A Golden Core cultivator suddenly appearing among a crowd of Qi Refining cultivators was like a bear suddenly charging into a fight between a bunch of little children.
Xia Yunzhao was a little surprised too, but now was hardly the time to discuss it. He executed a beautiful midair flip, intercepted a Fang family cultivator rushing toward them, and shouted, “Everyone, be careful!”
The Fang cultivator stared at them sinisterly. “Attack! If they get away, we all die!”
Xia Yunzhao dodged his sword and frowned. “What the hell is the Fang family doing?”
The cultivator sneered. “You’ll find out once you’re down below!”
Xia Yunzhao did not waste more words on him. He began trading moves one by one while familiarizing himself with his newly increased cultivation.
After reaching the seventh layer of Qi Refining, the intent behind his Hundred-Form Palm had become smoother and more complete, while the palm wind it generated had grown considerably sharper. Combined with the Flowing Cloud Leg Art, his close-combat ability had risen dramatically. If neither side used magical treasures, Xia Yunzhao would still be the eventual victor even against an opponent one minor realm above him.
Of course, nobody was going to fight without magical treasures.
When the Fang cultivator realized he could not defeat Xia Yunzhao, he suddenly shouted, “Watch the sword!”
Xia Yunzhao instinctively leaned aside, only to see the man shake his sleeve. A streak of black light shot out. Xia Yunzhao did not even bother dodging. It struck his body with a series of clang-clang-clang sounds.
The cultivator stared. “That’s… How do you have Thousand-Mechanism Bamboo Armor?!”
Xia Yunzhao found it funny. “To protect myself from people like you!”
He stopped wasting words. Mimicking the other man, he raised his sleeve and returned the favor with a cluster of ox-hair needles. Then one palm shattered the man’s protective magical treasure and ended his life.
Xiao Xia’s Black Tube had originally been stripped from the three Bao brothers. Its rank was becoming a little too low for him now. Fortunately, he had found a replacement.
Xia Yunzhao bent down and removed the Sleeve Dart from the dead cultivator’s wrist, thinking, Thanks for the bequest.
On the other side, Wei Tu and Wei Ling had also entered separate battles. Xiao Xia glanced over and discovered that Wei Ling was a body cultivator too. Her physical strength was no weaker than Wei Tu’s. When swords and sabers chopped at her, she could even catch the blades barehanded, producing sharp metallic clangs.
Body cultivators really came in every shape and size.
Xia Yunzhao met another Fang cultivator rushing toward him. He had no idea whether these people were true members of the Fang family or merely retainers supported by them, but they fought with a recklessness that bordered on suicidal.
Only after Xia Yunzhao killed several in succession did the Fang people behind them finally become afraid and turn to flee.
Elsewhere, Mingyun flew once around the crowd. A succession of bang-bang-bang explosions rang out as protective magical treasures shattered, while sprays of blood burst from the tip of the sword. Then Mingyun obediently returned to Shang Shuangze’s hand. In the next instant, everyone around him collapsed.
Wei Tu and Wei Ling killed their opponents at almost the same moment. Wei Ling looked up and shouted, “Bro!”
Wei Tu answered and raised one enormous palm. Wei Ling jumped up, planted a foot on it, and was launched outward. The siblings’ coordination was exceptionally practiced. Wei Ling shot toward the fleeing Fang cultivators like an arrow. Both hands clenched into fists, and with the force of her momentum behind her, she slammed a punch into the back of the rearmost man. She punched through several people in succession and flew a long distance with the bodies before finally stopping.
The young woman exhaled, then dragged the dripping corpses back.
Seeing Xia Yunzhao staring at her, Wei Ling explained, “This group seemed abnormal. I was afraid they’d go back and gather more people to surround us, so I had no choice but to eliminate them completely.”
“Ah, I wasn’t looking at that.” Xia Yunzhao stared at her palms, now covered in blood. “Doesn’t that feel gross? Haven’t you thought about getting a weapon?”
“This?” Wei Ling messily wiped her hands on her clothes. “It’s fine. Ah, when you’re out in the wilderness, you can’t be too particular.”
Xia Yunzhao began wondering whether perhaps he was too particular.
