Qing's goodwill to heart. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. They were neither family nor friends, and he did not believe Fan Qing would do so much solely for a pill formula.

"Hunchback He also provided information about a Silver-Winged Centipede. This poor Daoist is determined to obtain the Silver-Winged Centipede's Monster Core. On this trip, I want only its Monster Core. Any spirit herbs or Spirit Stones we encounter along the way, I shall take none of them. What does Little Friend Lu think?" Fan Qing said.

Lu Xiaotian remembered that a Silver-Winged Centipede Monster Core was required for one of the Savage Beast Sect's sect missions. The Savage Beast Sect was also a fairly powerful sect. It seemed Fan Qing's ambitions were far from small. Yet the spiritual treasures in the Moonwatch Mountains that had been discovered had basically all been gathered by other cultivators. No one could be certain which direction would lead them to the spiritual treasures they sought, so where they went made no difference to Lu Xiaotian—or to anyone else.

"Give me the Origin Qi Pill formula, and I have no objection," Lu Xiaotian said.

"I heard Little Friend Lu has quite a few Qi-Gathering Pills. This hunchback is poor indeed. I dare not hope for pills suitable for the Qi Refining Middle Stage; five Qi-Gathering Pills will suffice."

Only then did a smile appear on Hunchback He's cold face. Like most Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivators, when he lacked pills that fit him exactly, he could only make do with inferior ones.

Lu Xiaotian directly tossed Hunchback He a pill bottle and held the Origin Qi Pill formula in his hand. A flicker of joy rose in his heart. At his current pace, he should be able to use this pill formula in less than two years. He was merely curious what sort of deal Hunchback He had struck with Fan Qing.

The vastness of the Moonwatch Mountains far exceeded the imagination of ordinary mortals, stretching for millions of miles. Within the mountain range, gorges, streams, lakes, waterfalls, and forests filled with towering trees could be seen everywhere. The terrain was tangled and complicated. Even the map scrolls sold by Moonwatch City's vendors showed only the tip of the iceberg of this enormous mountain range. Based on the accounts and records left by other cultivators who had entered and exited it, they described the fringe regions to a certain extent and marked the approximate terrain nearby. But if one ventured too deeply, one could still lose one's way.

Monster beasts, monster insects, and monster birds ran rampant through the mountains. Hundreds of thousands of Rogue Cultivators entered in batches, yet they were still like stones sinking into the sea. Once lost, one would likely soon be swallowed by the monster beasts lurking among Moonwatch's countless peaks.

Outside the city gates, thousands of Rogue Cultivators split into hundreds of teams and headed into the mountains. Quite a few flamboyant cultivators wore glittering golden spirit armor, drawing every eye.

There were also cultivators who kept spirit beasts, riding exceptionally fierce tiger spirit beasts and wolf spirit beasts. There was even a cultivator riding a huge black eagle with a wingspan exceeding a zhang. The cultivators below praised it endlessly. A second-rank spirit bird, in terms of strength alone, was no weaker than most Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivators, and it could fly as well. With a spirit bird, traveling anywhere became convenient.

Lu Xiaotian suddenly felt a venomous gaze fixed on him from within the crowd. After cultivating immortality, his senses had become much sharper, especially toward danger and such blatantly malicious stares.

Lu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes and looked over, only to see a blue-robed middle-aged man with a massive sword on his back staring straight at him. The man looked vaguely familiar, but Lu Xiaotian could not recall where he had encountered him, nor why this man bore such intense hostility toward him. Still, the man was only at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, while Lu Xiaotian's cultivation was higher. What was there to fear? With that thought, Lu Xiaotian glared viciously back.

Situ Yong was startled. Ever since his son's death, not a day had passed without him drowning in the grief of losing his child. After obtaining Lu Xiaotian's portrait—

He had crossed mountains and rivers all the way to Moonwatch City. Amid the vast sea of people, he had thought there was no longer any hope of seeing his son's killer again. Yet he had unexpectedly encountered him at the city gates. Amid his surprise and joy, he was horrified to discover that the youth before him was actually one layer higher in cultivation than himself. What was he to do? Seeing Lu Xiaotian glare back at him, Situ Yong turned his head aside to avoid his gaze, while considering what he should do next.

"Brother Lu, do you have a grudge against that man?" Luo Yuan asked in a low voice.

"I don't know him." Lu Xiaotian ran through everyone he had offended in the past and found no connection to the other party. Yet that hatred-filled gaze made him quietly remember the man.

"He's only at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining. If he fails to recognize what is good for him, finding a chance to deal with him after entering the mountains would not take much effort. How about you give me a few Qi-Gathering Pills, Fellow Daoist Lu, and I'll fetch his head from his shoulders?"

