Water Curtain Cave

Hearing Su Qingyang's question, Liu Qingni's beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, confusion rising in her pupils as she slowly shook her head.

"I don't know either. Before I set out from the Secret Bureau, I hadn't heard of any trouble breaking out within Great Jin..."

As she spoke, Liu Qingni seemed to recall something else. After a pause, she said uncertainly:

"No..."

"There were rumors of White Lotus Cult bandits causing unrest in Barbarian Prefecture..."

"Those rebels must have taken some kind of medicine. Their movements have been growing bigger and bigger. I heard they coerced commoners into joining them and captured several county towns."

"But in the end, they're merely a rabble. They have scarcely any respectable martial artists under their command."

"The local authorities in Barbarian Prefecture sent word that they had already dispatched troops to suppress them."

"According to the reports sent back to the Bureau, the situation is still under control."

Liu Qingni pursed her lips, frowning as she said suspiciously, "The court has been thrown into turmoil lately over the Sixth Prince.

None of the lords have spare attention to spare for the White Lotus Cult...

Could it be that, without anyone noticing, the White Lotus Cult has stirred up a great rebellion!"

A moment later, she gently shook her head again and dismissed the thought herself. "Probably not. Barbarian Prefecture is separated from Northern Prefecture by several provinces.

No matter how well those routed soldiers could run, there was no reason for them to flee all the way to a remote little mountain like Spirit Peak County to settle down."

Liu Qingni muttered to herself, as though trying to convince herself.

Su Qingyang's expression remained calm. He did not dwell on court struggles, displaced civilians, or bandit unrest. What truly piqued his curiosity...

Were the four Divine Might Cannons and the numerous firearms from earlier.

He was genuinely surprised that this world, where martial strength reigned supreme, had already developed fully formed firearms.

Their power was considerable, and their craftsmanship and design were remarkably precise.

A sudden uproar rose from beneath Spirit Peak Mountain.

Perhaps the commotion caused by Su Qingyang's attack had stirred up unrest in Spirit Peak County.

Su Qingyang glanced toward Spirit Peak County, then turned to the woman beside him. "Miss Liu, are you interested in accompanying me deeper into Spirit Peak Mountain?"

The forest fell silent for a moment. Liu Qingni lowered her eyes and pondered for a while before finally nodding lightly in agreement.

Her cultivation had not reached the Grandmaster realm, so she could not see the strange blackish-red long hair growing from Bai Wei's body,

But witnessing Bai Wei's sudden transformation, his body swelling into a savage monster, had still given her several suspicions.

After all, she had come from the Imperial Capital.

The Grandmasters of the Imperial Capital were unlike those elsewhere in Great Jin, elusive as divine dragons that showed their heads but never their tails. In everyday conversation, certain secrets would occasionally surface—

It was said that Grandmaster martial artists could see a world invisible to ordinary people.

And Su Qingyang, a Blood Refining Grandmaster, had deigned to live in seclusion in such a small county town. There must be something strange within Spirit Peak Mountain.

It was very likely connected to the transformation of that bandit leader.

Su Qingyang smiled and gave a thumbs-up in praise.

"Miss Liu, you have real courage. As expected of an expert from the Secret Bureau."

Liu Qingni shot him a sidelong glare, lightly grinding her silver teeth. As if, if she had been unwilling, she could have chosen not to go.

Su Qingyang smiled. His gaze turned toward the deep, shadowy forest, his eyes growing profound. Then he stopped lingering and followed the tracks into the mountain.

Liu Qingni followed close behind.

The mountain forest was silent and still. It was already the dead of night.

Before long, the two arrived at a natural mountain cave. The dark entrance seemed bottomless.

"This is the place."

Su Qingyang looked ahead and examined the cave. Chaotic footprints covered the ground; clearly, the routed soldiers had been hiding inside.

Liu Qingni frowned slightly. The thought of crawling into a cave made her somewhat disgusted.

Su Qingyang paid her no mind and stepped inside first.

The cave was initially narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass. After several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up. Strange rocks jutted throughout the cave, and even after walking nearly a hundred meters, there was not the slightest trace of light.

