nyslfriends Chapter 76 Guests Arrive, Night Meeting with the Mountain Lord
Chapter 76 Guests Arrive, Night Meeting with the Mountain Lord
Chapter 75 A Guest Arrives at the Door, A Night Meeting with the Mountain Lord (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Old Li and Xiao Zhang were dumbfounded.
Old Li swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "Is this... divine intervention?"
Jiang Jun smiled but didn't answer. He simply said, "Let's go. Take us to the next place."
Old Li nodded quickly and led them deeper into the ravine.
Led by Lao Li, Jiang Jun and his group found three more groups of Huangjing ghost children in the mountains.
These Huangjing ghost children are not too far apart, and they seem to have some tacit understanding with each other, each occupying a small territory.
Without exception, human remains were found in their nests. Some were just a few bones, while others were still attached to dried flesh, emitting an indescribable stench of decay.
Jiang Jun carefully put the group of strange children into his sleeve, but his mood was somewhat heavy.
Cai Liang's face was grim, and he said in a low voice, "Teacher, isn't it such a waste to waste these Huangjing ghost children?"
Jiang Jun nodded: "It is a bit of a pity. But even if a monster that has harmed people is purified, it will never be cultivated again. This is my principle. You must remember this in the future. Cultivation begins with cultivating the mind. You cannot abandon your bottom line."
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing responded in unison, "Yes."
Cai Liang sighed: "I was just thinking that if the moral bottom line wasn't so high, things might be much easier. In the Star River Federation, they probably wouldn't be so particular."
"Many of the supernatural artifacts that were prohibited in principle but difficult to destroy or seal were eventually traded to them by the Department of Mysteries."
Zhao Jing asked, "Could it be that they really have no bottom line?"
Jiang Jun did not answer directly, but shook his head and said, "Having a bottom line in one's actions may sometimes make one a little slower, but it also makes one more prudent in one's actions."
He said no more, waved his hand to cremate the remains, and put the ashes into his sleeve.
As darkness fell, the hazy sky turned a deep gray.
Old Li looked up at the sky and said to Jiang Jun, "It's getting dark, and the mountain paths are difficult to traverse at night. There's a wooden cabin halfway up the mountain ahead, a place for us herb gatherers to rest. Would you like to stay the night there?"
Jiang Jun nodded: "Lead the way."
The cabin wasn't large; it was built with rocks and wood, and the roof was covered with withered grass and tree bark. It looked quite old.
Inside the room was a wooden table, a few benches, and some dry firewood and worn-out bedding piled in the corner. Although simple, it provided shelter from the wind and rain.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 10 ...
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing started a fire, and the flames dispelled the cold and dampness in the room.
Jiang Huang jumped down from Jiang Jun's arms and went to the fireside. Her little face was bathed in the orange-red light, and she squinted her eyes comfortably.
Ginger juice also lay down and snorted.
Old Li and Little Zhang sat on the other side of the fire, warming themselves by the fire; their complexions were much better than during the day.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Zhang suddenly spoke, his tone cautious: "A few days ago, something big happened in Qingjiang City, didn't it? We've all heard about it in the mountains. They say some kind of monster is causing trouble and many people have died."
As he said this, he glanced at Jiang Jun and then at Cai Liang, clearly trying to find out something.
Cai Liang glanced at Jiang Jun. Jiang Jun nodded slightly.
Cai Liang then took over the conversation and gave a general account of the arrival of the ghostly realm in Qingjiang City.
He didn't mention Jiang Jun's identity, but only talked about how the monsters caused trouble, how the guardian spirits saved people, and how the Department of the Supernatural turned the tide.
Old Li and Xiao Zhang were dumbfounded. Their expressions went from fear to realization, and then from realization to relief.
"So those little gadgets can actually save lives—" Old Li murmured, subconsciously touching his waist.
He had nothing hanging from his waist, but he already had a plan in mind: "I'll get a few when I get back. Jujube branches, garlic, willow twigs, gourds—you can find all of these in the mountains."
Cai Liang smiled but didn't say anything more. He knew that these things were best left unsaid; saying too much would be counterproductive.
After chatting for a while, the wind outside suddenly picked up, making the wooden door creak.
"Knock knock knock one"
Someone knocked on the door.
Zhao Jing glanced at Jiang Jun. Jiang Jun remained expressionless and said nothing.
Zhao Jing then got up, went over and opened the door.
Three middle-aged men stood outside the door, dressed in worn-out clothes and carrying bamboo baskets; they were clearly there to collect medicinal herbs.
The leader, with a scar on his face, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Ha, I told you there was a fire here! Fellow villagers, could you do us a favor and let us squeeze in?"
Old Li peeked over, stood up, and exclaimed, "Old Zhao? It's you! Quick, come in!"
