Chapter 26

The mountains near the Azure Tide Sect were ideal training grounds for Qi Refining Period disciples. When the sect had been founded ten thousand years ago, it had cleared out all the high-level Demon Beasts nearby, so this mountain range posed relatively little danger to Qi Refining Period disciples.

The day after returning from the marketplace, Su Jiu packed her belongings and left the Azure Tide Sect, choosing the nearest mountain to carry out her missions.

Abundant spiritual energy kept the mountain lush and green all year round. With a careful search, one could even find quite a few spirit flowers and Spirit Herbs.

As Su Jiu searched along the way, she found that there really were very few Demon Beasts left on this mountain. Occasionally, she spotted a mild-tempered, low-level first-tier Herbivore Beast. Unlike Windfang Rabbits, these beasts did not attack cultivators unprovoked, but they had little medicinal value to cultivators either, so a fair number of this type remained in the mountains.

The occasional call of a Zither Bird rang through the mountain, wonderfully pleasing to the ear. Were it not for the dangers lurking in certain places, this would have been a lovely spot for a spring outing.

Su Jiu's first mission was easy enough. Although the blood-staunching herbs on this mountain had been heavily harvested, they grew readily, and a new crop sprouted every spring. Finding them took little effort, though all those she picked were still young.

The forest air was fresh. Su Jiu thought that it had been a long time since she had felt this relaxed.

But that ease did not last long. At some point, Su Jiu had wandered into a wetland, where the trees grew so densely that they blocked nearly ninety percent of the light. Though the path was dim, she still spotted a neat line of footprints across the wet ground.

They were Civet Beast tracks.

Judging by the tracks, there seemed to be more than one. Su Jiu slowed her breathing and softened her footsteps, following them until they disappeared into a dense patch of grass.

The grass was thick and tall, barely shorter than Su Jiu herself. Rather than rashly stepping into it, she surveyed the surroundings for places where the Civet Beasts might be hiding.

Soon, she spotted a slightly flattened patch in the grass.

Su Jiu quietly drew the longsword from her back. Ice Spiritual Qi flowed silently into the blade as she used Lightfoot Step, leaping forward and striking her target squarely.

The Civet Beast let out a sudden cry of pain and immediately retaliated.

A paw as large as an adult's hand swiped straight at Su Jiu's face. She twisted slightly aside, narrowly avoiding the blow.

Both sides instantly drew apart. Only then did Su Jiu see that she had struck the Civet Beast's back. It stared at her through narrowed brown eyes. In human terms, it was probably burning with rage.

Ignoring the blood streaming down its back, the Civet Beast lunged swiftly at Su Jiu again, as though it could not feel pain.

Su Jiu's sword training had not been for nothing. Every strike targeted a vital spot, and because her footwork was faster than the Civet Beast's, she could anticipate its attacks to some extent. Although it took a little time, she soon wore the beast down and killed it.

Su Jiu swallowed a Returning Spirit Pill but did not sit down to meditate.

Judging by the tracks she had seen earlier, there should have been two Civet Beasts here, yet for some reason, only one had appeared.

Closing her eyes, Su Jiu extended her Divine Sense through the grass little by little. Beyond it, she discovered a cave, surrounded by biyi grass-the target of her final mission.

Before long, another Civet Beast ambled out of the cave. As though sensing something, it turned its gaze toward Su Jiu. She immediately withdrew her Divine Sense.

Su Jiu quickly put the Civet Beast before her into her Storage Bag, then headed toward her target.

The instant she stepped out of the grass, a figure pounced straight at her like a gust of wind. Su Jiu immediately pulled out her sword sheath to block the killing lunge.

It was the other Civet Beast.

The girl and beast were locked in a stalemate. Su Jiu held it off with the sheath in her left hand while forming a spell gesture with her right. An Ice Spike appeared in her palm, and the instant it finished forming, she drove it into the Demon Beast's abdomen.

The Demon Beast's belly was racked with pain. It screamed, pulled both paws away from the sheath, and fled some distance.

Before long, the Demon Beast attacked again, but this time Su Jiu was ready. It quickly fell into a losing position. Another half an incense stick later, it met the same miserable end as the first beneath Su Jiu's sword.

After throwing the second Civet Beast into her Storage Bag, Su Jiu discovered that there was very little room left. She sighed. Replacing it with a larger one anytime soon was impossible-she had no spirit stones. Her only option was to dispose of these two Civet Beasts quickly once she returned.

Even after setting aside the ten stalks needed for the mission, there would still be plenty of biyi grass left.

Su Jiu harvested it carefully, trying to extract each root intact so that none of its medicinal potency would be lost.

Just as she finished harvesting the biyi grass and prepared to return to the sect, she suddenly heard cries for help in the distance.

Su Jiu paused. Those approaching were several Qi Refining Period disciples from the Azure Tide Sect.

Once she got a clear look at them, she frowned. Why were they all only at the first or second level of Qi Refining? There were even three familiar faces among them: Mu Zihan, Xia Meng, and Su Bo, a Su Household Disciple. Chasing them was a High-Tier Monster-a Ya Beast.

Ya Beasts were enormous, with the strongest offensive power among first-tier Demon Beasts. It usually took seven or eight Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators to surround and kill one. Su Jiu could not understand how this group of first- and second-level cultivators had provoked it.

What puzzled Su Jiu most was that Ya Beasts were practically extinct in this mountain range. Just what kind of luck did it take to run into one?

The Ya Beast was about to catch the cultivator trailing behind the others. Su Jiu drew her sword and used Lightfoot Step, darting toward them.

Just as the man thought he was doomed, he suddenly saw a figure flying toward him. A kick struck his waist, sending him rolling several times before he finally stopped. Once his daze passed, all he could feel was searing pain in his waist. By the time he recovered his bearings, he found a little girl barely a few inches taller than his waist fighting the Demon Beast.

One of his companions helped him up.

"Should we go help?" The other companions gathered around as well. It was Xia Meng who asked.

The man who had been kicked clutched his waist and grimaced. "Help get in her way? She did us a favor, at least. Can we not repay kindness with harm?"

Clearly, he had a sharp tongue.

Xia Meng's eyes widened in anger, but she also felt that he had a point. A group of first- and second-level Qi Refining cultivators like them really could not help. They would only be serving themselves up as food for the Ya Beast.

Su Bo stood to one side, watching Su Jiu fight the Ya Beast with a measure of worry.