Chapter 264 - Encounter at the Mountain Inn

Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue remained on Crimson Mountain for a while longer, focusing on consolidating their newly attained cultivation levels.

During this time, Lu Tianzi once again ascertained that he was still far too weak to break through the ancient runes sealing Xihuang Yuanfeng in the rock chamber. A new attempt to probe the ancient runes brought about a powerful mental backlash just like the one before, and Lu Tianzi was still incapable of resisting it at all.

It knocked him back a few steps, and caused his face to pale. Thankfully, he could easily recover with just a few hours of meditation.

Apparently, he would have to at least reach the peak of the Origin Core realm before he would even stand a chance at breaking the seal, according to Xihuang Yuanfeng at least.

And then there was one final thing that Lu Tianzi had to check with Xihuang Yuanfeng – the item gifted to him by the Scarlet Moon Overlord.

It was a strange orb-looking thing that was the size of his torso and had rough edges all over. Unlike beast cores, Lu Tianzi could not sense any store of energy within it at all.

While he had not wanted to reveal this item to his elders at the Nine Suns Sect for fear of inciting their greed, his master Xihuang Yuanfeng was a different matter altogether. Something that the Scarlet Moon Overlord could afford to give away so freely could not possibly be worth much in the eyes of his master.

But his master's answer rendered Lu Tianzi speechless once again.

"Why are you asking me this? Do I look like I have an interest in rocks? How would I know what kind of rock this is?"

It was only after further prompting and probing, as well as a gentle plea from the smiling Nanlan Qianxue, that his master finally agreed to evaluate the orb more closely.

A metal ore.

That was all Xihuang Yuanfeng could deduce from it.

As for what kind of metal it was, Xihuang Yuanfeng had no clue.

After all, a high cultivation level did not translate to knowledge in all fields. There were still many things in this world that he was oblivious about.

Helpless, Lu Tianzi could only store the item back into his spatial ring. But at least he finally had a general idea as to what it was.

Now, he only needed to find a smith who could identify what sort of metal ore this was.

The two only left Crimson Mountain after another half a month, heading eastwards as suggested by Xihuang Yuanfeng.

***

Dark clouds shrouded the sky, and rain came down hard upon the narrow mountain path amidst the occasional flashes of lightning.

Two figures wearing heavy fur coats hurried through the rain, arriving at the front porch of a small inn.

Relieved to have finally found shelter, they drove the Slaughter Essence within their inner worlds, drying the rainwater that lingered on their clothes before pushing open the door.

In contrast to the wet and gloomy weather outside, the inside of the inn was warm and dry.

It might be small, but the interior of the inn was clean and neatly decorated. There were beautiful daffodil flowers placed by the windows, their light scent permeating through the air and blocking out the scent of the rain.

"Welcome!" the innkeeper hurried out to greet them with a smile. "What a surprise, we don't usually get this many visitors at once. What may I get for you valued customers?"

"Just a few simple dishes will do," Lu Tianzi answered with a friendly smile before settling down at one of the empty tables.

"Got it, your food will be coming right up!" the innkeeper went back to the kitchen with a spring in his steps.

Business is good today!

Lu Tianzi looked around the inn curiously.

Despite what the innkeeper had said, only three of the ten tables were filled, and that was including the one that they were seated at.

But it was only natural that there were not many customers around. After all, this inn was located on a secluded mountain path that saw little foot traffic. It would be strange if there were many visitors.

Of the other two tables, one was occupied by a group of five while the other was occupied by a single young man.

The group of five comprised three men and two women, all of them looking to be in their mid thirties and dressed in comfortable light robes, clothes that suited long travels. Just one look was enough to tell that they were frequent travellers.

On the contrary, the young man's clothes were way too thin and had already started fraying at the ends. Whoever he was or wherever he was from, he had certainly not been prepared for his journey. Either that or he had met with some unexpected mishap along the way.

Glancing across the table, Lu Tianzi saw that Nanlan Qianxue had already closed her eyes in meditation.

Diligent as always...

It had already been half a month since they left Crimson Mountain.

In order to avoid drawing too much attention, the duo had chosen to travel by foot, taking the less travelled paths as they headed east.

Along the way, Nanlan Qianxue had taken every opportunity there was to cultivate. Whenever they stopped to rest, Nanlan Qianxue would enter a state of light meditation. Lu Tianzi, on the other hand, had been quite curious about everything that they saw along the way.

The flowers that bloomed, the people they passed, the weather and the terrain, everything was interesting to Lu Tianzi.

Then again, it might also be partially because of Nanlan Qianxue's cold personality. She had never been the sort to be interested in the affairs of others.

The only time she seemed to be interested was when they climbed to the top of a small hill. That was when she finally looked around, eagerly taking in the sights around them. But that was the one and only exception.

"Here's your food, valued customer!" the innkeeper came up before long, holding a tray of simple dishes and a small bottle of wine. "This wretched rain is really quite bothersome, isn't it? It doesn't seem like it will let up anytime soon either. Don't worry and just wait it out here. If you need some more food, just let me know and I will get it for you!"

"Thank you," Lu Tianzi smiled in response. "I will let you know if we need any."

"Where are you guys headed anyway?" the innkeeper continued. "People seldom pass by this remote mountain path."

"We are heading east," Lu Tianzi replied honestly.

"If you are heading east, your destination must be Bog Town?" the innkeeper exclaimed in surprise. "That is quite a distance that you still have left to cover! Maybe it is a good thing that you came in to take a break as well!"

"Innkeeper bro, what makes you think that they must be going to Bog Town?" one of the men from the group of five remarked from across the floor. "The young couple could also be headed to Wondertrap Mountain. It is to the east as well, and it is far nearer than Bog Town!"

