Into the Mountains, Midnight Cliff, Little Fairy Doctor's Shock and Anger

"Master Wang, Yao offers you a toast." Mr. Yao rose respectfully and drained his cup in one gulp.

Little Fairy Doctor, who had been silently eating, secretly glanced at Wang Teng, surprise flashing through her eyes.

Before the meal ended, Wang Teng asked Little Fairy Doctor, "When are you planning to enter the mountains to gather herbs?"

Little Fairy Doctor froze. "Me? You're coming with me?"

"Of course. I'm not familiar with this Magical Beast Mountain Range," Wang Teng said.

Mr. Yao smiled. "Master Wang, I'll arrange for a herb-gathering team shortly. Tomorrow morning, Little Fairy Doctor will lead you into the mountains."

He turned to Little Fairy Doctor. "There shouldn't be any problem after a night's rest, right?"

Mr. Yao was extremely proactive. He hoped Wang Teng would return to South Star City as soon as possible so he could purchase Blood Surge Pills to sell.

Not only Green Mountain Town, but the other nearby towns could be stocked as well if there were enough Blood Surge Pills.

"Alright, we'll enter the mountains tomorrow morning," Little Fairy Doctor agreed.

Wang Teng left the table and went to the room Mr. Yao had arranged for him to rest.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Wang Teng got up, ate breakfast, and went to wait at the Ten-Thousand Medicine Hall shop.

Little Fairy Doctor arrived not long afterward. She gestured for him to follow and took the lead toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

At an entrance leading into the mountain range, a group of mercenaries stood ready. Each wore an armband bearing the Ten-Thousand Medicine Hall emblem.

Another group of mercenaries wore different badges, marked with a one-eyed wolf head. Wang Teng recognized their leader: Mu Li, the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

Once the team had assembled, Little Fairy Doctor gave them several instructions, and everyone set off along the path into the mountains.

Along the way, more than a dozen mercenaries gathered around Wang Teng. From their conversation, he learned that Mr. Yao had hired them at a high price specifically to protect him.

They did not know that Wang Teng was already a one-star Dou Shi, stronger than all of them, and silently carried out their mission.

They encountered several magical beast attacks along the way, but all were resolved without danger. By afternoon, the team successfully reached the edge of a basin.

Only after treating the injuries of several wounded mercenaries did Little Fairy Doctor approach Wang Teng.

"Most of Ten-Thousand Medicine Hall's herbs are gathered here. Whatever you need, go collect it," Little Fairy Doctor said.

Wang Teng nodded. "Mm, I understand."

He walked toward the herb-gathering area.

"Did this guy really come here to gather herbs?" Little Fairy Doctor stared at Wang Teng's back in astonishment.

Damn it! I won't bother with him. While he's here drawing attention, I'll go to that cave tonight.

I hope there's treasure inside.

Before nightfall, Wang Teng selected several kinds of medicinal herbs and had a few mercenaries gather them, filling several large baskets.

These were among the ingredients needed to refine Blood Surge Pills.

For easier transport, Wang Teng took out his cauldron and refined the herbs into medicinal liquid on the spot. He then poured it into jade bottles and sealed them with Dou Qi.

After night fell, the surroundings became quiet. From deep within the pitch-black forest came worrying roars from time to time.

Inside his tent, Wang Teng sat cross-legged in his clothes. He used the Mind-Splitting Technique to temper his soul while sensing the activity outside.

Suddenly, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

One tent in the camp lifted at the corner, and a slender figure crawled out, carefully creeping toward the edge of the camp.

Little Fairy Doctor cautiously left the camp, looking back from time to time. Once she had put more than ten meters between herself and the camp and confirmed that no one had noticed, she quickened her pace.

After quite a while, Little Fairy Doctor emerged from the forest.

Ahead was a sheer cliff with no trees to block the view. Bright moonlight shone directly upon the ground.

Little Fairy Doctor hurried to the cliff's edge, crouched down, grabbed a vine, and carefully climbed downward.

