But when he found Xiao Hua and saw that four disciples were already inside, the fire in his heart rose uncontrollably. "I'm out there swallowing my pride and wheeling and dealing with people, while you're hiding away and cultivating by yourself! If Master hadn't instructed me, I wouldn't give a damn whether you lived or died!"
Cui Hongshen shot Xiao Hua a glare, then turned and found the farthest quiet room. Without greeting the three Qi Refinement disciples inside, he dropped down heavily onto the floor.
"Greetings, Martial Uncle!" Seeing a Foundation Establishment disciple enter, the three Qi Refinement disciples did not dare neglect him and hurriedly rose to bow.
"Mm." Cui Hongshen flicked his sleeve. He did not return the gesture, merely gave a perfunctory response, then closed his eyes to rest.
The three Qi Refinement disciples looked at one another, strange expressions appearing on their faces... The northwestern region of Xi Kingdom was already exceedingly cold. Though it lacked Huan Kingdom's bone-piercing chill, where standing water froze into ice and ice and snow filled the eye, the forests and mountains here were often blanketed in snow as well. Even the peaks of some lofty and precipitous mountain ranges bore white snow that never melted throughout the year.
There were truly few ordinary people able to live here. Only at the edges of the mountains and forests, in somewhat warmer places, would groups of mortals gather. Naturally, they could not live by planting rice and grain. Most made their livelihoods through hunting and digging up spirit herbs in the mountains. Of course, these spirit herbs could not compare with those consumed by cultivators; they were merely herbs that had grown for slightly longer years, utterly ordinary in cultivators' eyes.
This harsh environment was fatal to ordinary people, yet immensely