Wei Ling and Wei Tu were clearly very experienced. The two efficiently searched the corpses for storage pouches, then brought over the share belonging to Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze. “Thank you both for the help.”
Xia Yunzhao accepted the dozen or so storage pouches and glanced back at the corpses. “Hey, aren’t you taking those broken magical treasures?”
“Huh?” Wei Ling stared blankly. “You already said they’re broken. Of course we don’t want them.”
Xia Yunzhao immediately brightened. “If you don’t want them, I do!” With that, he cheerfully pounced on the corpses and began stripping things off them. The sight was not particularly dignified.
Wei Ling and Wei Tu exchanged looks. Was this Fellow Daoist perhaps…?
Xia Yunzhao scraped up every broken magical treasure, magical artifact, and, in short, absolutely anything containing spiritual energy.
Inside his clothes, Xiao Qing knew perfectly well all of it was destined for its stomach. Its lid popped out as it began giving orders: That sword too! Yes, yes, hurry and take that hammer! Don’t take the stinky shoes! Whoa, that magical artifact’s spiritual energy is leaking—put it in my mouth first…
One man and one furnace were partners in crime, and both were having a wonderful time.
By the time Xia Yunzhao finished, Wei Ling could no longer bear to look and turned her face away. She instructed her brother to bury the eye-searing corpses.
Then she turned seriously to Xia Yunzhao. “What I said before about purchasing Fellow Daoist’s resources at triple the price still stands. Does Fellow Daoist currently have anything suitable?”
“I do, I do.” Xia Yunzhao smiled until his eyes narrowed. He immediately released the five enormous Stone-Nosed Wild Boar carcasses that had been taking up so much space. “What do you think? Killed them today. They’re still warm!”
As a body cultivator, Wei Ling was exceedingly familiar with the carcasses of all kinds of slaughter beasts. The instant she saw the Stone-Nosed Wild Boars, she exclaimed, “Whoa, they’re huge! Did they appear after the Mist-Barrier Period began?”
She examined them one by one. “Really good quality. They’ve barely lost any blood!” After thinking briefly, she said, “A complete carcass of this quality would probably sell for eight hundred spirit pearls in the underground market. Triple price is twenty-four hundred each. Five makes twelve thousand. How does that sound?”
Xia Yunzhao hurriedly nodded. “Works for me.”
Wei Ling immediately called, “Bro, pay him!”
Like a summoned beast, Wei Tu gave a muffled answer and came over to take out the money.
Once money and goods had changed hands, they said their farewells. Wei Ling said, “Fellow Daoist Xia, if you get beast carcasses of this quality again, just send word through the information shop. My brother and I will buy them all at triple price!”
Xia Yunzhao nodded. “All right.”
After the two left, Xia Yunzhao sighed. “Body cultivators sure seem rich.” He shook his money pouch. The pouch that had only just shriveled up had puffed out again.
Still, as his cultivation rose, every minor realm required more spiritual energy. He had previously relied on ninety thousand spirit pearls to rise from the fifth layer of Qi Refining to the seventh, but reaching the eighth layer would require at least another hundred thousand.
Otherwise, if he slowly absorbed spiritual energy from his surroundings, it would take at least half a year.
But that was a matter for later. Today was only the first day of the Mist-Barrier Period. Many cultivators had yet to arrive. He could not waste his head start.
Xia Yunzhao beckoned Shang Shuangze over and pulled out the Spirit-Seeking Compass. “Come on. Let’s see what good things are nearby!”
＊
Visibility in the fog was terrible, and Xia Yunzhao was afraid they might become separated. He was not worried about himself, but Shang Shuangze… If Shang Shuangze had to find his own way home, the entire Mist-Barrier Period might end first.
So Xia Yunzhao simply released his Spirit-Binding Rope, tied one end around his own wrist, and the other around Shang Shuangze’s.
The bright green Spirit-Binding Rope became a glowing line inside the thick mist, illuminating both their faces.
Xia Yunzhao: …
Whatever! It worked. That was what mattered!
They reached the first point indicated by the Spirit-Seeking Compass and immediately sensed a wave of spiritual energy.
