Chapter 67

Qishan stretches for hundreds of miles, a branch of the Qinling Mountains.

Shuanglong Town is at the foot of Qishan. The town mainly relies on selling mountain goods, furs, traditional Chinese medicine, and farming. The county government had already sent someone to inform the town, and the mayor personally came to accompany the guests from the Zheng family.

When he heard that they were going to search for a deep spring in the mountains, the mayor ordered the most experienced old hunter in town to be brought in.

"Are you going to look for the Yinlong Spring?" The old hunter's face turned pale at the Zheng family's description.

"Oh, you know the place?" Zheng Anqi immediately became excited.

"I do know it, but we can't go there!" The old hunter shivered. "From my grandfather's time, there has been a family rule that we must never approach that place. Within a hundred meters, nothing grows, and the spring water is so cold that drinking it will kill you."

"The most important thing is that there are monsters in the Yinlong Spring!"

"Monsters?" Jiang Shao and the others burst out laughing, and even the mayor scolded, "What era are we in? Still talking about monsters. If you don't dare to go, you can forget about the land for your son's house."

Chu Lao Da's face twisted in distress.

Mr. Shi, however, nodded and said, "It seems to be the place you described. It matches the records of my master's sect very closely."

With the location of the Yinlong Spring confirmed, Zheng Anqi made the decision to set off immediately.

Chu Lao Da, after being threatened and enticed by the mayor, could only sigh and go back to pack, preparing to enter the mountains.

After lunch, the group began their journey into the mountains. Zheng Anqi and her entourage, a few rich young men from Dongdu, Chu Lao Da and his two sons, and Chen Fan and his two companions.

As they moved deeper into the mountains, Master Wu frowned and said:

"Master Chen, something's not right. They clearly found a guide, so why are they bringing us along?"

Since Master Wu joined Chen Fan's sect, even without Chen Fan's acknowledgment, he has been calling him 'Master Chen,' and even Axiu has been calling him that.

Chen Fan, with his hands behind his back, walked as if on flat ground on the steep mountain path and said:

"The Zheng family never trusted us from the beginning. I speak with a Jiangbei accent, and I claim to be from the mountains of Dongdu. Do you really think the Zheng family are fools?"

Master Wu's face turned red. He hadn't thought of that, assuming that since Hong Kong had only recently returned to the motherland, they wouldn't know the difference in accents.

"They're bringing us along to keep an eye on us, to prevent us from saying anything that might ruin their plans," Chen Fan said calmly.

"But I still don't understand why they're looking for the Yinlong Spring. Mr. Shi has wood-based cultivation, which has nothing to do with the Yinlong Spring. They can't possibly be planning to kill the Yinlong to extend the life of their patriarch, that doesn't make sense!"

As he spoke, he suddenly stroked his chin.

"Could there be some kind of heavenly treasure in the Yinlong Spring?"

"Generally, places where the elements converge are often inhabited by strange beasts and often contain spiritual herbs or treasures. Mr. Shi must be after this."

Thinking of this, Chen Fan's eyes lit up.

A semi-spiritual herb had already provided him with over a hundred spirit-gathering pills. If it were a true spiritual pill, Chen Fan could use many more alchemy techniques.

Thus, Chen Fan quickened his pace.

According to Chu Lao Da, it would take two to three days to travel from Shuanglong Town to the Yinlong Spring. That night, they found a sheltered spot to rest.

Zheng Anqi and Mr. Shi brought over a dozen bodyguards and attendants, and they didn't need to do anything. The bodyguards took care of everything.

They set up seven or eight tents, built a bonfire, and took out frozen meat, roasted chicken, and seasonings to grill on the spot.

Soon, the aroma filled the air. Among the bodyguards were several former soldiers, experts in wilderness survival, and their grilling skills were exceptional, making the food look and smell delicious.

Zheng Anqi soon invited Jiang Shao and Chu Lao Da to join them for a meal.

Only Chen Fan and his two companions were seemingly ignored.

"Master Chen, they are so hateful, not even giving us a bite to eat," Master Wu said, his nose filled with the aroma, his stomach growling after a day of hiking.

Axiu, though extremely hungry, stood firmly in front of Chen Fan, trying hard not to look at the barbecue.

Chen Fan sat cross-legged on a large green stone, his hands flat, breathing deeply. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at Zheng Anqi and the others. Though Zheng Anqi didn't turn her head, Jiang Shao and the others were smirking at them.

Clearly, they had planned this.

Chen Fan and his two companions, one old and two young, had entered the mountains empty-handed, unprepared. They were just waiting to starve.