The scarred man recognized him too: "Old Li? You're here too? What a coincidence!"
The other two also came in and greeted Xiao Zhang.
They were all herbalists from the mountains and knew each other. Although they weren't from the same lineage, they felt a certain closeness when they met in the mountains.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the group shared some dry food and water.
Old Li casually asked them what herbs they had collected.
The scarred man waved his hand, a hint of barely suppressed smugness on his face: "Don't even mention it, we really struck gold this time!"
He carefully took a plant out of the bamboo basket. The plant was about half a foot tall, with a thick stem, dense fibrous roots, and a pale yellow skin with faintly visible concentric rings.
"Daizong ginseng! Thirty-year-old wild Daizong ginseng!" The scarred man's voice trembled. "Do you know what the market price is for this stuff now? Take it to the city, and you'll get at least this much!" He gestured with his fingers.
Old Li and Little Zhang's eyes lit up immediately.
"Thirty-year-old Daizong ginseng is good for women to beautify their skin, for patients to replenish their vital energy, and for the elderly to prolong their lives."
The scarred man got more and more excited as he spoke.
"Ginseng always grows in clusters. Since there's one there, there must be more nearby! The three of us didn't have time to search carefully before it got dark, so we had to leave now and go back early tomorrow morning."
He spoke with great enthusiasm, exaggerating the efficacy of the Daizong ginseng.
Although I know that the claims of "bringing the dead back to life" and "regenerating flesh from bones" are exaggerated, that particular plant was indeed of excellent quality and quite valuable.
Old Li became more and more interested as he listened.
Although he had been collecting medicinal herbs for twenty years, he might not encounter a single ginseng of this grade in his entire life.
Xiao Zhang met his gaze, and they both saw eagerness in each other's eyes.
Zhao Jing listened to this.
He was thinking that his grandfather was getting old and his health was deteriorating year by year. If he could have such an old ginseng to nourish him, perhaps he could live a few more years.
"Is that place far from here?" Zhao Jing couldn't help but ask.
The scarred man waved his hand: "It's not far, just over that mountain ridge. The moonlight is good, we can still make it now."
Old Li stood up, rubbed his hands together, and looked at Jiang Jun: "Look—"
Jiang Jun didn't speak, but just glanced at Cai Liang.
Cai Liang frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss. The three herb gatherers had entered with unusually light footsteps, so light that it didn't seem like they had walked all day in the mountains.
Seeing that Cai Liang's expression was strange, Jiang Jun used his inner energy to transmit his voice, saying, "Don't make a sound, follow him and see."
Cai Liang understood and didn't say anything more.
Zhao Jing was completely intoxicated by the old ginseng. Seeing that Jiang Jun did not object, he followed Old Li, Little Zhang, and the three herb gatherers out the door.
Jiang Jun and Cai Liang followed behind, while Jiang Huang rode on Jiang Zhi's back, bouncing along as well.
The bright moonlight shone on the mountain path, casting long shadows of the group.
After walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, we crossed a mountain ridge and came to a forest of black pines.
The pine trees grew densely, their branches twisted, and moonlight could hardly penetrate them. The forest was dark and silent, like a crouching beast.
The scarred man led them into the pine forest.
The further you go, the colder the air becomes, and the more eerie the atmosphere grows. Dew condenses on the pine needles, making them slippery to walk on.
Jiang Jun's divine sense had already reached out and, in the deepest part of the forest, sensed a strong smell of blood.
Finally, the scarred man stopped and pointed to an open space ahead: "Look, the ginseng from Mount Tai is right there."
A tiger was crouching in the open space.
No, that's not a tiger, but a monster at the peak of elite level, which is gathering strength to break through to the lord level!
It was twice the size of an ordinary tiger, and its body was covered with gray-black fur with dark red stripes that looked like dried blood.
Its eyes were a deep green, with pupils that were vertical slits, and it was staring coldly at the person who had just arrived.
It didn't pounce; it simply opened its mouth, revealing a mouthful of fangs, and a powerful suction force pulled everyone present into its mouth.
Turmeric and ginger juice couldn't withstand it and flew up, involuntarily heading towards that gaping maw.
Fortunately, Jiang Jun reacted quickly and retrieved them.
A strong, foul odor emanated from the tiger's mouth, making one feel uncomfortable.
Jiang Jun frowned slightly, a white light flashed, and the aroma of garlic spread, dispelling the stench and also waking up the bewildered crowd.
Old Li and Little Zhang jolted awake, finally snapping out of their daze. Their faces were deathly pale, and they pointed shakily at the three people in front of them, their legs trembling.
"You—what kind of monsters are you?!"
The scarred man and his two companions behind him had also changed their appearance.