Xiao Xia clicked his tongue. “Spiritual energy this dense… Could it be a Level-Two spirit item?” He turned in a circle. “Where is it? How come there’s spiritual energy but no spirit item?”
Shang Shuangze raised a hand and pointed. “There.”
“Hm?” Xia Yunzhao followed his finger and looked down. He jumped in fright, and even Xiao Qing, secretly peeking from inside his clothes, gave a startled shake. “What the hell is that?!”
Inside a dark crack between the rocks lay a human face. Not a normal human face either, but a terrifying blue-green ghost face with fangs. Both eyes glowed red. Seeing it without warning really was horrifying.
Xia Yunzhao backed up two steps. “What is that thing…? It looks kind of familiar… Ah, this is a Ghost-Face Lantern Mushroom? Good heavens. The Compendium of Liancui Mountain Spirit Items only said it was frightening to look at. I didn’t realize it meant this frightening.”
Carefully, he sent out spiritual energy to form a barrier over his palm before gathering the Ghost-Face Lantern Mushroom. This thing was no harmless plant. It was a Level-Two spirit item whose juice could plunge someone into their most terrifying illusion.
After cautiously putting the mushroom into his storage pouch, Xia Yunzhao said, “Aren’t these supposed to be rare? We found one on the first day. I don’t know whether that means our luck is good or bad.”
Shang Shuangze said, “Now that the Mist-Barrier Period has begun, spirit items that were rare before may no longer be rare.”
Xiao Xia thought about it. That made sense.
They continued following the Spirit-Seeking Compass. The next location held a huge patch of Bloodstanching Leaves. This spirit plant was one of the main ingredients in Bloodstanching Pills. Unfortunately, Xia Yunzhao still had not drawn the pill recipe. Even so, whenever he found Bloodstanching Leaves, he had never been willing to sell them. His storage pouch now held several hundred.
This patch was no small harvest either. A rough count gave them around one hundred twenty or one hundred thirty Bloodstanching Leaves.
Even Level-One spirit plants rarely gathered in groups of more than a hundred. They had been very lucky indeed.
Xia Yunzhao immediately waved a hand. “I’ll take this side, you take that side. Hurry!”
Shang Shuangze smiled. He did not mind acting as Xia Yunzhao’s herb-gathering assistant. He immediately bent down, shielded his hands with spiritual power, and carefully began gathering plants the way Xia Yunzhao did.
Xia Yunzhao watched for a moment. Once he saw there was no problem with Shang Shuangze’s movements, he began swiftly harvesting his own share.
His hands were busy, but his mouth certainly was not. “That female cultivator earlier said you were at the Golden Core stage. Is that true?”
Shang Shuangze answered, “At present, my cultivation is only at Foundation Establishment.”
“What happened?” Xia Yunzhao jumped. “Were you injured? Did your cultivation regress? Can you recover?”
“Naturally.” Shang Shuangze’s voice remained steady. “There is no need to worry. It is caused by my cultivation method. Everyone in my sect must undergo this stage.”
“Oh, I see.” Xia Yunzhao relaxed and smiled again. “Foundation Establishment isn’t bad either! Qingxi City doesn’t even have a single Golden Core cultivator. At Foundation Establishment, you can practically walk sideways wherever you want.”
Shang Shuangze looked at his smiling face and softly answered in Xia Yunzhao’s own style, “I’ve got your back.”
Shang Shuangze really did have some potential as a deadpan comedian. Xia Yunzhao burst into cackling laughter and nearly ruined the Bloodstanching Leaf in his hands. He hurriedly steadied himself.
The two moved extremely quickly. In less than fifteen minutes, the entire patch of Bloodstanching Leaves had been harvested.
Xia Yunzhao stuffed the spirit herbs into his storage pouch. “Retreat!”
Their figures flashed and vanished from the spot.
In the next instant, two cultivators came rushing from a distance. One had both hands spread as though sensing something. The moment he saw the empty ground, he exclaimed angrily, “Damn it! We’re too late! Someone harvested this whole patch!”
The other cultivator said coldly, “Keep sensing.”
The first man was still resentful but did not dare argue. He continued sensing. A moment later, he pointed. “That way.”
The two accelerated and left.
