The three of them passed through thick swathes of mountain clouds and mist to reach the foothills, where the male cultivator riding a horse still walked ahead, seeming to have no intention of waiting for the two behind him.
"Does Fellow Daoist have some misgivings?"
The gray-robed female cultivator at his side had evidently caught Xu Yuan's look earlier in the mountain, and now spoke up with the question.
"Others have the capital to ride a paper horse, whereas our own resources are modest, so there is really nothing to say."
Replying with a faint tone, the slight emotion Xu Yuan felt just moments ago was genuine, and now that it had faded, that was equally genuine.
"Fellow Daoist has a fine disposition." The female cultivator smiled in agreement, showing not the slightest bit of contempt despite Xu Yuan being a mere third-layer Qi Refining practitioner, and even took the initiative to state her background first.
Nan Yun, fourth-layer Qi Refining, skilled in two spell techniques.
Xu Yuan was stunned, not expecting this person to be so frank. He stated his own name in return and casually mentioned the Spirit-Martial Unity he cultivated.
"Then does Fellow Daoist know who the person ahead of us is?"
This person was naturally the male cultivator riding the paper horse up front. Xu Yuan shook his head; having entered the mountain less than three months ago, this was also his first time taking a sect mission, and even if there were formidable figures among them, he did not know them.
"This person is called Zhu Zihua. Let's put it this way: he has an elder sister who is an inner-mountain disciple, and an uncle who is an outer-mountain deacon at Biyou Market."
Nan Yun succinctly laid out the foreground of the man ahead, and Xu Yuan suddenly understood. No wonder this fellow was so arrogant, treating fellow disciples as if they were nothing.
Xu Yuan even suspected that had the mission not explicitly stated that three people were required to go, the other party probably wouldn't have bothered greeting the two of them and would have gone alone.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, look at that paper horse again. It is transformed from a first-grade mid-tier Divine Travel Armored Horse Talisman. He is only still waiting for us because he sees that the two of us lack his methods; otherwise, if he truly drove that paper horse at full force, the two of us would only be left eating his dust in the rear."
"This still isn't the most formidable part." The woman gestured once more toward the longsword hanging behind the male cultivator named Zhu Zihua.
"The Kwai Water Heavenly Yin Sword, a supreme specimen among low-grade magic tools, forged from several top-tier spiritual ores. Once successfully crafted, it must be continuously soaked in the menstrual blood of mid-stage Qi Refining female cultivators for three days before such a magical weapon can take form."
"An ordinary early-stage Qi Refining practitioner will lose half their life from casually taking a single sword strike, and even mid-stage Qi Refining demonic beasts or cultivators will have their entire magical power severely undermined by the Yin spirit qi contained within if struck by this sword."
As she spoke, Nan Yun's eyes were filled with undisguised envy. For ordinary Hidden Moon Sect outer-mountain disciples, even those in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, possessing a single handy magic tool was already considered a mark of wealth; how could anyone compare to this Zhu Zihua, who owned such a fine magical weapon?
That came down to having a sister, an uncle, and family backing.
Seeing Xu Yuan look at her curiously once more, Nan Yun smiled again. "Fellow Daoist Zhu is quite high-profile in Merit Hall usually, so these things are hardly secrets."
Xu Yuan shook his head. "I am not concerned with that, but rather, Senior Sister, your complexion?"
"Oh?" With a rare trace of embarrassment on her face, Nan Yun took out a mirror from her sleeve to check her reflection, and upon seeing her pale face in the glass, as if she had just been dug out of a coffin, she immediately said apologetically:
"I took a fancy to a spiritual resource yesterday, but was troubled by insufficient spiritual stones on hand, so I sold some blood at Blood Hall. Afterward, I consumed some restorative tonics, but I didn't expect that I still haven't fully recovered by today."
"Rest assured, though." Nan Yun patted her chest and gave a slight shake to her reasonably decent assets. "My complexion just looks a bit poor, but my spiritual qi hasn't suffered the slightest depletion. When we start moving later, I will certainly not be vague."
