Chapter 262

Why Dai Sanren turned against them, Tan Ba couldn't explain clearly, but the betrayal was a fact. After escaping from Huang Feng Gou, Captain Hu, Zuo Gaofeng, and the others had already separated. This was exactly why Liu Xiaolou happened to meet Tan Ba; otherwise, if he were still approaching Huang Feng Gou, he might have been captured by Mount Tianmu.

Therefore, according to the Wulong Mountain custom, Tan Ba and Liu Xiaolou also had to separate, not asking where the other was going, to avoid being captured together by Mount Tianmu.

At parting, Tan Ba urged Liu Xiaolou: "Go, Xiaolou, go far away. It's best not to return to western Xiang for a few years. Wait three or five years!"

Liu Xiaolou had the same plan. After watching Tan Ba leave, he returned to Mount Xiu, woke up Fang Bu, who was still immersed in cultivation, and took him to the southwest. In short, the further away from western Xiang, the better.

Hearing that Dai Shenggao had betrayed the brothers, Fang Bu didn't show much shock or sadness. His meaning was actually very clear: as long as Liu Xiaolou was fine, he didn't know the others on Wulong Mountain well, and since Tan Ba and Zuo Gaofeng, whom he knew slightly better, had escaped, there was even less to be sad about.

"We could die anytime, anywhere. Isn't that the fate of us rogue cultivators? After the teacher died, I didn't know what sadness was. Sadness only makes people fragile... I don't want to be fragile!"

"Little Fang..."

"Hmm?"

"Although what you said is right, I still want to say, I don't hope you become too cold."

"I am cold because I don't know who else I can trust, besides Big Brother... The teacher said years ago, don't trust anyone. After coming to Wulong Mountain, I once thought the teacher's words weren't necessarily right. I thought Wulong Mountain was different from the Pai Sect. Now it seems, it's actually about the same."

"Dai Sanren, he was actually very good to me before, and not bad to other fellow Wulong Mountain cultivators. Many fellow cultivators relied on him to make a living."

"It's not just Dai Sanren. How did the hero invitation that everyone admired and looked up to fall into Dai Sanren's hands? Didn't Wang Laoda participate in this? Even they betrayed their brothers, I really don't know who I can trust. Big Brother, will you seek revenge on Wang Laoda and Dai Shenggao?"

"I don't know... I once wanted to seek revenge on Mount Tianmu, but now looking back, if I hadn't issued the hero invitation, hadn't gathered fellow cultivators to rise up and resist, maybe everyone would still be fine on Wulong Mountain."

"If Big Brother hadn't issued the hero invitation, everyone wouldn't be staying well on Wulong Mountain either. They were all scared by Mount Tianmu. Who would dare to continue staying on the mountain? That would be like sticking one's neck out for Mount Tianmu... Big Brother, to tell you the truth, you were right to issue the hero invitation. I still think it was right."

"Really?"

"If Big Brother hadn't issued the invitation, how could I have so many spiritual materials and spirit stones? And how could I have broken through to Stage 4? But times have changed, Big Brother, don't issue hero invitations anymore."

Liu Xiaolou smiled bitterly: "Of course I won't issue them now. Even if I did, no one would accept them."

Fang Bu nodded: "At least now no one dares to accept hero invitations. If this matter spreads, who among the rogue cultivators in the world would dare to accept hero invitations? Perhaps it will be a few years later. When Wulong Mountain becomes lively again, when more rogue cultivators enter the mountain to cultivate, it will be like the Pai Sect where I and the teacher were years ago. Many people die and leave every year, and then many people join. People may change, but Wulong Mountain will never fall."

Liu Xiaolou glanced at Fang Bu and said: "Little Fang, you have many reflections."

Fang Bu sighed, shook his head, and stopped talking.

Traveling by night and resting by day, they were all in the wilderness. After two days of traveling like this, they didn't know how many rivers they had crossed. They had traveled six hundred miles to the west. Once here, they were basically far away from Mount Tianmu's sphere of influence.