Behind a boulder, Xiao Xia pulled his head back. “Good thing we ran fast. I really don’t want to fight people just to compete over treasure…” Muttering, he pulled out the compass again. “Let’s go!”
The two visited another two spirit-item locations. The harvest was not as impressive as the first, but still respectable: one place held more than forty Dew-Condensing Grass plants, while the other contained a patch of Glow Moss.
Glow Moss was likewise a Level-One spirit item. In darkness, it emitted a faint glow. Despite being a spirit plant, it could not be used in alchemy. Instead, it was an ingredient for Level-One Illumination Talismans, so it could still sell for a decent price.
With mist everywhere, there was no way to judge the sky, but Xia Yunzhao estimated that not much time had passed. So they continued toward the next location.
Before they even drew close, they heard footsteps.
“Someone’s here?” Xiao Xia looked that way.
The spirit items of Liancui Mountain belonged to no one. They grew naturally from heaven and earth. Xiao Xia was perfectly willing to follow a first-come, first-served rule. After all, he had the Spirit-Seeking Compass and plenty more spirit items waiting for him. Seeing someone already at this location, he was about to pull Shang Shuangze away toward the next one.
Shang Shuangze caught him in return. “Careful.”
Xia Yunzhao had only just stepped sideways when a heavy iron shield came spinning past him and slammed deep into the ground.
Xia Yunzhao raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? I was already leaving. You’re still throwing rocks at me?”
Before the words finished leaving his mouth, the thick fog churned. Another sword came flying out, passed between the two of them, and buried itself a chi into the earth, still humming from the impact.
“Something’s wrong.” Xia Yunzhao frowned. “Even if they wanted to chase us away, there’d be no reason to throw all their weapons at us. Did something happen to the people inside?”
He thought for a moment. The treasure was still there. Could the spirit item itself be dangerous? With that thought, he pulled Shang Shuangze into the area.
Inside, the scene could only be described as demons dancing wildly. More than ten cultivators behaved as though they were drunk. They could barely stand, yet still insisted on settling who was stronger. Some waved weapons drunkenly at one another, while others hugged tree trunks and called them brothers.
“Do you smell that fragrance? Is something wrong with it?” Xia Yunzhao warily covered his nose and mouth. The scent in the air was sweet and rosy, with a distinct aroma of alcohol. Combined with the state of the cultivators around them, the conclusion was obvious: the spirit item was causing this!
The Thousand-Mechanism Bamboo Armor on his body gave off a faint white glow—the magical treasure’s automatic protective response—which further confirmed his suspicion.
“Where is it…” Xia Yunzhao frowned.
Shang Shuangze slowly shook his head too. The spirit item had already matured, saturating the entire area with its fragrance and making the source impossible to distinguish.
Xia Yunzhao calmed himself and thought carefully. The mad, chaotic scene ahead reflected in his eyes… Then he abruptly turned and walked toward an empty stretch off to the side.
Every affected cultivator had gathered in front. Nobody was behind them. If the spirit item was protecting itself, then surely it would manipulate people into staying away from it rather than approaching it…
Sure enough, as Xia Yunzhao drew closer, he spotted a small mound of dead branches and rotting leaves. He brushed them aside, revealing a pink mushroom. Its coloring was dreamlike and elegant, with rings of golden patterns across the cap, almost like an ornament carved by human hands. The closer he came, the stronger its cloyingly sweet scent of alcohol became.
“This is…” Xia Yunzhao approached slowly. “I’ve never seen this spirit item in the Compendium!”
Shang Shuangze stared at the pink mushroom for a moment before saying slowly, “Drunken Immortal Mushroom.”
Seeing Xia Yunzhao look at him, he added three more words. “Level-Three spirit item.”
Xia Yunzhao stared at him, then snapped his head toward the pink mushroom. A Level-Three spirit item?! Didn’t that correspond to Golden Core cultivation?
No wonder so many cultivators had fallen victim! Anyone who dared enter Liancui Mountain during the Mist-Barrier Period would naturally carry several life-saving magical treasures. The fact that so many cultivators had been affected at once already proved this spirit item was extraordinary.