"It looks naturally formed, nothing but stone walls."

Liu Qingni followed behind Su Qingyang, not daring to fall even a step behind. Looking into the pitch-black depths, she felt somewhat nervous.

She feared that some monster might suddenly leap out of the darkness and swallow her in one bite.

Su Qingyang circulated his qi and blood, a glint flashing through his eyes.

They had traveled quite some distance already, yet every trace of the routed soldiers' presence had disappeared. That meant few people had set foot here.

Just then.

A faint glimmer abruptly appeared on a rock wall some dozen meters ahead.

Only after approaching did Su Qingyang see it clearly.

A crimson herb grew from the stone wall. Its single stalk bore nine leaves, each scarlet red, like a blazing flame that danced without ceasing.

The moment he saw the crimson herb, Su Qingyang felt the qi and blood throughout his body stir. From the depths of his five viscera and six bowels rose an immense craving.

"Oh! This herb seems to contain an enormous amount of qi and blood. It is greatly beneficial to the human body."

"This is!"

At the sight of the crimson spiritual herb, Liu Qingni immediately sucked in a breath, shock appearing in her eyes.

"Scarlet Blood Grass..." Liu Qingni stepped closer and examined it carefully. Then she revealed a bitter smile. "And it's a high-grade Scarlet Blood Grass."

"What a pity! Scarlet Blood Grass is extraordinarily precious to those who cultivate external body-tempering arts, but for those who cultivate internal arts, it is rather like tasteless chicken bones."

Su Qingyang nodded. This was within his expectations.

Even though he had never understood the Scarlet Blood Grass's effects, merely through contact, he could clearly determine that its chief effect was to nourish qi and blood.

And it had reached an utterly inconceivable degree.

Yet for someone who did not cultivate external body-tempering qi and blood, no matter how much they replenished their blood and vitality, their own blood energy was limited. They could not break past the limits of the human body, and most of it would be wasted.

It could probably only be used for temporary healing or replenishing blood.

"Looks like I have encountered another stroke of fortune. Perhaps I can use this Scarlet Blood Grass to attempt the Fifth Qi-Blood Breakthrough." Su Qingyang nodded faintly, plucked the Scarlet Blood Grass, and tucked it into his sleeve.

Liu Qingni watched with longing in her eyes, but said nothing.

"Oh, right. If this treasure can be refined into a great medicine, its medicinal effects can be absorbed more completely than if it is swallowed directly," Liu Qingni reminded him.

A smile appeared on Su Qingyang's face.

As a Blood Refining Grandmaster, his internal organs were like a furnace, allowing him to fully absorb its medicinal effects.

After a brief stop, they continued onward. Even the air became thin.

They had vaguely reached the heart of Spirit Peak Mountain. The karst cave twisted deep underground, truly making one wonder whether the entire mountain had been hollowed through.

Splash! Splash!

Darkness shrouded everything, yet the long, continuous sound of flowing water came from the depths ahead.

"Looks like we've arrived." Su Qingyang raised his head and looked up at the enormous mountain wall before him.

A small waterfall, like a pair of intertwined, frozen columns of crystalline water, plunged directly into the dark cave below, which seemed bottomless.

The waterfall crashed down with the force of ten thousand jun, unstoppable.

Su Qingyang gathered qi and blood in his eyes, which transformed into golden pupils. His lightning-like gaze swept over everything around him.

Very quickly, he noticed something amiss. There was a cave dwelling behind the waterfall!

"Water Curtain Cave?!" Su Qingyang raised an eyebrow, finding it rather amusing.

"What?" Liu Qingni narrowed her eyes slightly, a strange look appearing on her face.

"Nothing." Su Qingyang looked toward the back of the waterfall and chuckled softly. "Let's go!"

"Go... go where? Back?" Liu Qingni had barely begun to ask when Su Qingyang threw a punch through the air, and the terrifying force of his fist severed the waterfall before them.

The water hung suspended in midair, refusing to fall for a long while.

She stared in astonishment. Only then, through the severed stream, did she clearly see the smooth, orderly entrance to a cave dwelling behind the waterfall, as though it had been carved by human hands.