“Phew… that was thrilling.”
Having escaped the tree demon’s attack range, Shen Mu arrived at a stream, removed his mask, and let out a relieved breath, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.
“Master, you’re really just at the Qi Refining Realm?!” The Golden Toad hopped out of Shen Mu’s robe, its voice filled with incredulous shock.
“What? Never seen a Qi Refining cultivator like me?”
“…”
The Golden Toad fell silent.
In its hundred years of awakened intelligence and cultivation, it had never encountered a Qi Refining cultivator daring enough to invade the territory of a thousand-year-old demon.
Let alone snatching a heavenly treasure from under its nose.
Such behavior was either sheer stupidity or the audacity of someone with extraordinary skill. It had never seen anything like it.
If it hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, it would never have believed such an extraordinary person existed.
“…Master, are you perhaps the direct disciple of some hidden immortal?” The Golden Toad had reason to suspect he was a legacy disciple of a reclusive immortal sect, out for training.
“You’re overthinking it. I just have a knack for dealing with immobile opponents like that.”
When facing such stationary foes, as long as he understood their strength, techniques, and basic identity in this world, he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
But this trip had nearly drained all his spiritual energy, pushed his body to its limits, and left him with barely any pills.
He’d need to restock in Tianjian City before continuing elsewhere.
“Master, you’re too modest…”
The Golden Toad naturally took his words as humble deflection.
After all, coming up with and executing a plan to outwit a demon equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator as a mere Qi Refining cultivator was no ordinary feat.
“Let’s not talk about that. I’ll meditate here for a bit. Keep watch for me.”
“Yes, Master.”
By now, the Golden Toad was quite convinced of this extraordinary master’s capabilities.
“Master!”
“Some people are coming this way, and they seem to be after you!”
Just as Shen Mu sat cross-legged, the Golden Toad leapt out of his robe, eyeing the right side warily.
“A Qi Refining cultivator who even a thousand-year-old demon couldn’t handle—your skills are impressive, friend.”
Whoosh!
A beautiful girl with flowing purple hair, a graceful figure, and a purple gauze cloud-patterned dress descended on her sword, landing ten zhang away from Shen Mu…
Behind her followed several gray-robed Golden Core cultivators, likely her escorts.
Shen Mu noted her extraordinary appearance, attire, and aura, along with the escorts, and his brow furrowed, sensing trouble.
At that moment, the Golden Toad, recognizing the imperial aura she exuded, hopped onto Shen Mu’s shoulder and warned, “Master, be careful. She’s from the imperial clan, and those people behind her aren’t to be trifled with.”
Imperial clan…
Those four words sent a chill through Shen Mu’s heart.
In Chiyou Continent, the only ones who could be called imperial were from the Tianyu Immortal Dynasty or the Nine Heavens Dynasty.
The Nine Heavens Dynasty played a significant role in the main storyline.
Especially in the early stages, nearly nine out of ten major events were tied to it.
It was one of the major forces Shen Mu least wanted to get involved with.
“…”
Why am I so unlucky…
Things were just starting to go smoothly, and now someone with such a special status shows up…
Is this trying to drag me into the main storyline?
Shen Mu’s mindset began to shift.
“May I ask what brings you here, miss?” He calmed his uneasy thoughts and asked proactively.
The girl smiled gently, stepping within three meters of him. “Don’t worry, friend. I mean no harm. I just want to make a deal with you.”
“A deal?” Shen Mu quickly caught on. “You want the Mysterious Purple Spirit Ginseng too?”
“Yes.” The girl nodded.
“Alright, let’s go by the standard chamber price…”
Learning her intent, Shen Mu breathed a temporary sigh of relief but remained wary of her.
After completing the transaction, the girl maintained her amiable expression and asked again, “Might I know your real name, friend? If we meet again, perhaps we could become acquaintances.”
Trying to dig for my information…
Shen Mu stayed cautious, fabricating a fake name. “I’m Ding Zhen, a humble wandering cultivator. May I know your name, miss?”
“So you’re Ding Zhen. I’m Jiang Xueying, a disciple of an ordinary cultivation family…”
“…”
Tianjian City.
Wearing his mask, Shen Mu finished buying pills at the Lingyuan Chamber of Commerce and headed to an ordinary inn, planning to rest for the night before continuing his journey.
However, as he stepped into the inn, a familiar voice rapidly approached from behind.
“Senior Brother, eat my elbow!”
Before the words fully landed, a crisp elbow strike hit Shen Mu’s back, making him cry out, “Whoa!” and stumble forward, nearly falling.
Damn it… why is this guy here again!
Recognizing Lin Yuhe’s voice, Shen Mu cursed inwardly, his expression subtly shifting.
Then, clutching his waist, he turned, his voice low and hoarse. “Who are you? Why did you attack me?!”
In an instant, the other guests in the inn turned their curious, amused gazes toward the two.
Realizing the odd looks, Lin Yuhe reacted quickly, adopting a sweet, coy tone to directly expose his disguise. “Senior Brother~ I’ve been following you the whole way. I already know it’s you, so no need to keep pretending in front of me, right?”
Hearing her suddenly use that tone, Shen Mu felt goosebumps all over.
“I don’t know you. Stop bothering me!”
He waved his hand impatiently and approached the innkeeper’s counter, placing a high-grade spirit stone. “One top-tier room, one day.”
“Uh… alright, just a moment, sir!”
The middle-aged innkeeper froze briefly, then turned to fetch a gold-patterned room token, handing it to the masked man with a smile.
Taking the token, Shen Mu ignored the girl who’d tracked him down and followed the waiter upstairs.
Seeing this, Lin Yuhe became even more certain this mysterious, aloof guy was him.
“I’ll take a top-tier room too, right next to his.” She also placed a high-grade spirit stone, glancing subtly at the figure ascending the stairs.
“Alright, just a moment, miss.”
The innkeeper seemed to understand something, handing her a room token with a friendly reminder. “Miss, please try not to disturb the other guests’ rest tonight.”
“…”
Lin Yuhe froze at his words, glanced at the innkeeper, grabbed the token, and huffed. “We’re not that kind of relationship, hmph!”
With a light snort, the golden-haired girl walked off without looking back.
The middle-aged innkeeper sighed helplessly. “Sigh~ Youth is wonderful…”