Leaving the Mountain

"Good tea!" Cui Huo put down his teacup.

"Then Brother Cui, please have a few more drinks!"

Song Wen refilled Cui Huo's tea.

"Brother Cui, I am new here and know very little about Jade Terrace City. You have lived in Jade Terrace City since childhood, could you tell me about some of the more interesting places in the city?"

As he spoke, Song Wen's expression appeared somewhat lewd.

Cui Huo instantly understood what Song Wen meant and replied in a low voice.

"If we're talking about the most wonderful place in the Jade Terrace, it has to be the Carefree Pavilion. The young ladies there are truly..."

Song Wen raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"It seems Brother Cui is a regular customer. Could you tell me more about it?"

"Find a way to lure him out of Azurefall Mountain!"

Suddenly, Xugeng's voice echoed in Cui Huo's mind.

"There is Nascent Soul Cultivator on Azurefall Mountain, so I cannot take action, otherwise the Nascent Soul ancestor of the Cui Family will notice. As long as I leave Azurefall Mountain, I can use my soul power to secretly control him and make him hand over the Heavenly Soul Stone and the secret of body tempering, without harming his life."

Upon hearing Xugeng's words, Cui Huo immediately came up with a plan, and he said with a wistful look on his face.

"The wonders of the Carefree Pavilion can only be understood through experience, not explained in words."

Upon hearing this, Song Wen's face was filled with longing.

"I wish I could experience it myself."

"Yes."

Cui Huo's gaze was eager, showing a sense of impatience.

"Brother Wei, how about we..."

Song Wen looked expectant.

"Go together?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The smiles all carried a deeper meaning.

"However, neither of us has yet Foundation Establishment, so we cannot leave Azurefall Mountain without permission. This is quite a difficult situation!" Song Wen said.

Cui Huo frowned. "This matter is indeed difficult. We need to find a Foundation Establishment cultivator to take us out."

"Do you know any Foundation Establishment cultivators?" Song Wen asked.

Cui Huo shook his head. "And you?"

"I only know Cui Qiao," Song Wen said.

"Cui Qiao? She won't do. With her coming along, the two of us can forget about going to the Carefree Pavilion," Cui Huo said.

Song Wen said, "Don't worry. I'll have a way to get her away then."

A mocking smile appeared on Cui Huo's face. "It seems Brother Wei is extremely skilled in the art of seducing women. You've only been at Handsome Peak for two days, yet you've already managed to handle the notoriously unruly woman from the Cui Family."

Song Wen smiled faintly.

He looked up at the sky. At that moment, the sun had already begun to set.

"There's less than an hour until nightfall. Brother Cui, please rest in my courtyard for a while. I'll go find Cui Qiao."

"Okay!" Cui Huo nodded in agreement.

After Song Wen left the Small Courtyard, Cui Huo heard Xugeng's voice in his mind.

"Search this courtyard and see if you can find any secrets."

Upon hearing this, Cui Huo searched the courtyard, but found nothing.

"Fairy Qiao, are you at home?"

Outside Cui Qiao's courtyard, Song Wen spoke loudly.

A moment later, Cui Qiao opened the courtyard gate.

What brings you here?

"I would like to invite Fairy Qiao to stroll through Jade Terrace City at night. I wonder if you would do me the honor?" Song Wen said with a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Cui Qiao was taken aback at first, and then a blush unconsciously crept onto her face.

She lowered her eyes, shyly avoiding Song Wen's gaze.

"Jade Terrace City, what's so interesting about that place...?"

Despite this, a strange sense of anticipation welled up in Cui Qiao's heart.

She secretly glanced at Song Wen and found him gazing at her with eyes full of tenderness.

In that instant, Cui Qiao's heart pounded like a deer, a feeling she had never experienced before in her life.

"Well... alright then," Cui Qiao replied softly, her blush deepening. "When do we leave?"

