Hair Needle Art

On Goat Horn Mountain, under Rat Prodigy's clever command, the rat swarm methodically carried the wolf corpses down and piled them into a mountain of bodies at the foot of the mountain. The sight was somewhat eerie; any ordinary person who saw it would likely be scared out of their wits.

Yet the four people standing halfway up the mountain remained utterly calm as they watched.

"Daoist brother, your method of controlling rats is truly exquisite. Ordinary cultivators would not find it easy to deal with such a wolf pack. Even the Demon-Slaying Bureau would first have to determine the situation before gathering strongmen to encircle and suppress them. This little sister truly admires you."

Looking at Jiang Chen, the female cultivator Yue Xiu smiled sweetly. After Lu Xuanping had offered the Concealment Umbrella and Jiang Chen had accepted it, the atmosphere between both sides had become far more harmonious.

Under such circumstances, Yue Xiu developed the intention of drawing closer to Jiang Chen. Even Lu Xuanping, a Lineage cultivator, wished to befriend Jiang Chen; naturally, she, a Rogue Cultivator, was no exception.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen merely smiled without speaking. He had never known any rat-controlling method. The current results were largely due to Rat Prodigy, the rat king.

Seeing this, a trace of mockery flickered through the burly Yang Lie's eyes. Yue Xiu usually pretended to be pure and aloof before him, beyond reach—yet before this Daoist, was she not just as fawning?

Of course, though he thought this, Yang Lie did not neglect his words.

"Daoist brother cultivates both the Dao and martial arts. Yang has never seen the like in his life. I truly admire you."

Looking at Jiang Chen, Yang Lie's rugged face was filled with sincere admiration.

As a martial artist, the Martial Grandmaster realm was the goal he pursued. It was precisely because of this that his admiration for Jiang Chen was genuine. But his claim that he had never seen anyone who cultivated both the Dao and martial arts was utter nonsense. In truth, quite a few cultivators in the Inspiration Realm also practiced some martial arts, since talisman arts came with many restrictions while martial arts were more broadly useful.

Only cultivation seeds supported by powerful factions would devote themselves wholeheartedly to Dao cultivation in preparation for advancing to Qi Refining.

Compared to Yue Xiu, Jiang Chen gave Yang Lie an extra glance instead. He could clearly sense the dense vitality and blood energy within Yang Lie. This man was clearly a prodigy in martial arts as well. Had Jiang Chen not used the many vicious wolves to aid his cultivation, then in terms of blood energy alone, he likely would not have matched Yang Lie.

Yet from certain small details between the three of them, it was clear that Yang Lie actually held the lowest status among them.

Seeing Jiang Chen's reaction, Lu Xuanping's gaze shifted slightly.

"Daoist brother, might this wolf hide be of use to you?"

After their brief conversation, Lu Xuanping had gained some understanding of Jiang Chen's temperament, and an idea had arisen in his heart.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen glanced at Lu Xuanping and shook his head.

Seeing this, Lu Xuanping's thoughts became increasingly clear.

"Daoist brother, since this wolf hide is of no use to you, would you be willing to trade it to me? I can exchange some items for it."

With a sincere expression, Lu Xuanping proposed a trade.

Looking at Lu Xuanping, Jiang Chen thought briefly and guessed his intentions.

"Since Fellow Daoist Lu has need of it, then take it."

Smiling, Jiang Chen handed over the wolf hide, which still retained a trace of warmth.

Just as Lu Xuanping intended to befriend him, Jiang Chen likewise intended to befriend Lu Xuanping. From the information he had gathered so far, most cultivators and cultivation resources in Clear Source Commandery were actually concentrated near the commandery city.

If he wished to gather cultivation resources in the future, he would most likely be unable to avoid the commandery city. In that case, Lu Xuanping, a direct descendant of the Lu Family, was of considerable value.

Seeing Jiang Chen act thus, a smile appeared on Lu Xuanping's face. Compared to his earlier smile, which made people feel as though bathed in a spring breeze, his smile at this moment was fainter, yet more genuine.

