[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain":3,"chapter-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-26":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Cultivation at Wulong Mountain",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2272931,4440,"Chapter 26","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-26",26,"\u003Cp>They spoke of planning carefully, but this group was audacious enough to have no fear of a Qi Refining tenth-layer cultivator. Among them sat one at eighth-layer, one at seventh-layer, two at fifth-layer, and one at third-layer—launching a surprise attack on a tenth-layer was something they had all done before, and the odds were good. Though the risk was equally high, who among the Wulong Mountain brethren didn’t spend their days dancing on the blade’s edge?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the group rubbed their hands together, pressing urgently: “Hurry, hurry, hurry! Brother Wei, reveal your leads quickly—before the reward notice from Tianmu Mountain spreads, it’s better if we move an hour earlier!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing said: “Funny enough, I happen to know this Lu Zian—we met a few times years ago. I came to Tianmu Mountain originally because I heard he’d been doing well here lately, so I came seeking him, hoping to find some opportunity. But since arriving, I never managed to meet him; later I learned he’d been assigned to guard the elixir chamber and had entered seclusion with several alchemical elders. I don’t know where Lu Zian is, but I do know his hiding place—I’ve been watching it these past days, and he’s very likely there now. But I’m alone and dare not act, so I’ve called you all here to plan together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Wei Hongqing smiled: “For these past days, I’ve been on edge, afraid the trail would vanish. But now that you’ve all arrived, when night falls and the wind howls, that’s when our fortune begins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, Tianmen Mountain was overcast, with gusts of north wind biting cold—perfectly a moonless, wind-swept night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the marketplace, they headed southeast. Half an hour later, after crossing several low hills, a small river appeared below. The water flowed north, then made a sharp bend at the foot of the hills, turning eastward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing said: “This is Yangliu Bay. Lu Zian has a lover who lives across the river bend.” He pointed to a small hill opposite: “Look there—behind that hill. The trees are thick up there, hard to distinguish. Remember the position—head straight for the densest patch of fir trees.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without moonlight, nothing was visible—only the faint outline of the hill, and even the river below could barely be discerned, known only by the faint gurgle of its flow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing assigned roles: “Brother Ju, take the hilltop and keep watch. Brother Zuo, circle north of the hill. Brother Tan, cover the east. Myself and Xiao Lou will approach from the south—we’ll surround the courtyard together. Don’t rush in recklessly. Lu Zian is Qi Refining tenth-layer, and his lover is at least fifth-layer. If they’re alerted, capturing them will be far harder. Wait for my partridge call before charging in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded, then split up, silently circling toward the opposite bank of the river bend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou followed Wei Hongqing down the small hill and found a shallow spot to swim across. It was early winter; the water was icy and biting, but to Liu Xiaolou, who had cultivated for years, it was nothing. Yet it cooled his earlier surge of excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After crossing the river, they circled the hill in a wide arc, moving cautiously through the dense forest. Not long after, ahead suddenly brightened—a delicate courtyard appeared, with red walls and white tiles, several tiers of upturned eaves glowing warmly in the lamplight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This small courtyard, hidden deep in the forest behind the hill, was truly hard to spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing leapt lightly onto a nearby tree branch, gazed at the courtyard for a moment, then slipped down silently. He pulled Liu Xiaolou back, retreating to a large locust tree farther away, and together they climbed to its top. From here, the courtyard was nearly invisible—only a few faint glimmers of light hinted that someone lived there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s be patient,” Wei Hongqing whispered. “Wait until the people inside sleep. Then you just knock them out. The rest, leave to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou nodded, fell silent for a moment, then asked: “Brother Wei, is the woman you know from the Lu family of Tianmu Mountain trustworthy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing smiled and nodded: “She’s... decent enough.” He stared at the faint lights for a moment, then suddenly asked: “What are you worried about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou said: “Brother... I feel uneasy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing paused, then asked: “Uneasy? What’s troubling you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou said: “If she’s untrustworthy, how can the information you’ve received be reliable? But if she is trustworthy...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Liu Xiaolou didn’t know how to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing picked up his thread: “If she’s trustworthy, why would I have summoned you all from Wulong Mountain? Is that your meaning?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou sighed: “I was just thinking—you could have handled this more easily with her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing shook his head: “I don’t even know if she’s trustworthy. I was born on Wulong Mountain, raised at Ghost Dream Cliff—I can trust only you few.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why deceive everyone else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just a joke. Who among you actually believed it? If you truly cared, you wouldn’t have come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, Wei Hongqing suddenly said: “Xiao Lou, be careful on Wulong Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou blinked: “Brother Wei means... after this job...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing shook his head: “I mean what happened in March. Dongyang Sect may have traced some clues to me. That’s why I left the mountain to hide. But don’t worry, Xiao Lou—even if they find me, I’ll never mention you. I was careless back then—I casually gave the surname Wei. You were more cautious. Now I realize: Wei and Wei sound identical. Dongyang Sect might suspect...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou reassured him: “It’s just a surname. Even if they suspect Wei, they have no other evidence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing said: “These sects treat evidence and testimony as rules for their own people—they never apply them to us scattered cultivators. Once they catch someone, they’ll use every method under the sun. Whether you confess or not, it’s still your fault. So I must do everything possible to join Tianmu Mountain. Once I’m one of them, even if Dongyang suspects, they can’t act freely—they’ll have to investigate properly. And they’ll never find anything... I’m just warning you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou asked: “So you really are involved with someone from the Lu family? Just now, Eight Palm said the woman is a widow, over thirty—ten years older than you...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing fell silent for a moment, then sighed: “Even if she were twenty years older, I’d still take her! We outcasts from Wulong Mountain—called wild cultivators, rats, scum by others—unless we gamble, where’s our chance to rise? The great sects and noble clans insult our mothers, and we must endure it. They kick us, and we still smile and bow. They break promises whenever they please. What kind of life is this? Can you even bear it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou fell silent, turning his head away, staring at the faint lights flickering in the distant courtyard, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, too, wanted to join a great sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the lights suddenly went out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou pulled a black cloth from his sleeve, covered his face, slid down from the tree, and moved silently toward the courtyard without looking back. Wei Hongqing did the same, following closely behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quietly approaching the courtyard wall, Wei Hongqing leapt lightly, gripping the top with one hand, inch by inch peering over. Soon, like a wildcat, he flipped over swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou leapt up, grabbed Wei Hongqing’s arm, and swung down into the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hongqing pulled Liu Xiaolou upward gently, absorbing the impact of his landing, ensuring not a single sound was made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wei Hongqing landed, Liu Xiaolou likewise supported his arm, allowing him to descend without a whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The courtyard held only five rooms; the main house, where the light had been, was easy to identify. The two moved quickly to it. Wei Hongqing climbed onto the rafters, hung upside down, and held eight iron darts between his fingers, ready. If anyone inside opened the door, they would be struck first from above—unprepared and defenseless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou crouched low, hiding beside the door, listening intently to the sounds within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, a steady, rhythmic breathing sounded—someone was asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou glanced up at Wei Hongqing on the rafters. Wei Hongqing, too, hesitated slightly, but finally nodded, signaling Liu Xiaolou to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaolou flicked his wrist; the Dream-Drifting Incense slipped slightly from his sleeve. Under the push of true qi, it formed a faint, invisible mist that seeped through the door crack.\u003C\u002Fp>",1424,"2026-06-19T23:11:25.549Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","27b1fc480572b2cd1171691eee1d16330117ea0cc7984ad94035c1cb2130cba3","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-27","notes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-chapter-25",638,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-cultivation-at-wulong-mountain-cover.jpg"]