Opening Up Spirit Soil (II)

It was only natural Xiu Ming's hundred men could annihilate the Fire-Fang Tree Yaoguai horde, which was of similar size and strength, in a single battle.

After all, Mo Wen had been worried Xiu Ming, his last disciple, and had specifically instructed the latter to retrieve a Star-Shooting Crossbow from the storeroom. With such a magical tool by his side, he would be much safer.

Otherwise, even if he could lead this rabble to defeat the Fire-Fang Tree Yaoguai horde, the casualties among the cultivators would be extremely high.

Xing Bing suffered dislocated organs after being struck by the tree demon leader with a piece of spirit wood. Not only were his ribs broken, but his spine was also cracked. No one in the Cloud Horn Volunteers had the ability to Xiu Ming such injuries. Xiu Ming then administered a pill, which finally stabilized Xing Bing's condition.

Just as he was about to arrange for someone to send the latter back to the central army, Xiu Ming heard Xing Bing's soft plea. "Brother, please let me stay. I have accomplished nothing this time. How will I face my sect elders and fellow disciples when I return?"

"Fellow Daoist Xing, why bother? I have recorded your valiant cultivation on the Jade Slip word for word. When I meet with the elders of your sect, I will certainly explain it to you clearly."

After Xiu Ming, he saw that Xing Bing's expression remained unchanged, knowing that his mind was made up.

Fortunately, although Xing Bing's injuries were not serious, they were not life-threatening. So he just sighed again and casually summoned a Rogue Cultivator to take care of him.

You Xiaobao, still sprawled on the ground covered in a salty, foul odor, sighed at the sight. He thought to himself, "These Chongming Sect disciples are truly remarkable. Despite such severe injuries, they still refuse to leave the battlefield. If I had a choice, which bastard would be willing to stay here and fight to the death?"

You Xiaobao had this thought, he saw Bai Jiang Xiu Ming walking towards him with a serious expression.

He was slightly taken aback, thinking that Xiu Ming, who was skilled at reading minds, was coming to deal with him.

You Xiaobao had lived with an old Rogue Cultivator who had never broken through to the Middle Qi Refinement since childhood, so he had never seen much of the world. Seeing Xiu Ming like this, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Unexpectedly, just as the latter stepped forward, You Xiaobao had barely sat up, and was about to straighten his clothes, compose himself, and bow deeply, Xiu Ming tossed down a Storage Bag: "You did well just now."

You Xiaobao didn't dare to be slow at this moment. He didn't know why Xiu Ming wanted to reward Xiu Ming, but he didn't care. He hurriedly opened the Storage Bag, ignoring the envious eyes of his fellow soldiers around him.

"Wow!" You Xiaobao's eyes lit up. A neat stack of one hundred low-grade Spirit Stone, along with the Storage Bag, would probably take the two of them, master and disciple, ten years of saving without eating or drinking to accumulate enough.

You Xiaobao, who had never been particularly ambitious, suddenly understood Xing Bing's previous actions and thought to himself, "There really are no fools in this world. No wonder my Fire Chief was working so hard. It turns out it's because of the Chongming Sect's benevolence. No wonder the heroes and valiant men from the surrounding counties are all willing to come and join Sect Leader Kang Da."

Xiu Ming, who had no time to Xiu Ming, was unaware that You Xiaobao was so ignorant that he couldn't even recognize the exquisite clothing and decorations worn by him True Disciple the Ingenious Craftsman Fort.

Even if Xiuming knew that his actions had done Chongming Sect a favor for nothing, Xiu Ming wouldn't feel he had lost out.

He had just finished inspecting the Star-Shooting Crossbow strings with two other disciples from Ingenious Craftsman Fort, applying spiritual ink to the joints, and hadn't even had time to eat a cane flower tablet when he received a message from the central army.

The superiors mentioned that the two Rogue Cultivator whose internal organs had been damaged by the Four-Flower Miasma could not be fully saved, and that two Rogue Cultivators who had been sent to transport the wounded had been dispatched to return immediately. Finally, they inquired about the success of the operation to annihilate the Fire-Fang Tree Yaoguai swarm in the old site of the Black Sand Tribe.

Xiu Ming put aside his task of tallying the spoils and immediately made two copies of the Jade Slip he had used for recording. Then he took out three Colorful-Foreheaded Black Crow from his spirit beast pouch and tied a Jade Slip to each of their ankles.

After feeding the spirit insects their fill, he urged them to set off as soon as possible and bring the message back to the central army.