Xia Yunzhao was thrilled. “This is my first time seeing a Level-Three spirit item! Quick—”
Before he could finish, his vision blurred and everything vanished. His last memory, surrounded by that cloying alcoholic fragrance, was of an embrace filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees catching him.
＊
Who knew how much time had passed before Xia Yunzhao opened his eyes again. He stretched. That sleep had been unbelievably comfortable—better than every sleep he had enjoyed in the first half of his life combined. Every part of his body felt relaxed.
He instinctively reached toward the pillow for Xiao Qing. When he found nothing, he woke completely and scrambled upright. Only then did he realize they had already returned to the cave, and he was lying in his own bed.
It was dark outside. A bonfire burned inside the cave. Shang Shuangze sat beside it, with Mingyun and Xiao Qing nearby. He had changed into a clean set of white robes, while two washed sets of clothing hung from a rack beside the fire.
“…” Xia Yunzhao’s memory stopped at the instant he collapsed. Remembering the complete chaos around the Drunken Immortal Mushroom, he became a little embarrassed. I didn’t do anything outrageous after getting drunk, did I…? Why did our clothes need washing…?
Come to think of it, Shang Shuangze did not own any Cleaning Talismans. He actually had to wash clothes himself.
Xia Yunzhao inspected himself. His inner clothes were still the same ones. Good, good. He sniffed and thought he detected a faint alcoholic smell.
His curiosity instantly overwhelmed the embarrassment. What the heck happened?! This was the first time in his entire life he had ever “drunk” himself into a blackout!
He cleared his throat and called, “I’m awake!”
Shang Shuangze, Xiao Qing, and Mingyun all moved.
Xia Yunzhao immediately felt awkward again. Why did I announce it? If I’m getting up, just get up. Why summon the whole household?
He sat up sheepishly, took a robe from his storage pouch, draped it over himself, and walked over to the bonfire.
Nothing about Shang Shuangze’s expression looked unusual. He merely asked, “Do you feel all right?”
Xia Yunzhao nodded, doing his best to sound calm. “Actually, I feel pretty good.”
Shang Shuangze said, “Although the Drunken Immortal Mushroom causes intoxication, it can restore the spirit and nourish the meridians. Fellow Daoist has been too tired lately.”
Xia Yunzhao thought about it and decided he had a point. As a Qi Refining cultivator, his body naturally did not tire as easily anymore, but mentally he really had not slept properly in a long time. That sleep had restored quite a lot.
He suddenly slapped his palm. “Oh! If even I got hit, where’s the Drunken Immortal Mushroom?”
Shang Shuangze pointed at his storage pouch.
Xia Yunzhao immediately checked. The Drunken Immortal Mushroom was safely stored inside. He relaxed, then asked, “You’re at Foundation Establishment. Did the Drunken Immortal Mushroom not affect you?”
Shang Shuangze answered every question as usual. “Although my cultivation has fallen to Foundation Establishment, I retain the physique of the Golden Core stage.”
In other words, it had not affected him. Ah. So he had been the only one drunk beyond all awareness of heaven and earth…
He cleared his throat again. “Um… I didn’t cause you any trouble after getting drunk, did I?”
Shang Shuangze looked at him. A faint trace of amusement flashed through his eyes. “After becoming drunk, Fellow Daoist invited me to drink. Before I could answer, you drank half a jar yourself. More of it ended up on your clothing than in your mouth.”
Xia Yunzhao thought, Where did I even get alcohol…? Wait. Something was wrong… He checked his storage pouch again and immediately felt a stab of pain. Of the monkey wine the spirit monkeys had given him, only one bamboo jar remained!
He hurriedly pulled it out—only to discover that this jar was half empty too!
If he had known, he would have drunk it earlier. Now he did not even know what it had tasted like.
The amusement in Shang Shuangze’s eyes deepened. “That wine seems to have a lightening effect. After drinking it, Fellow Daoist became light as a swallow and swore to tread across every inch of Liancui Mountain… I was afraid you might actually fulfill that vow, so I could only bring you home. Fortunately, Xiao Qing knows the way.”
Xia Yunzhao nodded approvingly at Xiao Qing. Good job, Xiao Qing!
Xiao Qing vibrated twice with pride.