"Senior Sister flatters me." With a polite wave of his hand, Xu Yuan naturally didn't mean any of that. He was simply feeling a bit emotional that in the Hidden Moon Sect, even a mid-stage Qi Refining practitioner still had to sell blood.
"What are you two babbling about? Hurry up and keep pace. That ghostly entity only appears when the sun goes down, and if we miss tonight, we'll have to linger an extra day in this mortal realm."
Right at that moment, Zhu Zihua, who was riding the paper horse ahead, suddenly halted and said impatiently.
He had already deliberately lowered his speed to wait for them, yet these two ungrateful wretches were still gossiping back there, treating him like a babysitter.
"Listen well: once we arrive at the place and encounter the ghostly entity, if you feel yourselves unequal to the task, honestly retreat to the rear and don't crowd forward just to vie for merit. When the time comes, don't blame Zhu's magical sword for being blind."
With another sharp drink, Zhu Zihua flicked his reins and stopped slowing his pace. Just as Nan Yun had said, the paper horse was extremely fast, disappearing from sight in a few blinks.
A trace of helplessness flashed in Nan Yun's eyes, and she quickly signaled Xu Yuan. "Fellow Daoist, let's catch up first. We mustn't let the formation break."
"Agreed."
Xu Yuan nodded, and without hesitation, he surged the vital blood within his body and bolted forward as well.
During the run, however, his gaze inevitably lingered on Zhu Zihua and the other's magical sword.
"A supreme specimen among low-grade magic tools, eh? I wonder how much of its might would remain if it chopped into my own body."
Revolving such idle thoughts in his mind, Xu Yuan once again reviewed the mission for this trip.
[Mission: Ghostly Shadows in the Tomb]
[Estimation: Third-tier Medium, Requires Three Persons to Attend]
[Ghostly shadows linger around the graveyard outside Filial Piety Village, entering the village every night to devour living people. Twelve casualties have occurred thus far. The former village chief of this village was once a disciple of our immortal sect, and now his descendants have sought help from our immortal sect, hoping immortals will descend the mountain to slay the wicked ghosts.]
"This is Filial Piety Village."
Five hours later, the three of them halted in a desolate expanse of land. Vegetation was sparse here, and numerous black crows circled overhead, their crimson eyes staring straight at the living arrivals, looking rather spine-chilling.
Yet all three hailed from the Hidden Moon Sect, and having witnessed even more bizarre and terrifying scenes, they naturally weren't frightened by such minor theatrics. Each of them simply observed the surrounding environment.
"There certainly are a lot of graveyards here."
Nan Yun muttered, and immediately afterward, a piercing cry of anguish drew the attention of all three.
"I don't want to be buried alive! I want to live, to live!"
Exchanging a glance, the three hurried toward the direction of the voice. Upon arriving at the spot, they saw a large crowd surrounding a freshly dug grave, heads bobbing close together as they busied themselves with something.
Someone noticed the three newcomers. That fellow shoved the person nearest to him and yelled fiercely at the three:
"Hey, where did these stinking Taoist priests come from? Come to watch the fun? Hurry up and get lost, old grandpas!"
As these words fell, Zhu Zihua, standing in front of the three, raised an eyebrow. He had already dismounted the paper horse, never expecting to be cursed out by a rustic country bumpkin.
Just as he stared unpleasantly at the other party, a sudden commotion arose from the middle of the crowd. Next came an excited voice shouting, "Taoists? Are Taoists here? Are the immortals of the Hidden Moon Sect here?"
The owner of the voice parted the crowd—a middle-aged man wearing brocade robes and a scholar's attire. He steadied himself, gazed at the three figures in front of him, and took in their Taoist robes, his eyes instantly lighting up.
"Believer Gao Fu pays respects to the immortals of the Hidden Moon Sect!"
Following this proclamation, the crowd hurriedly pivoted to face them, and the villager who had just berated the three abruptly dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
Before you continue