The Cold Crow Mountain Range were extremely dangerous for a newly-advanced messenger bird. The three-headed Colorful-Foreheaded Black Crow wandered through the dense forests of the valley for a long time, and in the end, only two of the three Jade Slip that Xiu Ming had Xiu Ming back arrived.

Jin Shilun carefully put the Jade Slip away and placed it beside several Double Brightness disciples who had been temporarily promoted to scribes. After watching them carefully write and draw for a while, he came to Jiang Qing's side and respectfully said:

"Third Uncle, two days have passed. Of the nineteen teams dispatched, eleven have successfully completed their missions. Four are currently locked in a stalemate, two have requested reinforcements, and there are still two teams with no news of their return."

It's unclear whether it was destroyed by the Demon Beast or scattered on its own. My nephew is currently asking the Dragon Beast Master to send Golden-Feathered Owl to check. If nothing is found, we'll have to explore that place again."

"Hmm," Jiang Qing nodded slightly, then after a moment seemed to remember to ask, "Are the casualties severe?"

"Not many. The teams that completed the military orders only lost a maximum of 20% of their men." Jin Shilun replied, then frowned slightly and said, "After all, the map that Master distributed had few errors, and Third Uncle had done the homework for them beforehand. If we followed the plan, completing the military orders shouldn't be too difficult."

So far, apart from the unexpected appearance of a top- First-Tier Supreme-Grade Demon Beast at Xiu Shidi's place, I haven't heard of any others. Oh, and here too,"

Jin Shilun pointed to two places on the map, which were the destinations of the other two teams that had disappeared without a trace.

"Do you two have the time to investigate?" Jiang Qing turned to look at Li Mingyuan and Ji Yunsheng beside him and asked.

The two men were originally chosen by Sect Leader Kang Da to serve as Jiang Qing's deputies, so there was no reason for them to refuse. Naturally, they prepared their armor and each led a hundred local soldiers to the battlefield.

"Shilun, order the forces near those two reinforcement teams to postpone taking the previously agreed-upon strongholds and focus on rescuing the people first. Reserve forces must be ready; these two teams have likely suffered heavy casualties, so be prepared for containment and regrouping."

After saying these words, a look of annoyance appeared between Jiang Qing's brows.

He wasn't just a reckless fool; he could handle such arrangements in an orderly manner. He simply felt that facing the enemy head-on with a sword was much more satisfying than arranging troops in formation like this.

It must be said that the longer Jiang Qing cultivated, the more he understood why the Daoist Black Shoes chose to give up his current comfort and venture alone into the boundless outer sea with its uncertain future.

However, his situation was different from that of his Uncle Black Shoes. Old Sect Leader He was no longer with them, but his two senior brothers Kang Dabao and Yuan Jin, still had a long time to live. How could Jiang Qing possibly leave cleanly?

Setting aside these distracting thoughts, Jiang Qing asked Jin Shilun, "Have you found any trace of Second Tier Demon Beast?!"

"Junior Sister Ye replied that she saw traces of a lone Second Tier Demon Beast near the Jia Chou Jia-Chou Military Stockade Immortal Dynasty in the Cold Crow Mountain Range. It was the place where Senior Lu had just led people to provide assistance."

She had already won a battle nearby and was now leading her troops into the barracks to hold their ground and await reinforcements. Given her well-prepared spiritual tools, she should be fine.

Jiang Qing nodded slightly after hearing Jin Shilun's words; what the latter said made sense. A well-trained team of nearly a hundred cultivators would find it difficult to defeat ordinary Second Tier Demon Beast.

After all, there are very few Second Tier Spirit Vein around here, which is enough to show that the Second Tier Demon Beast that roam the edge of the Cold Crow Mountain Range all year round are nothing special among their peers.

Therefore, even if they are dissatisfied because their homes have been invaded, they should not have the ability to take on any tough challenges.

Jiang Qing, feeling somewhat relieved, turned to the Double Brightness disciple who was still writing and drawing and asked, "How is it? Have you counted all the items?"

"That's good."

"Bring it to me for inspection,"

The Double Brightness Sword Immortal Chongming reached out and took the list, glancing at each item before reading it aloud. "Three First-Tier Lower-Grade spirit mines, one mid-grade spirit mine, one miscellaneous spirit fruit forest, two spirit springs, and one spirit stream. In addition, there are Demon Beast materials containing over three dou and six sheng of low-grade Essence Blood, and over one sheng of mid-grade Essence Blood."

"Hmm, it seems like it's still not enough."

Jiang Qing, who knew Sect Leader Kang Da's temperament very well, did not think that his senior brother would be happy about such a small gain.

