Excuse me... is Young Master Xiao here?

Xiao Yan had cultivated in his room all night. Just as he emerged from his cultivation, he heard a knock at the door.

"Excuse me... is Young Master Xiao here?"

At the lilting voice outside, a trace of puzzlement crossed Xiao Yan's face.

Strange. She and I have no ties whatsoever. What does she want with me?

Though puzzled, Xiao Yan rose and opened the door. Looking at Shang Xinci, dressed in white and standing outside, he asked in confusion.

"What can I do for you, miss?"

Shang Xinci looked at Xiao Yan and spoke slowly.

"Yesterday, I noticed that you had just arrived in Qingshan Town, young master. I imagine you're planning to head into the Magic Beast Mountain Range. I've been gathering herbs every day lately, and I'm recruiting people to accompany me, so I thought I'd ask whether you'd like to come.

"That way, we'll be safer, and I can help you become familiar with the terrain. Qingshan Town hasn't been very peaceful lately."

After hearing Shang Xinci's words, Xiao Yan rested his chin on his hand and considered it before finally nodding in agreement. It would indeed be safer this way. The dangers of the Magic Beast Mountain Range were no laughing matter.

"I understand. When do you intend to leave, miss?"

"In a little while. If you'd like to come, you can meet us at the town entrance."

With that, Shang Xinci turned and left the inn.

Seeing that Shang Xinci seemed to have come merely to inform him, Xiao Yan grew even more puzzled.

"I really can't see through her."

"If you can't figure her out, stop trying. Since you're entering the Magic Beast Mountain Range, you can take the opportunity to temper yourself."

Xiao Yan nodded at those words, then turned and strapped the Heavy Xuan Ruler in his room onto his back before heading toward the town entrance.

When he arrived, he saw quite a few mercenaries already there, eagerly signing up.

Xiao Yan stopped a dark-skinned, skinny mercenary who was hurrying past and asked curiously.

"Brother, why is everyone in such a hurry?"

After being stopped, the skinny mercenary first looked Xiao Yan over. Seeing how small and slender he was, the man gave a faint smile and pulled his hand free.

"You don't know, do you? Ever since Xiao Yi Xian disappeared, Qingshan Town hasn't had a mercenary job that pays this well. Of course everyone wants to join."

"Oh? Then do you know where this Miss Shang Xinci came from, or why she's staying all alone in Qingshan Town?"

When Xiao Yan heard that this matter was connected to Xiao Yi Xian, who had disappeared earlier, his interest deepened. He continued asking.

"Well..."

At Xiao Yan's question, the skinny mercenary scratched his head and thought for a moment.

"I don't know either. All I know is that Miss Shang came to town two months ago. Apparently, she'd grown tired of life in the big city, so she came to Qingshan Town to work as a physician.

"I don't know anything else. Since the town happened to be short of a physician, nobody asked too many questions. Hey, why are you asking in such detail? Have you taken a fancy to Miss Shang?"

Xiao Yan hurriedly shook his head.

"No, no, no. I was just asking."

With that, Xiao Yan quickly walked over to the group and joined the line to sign up.

Once nearly everyone had gathered, Shang Xinci glanced at Xiao Yan in the group, then spoke slowly.

"Thank you all for your efforts. I'll pay everyone when we return."

Beside her, a burly middle-aged man looked at the group and spoke sternly.

"Stay sharp, all of you. The Magic Beast Mountain Range is no laughing matter, especially after the last magical beast rampage. We must be careful this time."

"Understood!"

The group then set off for the Magic Beast Mountain Range in a grand procession. The atmosphere along the way remained fairly harmonious, and Shang Xinci kept slowing her pace to walk beside Xiao Yan.

"I hear you were asking about me earlier?"

Shang Xinci brushed back the long hair beside her ear, her gaze fixed ahead as she spoke casually.

With his little inquiries exposed, Xiao Yan felt rather awkward.

"Well... I was just a little curious."

"I came here for a treasure. Do you know why an Alchemist came to Qingshan Town in the first place?"

As though she had not noticed Xiao Yan's unease, Shang Xinci continued speaking.

The mention of treasure piqued Xiao Yan's interest.

"Treasure? What treasure?"

"Apparently, that Alchemist learned somewhere that there was a cave abode left behind by an ancient cultivator on a cliff in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, along the route from Qingshan Town. It's filled with treasure."

A smile curled Shang Xinci's lips as she openly revealed the truth.

"You came here for the treasure? Then why tell me? Aren't you afraid I'll seize it for myself?"

When Shang Xinci mentioned the treasure, Xiao Yan's first reaction was not delight, but wariness. Why would she choose to tell him something so important? This was clearly a trap.

Knowing that Xiao Yan would not trust her so easily, Shang Xinci remained unruffled. She had already written the script anyway. Whether Xiao Yan wanted to leap into it or not, he would have to.

"It took me over two months to find that cliff. From what I've observed, that Alchemist and the physician don't seem to have succeeded.

"I'm only a weak woman. I have no way of getting down that cliff, and Qingshan Town is full of mercenaries living as fugitives and outlaws. Naturally, I can't trust them.

"Just as I was worrying about what to do, you arrived, so I decided to enlist you as my ally."

Xiao Yan lowered his head without answering.

Teacher, what should I do? Should I agree?

"Don't ask me about everything. You need to make your own judgments."

Inside the Ring of Holding, Yao Lao stroked his beard. Rather than offering a verdict, he tossed the question back to Xiao Yan.

Without an answer, Xiao Yan thought it over before finally nodding. The timid starved to death, while the bold stuffed themselves to bursting. Since so many people had coveted it, there had to be something good inside.

Had Shang Xinci known what Xiao Yan was thinking, she would have laughed herself silly at him. After all, there were not only good things inside, but also a "thanks for participating."

"Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word? You should know that I'm a four-star Dou Zhe. Breaking our agreement would be child's play."

Although Xiao Yan had already made up his mind, he decided to test her once more. After all, what if there really was something fishy going on?

Shang Xinci smiled at his words, her smile like a spring chiming amid icy mountains, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"What else can I do? I'm weak and no good at fighting. If you truly intend to keep everything for yourself, Young Master Xiao Yan, I can only resign myself to my bad luck.

"Getting something is better than nothing. Besides, without your help, I can't get down there; if you refuse, you won't know where that cliff is either."

Hearing Shang Xinci say this, Xiao Yan finally felt reassured and nodded at her.

"Don't worry. I always keep my word. We'll split it fifty-fifty."

By nightfall, they had only covered half the journey. They found a broad, open area and began setting up camp.

After pitching her tent, Shang Xinci went straight inside to rest. Xiao Yan understood that this was meant to mislead the others, so he found a large tree some distance from the camp, casually spread out a blanket, and lay down to rest as well.

In the latter half of the night, once everyone was sound asleep, Shang Xinci lifted her tent flap, glanced at Xiao Yan nearby, then turned and walked into the dense woods.