Their skin turned ashen, their eyes vacant, and a sinister smile lingered on their lips as they muttered, "Go—go—"
Zhao Jing snapped out of his daze, cold sweat pouring down his back: "What—what just happened to me?"
Cai Liang patted him on the shoulder: "You've been bewitched by the cunning and treacherous. Tigers eat people, and people become cunning and treacherous, tricking people into becoming the tiger's prey. It's an old trick."
Zhao Jing's face turned even paler.
Cai Liang added, "It's not your fault. You were just too worried. You were only thinking about Grandpa, and that's how you got caught up in the situation."
Zhao Jing bit her lip and nodded.
When the tiger realized its trick had been exposed, it let out a low growl and pounced with its massive body.
Jiang Jun raised his hand and pointed, and the light needles on "Ghostly Sorrow" gathered and transformed into a purple light sword, which shimmered under the moonlight.
With a casual wave of his hand, the lightsaber drew an arc in the air, circling around the tiger's neck.
Tiger's head flew off, black blood spurting high into the air.
It may have had many other tricks up its sleeve, but it didn't use them all. Its massive body crashed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then stopped moving.
The three treacherous figures looked terrified, then turned into three wisps of black smoke and disappeared into the moonlight.
Jiang Jun sheathed his lightsaber and looked at the corpse of the tiger monster, a sense of emotion suddenly welling up in his heart.
When he first encountered an elite-level monster, it was a fierce battle. Now, not much time has passed, and elite-level monsters are no match for him.
"Cultivation is like climbing a mountain; the higher you go, the different the scenery becomes," he thought.
He suddenly lost interest. Battles between elite-level and Refinement Realm cultivators no longer aroused much of his interest.
Lord-level and transcendent beings should be his targets.
His journey should be to this vast world, to that mysterious and dangerous abyss, not just to the small pond of Qingjiang City.
"I need to quickly deal with those two lord-level monsters, and then I'll go into seclusion to try and advance to the transcendent realm as soon as possible," he secretly resolved.
In the woods, Zhao Jing stood still, still feeling ashamed of his behavior just now.
Cai Liang patted him on the shoulder: "Don't overthink it. You're just starting out; it's normal to fall for the illusions. Everyone has a first time."
"Once you've mastered the Pure Lotus Visualization Diagram and your consciousness is stable, these things won't be able to confuse you anymore. Just practice more in the future."
Zhao Jing took a deep breath and nodded.
Old Li and Xiao Zhang also came to their senses, slumped to the ground, and gasped for breath.
Old Li asked, trembling, "Them—the three of them, were they already dead?"
"Sigh—" Cai Liang sighed, "He was most likely eaten by a tiger, and his soul turned into a demon. He's no longer alive."
Jiang Jun shook his head: "Those are not the transformations of their souls. They are just monsters created by Tiger Ghost after extracting their memories."
He gestured to Cai Liang, "Since this tiger is causing trouble here, the place where these people were killed must not be far from here. Search around and see if you can find their remains."
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing quickly got to work, and Lao Li and Xiao Zhang followed suit, but unfortunately they came up empty-handed.
Jiang Jun's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he had thought of something. He swung his lightsaber again, cutting open the tiger's belly and picking out a clump of already mangled white bone fragments.
The bone fragments were mixed together, and were so broken and corroded that it was impossible to tell them apart.
"Fine! Since we can't tell them apart, let's cremate them all together." Jiang Jun shook his head, flicked out a flame pattern, and burned the remains.
"Take these ashes back with you. You can bury them yourself or return them to your family, it's up to you." He packed the ashes into a box and handed it to Old Li.
Old Li accepted the gift with both hands, remained silent for a long time, and finally sighed. He didn't say much, but simply bowed to Jiang Jun.
The moonlight shone through the pine forest, illuminating everything with a cold and desolate glow.
Jiang Jun accepted the bow without hesitation and gestured to his two apprentices: "Cut that tiger in half and see if any strange creatures fall out."
Cai Liang took out the "Ghostly Sorrow," gathered the light needles into a lightsaber, and painstakingly split it apart, finally finding two elite-level ghost artifacts inside.
A tiger skin, two pairs of tiger teeth.
The former can be worn on the body to transform into a tiger-like creature, bluffing and intimidating the enemy. The side effect is that if the true nature of the creature is exposed, the user will fall into a weakened state.
The latter can be used as a dagger to assassinate enemies, bringing a terrifying tearing effect, but the side effect is that it hurts the user before it hurts the enemy.
The remaining portion quickly turned into foul mud and decayed completely. The strange object associated with the transformation of the evil spirit ultimately did not fall.
Zhao Jing, who had been squatting to the side assisting Cai Liang, suddenly noticed something beneath the vanished tiger's body and his eyes lit up: "This is—"