"A general order has been issued to all troops: do not shrink back, but press on with renewed vigor. The Cold Crow Mountain Range are still a vast area."

Time flies. When the Double Brightness Alliance first entered Cold Crow Mountain, the late rice was just ripening, but now it's snowing heavily both inside and outside the mountains.

Since the beginning of last month, Ming Zhe had temporarily handed over the affairs of the Double Brightness Caravan to another capable junior brother, while he and He Degong worked together to transport supplies and wounded soldiers in various battlefields in Double Brightness Trade Market and Cold Crow Mountain Range.

He had only entered the mountain pass a short time before he saw wisps of white smoke rising from a low peak ahead.

The smoke was unlike ordinary white mist; it was extremely thick and had a hint of sweetness, which aroused his curiosity, causing him to quicken his pace with the pack animals.

"What are you doing here, Senior Brother Yuan?!" Ming Zhe exclaimed in surprise when he saw that it was Yuan Changsheng, who should have been waiting in the Alchemy Hall, who was here.

"Junior Brother Ming is here?!" Yuan Changsheng is now nearly forty years old and has grown into a tall and imposing man who bears a striking resemblance to Yuan Jin. Although his face is rugged, he has been practicing alchemy and cultivation with Pei Yi since childhood, and is a thoroughly refined and cultured person.

After smiling at Ming Zhe, he pulled another short, thin Daoist priest in front of him and introduced him to Ming Zhe while praising him, "This is Guest Elder Cai, who was recently recruited by the Hundred Arts Pavilion. He is skilled in brewing. The front line consumes too much of the various spirit wines, which is quite wasteful."

Master then suggested that I bring Guest Elder Cai along to this place, so that we could set up a brewery using the newly acquired spiritual spring and orchard. And look, the stills, which were only built ten days ago, are ready to be used for brewing today."

Yuan Changsheng pointed to the wine still, which was at least ten feet tall, with a look of great joy on his face.

The short and thin Guest Elder Cai seemed to be an honest person. When he saw Ming Zhe looking at him, he didn't dare to say anything and simply bowed as a greeting.

Ming Zhe politely returned the courtesy and then drank the spirit wine that Yuan Changsheng had sent to bring him in large gulps.

The moment it entered his mouth, Ming Zhe sighed inwardly, "Just as I expected, this spirit wine is indeed both strong and inferior."

Having grown accustomed Higher Vehicle the finest mead within the clan, Ming Zhe naturally disliked its taste, yet he still praised it, saying, "Excellent wine! Excellent wine! Guest Elder Cai, you truly have exceptional skill!"

Having spent years navigating the business world, his ability to blatantly lie was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, leaving Guest Elder Cai blushing with shame after his praise.

Yuan Changsheng, who had been his fellow apprentice for many years, could see through his thoughts. He simply pulled him aside and said with a soft laugh:

"What my master valued was simply the cheap ingredients in the recipe that Guest Elder Cai possessed. It only required the Lower Vehicle of spirit rice, the not-so-pure spirit spring water here, and unselected inferior spirit fruits to brew a sufficient quantity of entry-level spirit wine. No other recipe could be as cost-effective."

Ming Zhe understood after hearing this, but he wasn't particularly interested in it. He simply asked, "Senior Brother Yuan, has the Blood-Shadow Leopard that appeared at the Ding-You Mine ten days ago been seen again?"

Yuan Changsheng sighed upon hearing this, saying only, "This beast is indeed cunning. Martial Uncle Jiang and several other seniors have searched for it, but none of them have found a trace of it. However, as soon as there is no Foundation Establishment cultivator to guard it, it comes out to wreak havoc on the area."

After he finished speaking, he added to Ming Zhe, "Junior brother, you must be careful on the road. This beast injured Senior Lu before; even ordinary early-stage True Cultivator might not be able to stop him."

Ming Zhe responded in a deep voice, a sense of nervousness rising within him.

This was because when the Blood-Shadow Leopard emerged from the mine, the entire mine, along with one Chongming Sect disciple, seven outer disciples, and twenty or thirty wounded soldiers who had been lightly injured and reassigned to guard the mine, were all slaughtered.

In the end, only a portion of the thousand or so ordinary warriors who had just been recruited and hadn't even had a chance to go down into the mine survived.

The only Foundation Establishment True Cultivator to have ever directly confronted it, Lu Xingbei, was no match for it. Two of his six newly repaired ice crystal spears were destroyed, and he himself almost perished in the leopard's jaws.

Despite the ferocious Demon Beast ahead, Ming Zhe did not feel any fear.

After pouring the spiritual energy that Yuan Changsheng had been so eager to promote into a water-filled magical Law Artifact, and briefly bidding farewell to the former, Ming Zhe led his team on their journey again.