A fragrant breeze came from behind him. Lu Xiaotian turned and only then realized that Wang Yuan's full body was pressed very close to him. When he turned, he nearly bumped into her swelling ****. Lu Xiaotian was a genuine virgin, and it was his first time being so close to a woman. His neck immediately flushed hot, and he hurriedly stepped back. "No need. If he seeks death, I can handle him myself."

"Exactly. Big Brother Lu's cultivation is no lower than yours. There's no need for you to act." Luo Qing looked at Wang Yuan with irritation.

"I was merely trying to remind you that Fan Qing and Hunchback He's deal certainly isn't simple. These two siblings seem to trust you quite a bit. At the critical moment, only you can restrain Fan Qing. When that time comes, I'll be standing on your side."

Wang Yuan whispered a few words into Lu Xiaotian's ear, glanced at Luo Qing again, then giggled and retreated several steps to one side.

"That vixen!" Luo Qing snapped softly, then reminded Lu Xiaotian, "Big Brother Lu, this woman is mysterious indeed. Don't lightly believe what she says."

"I won't." Lu Xiaotian gave a faint laugh. Luo Qing seemed to harbor some hostility toward Wang Yuan. But Wang Yuan was no simple person, and he too felt that something was amiss, though he could not yet put his finger on it.

"Let's hurry. We must reach one of the Rogue Cultivators' gathering spots in the mountains before nightfall to rest. Otherwise, traveling at night is extremely dangerous," Fan Qing said.

Everyone nodded. Monster beasts were much more active at night. If they failed to reach a Rogue Cultivator gathering spot, their team could easily be attacked by monster beasts.

The other Rogue Cultivators leaving the city clearly had the same thought. Once beyond the gates, they all accelerated, striding forward and casting the Light-Body Art and Wind-Riding Art, covering several zhang with every step.

The Leopard was not slow, but Lu Xiaotian spent most of his time refining pills and cultivating. With ample Spirit Stones inside the barrier, he would not ride the Leopard merely to save himself effort. This was a rare chance to practice his spells.

Once they cast their spells, everyone's speed abruptly increased. Moonwatch City's towering walls vanished behind them.

After entering the forest, other Rogue Cultivator teams still passed by them from time to time, but there were many Rogue Cultivator gathering spots in the mountains. Each had their own planned rest and supply points. As they traveled in different directions, the number of Rogue Cultivators around them gradually dwindled.

"There are too many Rogue Cultivator teams on the route to the gathering spot. Even if there are spiritual treasures, most will have been picked clean by others. I know a small path. Fewer people use it, and it's shorter, though the road conditions are worse. For cultivators like us, that hardly makes a difference. If we're lucky, we might even find some spirit herbs or Spirit Stones along the way," Hunchback He suggested after they had run for an hour and a half.

"Fine by me. We've rushed all this way without encountering anything at all. It's boring to death." Hunchback He's suggestion quickly received Zhang Guang's support. It was Zhang Guang's first time entering the mountains, and he had long grown impatient with such dull travel.

The others had no objections either. Quite a few Rogue Cultivators traveled through this area, and there was relatively little danger during the day. At night, however, monster beasts from elsewhere might wander over.

"Alright then, I'll lead the way. There aren't any powerful monster beasts, but there are some troublesome monster insects and the like. It would be best if everyone put up their protective barriers."

As he spoke, an Earth-Spirit Barrier with a faint yellow glow appeared around Hunchback He. Its defense was weaker than Earth-Spirit Armor, but it consumed less qi and could be maintained longer, protecting against attacks from low-rank monster insects and monster beasts.

Luo Yuan and the others raised their barriers as well, including Water-Spirit Barriers and Fire-Spirit Barriers. Lu Xiaotian gripped his sword in his right hand and held a spirit talisman in his left palm. At the same time, he cast a Vajra Barrier upon himself and cautiously followed the group.

Hunchback He led the group across a stream and over two small hills. They were presently atop one of them, where many tea trees grew along the slope. The cheapest spirit tea served to guests at many Moonwatch City restaurants was picked from these tea trees. A narrow goat trail wound downward, curving around a dense bamboo grove.

This time, the hot-tempered Zhang Guang ran at the front.

"Eh, Spring-Congealing Grass!"

Luo Qing had sharp eyes and happened to spot a spirit herb beneath several tea trees near the edge of the bamboo grove. Her face immediately filled with delight. She dashed forward, picked the spirit herb, and turned to Lu Xiaotian.

"Big Brother Lu, can you use this herb?"

"I should be able to use it later. This Spring-Congealing Grass looks to be less than two years old and is worth three Low-grade Spirit Stones. Take this Qi-Gathering Pill first. You can make up the extra later."

Lu Xiaotian put away the Spring-Congealing Grass and reached toward his storage pouch, though he had actually sent it into the barrier. Spring-Congealing Grass could be used to refine Rejuvenation Pills, which could treat injuries from many spells and, at many crucial moments, could even save a life.

"Thank you, Big Brother Lu." Luo Qing took the pill and said happily.