Chapter 14: Can This Still Fall from the Sky?

The aura of Ci Jiu had vanished, and that Hua Shen nine-tier disciple of Du Xian Men had also disappeared. This situation was quite suspicious.

Deep in the dense forest, within a hidden valley, several shadowy figures lurked among the bushes, communicating via voice transmission.

One of them cursed, "It's probably because he took some reward, killed someone, and then just took off!Hmph! You can't trust characters like that. It's better to rely on our own trained subordinates!"

"Is the Kun Long Zhen prepared?"

"It's all set up. It will definitely trap that true immortal from Du Xian Men."

"Excellent. Even though things have changed a bit, it shouldn't be a big problem," the leader pondered for a moment. "Later, send a message to the fourth prince and arrange for a group to deliberately ambush him. That will lure the Du Xian Men true immortal over.We'll personally make our move to capture those two disciples and take them into the trap array, then draw that true immortal in as well.This matter is crucial for our cause of restoring the kingdom. The sixth princess is our best opportunity, and we must seize her this time—while also letting the fourth prince get what he wants."

The shadowy figures let out a few soft chuckles. The leader made a fist-clinching gesture, and the others scattered, vanishing quickly.

Half a day later, several black-clad figures ambushed Yuan Qing and Youqin Xuanya. Yuan Qing acted decisively and crushed a transmission talisman.

At that moment, Jiujiu, who was meditating above Wang Qi and Liu Yanshi, suddenly sensed something and turned, rushing toward the southwest. Yuwen Ling struggled to keep up, following behind her.

No sooner had Jiujiu flown away than more than a dozen auras burst forth from below, and two Gui Dao realm cultivators launched a surprise attack, knocking Wang Qi and Liu Yanshi unconscious and carrying them off.

Half an hour later, Jiujiu flew back in a hurry, while Yuwen Ling remained in the air above Yuan Qing and Youqin Xuanya, secretly protecting them.

By then, Jiujiu had detected something unusual, but she had rushed in too quickly. When she found Liu Yanshi and Wang Qi, she had already fallen into a large array. Thick white mist surrounded her, and her immortal sense revealed nothing but a vast, blank expanse.

Clamping Wang Qi and Liu Yanshi under her arms, Jiujiu flew around chaotically in the trap array. Since she was never skilled in arrays, she soon realized she was just going in circles.

"At least that big general is watching over Yuan Qing and Youqin Xuanya."

Jiujiu had just started to relax when she recalled Li Changshou's warning from when he entered Luan Zhang Bao Lin:'Wine Shishu, those with unclear origins are always suspicious. Don't trust them lightly.'

Could that Yuwen Ling be...?

Sweat beads formed on Jiujiu's forehead.

It was one trap after another—she felt like she'd been duped from the start!

What about Li Changshou? He had the lowest cultivation—had he already been killed by these people?

These guys were probably after Youqin Xuanya and Yuan Qing all along. How did I not notice earlier!

Unable to hold back, Jiujiu shouted, "You bunch of despicable cowards, if you've got the guts, come out and fight me fair and square for three hundred rounds! What kind of cultivators are you, using these sneaky tricks!"

However, the array only echoed with the sounds of swarms of poisonous insects and a few lost poisonous beasts—no response at all.

"Ah!"

Jiujiu tossed the unconscious pair onto the ground and stamped her feet in frustration. The ties on a certain part of her hemp robe were suddenly strained to the limit.

"Arrays are just so annoying!"

...

'Xian Jie Cao... This stuff is really hard to find.'

On the twelfth day after entering Beiju Luzhou, and after leaving Luan Zhang Bao Lin, Li Changshou headed northwest for over 1,600 li, arriving at the area marked on his map as scheduled.

This region spanned more than 300 li in diameter, featuring complex terrain like hills, swamps, and the ends of mountain ranges. Since it was deeper into Beiju Luzhou, the poisonous beasts and insects were far more ferocious than in the outer areas.

Li Changshou remained on high alert, carefully searching for the "poisonous herb" he sought. Over the next six days, he collected plenty of various toxic herbs and spiritual medicines, but there was still no sign of his main target, the one that had brought him to risk this journey.

That afternoon, a sudden "poison rain" fell from the sky, the droplets being highly toxic. Li Changshou didn't dare move recklessly and quickly found a nearby cliff, carving out a cave in the rock wall to hide in. He extended his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings, waiting for the rain to stop before continuing his search.

In these six days, he had nearly scoured the entire area without finding any trace of Xian Jie Cao.

'Oh, Xian Jie Cao, why play hide-and-seek? Wouldn't it be better for us to just meet up straightforwardly?'

Li Changshou yawned and sat cross-legged in the cave, adjusting his condition to its peak.