Song Wen's face lit up with joy, and he quickly said, "That's wonderful! I'll be waiting for you at the mountain gate in an hour."

After saying that, Song Wen turned and walked towards his own Small Courtyard.

He had only walked a few feet when he suddenly turned around.

"Fairy Qiao, you absolutely must come! See you there!"

"Knew!"

Cui Qiao was overjoyed.

One hour later.

Azurefall Mountain, in front of the mountain gate.

Cui Qiao arrived as promised.

When she saw Cui Huo standing next to Song Wen, her previously enthusiastic expression immediately collapsed.

"What's he doing here?" Cui Qiao questioned Song Wen.

Song Wen hurriedly explained, "Brother Cui and I have already made peace. He needs to go out of the mountains to take care of some business, so he wants to go with us."

Cui Qiao's expression softened slightly. "Alright."

With Cui Qiao present, the three of them easily left the mountain gate and arrived at Jade Terrace City.

Jade Terrace City was still brightly lit at night. However, apart from the main street, the alleys were almost deserted.

The three arrived above Jade Terrace City.

"I have just arrived at the Cui Family and have already made two good friends, Brother Cui and Fairy Qiao. Today, I would like to invite you both to the Immortal Fate Restaurant for a spiritual feast. How about it?"

Cui Qiao said, "Why go to Immortal Fate Restaurant? Its food is quite delicious, but the location is a bit remote, almost to the western suburbs."

Song Wen looked somewhat uneasy. "The Immortal Fate Restaurant is relatively inexpensive, but I'm not well-off. Going to other restaurants, I'm afraid..."

"Alright, let's go to Immortal Fate Restaurant."

After answering Song Wen, Cui Qiao turned to Cui Huo and said...

"Cui Huo, didn't you have something to do? Why aren't you leaving yet?"

Cui Huo glanced at Song Wen, unsure of Song Wen's method to get rid of Cui Qiao. He could only go along with Cui Qiao's words and say...

"Then I'll take my leave now. I wish you both a pleasant trip."

Cui Huo was about to turn and leave when Song Wen hurriedly called him back.

"Brother Cui, wait a moment."

Song Wen continued speaking to Cui Qiao.

"It's still early. How about the three of us enjoy the spirit banquet together, and then we can go explore Jade Terrace City?"

Cui Qiao frowned slightly, her face showing obvious displeasure, but she eventually gave in.

"All right."

Song Wen looked excited and took the lead in flying westward.

Cui Huo watched Song Wen's retreating figure, feeling somewhat hesitant.

Song Wen's behavior didn't seem like he was going to the Carefree Pavilion.

"Let's go!" Cui Qiao suddenly urged, her tone rather unfriendly.

Reminded by Cui Qiao, Cui Huo had no choice but to fly after her.

Song Wen and Cui Huo used Flight Technique, but their speed was significantly slower than Cui Qiao's Sword-Flying Technique.

In order to take care of the two of them, Cui Qiao could only proceed slowly.

As the three approached the western outskirts of the city, Cui Qiao's expression suddenly turned terrified.

She suddenly sensed a tiny black Gu Worm darting out from Song Wen's body, heading straight for her face.

She was all too familiar with this Gu Worm; it was the source of countless nightmares she had in the middle of the night, making her afraid to venture into the deep sea alone again.

The Shadow Gu was too fast, and the distance between Cui Qiao and Song Wen was too close, so Cui Qiao didn't even have a chance to use her trump card to save her life before the Shadow Gu got close and hit her between the eyebrows.

Cui Qiao's vision went black, and she fainted.

She didn't fall from mid-air; instead, she was held by the Shadow Gu and continued flying forward.

Just as Cui Huo noticed the change in Cui Qiao's situation, before he could make any move, Song Wen grabbed him by the back of the neck.

A surge of black, Sha Qi flowed from Song Wen's hand into Cui Huo's body.

Cui Huo suddenly realized that he had lost control of his body.

He was unable to move his body or speak.