Chapter 268 - Healers' Meet

Under the darkness of the night, a small fire burnt under the occasional crackling of wood. A makeshift wooden stand supported a long skewer that hung over the fire, holding the body of a headless monster rat directly above the flames.

This was the same beast that Nanlan Qianxue had decapitated earlier today.

Now that night had fallen, the group decided to take a rest and enjoy the meat.

With the beautiful moonlight illuminating the way, none of them would have had any issues with moving around in the night. However, this was still Wondertrap Mountain that they were talking about.

Neither Lu Tianzi nor Beiwei Jinguo was willing to take any chances when it came to this place, one that was reknowned for being treacherous to its visitors.

In fact, after encountering the Nine Steps Fall flower and the monster rat, the group actually came across a few more potentially dangerous situations.

These were all encounters with poisonous plants, with the exception of a man-eating vine which hid under the ground, catching Beiwei Jinguo by surprise when it suddenly sprung out of its hiding place to bind his entire body.

Fortunately for him, he was not alone.

Nanlan Qianxue slashed forth from behind him, cutting him free with absolute precision, not even damaging his clothes in the process.

It had only been a single moment of terror, but this had shaken Beiwei Jinguo up quite a bit. From that moment on, he had slowed down his advance dramatically, taking each step only after double and triple checking that it was certainly safe.

Just like that, nothing unexpected happened to them all the way until nightfall.

But even though they had been able to pre-identify the dangers up till now, no one could say for sure that they would be able to spot the threats that were to come, especially when they were moving in the darkness of the night.

Rather than take such unnecessary risks, they decided that they might as well take it easy for the night.

At this point, Lu Tianzi could not help but feel awed by this Wondertrap Mountain. It had only been half a day since they entered, and yet they had already encountered multiple instances of danger.

Well to be exact, those were not exactly considered dangerous situations to Lu Tianzi, but it was still quite an eye-opener. Seeing these plants with his own eyes only served to strengthen his knowledge as well.

"This monster rat's meat actually tastes better than I expected!" Beiwei Jinguo exclaimed in delight after biting into the lump of roasted meat in his hands.

Beiwei Jinguo no longer had to continue looking out for danger now that they had stopped for a rest, and he could not help but feel the tension leaving his body. With that, even the monster rat meat in his hands tasted better than it would have originally.

"It really does taste good," Lu Tianzi agreed with a smile.

By his side, Nanlan Qianxue had her eyes close once again while seated in a cross legged position. She had only tried a mouthful of the monster rat's meat to satiate her curiosity, and immediately returned to meditation after.

"We are really lucky to have met each other. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to survive in these harsh conditions," Beiwei Jinguo remarked between bites. "Anyway, we are already almost there. Now that we are acquainted, hopefully both of us will be able to do well during the meet!"

"The meet?" Lu Tianzi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Hmm?" Beiwei Jinguo blinked blankly. "Wait, are you not here for the Healers' Meet?"

"This is the first time that I have ever heard of that name," Lu Tianzi admitted. "What is this Healers' Meet about?"

"Ah… it's my fault for misunderstanding then. Seeing how much you know about plants and herbs, I thought that you are certainly here for the same reason as me," Beiwei Jinguo scratched his cheek in an embarrassed manner. "But it is no wonder that you are unaware of what it is. Only those who have a link to the Healer Circle will receive an invitation to the triennial Healers' Meet. My teacher received the invitiation only because he was a renowned poison master. From the looks of it, your teacher is still not quite there yet!"

The more he spoke, the more confident he felt. By the time he was done, he was already brimming with pride.

While his cultivation level might not be able to match up to Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue, Beiwei Jinguo had full confidence in his poison arts heritage.

His teacher was an accomplished poison master who once belonged to the Healer Circle. Under his tutelage, Beiwei Jinguo was absolutely confident that his poison arts were superior to every single one of his peers!

"Is it really impossible for us to join without an invitation?" Lu Tianzi inquired further, his eyes lighting up with interest.

For Beiwei Jinguo to travel all the way to Wondertrap Mountain despite the dangers, this Healers' Meet that he spoke of had to be quite the spectacle. Since Lu Tianzi was already here at Wondertrap Mountain, he was naturally interested in checking it out.

As for why it was named as the Healer Circle or Healers' Meet when it was effectively about poison masters, Lu Tianzi was not too concerned.

They were probably just trying to portray themselves to the public in a better light. After all, whether they liked it or not, the word poison always had a negative connotation to it.

Anyway, poison masters could indeed be considered as healers in the sense that they were capable of concocting antidotes to cure those who were inflicted with poison. So they were not exactly wrong to call themselves that.

"I'm sorry, but it's impossible," Beiwei Jinguo shook his head. "I once heard from my teacher that the Healer Circle is very strict about this matter. While invitees often bring in servants to help them with their chores, only the ones with the invitation will be able to participate in the main event."

"Is that so? That can't be helped then," Lu Tianzi sighed in slight disappointment. "But you mentioned that your teacher is the one who received the invitation? Why isn't he here with you?"

"He passed away two years ago," Beiwei Jinguo shrugged. "As his only student, I am here to participate in his stead."