He had learned about this from an ancient text, which indicated that Xian Jie Cao grew in this region. Coming here directly was the most cost-effective way to obtain it. If he couldn't find it, he planned to stop by that town on his way back and try his luck.

Even if it meant spending all the spiritual stones and treasures he'd saved up over the past hundred years through frugal living—er, resourcefulness—it would be worth it to get a Xian Jie Cao.

If that didn't work...

Then Li Changshou would have no choice but to return to the mountain and rethink his plans.

The heavy rain came on suddenly and showed no signs of letting up.

Li Changshou took the rare opportunity to rest and slightly eased his taut nerves. Although he had a small amount of Chi Yang Poison Dragon Saliva to ward off poisons, being in such a dangerous place made it hard for him to tell himself not to worry.

I hope Wine Shishu is safe.

Recalling the cultivator he had killed nine days ago, Li Changshou took out the "Soul-Capturing Pearl" to check the memory fragments, but the residual soul inside had already dissipated.

Oh well, it's none of my business anyway.

That group had a meticulous plan, with Yuan Qing as their inside man. Given Wine Shishu's temperament... she would probably be easily lured into the array.

Wine Shishu has high cultivation and a likable personality, but she can be too impulsive sometimes, especially after a few drinks.

It's a shame about Youqin Xuanya. She's been cultivating in the immortal sect for so long, yet she can't escape the struggles of mortal royalty. And the childhood friend who's always fawning over her turns out to be the most treacherous.

Li Changshou never saw himself as a hero and had no obligation to save princesses or change others' fates. To him, Youqin Xuanya was just a strikingly beautiful "trouble." He avoided such major karmic entanglements whenever possible, and if he couldn't, he at least tried not to get dragged in...

Boom—

Suddenly, thunder rumbled overhead, and Li Changshou began checking his remaining resources.

His pills and talismans were ample, and the Chi Yang Poison Dragon Saliva would last another nine days—enough to finish searching this area and leave safely. If he moved quickly, he could even extend his search to the north or west.

"Xian Jie Cao, oh Xian Jie Cao, I'm getting really impatient here."

Boom!

The mountain wall trembled suddenly, and the vibrations...

Li Changshou quickly spread his spiritual sense and soon noticed the anomaly in the clouds above—a vortex of mist with lightning flickering inside, as if something was forcing its way out.

He quickly calculated: the heavens were shifting!

Li Changshou conjured a layer of protective force around himself and burst out of the cave, darting toward the ground to use his Tan Yun You Long Step.

But as soon as he descended, a thunderous boom echoed from above, and a fiery red figure shot out of the vortex, crashing to the ground like a bolt of lightning.

The figure landed just three zhang ahead of where Li Changshou was about to touch down, splattering mud everywhere.

Li Changshou retreated swiftly, three paper figures already in his grasp!

But then, he clearly saw the figure enveloped in a faint red light shield and furrowed his brow.

This was...

Was it because the heavens thought he was too comfortable digging for spiritual herbs and decided to add some challenges?

Or had he triggered some fateful disaster on this trip that he couldn't avoid?

The figure in the fiery red immortal skirt was no other than Youqin Xuanya.

She was severely injured, with a deep wound on her left shoulder exposing the bone. Blood mixed with the toxic rain dripped down her jade arm, and the great sword she gripped tightly in her right hand lacked its sheath, its blade covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

She had at least a dozen wounds, but none were fatal.

As Li Changshou recognized her, Youqin Xuanya also spotted the figure through the rain curtain. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, her gaze resolute, and leaned on her sword to slowly stand. Yet, she felt the figure looked familiar...

Li Changshou frowned. His spiritual sense detected no pursuers; clearly, Youqin Xuanya had used some escape treasure to teleport here via a spatial technique.

The problem was, it had to be right here.

If he ignored a fellow disciple and she survived to report it back to the sect, it would cause him trouble. But he really didn't want to get involved in this mess—it had nothing to do with him.

Though being reported might just mean losing some monthly allowances...

"Ah, the rain is so heavy, it's blocking my view completely. I can't see a thing."

Li Changshou muttered to himself, calmly turning around to face the cliff wall, his hands swiftly forming the seals for Earth Escape.

He was ready to play the role of an ignorant fool!

"Long... Longshou Shixiong?"

Youqin Xuanya stared in astonishment at Li Changshou's back through the rain, coughing up another mouthful of blood before urgently saying, "You need to get away quickly—don't worry about me. Your cultivation is too low, and they have the numbers... the advantage..."

Before she could finish, Youqin Xuanya's eyes closed in exhaustion, her aura in complete disarray as her injuries overwhelmed her. She collapsed into the muddy ground, sword and all.

A flash of lightning lit the sky, and the rain grew even louder.

"Oh well, since you showed some decency, I'll use Earth Escape to get you out of here for half the way."

But after that, you're on your own—fate will decide the rest.