Chapter 287

Having provoked a Foundation Establishment expert, even though night travel in the mountains was difficult, he had to grit his teeth and press on. He dared not linger here; otherwise, once her injuries improved, she might draw her sword and pursue him, which would be disastrous.

Fortunately, his luck was good this time. He encountered no troublesome snakes, insects, tigers, or leopards, and after walking south for two hours following the end of the heavy snow, he arrived at the Tianmen Mountain market.

He hadn't been to the Tianmen Mountain market in a long time. Pulling his straw hat low to cover most of his face, he stepped cautiously into the bustling street. After circling twice, he approached the bulletin board in the center of the market and raised his eyes to scan it.

The Tianmen Mountain market originally had no bulletin board. Six years ago, when the Lu clan of Mount Tianmu offered a massive bounty for the outlaws of Wulong Mountain, because there were too many people to capture and it was inconvenient to send notices to every major sect and clan, they simply erected a wooden archway, a zhang high, in the center of the main thoroughfare. The archway, two zhang long and one zhang wide, was plastered with portraits and bounty amounts for the Wulong Mountain outlaws.

After the Battle of Huang Feng Gou, most of the portraits were removed, but the bulletin archway remained.

After six years, Liu Xiaolou finally had the courage to come and take a look.

At this moment, on the right side of the bulletin board, the top row still held over a dozen wanted posters, most of them overlapping.

The top few bounty notices were names Liu Xiaolou had never heard of:

Kang Feihong, Qi Refinement Stage 9, bring the head to the Kang Family Manor at Maoyan River, reward: 9 spirit stones.

Wan Jianxin, Qi Refinement Stage 10, capture alive and bring to the Dongyang Sect, reward: 16 spirit stones.

Liu Sheyan, Qi Refinement Stage 8, dead or alive, bring the head to Gengsang Cave, reward: 10 spirit stones.

Some of these portraits were clear enough to recognize, while others looked quite blurred, but they all marked striking features, making them easy to identify if encountered.

He blew a breath at the bulletin board, causing the top bounty notices to flutter, revealing the ones beneath. Liu Xiaolou discovered an acquaintance among them—the Daoist Old Hu Du. The Lu clan of Mount Tianmu was offering a bounty of 18 spirit stones for his head!

Looking at the date, the bounty had been issued three months ago. Six years had passed, and the scoundrel had also reached Qi Refinement Stage 10.

He had heard that after Old Hu Du failed at Huang Feng Gou, he had followed Dai Sanren to join the Lu clan of Mount Tianmu. He wondered what kind of trouble he had stirred up this time.

Aside from the Daoist Old Hu Du, there were no other acquaintances on the bounty list.

There was no Wei Hongqing, no Zuo Gaofeng, no Tan Ba...

And no him.

Besides the bounties, the bulletin board was covered in countless scraps of paper with various messages.

"Hongji Restaurant has newly added Xin Jiao fruit."

"Selling half a volume of the Dongyang Sect's 'Left Divine Scripture', those interested meet at Zhangwan, south of Tianmen Mountain."

"Going into the Wuling Mountains to catch snakes, seeking companions, those willing meet at the Liujun Inn."

Liu Xiaolou stood under the bulletin archway for half an hour. Dozens of people passed by him; some glanced at him twice, while others simply ignored him. In short, no one recognized him.

Leaving the bulletin archway, he finally mustered the courage to wander in front of the elixir shops, magic treasure shops, and spirit material shops opened by the Dongyang Sect, Gengsang Cave, Qingyu Sect, Zhanglong Sect, and even the Lu clan of Mount Tianmu. While checking the elixirs, magic treasures, and spirit materials they had for sale, he compared them to the wild, exotic flowers and herbs he had on Gan Zhu Ling to identify their origins.

More importantly, he wanted to verify if his legend still persisted.

The shop assistants and managers didn't recognize him either, which greatly boosted his courage. He finally arrived in front of the Hongji Restaurant.

