First Encounter with a Monster Beast

Outside the Monster Beast Mountain Range, everything was still peaceful and safe. However, not long after the party had entered the Monster Beast Mountain Range, a small-scale monster beast attack was cruelly laid bare before Lin Qingyun.

The attackers were a pack of wolves called Wind Wolves, named for their ability to unleash extremely fearsome Wind Blades with their sharp claws. They were first-rank monster beasts. Wolf-type monster beasts were very common in the Monster Beast Mountain Range. A she-wolf could give birth to a litter of cubs in half a year, and they grew extremely quickly, basically reaching adulthood in no more than two or three years. Therefore, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, many mercenary groups would choose to take a detour after encountering wolf-type monster beasts, avoiding battle as much as possible.

This Wolf Pack numbered over twenty. Most were first-rank monster beasts, while a small portion were cubs. But even so, it was still no small threat.

Of course, this level of threat was only for small-scale mercenary groups. As for the mercenary group Lin Qingyun was currently with, although most of them had also been temporarily assembled and banded together, they still had a force of over fifty people, plus the tool that was the Young Group Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. Not only were the many mercenaries not nervous, their eyes were instead filled with excitement, as if they had seen a pile of naked women.

Among the Wolf Pack, the alpha was a giant wolf whose body was fully one and a half zhang long and half a zhang tall, covered in silver-gray fur.

The alpha was very cautious. It stood on high ground, its green gaze constantly sweeping over the mercenary group below.

The Wolf Pack behind the alpha also scattered in all directions, gradually forming a half-encirclement, ready to seize an opportunity at any moment.

However, the Young Group Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group did not want to let go of this chance to show off in front of the beauty. With a decisive wave of his large hand, he shouted, "Attack!"

After saying that, the young man directly took the lead. Pale-green Dou Qi surged from his body, and with a wave of his palm through the air, he slashed out a Wind Blade.

The mercenaries of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, who had originally been holding the front, also spread out. Each person picked a target, while the remaining mercenaries swiftly drew close and surrounded Lin Qingyun and the people from Myriad Medicine Pavilion in the middle.

Lin Qingyun stood where he was, watching these mercenaries with great interest, before his gaze fell on the Young Group Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

He had to admit that the former's skills were very good. At the very least, Lin Qingyun believed he did not have such rich combat experience. Unfortunately... Lin Qingyun shook his head. A tool was a tool in the end. If he did not get soloed by him, he would get soloed by Xiao Yanzi.

Lin Qingyun's gaze shifted to that graceful figure in white who stood out from the crowd, a somewhat thoughtful look in his eyes.

The reason he had chosen to join this mercenary party was not merely because this party was powerful. More importantly... by following Xiao Yi Xian, there was treasure to be found.

Heh heh. The corner of Lin Qingyun's mouth lifted into a faint smile, and he could not help sizing up Xiao Yi Xian a few more times.

All right, he also had some thoughts about Xiao Yi Xian. (Ya Fei: Pah, scumbag!)

In terms of overall strength, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was clearly superior. In merely half a quarter of an hour, this Wolf Pack was quickly dealt with, and the price paid was only a few mercenaries suffering minor injuries.

Compared to obtaining two monster cores from the bodies of these Wind Wolves, these minor injuries were completely trivial.

The Young Group Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was flushed with success. With a grand wave of his hand, he shouted, "Move out! Continue forward!"

After the Wind Wolf attack, the mercenaries monitoring every movement in the surroundings became even more cautious. The deeper they went into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the greater the chance of encountering monster beasts became.

The party had traveled no more than a thousand zhang when everyone suffered three waves of monster beast attacks in succession. Fortunately, they had the advantage in numbers, and at the cost of a dozen or so mercenaries suffering light injuries, they drove back all three waves of monster beast attacks.

During this time, Lin Qingyun did not stay idle either. He occasionally made a few moves, and each time, he killed a monster beast in a single strike.

Such methods left many mercenaries greatly shocked. The way they looked at Lin Qingyun became even more reverent than before.

At first, they had merely heard that the former was a Dou Shi, but only when he truly displayed it did the disbelief in the hearts of the many mercenary groups vanish.

As for the mercenaries' praise, Lin Qingyun responded with a faint smile.

Following the main group, when the sky was about to darken, a voice suddenly rang out from the front of the quiet party. "Everyone, this place is already close to the herb-gathering area. The sky is about to get dark, so we'll set up camp here, rest for the night, and set out again tomorrow."

The forward steps paused slightly, and the entire party stopped as if by tacit agreement. They turned back and looked at the Woman in white, whose smile contained not the slightest impurity, and nodded their heads very obediently.

After a quick discussion, a dozen mercenaries spread out in all directions and swiftly used branches and vines to make some simple defensive works. They also scattered the dung of high-rank monster beasts that had been prepared in advance around the area.

The others also began working in batches, setting up camp, or clearing out an open space and lighting bonfires.

The Monster Beast Mountain Range was at its most dangerous at night, but firelight could make monster beasts feel some fear.

Lin Qingyun also chose a place, took out a tent he had prepared long ago from his Storage Ring, and tied it down.

After everything was prepared, apart from some mercenaries who needed to keep watch over the surroundings, the others began gathering around the bonfires, placing meat over the flames and setting jars of Clear Wine in front of themselves.

This kind of bold and unrestrained scene was also Lin Qingyun's first time seeing it, and he could not help becoming interested.

As for the invitation from the Young Group Leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, Lin Qingyun refused with a smile. He directly sat down in front of one of the bonfires, squeezing in among a group of burly men.