Besides transporting supplies, Ming Zhe also had to maintain his old business as a peddler, just Sect Leader Kang Da, in the various tug-of-war battlefields. After traveling and stopping frequently, Ming Zhe arrived at Xiu Ming's position in just a few days.

Of the hundred men that Xiu Ming initially led, nearly half have been killed in action. They are now joined by a group of Pingrong who were attacked and routed by Second Tier Demon Beast, making up another hundred men.

The group was huddled together, locked in a stalemate with two nearby groups of Demon Beast, neither able to advance any further.

These Rogue Cultivator, who risked their lives every day, were overjoyed at the arrival of supplies. But as soon as they got closer and saw the prices, a cacophony of curses erupted.

"Pfft, this kind of inferior wine costs nine Spirit Stone a dou (a unit of volume), almost three times the market price! How is that any different from robbing someone?!"

"Not only is the wine of poor quality and high price, but even the price of areca flower tablets has nearly doubled."

"They, Chongming Sect Kang Dabao, made their fortune in his early years by selling inferior goods as superior ones. Now they are all powerful figures in the area, yet they still do such shameless things."

"Yes, yes, you never bring any women with you when you come to keep you entertained."

These Rogue Cultivator and local militiamen face life-or-death battles every day, so it's understandable that they might speak somewhat rudely or overstep the bounds of propriety.

Ming Zhe took in the scene without panicking, because someone in the crowd stood up and shouted, "Shut up! What gives you the nerve to make such a racket here?!"

Ming Zhe saw that the person who got up was a young man with a knife scar on his face. His Third Layer of Qi Refinement.

Those around him, seeing him come out to contradict them, were naturally not Qi Ingestion. Some of the more hot-tempered ones wanted to fight him, but were stopped by Xiu Ming and other officers of various ranks.

At this point, the young man with the scar on his face continued to shout:

"You bunch of ignorant bastards! It's not like other caravans haven't come here before. Spirit wine and various flower petals are cheaper, but don't you know the prices of pills, artifacts, talismans, and arrays?!"

Have these most essential supplies been priced higher than yours?! To be honest, I, You Xiaobao, am afraid they're even higher than the prices in many markets! Aren't you just trying to fool us into thinking we don't have time to haggle?!

You Xiaobao's outburst caused those around him to freeze in their tracks, for the logic behind it was so obvious that it didn't even require much thought.

On the battlefield, it goes without saying whether leisurely pursuits or the urgent need for alchemy, artifacts, and talismans are more important.

After being scolded, those with a modicum of conscience felt ashamed. Although the heartless and treacherous remained indifferent, with their momentum waning and their supporters few and far between, no one dared to clamor again.

Ming Zhe and Xiu Ming were quite satisfied with You Xiaobao's performance. This rogue Rogue Cultivator from Chongming City was already of impeccable lineage, and with his words and actions today, he would have a bright future if he survived the battle.

The two of them, of course, understood the good intentions of Sect Leader Kang Da. This time, the latter really didn't make much money. Even the most lucrative job of accompanying the camp was entrusted to several Foundation Establishment specialists from the Cold Mountain Sect out of consideration for his reputation.

After all, they inherited the most substantial portion of the fortune of Lang Yi, the number one Rogue Cultivator in Cloud Horn Prefecture, and the Mandarin Duck Hall, a notorious money-making den spread across several prefectures, happened to be among them.

After all, there are plenty of women in this world who are happy to sell their bodies to earn some money for spiritual practice, so many people don't think this business in the brothel is wrong.

But what in this world is absolute? Who knows if some ruthless killers, blinded by the allure of Spirit Stone, might commit some heinous act?

Therefore, Chongming Sect has not yet gotten involved in this lucrative and scandalous business.

Therefore, the criticisms leveled against by these Rogue Cultivators are completely unreasonable.

In other words, Ming Zhe has experienced a lot and his temperament has improved considerably. If he still had the same young master personality as before, there would inevitably be several people in the arena who would be cut in two by flying swords.

The room gradually quieted down. Ming Zhe casually selected a few people to complete the business, then pulled Xiu Ming aside and asked softly, "Brother, do you know where my master is?!"

Xiu Ming nodded in agreement, "The other day, two hundred Jin County soldiers were fighting at Old Crow Mountain when they were suddenly attacked and routed by Iron-Feathered Bird that seemed to have wandered in from nowhere. Uncle Jiang must have gone there to pursue the defeated enemy and gather the scattered soldiers."

"It's on my way, I'll go take a look!"