Chapter 170

Their cause of death isn't the point; there's no need to dwell on it here. Our current focus is to follow this lead and investigate further. Now that this overseas group has acted again, they will surely leave traces. This time, we must net them all!

The police here have mobilized a large number of personnel and police force, following the leads from Yang Wen and others. Their efforts have not been in vain—they have indeed discovered a major clue.

Near Daxia, that is, in the East Asian region, there is one of their bases, responsible for the entire Asian cultural relic smuggling and trafficking activities.

Seeing the latest intelligence in hand, Sun Zhenbang excitedly stood up from his chair.

If we can wipe out this base in one fell swoop, it will deal a major blow to this overseas group, and we might even recover a batch of cultural relics smuggled abroad!

Most importantly, we can ensure Longyuan Mountain remains undisturbed in the short term!

Although the overseas group's headquarters is in Europe, this base is the center of their Asian operations. If we can crack it, it's equivalent to cutting off their limbs.

Of course, what makes Sun Zhenbang happiest is that this is equivalent to doing work for the Mountain God, helping the Mountain God deal with these petty troublemakers.

It can also be considered my repayment to the Mountain God.

Moreover, the higher-ups also place great importance on this case. After all, Sun Zhenbang has been investigating this for so long, and now he has finally made a major breakthrough—it can be said they are giving full support.

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. Although we know their base, Sun Zhenbang is not in a hurry to act, lest we startle the snake by beating the grass. He plans to wait for a suitable opportunity.

Since this matter involves foreign forces, the higher-ups have established a dedicated special operations team, transferring it to the Armed Police Brigade for handling. Sun Zhenbang's side is responsible for assistance and investigation, providing intelligence and detailed information.

As for the cause of death of Yang Wen and others earlier, in the wake of this incident's impact, no one has mentioned it anymore.

Perhaps, as Li Mingzhang said, they merely died of some sudden illness, and everyone at the police bureau thinks so.

……

Qi Xueqing, who returned from the police bureau, was also not idle. These days, he ran to Nanchuan University Library and the city library, poring over vast amounts of historical texts and documents, but found no information he wanted.

Legend has it that Li Bai, during his exile, was once pursued by someone, but fortuitously encountered a Daoist temple that had descended from the nine heavens, where an immortal reached out to save him, allowing him to escape calamity, thus giving rise to this poem.

The lofty Daoist temple is none other than the perilous tower a hundred feet high; the heavenly beings in the poem refer to the immortals inside the Daoist temple.

Compared to the actual Jiangxin Temple, this legendary structure in the tale seems more in line with the poem's imagery. Yet, when Qi Xueqing investigated this history, he found no records whatsoever.

The source of this legend actually comes from nowhere!

If it were a written record, there would at least be some traces. If it were oral transmission, where exactly did this folk tale originate?

All of this is filled with mystery and the unknown. If this legend is true, why is there no record? If it is false, why has it been passed down to this day?

This situation is exactly like the previous historical fog—no origin, no end, as if a ghost wanders aimlessly in the long river of history.

Qi Xueqing stared at the computer screen, and unbidden, Hu Xiaocao's earlier words surfaced in his mind, combined with all these recent strange behaviors.

He always felt this little girl was full of secrets, like a historical enigma, her entire being brimming with contradictions, making her impossible to fathom.

Not long after, the "Historical Mist" column series was updated. This update's content concerns Li Bai, precisely that poem "Night Stay at the Mountain Temple."

The earlier Historical Mist series covered Zuo Ci discussing doctrine, Dingzhou seeking the sword, Zhu Dun explaining the Dharma, and the divine tour of Yangzhou.

Although Qi Xueqing hasn't updated this series for a long time, the high-quality content has attracted considerable interest from many fans, so they are all paying attention. When they see the update, they immediately click in.

"Good buddy, blogger, you finally updated! Those who didn't know thought you had disappeared."

"Huh, this time the Historical Mist actually talks about Li Bai?! He is the famous Poet Immortal of the Tang Dynasty—this column is quite interesting. Could it be that Li Bai also has some historical mist on him?"

"Li Bai is my idol! Although I memorized many of his ancient poems in school, this doesn't affect my admiration for him!"

