Chapter 28: Encounter in the Mountains

Chapter 28: Encounter in the Mountains

As night fell, Murong Wushuang gathered dry firewood and lit a campfire on the ground, sprinkling a pungent yellowish powder around it. This powder could repel large snakes and insects in the mountains.

Murong Wushuang took out a piece of dried meat from his bag, roasted it over the fire until it turned black, and handed it to Ning Xiaochuan. "Make do with this!"

Ning Xiaochuan accepted the dried meat with a smile. "Thanks!"

Murong Wushuang plopped down on the ground and began gnawing on his own portion, mumbling with his mouth full, "By the way, I still don’t know your name. Someone willing to spend 50,000 small coins on a leaf must have quite the background, right?"

Ning Xiaochuan tore off a small piece of meat and ate it, replying lightly, "Nothing special. You can call me Ning Xiaochuan."

"Ning Xiaochuan... Brother Chuan. Since you’re so rich, how about I tag along with you from now on?" Murong Wushuang glanced at him.

Ning Xiaochuan chuckled. "We’ll see."

After finishing the dried meat, Murong Wushuang and Ning Xiaochuan exchanged a few more casual words before each began their cultivation.

Murong Wushuang pulled out the tattered copy of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi from his pocket, placed it on the ground, and started cultivating according to the method described in the book.

Ning Xiaochuan also took out a copy of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, set it down, and began his own cultivation. Closing his eyes, he sensed the Profound Qi between heaven and earth. The energy grew active, seeping into his pores, merging with his blood, and flowing into his Martial Arts Heart Palace.

Ning Xiaochuan had already reached the second layer of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, doubling his absorption speed. He felt he would soon break through to the third layer. What others found extremely difficult to cultivate, he handled with surprising ease.

Once he reached the third layer of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, his absorption speed would quadruple, making his cultivation even faster.

After an entire night of cultivation, Ning Xiaochuan sensed that the Martial Arts Profound Qi within him had increased significantly, though he still hadn’t broken through to the Eighth Level of Profound Qi.

"Eh? Brother Chuan, why are you cultivating Heaven and Earth Profound Qi too? Isn’t that a low-tier martial technique?" Murong Wushuang acted as if they were already old friends, speaking with familiarity.

Ning Xiaochuan closed his book. "Aren’t you cultivating it too? Judging by your absorption speed, you’ve probably reached the second layer as well?"

Gou Sheng scratched his head sheepishly. "I’m just a self-taught nobody. I even had to sneak around my grandpa to cultivate Profound Qi. I don’t have any high-level techniques, so I’m stuck with this lowest-tier Heaven and Earth Profound Qi."

Ning Xiaochuan couldn’t help but admire the young man’s talent. Relying solely on the most basic cultivation method—without even using Mystic Medicines like Heart Nurturing Liquid or Blood Nourishing Liquid—he had still managed to reach the Seventh Level of Profound Qi at such a young age.

If he had been born into a noble household, with access to advanced techniques and Mystic Medicines, his talent might have even surpassed Ning Xin'er's.

Such a talent was being buried, and Ning Xiaochuan had the intention to recruit him into Haitang Manor. However, he remained suspicious of the man's identity, so he suppressed the thought for the time being, deciding to revisit it when the opportunity arose.

After another full day of travel, covering over a hundred kilometers, they ventured deeper into the wilderness. The trees around them grew increasingly massive, their ancient roots protruding from the soil as thick as bowls.

The area was frequented by fierce beasts—five-meter-long serpents, saber-toothed tigers as tall as a man, and even Mystic Beasts whose roars alone could make one's ears ring.

Mystic Beasts were categorized into nine grades, further divided into ferocious combat types and docile, domesticated ones. Only the latter could be trained as mounts or pets, while wild Mystic Beasts were far more savage, their combat prowess several times greater. Even a first-grade Mystic Beast possessed the strength to slaughter an entire village.

"Be careful. We’ve entered dangerous territory. Last time I came here to gather Mystic Medicine, I encountered a second-grade Fire Spider. Its claws nearly pierced my chest—I was lucky to escape with my life," Gou Sheng warned, gripping his firewood knife as he treaded cautiously.

The journey had been relatively peaceful so far, with no encounters with Mystic Beasts. In South Moon Mountain, Mystic Beasts were rare, but in Fire Demon Mountain, they were far more numerous. Legends even spoke of Mystic Beasts capable of taking human form, their power terrifying.

Finally, they reached a mountainside, standing at the edge of a steep cliff. Peering down, they saw only layers of mist, the bottom completely obscured.

"That crimson leaf was blown up from this cliff. At the time, I thought it looked unusual, so I picked it up and stuffed it into my bag. By the way, Brother Chuan, why did you buy this leaf?"

Murong Wushuang hesitated for a long time—truthfully, he had been wrestling with the decision for the past two days. Finally, he confessed, "To be honest, this leaf isn’t worth much. At most, it’s worth eighty Small Coins."