Compared to the false manner of the thin group leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, Lin Qingyun preferred the boldness of some simple and honest mercenaries.

A group of mercenaries talked about everything under the sun, and Lin Qingyun occasionally chimed in with a few words. Eating meat in big bites and drinking wine in great gulps could be considered thoroughly enjoyable.

And Lin Qingyun's personality, without the slightest arrogance of a wealthy clan or nobility, also made those burly mercenaries praise him greatly.

The merry gathering lasted until the bright moon hung high in the sky before it ended. The bonfires still rose, but most of the mercenaries had already returned to their tents, leaving only two or three people to keep watch and stand sentry.

Lin Qingyun, who had likewise entered his tent, did not hurry to sleep. Through the thin layer of cloth of the tent, only after he saw that the lights inside all the tents had gone out did he sit up from his bedding.

He carefully lifted the tent flap and glanced around. With one leap, he jumped straight onto the trunk of a tree, the entire process not alarming the surrounding guards.

"If I remember correctly, that cave should be by the cliff." Lin Qingyun muttered softly. Using the advantage of his high position, he looked around at the distant scenery.

Lin Qingyun was not clear which direction the cliff with the cave was located in, but if it was a cliff, then the distant area in that direction would definitely be extremely open.

"Phew! Finally found it." After looking around several times, Lin Qingyun gazed toward the direction on his left. Under the bright moon, he could see that there was no forest in the distance over there. It looked as if a large chunk had been lost, forming a sunken state.

A hint of pleasant surprise appeared on Lin Qingyun's face. His figure was like an agile monkey as he darted back and forth between the trees.

In only a short while, the view before him suddenly opened up. What appeared in front of him was a somewhat steep cliff. Below the cliff, lush green woods covered the land. If it were daytime, it would definitely be very beautiful.

His gaze swept along the edge of the cliff, and Lin Qingyun quickly saw a plant blooming with familiar white flowers.

He quickly walked to the position of this plant, and Lin Qingyun's gaze probed downward. On the edge of the steep cliff, about seven or eight zhang below, there was a protrusion about one chi wide, forming a small path.

To the left of this small path, tangled trees grew everywhere, piled with large amounts of broken stones, bones, and the like. Everything looked as if it had been skillfully arranged.

Lin Qingyun narrowed his eyes slightly. With the help of the slanting moonlight, through the gaps in those tangled trees, he could faintly see a pitch-black hollow in the cliff wall.

"It really is here!" Joy appeared on Lin Qingyun's face.

But just then, Lin Qingyun's ears twitched slightly, and he suddenly turned his head to look toward the dense forest behind him.

In the forest, a figure in white could vaguely be seen. Lin Qingyun frowned slightly, already guessing who had come.

After all, he was not the first person to come to this place. Someone had already been here long ago. But what made Lin Qingyun curious was that when he had come out, he absolutely had not alarmed anyone, yet Xiao Yi Xian had actually noticed him.

With a slightly strange expression, Lin Qingyun saw that Xiao Yi Xian had already come closer.

Her gaze fell on Lin Qingyun. She casually swept her eyes over him and said softly, "You're that genius Lu Xun from the Misty Cloud Sect, right?"

"Mm." Lin Qingyun nodded. His gaze likewise sized up this woman, who was delicate and weak like a lotus emerging from the water. Such gentle beauty, under the reflection of the moonlight, seemed like a fairy who had walked out of the moon palace, quite enough to move one's heart.

However, Lin Qingyun temporarily had no intention of teasing her at this moment. He was only somewhat puzzled. What exactly was this woman up to?

Of course, Lin Qingyun also did not choose to directly drive Xiao Yi Xian away. After entering the cave, there was a mechanism that still needed to rely on Xiao Yi Xian to open.

"A genius really is different. Even in the middle of the night, you come out to cultivate." Seeing Lin Qingyun answer casually, Xiao Yi Xian's dark brows knitted slightly, and she also spoke casually. Her pair of jet-black eyes glanced toward the bottom of the cliff from time to time.

"Mm!" Lin Qingyun still nodded, a faint smile on his face.

"Other than saying 'mm,' can't you say anything else?" Xiao Yi Xian was somewhat anxious. She stamped her foot and spoke in great gloom.

"Of course. I can also say, I... smell the scent of treasure!" Lin Qingyun turned his head and looked at Xiao Yi Xian's jade-like face, the corner of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.

"You... As expected, you still discovered it." Xiao Yi Xian pulled some distance away, her gaze watching Lin Qingyun warily.

"Why so nervous? Those who see it get a share. Isn't that pretty good?" Lin Qingyun said with a smile.

"I'm not used to sharing treasure with others!" An extra dagger appeared in Xiao Yi Xian's hand, and she spoke with a somewhat nervous expression.

"Then that means you don't agree." Lin Qingyun smiled and slowly walked forward.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Yi Xian retreated repeatedly in panic. She was clear about Lin Qingyun's strength. He was a Dou Shi, and she was no match for him at all. But very soon, Xiao Yi Xian's figure stopped, and she glanced behind her to see that below was a stretch of cliff.

She immediately said in an urgent voice, "Don't come over. If you come any closer, I'll call people. I'm going to call!"

"Then call."

Lin Qingyun stopped one chi in front of Xiao Yi Xian and looked at this woman who seemed as exquisitely carved as jade with a beaming smile.

"Aren't you afraid those mercenaries will attack you?" Xiao Yi Xian said, pretending to be tough. However, the trace of panic in her eyes betrayed her.

"Then go ahead and call. Won't we know once you call them over?" Lin Qingyun said with a smile.

"I..."