The wolf king's hide had some value, but it was not actually worth that much. What truly mattered was the meaning behind it. Under such circumstances, Jiang Chen's easy willingness to trade it was enough to show his attitude.

"To be frank, this wolf hide is quite useful to the three of us. Xuanping thanks you, Daoist brother. I left in haste this time and did not bring many treasures, so I shall exchange three taels of Spirit Sand and one talisman art for the wolf hide in your hand."

Before Jiang Chen could refuse, Lu Xuanping walked to the side and used a dagger to carve the contents of a talisman art into a stone wall.

"This Fellow Daoist Lu truly has a heart with seven openings."

Seeing the talisman art carved upon the stone wall, Jiang Chen could not help but marvel at Lu Xuanping's cleverness.

This talisman art was called Hair Needle Art, a relatively obscure technique. It was not particularly useful to cultivators, but for a demon beast like Rat Prodigy, it was excellent. If cultivated well, it could be effective for both attack and defense.

"To have encountered such an extraordinary person as you today is truly a great delight. Unfortunately, the matter of the wolf pack is of great importance, and we must return to report. Daoist brother, when you come to the commandery city someday, you must seek me out. I will then host a feast for you."

After completing the carving of the talisman art and taking a pouch from his sleeve, Lu Xuanping spoke his farewell. However, returning to report was merely a pretext; giving Jiang Chen room to sort through his gains was the true purpose. As for befriending Jiang Chen, he was in no rush. Such matters had to proceed step by step.

That was also why he had never asked Jiang Chen's name from beginning to end. If Jiang Chen wished to tell him, he would listen; if Jiang Chen did not wish to tell him, he would not ask. From their conversation, he had roughly judged Jiang Chen to be a Rogue Cultivator. Such people often had more taboos when traveling outside.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen looked at Lu Xuanping and did not try to keep them any longer. What he was about to do truly was not suitable for outsiders to witness, so he smiled and saw the three of them down the mountain.

After leaving Goat Horn Mountain, Lu Xuanping, Yue Xiu, and Yang Lie all secretly let out a breath.

Although their time with Jiang Chen had been fairly pleasant, having witnessed the wolf king's miserable state firsthand, they still felt no small amount of pressure when facing such a ruthless man.

Just then, an old Daoist clad in gray robes, with a gourd hanging from his waist, appeared not far away.

Upon seeing the Daoist, Lu Xuanping hurried forward to greet him.

"Uncle Mo, I have troubled you again this time."

With a face full of respect, Lu Xuanping bowed deeply to the gray-robed Daoist. After Jiang Chen had discovered their tracks, he had immediately called for assistance. This Mo Daoist was a guest elder of the Lu Family, at the peak of the Inspiration Realm, and knew several formidable talisman arts. He was extremely close to Lu Xuanping.

To guard against any unexpected event during this journey, Mo Daoist had been following behind them all along.

Hearing this, Mo Daoist carefully looked Lu Xuanping up and down.

"It seems you have already resolved the matter."

After confirming that Lu Xuanping was unharmed, Mo Daoist knew the worst outcome had not occurred.

Hearing this, Lu Xuanping nodded.

"There was danger, but no real harm. This time, I gained some unexpected rewards. Not only did I obtain the wolf king's hide, but I also met a very interesting fellow Daoist..."

Without concealing anything, Lu Xuanping recounted everything related to Jiang Chen.

After hearing it all, interest could not help but appear on Mo Daoist's face.

"Not only is he a Martial Grandmaster, he is also a cultivator. I did not expect such a person to exist. Xuanping, you truly handled this matter well."

With a gratified expression, Mo Daoist affirmed Lu Xuanping's actions.

A Martial Grandmaster alone, though rare, was not truly worth Lu Xuanping's effort to win over. Martial Grandmasters were not weak, but they were fundamentally no match for Qi Refining cultivators. Moreover, their path ahead was already fixed, with no possibility of advancing further. But the fact that Jiang Chen was also a cultivator with considerable methods made everything entirely different.