"I've been to Jiangxin Temple. At the time, I felt it didn't quite match what Li Bai's poem describes—it felt a bit off. Now, hearing the blogger's explanation, I find it actually quite reasonable."

"Historical records mention that Li Bai, in his later years, sought immortals and asked about the Dao. Could it be because of this?"

"It's very possible—maybe Li Bai himself once saw an immortal, so he wanted to trace the immortal's footsteps."

Since this update involves the historical figure Li Bai, also a modern youth's idol chasing trends and worship, the热度 of this Weibo post keeps rising, attracting more and more people.

Passersby initially had misunderstandings, but upon clicking in, they discovered it was truly that historical figure Li Bai. For a moment, discussions erupted online, and the热度 has remained consistently high.

Even those who feel nothing for Li Bai cannot help but be drawn in by Qi Xueqing's narration.

Even phrases like "Li Bai sees immortal," "Li Bai asks about the Dao," etc., have successively surged onto the hot search list!

……

Compared to the bustling mundane world, Longyuan Mountain appears especially secluded and tranquil. The verdant mountain peaks, set against the blue sky and white clouds, appear exceptionally towering. Between the boundless mountains and seas lies a vast and magnificent landscape.

The breeze brushes by, pine waves surge, green mountains stretch endlessly, like a coiling slumbering dragon.

At the highest point in the mountain terrain, a green great serpent coils here, like a supreme sovereign, gazing down upon its subjects.

The closest is the white-foreheaded blue tiger, only to see this old tiger with a majestic build, beautiful fur, and black markings on its forehead quite resembling the Chinese character "king," making it appear extraordinarily mighty.

Beside the tiger, there is also a yellow weasel. This yellow weasel has a slender body, fur glossy and smooth like water, seeming to sparkle. Its hind legs are crossed, sitting or lying on the ground, resembling a human practicing meditation.

Besides these, there are foxes, squirrels, wolves, hyenas, etc. These animals have diverse postures and appearances, clearly extraordinary at a glance. One sees their eyes tightly closed, as if all have fallen into contemplation.

The mountain forest is utterly silent; even the sounds of insects and birds are absent, as if fearing to disturb some existence.

No matter how miraculous these animals are, of course they cannot compare to the green serpent on the giant stone.

Each green scale is like fine jade, flashing with radiant divine splendor, even the sunlight's rays become dim and lackluster.

Heaven and earth's spiritual energy continuously wanders within Ye Qin's body. The golden inner elixir slowly rotates, absorbing this spiritual energy, nourishing the meridians throughout his body.

Upon closer inspection, the golden core seems to have grown a bit larger than at the beginning—round and full, with golden threads winding around it.

Ye Qin no longer needs this much spiritual energy. The excess he releases outward, slowly drifting into the bodies of those animals.

The Northeast Tiger benefits most, its furry face showing a look of contentment. Even while still in meditation, its throat emits comfortable gurgling sounds.

Although these animals cultivate together, due to differences in talent and comprehension, their cultivation progress varies.

The fastest progress is certainly that of the Northeast Tiger, followed by the group of animals that have been with Ye Qin the longest.

Ye Qin extends a few strands of mental power, sensing that their internal spiritual energy has already reached perfection. "In that case, then I will lend you a hand."

He releases his divine thought, and all spiritual energy follows in surging motion.

Under Ye Qin's guidance, the animals' internal spiritual energy all converge at a point, continuously striking against the bodily barriers.

Some animals coil their hind legs, sitting cross-legged like humans; others rise up on their hind legs, emitting strange sounds from their throats, also unknown what they are murmuring.

Upon careful listening, faintly, a few blurred characters and syllables emerge from their mouths, as if reciting some scripture.

Though seemingly without rhythm, in fact each syllable carries a distinct cadence, rising and falling with breath, filled with mysterious rhythm. Even their bodies sway slightly, heads bobbing, brains shaking, immersed in it.

These animals cannot speak human language, but after staying by Ye Qin's side for a long time, they have also learned a few spell bytes in a lifelike manner, just like a parrot learning to speak.

Spiritual energy poured down like water with a tremendous roar, and even the air trembled with invisible waves, causing the surrounding greenery to bend.

Almost in an instant, all the animals opened their eyes wide, their pupils flashing with a gleam of light, and they stretched their necks and roared.