Xia Yunzhao pulled the stopper from the bamboo jar and sniffed. Sure enough, he could smell Qingling Grass, Windbell Flower, Hanging-Silk Leaf, and other spirit plants. His heart hurt even more! Such good wine from the spirit monkeys, completely wasted!
“I’ll refine you another Spirit-Binding Rope later. If I ever get drunk again, you have to tie me up!” He absolutely could not be allowed to destroy good things again. His storage pouch would only contain more treasures in the future. His heart could not survive this kind of waste!
Shang Shuangze lowered his gaze to hide the amusement in his eyes. “Why not examine yesterday’s harvest, Fellow Daoist?”
“Huh? An entire day already passed?” Xia Yunzhao was successfully distracted and began sorting through his storage pouches.
The Stone-Nosed Wild Boars from yesterday morning had already become spirit pearls. More than ten thousand pearls rested obediently in his money pouch, waiting to contribute to his advancement. The Bloodstanching Leaves, Dew-Condensing Grass, Glow Moss, and other things he gathered had been properly sorted too, with things to sell separated from things to keep. The Ghost-Face Lantern Mushroom and Drunken Immortal Mushroom had been stored separately as well.
No problems there.
The only thing still requiring organization was the storage pouches stripped from the Fang cultivators.
Xia Yunzhao first tossed out the pile of broken magical treasures. Xiao Qing immediately jumped over and squatted in the center. It knew perfectly well those were its things and merely waited for Xia Yunzhao to finish before feeding them to it.
Then Xia Yunzhao pulled out eleven storage pouches.
Every last one bore the Fang family emblem. Counting the four he already owned, he now possessed fifteen Fang family storage pouches.
If nothing else, that was enough to open a Fang family branch office.
Xia Yunzhao thought that perhaps he should visit another city when he had time, sell all fifteen pouches, then buy himself a higher-level storage pouch.
As he thought, he emptied the contents one by one.
An enormous pile of spirit items immediately appeared in the center of the cave.
Xia Yunzhao suddenly thought he smelled alcohol again.
Xiao Xia panicked. Why is there more alcohol?! He was about to dig through the pile when Mingyun floated up and pushed a wine jar out from among the spirit items.
He looked carefully, and his emotions instantly settled. This was proper wine: Hundred-Herb Rejuvenation Wine, the same kind he had once tasted in the underground market. It nourished the meridians and improved the efficiency of spiritual-energy absorption. The jar had not yet been opened and was worth around fifteen hundred spirit pearls.
This really was good stuff. Xia Yunzhao had tried a bowl before; it tasted good and was not particularly strong, so he could drink it without any problem.
He set the jar beside the bonfire. “We’ll keep this one for ourselves.”
Shang Shuangze pointed, and the wine jar floated by itself into the corner.
Xia Yunzhao continued taking inventory. There was a considerable amount here. Spirit pearls alone totaled more than twenty-five thousand!
Added to what he already owned, Xiao Xia’s current fortune was approaching fifty thousand again. He was already halfway back toward becoming a hundred-thousand-spirit-pearl tycoon.
Then came the other spirit items: more than three thousand Level-One spirit plants, over one thousand pieces of Level-One ore, more than two hundred Level-One slaughter-beast carcasses, over thirty other Level-One materials, and seven bottles of Level-One pills.
There were also more than fifty Level-Two spirit plants, fourteen pieces of Level-Two ore, and two partial Level-Two slaughter-beast carcasses.
Besides that, there were seven intact magical treasures. Xia Yunzhao examined them carefully and found no imprints on any of them, so he chose a short sword for himself and stored the rest separately.
Looking at the piles of spirit items before him, Xia Yunzhao sighed wistfully. “I’m starting to develop feelings for robbing Fang family storage pouches. There’s always so much good stuff inside!”
Shang Shuangze laughed softly.
Xia Yunzhao rubbed his ear and was about to pack away the sorted items when something suddenly occurred to him. He whipped around. “Wait a second. Didn’t you say you can’t use magical treasures? Then how can the Spirit-Binding Rope tie the two of us together?”
Shang Shuangze froze and looked down. The green Spirit-Binding Rope connected their wrists, glowing steadily without the slightest abnormality.