He looked deeply embarrassed.

He didn’t think Ning Xiaochuan was an unscrupulous rich man—in fact, he found him quite easy to get along with—and couldn’t bear to deceive him any longer.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "The leaf itself may only be worth eighty Small Coins, but the path you’ve led me on is easily worth fifty thousand. In truth, I’m not losing anything."

Before Murong Wushuang could fully grasp Ning Xiaochuan’s words, rapid footsteps echoed from the distant hills.

"Haha! He’s right. This trip of yours is absolutely worth fifty thousand Small Coins—no, even far more than that!" A middle-aged man in his forties emerged from the woods, leading a black twin-headed hound.

The black twin-headed hound sniffed the ground incessantly, its eyes flickering with eerie green flames. When it opened its mouth, rows of razor-sharp teeth glinted menacingly.

This was a Thousand-Mile Twin-Headed Hound, a first-grade Mystic Beast.

Legend had it that once it caught a person’s scent, it could track them down even from a thousand kilometers away.

Murong Wushuang narrowed his eyes. "Manager Cui? What are you doing here?"

The middle-aged man was none other than the manager of Mystic Leaf Pavilion—Cui Buping.

Not long ago, Murong Wushuang had sought confirmation on the value of the Blood Toad Wood leaves from none other than Shopkeeper Cui, who claimed they were worth a mere eighty Small Coins. This led Murong Wushuang to approach Ning Xiaochuan again, employing every trick in the book to sell him the leaves. He had always considered this his most successful transaction.

Ning Xiaochuan showed no surprise. "He's here for the Blood Toad Wood," he said.

Cui Buping smiled and nodded. "This young master is quite clever. I must thank you both for leading me here—this place would have been rather difficult to find otherwise."

From the woods emerged over a dozen martial artists clad in black tight-fitting attire, each wielding a battle blade. Their murderous aura was palpable as they stood behind Cui Buping, glaring coldly at Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang.

Murong Wushuang had always prided himself on being the smartest, but now he realized he might just be the world’s biggest fool. He still couldn’t grasp what was truly happening.

"Brother Chuan, what is the Blood Toad Wood? And how did you know he was after it?" Gou Sheng grew wary of Ning Xiaochuan, sensing there was more to the story.

Ning Xiaochuan took out the leaf. "The Blood Toad Wood is a type of Mystic Wood, an extremely rare and valuable material. A single jin of it can sell for a hundred thousand Small Coins. The leaf you sold me? It’s from the Blood Toad Wood."

Murong Wushuang’s jaw dropped, his expression frozen in shock.

Good heavens! A jin of Blood Toad Wood sells for a hundred thousand Small Coins? If I could find a whole tree, I’d be filthy rich!

Furious, Murong Wushuang rolled up his sleeves. "Cui Buping, you bastard! You dared to deceive me! This is a priceless treasure, and you told me it was only worth eighty Small Coins? You’re greedier than I thought! Why have you followed us here? Planning to kill us and steal the treasure?"

Cui Buping remained unruffled, smiling. "You’ve hit the nail on the head. Now that you’ve led me to the Blood Toad Wood’s location, it’s time for you to die."

Ning Xiaochuan had anticipated all of this, so he remained calm.

The moment Murong Wushuang first refused to sell him the leaf, Ning Xiaochuan had guessed he would seek an appraisal—and that whoever appraised it would lie to him. The value of a single Blood Toad Wood tree was simply too immense. No one could resist such temptation; no one would tell the truth.

Precisely because Ning Xiaochuan knew Murong Wushuang would be deceived, he had waited for him at the tavern, certain he would return. And as for Cui Buping tailing them to kill and plunder? That, too, was within Ning Xiaochuan’s expectations.

"With just these men of yours, I doubt you can do much to us," Ning Xiaochuan said calmly.

Cui Buping sneered. "You two brats think you can stand against over a dozen martial experts from the Mystic Leaf Pavilion?"

In Cui Buping’s eyes, Murong Wushuang was nothing more than a reckless youth—hardly worth mentioning. The only one who posed any challenge was Ning Xiaochuan.

With a wave of Cui Buping's arm, two Sixth Level of Profound Qi martial artists stepped forward from behind him, their eyes cold and sinister, their bodies enveloped in white Profound Qi. They leaped into the air, simultaneously slashing their blades toward Ning Xiaochuan.

"Daring to leap and strike before someone stronger than you—simply seeking death."

A crimson glow surged from Ning Xiaochuan's body as he charged forward, striking out with two palm strikes that cracked the air with a sharp snap. Like swatting away two flies, he sent the two Sixth Level of Profound Qi martial artists hurtling off the cliff.

"Ah—!"

"Help—!"

The voices of the two martial artists, who had reached the Sixth Level of Profound Qi, gradually faded as they plummeted into the bottomless abyss—certainly meeting their doom.