The Northeast Tiger let out a deafening tiger roar, as if the earth were moving and the mountains shaking.

These animals all had a faint halo around them; soon the halo dissipated and entered their bodies, making even their fur seem to glow.

After so many days of cultivation, they finally broke through.

The change in the Northeast Tiger was the greatest—its tail was like an iron hammer, and even a light tap on a tree left a deep impression, and its speed had also increased.

The joy of breaking through made the Northeast Tiger run wildly across the mountains and fields, leaving afterimages in the air, and the strong wind blowing toward it knocked over many animals.

The other animals were the same—whether in speed or strength, they had all improved.

Do not underestimate small animals like weasels and squirrels; due to the influence of spiritual energy, the power within them is comparable to that of an adult.

Their furry faces were filled with joy and excitement, the entire mountain peak was covered in spiritual energy, and the liveliness reached its peak.

Even Ye Qin was infected by the beasts' emotions, his eyes full of smiles.

……

Under the blue sky and white clouds, beast roars occasionally came from within the green mountain peaks, startling countless birds to circle in midair.

At this time, Hu Xiaocao also returned to Longyuan Village, looking at the distant mountain peak, the purple qi within her stirred slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"I always feel that something has changed on the mountain."

But she could not specify what the change was, only vaguely sensing it was developing for the better.

As soon as she stepped onto this land, the fresh air rushed over her, every pore of her body opened, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy, making Hu Xiaocao feel refreshed and clear-minded; she couldn't help but stretch, her whole body relaxing.

Last month, Hu Xiaocao did not return because of school matters, so she did not know what had happened earlier on Longyuan Mountain.

Due to the purple qi within her, Hu Xiaocao had also developed a deeper connection with Longyuan Mountain, making her more sensitive to the surrounding aura; she couldn't help but sigh: "The village is still the best."

Although the city is full of skyscrapers and extremely prosperous, she prefers the tranquil and leisurely life of the mountain village.

Only by returning here could she truly unleash her nature.

The village head was preparing to go to the Mountain God Temple when he saw a familiar figure at the village entrance, thought he was seeing things, and shouted uncertainly:

"Xiaocao?"

Hu Xiaocao turned around, saw the village head arriving, and happily waved, "Village Head Grandfather."

The village head said doubtfully: "Xiaocao, why are you back at this time? It's not your holiday yet—did something happen at school?"

The village is too far from the school; to save travel expenses and time, Hu Xiaocao attends boarding school, so she usually returns at month-end. Logically, she should be at school now.

But after just experiencing the kidnapping incident, the school was worried about her and specially granted her a few days off to rest properly. Moreover, Hu Xiaocao had some doubts in her mind, so this was a good opportunity to return.

"Village Head Grandfather, don't worry—it's just a small matter."

Upon learning that Hu Xiaocao had almost been kidnapped, the village head was greatly startled: "What? Those traffickers are too arrogant—they even ran into the university to snatch people."

The village head's first reaction was also to think they were traffickers.

Hu Xiaocao shook her head: "No, they came for Longyuan Mountain, and they are related to those tomb robbers from before."

The village head frowned slightly: "Those people again. Officer Sun said before that these people come from an overseas cultural relics organization. I didn't expect them to fail several times, yet they haven't given up."

He looked Hu Xiaocao up and down, relieved in his heart: "Fortunately, you're fine. First it was spies, then overseas organizations—soon it'll be a big mess."

Hu Xiaocao showed a confused expression: "What spies?"

"A few days ago, several spies tried to break into the mountain, but we caught them and handed them over to the police. At the time, even the military region was alerted."

When saying this, the village head looked quite pleased with himself.

Hu Xiaocao was astonished: "Really? Then you weren't hurt, were you?"

The village head gave a meaningful smile: "Do you think we would get hurt? It's those people who suffered the misfortune!"

Hu Xiaocao thought about it and agreed—after all, the villagers have all undergone the baptism of the purple qi from the east; even a few lawbreakers, let alone a dozen, are nothing to fear.

When the village head recounted the battle details, hearing how the villagers displayed their divine power, Hu Xiaocao's face lit up with smiles.

It seems that during her absence, many things have happened on Longyuan Mountain.

"Village Head Grandfather, tell me what has recently happened in the mountains."