"Hahaha, you must be joking! They look so young, so how can they be headed to such a treacherous place?" the innkeeper laughed before turning back to Lu Tianzi. "Isn't that right?"

"That's right, I have never considered going to Wondertrap Mountain," Lu Tianzi nodded in agreement.

Well, he had never even heard of it before, so how could he have ever considered going there?

"How can you say it like that? A man should have guts!" one of the two females shook her head in disapproval. "Even if you are actually afraid to go, you should still act as if you are not going only because you fear for your girlfriend's safety. That way, you can at least earn some brownie points from her!"

"Hahaha, stop teaching this young brother wrong things, Xing!" the man laughed. "Who knows? He might just decide to man up too much and actually head over to Wondertrap Mountain!"

"Ah! That would be a bad choice to make!" the woman named Xing exclaimed.

"Is the Wondertrap Mountain really that dangerous?" Lu Tianzi asked innocently.

"Oh? You don't know?" the man let out a look of surprise.

"Rumours are usually peppered with falsities. Without having been there personally, it is difficult to judge," Lu Tianzi shrugged. "But from the sound of it, the few big brothers and sisters over here have been to Wondertrap Mountain before?"

"This young brother is wise, it is indeed best not to place too much trust in rumours," the man nodded in agreement. "Anyway, you might not recognise our faces, but have you heard of the Iron Claw Brigade?"

"Could it be that you are…?" Lu Tianzi faked a look of surprise.

"Hahaha! That's right, we are none other than the Iron Claw Brigade that, if I may say so myself, has been gaining quite a bit of fame in these parts!" the man beamed with pride. "I am Jue, the captain of the Iron Claw Brigade! Here are the other members, Xing, Guo, Fei, and Quan."

"It is an honour to meet you here!" Lu Tianzi hurriedly clasped his fists towards them.

At the same time, Lu Tianzi's perception stealthily swept past them.

The five of them had similar cultivation levels. The captain of the Iron Claw Brigade, Jue, was a Peak Essence Condensation realm martial artist. Apart from one of the male members, Quan, who was at the Intermediate Essence Condensation realm, the other three were all at the Advanced Essence Condensation realm.

Lu Tianzi had already passed Xihuang Yuanfeng's jade pendant to Nanlan Qianxue. As long as she was wearing it, no one at the Origin Core realm or below would be able to sense her cultivation level.

With Lu Tianzi already in the Origin Core realm, it was no wonder that the group of five were unable to see them as anyone capable of defending themselves.

Of course, if they had paid more attention from the start, they would have noticed that Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue had entered the inn with their bodies completely dry, something that was impossible for non-martial artists.

"Hahaha!" Jue was obviously pleased with Lu Tianzi's show of admiration. "Back to the topic, we have indeed been to Wondertrap Mountain countless times. Thus, I can assure you that the rumours are one hundred percent true. It is indeed a treacherous place with danger around every corner. Wild beasts there are aplenty, but they are the least of your problems. The plants there are actually the main sources of danger, and cannot be treated carelessly. Any common looking flower could be a source of poison that could take you down without the slightest warning. Unless you are really well prepared, it is best to avoid going there."

"Is it really that dangerous?" the young man who was seated alone finally interjected. "I mean the wild beasts. Are there a lot of them?"

"Like I said, the wild beasts are the least of your problems," Jue repeated. "The seemingly harmless plants are the truly dangerous ones, and are able to kill without a trace!"

"That means there still are wild beasts, aren't there?" the young man probed again.

Jue could not help but frown slightly. "Yes, there are…"

Does this retard not understand what he just said?

The wild beasts are not the problem here, so why does he keep harping on the wild beasts?

At this moment, a panicked voice sounded out from outside the door, loud enough for the group within to hear it over the heavy downpour.

"Help! Someone, please help!"

"Hmm?" Jue turned his attention towards the door. "What was that?"

As though answering his question, the voice came again, this time louder than before. "Help! Please!"

By now, everyone was looking towards the door, wondering what was going on. Everyone, except for Nanlan Qianxue who still had her eyes closed in meditation.

"Oh no!" the innkeeper hurried to the door.

Pushing the door open, the innkeeper gasped in shock.

In the distance, a middle-aged man was carrying his unconscious companion while rushing over in the rain.

Seeing the innkeeper at the door, the middle-aged man could not help but let out a look of joy. He increased his speed even further, running desperately towards the inn.

"Please, save my friend!" the middle-aged man rushed up to the innkeeper and pleaded desperately.

"Quick, bring him in!" the innkeeper held the door open as he quickly ushered the middle-aged man in.

The middle-aged man did not need to be told twice. He immediately carried his unconscious friend through the door and laid him down on the wooden floor.

"What happened to him?" the innkeeper asked in concern.

"I don't know for sure either," the middle-aged man's tone was trembling. "We were just walking through the woods when he said that he felt a little cold. I didn't think much of it initially, but he suddenly collapsed onto the ground. No matter how hard I shook him, he just wouldn't wake up!"

Jue walked over and knelt down beside the unconscious man, examining him closely from head to toe even without being asked.

From the side, Lu Tianzi scanned his perception over both the middle-aged man and his companion.

Both of them were dressed similarly, wearing combat robes that fitted them tightly. They were both at the Intermediate Essence Condensation realm, and also looked to be of similar age.

On top of that, Lu Tianzi could sense that the unconscious man's vital signs were weakening quickly. If left untreated, there was a high chance that he might just die before long.

"He is poisoned," Jue diagnosed with a deep frown on his face. "Nobody touches his body unless you want to risk being infected as well!"