The nighttime visibility was poor, and the cliff face was littered with fragments of wood and bone.

At last, Little Fairy Doctor saw the cave entrance. She took a deep breath, bent her legs, and prepared to kick off toward the cave in the cliff wall.

Suddenly, the vine beside her shook violently.

"What's happening?" Little Fairy Doctor was at a loss. She instinctively looked up, only for her vision to be covered by a dark shadow.

By the time she reacted, someone had already grabbed her from behind. Her hands were restrained, and her mouth was covered as well.

Little Fairy Doctor opened her mouth and bit down.

A sharp intake of breath sounded from behind her, followed by an infuriating yet familiar voice.

"Are you a dog? I saved you out of kindness, and you bite me?!" Wang Teng snapped.

"Wang Teng! You were following me?" Little Fairy Doctor turned her head, saw who it was, and glared at him furiously.

"Obviously. If I hadn't come, you'd be dead by now," Wang Teng said irritably.

Little Fairy Doctor could not hear any of it. "When did you start investigating me? Back in Wu Tan City, you acted like that on purpose, didn't you?"

Wang Teng was speechless and too lazy to waste words. He pressed one hand against Little Fairy Doctor's head and turned her gaze toward the cave entrance.

Bang!

Wang Teng kicked a piece of wood toward the cave entrance.

Just as it was about to land, something that looked like a rock suddenly moved. When it stretched out its body, it turned out to be a flat snake-like magical beast.

Little Fairy Doctor's pretty face went pale, and her delicate body trembled.

If Wang Teng hadn't stopped me just now, I definitely would have jumped over. I would have died for sure.

When Wang Teng felt Little Fairy Doctor stop struggling, he swung the vine and took the initiative to approach the magical beast.

"Ah, be careful!" Little Fairy Doctor cried out when she saw the magical beast's head slam toward them.

Wang Teng remained calm. He tore off the vine, sent himself and Little Fairy Doctor soaring through the air, stepped on the magical beast's head for leverage, and landed steadily on the platform outside the cave.

Having been stepped on, the magical beast came loose from the cliff face and fell toward the bottom of the ravine.

"Say something!"

Little Fairy Doctor felt her head get patted. She looked at Wang Teng blankly.

"Is this how you treat someone who saved your life?" Wang Teng said.

Little Fairy Doctor instinctively wanted to thank him, but she immediately stopped herself. Flames rose in her beautiful eyes.

"You secretly followed me! I'm going to fight you!" Little Fairy Doctor pounced at Wang Teng, trying to claw and bite him.

Little Fairy Doctor was a head shorter than Wang Teng. He held her forehead with one hand, and she could not touch him at all.

"Stop fooling around. Mu Li will be here soon," Wang Teng said.

Little Fairy Doctor froze and asked in shock, "Who? How do you know Mu Li is coming?"

"You'll have to ask your maid about that." Wang Teng walked straight into the cave.

Flames emerged from the corners of his eyes, nostrils, and mouth, dispersing the darkness within the cave.

Little Fairy Doctor jogged after him. Looking at his back, she found it extremely strange.

Wang Teng seems really familiar with this cave?

That can't be right. I've known about this place for a long time, but I've never seen any signs of anyone entering it.

Neither of them spoke. A stone door appeared ahead, and a massive boulder glowing faint yellow blocked their path.

Wang Teng stood before the door and examined it.

"There's an earth-element mechanism set on the door. I've read books on this. Move aside—I should be able to open it if I study it," Little Fairy Doctor said.

"Too much trouble." Wang Teng raised a hand and pressed it against the door. Samadhi True Fire burst from his palm and spread across the boulder.

The boulder's surface glow quickly dimmed and vanished. The stone melted like ice, revealing an opening large enough for someone to pass through.

Wang Teng walked inside.

"Be careful. What if there are traps?" Little Fairy Doctor reminded him.

Wang Teng ignored her.

Little Fairy Doctor said indignantly, "So what if your realm is higher than mine? What's so great about that? All you know is brute force."