The village head did not conceal anything and detailed the recent events; Hu Xiaocao listened very attentively.

"It's roughly these matters, and from the animals' behavior, the changes in the mountain are also significant, but we fear offending the Mountain God and dare not investigate, lest we disturb him."

Hu Xiaocao nodded: "No wonder I felt the aura was off when I came back—it must be the Mountain God Grandfather's doing."

Logically, this matter should already be over, those bad people have been caught by the law, and Hu Xiaocao has no need to deliberately return.

The village head couldn't help but ask: "Xiaocao, you must have other reasons for returning this time."

Hu Xiaocao nodded, facing the village head's question, and did not conceal: "When dealing with those people, I felt my internal purple qi seemed to have changed, but I'm not sure of the specifics, so I wanted to ask the Mountain God Grandfather."

From Hu Xiaocao's description of the situation at that time, her ability should surpass that of all the villagers.

Know that when the villagers faced those people, they only managed to subdue them.

When Hu Xiaocao made a move, she didn't even touch them, and they died directly.

The village head was not surprised, after all, Hu Xiaocao is most deeply involved with the Mountain God, and this child also has wisdom roots, so he nodded and said: "Then go ahead."

After bidding farewell to the village head, Hu Xiaocao came to the mountain foot, first went to worship at the Mountain God Temple, then looked at the forbidden entry sign, and did not proceed further.

"Mountain God Grandfather—Xiaocao has something to tell you."

A gentle breeze brushed past, the leaves rustled, carrying her words into the layers of mountains.

A pair of deep, beastly eyes, like two large lanterns, stared at Hu Xiaocao's actions, but without much malice—rather, with a hint of playfulness and curiosity.

Hu Xiaocao's senses are sharp; upon turning her head, she saw a brownish-yellow fierce beast open its bloody maw, reveal sharp claws and fangs, and lunge at her.

It was a tiger over half a person tall, the king's mark on its forehead imposing and fierce-looking; one bite could even bite off half her head.

Hu Xiaocao stood still, not moving at all, as if startled stupid by this sudden change, making no resistance, but in fact her expression remained calm, without any sign of panic.

Seeing this situation, the tiger's expression became even more ferocious, its mouth opened wider, the bloody maw was close at hand, and it seemed Hu Xiaocao would soon become a dish on the plate, yet she still took no action.

The Siberian tiger could not possibly really eat people; its body stiffened in mid-air, instantly becoming somewhat awkward, its beastly pupils flickered with a hint of doubt, curious as to why Hu Xiaocao was not afraid.

It had just made those movements only out of ill intent, wanting to deliberately scare Hu Xiaocao, who would have thought Hu Xiaocao did not follow common sense at all.

Hu Xiaocao's clear black-and-white eyes stared fixedly at the fierce beast before her, instead showing some affection, "I know, you were sent by Mountain God Grandfather, right?"

She had long heard from the village chief about the tiger's deeds, so she was not afraid in her heart; moreover, Hu Xiaocao had seen the White Bone manifesting spirit beside Mountain God since childhood, her psychological endurance had long surpassed that of ordinary people.

The Siberian tiger felt a bit embarrassed, let out a few soft growls, took a few steps forward, then turned its head to look at Hu Xiaocao.

Hu Xiaocao immediately understood its meaning, "You want me to follow you?"

The Siberian tiger slowly nodded, it had received Ye Qin's order to bring Hu Xiaocao up the mountain.

Now Ye Qin's spiritual power could already cover the entire Longyuan Mountain; even the slightest wind and grass movement at the mountain base could not escape his eyes, and Hu Xiaocao's first step onto the mountain was already sensed by him.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse, but Hu Xiaocao walked with light steps, after all, her body was nourished and supported by spiritual energy; even after walking so long, her complexion remained rosy, and her breathing was very smooth, as if she had only walked a few steps.

Hu Xiaocao had not been up the mountain for a long time, never expecting the changes in the mountains to be this great.

The trees were tangled with roots, blocking out the sky, those thick vines twisted and entwined, and there were many plants she could not name, even the grass on the ground grew luxuriantly, soon reaching knee height.

It felt as if she were immersed in the ocean of an ancient forest; if it were not for the Siberian tiger leading the way, she would easily lose her direction walking here.