"Truly, only women and small-minded people are hard to deal with."

Chen Fan shook his head.

This small trick, though despicable, was effective.

In the mountains, unlike in the city, if you want to eat, you either bring it yourself or hunt and gather. In Zheng Anqi's view, Chen Fan and his companions looked like city dwellers, inexperienced in wilderness survival. They would eventually have to bow to them.

"Fortunately, I am prepared."

Saying this, Chen Fan took out two spirit-gathering pills from a porcelain bottle and gave one to each of them.

Axiu and Master Wu swallowed the pills with doubt, feeling a stream of energy ten times stronger than the spiritual tea they had drunk before surge down their throats. Then, their limbs felt as if they were soaking in warm water, incredibly comfortable.

A spirit-gathering pill can satisfy a person's energy needs for ten days.

Moreover, it has the effect of purifying the body and strengthening the bones. For cultivators, it can quickly restore true essence, and for ordinary people, it can make their bodies light and agile, greatly enhancing their cultivation.

"Master Chen, this... this is the legendary spiritual pill?" Master Wu, after opening his eyes, felt his internal energy significantly increased and trembled with excitement.

"Enough, don't talk. Sit and meditate according to the method I taught you."

Chen Fan closed his eyes and used his true essence to form a sound thread, transmitting instructions to their ears.

Axiu and Master Wu, upon hearing this, quickly closed their eyes, sat cross-legged, and began to practice as instructed.

"What are they doing? Aren't they afraid of being hungry?"

Zheng Anqi looked at the three of them sitting cross-legged, her face twisted in confusion.

"Probably resting early to conserve energy. Tsk, tsk, this Chen boy is quite stubborn, still not bowing to us," Jiang Shao said, sipping red wine and shaking his head with a smile.

"Don't worry, after two days of hunger, even the toughest man will bow to Miss Zheng," the head bodyguard said solemnly.

After that, the group stopped paying attention to Chen Fan and his companions and began chatting about other topics.

Only Mr. Shi was puzzled.

These three seemed to be practicing some kind of cultivation technique. But according to the Daoist theory of refining essence into qi, shouldn't they become hungrier the more they practice? After all, they need to gather energy from within to form internal strength and magical power.

Soon, after a lively conversation, everyone fell asleep.

The next morning, they found Chen Fan and his companions still sitting cross-legged. Some people marveled, but most were already preparing to continue the journey.

When everyone was ready to leave, Chen Fan and his companions opened their eyes and stood up.

Axiu felt more excited than ever.

After a night of cultivation, she had officially entered the realm of internal strength, reaching the level of Wei Ziqing. Feeling the internal strength coursing through her body and the explosive power in her limbs, her confidence grew stronger.

'I must follow Master Chen and work hard. One day, I will prove to him that I am worthy of being his disciple.'

Though Master Wu appeared calm, he was equally excited.

This night of hard work surpassed three years of cultivation!

'Master Chen is indeed Master Chen. Such skills are almost divine.'

He was immensely grateful, having long forgotten any regret over betraying his sect.

The group continued deeper into the mountains. Under the protection of the old hunter and Zheng Anqi's entourage, Zheng Anqi and Jiang Shao felt as if they were on a leisurely outing. A journey that should have taken two days took them over three.

Zheng Anqi and the others were quite puzzled that Chen Fan and his companions had not begged for help but were still alive.

But they assumed that the three must have secretly gathered wild fruits and vegetables, so they didn't pay much attention.

After three days, they finally reached the area near the Yinlong Spring. Chu Lao Da refused to go any further, firmly standing his ground and desperately trying to persuade everyone not to go.

But who would listen to him?

Zheng Anqi and Mr. Shi, along with the others, excitedly rushed towards the Yinlong Spring.

Only Chen Fan stood there, looking at the Yinlong Spring from a distance, seeing the dense yin energy gathering over the valley, confirming it as a place of yin energy convergence, a sacred ground for yin energy cultivators and strange beasts.

At that moment, the sound of fighting and shouting suddenly came from the direction of the Yinlong Spring.

"Hmm, let's go see."

Chen Fan and the others frowned and quickly moved towards the sound.

PS: Thanks to Kun + Kun for the 2000, thanks to Yi Jian Duan Nan Shan and Shi Jie Wu Bian for the 588, thanks to Huang Yu Tian Xia, Lao Na Fa Hao Kou Wei Zhong, You Ming v Xue Jun, Liang Liang Zai Wang Zi, Chun Zhi Yuan Ju Qiu Zhi Bie Li, and Westmin for their support. Um, three updates today. Here's the first one, please give me some recommendations. O(∩_∩)O

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