At the edge of Witch South, a band of barbarians passed on patrol, hideous tattoos covering their faces. They wore bird feathers and animal hides, each carrying a bone weapon.
The barbarians advanced menacingly. The leaders radiated auras approaching the fourth level of qi refining. Before them stood a low hill, sparsely covered in vegetation and strewn mostly with rocks.
A cavern lay at the foot of the hill. The barbarians slowly surrounded it, aiming bone talismans seething with incantations and grotesquely shaped venomous insects at its entrance.
The barbarian with the highest cultivation approached suspiciously, ready at any moment to order the others to attack. He walked slowly up to the cavern and peered inside.
It was empty, though a few lingering traces suggested someone had once stayed there.
The band returned empty-handed and had no choice but to leave. They had come to patrol on their king's orders. With the tribes of Witch South now locked in fierce warfare, they also had to guard against immortal cultivators fishing in troubled waters.
Long after the barbarians left, a formation opened in a nearby valley, slowly revealing Liu Xiaowen and the others.
Li Jinzhi was now fully restored in spirit and vitality. After taking several pills to stabilize his foundation, his cultivation had recovered to the fourth level of qi refining. His expression was composed, and his hand frequently rested on the Crosswise Blade at his waist.
Over the past few days, Liu Xiaowen had spoken with this Liao People man. He was of mixed Li-Liao blood, which explained why he wore his hair in a Li Kingdom topknot rather than shaving it, yet still left a small braid hanging beside his right ear. The combination looked neither one thing nor the other.
Seeing the barbarians leave, they settled down