The deeper one went into the center, the stronger the spiritual energy became; Hu Xiaocao's purple qi within her body was affected by this land, becoming active again, as if it had found its home.

At the center lay a layer of hazy mist; Hu Xiaocao could not see clearly, but could vaguely make out a shadow of dark green within, full of endless mystery.

She tentatively spoke: "Is it Mountain God Grandfather?"

Hu Xiaocao could not see clearly, but Ye Qin could see very clearly; his expression seemed touched with emotion, not expecting that the once malnourished, thin-faced little girl would, in the blink of an eye, blossom into her current appearance.

Graceful and elegant, every gesture displayed charm; even though her features had not fully developed yet, one could imagine how radiant she would become in the future.

Ye Qin also sensed the surging spiritual energy within Hu Xiaocao's body; indeed, she was a child with wisdom roots.

Back then he had casually inserted a willow branch, bestowing Hu Xiaocao with ancient classics; he never expected that along this journey she would explore on her own, aided by the eastern purple qi, and grow to this extent—truly not easy.

This is not something everyone can achieve; it shows this child's talent, even if placed in ancient times, she could possibly become an ancient sage.

"What business do you have with me?"

A low male voice descended from the heavens, carrying an indescribable majesty.

Hu Xiaocao was first startled, not yet having reacted; after all, before this Ye Qin could not speak, so she had never had any verbal exchange with Mountain God Grandfather.

Now upon hearing this voice, it seemed much younger.

Hu Xiaocao, after her surprise, was overjoyed, respectfully bowing in the direction where Ye Qin was, her eyes filled with piety and reverence.

Although the thick fog obstructed her view, making things unclear, she knew Mountain God Grandfather was there, "Xiaocao hereby comes to thank Mountain God Grandfather for his grace."

"You have good intentions."

Hu Xiaocao pondered for a moment and said: "Besides, Xiaocao still has one matter I do not understand, I hope Mountain God Grandfather can help me resolve it."

"Speak."

"Mountain God Grandfather, why has the purple qi within my body recently fluctuated?"

This is not a big problem; now Hu Xiaocao has already touched the threshold of cultivation, but she simply cannot control the purple qi, and with no one to guide her, that is why such anomalies occur.

It is like a cultivation seed has already been buried in her body, wanting to break through the soil, but finding no path, thus the purple qi fluctuates frequently.

"You must learn to control the spiritual energy within your body, making it serve you."

Although Hu Xiaocao has power within her body, she does not know how to use it; in her previous battle with those few people, it was merely a desperate act, and thus uncontrollable.

Hu Xiaocao humbly sought advice: "Then what should I do?"

"Follow your heart's intent."

As Ye Qin's words fell, Hu Xiaocao felt a mighty, oppressive force enter her body from within the mist.

She soon relaxed her body and mind, letting this force continuously wander through her meridians.

The purple qi that had originally been running wild inside her body now became extremely obedient, following the path left by this force, slowly beginning to circulate a great heavenly circuit, forming a good cycle.

Seeing order restored here, that force also withdrew; Hu Xiaocao was very perceptive, quickly understood the way spiritual energy circulates, began to simulate its path, and learned to control the purple qi within her body.

If Ye Qin's power were like towering mountains and rivers, surging without end, then Hu Xiaocao would be like a resilient green plant, appearing fragile yet growing against the wind; as long as there is a bit of sunshine and rain, even in dire straits she can find life.

The surrounding spiritual energy also gathered, swirling around Hu Xiaocao's body, almost taking tangible form, like a white jade belt, nourishing her body.

Hu Xiaocao's exquisite, cold features became even more transcendent, possessing a hazy beauty; her perceptiveness exceeded Ye Qin's imagination; perhaps she could truly go further in the future.

And Ye Qin did not stint in giving guidance.

Not knowing how long had passed, Hu Xiaocao returned from her meditative state, her clear eyes seeming to have a streak of light pass over them.

Under Ye Qin's guidance, Hu Xiaocao can now be considered to have officially embarked on the path of cultivation, becoming the first modern human capable of cultivation!

"How do you feel?"

Hu Xiaocao's face showed gratitude, as she thanked Ye Qin, "Thank you, Mountain God Grandfather, for your guidance."

She understood that the guiding force just now came from Ye Qin's hand, helping her better utilize the purple qi.

