The Boy Asking for Directions (Please Vote to Recommend)

Shen Laodao lunged toward the Earth Vein Crystals, releasing a powerful wave of spiritual pressure with a sweep of his hand that forced Yang Xiao and Wang Huhu back a step. Seeing the crystals within reach, he cackled.

Just as he was about to grab the Earth Vein Crystals, a yellow light flashed around him, sending Shen Laodao flying backward.

Shen Laodao scrambled up from the ground and snapped, "Where did this formation come from?"

He charged forward again, his spiritual pressure twice as powerful as before, only to be bounced back at twice the speed he had rushed in.

Turning around, he barked, "Yang Xiao, did you pull some trick?"

Yang Xiao spread his hands. "This is an Earth Vein Grand Formation. Luckily, you only encountered a defensive formation. If it had been a killing formation, I'm afraid..."

"Impossible! How come I've never heard of any Earth Vein Grand Formation?"

Yang Xiao walked over and patted his shoulder. "How many times have you visited the Scripture Pavilion?"

Shen Laodao hemmed and hawed for a long while without giving an answer.

Wang Huhu doubled over with laughter beside them. Shen Laodao glared at her. "You knew too?"

Wang Huhu waved both hands. "I didn't know, but I didn't manage to grab any."

At that, Yang Xiao and Wang Huhu burst out laughing.

Yang Xiao laughed for a while, then stopped when he saw Shen Laodao's face growing darker and darker. He walked over to the Earth Vein Crystals and reached out with his right hand. Yellow light flickered around them, but it did not repel his hand.

The next instant, the yellow light abruptly stopped. Yang Xiao thrust his right hand inside and took out a handful of Earth Vein Crystals. He repeated this several times, only stopping when a single crystal remained.

Shen Laodao stepped forward. "Why aren't you taking that last one?"

Yang Xiao counted the Earth Vein Crystals in his Storage Bag. There were ninety-nine Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals in total. He handed thirty-three to Shen Laodao and said, "Earth Vein Crystals are formed from the condensed spiritual energy of a mountain range. If we take them all, this mountain will become barren.

"So Earth Masters have a rule: never drain the pond to catch all the fish. Leave the earth a thread of life.

"Most importantly, if we leave one Earth Vein Crystal now, more will grow after thousands or tens of thousands of years.

"That way, those who come here after us can harvest another batch."

"You make this thing sound like a hen, laying its own eggs," Shen Laodao muttered as he accepted the Earth Vein Crystals.

Yang Xiao then walked over to Wang Huhu and offered her thirty-three Earth Vein Crystals. She shook her head. "I'm not short on Earth Vein Crystals."

Yang Xiao pushed the Earth Vein Crystals into her hands. "Since we came together, everyone gets a share."

"Whether you need them is your business, but I still have to give you what you're owed."

With that, he headed out of the cave. She opened her mouth, then put the Earth Vein Crystals away and followed him.

By the time they left the cave, night had fallen. All three were Earth Masters, so sleeping out in the woods was out of the question. Three stone houses rose from the ground.

Wang Huhu lit a campfire while Shen Laodao cut open the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's corpse on the spot. He expertly removed its innards and venom sacs, then put slices of succulent snake meat into the pot.

When the aroma of meat began drifting from the pot, Yang Xiao emerged from meditation and walked over with a bowl and chopsticks.

The three exchanged glances. Shen Laodao whipped off the lid, and three pairs of chopsticks battled inside the pot. Before long, they had scraped it clean, with Shen Laodao even drinking all the broth. Rubbing their bellies, the three lay on the ground and gazed at the stars.

Food really did taste better when you fought over it.

Late that night, the three returned to their own rooms. Yang Xiao deftly spread a sheet over his bed, lay down, and pulled up his quilt.

In the darkness, a pair of green eyes lit up among the trees. A wild wolf emerged from the woods and slowly approached the stone house. It circled the house once, then stopped at the door.

The wolf reached its right forepaw toward the door, and yellow light flared around the stone house.

The yellow light startled the wolf, but its savage nature kept it from retreating. With a low growl, it burst through the door and charged inside. A moment later, it fled back out in terror, two Phantom Direwolves flying after it and swiftly pinning it down.

Sensing what was happening outside, Yang Xiao pursed his lips as he lay in bed, then went back to sleep.