Liu Xiaolou asked several hunters for directions and turned north. That day, they arrived at a manor, which was Liu Daoran's home.

Seeing Liu Xiaolou visiting, Liu Daoran was very pleasantly surprised and quickly invited them into the manor. When asked about the purpose of his visit, Liu Xiaolou said: "Things haven't gone well in western Xiang, so I specifically brought my brother out to relax. I'm afraid I'll have to bother Brother Daoran for a while."

Liu Daoran was naturally sincere in his welcome, arranged accommodation for the two, and from that day on, the two lived in Liu Family Manor. They cultivated diligently every day, opened meridians, and sometimes, at Liu Daoran's invitation, went out to visit the surrounding mountain scenery, dangerous peaks, and deep valleys, or accompanied him to entertain guests, socialize with nearby rogue cultivators, discuss Daoist methods, and study array techniques. The days were quite carefree.

During this time, Liu Xiaolou finally met Liu Daoran's wife and addressed each other as brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

This sister-in-law was dignified and virtuous, and treated Liu Xiaolou and Fang Bu very well, except for one thing: she loved to drink, and her capacity was amazing. In order to please his sister-in-law, Liu Xiaolou took out the Bamboo Leaf Green from his Qiankun bag and drank with the Liu siblings. He was drunk by this sister-in-law and almost spilled the beans about taking Liu Daoran to a brothel, scaring Liu Daoran into quickly taking him to the side to vomit wildly.

Three months passed in a flash. Liu Xiaolou opened the Yang Lao and Zhi Zheng acupoints. The cultivation of the Hand Taiyang Meridian had completed six acupoints, with thirteen remaining.

Fang Bu's progress at Stage 4 was also thirty percent complete.

Liu Xiaolou couldn't compare how Fang Bu's progress was, but he clearly felt that since leaving Wulong Mountain, his cultivation progress was gradually slowing down. Spirit stones were not lacking; he had enough stored in his Qiankun bag for two years. But when cultivating, the speed of converting true qi from spirit stones was decreasing, and the difficulty of opening acupoints was increasing.

Opening two acupoints in three months, the signs of slowing cultivation were very obvious. So he couldn't help but miss Gan Zhu Ling, miss the days of cultivating in the arms of Bai Bai and Xiao Hei on the peak.

"Little Fang, have you noticed that cultivating on Gan Zhu Ling seems to be faster?" Liu Xiaolou asked Fang Bu for verification.

Fang Bu recalled carefully for a moment and nodded: "Seems so."

Liu Xiaolou pondered again: "Why do you think that is?"

Fang Bu changed his words again: "Actually, I can't feel it."

Liu Xiaolou asked: "Why?"

Fang Bu said: "Because when I was on Gan Zhu Ling, I never had so many spirit stones on hand. Instead, in the year after going down the mountain, I haven't lacked them. So, Big Brother, are you missing Gan Zhu Ling?"

Liu Xiaolou scratched his head, sighed, and walked out of the room, just in time to bump into Liu Daoran who had just entered the courtyard.

"Xiaolou, there is something you have to help me with."

"Oh? What is it, Brother Daoran?"

Liu Daoran took out a piece of yellow paper and handed it to Liu Xiaolou: "Look, someone has come to the door, wanting to refine such an item."

Liu Xiaolou took it and looked at it, frowning: "Who asked for it? Why not go to an artifact refiner? Brother Daoran, we are array masters. We can refine array plates, but we don't do this kind of artifact refining."

Liu Daoran pointed to the description on the paper: "Look carefully, this is an array plate key, and it is also a type of array plate. Do you know what an array plate key is?"

Liu Xiaolou nodded: "So that's it... It really is an array plate key. I heard Master Tang mention it once, but I haven't refined one."

Liu Daoran was a bit worried: "I haven't refined one either."

Liu Xiaolou said: "Then refuse it."

Liu Daoran sighed: "The other party offered a price of six spirit stones."

Liu Xiaolou was stunned, then buried his head in the paper again: "Then let's study it again."