"If you cultivate in this way, you will achieve minor success in no more than ten days or half a month; but as for the human cultivation method, how this path should proceed afterward is entirely up to you to explore—go on."

Seeing that the sky was already late, Hu Xiaocao spoke for a while and then descended the mountain; as she left, the mist also gradually dissipated.

Before descending the mountain, Hu Xiaocao truthfully informed the cultural relics group about the matter.

This group of people repeatedly provoked, truly making Ye Qin somewhat annoyed.

Although these people, in Ye Qin's view, are merely jumping clowns, unworthy of the grand stage, yet their repeated visits have made him weary; even a clay figurine has a bit of temper, let alone Ye Qin.

Afterwards, he sent his underlings to inquire; coincidentally, Sun Zhenbang had come to the village, spoken with the villagers about this matter, thus Ye Qin learned even more information.

"Ignorant of life and death."

Ye Qin's snake pupils flashed with a dangerous glint; rather than being passive, it is better to take the initiative; these people will not give up until they reach the Yellow River; this time they failed, who knows if they will come again next time.

To settle the matter once and for all, he decided to solve it from the root.

"The Asian base point—"

Ye Qin's spiritual power enveloped the mountain peak, attracting many animals, all of whom had achieved minor cultivation progress or had recently broken through, and this was a good opportunity for them to gain experience.

"I have a task to assign to you."

Upon hearing this, the Siberian tiger's round ears instantly perked up; for the restless Siberian tiger, the days of cultivation in the mountains were indeed somewhat boring, and upon hearing of a task, it was eager to execute it immediately.

The other small animals also had their eyes shining, with a hint of inquiry and curiosity, chirping and chattering nonstop as they discussed and asked Ye Qin what the task was.

"I need you to go down the mountain once."

At sunset on the clouds, a faint golden yellow was shed, enveloping the treetops, and only dozens of animals could be seen weaving through, heading straight for the mountain base.

Leading the group was indeed a majestic big tiger, and on its back there was actually a small figure; upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a yellow weasel, holding several yellow talismans in its hand.

The orange-yellow light stretched the shadows of these animals extremely long, then turned into a small black dot, sinking into this mountain range.

The talismans would help them indicate the direction forward, and also had a certain aura-shielding effect, to avoid attracting attention.

After dozens of animals left at once, the mountains seemed to have become much quieter, without the noise and disturbance of the Siberian tiger, Ye Qin still felt somewhat unaccustomed.

Dealing with the overseas group's Asian stronghold, these animals taking action, plus the help of the talismans, should be more than sufficient, and it also counts as their training, to see how their progress has been during this period.

After all, by now they should, logically speaking, be considered minor demons.

As for why Ye Qin did not go himself, one reason is that it is unnecessary, and two is that he has more important matters to attend to.

His cultivation has already reached the Divine Soul Realm; merely absorbing spiritual energy is of little use anymore, and if he wishes to continue advancing, he must pay attention to opportunity.

Having just emerged from the fragments of mottled years, there is no need to rush into the next stage, and refining elixirs is also unnecessary.

After thinking it over, he now has completely sufficient time, and another matter can finally be put on the agenda: that is, refining artifacts.

Ye Qin had this idea early on, but at that time his cultivation was insufficient, and moreover, refining artifacts is not like refining elixirs—it is more difficult and complex—so this plan could only be temporarily shelved.

After all, relying solely on the physical body and divine abilities as attack methods is still somewhat one-sided.

In the future, when facing large-scale thermal weapons, artifacts will be able to play a crucial role!

Ye Qin's vision is far-reaching; as his cultivation progresses, he may initially be able to conceal it from the world, but later on, he will certainly not be able to hide it.

Moreover, he has now established the demon race, and although the population is not large, once it expands, it will certainly attract human attention.

Peaceful coexistence is naturally ideal, but it is unavoidable that foreigners among humans harbor ulterior motives.

Once war breaks out, facing thermal weapons, it is necessary to have strong self-defense means.

Therefore, this artifact refining is not only for himself, but also to open up a path of artifact refining for other demons; if they can master the method of artifact refining, then every demon can have a treasure in hand.

"But what should be refined would be better."

In the mountains and rivers, materials are limited; elixir materials are easy to find, scattered everywhere, but for artifact refining, it is not so easy to find.