Of course, no matter how bold he was, he didn't dare to go in. Instead, he sat down at a teahouse diagonally across from the Hongji Restaurant, sipping tea and eating snacks while waiting patiently.

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As far as Liu Xiaolou knew, when it came to Foundation Establishment Pills, the Lu clan of Mount Tianmu was the first choice. The Lu clan was the premier elixir-refining sect in the Jingxiang region and the primary source of Foundation Establishment Pills.

Therefore, he waited near the Hongji Restaurant, hoping to see if he could wait for Huang Ye Xian.

He didn't know how Huang Ye Xian had joined Mount Tianmu, but over the past few years, she had visited Wulong Mountain every year. Each time, she would look toward Gan Zhu Ling and sweep the grave of Master Sanxuan. Because of this, Liu Xiaolou felt that perhaps he could try to find a way to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill through her.

As for how to try, whether to tie her up or strike up a friendship, he hadn't yet made up his mind.

He waited for over half a month, but Huang Ye Xian never appeared. Not only her, but the Longshan Sanren, Mu Shenyi, and others were nowhere to be seen. The culprit, Dai Sanren, was also missing.

He didn't dare to go over and ask, so he had to leave temporarily and continue east, hoping to try his luck at the Yueyang market by Dongting Lake.

A few days later, he appeared in the Yueyang market.

After six or seven years, the Green Joy Courtyard of Sister Qing was still thriving, though Sister Qing herself had gained a few more touches of charm.

"You wretch, you finally decided to show your face!" Seeing Liu Xiaolou, Sister Qing couldn't help but shed tears.

Liu Xiaolou also sighed with emotion: "I have missed you dearly, but how could I dare to show my face? I was afraid of bringing trouble upon you."

"What trouble did you stir up again? Who is hounding you?" Sister Qing asked with some surprise.

"Who else could it be but the Lu clan of Mount Tianmu?"

"So you didn't show your face because you were afraid of them? Where have you been all these years?"

"I have been cultivating in the deep mountains all these years."

"You wretch, why didn't you come over sooner! If you had come to see me earlier, you wouldn't have had to hide for so long!"

"Sister Qing, what... what do you mean by that?"

"Mount Tianmu hasn't been hounding you at all! They have bounties for the Wei boy, for the Zuo Valley Master and little Tan, and recently for the old scoundrel Old Hu Du, but there is no bounty for you!"

"That can't be..."

"Such a big matter, how could I lie to you? It was Huang Xian who said so; she has also been looking for you and comes to ask about you every year. She is now an inner disciple of Mount Tianmu and reached Foundation Establishment last month. What she says cannot be false."

"Why is there no bounty for me?"

"Because you weren't there during the Huang Feng Gou incident. After Huang Xian and the others entered Mount Tianmu, they all said it had nothing to do with you."

Liu Xiaolou said in disbelief: "Didn't Dai Sanren reveal it?"

Sister Qing shook her head: "That Dai fellow is rotten to the core, but he truly didn't reveal your affairs. Huang Xian said that many things about your situation six years ago were already covered up, and it was Dai who shielded you. That's why Mount Tianmu always thought it had little to do with you. Moreover, you were the son-in-law of the Shenwu Manor at the time, and Mount Tianmu just wanted to settle the matter quickly and didn't want to stir up more trouble, so they didn't pursue you."

Liu Xiaolou was stunned for a long time, muttering: "So, it means I could have returned to Wulong Mountain without any trouble?"

Sister Qing sighed: "It would have been fine, but Wulong Mountain has already fallen, and no one has returned..."

Over the next few days, Liu Xiaolou stayed at the Green Joy Courtyard. Following Sister Qing's advice, he entered the black market of the Yueyang market to inquire about news of Foundation Establishment Pills.

Unfortunately, there were no useful leads. He bid her farewell and headed toward the Chicheng Mountain market, hoping to find a lead on obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill there.

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