"Oh… I'm sorry for your loss," Lu Tianzi apologised.

"Don't worry about it," Beiwei Jinguo waved it off nonchalantly. "Everyone has to go at some point. My teacher has already lived a long and fruitful life, so that's good enough. But for the sake of his reputation, I certainly have to obtain a good result this time!"

"I shall wish you good luck then!" Lu Tianzi smiled. "Even though we are not allowed to participate, is it all right if we just go and take a look?"

"Hmm, I guess it is possible if you are fine with just taking a look," Beiwei Jinguo rubbed his chin in contemplation. "However, you might have to bear with taking on the name of my servants for me to bring you in. Would that be all right with you?"

"I'm fine with that!" Lu Tianzi replied without hesitation before turning to the young lady beside him. "Are you all right with that, Qianxue?"

"Mm," Nanlan Qianxue nodded with her eyes closed.

She was only in a state of light meditation, so she was still clearly aware of what was going on around her.

"Then there shouldn't be a problem with bringing you in," Beiwei Jinguo nodded. "According to my map, the location for the Healers' Meet shouldn't be too far away from here. At the rate we are going, we will probably be able to reach there before noon if we set off at dawn."

"Thank you for your help then," Lu Tianzi clasped his fists towards Beiwei Jinguo in gratitude. Even if he was not able to participate in the main event, just taking a look was good enough for him.

The group of three went to rest for the night soon after, setting off at the break of dawn as Beiwei Jinguo suggested.

Just like what Beiwei Jinguo said, they arrived at their destination after travelling for another couple of hours.

By then, they had already ventured far into the depths of Wondertrap Mountain. It was highly unlikely for anyone who did not know of this exact location to make their way in this far.

"This is it," Beiwei Jinguo referred to his map. "We are finally here."

Three-metre tall fences made of what looked like wooden planks stretched out in both directions, blocking out anyone from peering within. The only way through available was a small door guarded by two men. As they approached, Lu Tianzi could even feel energy fluctuations similar to that of a defensive formation.

These two men looked to be middle-aged and wore white overalls. They were well groomed, their long hair tied up neatly into a top bun and their faces cleanly shaven. While they were not exceptionally good looking, they gave off a feeling of purity and friendliness.

"I'm sorry but this area is private property, please go around," one of the two men stepped forward when Lu Tianzi's group approached.

"Is this where the Healers' Meet is held?" Beiwei Jinguo asked in return.

"Oh?" the man in white was visibly surprised. "Are you here to participate in the Healers' Meet?"

"That's right, here is my invitation," Beiwei Jinguo passed over a jade slip.

"This really is an invitation…"the man in white thought out loud. "Is it just the three of you?"

In his eyes, it was practically impossible for such young people to receive an invitation for the Healers' Meet.

"It's just us," Beiwei Jinguo nodded. "I am the one with the invitation, and the two of them are with me."

"I see…" the man in white raised an eyebrow at this unexpected situation, but did not question them too much. "All right then, go on in."

The man in white gestured to his companion who pushed open the wooden door for them. Even before stepping in, they could already see the bustling activity within from beyond the open door.

Within the boundaries of the wooden fence, the dense vegetation eased up significantly.

While the ground was still carpeted with grass, the trees within were all lined up neatly in rows, no longer as disorganised as the trees outside. Positioned between these trees were small makeshift stores tended to by people of all sorts, resulting in rows of stores with ample space between each row for people to walk about freely.

Numerous people strolled up and down these open streets, visiting the shops on both sides. It was just like an open market that could be found in any city.

"Welcome!" a young lady approached them the moment they stepped through the door. "May I know if there is anything I can help you with?"

The young lady was dressed in a tight-fitting long dress that accentuated her curvy figure. Her silky long hair was combed to the left, its length falling to her chest level. Her facial features might not be considered city-toppling, but she was pleasant looking nevertheless.

Yet when her eyes scanned past the three of them, a look of disappointment showed on her face for the briefest of moments, quickly repressed into a polite smile.

"We are here to attend the Healers' Meet," Beiwei Jinguo stated. "May I know where it will be held?"

"The Healers' Meet will only start a week later," the young lady put on a business-like smile. "In the meantime, you might want to secure a place to stay before taking a look around. If you are willing to hear me out, I would recommend the Fireaxe Inn. It has the best rooms at relatively affordable prices. If you are in the mood for it, they even have beautiful girls who can warm your beds at night."

"…" Beiwei Jinguo could not help but steal a quick glance at Nanlan Qianxue. It was only when he saw that Nanlan Qianxue did not seem to mind that Beiwei Jinguo turned back to the young lady in relief. "Thank you for the suggestion. May I know where this Fireaxe Inn is located?"

"If you are interested, I can lead you there personally," the young lady maintained her smile. "Pardon my crudeness, but before we go, can I just check how much money you have?"

"I have five low-ranked beast cores with me," Beiwei Jinguo answered honestly.

"Then I think you can just go on your way and stop wasting my time," the young lady did not even bat an eyelid as she replied, all the while maintaining the exact same tone and smile from before.