"Got it!"

Ye Qin's eyes brightened, as if he had thought of something; with a movement of his mind, a small cauldron appeared on the ground.

This small cauldron is exactly the one he obtained earlier in Zuo Ci's tomb.

"Without suitable materials, I can only refine based on the existing foundation."

Ye Qin plans to remelt this cauldron, starting from the simplest, so that the success rate will be higher; later, when good materials are collected, he can refine again without delay.

Fortunately, Ye Qin did not discard the large vat at the beginning; he can barely manage to fit the small cauldron inside it.

"Ordinary fire temperature is insufficient to meet the standard; it definitely cannot melt the cauldron, and even burning it all night would probably yield no change; a different method must be found."

Ye Qin pondered for a moment, then quickly had an idea; he focused his mind and gathered his qi, using the earth as paper and spiritual energy as ink, forming grooves on the ground like a crisscrossing chessboard.

Soon a talisman gradually took shape, with the pattern in the middle resembling flames; as it was completed, the surrounding temperature seemed to faintly rise.

The carrier of the talisman can be anything, not limited to form; the reason most people choose yellow paper as the carrier is because it is convenient to write on and relatively common.

But now Ye Qin wants to start a fire; to avoid trouble, he simply writes it on the ground, omitting the step of writing on yellow paper.

"You go help me find some firewood."

The surrounding animals obeyed the command and soon brought back plenty of firewood, placing it on the talisman.

Ye Qin infused a strand of spiritual energy; golden threads flowed on the ground, the talisman was successfully activated, and bright flames instantly shot up, the fire blazing brightly, illuminating the somewhat dim surroundings.

Though it appears no different from ordinary fire, the flame core contains a bright golden light, and its high temperature makes the air twist.

Many animals kept their distance and dared not approach.

Although they have already embarked on cultivation, fear of fire has become instinctive, and this fire is not ordinary mortal fire; with the talisman and spiritual energy supporting it, its destructive power has become extremely great.

To prevent the large vat from being burned by the flames, Ye Qin also added a layer of spiritual power protection around it.

Under the scorching heat, the small cauldron's shape kept shrinking, even the patterns on it gradually became blurred, and dark liquid flowed along the cauldron's body into the large vat.

Soon the cauldron shrank to the size of a palm; seeing that the timing and heat were about right, Ye Qin infused spiritual energy into it.

The object inside the large vat could no longer be seen as having the shape of a cauldron, only a bright mass of light, like a small sun; as spiritual energy was slowly infused, it began to change.

Spiritual power is like Ye Qin's hand; if the force is suddenly too heavy, that mass also becomes flattened; if too light, it again fails to take shape.

Thus, after Ye Qin had been pinching it for a long time, the object remained irregular in shape, with no discernible pattern, and he could not help but sigh.

"This artifact refining is indeed much more difficult than elixir refining."

However, Ye Qin has plenty of time, after all, artifact refining is not something that can be achieved in a short while.

……

Meanwhile, the animals that set out from Longyuan Mountain traveled day and night, with the Siberian tiger leading them along mountain paths or small trails, and along the way they did not attract attention.

But wanting to completely avoid people is not possible, after all, human footprints are everywhere, unless it is an uninhabited area.

Near Yunnan Province, this place is close to the border of Xia.

A small team that enjoys outdoor exploration was preparing to set up camp and rest in the wild; while everyone was busy, they suddenly saw dust flying not far away, as if even the setting sun were half-blocked.

"It seems something is running over?"

"Is it a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle?"

The exploration team members also did not take it to heart, after all, on the way here they had seen many cattle and sheep, but soon they discovered something amiss, because in the distance it was not cattle or sheep.

Only then did they see a tall and mighty tiger appear in their field of vision, instantly causing everyone's faces to turn pale with fright.

"Holy shit! How could there possibly be a tiger here!"

"Are we going to become the tiger's dinner today."

This tiger had a lithe build, like a flash of lightning, its brownish-yellow fur fluttering in the air, looking mighty and imposing, charging straight toward them.

Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom of the valley, feeling their hands and feet turn cold; given the tiger's speed, it could reach them in less than a minute.

The tiger seemed to notice their presence, its beastly pupils flashing a dark gleam.