How could Gather Earth to Build a House, a technique the Carefree Sect used as an introductory art, be so simple? An Alert Formation covered the stone walls, automatically sounding a warning whenever an enemy appeared.

That was only because Yang Xiao's magical power was weak. If he had possessed abundant magical power, he could have directly connected with the earth here and laid down a killing formation. Then, anyone who approached would not face his personal attacks, but get a taste of the power of mountains and rivers.

The three spent half a month in the mountains. Each received three hundred Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals and one Mid-Grade Earth Vein Crystal, which they stored in their Storage Rings.

Today was the day they planned to return to the Carefree Sect. Of the three, Shen Laodao was the happiest. Not only had he received earth vein crystals, but ten demonic beast carcasses also lay in his Storage Ring, enough to feed him... them for quite some time.

Yang Xiao's Qi Sea had now expanded to three thousand li. Combined with the Great Martial Canon, he was practically unrivaled in the Qi Gathering Realm.

Falling Blossom City lay between the Lianfeng Mountains and the Carefree Sect. Along the way, Wang Huhu clamored to go shopping in the city. Seeing how happy she was, the two men agreed.

In Falling Blossom City, Wang Huhu's eyes curved into crescents as she ran from stall to stall, filling her Storage Ring with food.

The two followed behind her with smiles.

"Excuse me, big brother."

A voice came from behind him. It sounded close, as though someone was calling to him.

Yang Xiao turned around and saw a teenage boy standing behind him with a little boy who came up to his waist.

Both wore coarse hemp clothes. The older boy's cloth shoes had two holes in them, while the little boy's shoes were somewhat old but intact.

"Were you calling me?" Yang Xiao asked. Beside him, Shen Laodao glanced at them before turning his attention to the nearby Perching Phoenix Pavilion. Looking at the beautiful women outside, he let out an occasional cackle.

"Hello, big brother. Do you know how to get to Corpse Soul Mountain?" the older boy asked shyly, holding the little boy's hand.

"I've never heard of it." Yang Xiao shook his head.

Disappointment crossed the boy's face. He thanked Yang Xiao, then turned to ask someone else.

Yang Xiao asked, "Shen Laodao, do you know Corpse Soul Mountain?"

"Corpse Soul Mountain?" Shen Laodao could not tear his gaze away from the Perching Phoenix Pavilion. "It's a hundred li east of Falling Blossom City. Why are you asking about that place?"

"Wait for me a moment," Yang Xiao told Shen Laodao.

He stepped forward and called out to the boy, who hid the little boy behind his back. "Big brother, did you need something?"

The boy spoke very softly, his expression still shy, as though he rarely spoke to strangers.

Yang Xiao smiled. "Corpse Soul Mountain is a hundred li east of Falling Blossom City."

The boy brightened at once and bowed. "Thank you, big brother."

"No problem," Yang Xiao said.

Having gotten the information, the boy took the little boy's hand and headed toward the eastern part of the city.

Yang Xiao returned to Shen Laodao, who was still staring at the Perching Phoenix Pavilion.

"Let's go," Yang Xiao said. Wang Huhu was almost out of sight ahead, so he hurried after her.

"Stay in the city tonight. I'll come find you tomorrow." He had barely gone halfway when Shen Laodao's voice came from behind. Looking back, he saw Shen Laodao entering the Perching Phoenix Pavilion with a woman in each arm.

Yang Xiao went back to the Perching Phoenix Pavilion, but Shen Laodao had already disappeared inside. Just then, two women came toward him from the pavilion, frightening him into hurrying back to find Wang Huhu. He still remembered what had happened the first time he stood outside the Perching Phoenix Pavilion. They were far too enthusiastic.

That evening, Yang Xiao found an inn and checked in with Wang Huhu. Beaming, she took bag after bag of snacks from her Storage Ring, her little mouth smacking nonstop.

Lying in bed, he recalled the scene from that afternoon. Corpse Soul Mountain did not sound like a good place. He wondered what that teenage boy was going there for with a little child.

The next day, Shen Laodao entered the inn with dark circles like a panda's, his face pale as he supported himself against the wall. Yang Xiao almost failed to recognize him.

"Can you even walk right now?" Yang Xiao eyed him dubiously.

"This humble monk could go back and fight another eight hundred rounds!" Shen Laodao declared, puffing out his chest with fighting spirit, only to wilt again the next instant.