Meeting those icy, bloodthirsty beastly eyes, everyone felt their legs go weak; as the tiger's silhouette drew nearer, the only thought in their minds was: it's over.

"Quickly grab whatever you have in your hands!"

Everyone fumbled nervously, hastily picking up handy tools—nothing more than trekking poles and the like—utterly useless, merely a psychological comfort.

Trying to escape now was too late, and they couldn't outrun the tiger anyway; it might even provoke the tiger's hunting interest, so they could only hope the tiger, seeing so many of them, would abandon its predatory intent.

A deathly silence spread, everyone on high alert, only hoping the tiger would change direction, but heaven seemed not to have heard their prayers.

The tiger's speed grew ever greater, and the oppressive pressure intensified, like a small mountain bearing down.

The expedition team's faces turned ashen, their bodies trembling like sieves, as if they had already seen their fate in the tiger's jaws.

In the blink of an eye, the tiger came like wind and lightning, flashing past them like a bolt, not even sparing them a glance.

Everyone felt a gust sweep past before their eyes, and behind the tiger were dozens of animals—foxes, hyenas, wolves, and more.

These animals followed the tiger as if a collective, or like a boss leading countless lackeys, leisurely and arrogantly.

The expedition team stared dumbfounded, still thinking they were hallucinating, until the tiger vanished from sight, then they came to, feeling as if they had just walked through the gates of hell, their hearts nearly leaping out of their chests.

The survivors, having escaped death, watched the tiger and those animals run off in the direction, their faces filled with bewildered expressions.

"Old, old tiger didn't attack us?"

"Did I not see wrong—why would foxes, hyenas and such creatures follow behind the tiger?"

"These animals should all be on the tiger's menu, so why aren't they afraid of it, and most importantly, the tiger didn't even harm them."

"Don't you feel those animals just now seemed rather arrogant, not even glancing at us?"

"It's strange enough for a tiger to appear here, with no forest nearby, no habitat—where did this tiger come from."

The expedition team members chattered incessantly; having saved their lives, they dared not linger here, fearing another large beast might appear, and hurried back to the city overnight.

Soon this story spread online, unexpectedly drawing considerable attention.

"I also saw a tiger on the highway before, leading many animals past the roadside; I even thought I was seeing things at the time."

"This is a bit absurd—how could different species possibly coexist harmoniously? You're making up stories; can't you be more realistic."

"I'm not lying to you—I saw it too; back then it scared me into a cold sweat."

"You're just bragging—tigers are solitary animals with strong territorial instincts; as the saying goes, one mountain cannot hold two tigers, so how could they possibly travel with other animals."

"I'm really fed up with you attention-seeking crowd, making up stories about everything."

Some also claimed they had once seen a tall, mighty tiger leading dozens of animals roaming about, but since few witnessed it, these comments were soon drowned out by skeptical voices.

After all, this story sounds somewhat unrealistic—tigers are solitary animals, and even their own kind cannot fully live together, let alone lead other animals.

……

Nan Province is the easternmost city of Daxia; going further ahead leads to the Myanmar region.

On the Nan-Myanmar Expressway, dozens of military vehicles were traveling.

In the lead military vehicle sat a man with a "guo"-shaped face, features stern and righteous, full of integrity—exactly the person in charge of this operation, Captain of the Wu Du Armed Police Brigade, Zhao Guo'an.

"Having received the intelligence and materials sent from the Wu Du police, we will launch the capture operation tonight; this mission's target is the largest base of the overseas cultural relics organization in East Asia, located in the Myanmar region at an auction house."

"For this operation, superiors have already contacted Myanmar's local officials, requesting assistance; we will conduct joint law enforcement and wipe out this den completely."

"But everyone knows the situation in Myanmar—officials internally must have moles, so everyone must stay vigilant."

Sun Haonan showed a puzzled expression: "This order came too suddenly—wasn't it said we'd wait a while before closing the net?"

Zhao Guo'an shook his head: "Latest news: the auction house there will hold an auction, featuring many cultural relics they obtained through illegal means, so we must retrieve this batch of relics."

Sun Haonan nodded: "Now I understand."

As the police cars kept moving, the scenery along the roadsides kept receding, the view becoming more open; soon they passed through Nan Province and entered the Myanmar region's territory.

(End of chapter)