The three rested in Falling Blossom City for another day before returning to the Carefree Sect.

The sight that greeted them upon returning to the mountain gave them a shock. Yang Xiao looked at the summit. Had it not been for the familiar stone houses, he would have thought they had come to the wrong mountain.

Two new Blue Stone Houses stood at the summit. Outside one of them were all six disciples who had climbed the mountain with him.

Even from a hundred meters away, an aroma drifted over from the Blue Stone House.

"Eight-treasure chicken, green delicacy duck..." Wang Huhu inhaled the fragrance and rattled off a long list of dishes.

The three walked over. Inside, Senior Sister Lei Miaoyan was cooking.

"Junior Brother Lin, what happened here?" Yang Xiao found Lin Haoxuan in the crowd.

"Oh, Senior Brother Yang. You've been away from the mountain, so you wouldn't know. Not long after you left, two Blue Stone Houses appeared here.

"One is the Mission Hall, managed by Senior Brother Lei Jiuchen. You can accept missions there and earn all sorts of items."

"I don't know which bastard suggested it, but Master sealed off the Scripture Pavilion to make us do missions. Aside from some basic texts, we have to exchange mission rewards for the more advanced ones."

"The other is the Food Hall right here, managed by Senior Sister Lei. Her food is so delicious that all our fellow disciples line up outside early every day."

"There's just one drawback: you have to pay with Earth Vein Crystals to eat inside."

Yang Xiao looked at Lin Haoxuan. He still remembered how pained Lin Haoxuan had looked when taking out two Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals back then. How did he have any left to pay for meals?

Just then, he saw Senior Sister Lei carry a box to the door. Each disciple dropped an Earth Vein Crystal into it before entering the Food Hall.

Yang Xiao's mouth twitched violently. He had underestimated Chen Wuyou's shamelessness and how wealthy his fellow disciples were. Apparently, they had played him for a fool back then.

"Junior Brother Yang, are you coming in to eat?" Senior Sister Lei walked over and asked.

"No." Yang Xiao shook his head. One Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystal per meal was no different from robbery. He could not afford it.

Besides, the demonic beast carcasses in Shen Laodao's Storage Ring would feed them for a long time.

Just as he was about to leave, Wang Huhu bounded over, flipped her right hand, and tossed three Low-Grade Earth Vein Crystals into the box. She smiled at them. "Come on."

Shen Laodao followed her. After a moment's thought, Yang Xiao went inside as well.

Inside the Food Hall, he spotted Wang Huhu in a corner, with Dongfang Mingyue sitting opposite her.

While he hesitated over whether to approach, Shen Laodao walked over, sat beside Dongfang Mingyue, and beckoned to him.

Yang Xiao's mouth gave a sharp twitch. The matter between him and Dongfang Mingyue had long since spread throughout the Carefree Sect. There was no way Shen Laodao did not know. He was deliberately making things awkward for him.

He walked over, intending to sit beside Wang Huhu, when a flash of spiritual light flickered before his eyes. Shen Laodao smiled at him.

Yang Xiao froze. There were only four seats at the table, and now the only empty one was beside Dongfang Mingyue.

All three looked at him. Shen Laodao and Wang Huhu wore mischievous little smiles. Dongfang Mingyue's eyes were usually icy, but now, however he looked at them, they seemed full of murderous intent.

Yang Xiao drew a breath, calmly walked up to the table, and sat down.

At a time like this, whoever gets embarrassed first is the most embarrassed one.

The table was covered with dishes, including heaps of demonic beast meat he did not recognize, along with some he had seen in the texts.

He had to admit that although the Food Hall charged steep prices, the ingredients alone made it worthwhile. Even the lowest-grade dishes used meat from Qi Gathering Realm demonic beasts. One dish of braised wolf-pig meat even came from a Sea Condensation Realm demonic beast.

Moreover, Senior Sister Lei Miaoyan's cooking was truly delicious, far better than that fellow Shen Laodao's boiled meat. Even low-grade ingredients could be made as tender as meat from beasts above the Sea Condensation Realm, melting in your mouth.

After leaving the Food Hall, everyone went back to rest.

Inside his room, Yang Xiao took out the Earth Vein Crystals and began a long period of secluded cultivation. His current weakness was his insufficient magical power. Had he possessed enough, he would not have needed to slowly wear the Blackwater Mystic Serpent down until it died.